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Published: December 19th 2007
After leaving Ayers Rock I spent the best part of two hours peering down from 35,000 feet on the barren expanse that is Australia's 'outback'. The parched red soil continued as far as the eye could see, before the view was eventually interrupted by a layer of dense cloud.
We broke through that cloud with half an hour of the flight left to reveal that the terracotta soil had been replaced by a new emerald world of rivers, lakes and farmland surrounded by dense rainforest. We were descending into Cairns, and the Tropics......
Getting off the plane, once again the humidity hit us like a bucket of water, and as we moved from the cool interior of the fuselage to the warm and sticky climate of Queensland the moisture instantly formed on our exposed skin making us feel somewhat clammy.
Cairns is a resort town with international appeal and we arrived on Saturday night with all the shops still open and the bars and restaurants filling by the second. It was a case of dumping our bags and getting straight in amongst the hoards by having a wander round.
Although a coastal resort, Cairns doesn't have much of a beach so
the developed waterfront has a massive public outdoor fun pool, and it gives the place a real friendly and relaxed feel as families are out enjoying the warm evening, and mingling with the hardcore revellers.
It’s not hard to see why Cairns is so popular with its tropical climate and being neatly sandwiched between two very different tourist attractions. There’s Atherton Tableland with it’s beautiful scenery, waterfalls and national parks inland to the west, but to the east, albeit several kilometers offshore lies arguably not just Cairns, but Queensland’s trump card.
Spanning 2,600km, it’s longer than The Great Wall of China, it’s widely considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World and it’s the only living thing that's visible from space. It is of course, The Great Barrier Reef. The choice of dive companies offering day trips out to the reef were numerous, but before we settled on one, there was one thing we needed to buy. Following our dives in Zanzibar, our great white encounter in South Africa, snorkeling on the Ningaloo and ultimately our dive under the Navy Pier in Exmouth, our experiences weren’t being captured on camera underwater as much as they were above
It's a spider
You'll have to believe me when I say this is as big as my hand and sits in a web thats about 4 feet in diameter.it. A regrettable oversight on our original packing list, but something we needed to rectify sooner rather than later, so we bought a waterproof housing for Sam’s compact camera.
Our boat trip out to the first of our 3 dives on the reef (during our second day in Cairns) was fairly rough, but unlike some, we were able to retain the contents of our stomachs. In total the 3 dives meant we were under the water for over 2 hours. There is such a massive expectation to diving on the Great Barrier Reef that this could easily make the dives a bit of an anticlimax; unless something extraordinary happens. None of the three dives we took part in that day were as 'fish packed' as the 'Navy Pier' but it was nevertheless a memorable day in the snug grip of a wetsuit as my (Sam has dove on the GBR before) first experience of diving on the worlds largest reef. Sightings included shark, turtles, rays, moray eels, large wrasse, potato cod, barracuda and hundreds of different types of smaller fish. What with allowing time between dives and lunch, we were out practically all day on the boat. Although I wasn’t
aware of it at the time, the constant bobbing up and down on the sea would leave me with a peculiar feeling that I was still on a boat when we went out for dinner that night as my brain continued to tread water. With each inhaled and exhaled breath I felt I was still being lifted then dropped in the oceans swell, and any upward movement of my head made me feel like I was about to topple over backwards. Whilst eating we also watched a pretty amazing electrical storm pass over, with heavy rain beating against the window, strong winds, and almost constant lightning.
Whilst in Cairns we came up with the title to this particular blog after booking another 2 dives further down the coast, one of which turned out to be pretty special, but more on those later.
Our time in Cairns came to an end when we picked up another little oven to head up the coast in. Hiring the same model meant the thieves couldn't charge us $100 just to watch a familiarization dvd.
Our first quick stop was a place called Mossman Gorge, a tourist magnet where idiots come to spoil a picturesque
Tree frog
A frog that lives in trees..... river by swimming into the viewfinder of your camera; don't they know it's all about OUR year away?! If you sense a touch of jealousy you'd be right, the sweat pours off you here as you walk around these tropical rainforests and it would have been lovely to jump into one of those ‘alleged’ crocodile-free waterholes, but we choose not to follow the crowds where possible, and we gave the communal baths a miss. So we continued the very scenic coastal drive, in which the odds on us having a head-on collision increased with every mile due to my concentration being drawn to the views rather than staying in my own lane. Fortunately we made it to Port Douglas some 70km up the coast from Cairns, unfortunately, once again we had to leave the next day to keep within our schedule.
Port Douglas is idyllic, with its laid back atmosphere, great bars and restaurants as well as every other amenity any small town would want or need, all blended in nicely with no high rise buildings of any kind. Very cosy, and a place where within three months I reckon you'd know everyone’s name and your local watering hole of
Warning signs
Takes the fun right out of swimming. choice would have a Gin & Tonic waiting on the bar when you finished your shift. I say shift because Port Douglas has its own small ambulance station. Oh! And there’s a golf course here too, it’s perfect. With a permanent population (in 2006) of 948, Port Douglas hasn’t always been, or doesn’t always remain this quaint. When gold was discovered at Hodgkinson River the population peaked at 12,000, and visitors for one of Port Douglas’s two main festivals, the Port Douglas Carnivale can also reach that number. In 1996 Bill and Hillary Clinton chose Port Douglas in which to take their vacation during an historic visit to Australia. The story goes that whilst in a restaurant they witnessed a couple’s wedding certificate who had gotten married that same day; nice touch. A return visit to the town in September 2001 was cut short for the former-President when he watched the 9/11 attacks unfold on the TV in the Salsa Bar and Grill. Again in September five years later in the waters off Port Douglas one of Australia’s most colourful characters Steve Irwin aka ‘Crocodile Hunter’ was killed by a bull ray whilst swimming in the shllow waters, ironically filming
Beware!.. lizards crossing.
Neil?....don't look now but there's a dinosaur in the road!! for a new series called ’The Ocean’s Deadliest’.
From Port Douglas we drove to the Daintree River where we went for an impromptu cruise to take in some of the wildlife that inhabit the area. We saw tree frogs, more fruit bats (flying foxes) than you could ever count, and of course crocodiles or 'salties' as they're known over here. Unfortunately we didn't manage to catch a glimpse of the adults that can reach up to 5 metres in length. In fact with numerous human deaths along the Daintree River associated with salties, wandering near the river banks is strongly advised against, and swimming is reserved for the clinically insane; hence I had to hide Sam’s bikini.
The cruise was only for an hour and something we did as a bonus prior to crossing the Daintree River itself in the camper via a car ferry, before then progressing slowly on the narrow, winding road that heads north through the rainforest. Reaching Cape Tribulation would be quite literally, the end of the road for us. Due to the unsealed (gravel) track heading further north was not an option as it‘s a journey that‘s best negotiated in a 4x4 only.
Cape
Tribulation was the name given to this particular location by Captain Cook after his ship the Endeavour ran aground on the reef here. To the indigenous aborigines it's known as Kulki and is another World Heritage Site and one of the few places in the world where the rainforest meets the sea.
We've been down to the beaches whilst here, most of which have one warning or another. If it’s not 'salties' that also hunt along the shore as well as up river, it's the 'stingers' (jelly fish), and an unsuspecting encounter with either can be potentially fatal. We've walked through rainforest areas and seen spiders as big as our hands on webs as big as car bonnets. We’ve seen all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures whilst walking on manmade boardwalks through the rainforest and mangrove and included a snake and a large 3ft lizard. The rainforest in these parts is also home to the Cassowary; a large flightless bird related to the African Ostrich. They can reach up to 2m in height and have the kick of a mule. Due to their reputation for being aggressive, their mug also appears on warning signs, but although we went looking,
Maori Wrasse
"I'd walk a million miles for one of your smiles.........my mammy" we never did see one in the flesh; well they are an endangered species!!
Cape Tribulation is a true 'wild frontier' like the outback, except the total opposite to look at and negotiate. Nights in the van have once again been like trying to sleep in a sauna. On our second evening for example we had little option other than pasta for dinner. It must have been +30 degrees in the van before we started cooking. It became so hot inside the camper van that instead of just the windows open we had to resort to opening the side door. You’d be forgiven for asking, why didn’t we think of doing this earlier? Well within seconds of opening the door (which had know mosquito screen like the windows) there were a thousand reasons of various sizes, all buzzing around the inside of the van. That same night our campsite was hit by a tropical storm as lightning lit up the trees and the heaviest rain either of us has ever experienced battered the roof of the van. Those mosquito screens might keep out the insects, but they fail miserably against what was the equivalent to holding the head of a
A Manta Ray 'flies' overhead
A magical moment down on the SS Yongala. power shower up against the fine mesh. Windows open or closed, either way, we would be soaked in rain or our own perspiration, it made for an uncomfortable and sleepless night as cats and dogs pummeled the roof and temperatures reached gas mark 6.
Uncomfortable nights aside, we're glad to have come up here. However, our need to head south and escape the humidity and sleepless nights means my foot was firmly to the floor as we travelled the 500+ km south to Townsville.
We were both really surprised at Townsville. Back home our visions of a military town conjures up thoughts of Bordon and Aldershot, but this must be a squaddies dream posting. With nice beaches, an average of 320 sunny days a year and an abundance of bars, restaurants and clubs that line the attractively developed waterfront; it's like a mini Cairns. We had no idea it would be this nice even with a good write up in our travel bible, the 'Lonely Planet'.
You're probably wondering what we were doing here if we didn't expect much? Well we're came here initially for one reason, and that's for our next dive.
It's advertised as Australia's best dive
The Aquarium
where we took all our photos... and the 'Lonely Planet' goes a step further and reads:
"some say the Yongala is the best wreck dive in the world".
Now, like it or not, you're gonna get the full run down on this wreck so if I bore you, I make no apologies as this dive warrants a small history lesson.
The SS YONGALA was built for the Adelaide Shipping Company in Newcastle (UK). The 111m long passenger and freight steamer left Mackay (also in Queensland) at 13:40 hrs on the 23rd March 1911 bound for Townsville, a short part of her journey from Melbourne to Cairns. Five hours later she passed the lighthouse keeper on Dent Island in the Whitsunday passage, steaming into what was described as ‘worsening weather'; it would be the last known sighting. With no radio on board (ironically to be fitted during her time in Townsville) the captain, William Knight, had little warning of the cyclone ahead.
When she didn't arrive in port, it was thought that she'd taken shelter behind one of the many islands as ships often did to wait out the storm.........
Two days later a search team found pillow cases and some life jackets floating in the
Finding Nemo II
CUT.........we found im! water, but had no idea where the Yongala had sank. With no survivors, the SS Yongala still remains Australia's worst maritime disaster with the loss of 122 lives..……………..other casualties included a large red Lincoln bull and race horse called ‘Moonshine’ who’s body was the only one ever found when it washed up at the mouth of Gordon Creek near Townsville.
In 1943 the captain of a minesweeper plotted the wreck on his chart thinking it to be a shoal. After the war in 1947 the ‘obstruction’ was further investigated and was assumed to be the wreck of the SS Yongala with no other vessels being reported lost in that area. The Navy took no further action.
It wasn't officially identified however until 1958 thanks to Don Macmillan and Noel Cook, two skindivers from Townsville, who as members of an expedition recovered a safe from the wreck. The serial number on the safe 9825W was later revealed by its makers in London to be that supplied to the purser’s cabin of the SS Yongala during her construction in 1903.
The wreck is now protected under strict laws and still remains a mass gravesite.......
The tragedy is made worse due to the
Turtle's Head.
........and its body. fact that the Yongala's deck sits only 14m below the surface and from the dive site you can clearly see land, not that either of those details would have been a recipe for survival in those conditions. The main funnel has never been found and it's assumed a large wave tore the funnel off whilst another flooded the engine room sinking the vessel almost immediately....
For those pirates among you indifferent to the tragedy, instead eager to know what was found in the safe, only sludge that was once papers is the rather disappointing answer.
As well as it's history, what makes this a good dive site is that it's the only large object that lays on the sandy seabed for miles around. So coral polyps are carried in the sea currents (which can be strong here), stick to the wreck and start to grow, and they've been doing that for almost 100 years!! This has a knock on effect, because then a home is created for all those small fish that live and feed off the coral, which attracts predators, who also have larger predators......and on it goes. And they all congregate here, in and around the wreck of
Fish just love having their photo taken
All right! All right! I can't get you all in!! the SS Yongala, and in doing so add to the spectacle that makes this dive so popular.
On entering the water, you can't see anything apart from the sunrays disappearing into the deep blue. The strict rules mean you have to follow a guide rope down to the wreck which looms out of the deep. The amount of small fish must number tens of thousands as they swarm around the wreck. The predators such as the jacks, spanish mackerel and barracuda sit slightly off the wreck darting in from time to time to pick off their prey which scatters the shoals momentarily. There are big cod and Maori wrasse down here too, and soon after we begin traversing the hull (she sank and pitched at 60 degrees) we see a guitar shark. There are hawksbill turtles and lots of sea snakes (that I'm much more accustomed to these days) both of which are air breathers and make their way to the surface periodically. With their inquisitive nature, the sea snakes often come very close to check you out. A closer inspection of the coral reveals moray eels, which are extremely menacing to look at, and give the appearance they’d
like nothing more to make a snack of an unguarded digit.
Unfortunately, being 'open water' qualified, only allows us to a depth of 18m. However, rules are there to be broken and under supervision our dive master (an ex-policeman from England) we descend to 24. The wreck sits in 30m of water so we were unable to see the reef sharks that sit on the sandy bed, but we were more than compensated when a manta ray made a visit to the wreck. In Coral Bay (if you remember) we snorkelled above a manta ray, this time it was a fly by above us. As big and as heavy as it obviously was it soared over with the grace of a ballerina and for those who were lucky enough to catch a glimpse, it stole the show yet again.
It’s inevitable that we compared this amazing dive with that of the Navy pier. For marine life they were both outstanding in both quality and quantity. Being a smaller area I’d have to say the Navy pier was more intense, but for me the SS Yongala just gets it. The fact that there is an historical event behind the biodiversity of
Bubbles
From a distance it was hard to tell from which end of Sam the bubbles were coming from. the marine life it now supports gives the dive that something extra. There’s something humbling and certainly haunting about the vessel as it comes into view with the knowledge that it remains a large tomb in an otherwise empty underwater graveyard, and in that sense the SS Yongala is our best dive to date, and for all the reasons I’ve mentioned will be tough to beat.
Following our time in Townsville we drove further down the coast to a place called Airlie. Airlie is the 'gateway' to the Whitsundays and whilst in Cairns we booked ourselves on a three day and two night sail around a few of the Whitsunday Islands. As I mentioned in the beginning Sam has visited Australia several times and even lived and worked in Sydney for a year, but a particular experience has eluded her; sailing around the Whitsunday Islands. So this became a priority while we were on the east coast and I can’t say I argued much. The three day sail would also include a dive (of course) and some snorkelling.
There were 15 of us on board, of various nationalities, plus a 2-man crew to look after us. Andy, an Aussie
Fish are crap at taking photos.
I mean, how hard can it be to get us both in the viewfinder who had a real passion for sailing and hands of leather; and Zac also Australian, and a free spirit who once joined a circus as a way of travelling the west coast. This ended somewhat prematurely when he witnessed the lion tamer's son lose his arm during a mauling from one of the cats. They were both really nice guys for very different reasons and we took to them immediately. Our vessel was 'EUREKA II' a former Sydney-to-Hobart competitor and one of the fastest ex-racing yachts (now put out to pasture around these beautiful islands. Unfortunately, without windy conditions for any of the three days, we never did get to experience the thrill of her in full flight.
Our sail took us to several bays and past several of the islands throughout the Whitsundays including Hayman Island which is home to an exclusive resort ($700-$3000 per night). We dropped anchor at Tongue Bay (Whitsunday Island) and had lunch before being ferried to shore to spend some time on the famous Whitehaven Beach. If paradise has a beach, this is it! The sand, at 98% silica, is the finest sand in the world and feels unlike any other sand we've ever
Reef shark
Not me best picture, but evidence nevertheless. walked on. It's as fine as icing sugar and almost as white. So bright in fact that we are warned to apply sunscreen EVERYWHERE as the sun reflects off the sand so well that you can get sun burnt UP your shorts!!
Whilst anchored in Tongue Bay, every few minutes turtles would surface for air and a bet with Andy when we first dropped anchor as to who could spot the first one lost me a precious beer, but ultimately, I felt that early interaction with Andy would later present me with an opportunity that I would have given a hundred beers for; well ok, maybe not that many!
For our nights at sea the skies were clear and with no light pollution the stars looked even better than they did in Africa, with the constellations of 'Orion’s Belt' and 'Pegasus the Horse' easily recognisable as they have been throughout our journey in the southern hemisphere.
The diving and snorkelling have all been conducted in 'stinger suits'. Lycra all-in-ones that although extremely unflattering, protect you against the stinging tentacles of jelly fish which with their cocktail of neurotoxins out here can be lethal. Our faces and hands however, remain bare
which was slightly disconcerting having seen dozens of jellyfish whilst sailing.
The marine life when we've been in the water has been limited to fairly small fish during our Whitsunday's jolly, but the coral has been stunning and easily the best we've seen.
On our final day and as I mentioned earlier, I felt was a result of our banter and chats with Andy and Zac I was genuinely surprised when shortly after leaving the mornings' snorkelling site, Andy asked me if I wanted to take the helm for a moment. Needless to say I jumped at the chance. To have someone sail you around the Whitsundays is one thing, to actively involved is another. That unexpected few minutes turned into well over 2 hours as I steered us (under timely instructions of course) from Cook Island back to the mainland, and the marina in Airlie. Obviously I didn't let the experience go to my head, but I don't think it's unreasonable that I've insisted Sam now refers to me as 'Skipper' or 'Captain' from now on. Her choice of title for me however, (delinquent that she is) I’ve deemed unprintable.
Back on terra firma, we say our thank you’s
and goodbyes to our crew and fellow passengers as we all go our separate ways. Reluctantly, I was dragged by Sam out of the marina after wandering around offering my services for hire; it was probably for the best.
After another long drive of some 6 hours during which Sam had to endure my reading out loud in a ridiculous Aussie accent of every sign post of every creek we passed, we arrived at 1770. In our opinion 1770 takes first prize for best named place in Queensland. I'm sure you've already guessed but I'll tell you anyway, it was named after the year that Captain Cook landed.........24th May 1770. What wasn’t so great, was the crack in our camper van windscreen that I noticed as we pulled into the campsite Sam had booked during the journey down. It was a touch of bad luck that we would have to take time out to deal with and would eventually rob our budget to the tune of 270 Australian dollars.
We stopped off in 1770 to do another two dives on a small coral cay known as Lady Musgrave Island. The island has a lagoon that is best seen from
the air. If you're interested, I'm sure if you google 'Lady Musgrave Island' you'll get the aerial view that shows it’s true beauty. It's a remote spot where camping is also permitted. In all honesty the diving was very disappointing, with little colour in the coral and few big fish, arguably a result of tourism. The 2 dives delivered both the best and worst visibility yet. On the outside of the lagoon the visibility was over 30m which gave the illusion that there wasn’t any water at all and that we we‘re experiencing an astronaut type weightlessness. The visibility was unfortunately wasted with all the coral looking grey and dead. Within the lagoon the murky water meant we were down to about 8m. So with nothing new to see we resort to trying to make each other laugh. For those of you who have never worn a snorkel mask, if you laugh or smile this can (certainly with the crows feet on my eyes) let some water into the mask; you then have to clear your mask. Furthermore, a lapse in concentration would also mean retrieving your wetsuit after it's been poked up your arse with a well aimed finger,
Ray
Still protesting his innocence about the Steve Irwin mishap. leading to more laughter ...............................Grow up???................................NEVER!!
Next, to Hervey Bay, where we had our windscreen replaced and had an interesting evening in quite possibly the worst Italian restaurant in the world.
Having already passed several restaurants we stopped at one establishment and were studying the menu, when two old soaks sitting outside with their wine said;
"You can't go wrong". "You'll be entertained, and the food is fantastic."
In hindsight we should have walked away as soon as our waitress turned up sporting a set of gnashers that suggested she'd chewed through the thick chains that up till now had kept her safely locked away from public view; but we didn‘t. We should have made our excuses and left when the same waitress brought out our vodka and sodas which didn’t sound or taste like the gin and tonics we’d ordered; but we didn’t. We should have cancelled our main course when our starter of garlic bread came out like medium rare charcoal briquettes; but we didn’t. So when our food (in the loosest sense of the word) arrived, it should have been no surprise that it was slightly worse than awful. If Gordon Ramsey heads
The murky waters of Whitehaven
It's about time they put some sewage outlets here. to Oz for a new series of ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ I recommend he comes here last for the ultimate challenge.
So with poor service and a chef who’s specialties were disappointment and hunger, we were relying on the entertainment to rescue the evening; but it didn’t. Instead we were treated to a live performance by two elderly men who were each 4 years older than Jesus if a day, one on the piano the other singing, but both completely tone deaf.......yes you guessed it, the same two old boys who recommended the place when we were perusing the menu. A loud Christmas works party had also descended on the place (business must have been bad this year) who could have collectively lost a total of 30 tonnes and still been overweight. Still, the food poisoning in the morning should help with their diets which they should have been on by law. At one point I was close to shouting "I'm a celebrity, get me outta here!!".
Having been to the most westerly town in Australia (Denham, near Monkey Mia) , driven past the hottest (Marble Bar) and whilst driving down the east coast the wettest (Tully) - that still holds
A Whitsundays sunset in sepia
Try saying that with a belly full of the amber nectar the record for the most rainfall in a populated area, with an unbelievable 7.9m in 1950. For our next stop we entered New South Wales for the most easterly town in Australia, Byron Bay.
Byron Bay is described in the Lonely Planet as 'A hedonistic pleasure park'.
A surfers paradise where clean living is achieved through good food and a healthy appetite for outdoor pursuits................oh! and probably a large dose of alcohol, and weed that leaves a sweet but suspect aroma on every street corner. The town has to be commended for the fact that McDonalds cannot trade here due to local pressure groups, and on a trip where we've both agreed to go hungry (or eat in a crap Italian) rather than step foot in a McDonalds, that's fine by us.
The beach is really nice here, and every person younger than 40 is an advert for either Billabong, Quicksilver or O'Neill beach and surfing wear. Ironically everybody over 40 is an advert for the detrimental effects of ageing by spending too much time in the sun.
Once again our time here was enjoyable but short. Coming to Byron Bay has sown the seed that whilst in Oz we’re
Blue spotted ray
As'seen on the front of the PADI open water 'Go Dive' manual gonna have to give this surfing a go maybe when we get to Sydney where we‘ll have a bit more time, well ”When in Rome" as they say!
So we drove the short distance north back into Queensland to our final stop on our east coast swing to Australia’s third largest city, Brisbane.
After dropping our bags off at our latest hostel we took the camper van back, which took an age due to several cars and a tanker crashing in various parts of the city, causing heavy traffic. We finally made it in one piece back to the commercial centre to have a good look around. A very bizarre thing happened whilst in the city. That morning I was playing with an idea for my tattoo design and I was searching without much success for the traditional Chinese symbol or characters for the word EAST. So it was slightly freaky when whilst strolling we stumbled across a Chinese restaurant called ‘East’ and within it’s neon title incorporated the very symbol I’d been looking. The tattoo design is in its infancy and will continue to be a constant work in progress and subject to change at any point, and
therefore will retain a certain degree of secrecy at this stage. We walked the city again the following day that included crossing the Brisbane River for a spot of lunch. All too soon we found ourselves once again in an airport departure lounge waiting to board our flight to Adelaide.
Our next road trip would take us from Adelaide to Melbourne along the coast via the magnificent ‘Great Ocean Road’ where Sam would be reunited with one of her best friends who has made Australia her home.
Before then however, we would be spending a night in an Australian jail cell ……………………………
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nikki and mitch
non-member comment
Happy New Year to you both!! Your blog is fab guys, keep up the good work in entertaining us through your journey!! Keep Safe!!! Enjoy!! Love the Avises xx