Day 22 - 12 Sept
DIVING - DAY 1
I slept well last night. I woke up once, at 4:30 am to pee and then I visited Jim, our skipper, and chatted with him for a bit. The sky was gorgeous...full of bright stars, a warm breeze outside, the gentle roll of the boat over the water. It was a calm morning. I would have stayed for sunrise, but wanted to have enough energy come my first dive in the morning!
Today's schedule @ Wheeler's Reef, Great Barrier Reef:
0700 - Wake up, Breakfast: cereal
0830 - Open Water Dive #1 (for the students...me!)
0930 - Morning smoko (snack): fruit and bikkies (biscuits, i.e. cookies to us Americans)
1130 - Open Water Dive #2 with CESA (Controlled Emergency Surface Ascent)
1230 - Lunch: Aussie BBQ (snags [sausages] with onions and salad)
1500 - Open Water Dive #3
1545 - Avo smoko (afternoon snack)
1830 - Night Dive!!!
1930 - Dinner: Sweet and sour chicken.
OWD #1 was stressful. At first I was thrilled to be underwater (and breathing!) but then there was too much to think about! 'Don't chomp on your mouthpiece...equalize often...I can't tell how close I am to the coral or the ocean floor...equalize...establish buoyancy...eh, the coral's pretty but these fish are sure small...where are the sharks?...um, am I chomping?...oops, I'd better equalize!' It was just too much thinking. It has been a week since I had my class and I feel as though I've forgotten everything! I couldn't relax under there. I felt a bit suffocated, I couldn't remember the exercises that we were practicing, my weight belt was lopsided, my goggles kept fogging up. Oh, and my gear was shifting around my body the entire time. When I got out of the water Peter was in my face with the camera and I quietly (and grumpily) told him to get out of my face. haha I was so upset! A bit emotional over it, even. In any event, he got a couple of good photos :) Everyone says that it takes a 'few' dives to get used to being underwater anyway.
It's strange for me to try something new and not 'get it' immediately. I'm good at almost everything that I do (okay, not golf or skateboarding)... I guess that's why it was so frustrating! The fast learner has hit a roadblock. Dive #1 - I used 100 bar of air.
OWD #2 was much better! First off, my goggles stopped fogging up. I was told to spit in them, rub them clean and then rinse them with water before putting them on. What a wonder is that which we call human saliva! I bettered my buoyancy, my eyes stung less when I removed my goggles underwater (darn contact lenses), I had some trouble with the fin pivot, my swimming was better and my breathing was... eh, just okay. I used 130 bar of air this time. But I do think that I added another weight to my belt, which helped tremendously.
OWD #2 Wildlife:
- Blue Sea Star (Linckia laevigata)
- Shrimp Goby (Amblyeleotris guttata)
- Giant Clam (Tridacna gigas)
- Sea Squirts, colonial (Atriolum robustum)
- Sea Squirts, solitary (Polycarpa aurata)
- Brain coral (Platygyra sp.)
- Table, Plate and Staghorn coral (Acropora sp.)
- Humbug Damsel (Dascyllus aruanus)
- Demoiselle (Chrysiptera sp.)
- Chromis (Chromis sp.)
- Boring Clam (Tridacna crocea)
- Chimney (Kallypilidion sp.)
- Butterfly fish (Chaetodon sp.)
- Parrotfish (Scarus sp.)
- Bullethead Parrotfish (Scarus sordidus)
- Bumphead Parrotfish (Bulbometopon muricatum)
- Mullet (Liza fam.)
- Wrasse (Labridae fam.)
- Damsel (Pomacentrus sp.)
- Trevally (Carangidae fam.)
OWD #3 - best dive today! We swam into a more spacious area and I went to a max depth of 14.5 meters. Yes, I'm learning it all in the metric system, yahoo! I saw big fish this time - hanging out below the coral tables, close to the ocean floor. The larger fish could have been Grouper or Sweet Lips, but I couldn't remember what they were when I got back on the boat to search the ID books. Some of the fish I just couldn't find in the books.
Showing posts with label Adventure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adventure. Show all posts
15 November 2007
23 September 2007
townsville - day 18 - HINCHINBROOK ISLAND
Day 18 – 8 Sept
This morning I woke up at 6am, earlier than the other days. No one else was awake yet, so I went and sat by the waterfall for a bit and pondered about nothing much, as it was really too early to be thinking. Peter and I had a quick brekky of crackers w. PB&J and iced tea. We packed our things, wandered about for a bit, visiting the falls one more time, and then head out towards George Point. The couple from Brizzy, Dale and Suzy, caught up with us just past one of the swampy, magical areas – this is where Suzy and I decided that the fairies and goblins hang out :) And just then I saw my very first live Cane Toad!!! It was huge, in terms of toad sizes, but ended up jumping away just before we got a picture, drats! (Note: prior to Hinchinbroook, I saw about five dead, dried up cane toads at the side of the road one day while we were walking Honor’s dogs. And Peter was telling me about how some people make change purses out of cane toad skins, blech!)
After the final 7.5km (2.5 hr) walk today, we arrived at George Point. We had to walk most of the way along a super long (5km) beach. But no complaints here! There were so many sand dollars and beautiful shells that I had to keep stopping to check them out. The shells on Hinchinbrook are more beautiful than the shells I've seen anywhere else! We also had to cross the mouth where Mulligan Creek empties out into the ocean. There can be crocs in this area so we planned to cross when the tide was low/med. We also timed it to make our ferry home from GP at 11am. So off came the boots, out went the eyeballs (looking for crocs) and across the creek mouth we went. But no crocs. There was a bird further up the creek snacking on the local fishies, so we knew we were safe. It would have flown away if there was a croc around.
Wildlife seen from MF to GP:
- CANE TOAD!
- rainforest
- 5 creeks to cross, including one full of fairies and goblins
- Pitta (Pitta versicolor)
- emptied (i.e. dead) sand dollars, cone shell, spiral shells... and more!
In GP we met up with those four Aussie adventurers and Dale and Suzy. We all sat around chatting and snacking until Phil came with the ferry. That dude charged us $50 apiece for a 20-minute ride to Port Luncinda. What a steal. Good for him I suppose!
Once in PL we waited for about an hour for Nix to pick us up. I ended up walking around the park barefoot and napping on a park bench. Thank goodness no one thought I was homeless! Maybe I should have held out a paper cup anyway. I'm sure I smelled like I was homeless after not showering for 5 days! hahaha Okay, well there was a bit of 'cleaning' in the pools below the falls, but not with soap. Eh, details...
While we waited I ate half of Peter's grilled ham-n-cheese sandwich while on the swingset in the park. He was smart enough to search for some food and a drink - no drink for me but a coffee milk for him. A BIG difference from the coffee milk in RI, much better, with real coffee! It's like iced coffee but you can buy it pre-mixed in a cardboard milk container. Nix showed up with Kevin and we went for lunch at the local hotel restaurant. I wasn't really hungry so I just stole a few chips (fries) from P's plate. Then we drove back to Townsville.
That night Nix invited us to her place for dinner and footy (rugby). So we went home to P's mum's house, soaked our stinky clothes in the laundry, showered up and went to Nix's. It was my first footy night - so exciting! The N. Queensland Cowboys vs. the Canterbury (a suburb of Sydney) Bulldogs... and the Cowboys won!!!! It was pretty exciting! I think they won for me, as it was my first game. Oh and P's mum was at the stadium watching the game live with her oldie friends, even posh Monda! They love the footy. Dinner was a pork roast with roasted veggies. It was delicious, even though I don't usually like pork!
The funny thing about the Queenslanders who support the Cowboys is that when they hang signs up or write it on their front walls (brick walls around the front yard), they write 'Go The Cowboys!' instead of just 'Go Cowboys'. It drives me nuts, but I guess that's the way they do it around here! Perhaps I'll tell them how silly it sounds, but then again, who cares as long as they're supporting their team :)
Wildlife in Hinchinbrook that I forgot to mention:
SAND BUBBLER CRAB (Scopimera inflata)
- ID: body size to 12mm, sandy colored
- Habitat: wave-exposed and estuarine sandy beaches, intertidal zone. Endemic. E. Australia.
- Notes: 'Tympanum' (broad oval patch) on largest segment of each leg absorbs water from the air - an adaptation from spending long periods of time out of the water. Distinctive patterns of small sand balls radiating away from burrows, a result of feeding and burrow maintenance.
SULFER CRESTED COCKATOO (Cacatua galerita)
- ID: white, sulfer-yellow forward curving crest. Underwing and undertail washed yellow. 45-52cm.
- Habitat: wide-ranging in temperate to tropical climates
- Notes: extremely destructive to trees and farmlands, maintaining their beak lengths and sharpness on tree branches and eating freshly planted seeds from crop beds. Extremely loud call.
This morning I woke up at 6am, earlier than the other days. No one else was awake yet, so I went and sat by the waterfall for a bit and pondered about nothing much, as it was really too early to be thinking. Peter and I had a quick brekky of crackers w. PB&J and iced tea. We packed our things, wandered about for a bit, visiting the falls one more time, and then head out towards George Point. The couple from Brizzy, Dale and Suzy, caught up with us just past one of the swampy, magical areas – this is where Suzy and I decided that the fairies and goblins hang out :) And just then I saw my very first live Cane Toad!!! It was huge, in terms of toad sizes, but ended up jumping away just before we got a picture, drats! (Note: prior to Hinchinbroook, I saw about five dead, dried up cane toads at the side of the road one day while we were walking Honor’s dogs. And Peter was telling me about how some people make change purses out of cane toad skins, blech!)
After the final 7.5km (2.5 hr) walk today, we arrived at George Point. We had to walk most of the way along a super long (5km) beach. But no complaints here! There were so many sand dollars and beautiful shells that I had to keep stopping to check them out. The shells on Hinchinbrook are more beautiful than the shells I've seen anywhere else! We also had to cross the mouth where Mulligan Creek empties out into the ocean. There can be crocs in this area so we planned to cross when the tide was low/med. We also timed it to make our ferry home from GP at 11am. So off came the boots, out went the eyeballs (looking for crocs) and across the creek mouth we went. But no crocs. There was a bird further up the creek snacking on the local fishies, so we knew we were safe. It would have flown away if there was a croc around.
Wildlife seen from MF to GP:
- CANE TOAD!
- rainforest
- 5 creeks to cross, including one full of fairies and goblins
- Pitta (Pitta versicolor)
- emptied (i.e. dead) sand dollars, cone shell, spiral shells... and more!
In GP we met up with those four Aussie adventurers and Dale and Suzy. We all sat around chatting and snacking until Phil came with the ferry. That dude charged us $50 apiece for a 20-minute ride to Port Luncinda. What a steal. Good for him I suppose!
Once in PL we waited for about an hour for Nix to pick us up. I ended up walking around the park barefoot and napping on a park bench. Thank goodness no one thought I was homeless! Maybe I should have held out a paper cup anyway. I'm sure I smelled like I was homeless after not showering for 5 days! hahaha Okay, well there was a bit of 'cleaning' in the pools below the falls, but not with soap. Eh, details...
While we waited I ate half of Peter's grilled ham-n-cheese sandwich while on the swingset in the park. He was smart enough to search for some food and a drink - no drink for me but a coffee milk for him. A BIG difference from the coffee milk in RI, much better, with real coffee! It's like iced coffee but you can buy it pre-mixed in a cardboard milk container. Nix showed up with Kevin and we went for lunch at the local hotel restaurant. I wasn't really hungry so I just stole a few chips (fries) from P's plate. Then we drove back to Townsville.
That night Nix invited us to her place for dinner and footy (rugby). So we went home to P's mum's house, soaked our stinky clothes in the laundry, showered up and went to Nix's. It was my first footy night - so exciting! The N. Queensland Cowboys vs. the Canterbury (a suburb of Sydney) Bulldogs... and the Cowboys won!!!! It was pretty exciting! I think they won for me, as it was my first game. Oh and P's mum was at the stadium watching the game live with her oldie friends, even posh Monda! They love the footy. Dinner was a pork roast with roasted veggies. It was delicious, even though I don't usually like pork!
The funny thing about the Queenslanders who support the Cowboys is that when they hang signs up or write it on their front walls (brick walls around the front yard), they write 'Go The Cowboys!' instead of just 'Go Cowboys'. It drives me nuts, but I guess that's the way they do it around here! Perhaps I'll tell them how silly it sounds, but then again, who cares as long as they're supporting their team :)
Wildlife in Hinchinbrook that I forgot to mention:
SAND BUBBLER CRAB (Scopimera inflata)
- ID: body size to 12mm, sandy colored
- Habitat: wave-exposed and estuarine sandy beaches, intertidal zone. Endemic. E. Australia.
- Notes: 'Tympanum' (broad oval patch) on largest segment of each leg absorbs water from the air - an adaptation from spending long periods of time out of the water. Distinctive patterns of small sand balls radiating away from burrows, a result of feeding and burrow maintenance.
SULFER CRESTED COCKATOO (Cacatua galerita)
- ID: white, sulfer-yellow forward curving crest. Underwing and undertail washed yellow. 45-52cm.
- Habitat: wide-ranging in temperate to tropical climates
- Notes: extremely destructive to trees and farmlands, maintaining their beak lengths and sharpness on tree branches and eating freshly planted seeds from crop beds. Extremely loud call.
townsville - day 17 - HINCHINBROOK ISLAND
Day 17 – 7 Sept
Woke up around 6:30am today, had some tea and a roll with PB for brekky. P and I packed up our things and moved on towards Mulligan Falls (MF). We traveled most of the way with four older Australian blokes, adventuring types who have shared many expeditions over the years: caving, abseiling (rappelling), canyoning, kayaking and other extreme outings – they were great fun and had the best stories! We walked with them part of the way and rested with them part of the way – along beautiful creek beds and rocky creek-sides, seeing the ever-so-beautiful Ulysses butterfly and crawling green ants. At one point we had to climb up a 15 foot rock face using a knotted rope that was provided for us, it was so cool! After that we hiked through a saddle in the mountains overlooking Sunken Reef Bay, 260m above sea level, where we could see the shallow reefs just under the water’s surface along the coastline. We could also see the distant Palm Islands and Magnetic Island and the entire watery horizon…perhaps Columbus was right about the world being flat, because I couldn’t see California! :) We stopped at Diamantina Creek, the biggest creek crossing so far. There were lots of warnings on the shore to only cross at the marked location so that injury or death would not occur. So we followed our instructions, rock-hopping the whole way over.
We arrived at MF about 2pm, after a hike of 7.5km (4.5 hrs). Upon arrival, we put on our swimmers and jumped in the pool below the waterfall, along with a bunch of others: the four adventuring blokes, two Swiss brothers, a couple from Brizzy (Brisbane), and three others who we didn’t meet. Peter and I debated over whether or not to keep moving towards George’s Point, the southernmost point of the island where we would be picked up the following morning to go back to the mainland. We decided that we would stay as it was so beautiful at MF, the campsite was virtually bug-free and there was a fresh water source. So up went the tent, out came the sleeping bags and mats and up went the rope to hang our bags overnight.
It was still early and we weren’t hungry so we went back to the ‘pool’ and hung out on a 20 foot rock, soaking up the remaining afternoon sun – me writing in my journal and Peter gazing into the waterfall, thinking about who knows what…. Dinner tonight was rehydrated spaghetti Bolognese, yum! We also made a bottle of son-to-be-iced tea for the following morning, since we didn’t want to spend time using the stove in the a.m. After dinner we went for a short walk through the woods, along the trail we would be hiking in the morning. The cicadas were out – and SO LOUD – so we tried to find them, but no success. When we got close enough they would go silent and then we were stumped! So off to bed as it was getting dark anyway. Before bed, the older Swiss brother stopped by on his way to the dunny (toilet) and we all chatted for about a half hour – where were we from, work, families, how long were each of our vacations, etc.
After all that chatting it was time to hit the hay! Peter and I switched mats tonight – I got his comfy, cozy Thermarest and he got my four year old not-so-comfy mat.
Wildlife seen from ZB to MF:
- Zoe falls (we stopped at the top of the falls for some fresh water and to look down the flowing creek)
- South Zoe Creek, narrow rocky tributaries, Diamantina Creek (very wide and rocky!)
- Ulysses butterfly (again…and still so beautiful!)
- the rare Blue Banksia (Banksia plagiocarpa)
- Lasiandra (Melastoma malabathricum)
- Coral Fern (Lycopodiella cernua)
- Sundew (Drosera adelae and Drosera spatulata) – insectivorous plants
- She-oak (Casuarina equisetifolia)
- Grasstree (Xanthorrhoea johnsonii)
- Cicadas (heard but sadly not seen – couldn’t find them in the dark!)
Woke up around 6:30am today, had some tea and a roll with PB for brekky. P and I packed up our things and moved on towards Mulligan Falls (MF). We traveled most of the way with four older Australian blokes, adventuring types who have shared many expeditions over the years: caving, abseiling (rappelling), canyoning, kayaking and other extreme outings – they were great fun and had the best stories! We walked with them part of the way and rested with them part of the way – along beautiful creek beds and rocky creek-sides, seeing the ever-so-beautiful Ulysses butterfly and crawling green ants. At one point we had to climb up a 15 foot rock face using a knotted rope that was provided for us, it was so cool! After that we hiked through a saddle in the mountains overlooking Sunken Reef Bay, 260m above sea level, where we could see the shallow reefs just under the water’s surface along the coastline. We could also see the distant Palm Islands and Magnetic Island and the entire watery horizon…perhaps Columbus was right about the world being flat, because I couldn’t see California! :) We stopped at Diamantina Creek, the biggest creek crossing so far. There were lots of warnings on the shore to only cross at the marked location so that injury or death would not occur. So we followed our instructions, rock-hopping the whole way over.
We arrived at MF about 2pm, after a hike of 7.5km (4.5 hrs). Upon arrival, we put on our swimmers and jumped in the pool below the waterfall, along with a bunch of others: the four adventuring blokes, two Swiss brothers, a couple from Brizzy (Brisbane), and three others who we didn’t meet. Peter and I debated over whether or not to keep moving towards George’s Point, the southernmost point of the island where we would be picked up the following morning to go back to the mainland. We decided that we would stay as it was so beautiful at MF, the campsite was virtually bug-free and there was a fresh water source. So up went the tent, out came the sleeping bags and mats and up went the rope to hang our bags overnight.
It was still early and we weren’t hungry so we went back to the ‘pool’ and hung out on a 20 foot rock, soaking up the remaining afternoon sun – me writing in my journal and Peter gazing into the waterfall, thinking about who knows what…. Dinner tonight was rehydrated spaghetti Bolognese, yum! We also made a bottle of son-to-be-iced tea for the following morning, since we didn’t want to spend time using the stove in the a.m. After dinner we went for a short walk through the woods, along the trail we would be hiking in the morning. The cicadas were out – and SO LOUD – so we tried to find them, but no success. When we got close enough they would go silent and then we were stumped! So off to bed as it was getting dark anyway. Before bed, the older Swiss brother stopped by on his way to the dunny (toilet) and we all chatted for about a half hour – where were we from, work, families, how long were each of our vacations, etc.
After all that chatting it was time to hit the hay! Peter and I switched mats tonight – I got his comfy, cozy Thermarest and he got my four year old not-so-comfy mat.
Wildlife seen from ZB to MF:
- Zoe falls (we stopped at the top of the falls for some fresh water and to look down the flowing creek)
- South Zoe Creek, narrow rocky tributaries, Diamantina Creek (very wide and rocky!)
- Ulysses butterfly (again…and still so beautiful!)
- the rare Blue Banksia (Banksia plagiocarpa)
- Lasiandra (Melastoma malabathricum)
- Coral Fern (Lycopodiella cernua)
- Sundew (Drosera adelae and Drosera spatulata) – insectivorous plants
- She-oak (Casuarina equisetifolia)
- Grasstree (Xanthorrhoea johnsonii)
- Cicadas (heard but sadly not seen – couldn’t find them in the dark!)
18 September 2007
townsville - day 16 - HINCHINBROOK ISLAND
Day 16 - 6 Sept
This morning we slept in a bit. We had plans to spend a full day at Zoe Bay, just relaxing. So we woke up when everyone else was leaving. We hung our wet things out on the trees by the beach, to be dried by the sun. It was quite a sight, seeing everyone's things out there. Then we said our goodbyes and talked about how nice it was spending the first two days together. Peter made porridge (oatmeal) for breakfast, but I wasn't in the mood. I had a little and then frowned at my bowl, wishing it was something else.
We threw on our swimmers and hiked up to Zoe Falls. On the way there we saw a large goanna lizard - it just sauntered away, couldn't be bothered by our presence. The falls were gorgeous...tall and flowing into a cool and refreshing pool just below. We crawled over the rocks to sit and look at the water, trying to brave up to jump in! It was cold! But eventually we got in and enjoyed every moment. We tried skinny dipping and succeeded as noone was around...but then as I was drying off on a rock, bum facing the sun, a group of three came along and wanted to swim too. I quickly threw on my suit. One lady yelled, "Sorry!" and I responded with, "That's okay, I'm sorry for you!" haha It was funny. At least we got our chance....
While we were there we saw the rarely-seen blue and black Ulysses butterfly (Papilio ulysses) - a protected species that is classified as 'common' in Queensland, but I was told that it's rarely seen elsewhere. Beauty at its best. After lounging for a couple hours at the falls, we went back to the camp because we hadn't yet put on any sunscreen! Yikes! Don't worry, no burns.
For lunch Peter spoiled me with Mac-n-cheese, my fave!!! Most of you know how healthy I eat, but I still have a strong love of boxed mac-n-cheese (with all the preservatives and colorings). Ahh, childhood favorites. haha. We walked along the beach, near the lagoon, searching for crocs, but didn't find any. Along came new hikers from the northern end of the island and set up camp at a site just south of ours on Zoe Bay. Yay, we had our site to ourselves again...unless you count the rats and bats!
After the beach walk we settled down for dinner - rehydrated chicken cashew curry. I'm telling you, those dehydrated meals are tasty! We tried to have dinner on the sandy beach, but there were so many sandflies, they just swarmed when we got near. I forgot to mention the sandflies - they are almost invisible, they bite fiercely and if you have sensitive skin (which I don't, thank goodness) then you're in for the itch of your life! I barely got any mozzie (mosquito) bites. We were using this all-natural anti-bug roll on stuff, but it really didn't work. Just made us smell lovely like neem oil, tea tree oil, menthol and citronella, haha. Oh and it helped keep my face clean too (b/c of the tea tree oil) as we weren't showering this week!
Off to bed with sundown... and once again, awaken in the middle of the night by the flying foxes. My gosh they are loud!!!! :)
This morning we slept in a bit. We had plans to spend a full day at Zoe Bay, just relaxing. So we woke up when everyone else was leaving. We hung our wet things out on the trees by the beach, to be dried by the sun. It was quite a sight, seeing everyone's things out there. Then we said our goodbyes and talked about how nice it was spending the first two days together. Peter made porridge (oatmeal) for breakfast, but I wasn't in the mood. I had a little and then frowned at my bowl, wishing it was something else.
We threw on our swimmers and hiked up to Zoe Falls. On the way there we saw a large goanna lizard - it just sauntered away, couldn't be bothered by our presence. The falls were gorgeous...tall and flowing into a cool and refreshing pool just below. We crawled over the rocks to sit and look at the water, trying to brave up to jump in! It was cold! But eventually we got in and enjoyed every moment. We tried skinny dipping and succeeded as noone was around...but then as I was drying off on a rock, bum facing the sun, a group of three came along and wanted to swim too. I quickly threw on my suit. One lady yelled, "Sorry!" and I responded with, "That's okay, I'm sorry for you!" haha It was funny. At least we got our chance....
While we were there we saw the rarely-seen blue and black Ulysses butterfly (Papilio ulysses) - a protected species that is classified as 'common' in Queensland, but I was told that it's rarely seen elsewhere. Beauty at its best. After lounging for a couple hours at the falls, we went back to the camp because we hadn't yet put on any sunscreen! Yikes! Don't worry, no burns.
For lunch Peter spoiled me with Mac-n-cheese, my fave!!! Most of you know how healthy I eat, but I still have a strong love of boxed mac-n-cheese (with all the preservatives and colorings). Ahh, childhood favorites. haha. We walked along the beach, near the lagoon, searching for crocs, but didn't find any. Along came new hikers from the northern end of the island and set up camp at a site just south of ours on Zoe Bay. Yay, we had our site to ourselves again...unless you count the rats and bats!
After the beach walk we settled down for dinner - rehydrated chicken cashew curry. I'm telling you, those dehydrated meals are tasty! We tried to have dinner on the sandy beach, but there were so many sandflies, they just swarmed when we got near. I forgot to mention the sandflies - they are almost invisible, they bite fiercely and if you have sensitive skin (which I don't, thank goodness) then you're in for the itch of your life! I barely got any mozzie (mosquito) bites. We were using this all-natural anti-bug roll on stuff, but it really didn't work. Just made us smell lovely like neem oil, tea tree oil, menthol and citronella, haha. Oh and it helped keep my face clean too (b/c of the tea tree oil) as we weren't showering this week!
Off to bed with sundown... and once again, awaken in the middle of the night by the flying foxes. My gosh they are loud!!!! :)
townsville - day 15 - HINCHINBROOK ISLAND
Day 15 - 5 Sept
Didn't sleep too well last night. It's always awful the first night in a tent, on the hard ground, esp. after a few years of non-tenting and not being used to it. So we woke up with the birds and not the sun today, as it was still raining! It was too wet to cook, so I made PB&J sandwiches. The inside of the tent had gotten a bit wet and our packs also - not too bad though since we hung them covered with one of the ponchos we brought. Everyone else seemed to get a wriggle on (get a move on) faster than us, but we eventually packed up the tent and agreed to meet Claire at the other end of the beach. She wanted to get a head start so that we could eventually hike together, as she knew we would hike through the rocky intertidal zone much faster than her. I love rock skipping!
So I was prepared - waterproof pants and all! Green poncho covering me and my pack, dark yellow for Peter. We three ended up catching up with Royce and his gf, all five then trekking on together, making sure that everyone stayed safe on all the slipperiness of today. Today the scenery was absolutely amazing - it changed every 10 minutes to a different forest and flowing creeks...
Wilderness seen from LRB past Banksia Bay to Zoe Bay:
- North Zoe, Fan Palm, Cypress Pine and South Zoe creeks
- exceptional hollowed-out rocks (during the coastal rock hopping parts of the hike)
[- fringe reefs and golden orchids (Dendrobium discolor) at Banksia Bay, but we didn't see that, just wanted you to know about it!]
- dry open forest (where we could see the entire coastline, horizon and distant Palm Islands and Magnetic Island)
- Rainforest (WET!)
- Mangrove swamps (where I lost half of my left leg in a big muddy 'shlurp', but then I got it back; it reminded me of the sinking mud swamp from The Neverending Story, if you've seen it!) - Palm swamps (GORGEOUS!) - one sp. was the Pandanis Palm (don't know sci. name)
- sounds of the Wompoo Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus magnificus) - didn't see, but heard
- Yellow Lawyer Cane aka 'Wait-a-While' (Calamus moti)
- Hairy Mary (Calamus australis) - both of these last listed are climbing palms that use hook-studded branches to support growth towards the canopy
- Alligatorbark (Calyphyllum sil)
- tall, buttressed Blue Quandong (Elaeocarpus grandis)
We arrived at Zoe Bay after 10.5km (6 hrs) of complete wetness and grand beauty. Again, there was a chance that we would be eaten by crocs, but lucky for us five, none. The creeks were flowing too fast anyway! Halfway there we had our lunch in a little opening between scene changes, salami and cheese sanger (sandwich). And at one point, after crossing a too-deep creek with muddy banks, Peter slipped off and fell into the water, backpack first. Thank goodness he didn't get hurt or too wet. Okay, he got quite wet, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been!
Same routine as the night before - arrive, set up tent, start cooking dinner. Oh I forgot to mention that there was a proper dunny (toilet) at each campsite, making things MUCH easier than we had expected. I only had to use the wilderness once or twice. Tonight we had rehydrated Chana Masala for dinner - YUM! That was my choice. Once again, we had dinner and went to bed with the sun. This night was much drier, but I was woken up two times by the scuffling and sniffing around of the rats, followed by the screeching flying foxes (bats) who were eating the fruits from the trees above us and then dropping the seeds on our tent, the loud metal rat box and the wooden picnic table. Gosh! Needless to say, it was another bad night's sleep.
Didn't sleep too well last night. It's always awful the first night in a tent, on the hard ground, esp. after a few years of non-tenting and not being used to it. So we woke up with the birds and not the sun today, as it was still raining! It was too wet to cook, so I made PB&J sandwiches. The inside of the tent had gotten a bit wet and our packs also - not too bad though since we hung them covered with one of the ponchos we brought. Everyone else seemed to get a wriggle on (get a move on) faster than us, but we eventually packed up the tent and agreed to meet Claire at the other end of the beach. She wanted to get a head start so that we could eventually hike together, as she knew we would hike through the rocky intertidal zone much faster than her. I love rock skipping!
So I was prepared - waterproof pants and all! Green poncho covering me and my pack, dark yellow for Peter. We three ended up catching up with Royce and his gf, all five then trekking on together, making sure that everyone stayed safe on all the slipperiness of today. Today the scenery was absolutely amazing - it changed every 10 minutes to a different forest and flowing creeks...
Wilderness seen from LRB past Banksia Bay to Zoe Bay:
- North Zoe, Fan Palm, Cypress Pine and South Zoe creeks
- exceptional hollowed-out rocks (during the coastal rock hopping parts of the hike)
[- fringe reefs and golden orchids (Dendrobium discolor) at Banksia Bay, but we didn't see that, just wanted you to know about it!]
- dry open forest (where we could see the entire coastline, horizon and distant Palm Islands and Magnetic Island)
- Rainforest (WET!)
- Mangrove swamps (where I lost half of my left leg in a big muddy 'shlurp', but then I got it back; it reminded me of the sinking mud swamp from The Neverending Story, if you've seen it!) - Palm swamps (GORGEOUS!) - one sp. was the Pandanis Palm (don't know sci. name)
- sounds of the Wompoo Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus magnificus) - didn't see, but heard
- Yellow Lawyer Cane aka 'Wait-a-While' (Calamus moti)
- Hairy Mary (Calamus australis) - both of these last listed are climbing palms that use hook-studded branches to support growth towards the canopy
- Alligatorbark (Calyphyllum sil)
- tall, buttressed Blue Quandong (Elaeocarpus grandis)
We arrived at Zoe Bay after 10.5km (6 hrs) of complete wetness and grand beauty. Again, there was a chance that we would be eaten by crocs, but lucky for us five, none. The creeks were flowing too fast anyway! Halfway there we had our lunch in a little opening between scene changes, salami and cheese sanger (sandwich). And at one point, after crossing a too-deep creek with muddy banks, Peter slipped off and fell into the water, backpack first. Thank goodness he didn't get hurt or too wet. Okay, he got quite wet, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been!
Same routine as the night before - arrive, set up tent, start cooking dinner. Oh I forgot to mention that there was a proper dunny (toilet) at each campsite, making things MUCH easier than we had expected. I only had to use the wilderness once or twice. Tonight we had rehydrated Chana Masala for dinner - YUM! That was my choice. Once again, we had dinner and went to bed with the sun. This night was much drier, but I was woken up two times by the scuffling and sniffing around of the rats, followed by the screeching flying foxes (bats) who were eating the fruits from the trees above us and then dropping the seeds on our tent, the loud metal rat box and the wooden picnic table. Gosh! Needless to say, it was another bad night's sleep.
17 September 2007
townsville - day 14 - HINCHINBROOK ISLAND
Day 14 - 4 Sept
Woke up and had a quick breakfast of honey yogurt, lady finger bananas (yummy) and OJ that we had bought at a little market the night before. We hopped on the teeny shuttle (euro-van) to Port Hinchinbrook and checked in. They offered us a complimentary EPIRB - Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon - when activated, the beacons send out a distress signal that allows the beacon to be located [and identified] by the satellite system and/or Search and Rescue aircraft and ground search parties who can in turn come to the aid of the concerned party. EPIRBs are a component of the Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS). I got that from Wikipedia, I'm not really that smart about global positioning systems :)
On the ferry there were lots of schoolchildren from Townsville who were out on a day trip to the island. they were super cute, eating all their lollies (candy) and talking with those cute kid Australian accents. The water was calm, which is good for P as he has a tendency towards seasickness. We were informed that we might see some whales or dugongs (relative of the manatee and closest land relative is the elephant)...but we didn't.
Arriving on Hinchinbrook, all the hikers and some day trippers got off. We had to climb up a steep ladder onto a wooden walkway because we got off the boat in the middle of a river surrounded by magrove trees and... crocs? We didn't see any of those either.
The bushwalk started at Ramsay Bay, through Blacksand Beach and then a 312m hike up Nina Peak (minus backpacks, it was steep!) to see the gorgeous view of Little Ramsay Bay (LRB) that we would soon be camping in. We met this woman Claire who became our new hiker friend. She was travelling alone, backpacking for the week on holiday. Once we came down from Nina Peak we had a granola bar snack - mine was all nuts and honey, it was tasty but I thought it was going to pull my teeth out! So no more of those for me....
We bushwalked through Nina and Boulder Bays with Claire, Royce and his gf (I didn't catch her name). There were also two doubles who had steamed off ahead of us: 2 German guys on a one year Oz holiday and a father-son pair, out celebrating the boy's 13th birthday.
Wilderness from Ramsay Bay to LRB:
- 100-200m of creek at Nina Bay and Blacksand Beach
- broad-leaved tea trees (Melaleuca leucadendra)
- Gympie messmate (Eucalyptus cloeziana)
- red-flowered mangrove (Lumnitzera littorea) - in the mangrove forest
- spotted mangrove (Rhizophora stylosa) - in the mangrove forest
- creek at LRB, upstream from the lagoon (crocs? nope, still none)
Luckily we didn't hit any high tides or crocs, and sadly, didn't see any green turtles in the sea. After 6.5km (4.5 hr), we arrived in Little Ramsay Bay. Here we would spend the night. First thing, we set up the tent and put our food in the rat proof box - long metal boxes provided so that the 'locals' wouldn't get our food - fawn-footed melomys (Melomys cervinipes) and the giant white-tailed rat (Uromys caudimaculatus). We even strung up rope so we could hang our packs at night, as there was no room in the tent. We had a dinner of rice with dehydrated green beans and peas, mixed with two Thai green chili soup spice packets. Just as we cleaned up dinner and washed up for bed, the rain started...and didn't stop.
Woke up and had a quick breakfast of honey yogurt, lady finger bananas (yummy) and OJ that we had bought at a little market the night before. We hopped on the teeny shuttle (euro-van) to Port Hinchinbrook and checked in. They offered us a complimentary EPIRB - Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon - when activated, the beacons send out a distress signal that allows the beacon to be located [and identified] by the satellite system and/or Search and Rescue aircraft and ground search parties who can in turn come to the aid of the concerned party. EPIRBs are a component of the Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS). I got that from Wikipedia, I'm not really that smart about global positioning systems :)
On the ferry there were lots of schoolchildren from Townsville who were out on a day trip to the island. they were super cute, eating all their lollies (candy) and talking with those cute kid Australian accents. The water was calm, which is good for P as he has a tendency towards seasickness. We were informed that we might see some whales or dugongs (relative of the manatee and closest land relative is the elephant)...but we didn't.
Arriving on Hinchinbrook, all the hikers and some day trippers got off. We had to climb up a steep ladder onto a wooden walkway because we got off the boat in the middle of a river surrounded by magrove trees and... crocs? We didn't see any of those either.
The bushwalk started at Ramsay Bay, through Blacksand Beach and then a 312m hike up Nina Peak (minus backpacks, it was steep!) to see the gorgeous view of Little Ramsay Bay (LRB) that we would soon be camping in. We met this woman Claire who became our new hiker friend. She was travelling alone, backpacking for the week on holiday. Once we came down from Nina Peak we had a granola bar snack - mine was all nuts and honey, it was tasty but I thought it was going to pull my teeth out! So no more of those for me....
We bushwalked through Nina and Boulder Bays with Claire, Royce and his gf (I didn't catch her name). There were also two doubles who had steamed off ahead of us: 2 German guys on a one year Oz holiday and a father-son pair, out celebrating the boy's 13th birthday.
Wilderness from Ramsay Bay to LRB:
- 100-200m of creek at Nina Bay and Blacksand Beach
- broad-leaved tea trees (Melaleuca leucadendra)
- Gympie messmate (Eucalyptus cloeziana)
- red-flowered mangrove (Lumnitzera littorea) - in the mangrove forest
- spotted mangrove (Rhizophora stylosa) - in the mangrove forest
- creek at LRB, upstream from the lagoon (crocs? nope, still none)
Luckily we didn't hit any high tides or crocs, and sadly, didn't see any green turtles in the sea. After 6.5km (4.5 hr), we arrived in Little Ramsay Bay. Here we would spend the night. First thing, we set up the tent and put our food in the rat proof box - long metal boxes provided so that the 'locals' wouldn't get our food - fawn-footed melomys (Melomys cervinipes) and the giant white-tailed rat (Uromys caudimaculatus). We even strung up rope so we could hang our packs at night, as there was no room in the tent. We had a dinner of rice with dehydrated green beans and peas, mixed with two Thai green chili soup spice packets. Just as we cleaned up dinner and washed up for bed, the rain started...and didn't stop.
townsville - day 13 - HINCHINBROOK ISLAND
Day 13 - 3 Sept
Woke up this morning, had my tea and packed my bags for the next adventure... Hinchinbrook Island!!! It would be 5 days 4 nights on a remote island with diversified wildlife and lots of beauty. I was too busy to have breakfast with all the packing, so we ended up just having lunch on the patio with Honor: a small salad. Then we raced to the car and sped to the bus station.
2:20 pm Australia Greyhound - en route to Cardwell (remember that small town from before?).
Woke up this morning, had my tea and packed my bags for the next adventure... Hinchinbrook Island!!! It would be 5 days 4 nights on a remote island with diversified wildlife and lots of beauty. I was too busy to have breakfast with all the packing, so we ended up just having lunch on the patio with Honor: a small salad. Then we raced to the car and sped to the bus station.
2:20 pm Australia Greyhound - en route to Cardwell (remember that small town from before?).
Upon arrival to Cardwell we hiked up to the Kookaburra hostel where we had already reserved a one night double occupation reservation. We would get the ferry in the morning to the island. We decided that we needed to fill our bellies with a big, yummy dinner before adventuring off into the land of dehydrated food and granola bars. We stopped by the Hotel pub but they only had a choice of beef, pork or lamb roast and I was not in the mood for that! So we ended up getting a greasy soft-of fast food dinner at this other place - there were only two food places open!!!! Mind you that 'downtown' is only a strip about 1/4 mile long, just on one side of the road! Dinner: veggie burger (fried mashed potato, corn and pea patty) with salad (lettuce and tomato on the sandwich, this is how Aussies refer to it) on a humungous roll and a side of 4 calamari rings (not too impressive). But the 'burger' was yummy and I enjoyed every bite! While we ate we chatted with a lone traveler from Melbourne, living in Airlie Beach - cycling all the way to Cairns on a last-minute adventure holiday (vacation). She mentioned her non-athletic, normally lazy ways but we cheered and admired her adventure spirit! Turns out she was staying at the hostel too, so we all walked back together.
At the hostel we had some loud neighbors and the bed was a bit hard so we didn't sleep as well as we had hoped.
townsville - day 10 - ROAD TRIP!
DAY 9 - 31 Aug
This morning we checked out of the hotel at 9:30 and had brunch on the Esplanade: poached eggs with bacon, grilled tomato, wilted rocket (same as arugula) and buttered toast. We walked around a bit then grabbed our swimmers (swimsuits) and headed to the community pool, 'The Lagoon'. Everyone swims there as the beach is nothing but a mudflat, with the possibility of encountering Esturarine Crocs and marine stingers like the Box Jellyfish (DEADLY!). And here's the road trippin'...
Cairns (via Bruce Hwy South)
--> Gillies Hwy (really windy and twisty!)
--> Yungaburra Pub (with a stop inside for a drink and chat with locals, all 5 of them)
--> Atherton (driving through the Atherton Tablelands)
--> Tolga (here we stopped at Tolga Woodworks and admired the gorgeous pieces of local woodworkers and furniture-makers, also having a tasty lunch: sandwich w.eggplant, capsicum [bell pepper], sundried tom and cheeze on toasted bread with salad... then finished off with HOT CHOCOLATE, YUMMY!)
--> Kennedy Hwy (note: this is where I experienced my first time driving on the L side of the road WHILE driving a manual shift car with my L hand [YOWSA!] ON A thin road where if someone's coming on the other side you have to place the two L wheels off the road onto the side [no shoulders!]... needless to say we came about 6" to the local guy who came flying past in the opposite direction... I almost had my first heart attack!)
--> Millaa Millaa (Waterfalls: Millaa Millaa, Zillie and Elinjaa - we put our feet in, BRRR!)
--> Palmerston Hwy
--> back to the Bruce Hwy
--> and 'home' to Townsville!
This morning we checked out of the hotel at 9:30 and had brunch on the Esplanade: poached eggs with bacon, grilled tomato, wilted rocket (same as arugula) and buttered toast. We walked around a bit then grabbed our swimmers (swimsuits) and headed to the community pool, 'The Lagoon'. Everyone swims there as the beach is nothing but a mudflat, with the possibility of encountering Esturarine Crocs and marine stingers like the Box Jellyfish (DEADLY!). And here's the road trippin'...
Cairns (via Bruce Hwy South)
--> Gillies Hwy (really windy and twisty!)
--> Yungaburra Pub (with a stop inside for a drink and chat with locals, all 5 of them)
--> Atherton (driving through the Atherton Tablelands)
--> Tolga (here we stopped at Tolga Woodworks and admired the gorgeous pieces of local woodworkers and furniture-makers, also having a tasty lunch: sandwich w.eggplant, capsicum [bell pepper], sundried tom and cheeze on toasted bread with salad... then finished off with HOT CHOCOLATE, YUMMY!)
--> Kennedy Hwy (note: this is where I experienced my first time driving on the L side of the road WHILE driving a manual shift car with my L hand [YOWSA!] ON A thin road where if someone's coming on the other side you have to place the two L wheels off the road onto the side [no shoulders!]... needless to say we came about 6" to the local guy who came flying past in the opposite direction... I almost had my first heart attack!)
--> Millaa Millaa (Waterfalls: Millaa Millaa, Zillie and Elinjaa - we put our feet in, BRRR!)
--> Palmerston Hwy
--> back to the Bruce Hwy
--> and 'home' to Townsville!
townsville - day 9 - ROAD TRIP!
DAY 9 - 30 Aug
This morning we woke up and had quite a time making porridge with the campstove. We used too much water so it was very gooey. haha But still yummy. After brekky we packed up the car and then chatted a bit with an older couple who was walking by. They gave us a Bible. Gideons. It was funny - afterwards, Peter said he knew they were Gideons because of the guy's beard, but I just thought they were being chatty. A bible... ha.
So onward we drove... back down the teeny windy hills and onto Cardwell. What a small town! I think the population must be just a few hundred people. There was a bright yellow pie van that we passed on the way in, but stopping and pulling a u-turn immediately so as not to miss out on the fresh, hot yumminess. There I was having my first Cardwell pie from the yellow van. We both had the beef with mushy peas. YUM-O! And a little tomato sauce (ketchup) to put on it for extra yumminess. Oh and a stubby (size of the bottle) Bundaberg Ginger Beer. Tasty!
I wanted to check out the beach, so I tore off my shoes and we walked down. There was a huge tree growing just by the edge of the grass all the way out to the water. Green ants crawling... already-eaten iridescent-inside oysters stuck to a log on the ground... funny cocoon-like spider webs in the tree crevices... and us. We walked a bit, the sand was actually very small stones, crunching nicely below our feet. Then we found a coconut, yahoo! (Okay, so there were a lot of them, since the coconut palms were everywhere, but I was still excited.) I wanted to open it... but where? Then Peter, the N. Queensland native brought the coconut over to a spiky mangrove root that was popping out of the sand. He husked that thing like he'd been doing it for years... oh yeah, he has! Then we grabbed our newly husked nut and head back to the car. We would drink the juice later. While in Cardwell we also arranged the plans for our ferry ride to Hinchinbrook island the following week, for the hiking trip.
Following the Bruce Highway, we pulled off at the Murdering Point Winery - and the story behind the name? As found on the winery website:
'The name Murdering Point originates from a shipwreck that occurred on inshore King Reef only a few hundred metres from the coast of Kurrimine Beach in 1878, “The Golden Era” – the gold rush days of Northern Australia. King Reef was the undoing of a number of sailing ships that foolishly tried to use a difficult passage through the reef to the beach.
'The ship, the “Riser”, sailing North and having previously stopped at Cardwell, ran aground on the King Reef and was being broken up by heavy seas. The shipwrecked victims gathered scant provisions and came ashore in the ship’s dingy, landing on a sandy point at the northern end of Kurrimine Beach. There they made a temporary camp for the night but that evening they were attacked, murdered and dragged by the local aboriginals into the nearby sand dunes to be partially eaten. Some weeks later, after reports of a shipwreck on King Reef, the local constabulary from Cardwell arrived to investigate and found the remains of the bodies of the shipwrecked sailors and the signs of an aboriginal camp. This investigating party, who tracked down the group involved, is attributed with naming the coastal protrusion, Murdering Point.'
While at the winery we endured an extremely arduous wine tasting of all the delicious wines - all derived from tropical fruits: WHITES - Panama Gold (mango), Pinnacle (passion fruit), Romance (lychee), Misty Gem (lemon aspen). REDS - Red Emperor (Davidson plum), Supherb (jaboticaba, ginger, ginseng). PORTS - The Point (mulberry, citrus, plum) and Black Devil (black sapote). All very delicious and unique... so we were convinced to buy a 'few' bottles to bring to Peter's family and for ourselves as well.
On we drove...to Innisfail, the town where Peter grew up to age 12. I saw his old house on Lower Hicky St, where he had his first bike accident on Carmel hill and his primary (elementary) school. A small, sleepy town full of young men with loud suped up cars who drive too fast through the city streets.
Lastly, we found Cairns, which is similar to Townsville, only a bit bigger and more modern. We found a reasonable room at a little hotel owned by a sweet couple from Madrid, Spain. The woman mentioned salsa dancing that night at the casino, so can you guess what I wanted to do??? We headed to the Esplanade (the road along the coast) and had a yummy Indian dinner at Spicy Bite. Then onto the casino...the band played two sets and we danced a few songs. There was a talent show too! Only one of the four couples was any good, or so I thought, but they all made it onto the next week's competition. It was entertaining :) I could have danced all night...
This morning we woke up and had quite a time making porridge with the campstove. We used too much water so it was very gooey. haha But still yummy. After brekky we packed up the car and then chatted a bit with an older couple who was walking by. They gave us a Bible. Gideons. It was funny - afterwards, Peter said he knew they were Gideons because of the guy's beard, but I just thought they were being chatty. A bible... ha.
So onward we drove... back down the teeny windy hills and onto Cardwell. What a small town! I think the population must be just a few hundred people. There was a bright yellow pie van that we passed on the way in, but stopping and pulling a u-turn immediately so as not to miss out on the fresh, hot yumminess. There I was having my first Cardwell pie from the yellow van. We both had the beef with mushy peas. YUM-O! And a little tomato sauce (ketchup) to put on it for extra yumminess. Oh and a stubby (size of the bottle) Bundaberg Ginger Beer. Tasty!
I wanted to check out the beach, so I tore off my shoes and we walked down. There was a huge tree growing just by the edge of the grass all the way out to the water. Green ants crawling... already-eaten iridescent-inside oysters stuck to a log on the ground... funny cocoon-like spider webs in the tree crevices... and us. We walked a bit, the sand was actually very small stones, crunching nicely below our feet. Then we found a coconut, yahoo! (Okay, so there were a lot of them, since the coconut palms were everywhere, but I was still excited.) I wanted to open it... but where? Then Peter, the N. Queensland native brought the coconut over to a spiky mangrove root that was popping out of the sand. He husked that thing like he'd been doing it for years... oh yeah, he has! Then we grabbed our newly husked nut and head back to the car. We would drink the juice later. While in Cardwell we also arranged the plans for our ferry ride to Hinchinbrook island the following week, for the hiking trip.
Following the Bruce Highway, we pulled off at the Murdering Point Winery - and the story behind the name? As found on the winery website:
'The name Murdering Point originates from a shipwreck that occurred on inshore King Reef only a few hundred metres from the coast of Kurrimine Beach in 1878, “The Golden Era” – the gold rush days of Northern Australia. King Reef was the undoing of a number of sailing ships that foolishly tried to use a difficult passage through the reef to the beach.
'The ship, the “Riser”, sailing North and having previously stopped at Cardwell, ran aground on the King Reef and was being broken up by heavy seas. The shipwrecked victims gathered scant provisions and came ashore in the ship’s dingy, landing on a sandy point at the northern end of Kurrimine Beach. There they made a temporary camp for the night but that evening they were attacked, murdered and dragged by the local aboriginals into the nearby sand dunes to be partially eaten. Some weeks later, after reports of a shipwreck on King Reef, the local constabulary from Cardwell arrived to investigate and found the remains of the bodies of the shipwrecked sailors and the signs of an aboriginal camp. This investigating party, who tracked down the group involved, is attributed with naming the coastal protrusion, Murdering Point.'
While at the winery we endured an extremely arduous wine tasting of all the delicious wines - all derived from tropical fruits: WHITES - Panama Gold (mango), Pinnacle (passion fruit), Romance (lychee), Misty Gem (lemon aspen). REDS - Red Emperor (Davidson plum), Supherb (jaboticaba, ginger, ginseng). PORTS - The Point (mulberry, citrus, plum) and Black Devil (black sapote). All very delicious and unique... so we were convinced to buy a 'few' bottles to bring to Peter's family and for ourselves as well.
On we drove...to Innisfail, the town where Peter grew up to age 12. I saw his old house on Lower Hicky St, where he had his first bike accident on Carmel hill and his primary (elementary) school. A small, sleepy town full of young men with loud suped up cars who drive too fast through the city streets.
Lastly, we found Cairns, which is similar to Townsville, only a bit bigger and more modern. We found a reasonable room at a little hotel owned by a sweet couple from Madrid, Spain. The woman mentioned salsa dancing that night at the casino, so can you guess what I wanted to do??? We headed to the Esplanade (the road along the coast) and had a yummy Indian dinner at Spicy Bite. Then onto the casino...the band played two sets and we danced a few songs. There was a talent show too! Only one of the four couples was any good, or so I thought, but they all made it onto the next week's competition. It was entertaining :) I could have danced all night...
02 September 2007
townsville - day 8 - ROAD TRIP!
DAY 8 - 29 Aug
Today we hired (rented) a Mitsubishi Colt from Thrifty and hit the road! We drove North on Australia Hwy 1 - the Bruce Hwy - passing tons of sugarcane fields. We turned off onto a windy road up the mountain towards the rainforest, stopping only for photos with a Termite mound (almost as tall as me!) and for cattle. They were everywhere - in the road, off the road - and very skinny. Almost malnourished looking!
As we drove on, we entered the Wet Tropics area of North Queensland. Our main stop today was Girringun National Park, just South of Ingham, to see Wallaman Falls (an 800 ft waterfall!). Upon arrival we set up the tent and went for a bushwalk (hike) down Bangurru Trail (I think that was the name). It was then that I saw my first wild wallaby!!! And she had a joey! It was even sticking its head out to say "Hi Sarah, welcome to Australia!" :) It's all so exciting...
After the bushwalk we set up the camp stove, the Whisperlite Internationale, and cooked up some Continental Thai Lime Chili Rice. Yum. By now it was getting dark and we heard a ruffle in the grass below the picnic table. It was a Bettong! A big mousey, opossum-like creature who was trying to get a free snack! haha So cute. Now after dinner is where we got lucky... We cleaned up the dishes and ourselves for bed. As soon as we got in the tent to settle in - yep, it POURED! It rained for hours... and hours...
I woke up to what I thought was morning light, but in fact it was the full moon shining bright! I visited the toilet and got freaked out when I heard the door creak on my way in - haha - just that old fear of the dark sneaking back in from childhood :) I walked around and stared at the moon for a bit before getting back in the tent, just in case it rained again. It had sure cooled off a lot, brrr. I wasn't ready to go back to sleep so I did some crossword puzzles... and then eventually turned in like Snoozin' Susan.
Wildlife seen:
- Strangler Figs
- Birds' nest ferns
- Basket ferns
- trees with large Buttress roots
- Lawyer vines aka Wait-a-whiles (a spindly, sharp vine that will 'catch' you if you get too close)
- Wallaby!!!! and her Joey!!!
- Bettong
Today we hired (rented) a Mitsubishi Colt from Thrifty and hit the road! We drove North on Australia Hwy 1 - the Bruce Hwy - passing tons of sugarcane fields. We turned off onto a windy road up the mountain towards the rainforest, stopping only for photos with a Termite mound (almost as tall as me!) and for cattle. They were everywhere - in the road, off the road - and very skinny. Almost malnourished looking!
As we drove on, we entered the Wet Tropics area of North Queensland. Our main stop today was Girringun National Park, just South of Ingham, to see Wallaman Falls (an 800 ft waterfall!). Upon arrival we set up the tent and went for a bushwalk (hike) down Bangurru Trail (I think that was the name). It was then that I saw my first wild wallaby!!! And she had a joey! It was even sticking its head out to say "Hi Sarah, welcome to Australia!" :) It's all so exciting...
After the bushwalk we set up the camp stove, the Whisperlite Internationale, and cooked up some Continental Thai Lime Chili Rice. Yum. By now it was getting dark and we heard a ruffle in the grass below the picnic table. It was a Bettong! A big mousey, opossum-like creature who was trying to get a free snack! haha So cute. Now after dinner is where we got lucky... We cleaned up the dishes and ourselves for bed. As soon as we got in the tent to settle in - yep, it POURED! It rained for hours... and hours...
I woke up to what I thought was morning light, but in fact it was the full moon shining bright! I visited the toilet and got freaked out when I heard the door creak on my way in - haha - just that old fear of the dark sneaking back in from childhood :) I walked around and stared at the moon for a bit before getting back in the tent, just in case it rained again. It had sure cooled off a lot, brrr. I wasn't ready to go back to sleep so I did some crossword puzzles... and then eventually turned in like Snoozin' Susan.
Wildlife seen:
- Strangler Figs
- Birds' nest ferns
- Basket ferns
- trees with large Buttress roots
- Lawyer vines aka Wait-a-whiles (a spindly, sharp vine that will 'catch' you if you get too close)
- Wallaby!!!! and her Joey!!!
- Bettong
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