Australia Day 18: Great Barrier Reef

​Today we visited the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage site. It was amazing!

We had a lot of logistics to get there - to Cairns by bus, a quick walk around the marina and park to orient ourselves, then the boat out to the Pontoon at at Moore’s Reef.  We were warned that the ride would be rough and we should all take sea sickness pills - and we were glad we listened.  It WAS Rough!

But all was well when we got out to the reef.  Ruth signed us up for a guided snorkel “beyond the barrier” with Sandy the marine biologist.  After a quick test run with our masks and gear, we headed out for our tour.  

Sandy towed us and one other person on a life saving ring - that saved a lot of energy!  We mainly stayed right on the edge of the reef, seeing so many corals, beautiful fish (hundreds of kinds and colors), and three giant clams.  It was so much fun.

After lunch, Cheryl did another snorkeling session with another guy from the trip.  Then we both went around in the glass bottomed boat for half an hour.  

We finished the day with another session with the marine biologist who told us about the fish we saw from as underwater observatory, while fish food was released from above.  So cool.

Back on the boat, we headed back to Cairns.  It was pretty rough again, but this time there was more hilarity than nausea, as glasses and water bottles tumbled about over and over again.

We dozed on the bus home, then grabbed a quick Thai dinner at the resto in the resort before heading home to shower and sleep.

Australia Day 16 & 17: Cairns

​Cairns is the tropical north - the opposite of the Red Center.  It is all about the ocean and the rainforest.

We arrived midafternoon on Wednesday and spent the afternoon settling in to our excellent resort.  Our tour leader defines a resort as a hotel with a pool that has a swim-up bar, so this is the only “resort” of our tour. Being in the tropics, it is full of lush green and flowering vegetation, many birds, and other delights like a long reflecting pool outside our room. It is also across the street from the Pacific Ocean. We had a lovely walk along the beach and saw a gorgeous rainbow before the rain hit.

Our first adventure in Cairns was a visit the Hartley Crocodile Farm.  Although there is a commercial farm attached to the enterprise, the main attraction is the hands on interaction with lots of local animals.  We had a lovely day feeding kangaroos and wallabies, crocodiles and enjoying the antics of a variety of other creatures.

First we met the reptiles.

Next we met the gray kangaroos and red Wallabies

Mama Wallaby with a pouch full of her Joey

Next we visited the cassowaries

We saw lots of koalas and wombats and snakes and lizards.  

Then we went on a boat trip to see and feed crocs.

So Much Fun!!

Most of the afternoon was rainy and relaxing.  There was an almost full moon after dinner and one of our group took this amazing photo!

Australia Day 14 & 15: Uluru

​Uluru is the iconic Australian symbol of indigenous culture and history.  The rock (second largest in the world) and ⅘ of it is under the surface of the earth. For more info, here is the Wikipedia page: https://share.google/93rFB1VeHclyuNKGd

We were fortunate to have a charming and energetic guide/driver who told us some of the stories - explaining the difference between T’juka Par (the story) and Tjuka Richa (the physical evidence of the story - such as a curvy line in the rock marking where Kanda the snake god passed by). Whole stories were told using these physical markings on the rock as evidence for the story.

The serpents path

Jordan telling the story

Since it had been raining here, as in Alice Springs, there was lots of water and greenery in the normally dry red center.  

There was also a permanent water hole where the local people come

To teach their children about their history.

We spent a lot of time and effort seeing the sunrise and sunset - both with appropriate beverages and snacks supplied by our guides.  We were trying to track changes in the colors of the rocks, with mixed success.

We also very much enjoyed seeing Kata T’juta - another large and important rock formation about 20 km away. We had a wonderful walk up the windy path to men’s ritual area.

In the afternoon, our resort offered a variety of cultural activities.  We visited an aboriginal art gallery and a few other shops, but the highlight was a Didgeridoo performance and lesson.

We really enjoyed the last few days of learning about the beliefs, practices and arts of some of the aboriginal groups in Central Australia.

Australia Day 12 & 13: Alice Springs

​From movies, TV and books, we had low expectations of Alice Springs.  We had always thought of the town in the “Red Center” of the Northern Territory as basically an launchpad for getting to Uluru.

So we were surprised and delighted by our stay here. We enjoyed the historical sites in and around the town, and loved the beautiful scenery, especially the mountains and chasms.

We were especially fortunate to see the area after two months of rain - usually people see red red red, but we saw green grasses, water flowing in rivers, and cooler than expected temperatures.  We heard that Alice Springs has not been this green in 50 years.  It was a delight. 

Our favorite part was the two sublimely beautiful canyons we visited this morning.  Simpsons Gap was a lovely canyon that had traditionally been a place where aboriginal boys went through initiation into manhood.  In this sacred place - with a beautiful stream running through it -  we saw black footed rock wallabies and enjoyed spectacular views.

We also went to Standley Chasm, which was a lovely walk up to a slot canyon. This site is also a stop on the Larapinta trail, a famous 230 km hiking trail thru the MacDonnell range. The steep and rocky walls, the massive trees, and the spectacular canyon, with a perfect little pool of water were exceptionally peaceful.

Also in Alice Springs, we toured Telegraph Station, a reconstruction of the buildings that were established as a repeater station on the telegraph line. We also learned about the history of camel use in Australia, which also related to the building of the telegraph line.

Galah cockatoo

We spent an evening playing lawn bowls, and survived (it is officially the sport with the highest death rate in the world…because most of people who play are in their 90s).

And we enjoyed an evening of stargazing a few miles outside of town.

All in all a fun and surprising visit.