second time around

How am I? Well as everyone here says all the time for “you are welcome”, “Of course”, “it is fine”, and any generalized positive answer: “No worries, mate”. North Queensland has been wonderful and in another hour I set of on the live aboard dive boat for the outer Great Barrier Reef and some hopefully awesome dives.

Leaving Daniel was fine, although carrying a suitcase on the morning rush hour commuter subway was a little tight. I made all the right changes and got to Narita airport in good time. The long flights passed well, and although my flight out of Tokyo to Taipei was delayed an indeterminate length of time, they did get me on an Air Japan flight after two hours which left me plenty of time to connect in Taipei for Sydney. Overnight there and then on to Cairns. I took a day cruise out to the inner reef for a couple of dives just to get wet again. It was only so-so. Then I took a scenic railway ride up to a place called Kuranda which is up the mountainside north of Cairns. The rainforest was good, the walk around was excellent as all the tourists just do the main street shops, so I was alone walking the track in the jungle. It made me think about the Olympic rainforest and where I grew up in Washington. I did go into a Koala Gardens to see Koalas, Wombats, Wallabies, and Crocs. Then the ride down was on a gondola above the rainforest canopy for three 12 minute sections with stops to walk around. It was good fun and a great view.

After getting back to Cairns I got a rental car and headed north. Drove up (on the left side of the road) to Port Douglas and had some lunch. P.D. Is an upscale vacation town, much smaller, classier and pricier than Cairns. Very clean and pretty. The Australian schools have just gone back in session, so there are hardly any tourists Then the ride down was on a gondola above the rainforest canopy for three 12 m (gotta love that!) I spent the night at a place called the Thala Beach Lodge, an eco-resort in the rainforest. The rooms are bungalows on high poles built into the hillside so that the porch and view are in the tree canopy and it is hard to see another room at all. The whole place is on a peninsula out into the ocean and has spectacular views. Thanks to Jonathan Phillips for the suggestion, it was perfect.

From there I motored further up the Daintree Rainforest to my next stop, a tiny B & B in Daintree Village. Actually 8 km down the dusty gravel road out of town (population maybe 40). The area is heavily into cattle, mostly Brahma, and very little fencing. The Daintree Valley Haven was 4 units and a very nice couple that own/run the property. I had a couple of good walks around the place and saw many birds and a couple of wild Wallabies.

The second day there I drove on further up the Captain Cook Highway as far as Cape Tribulation, where the sealed road ends and only 4WD vehicles can go on. It was incredible, NO traffic at all, I was sailing alone through this ancient rainforest on a winding narrow road and the sun was peeking through the canopy here and there and I was loosing my mind. They say this is the oldest forest in the world and I would believe it looking into the amazing variety and balance of it. You wouldn’t know it to look here, but the Queensland area has been in a serious drought since last April. While it looks green to me, the locals are praying for rain. I spent a few hours at the Daintree Interpretive Center which has a wonderful elevated walkway and tower set up in pristine rainforest with all kinds of information and exhibits. A lot are about the Cassowary which is related to the Ostrich and Emu and just as big. It is only found here and Papua New Guinea, and is a threatened species. I didn’t see any at the Center which was a little disappointing, but it isn’t a zoo, it is just in the middle of the forest and as with any wild animals, it is luck of the draw. BUT… Driving out and up the road I saw a pair of them cross the road about 25 meters in front of me. No time to get a picture, but it was very cool to actually see them in the wild.

At Cape Tribulation I went a couple of kilometers past the roads end to have a beer and lunch at the Beach House Hostel, Bar and Bistro. It was a very fun place, lots of young people, back-packer types relaxing,so I had a great lunch at a great price. I enjoyed seeing the young travelers of today. To get to the end of the paved road takes a certain self-confidence and I liked seeing it in the eyes of the kids there. It made me smile inside. The beach there was also worth the drive, simply stunning. An equally relaxed, traffic free drive through the forest and across the cable ferry to my B & B where I ate the caught-today prawns I had picked up in the “town”. A sumptuous meal.

Yesterday I drove out of the Daintree and after visiting the beautiful Mossman Gorge I ascended the mountains and entered the Tablelands. Elevation of about 2500 feet and a very different landscape. Lots of dairy and coffee here, gentle rolling hills and millions of termite mounds. These are about 5 feet high and 4 feet across! After seeing the “Chinatown museum and Temple” in Atherton I checked into the hotel and went for dinner. Since they weren’t serving yet I headed down the road to Yungaberra to look for platypus! They come out at dawn and dusk so I figured a lot better chance of my being there at dusk! Some other folks were at the “platypus viewing platform” and were frustrated at not having seen any while they were watching for a while. I strolled on down the creek and bingo there one was swimming and diving in the creek. Very strange looking animals; about a foot long, fur, duck bill, web feet, poison spine on the leg.

Google: “Douglas Adams Australia quote” for a short humorous article on Australia that is so true. After a steak dinner, the next day I headed down to Cairns to replace my dive computer that got out of whack coming out of Tibet, and board the “Spoilsport” Mike Ball diving expedition boat to head out onto the reef. The weather is so good that they changed the route and we headed directly out to Bougainville Reef. They only get here a couple of times a year because the weather has to be just perfect. (ain’t it grand being lucky?) Three great dives so far today and I see the sun setting over calm waters and 360 degrees around is the Pacific Ocean (OK actually the Coral Sea). This one is for you, Pop.

Tuesday the 18th now and flying on to Melbourne. The rest of the Dive trip was some kind of wonderful. Perfect weather for four days, 12 dives in clear, warm water off a boat built specifically for diving and hence laid out perfectly. The crew was superb and the sites spectacular. They did a “shark feed” at North Horn on Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea. Three Tuna Heads in a can and the sharks were awake! It was exciting being very close-up forty feet down. I also got to swim up close to sea snakes at a site called oddly enough “Snake Pit”. One of the most venomous snakes in the world, but very docile and not aggressive, just curious and will swim all around your legs and body. The Queensland part of Australia has been fabulous and now I am taking the good weather with me south to Melbourne. Sadly for those still on the dive boat this morning’s weather is winds picking up and rain with 3-5 foot seas.

Tags: Travel

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