Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Port Douglas is hot and very humid- now we know what tropical weather means. It is a great little place and full of character. There is full range of shops, restaurants and most importantly-cafes!
We drove up to the Mossman Gorge. A wild and exciting gorge full of fast flowing streams and waterfalls. As we stopped to take al ook, a ranger was telling people off for swimming in the river. Apparently the afternoon shower had caused the river to rise 6 feet in 10 minutes and it was still rising as we looked. A local ranger thought the swimmers must have a death wish. There is no way that we would do such a thing-it is pure coincidence that Sandy had her costume with her.
The gorge is in the middle of Aboriginal land. We were fortunate to be able to join a small group that were being guided around the near by woodland by a local Aborigine.He was fiercely proud of his ancestry and of his role in maintaining the culture and language. He told us his uncle had taught him all that he knew and that he intended to pass this on to future generations. He took us through deep, dark ancient woodland - most of the time in a heavy rain storm. He showed us the wild life and flora of the forest. He showed what each plant was used for and which ones to avoid. He showed us how they made their houses and shelters and showed us caves with cave paintings. A wonderful experience and a great introduction to the rainforest. The next day we went into Daintree ( see separate blog)
Port Douglas has a great liittle market on Sunday morning where we purchased copious quantities of local fruit for very little money. There is a local wildlidfe park which is full of native Australian animals. It was great to get up so close to such a range of animals and birds- however we did keep our distance from the crocodile at her nest and her 3 metre long mate. We even got to see an Echidna ( spiny anteater ) who suddenly popped up from his burrow, much to the surprise of our guide.
Near Cairns there is a long cable car ride through the rainforest to Karunda.It takes you through all levels of the canopy, giving a real understanding of this world. In Karunda we came across a shop full of local Aboriginal paintings- we had a moment of recklessness and brought a picture that we fell in love with. It is absolutely beautiful- we have shipped it home rather than risk too many air journeys in our suit case.
The Great Barrier Reef
We took a day trip out to Agincourt Reef. It was a very early start and a struggle to be ready in time. A very professional outfit soon had us at the marina and aboard their catamaran. Oh no, the curse of the cruise liners! Once again there were hordes of Americans, Japanese..... some nice but many spoilt little rich people who thought that the world revolved around them.
The reef is about 40 miles off the coast- we hit choppy water long before we arrived.( But apparently our journey was calm compared to the next day when every one was sick and the floors were littered with prostrate bodies!) Once we reached the reef we found sheltered waters. It was a gorgeous sunny day with deep blue and turquoise seas.
The boat tied up at a permanent pontoon, equiped for snorkelling and diving. Sandy snorkelled - the area was roped off from the nasties that lurk out there- sharks, snakes, jelly fish...( afterwards some one told us that these reefs are some of the most dangerous places in the world- I am glad that we did not know earlier) . Every one wore a lycra swim suit that covered them from head to foot in case the stingers sneaked past the rope defences- the day before a swimmer on a neighbouring reef was stung and had to air lifted to hospital. We have volunteered to be here??!!
Once Sandy had got all the equipment sorted, she was off. Splash.... She couild not believe what she was seeing! WOW! Every kind of exotic fish you could imagine- it was like being in an aquarium. She snorkelled over breathtaking coral ridges close enough to touch and across gaps where the ocean floor disappeared to unfathomable depths. Quite sobering to realise that you are swimming in the middle of an ocean surrounded by wildlife of every size, shape and colour. She eyeballed a fish that she says was enormous- at least 3 foot long and nearly as wide! - feeling quite shocked she quickly surfaced. Once she realised that she was not to become its next meal, she headed back down.( she trained to communicate what she had seen through mime- I smiled and waved back none the wiser.)
Trivia- waving indicates that you are in trouble and the life guard on duty will dive in to rescue you and give the kiss of life. Decision on whether to wave or not is dependent as much on the nature of the life guard as your own personal safety.
Back in the water Sandy was confronted by a silly diver who kept trying to get close to her. She dodged and manouvered but he was very persistent. Then it dawned on her that he had a camera and was trying to take her photo! ( it is a great photo by the way).
Eventually Sandy got tired and got out. A much more daunting task awaited her- battling the cruise liner folks for a place in the dinner queue.
Later we took a trip on a semi-submersible boat. This is a normal vessel but below decks the structure is made of glass so that you can see everything in the water beside you. ( it took me days afterwards to convince her that we did not go in a submarine- I am still not convinced that she fully believes me.). The vessel was a little claustrophic but the views it gave were outstanding. The array of wild life and coral was stunning. Every time we saw a really big fish Sandy told me that it was much smaller than the one she had seen!
On the main pontoon they have a permanent underwater observatory where you can watch the wildlife and be amused by the antics of the divers and snorkellers( I am not sure how aware they were of these observers.)
The trip back was great apart from the incresingly choppy seas- watching people trying to maintain their balance as they tried to move about the boat led to much unintentional hilarity.
A great day out- for both of us but especially for Sandy it was one of the highlights of the whole trip.
- comments