Blogs from Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia, Oceania - page 10

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Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Port Douglas June 27th 2012

Sunday 24th of June I had the day off and so did Jessie (one of my flatmates), so we made plans to ride our bikes to a swim hole nearby. She went to the Market that morning and I had a late sleep-in. After lunch, we grabbed the bikes and took off. She had learned about this place in a tour she did to the rainforest. The swim hole is called Spring Creek and it's near a trail up a hill that's supposed to be very pretty, with a few nice waterfalls as well. We took about 30 - 40 minutes to get to the swim hole and we stopped there briefly, just to take a look at the place. Apparently there was a family reunion, because there were about 25 people having a barbeque in ... read more

Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Port Douglas June 18th 2012

Saturday 16th I worked in Calypso and I had to take out the certified divers that day. I had an Aussie couple from Melbourne and a French family who were living in the US. Nothing particular about that day and didn't do much in the evening, even though it was a Saturday night. I guess that working in these conditions, every day is pretty much the same and there's no real difference between a Tuesday and a Saturday, so going out during the weekends isn't a big deal; if I want to go out, I can do any day. I had Sunday and Monday off, so plenty of time to relax. On Sunday morning I called home and then, at around 10am I took a bus to Macrossan St. because I wanted to see the Port ... read more
Warning sign
Crocs in Mowbray river
Crocs in Mowbray river

Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Port Douglas June 12th 2012

A few days before Saturday, Bruce and I had been talking about doing a barbeque and having a bonfire at the beach; we had the idea of doing it, but didn't make any formal plans. That day I was working on the boat "Pure Dive", with a group of people that chartered the boat for the day. I can't remember what they did specifically , but they were from all over Australia and a lot of them had never seen each other before, but had talked on the phone for work lots of times. Talking to a Swedish guy with whom I dived that day, he told me that every two years, they got together for a "conference" during a weekend. This conference weekend involved a lot of going out, drinking, snorkeling, doing various tours and ... read more
Palm tree
Dinner at Giselle and Bruce's
Pizza and wine

Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Port Douglas June 5th 2012

Sorry this post came in a bit late, but I worked 8 days in a row and had several social activities in between, so here it goes: Friday 1st of June was my third day off work and that day I was expecting to go to the "Port Douglas Parade", an event that's part of the "Port Douglas Carnivale". The best way to describe it, is copy-pasting the overview from the website: PORT DOUGLAS CARNIVALE May 18 – 27 2012 Port Douglas Carnivale turns 18 this year. It’s a magical festival held during the last two weeks of May within the seaside resort village and its surrounds. There’s music, arts, sports, food, culture and all styles of entertainment – every reason to head to Port Douglas for a ‘taste of paradise’. And the website: http://www.carnivale.com.au/ The ... read more
Dive briefing
Leading the dive at the Split, Opal reef
The Split, Opal reef

Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Port Douglas May 29th 2012

Tuesday 22nd of May I went on a familiarization trip on board a boat called Calypso, part of a company called "Tropical Journeys" http://www.calypsoreefcruises.com/. I was applying for an instructor job here and, like the previous week in Cairns, this was a trial to see what the job was like. I arrived at the marina at 7:30, had a uniform (white shirt and blue shorts) given and did all sorts of things during the day. The boat can take around 60 passengers plus the crew. It mostly carries snorkelers out to the "Opal Reef" (part of the Great Barrier Reef) and also usually a few certified divers and people who want to do introductory dives (try diving for the first time). The number of the crew varies dependent on the number of passengers and consists of ... read more
Mount Molloy National Hotel's pub
Mount Molloy National Hotel's pub
Mount Molloy National Hotel's pub

Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Port Douglas May 15th 2012

Hi All We come to you today from Newell Beach, a quiet little spot about 20km's north of Port Douglas. We have been joined by Rachel and her boyfriend Steve and his brother Mike and Jess arrives here on Thursday. After our last blog from Mt Isa we ventured north to Karumba, a beautiful spot on the bottom of the gulf renowned for it's fishing and magnificent sunsets and believe me neither disappointed. My brother Paul drove over from Port Douglas with his boat and stayed with us for the ten days. After the heat and basic facilities of King Ash Bay this place was like a resort and Deb was certainly a lot more comfortable regularly sipping g&t's at the sunset bar. This was our last opportunity to get into the barra as they start ... read more
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Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Port Douglas April 2nd 2012

We were off to Port Douglas! Port Douglas is a town in Far North Queensland, Australia, about 70 km (40 mi) north of Cairns. So how are we gonna get there? We had to rent a car and drive on the opposite side of the road (opposite, like most Australian things). We rented our car and with the many Australian turnabouts, we took on this scary once in a lifetime adventure. Lucky for us we were able to follow a car on the way there on the empty street. The drive was very scenic and enjoyable. We arrived on time and safe, with the exception of a couple tire rubs on the curb. Soon our tour guide from Tony’s Tropical Tours arrived and we met the others that were on our excursion... read more
Moosman Gorge
Scenary
River and Ocean Meet

Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Port Douglas March 20th 2012

We had a pretty early flight from Adelaide to Cairns, so we were up and on the road before the sun. No real problems, but the Adelaide Airport was a maze of roundabouts getting to the car rental return due to the construction of a huge parking garage, which should be done in another year or so. We got checked in, boarded the flight, and arrived in Cairns mid afternoon. As soon as we got off the plane we realized we weren’t in the Outback anymore. Humidity! As a prelude of things to come, it was also very cloudy and the flight up had been pretty bumpy. We’re staying in Port Douglas, a small town about 50km north of Cairns and we had a shuttle to take us there. We were off for about an hour’s ... read more
A Strangler Fig Tree
Salty and Tree Frog
Daintree River Ferry

Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Port Douglas March 20th 2012

We arrived in Port Douglas a couple days ago, then the day before yesterday there were torrential rains in the area. As of right now the roads between here and Cairns airport are all closed. Our flight is scheduled for tomorrow morning and we don't know yet what will happen. More later. Pat & Connie... read more

Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Port Douglas March 2nd 2012

Last night, we thought we would pop into Port Douglas for a couple of tinnies and maybe some Cane Toad Racing. We strolled down to the beach and took a couple of pictures of the mangroves and metallic starlings, then popped into Ironbar for a drink and something to eat. The place was in an uproar. I thought it was a football match or something, but no, fortunately for us, it was Cane Toad Racing night. Running that night were Jerry Springer, Fat Bastard, Gay Freddie, Pigeon Toad, Shagging Camel Toad and Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. The favourite was Fat Bastard. Not entirely sure of the rules, but you had to bid to be toad-jockey first. Then, once you had your mount, you had to kiss it (I understand Cane Toads are toxic) and then, on starters ... read more
Mangroves Not In The Sea
Metallic Starlings Roosting
Cane Toad Racing




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