Blasting up the coast from Mission Beach we made the decision to drive straight through Cairns and visit Port Douglas first (somewhat sceptically I might add since many port towns have been completely industrial). We were thrilled we did! What a fabulous drive along the coast with pristine beaches and no one on them (wonder why....see photo below). The stingies (box jellyfish) are not here all year long.....this just happens to be the season for all areas in the Tropic of Capricorn and in a month or so the ocean (here at least) will be ok for swimming. The crocs across the top of Australia west of here are not seasonal!!
Unlike other port cities we have visited, Port Douglas is filled with dive and sail boats and it is very upscale. All the streets are lined or shaded by palm and stranglevine trees. The campground was small and immaculate with the bonus of being a 10 minute walk from downtown.
We booked our Great Barrier Reef trip for the next day (March 8), leaving at 10 am and returning at 4:30 p.m. We were very excited!!
Awakening to a cloudy day, we wondered what the weather would be like. No threat of cyclones so we boarded Quicksilver, a boat much larger than we would have preferred but because of low season, it was only 1/2 full with around 200 passengers. The reason we chose this trip was because it went to the outer reef and because they are very protective of the reef and have their own platform at the reef. Unlike many trips from Cairns, there are no other boats out there swarming the area with tourists.
It took an hour and a half to get out there and it began to rain as we arrived. We got into our "stingie suits" and got into the water. The cloudy day made the colours of the reef and the fish so much more intense. It was unbelievable how beautiful it was and although we did see some dead coral, it was minimal. After about an hour we climbed out and still in our suits, we ate a fabulous buffet lunch that was part of the trip (also included tea and bickies in the morning and cheese trays and tea/coffee in the afternoon) then into the water again to spend the rest of the afternoon snorkelling. There was also a semi-submersible included and we took a tour in that to see even more of the reef. The photo's with our camera never does the under water scene justice so I'll only give you one.
Unlike other port cities we have visited, Port Douglas is filled with dive and sail boats and it is very upscale. All the streets are lined or shaded by palm and stranglevine trees. The campground was small and immaculate with the bonus of being a 10 minute walk from downtown.
We booked our Great Barrier Reef trip for the next day (March 8), leaving at 10 am and returning at 4:30 p.m. We were very excited!!
Awakening to a cloudy day, we wondered what the weather would be like. No threat of cyclones so we boarded Quicksilver, a boat much larger than we would have preferred but because of low season, it was only 1/2 full with around 200 passengers. The reason we chose this trip was because it went to the outer reef and because they are very protective of the reef and have their own platform at the reef. Unlike many trips from Cairns, there are no other boats out there swarming the area with tourists.
It took an hour and a half to get out there and it began to rain as we arrived. We got into our "stingie suits" and got into the water. The cloudy day made the colours of the reef and the fish so much more intense. It was unbelievable how beautiful it was and although we did see some dead coral, it was minimal. After about an hour we climbed out and still in our suits, we ate a fabulous buffet lunch that was part of the trip (also included tea and bickies in the morning and cheese trays and tea/coffee in the afternoon) then into the water again to spend the rest of the afternoon snorkelling. There was also a semi-submersible included and we took a tour in that to see even more of the reef. The photo's with our camera never does the under water scene justice so I'll only give you one.
Photo's: Two thumbs up for the reef and the 100% protection from the "stingy suits"!!; underwater friend
March 9: Driving further north to Cape Tribulation, as far as the bitumen (paved) road goes, we ascended into deep rainforest to the village of Daintree where we drove onto a barge that took us 2 minutes across a croc-filled (didn't see any but will take their word for it) river. We stopped at an ice cream kiosk where they serve exotic ice creams. The serving for the day was a cup of four; wattleberry, coconut, jackfruit and passionfruit. Delicious!!! Continuing on we ascended through mountainous areas with waterfalls driving down the sides of the mountain beside us, and rainforest so dense it would be almost impossible to walk through. At the end of the road we took a walk into the forest where a guide who was waiting for his tour group pointed out a tree snake as it lay on the ground looking at us and as we watched, it glided up into a bush.
Photo's: The rainforest; Tree naky nake
Returning to Port Douglas, we passed a sideroad and I asked Bob to turn around because I thought I saw a large bird on the road. We drove down the road and could see nothing for a minute....then I saw it in the forest on the side of the road.....a Cassowary. This bird is elusive and rarely seen. It stands 2 m high and is a relative of other primitive birds like emu's, South American Rhea and the African ostrich. Bob turned off the engine and we sat there until finally it walked out onto the road in front of us. It is beautiful with a bergundy comb and beak, a white head, purple throat and red wattles. The body is black with long soft feathers. We were delighted to see such a creature.
Returning to Port Douglas, we passed a sideroad and I asked Bob to turn around because I thought I saw a large bird on the road. We drove down the road and could see nothing for a minute....then I saw it in the forest on the side of the road.....a Cassowary. This bird is elusive and rarely seen. It stands 2 m high and is a relative of other primitive birds like emu's, South American Rhea and the African ostrich. Bob turned off the engine and we sat there until finally it walked out onto the road in front of us. It is beautiful with a bergundy comb and beak, a white head, purple throat and red wattles. The body is black with long soft feathers. We were delighted to see such a creature.
Photo: The Cassowary
Another night in Port Douglas and dinner at a Thai restaurant.
March 10: Off to Cairns, a very busy and bustling city. We headed to the south end and to the Big 4 campground. It is out of this world! Two huge swimming pools, mini-putt, a little train for the kids, a restaurant and wonderfully shaded sites. I immediately headed to the loo to check out the showers and on my way back to the van heard someone call "Sharon"......which I ignored because who the heck do I know in Australia??? Then I heard a whistle and because they are all to infrequent at this point in my life, I turned around to see Fred and Kay, an English couple we'd spent hours with in the pool at Mission Beach. Originally from Oxford they moved to the south of France two years ago and had been travelling around Australia for approximately the same length of time as us. We could not believe that with all the camps around Cairns, here we were at the same one.
After we settled in, we met them at the Tropical Pool (shaded) and spent another few hours swimming and chatting. As we were floating about, Bob nodded at something over my shoulder and believe it or not.....there were Nigel and Kat sitting at a table right behind us. We had such a laugh at this tiny, tiny world. Nigel told us that he landed a job as a mechanic with a gold mine in Papua New Guinea starting next month. He will fly from Cairns to the island then will be taken by helicopter (loaded with armed guards) for 16 days shifts followed by 12 days off when he'll be flown back to Cairns. He's feeling a bit nervous about it but is also excited. Kat applied for a job here (she's an esthetician) and at one establishment was told she'd be expected to give men Brazilian waxes. We all were stunned to learn that men get this done!!! Bob asked her who on earth would do this and Nigel replied "construction workers"....we all roared with laughter at his dry wit.....then again, he could be right.
We had two dinners out with Kay and Fred; lovely restaurants!
Photo: Dinner out with Kay and Fred
Bob and I did aquafit in the pool yesterday morning; two men and 10 women. It was a fun workout and a first for Bob.
Yesterday we took the skytrain 10 km through the rainforested mountains that surround Cairns. The trip included a nature walk with a ranger and we learned even more about this beautiful area and Australia generally. The ranger asked us if we knew who David Suzuki is and told us that he has met him, has tremendous respect for him and that David owns a home in Port Douglas. Interesting bit of info. He also told us that it was Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine who put Cairns on the map. They used to come fishing in the '70's and were always loaded and often fell out of their fishing boats. Great stories!
Photo's: All aboard the skytrain; views from the air; me holding a prehistoric type insect of the stick-bug variety (harmless or I wouldn't be holding it!!)
We have been in Cairns for 4 days and will stay another until we head down the east coast to the Whitsundays.
That's it for now folks! We are only about a month from our departure to Vancouver. The time has passed so quickly that it's truly a head-spin.
Looking forward to seeing everyone when we get back!!
Be well everyone!
We have been in Cairns for 4 days and will stay another until we head down the east coast to the Whitsundays.
That's it for now folks! We are only about a month from our departure to Vancouver. The time has passed so quickly that it's truly a head-spin.
Looking forward to seeing everyone when we get back!!
Be well everyone!
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