TOURISTS got a bit more than they bargained for on Monday when Fat Albert – the dominant male crocodile on the Daintree River - leapt out of the water and sank his teeth into the railing of their boat. David White, owner and operator of Solar Whisper, said he spotted the river's two big males, five-metre Fat Albert and four-metre long Scarface, scrapping over territory about 2.30pm on Monday. "At this time of year, this is a fairly common occurrence, making trips out on the river so exciting for our passengers," Mr White said. "When male crocs fight they are full of testosterone and can act aggressively towards any-thing nearby. "Knowing this, we idled quite some distance away, ensuring we gave the boys plenty of space to rumble. "However, Fat Albert broke off the fight and vanished under the water, re-appearing  seconds later right beside the boat. Suspecting Fat Albert's intentions, Mr White threw the boat in reverse and moved his passengers to the far side of the boat. Not intimidated by the fact that he was taking on a boat nearly twice his size, the big boy of the river launched himself out of the water with his powerful tail. As he dropped back into the water, Fat Albert snapped at the tourist boat, leaving a couple of dents in the welded aluminium hull and the top railing, more than a metre clear of the water. Mr White said no-one had been in danger during the attack but it left him and his passengers understandably rattled. ''It was pretty scary," he admitted. "It’s not the first time a croc has had a go at a boat on the Daintree, but it’s the first time he's left marks on a boat." Mr White said he didn’t blame Fat Albert for his display of dominance, and certainly didn’t want any action taken to remove the monster saurian. "He was letting us know who was in charge of the river”, Mr White said. "In -future I'll give fighting crocodiles even more space." After assaulting the boat, Fat Albert chased off another smaller crocodile, while Scarface took out his frustration on a nearby mangrove tree. And it's not just male crocs that get cranky during the mating season. Nesting females will defend their nests against any real or perceived threat to their offspring. Although crocodiles are most likely to be aggressive in rivers and estuaries, Port Douglas locals received a timely reminder that they can also be a threat along beaches and in lagoons. Warning signs were placed along southern Four Mile Beach last week after a reported sighting, while rangers from the Department of Environment and Resource Management spent Wednesday morning setting floating traps in the Reef park lagoon. A reminder from the Queensland Government earlier this month reminded people to be particularly croc-wise during the breeding season, which lasts until April. "This time of year, it can be more dangerous because the males are full of testosterone," Mr White said. "When there's just one it’s not so bad, but if you see two crocs having a go at each other stay well clear."

RICHARD KOSER – Port Douglas & Mossman Gazette 22 October 2009

koser@tpd.newsltd.com.au

Blue Leaf Rooms was our first step of independence. About 100 individual owners formed a group called Blue Leaf Rooms to rent out to the public. There are about 300 hundred rooms at the Treetops Resort and about 100 of them are privately owned by individuals like my husband and I.

WHY BLUE LEAF ROOMS?
We came up with the name Blue Leaf Rooms because it represented both the blue sea and the green forests of Queensland's Tropical North. The fact that our leaves were blue rather than the expected green was also meant to represent that we had a point of difference - we had a spirit of independence and we were prepared to make a go of a difficult situation. When we presented the name Blue Leaf Rooms to the individual owners everyone seemed to like the idea and it took off from there.
Blue Leaf Rooms owners were your average Mum and Dad investors who had day jobs and were looking to invest in something small to save towards a rainy day. We lived all across the country and had a heck of a time emailing and ringing each other to try and organise this venture. It was only due to the leadership of some very giving individual owners that the venture took off.

HOW DID BLUE LEAF ROOMS OPERATE?
The logistics of having a separate Blue Leaf Rooms reception desk to the main resort reception desk worked well. People who booked with Blue Leaf Rooms through the Blue Leaf Rooms website (www.blueleafrooms.com.au) or through the local real estate agent were able to find us without a problem. The public was also very supportive because our prices were cheaper and because Aussies always support the underdog. Blue Leaf Rooms ran for two years, but eventually Blue Leaf Rooms closed down as key people moved on to other projects due to personal circumstances.
Now that Blue Leaf Rooms is no longer in operation, we are renting our room to the public directly. We are accepting this bigger step of independence and we are travelling fair so far...

My husband and I are your average Mum-and-Dad investors who bought this unit a three and a half years ago in pristine tropical Port Douglas thinking we would do well because who doesn't love laid back Port Douglas?

... and then the market dropped when our hotel lease ended. We were offered a lease renewal at about 25% of our previous income. I am not joking! Anyway, about 100 of us individual owners decided to band together to try and rent out to the public, but we were David against Goliath in the politics of a multi-million dollar industry.

So now we have decided to have a brave go on our own. The strategy is that we'll be so small that we won't be a thorn in the side of the giants and they will hopefully just pass us by. There may be others like us popping up on online or elsewhere. We use professional cleaning and laundering companies with professional toiletries, etc. Please support us and give us a go. We offer a quality product without the CEO price because we have no CEOs to pay for.

Visitors to Lychee Tree Holiday Apartments website are now able to access the very latest in accommodation specials and rates, with instant availability and Bookings possible.

No need to wait for enquiry response, know immediately if there is availability, and get instant booking confirmation.  Just go to the bookings links on the Lychee Tree Website.

A quotation system is still an option, if you have any queries or specific requests.  Lychee Tree endeavour to provide a response as soon as possible.

Check out the very latest in specials on the Lychee Tree Bookings Page today!

Rainforestation Army Duck Driver Murray Freeman has celebrated reaching his 30th year of employment at the award-winning Rainforestation Nature Park in Kuranda.

Murray started working at Rainforestation on 23rd September in 1979, when it was known as Mountain Groves. At the time, the only other army duck driver was founding Managing Director Charles Woodward.

Murray remembers starting his employment with the company particularly well as he married his wife Laura the following week.

“So techinically, you can say I’ve been married to my job longer than I have my wife!” he said.

In those early days, Murray’s duties were varied and extended beyond just driving an army duck, from serving behind bar, to helping out in the restaurant.

“I remember on my first day, I wore good clothes to work, then my first task was a trip in the old truck to the dump – with a particularly messy batch of rubbish,” he said.

Over the years, Murray has seen the attraction evolve from a small business employing six people, to an internationally successful operation with currently 75 employees.

Due to his extensive knowledge of amphibious war vehicles, Murray has often been used as specialist consultant for film and television productions, such as the Steven Speilberg produced mini-series The Pacific which is currently in production.

Rainforestation Managing Director Charles Woodward said it was great to see a long-term employee remain so dedicated and passionate about their work.

“After 30 years, his tours have remained fresh and interesting – although some of his jokes haven’t changed,” he said.

“Murray has been presented with many opportunities to move into more senior roles, but has turned these down as he is content in this role, and continues to give it 100%. We are pleased to see him reach this milestone, and are proud of his ongoing commitment to Rainforestation,” he said.

Today, Murray has the additional responsibility of training the army duck drivers on driving, safety skills and guiding.

The award-winning Rainforestation Nature Park in Kuranda has just completed a successful exchange of koalas with Alma Park Zoo in Southern Queensland for breeding purposes.

The aim is to introduce new genetics into the breeding programmes at both Rainforestation Nature Park and Alma Park Zoo, Queensland's longest running zoo, situated 30 minutes north of Brisbane.
Sakura, a 2 year old female koala born at Rainforestation in their successful breeding program, has
swapped places with Alma Park Zoo's Kodi, a 3 year old male koala.

Rainforestation Head Wildlife Keeper Kate Coughlan said it is hoped Kodi will become one of their
top breeding males, as well as a star in the "Koala Experience" for koala photos.

"Kodi has settled in nicely and is revelling in his new role posing in the Koala Experience, so we're
also hoping he will take to two of our female koalas in the next couple of months," she said.

Meanwhile, Sakura is also expected to be a future breeder at Alma Park Zoo, with Rainforestation to
receive the first female offspring she produces, bringing new genetics into the koala colony again.

Both Rainforestation and Alma Park Zoo plan to work together for Koala management for the future,
thus beginning a long term partnership between the two parks.

For more information or to arrange a photo opportunity, please contact CaPTA PR Manager Ben
Woodward on 0406 384 886 or 07 4041 9401.

we have been seeing a lot of eagle rays jumping from the water latley

also the osprey eagles are hunting the fish on top of the water right in front of the kayaks and there have been many blue spot lagoon rays in front of the double island resort along with 1 pair of long fin bat fish who seem to have taken up residents at the exclusive resort

Unlike any other hotel awards programs in the world, TripAdvisor® Travelers' Choice® winners are based on the millions of real and unbiased reviews and opinions about hotels on tripadvisor.com^TM and content from across the web.

Members of the world's favourite travel news source voted the five star eco lodge in at 3rd in the Pacific region for ‘Best Luxury', 6th in the Pacific Region for ‘Best For Romance', and 77th in the Worldwide category for ‘Best Luxury'. The award-winning lodge's deluxe timber bungalows, exceptional coastal position and friendly Australian service were the most appreciated comments on the website.

In addition to providing an unsurpassed accommodation experience, Thala Beach Lodge also operates a number of nature based initiatives, including guided bird watching, nature walks, beach discovery walks, star gazing at an outdoor observatory and Australia's only coconut odyssey; a comprehensive history and tasting of the prolific nut.

Sunrise at 6.31am & first light at 6.09am, seen every day from a hot air balloon here in the tropics in May, is displaying some amazing colours.

Taking off on the Atherton Tablelands, west of Kuranda and Port Douglas daily, the ballooning industry keeps the most up to date weather information to determine balloon launch sites & flight plans. Temperatures this week will range from an overnight of 19 degrees to a high of 27 in Kuranda and Mareeba. We suggest a light jacket and enclosed shoes, when starting your early morning tour and definitely sunglasses and a hat for after breakfast. To see photos of today''s weather on the Atherton Tablelands go to www.hotair.com.au  

It will be mostly fine and sunny inland for the week ahead though you will notice a difference driving from the Atherton Tablelands back to Port Douglas where the forecast is for moderate SE winds, fresh at times along the coast.