The Barrier Reef

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We have spent the last week based in Cairns on the Barrier Reef. We took a couple of trips out to see the reef and the kids all really enjoyed snorkelling with all the fish and coral around. Highlights of the trips were sighting of lots of 'Nemo' lookalikes, a shark, several giant clams and picking up sea cucumbers!!

Al the children did really well cos on the second trip the swell was beginning to get up but that was our best trip for seeing the fish etc. The first trip was on a catamarang to a coral Cay. The sea was turquoise and the coral almost white - it really was idyllic. The Cay was also the home to several thousand Turns (brings me to mind of another joke abut the Common Turn which also need the actions). On the way back we were trated to glasses of champagne with the spray cooling us down - Blondie and I agreed that we could get quite used to the experience.

The second trip took us to Green Island and then onto a pontoon on the outer Reef. As I said above the fish and coral were better on this trip but there were some stiff winds and the experience aboard the boats was not so relaxing! Fiendish and I took a walk around Green Island and found washed up coconuts. Sadly we couldnt take any home.

At the beginning of the week Fatty took a four day PADI course, something he has been meaning to do ever since his diving days in the Middle East. He succesfully passed and now can officially move onto bigger and better dives. Fiendish, in the end was prevented from doing any more diving due to his asthma but enjoyed the snorkelling.

We took another trip later in the week to the rain forest. You may have thought that our luck in terms of weather in OZ had changed but let me tell you I know now why they call it the Rain Forest - we all got absolutely drenched for hour after hour. Anywhay undeterred the Family 5 and the 'B' team continued bravely on and had a good day on the cable car above the rain forest and then the train down. We also visited an Aboriginal centre which was interesting.

We are spending our last 10 days in Oz back in Mooloolaba. We cant believe the holiday is getting to the end.

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Comments

[Pink Eden]

Cairns
Great place isn't it? We went there for 3 weeks in September 2003. Was the Aboriginal place called Tjapukai by any chance? Our girls loved the salt water pool at the end of the esplanade. Did you go on the cable car? Don't remember the name of the place but you catch a very rickety train up the hill and come back over the top of the rainforest. As I recall it was very high up with stops to walk around in the forest on wooden walkways.