More photos from the conference

While the men listened to various technical papers, the partners were taken on exotic tours and wined and dined far too well.  I am very definitely on a diet now!  Here are more photos of where we went and as usual click once or twice to see more detail.

 The Barron Falls as seen from the Kuranda train- not much to see unless there is a major downpour, since the Tinaroo dam was built about forty years ago.

 Same Falls seen from the other side of the gorge at the Skyrail station - with misty rain.

 A gondola of the Skyrail coming into the station.  there was huge controversy when this system was installed about fifteen years ago, the conservationists maintained the whole rainforest would be devastated.  All the massive towers were dropped into place from helicopters, as also were the workers - I am glad I wasn't one of them!  You cannot see where the footings are, but the view flying over the treetops is magical.

 We were definitely a log way up.

 This is looking down at the trees.

 Then we visited Hartleys Zoo, where they farm crocodiles for their skins - and show off the breeders to tourists.  This was a handler putting on a show for about 200 tourists.  He was teasing the croc in what I thought was quite a dangerous manouver, but he seemed to know what he was doing. 

 He dashed back into the enclosure on the right, then later gave the food to the rather large croc.

 This photo is in the wrong place.  Our group boarded the flat bottomed barge below to go for a trip on the river.  The driver had an esky of rotten chicken.  he attached pieces to the end of a string on a long pole and held it out for the croc, pulling it up sharply the first couple of times for everyone to hear the loud snap of the croc's jaws

 The croc beat him here, and grabbed about a foot of the end of the pole as well as the chicken!

At the end of the display, he nudged the boat into the bank and emptied the remainder of the ckicken onto the bank.  I wasn't quick enough with my camera (the battery was about to die) but there were about five crocs fighting over the food as well as at least half a dozen Rufous Night Herons.  They are quite free, but choose to live alongside the crocodiles in their habitat.  Sometimes on gets eaten, but mostly they manage to steal food and escape!
No time for more photos tonight, time for dinner, but I may bore you with some more tomorrow.  Still lots of interesting bits left.