Wednesday 12 September 2007

Lost in Translation

As mentioned, I promised to share pics about my stay at Fur & Feathers, a stunning rainforest retreat at Tarzali, in the southern Tablelands.

The retreat is situated deep in a large surviving section of the Southern Tableland rainforest. It has things called trees, that used to exist on hillslopes around Cairns. This old growth forest survived the devastation and milling that occurred in the early part of the century, through a series of fortunate events.

Following a 100 minute drive via Kuranda - I detest doing the Gillies route under any circumstance - you arrive at Tarzali, on the Malanda - Milla Milla road. Fur 'n Feathers is 720m above sea level and covers over 100 acres (40 ha) of original wet tropics.

The vegetation is known as complex mesophyll vine forest. CSIRO use the property for research and have discovered that this rainforest produces between 4 and 7 times the amount of fruit than nearly sites. This accounts for the high density of the native wildlife.

As it's early evening when I arrive, the wildlife appears all around you. With 184 plant and 70+ fauna species recorded, you can see why it has a world reputation and a impressive guest list to match.

Five stunning rainforest pole houses were built only 10 years ago, alongside the dense riverbank system, and all are totally separate from neighbouring dwellings. Each are outfitted with spa baths, cosy wood fires and are fully-self contained. There's a telly and dvd player, but turning it on seems like an insult and intrusion to the environment. There's also a myriad of walking tracks to explore.

Do yourself a favour, book a break and an experience like no other. Tell them I told you and ask about a locals deal. I could go on and on, but I'll let my photos tell some of the story. Now, go get lost.













1 comment:

Anonymous said...

i love the possum!