May 16th

Some of the girls stopped for a photo overlooking the crater.

 From the Land Down Under,

This morning was yet another early breakfast at Discovery Park Mount Surprise. We departed Mount Surprise to venture out and see the Crater in Mount Hypipamee National Park. We took a brisk stroll along crater track that ended with us at the viewing platform overlooking the crater. From where we were to the bottom of the lake was 130 Meters. The rainforest had a large variety of trees and a tropical environment much different from South Dakota.

A long way down to the bottom of the crater! 

After we left the crater, we made our journey to the Curtain Fig Tree at Yungaburra. This tree is different since it grew attached to a tree which then fell against a different tree and as the fig tree developed, and the roots made a curtain down to the ground. We also discovered the stinging tree around the fig tree, which is a poisonous tree that sticks into you once you touch it causing immediate irritation and in severe cases even death.  This fig tree is now considered the “Tableland’s most famous tree” and is one of the most frequently visited sites within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.

The Curtain Fig Tree was a sight to behold.

 

The dangerous stinging tree.

On our next tourist stop not too far down the road, we stopped at Millaa Millaa Waterfall. This scenic view provided us with a great photo opportunity which we didn’t hesitate to take advantage of. The mist from the waterfall added to the majestic viewing experience.  

The group got a photo during our stop at the Millaa Millaa Waterfall.

The Millaa Millaa Waterfall flowing over the rocks down to the pool below.

Our final visit of the day was to Mungalli Creek Dairy, a tropical dairy focusing on biodynamic and organic production. Michelle and Rob started the operation 35 years ago in 1989 and have been expanding ever since. They make all their products themselves, such as, milk, yogurt, cheeses, and ice cream. The breeds of dairy cattle they milk include Jersey, Aussie Red, and Brown Swiss on a rotationally grazed operation. They process milk from 8 different dairy farms, and manage 3 of them. They are extremely focused on value added products in an effort to make more money compared to what they could make selling to local milk plants. They recently expanded into the ice cream business and it has instantly become their most in-demand product line. To help with the avoidance of contamination on the farm and between products, they make all their bottles for milk on their home operation. The highest demand for milk comes in the winter, when production is the lowest, so they try and take advantage of the months leading up to it when they have a surplus in milk to make cheese. They use humus as a fertilizer for their pastures seeing as they cannot add conventional products (e.g. fertilizers) on their pastures. They use a golf ball size amount per acre mixed with water and applied two times a year to stimulate biology and organic matter in the soil. Rob claims this results in the same amount and sometimes even better production from the pastures compared to conventional fertilizers. They also add crushed quartzite crystals at the amount of one gram per acre to their pastures. Their reasoning behind this is for better aeration and it allows the plants to stand straighter resulting in them getting more sunlight (his words not ours).  

At Mungalli Creek Dairy, we were welcomed with lunch and were able to celebrate Kenzie’s birthday. We started our meal with an in-depth cheese board tasting, yum! After the meal we were able to enjoy some organic, lactose free, unhomogenized, gluten free ice cream which came in a variety of flavors. They also offered us a variety of cheesecakes to choose from.

Tasty cheese board.

Bottle processing that is part of Mungalli Dairy’s vertical integration efforts.

After the dairy, we traveled back to Cairns ending our long day of travel allowing us to explore the local shops and look for some good souvenirs to bring back to the states.

G’Day and til next time, 

Jack Donnelly and Anna Moser