Michaela Strachan Gets Really Wild From Cairns to Darwin

Michaela Strachan Gets Really Wild From Cairns to Darwin

A face we all grew up with on TV with the likes of the Really Wild Show, and more recently Spring and Autumn Watch, we speak to nature enthusiast and presenter, Michaela Strachan about her recent trip to Australia, where she went, stayed and explored.

It’s not just a couple of TV programs that Michaela has done however, she’s flown the flag for nature enthusiasts in National Geographic’s Safari Live from Kruger National Park in South Africa, Adopt a Wild Animal and Postcards From The Wild for Discovery’s Animal Planet, as well as programs such as Michaela’s Zoo Babies and Michaela’s Animal Roadtrip to name a mere handful!

With conservation at the forefront of her endeavours, Michaela is not only a seasoned presenter but is also a veritable expert when it comes to wildlife. Returning to Australia, but this time taking her husband and son along for the ride, the family of three decided to take three weeks out to travel from Cairns to the Northern Territory. “We did ten days around Cairns and a week around Darwin and Kakadu.” Continuing she says, “We went with a company called Discover the World and they organised this amazing trip for us. I think they’ve gotten to know us and they know that we’re a family that likes to have busy holidays. We are not people that like to sit on the beach. We’re not people that like architecture in cities and museums. We like the great outdoors and a bit of adventure. They just did the most brilliant job of making sure that we were busy at all times. So, we started off in Cairns.” The rapid speed and enthusiasm that Michaela recalls the trip is a tell tale sign of how much she and her family enjoy the “great outdoors.”

Continuing on the Cairns portion of their trip, Michaela says, “What I loved about the area around Cairns is it’s all incredibly accessible and you can have totally different adventures when you travel a couple of hours in the car. I think when you’re on holiday with an 11-year-old, the last thing you want to do is spend hours on end in the car and I think a lot of people’s perception of Australia is that.”

Michaela states that over 10 days on their trip they only used just over a tank of petrol whilst going all over for their adventures. During which they also visited Kuranda Koala Gardens for an up close look at some koalas and kangaroos. A must on any East Coast trip, the family visited the Great Barrier Reef with Michaela dubbing her return to the area as “shocking” with regard to the bleaching. “I know there’s been a lot in the newspapers in the last couple of days about ‘the Great Barrier Reef is dead’ and in fact it turns out that it’s not. But I certainly saw a big difference between when I went 20 years ago when I did my advanced diving course, to going now when I saw a lot of white bleaching. It’s still the most amazing experience but it was different.”

From under the sea to above the trees, Michaela and her family also found time to cruise the rainforest canopy with Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, recalling her experience, Michaela enthuses… “That was great. Things like that, they’re really touristy but they’re brilliant. I get really cross with people that turn their noses up at these and so ‘oh, it’s a bit touristy’. It’s like ‘you are a tourist. You’re here on holiday. It makes you a tourist even if you’ve got a backpack on.’ So, we really enjoyed that and it was a fantastic way to see the rainforest. And again, it feels like an adventure.”

Whilst visiting Queensland Michaela also stayed at the Thala Beach Reserve as well as visiting Kewarra where she partook in yoga on the beach – “I really liked it and felt really special for me.” Michaela and her family also visited the Daintree Eco Resort and Spa for a few days of pampering and relaxing in between their coastal and jungle adventures!

Making their way up to the far north of Queensland they journeyed to Mossman Gorge, took boat rides to see the crocodiles and native wildlife as well as embarking on a Dreamtime Walk and even taking to the canopy of the Daintree Rainforest via zipline.

Onward to the Mareeba Wetlands, Michaela recalls their time there “We stayed in a place called Jabiru. That was really beautiful. Again, loads of birds and you could go on a lagoon thing. That was out near Atherton Tablelands. We did a hot air balloon ride there as well.” Continuing on their action packed time there, “We went to a creek where we spotted platypus and then we went to a tree plantation where we managed to spot a tree kangaroo which is really difficult to see because they’re in such a confined area now. So, we saw loads of wildlife.”

Her love of wildlife never escaping her, Michaela recalls returning to a rescue centre she’d not been to for 15 years not realizing how close it was to where they were. “I just went ‘oh my god, it’s Tolga Bat Hospital. I went there 15 years ago.’ So, we went back and saw it again and it was the same lady there that ran it. That was really nice. So, around Cairns we really felt like we had an amazing adventure. We went from diving in the Barrier Reef to Daintree Forest to Atherton Tablelands and they’re all totally different habitats.”

Flying up to Darwin, and after soaking up a bit of the Northern Territory city, Michaela and her family made their way out to the Mary River Wetlands taking in the sights of thousands of geese, whistling ducks and, of course, crocodiles. Going somewhere not many go to, the family were lucky enough to head up to Northern Kakadu with their guide on an Arnhemlander Cultural and Heritage Tour. “I think it’s really unspoiled and it’s only open to restricted tour operators who have gained the respect of the traditional land owners. So, you do feel quite privileged to go in there and see the landscape. We also went to the most amazing place – it was an art gallery where you see the local Aborigine guys painting and the women doing the materials.” The presenter says of the coveted trip.

With more adventures to be had in the Northern Territory, Michaela and her family also visited Nitmiluk Gorge which is near Katherine for a spot of kayaking down the gorge.Michaela pins the highlight of her trip on the versatility, from the varying accommodation to the dramatically different eco-systems and habitats they encountered. Travelling from June – July gave them a great opportunity to visit some areas of the Northern Territory that can be off limits during the wet season. Michaela arranged her Cairns to Darwin tour via Discover The World.

View our Australia tours section online to find tours departing from both Cairns and Darwin much like the ones Michaela did.

Images courtesy of Michaela Strachan

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By Hannah Shakir