20060524 Wednesday Port Douglas Queensland OZ

We packed and went down for a bite for breakfast. We came back and paid the bill. Noticed a charge for the Desert Awakening tour yesterday. Had to go to Odyssey tours and get a fax there from Uluru Travel showing I'd paid them for it, then take that to the Lost Camel to get them to refund the tour costs. Finally all that got done.

We went out and took a few shots while waiting. The bus came along and took us to the airport where we waited some more. At check-in, I was told my carryon bag was overweight. Advice was given to remove the laptop and carry it on separately, which I did. Then I put it back into the bag. Strange. Then a 737-400 came along and took us to Cairns in tropical Queensland - very nice flight.

The luggage come out after a wait, then into the rent-a-Camry for the drive to Port Douglas. That took about an hour up the shore of the Coral Sea part of the Pacific Ocean. Beautiful scenery.

We found the little apartment and checked in. Then a walk up the main drag to the grocery. Stopped on the way back for wine and flipflops.

Then we walked back to the restaurant "Zinc" and ate. Dolores had veal osso bucco & I had spaghetti bolognese. I hiked down to the grocery again to get sunscreen for tomorrow. Then back to the apartment to do the pictures and this log.

To bed early - big day tomorrow.



20060525 Thursday  Port Douglas, Queensland, OZ           Photo Link   

We ate and were ready for the bus when it came to get us. It took us to the Quicksilver tourist organization's boat WaveDancer for our day tour to the Low Isles part of the Great Barrier Reef. We were briefed on emergency actions and got underway around 1000. 

WaveDancer is a large catamaran with 4,000 square feet of sail on two masts and a spinnaker, all controlled from the bridge area. They sail when they can, given schedule and winds. The winds were unfavorable for sailing out, so they cranked up the two diesels. We got to the low isles, named by Captain Cook, the explorer, and moored to their anchored buoy and snugged the stern up to a mooring they use to run boats to the beach and glass-bottomed boats around the reef.

We decided on the way out to skip the snorkeling, so we hopped into the glass-bottomed boat and watched the reef unfold beneath us as Drew brought us to each area of significance in turn. We saw many types of soft corals (this part of the reef is 8,000 years old) and lots of fish, and some turtles. Many of the pictures came out well enough to keep.

Drew brought us back in time for lunch on WaveDancer, a simple but very good buffet.

Then we got to go ashore to take pictures and then take part in the walk on the island with the boat's nature expert, John. We hiked all round the island, picking up and handling sea cucumbers, blue starfish, and taking pictures of little "Nemo" fish as the tide drained water off the corals. 

It's interesting that the soft corals aren't colorful and that they look downright yucky as they ooze their protective coating when out of the water to keep themselves undamaged by the sun. The fish around the reef are interesting in how they interact with the corals and other fish. For instance, the parrotfish grinds the dead reef coral cells in taking algae off the reef; then he grinds it nearly to sand and passes that back into the water. Some people estimate that one-third of the reef sand and island sand has gone through a parrot-fish.

We finished our hike around the island and went back to the boat while another group took the final glass-bottomed boat tour, then came back. We got underway on the diesels, then turned into the wind to hoist the main and mizzen, then turned for shore. They unfurled the spinnaker electrically but the wind was ahead of the beam and the sails couldn't get it to the 14 knots it can do if everything's right. So they put one of the two diesels on-line to get to 14 knots so we could arrive on time.

We had beer and wine, then Drew set up a speaker, mike, and guitar pickup. Then he sang several songs, some American, some Australian, as we motor-sailed toward Port Douglas, with the black clouds raining into the rain forest off the starboard bow. We got into the channel and Drew sang the last song - Waltzing Matilda - as we came around to dock.

The bus took us home, where we rested for a bit. Then we hiked downtown looking for a place for dinner. We settled on the Iron Bar, a quasi-rough Aussie place opened in 1994 on the main street, MacCrossan. Dolores had an Aussie Pie (Steak and Ale pie), while I had a chicken pasta thing. Very good.

We hiked back home and now we're finishing the photos of the day and this log.

Driving tour tomorrow.


20060526 Friday   Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia               Photo Link 

Another beautiful day. We drove north out of Port Douglas to Mossman and then farther north along the coast, pausing for a tiny ferry over the Daintree River. Going further, we went into the Daintree National Park, a rain-forest here on the northeast coast. The locals like to brag about the barrier reef meeting the rainforest only here in Queensland. Both are World Heritage sites.

We rounded a corner and came to a cassowary and its chick. The cassowary is another flightless bird that stands around five feet high. It has brilliant blue-green coloring; otherwise, it resembles an emu.. They hiked around us as we tried to get the camera on them - not easy. We got a couple of shots, none good.

We went on to the end of the two-wheel-drive road (4x4's can go further) at Cape Tribulation. This whole area was named by Captain Cook, the explorer. He named places in this neck of the woods after tribulation, sorrow, weary, and so forth, after he ran HMS Endeavour aground on this barrier reef. He was lucky to save the ship because one of his men knew about passing a sail under the hull to slow down the flooding.

But they had to spend many weeks here repairing the ship before they could go on to London. The names reflect their attitude.

We looked around in the Cape Tribulation area (commercialized), then headed back. On the way we stopped at various little stores and lookouts over the ocean, took pictures, and played tourist. The Mossman Gorge on the way back is a nice example of a stream the is low today, but the big boulders in the middle show the river can move them when the water's high.

Back then to Port Douglas and a walk through the local mall (part of the marina). Today was the day for the "World's Longest Lunch" here. It benefits the leukemia charities. Three of the marina restaurants cater the thing, which is the longest in terms of length of table - about 300 diners participate at one table, 150 on each side. One shopkeeper we spoke to said it (lunch) will go till dark and none will be fit to drive afterward, but it raises money for a good cause.

We went back to the apartment, did some internet access by modem (slow!!) to get out one set of email and we'll do it again later.

Then to dinner at "2 Fish", snapper for me and coral trout for Dolores. Very nice. Walked back home. Saw more of the local fruit bats on the way - they're huge - about 18" wingspan. They hang around the coconuts during the day.

Now to take it easy. More touring tomorrow.

20060527 Saturday Port Douglas, Queensland, OZ            Photo Link   

We awoke to find the street between our apartment and the beach (the Esplanade) full of people setting up booths and displays. Turns out this is the last gasp of the local "Carnivale". The street parade was held last night after we'd left downtown.

More and more, this place reminds me of an Aussie Key West. Bars, restaurants, boats, beaches, money. Except this place has no parking meters or traffic lights.

We did the event for a while, up and down the beach, watched speedboat races, outriggers, kids climbing walls, the Queensland Fire & Rescue mini-truck for kiddie rides, promotions by Sabaya (selling condos in their new resort), sausages by the local surf rescue crew, and more.....

Then we walked downtown, where Dolores bought two more things she needed. We both bought books. Then we headed back to the apartment.

My thumb's been sore for several days and now it chose to get swollen and really painful. I took off for the Mossman Hospital's Emergency Room to have it attended to. I waited a long time, but this is a small hospital and more urgent cases kept coming in. Finally a nurse, who had consulted with the doctor, lanced the infected area, pressed out the pus (ouch), and applied a dressing that will draw out more. She also provided a kit for another dressing for tomorrow. She thinks the two will clear up the problem, but I'll be home soon anyway. Feels better. Fixed charge for people not in their health care program is AUS$168 (about US$123).

When I got back, we went out for dinner at Michael Angelo's (bad, I know). Good italian food. Back then to the apartment to prepare for tomorrow's trip to Sydney. We’re (sadly) starting toward home.

Photos, this log, and packing remain.