Tropic Tours

07/02/2025

Babinda boulders after some heavy monsoon rain
The humidity was at 💯 percent
No swim swim today .
Such a beautiful place in the wet
Tropic tours
Cassowary coast , waterfall and culture tour

25/01/2025

K’gari Dingo
The purest genetic strain of mainland wolf in Australia
Just chilling on a very hot day on the island

24/01/2025

There be dragons!🐉Maybe not firebreathing ones, however Boyd's forest dragon (Lophosaurus boydii) are always incredible to see 💚... But who is Boyd?

The generic name Lophosaurus stands for "crested lizard", from the Greek lophos for "crest", and saurus for "lizard". The name, boydii however is a reference to English-born John Archibald Boyd (1846–1926), who lived in Fiji from 1865 to 1882 and then on a sugar plantation at Ingham, Queensland, and collected specimens for the Australian Museum.

He lived a rather interesting life, his family moved to Australia when Boyd was 11, at 19 Boyd adventurously decided to seek a living in Fiji. During his 16 years in Fiji he purchased 700 acres to create a plantation on the island of Ovalau. He married the daughter of the Fijian Chief of Lovoni, Ada Meri Matonisiga, to whom he had a son, Reginald (born 5 May 1870).

While in Fiji, J.A. Boyd became an avid collector of natural specimens and artefacts for the Australian Museum in Sydney.

In 1882, when his son Reginald (Reggie) was aged 12, J.A. Boyd returned to Australia with his son to work for his brother in North Queensland, leaving his Fijian wife behind (they continued to correspond and he sent her a remittance until her death in 1890). Boyd’s brother, Mitchell, had asked him to help establish & manage his plantation at Ripple Creek, on the Herbert River near Ingham.

According Boyd's diary, his first purchase of Aboriginal artefacts was in October 1882: “Bought for 1/2lb to***co /2s/8d/ a shield & spear & got for 4 plugs some necklaces and a boomerang”.

Boyd’s diaries reveal that he enjoyed life at Ripple Creek, spending much of his spare time on horseback, hunting and fishing and lived there for many years.

In 1893 he went to England, on the return trip he met Sarah (Jeanie) Miskin, who became his 2nd wife. Jeanie joined him at Ripple Creek where they married in 1894.

Boyd left Ripple Creek in 1898 after being advised by his doctor to leave the tropics for health reasons.

(More on Boyd here https://www.jcucollections.org/?page_id=143)

Lophosaurus boydii is the larger of the two species of Lophosaurus found in Australia.

07/01/2025

21/12/2024

Mena creek falls at night, just after a storm, walking over the falls on a suspension bridge is an epic experience !
Explore the cassowary coast with tropic tours

21/12/2024

Why visit tropical far North Queensland in the wet season
It’s epic !
The Paronella park experience tour
Have a merry Christmas everyone!
Cheers 🍻

07/12/2024

Wow thanks you to our wonderful
Guests travelling on our tours
Visiting 3 regions, just so rewarding when our guests leave amazing reviews
Thanks guys for being that breeze in our sails
So very much appreciated 🙏
Simon

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THE definitive tour of the Atherton Tablelands
Nov 2024 • Couples
This experience, named "Taste of the Tablelands," was not merely a taste, but a FEAST for the senses. Yes, you will get a flavor of local produce, but also get to know the expansive vistas, natural beauty, history, geology, and ecology of this unique and diverse region. Our guide, Simon (who runs the outfit as a husband-wife team), brought us along a well-paced journey which perfectly balanced local foods and spirits, all the "bucket list" must-see stops, and hidden gems off the beaten path. The itinerary was more than generous, yet did not feel rushed at all, thanks largely to Simon's encyclopedic knowledge and expert narration, more comparable to a passionate ambassador than a tour guide. Over the course of the day, we traveled the full north-south extent of the Tablelands, through dry savannah, productive farmland, extinct volcanoes, and several kinds of rainforest, from sea level to over 1000 meters then back again. Choose this tour for both its breadth and its depth -- why settle for less when you can have it all?

09/11/2024

There's more than one big count on this week...Australia's biggest frog count begins on Friday!

Held annually, Frog ID Week is when anyone with a smartphone can record frog calls through the free FrogID app, helping to understand how frogs and their ecosystems are responding to a changing planet.

Hop to it citizen scientists! 🐸

Australian Museum

06/11/2024

06/11/2024

We value the opportunity to spend quality time together, immersed in natural surroundings, with ample time to appreciate the experience. 🌴🌊🏞️💚😍👫

20/10/2024

The Mareeba unadorned rock wallaby …… The smallest of Australia’s wallaby ( the cutest too) 😉
A chance interact with these beautiful macropods on our tastes of tablelands tour

20/10/2024

One perfect day !

20/10/2024

Great day for wildlife photography!
The Paronella park experience also includes places like babinda, Innisfail, exploring the cassowary coast and wet tropics with wildlife
Encounters at etty bay !

20/10/2024

An extraordinary experience !