Manly
On Saturday we again went down to the harbor and took a ferry over to Manly to watch and photograph some surfing. Manly's slogan is "Seven Miles from Sydney, a Thousand Miles from Care..." It wasn't a great day for swells but the beach was nice to walk on and the 30 min boat ride over to Manly was nice for site seeing. It's cool how the inner waters just open up into the dark blue waters of the Pacific and you get a feel for how important these harbors once were and still are for sustaining life to a big city.
We walked along the beach and I shot some pics of a few surfers. The most talented was a young girl who was doing headstands on her board making surfing look all too easy. My surfing attempt would have to wait a day as we planned on going out with a group for a surf school the next day.
We got some gellato and listened briefly to some jazz band playing on the boardwalk. Back on the ferry and the ride over to Dock #3 in the Sydney Harbor. We got back to our hotel to change for the evening. We were going to the Opera House to see a production of Shakespeare's Measure For Measure. We sat down at a nice restaurant along the wharf and ordered our dinner. After waiting for 40 minutes and the play time quickly approaching we cancelled our food and made out way to the Opera House. A hungry stomach didn't ruin the evening though, the play was hilarious and the nearly two and a half hours went by quickly. Walking back to the room my body succumbed to the lack of sustenance. Feeling extremely exhausted and running low on fuel we found a Hungry Jack's which is the Aussie's version of Burger King. The logos are all the same just the name is different. The fast food restaurants there actually have decent food. They still have the same bad for you burgers and fries but they offer lots of other alternatives. We scarfed some food and were done for the night. Surf camp tomorrow! I needed some rest to prepare.
Port Douglas
For Thursday we thought about taking another snorkeling trip with a different company but instead decided to rent a car and drive up the coast to Port Douglas and back.
We rented a very small car with automatic transmission. I can drive a stick but I've never driven one with my left hand nor had I driven on the left side of the road and I figured doing both for the first time in the same day wasn't a good idea. Actually it wasn't hard to drive on the left side of the road. Most of the time you are following other cars so that makes it easy. The rest is just knowing where to aim when you make right or left turns.
We first went over to the Lagoon in Cairns and parked and walked around a bit. They have this huge pool that sits next to the boardwalk. It's maybe 6' deep at the deepest point with most of it being less than 2'. There is a small area that has a sandy beach that the water laps up on. We didn't have swimming attire on or I would've ventured for a swim. You definitely notice in Cairns how well kept the public areas are. From medians to parks, everything there is well manacured and well cared for.
Driving up the coast with the pacific ocean in view about 80% was gorgeous. We stopped 3 times on the way to Port Douglas on the side of the road and got out with cameras and waked down a steep rocky ledge to a vacant beach. It was like we were in a movie and had been stranded on an island. The sand was smooth and the grade was nearly flat. The tide was out which provided for gentle waves that broke on shore and send a 1" sheet of water up the sand for 30' or more. We watched the pacific send more waves toward us and looked up and down the coast at the magnificent cliffs and trees that completed this picturesque dot on the globe. I literally could've stayed there for days. It was so peaceful and beautiful, all that was missing was a picnic basket and a shelter for shade and you'd be set.
Dragging ourselves back up to the car to continue on, we finally made it to Port Douglas. It was quite the touristy town but still nice to walk around. I saw a boat named Oscar that Anna laughs at me for talking about. My guess is that the ship probably cost $7M-$10M and was probably 100'-120' long. A black hull with wood trimmed decks and railings, an aft deck dining table that sat 8 complete with a small boom crane and waverunner on top. If I won the lottery, a boat like that would be mine and I'd be off to all the friendly ports in the world.
I tried to take a picture of a small but pretty Catholic Church that sat there next to the sea but when I realized the woman in my frame that was squatting in the bushes was not looking for a hose but actually peeing... I decided to just walk away. I'm not sure what would make a 45 year old woman pee in the bushes in broad daylight directly in front of a church when there were several bars with restrooms within 100 yards.
We did some souvenir shopping, (Mom, I hope the shirt fits) and were back in the car and headed back down the coast. This time there was no lane between our car and the cliffs and that made the driving that much more exhilerating. Even though our engine was probably < 1.5 liters it was still fun to drive. We stopped at one more beach on the way back and chatted with a Greek couple who were up from Melbourne. We made it back to the rental car place and they drove us out to the airport. We ran into one of Anna's friends who was on our flight down to Sydney and we settled into a seat in the quaint domestic terminal at Virgin Blue and waited for our plane.
We got in to Sydney just after 10p and made our way over to the Boulevard Hotel. Again the bed was a wonderful site and we were fast asleep by midnight.
For Thursday we thought about taking another snorkeling trip with a different company but instead decided to rent a car and drive up the coast to Port Douglas and back.
We rented a very small car with automatic transmission. I can drive a stick but I've never driven one with my left hand nor had I driven on the left side of the road and I figured doing both for the first time in the same day wasn't a good idea. Actually it wasn't hard to drive on the left side of the road. Most of the time you are following other cars so that makes it easy. The rest is just knowing where to aim when you make right or left turns.
We first went over to the Lagoon in Cairns and parked and walked around a bit. They have this huge pool that sits next to the boardwalk. It's maybe 6' deep at the deepest point with most of it being less than 2'. There is a small area that has a sandy beach that the water laps up on. We didn't have swimming attire on or I would've ventured for a swim. You definitely notice in Cairns how well kept the public areas are. From medians to parks, everything there is well manacured and well cared for.
Driving up the coast with the pacific ocean in view about 80% was gorgeous. We stopped 3 times on the way to Port Douglas on the side of the road and got out with cameras and waked down a steep rocky ledge to a vacant beach. It was like we were in a movie and had been stranded on an island. The sand was smooth and the grade was nearly flat. The tide was out which provided for gentle waves that broke on shore and send a 1" sheet of water up the sand for 30' or more. We watched the pacific send more waves toward us and looked up and down the coast at the magnificent cliffs and trees that completed this picturesque dot on the globe. I literally could've stayed there for days. It was so peaceful and beautiful, all that was missing was a picnic basket and a shelter for shade and you'd be set.
Dragging ourselves back up to the car to continue on, we finally made it to Port Douglas. It was quite the touristy town but still nice to walk around. I saw a boat named Oscar that Anna laughs at me for talking about. My guess is that the ship probably cost $7M-$10M and was probably 100'-120' long. A black hull with wood trimmed decks and railings, an aft deck dining table that sat 8 complete with a small boom crane and waverunner on top. If I won the lottery, a boat like that would be mine and I'd be off to all the friendly ports in the world.
I tried to take a picture of a small but pretty Catholic Church that sat there next to the sea but when I realized the woman in my frame that was squatting in the bushes was not looking for a hose but actually peeing... I decided to just walk away. I'm not sure what would make a 45 year old woman pee in the bushes in broad daylight directly in front of a church when there were several bars with restrooms within 100 yards.
We did some souvenir shopping, (Mom, I hope the shirt fits) and were back in the car and headed back down the coast. This time there was no lane between our car and the cliffs and that made the driving that much more exhilerating. Even though our engine was probably < 1.5 liters it was still fun to drive. We stopped at one more beach on the way back and chatted with a Greek couple who were up from Melbourne. We made it back to the rental car place and they drove us out to the airport. We ran into one of Anna's friends who was on our flight down to Sydney and we settled into a seat in the quaint domestic terminal at Virgin Blue and waited for our plane.
We got in to Sydney just after 10p and made our way over to the Boulevard Hotel. Again the bed was a wonderful site and we were fast asleep by midnight.
Frankland Island
Wednesday morning was upon us and another great brekky was served. Australians shorten every word that they can and in one of these posts I'll list a few. But for now, Brekky = Breakfast.
We were picked up at the B&B and taken into the city where we boarded a double-decker bus and headed out to an inlet off the pacific ocean. There we climbed aboard a split hull boat with about 50 other anxious snorkelers and took a 40 min boat ride out to Frankland Island. We choose this trip over some of the others that go out to the reef because we got to go to an actual island and not just float out in the ocean. Plus the boat ride was more than an hour shorter than the ones that went out to the outer reef.
After our flippers, masks and snorkels were in place we set out with our snorkeling guide as he showed us around the great collection of coral that lay no more than 20' off the beach. We scooted about in the water watching parrot fish crunch on coral. They have beak like mouths and you can actually hear the larger ones crunching the edges of coral as they get at the small animals that make the coral their home. We paused for a quick lunch and were back in the water. I probably saw 50 different types and colors of coral and at least as many types of fish, all of which kept me at a safe enough distance so that I couldn't touch them no matter how many times I tried.
Before heading back we took an island walk with the guide who showed us how the coral comes about and on what side of the island it grows. We learned about reef sharks and how octopi can eat crabs without even breaking their shell and we found a live/dead example. We saw clams that secrete acid to burrow themselves into rock all the way up to their mouth openings for protection and how the walking pine trees actually lay down and extract roots so that they really walk across the island to get closer to the water and the light. The seacucumbers were cool too, we even saw one that had expelled it's guts. A white stringy and sticky mass lay in the water where one sea cucumber had defended itself from a predator.
Back on the boat for the ride home after another exhausting and slightly sunburned day. For dinner, we walked a few blocks down the road to a cafe. It was most unusual. There was a dining room in the back with about 5 tables, a mini mart in the front and a counter full or prepared dishes waiting to be heated and served. I had a delicious lasagna and the guy sporting a pointy beard that was dyed red fixed me a huge ceasar salad. As hungry as I was, I still couldn't finish it all. We strolled back to the B&B and crashed.
Wednesday morning was upon us and another great brekky was served. Australians shorten every word that they can and in one of these posts I'll list a few. But for now, Brekky = Breakfast.
We were picked up at the B&B and taken into the city where we boarded a double-decker bus and headed out to an inlet off the pacific ocean. There we climbed aboard a split hull boat with about 50 other anxious snorkelers and took a 40 min boat ride out to Frankland Island. We choose this trip over some of the others that go out to the reef because we got to go to an actual island and not just float out in the ocean. Plus the boat ride was more than an hour shorter than the ones that went out to the outer reef.
After our flippers, masks and snorkels were in place we set out with our snorkeling guide as he showed us around the great collection of coral that lay no more than 20' off the beach. We scooted about in the water watching parrot fish crunch on coral. They have beak like mouths and you can actually hear the larger ones crunching the edges of coral as they get at the small animals that make the coral their home. We paused for a quick lunch and were back in the water. I probably saw 50 different types and colors of coral and at least as many types of fish, all of which kept me at a safe enough distance so that I couldn't touch them no matter how many times I tried.
Before heading back we took an island walk with the guide who showed us how the coral comes about and on what side of the island it grows. We learned about reef sharks and how octopi can eat crabs without even breaking their shell and we found a live/dead example. We saw clams that secrete acid to burrow themselves into rock all the way up to their mouth openings for protection and how the walking pine trees actually lay down and extract roots so that they really walk across the island to get closer to the water and the light. The seacucumbers were cool too, we even saw one that had expelled it's guts. A white stringy and sticky mass lay in the water where one sea cucumber had defended itself from a predator.
Back on the boat for the ride home after another exhausting and slightly sunburned day. For dinner, we walked a few blocks down the road to a cafe. It was most unusual. There was a dining room in the back with about 5 tables, a mini mart in the front and a counter full or prepared dishes waiting to be heated and served. I had a delicious lasagna and the guy sporting a pointy beard that was dyed red fixed me a huge ceasar salad. As hungry as I was, I still couldn't finish it all. We strolled back to the B&B and crashed.
Kuranda
We arrived in Cairns late on Monday night and took a cab over to the B&B.
Tuesday morning we got up around 6 and were eating breakfast at 7. Food was great, I had toast and jelly, some fantastic scrambled eggs and bacon and a variety of fruits. Passion fruit is a bit strange but yummy. Pat at the B&B arranged for a day trip for us to go up to Kuranda. We took a train up through the mountains in the rainforest on a rail that was built before 1900. The train made one 10 min stop on the way up so we could get out and check out Barron Falls. Even though it isn't the rainy season in Cairns there was quite a bit of water flowing over the falls. Really a cool site! We got back on board and made our way to the top of the mountain.
Once there we went through a butterfly exhibit with hundreds of butterflies and all different types fluttering about. We listened to the tour guide say how the butterfly eggs are harvested every 90 minutes so that microscopic parasites don't have time to find them... sounds like an interesting job title, "Butterfly Egg Harvester" :)
After that we walked around and looked at a bunch of parrots, my favorite of which and also the meanest (it bit Anna) finally walked onto our hands for a picture once we found a grape to coax it with.
Next we went on to see and feed some kangaroos and wallabies. We saw several Koalas and they were all awake. One Koala got pissed at another who was climbing down a tree and stepped on the other Koala's head. They swatted at each other like cats for a few seconds before one Koala climbed away.
After the animals, we got into a cable gondola and proceeded down the mountain over the tree tops. We made a few stops along the way to change cars and took the opportunity to walk down and shoot some pictures at the lookouts. This time we got to see Barron Falls from the other side of the Barron River. We were a lot closer and the roar of the water crashing on the rocks was awesome.
At the bottom of the ride we walked over to an Aboriginal park where we learned about some Aboriginal history and threw boomerangs and spears. I sucked at throwing both but I think I was the only one to throw my spear completely over the 20' shrubs that lined the field. :)
It was a long day filled with lots of walking and seeing, once again we were crashed by 10pm and ready for our next big day of snorkeling.
We arrived in Cairns late on Monday night and took a cab over to the B&B.
Tuesday morning we got up around 6 and were eating breakfast at 7. Food was great, I had toast and jelly, some fantastic scrambled eggs and bacon and a variety of fruits. Passion fruit is a bit strange but yummy. Pat at the B&B arranged for a day trip for us to go up to Kuranda. We took a train up through the mountains in the rainforest on a rail that was built before 1900. The train made one 10 min stop on the way up so we could get out and check out Barron Falls. Even though it isn't the rainy season in Cairns there was quite a bit of water flowing over the falls. Really a cool site! We got back on board and made our way to the top of the mountain.
Once there we went through a butterfly exhibit with hundreds of butterflies and all different types fluttering about. We listened to the tour guide say how the butterfly eggs are harvested every 90 minutes so that microscopic parasites don't have time to find them... sounds like an interesting job title, "Butterfly Egg Harvester" :)
After that we walked around and looked at a bunch of parrots, my favorite of which and also the meanest (it bit Anna) finally walked onto our hands for a picture once we found a grape to coax it with.
Next we went on to see and feed some kangaroos and wallabies. We saw several Koalas and they were all awake. One Koala got pissed at another who was climbing down a tree and stepped on the other Koala's head. They swatted at each other like cats for a few seconds before one Koala climbed away.
After the animals, we got into a cable gondola and proceeded down the mountain over the tree tops. We made a few stops along the way to change cars and took the opportunity to walk down and shoot some pictures at the lookouts. This time we got to see Barron Falls from the other side of the Barron River. We were a lot closer and the roar of the water crashing on the rocks was awesome.
At the bottom of the ride we walked over to an Aboriginal park where we learned about some Aboriginal history and threw boomerangs and spears. I sucked at throwing both but I think I was the only one to throw my spear completely over the 20' shrubs that lined the field. :)
It was a long day filled with lots of walking and seeing, once again we were crashed by 10pm and ready for our next big day of snorkeling.
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