My trip to Queensland, Australia Part One: Cairns, Esplanade, Canopy Artspace

It’s been a couple of months now since my trip to Queensland, Australia courtesy of Tourism Queensland and I’ve been dying to tell you more about it! I’ve touched on some of my experiences in Northern Australia here:

Queensland, Australia Blogger Correspendant

A peek inside my suitcase: packing for Queensland
DIY Travel notebook with pocket

Home from beautiful Queensland, Australia
What clothes to pack when you travel: vacation ready travel fashions
5 Scenic Photos from Queensland, Australia

DIY Pocket Travel Journal

You can also stop by the Tourism Queensland blog where I’m guest posting today! I’m sharing some more of my photos from around Queensland along with 5 simple tips for taking great scenic photos on your next vacation. Check out the post and then join me on Pinterest all week long where I’ll be pinning travel and photography inspiration on my very own Queensland, Australia Pinboard!

I’ve said it many, many times, but it’s true…the trip was absolutely amazing and I feel so blessed to have been able to see this part of the world! I want to let you in on every detail of my time in Queensland, but to cover the entire trip in one blog post just wouldn’t do it justice, so i’m going to break it up into 3-4 parts starting today with my travel to Australia and my first two days in Queensland.

On June 2nd my mom and sister dropped me off at the Calgary International airport to begin my journey to Australia. I remember feeling nervous about leaving the kids, traveling so far all by myself and the 24+ hour travel time. I looked out the airport window watching them load the plane I’d be boarding and gave myself a little pep talk. It’s going to be fine. It’s going to be so worth it. I’ll see them soon. 24 consecutive hours of quiet, when is this ever going to happen again? Just enjoy it!

I was finally able to board the plane bound for LAX and I was on my way. Once in LA I met up with two of the other bloggers making the trip, Jodi from MCP Actions and Kara from The Vacation Gals. It was nice to connect with them and soon we were all off  to Brisbane via Virgin Australia. This would be the longest stretch of the journey it being a 14 hour flight. I was expecting the worst, but was so surprised at how smoothly it went. I brought my own pillow along on the trip after some advice from a friend and I was so glad I did. I slept a good 6-7 hours after watching an in flight movie and having a quick snack and I woke up just in time for dinner. By that time there were only about 3-4 hours left until our arrival in Brisbane!

From Brisbane we boarded another plane directly to Cairns {pronounced cans} and were met at the airport by a friendly member of the Tourism Queensland team who took us straight to our hotel.

I couldn’t have asked for a more positive first impression of Queensland than the one I got from the staff at the Pullman Reel Hotel. They were so great and really helped set the tone for my entire trip. They were kind, attentive and so helpful with getting me settled upon arrival and can you even believe how stunning my room was!? After a quick shower and a few emails home to let my family know I’d arrived safely I were treated to a delicious lunch at the nearby Salt House Restaurant. I loved this Restaurant and would highly recommend it! I’m pretty sure I could eat their delicious Coconut and Chilli Chicken everyday of my life and never get tired of it!

I made my way back to the hotel before the sun went down that evening and I was in bed by 9:00pm, completely exhausted. Keeping myself awake for the day and then getting a full night of sleep really helped with the jet lag and the next day I was ready to explore around Cairns a little bit more.

I was able to check out some of the local shops and found my way back to the Esplanade again. Later that afternoon I made a trip to the Cairns Tropical Zoo with some of the other bloggers who had since arrived in Australia. I’m going to save my zoo pictures for my next post but it was a really fun day! Here’s an aerial view of Cairns (see image below). I loved this beautiful city so much! For more valuable info about vacationing in Cairns check out this post from Kara at the Vacation Gals:
5 Family-Friendly Things to do in and around Cairns, Australia.

That evening, after all the bloggers had arrived from their various destinations, we met up at Canopy Artspace for a tour of the gallery and a meet and greet with some local indigenous artists. Their artwork was so unique and getting a behind the scenes look at how their art was created and the inner workings of the gallery was such an honour! We ended the day with another delicious meal at the Salthouse Restaurant.

Stay tuned for details from the rest of my trip to Queensland in the coming weeks including my trip to the Cairns Tropical Zoo, my adventures on Green Island and more!