Australia Part 3 : May 21 - June 12
Cairns, QLD : Wednesday, June 7, 2006
Today was a tour day. We actually left Brennan at home to finish some homework and have some uninterrupted alone time. Brian drove the rest of us up to the small artsy community of Kuranda; located in the mountains about a 30 minute drive from Cairns. We arrived there about nine o’clock which was an hour before most of the day trippers arrived via skyrail cable car, train or bus. Many of the shops hadn’t opened yet but we had all the others to ourselves. Kuranda is well known locally for all of its open-air markets and we enjoyed exploring all the stalls and shops. It was great for mom and dad because up until this morning, they had not been very successful with their souvenir and gift purchasing. Sierra made out well too when she convinced her dad to buy her some more clothing! I enjoying browsing in the art galleries and looking at all the unique sculptures along the sidewalks. The posts, garbage cans, parking barriers etc were all done in a free form manner with critters such as bugs, geckos and snakes mounted on them. There were also traditional aboriginal styled paintings on the sides of buildings and tall metal sculptures of kangaroos, cassowaries and emus. Some very talented people lived in this town.
During the day Kuranda was filled with visitors as it was the terminus for both the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and the Kuranda Scenic Railway. With the latter company, an old steam train departed from Cairns at Freshwater Station at 8:30 or 9:30 most mornings and took almost two hours to wind its way through 34km of picturesque mountains and fifteen tunnels. Two departures from Kuranda in the mid afternoon took tourists back down. We opted for the first company and after some lunch in Kuranda, we said goodbye to Brian who drove back to Clifton Beach. The rest of us rode the gondola and its 7.5 km of cables back to Cairns. We skimmed the tops of the trees and had a birds-eye view of the rainforest. At two points, the gondola stopped to allow passengers the opportunity to walk on boardwalks through the rainforest. Our first stop was at Barron Falls; a spectacular series of waterfalls on the Barron River. Displays showing equipment from the early 1900s that was used in the making of a dam were very interesting. Carts on rails and powered by air compressors, hauled people up the steep hillsides. At times the riders were almost vertical and at even more scary moments, the pressure in the air compressors dropped leaving the passengers hanging until the system got moving again. The skyrail gondolas were definitely a more comfortable ride. At the second stop at Red Peak Station we were at the highest point on the cableway at 545 m. There was a guided tour available here but we chose to wander on our own. As well there were interesting displays of rainforest seeds and fruits eaten by cassowaries and other creatures and an incredible museum on the rainforest. It was a very informative stop and a super experience on the gondolas. From here we transferred onto another line and descended to the Caravonica Terminal right next to the Tjapukai Cultural Park.
The Tjapukai, the indigenous people of this region owned and operated this park. There were a variety of things to see from museum artifacts to a documentary on the effects of Europeans arriving on the local population, to a laser and sound show telling of the Creation Legend, to a live dance and singing performance and the chance to test one’s skill at throwing a boomerang and a spear. All of the events were timed to allow a visitor to move smoothly from one area to area. Unfortunately just as we sat down in the theatre with the documentary, the entire area north of Cairns was hit by a power surge and then a blackout. So we had to move on to the outdoor activities, along with 50 students from the southern USA on an international field trip. (They were actually very well behaved teenagers but their numbers just made all the events take longer.)
It took us a while before we got our turn to throw the boomerang because we let the students go first. However we got more time at the end, so it was worth it to be patient. Considering none of us had ever thrown a boomerang before, we all did amazingly well. (Last time Sierra and I watched while the boys had a go at it.) I almost caught my boomerang toss twice; if I had succeeded, I would have been able to keep the boomerang. We passed on the spear throwing and chose to get a seat at the live dance show instead. It was a great performance with singing, didgeridoo playing, dancing and demonstrations like fire making. After this show, we continued on to see the two theatre productions that were affected when the power went out. It was all very enjoyable. Of course any visit to a park requires a stop at the gift shop; so we checked out all goods available for purchase. The items here were of very high quality and the artwork was all done by aboriginal artists. Brian picked us up and about ten minutes later; we were back at Turtle Close. It was a full day.
The only damper on the day was that Sierra wasn’t in top form. Unfortunately with that wonderful pool and the many hours spent in it, Sierra developed a nasty case of swimmer’s ear. So she had a lot of pain in her left ear.
Thursday, June 8, 2006: Cairns, Australia
Sierra spent most of the day on the couch. We started some antibiotics today as well as topical ear drops but by the end of the day, she wasn’t looking that much better. Hopefully the drugs will kick in tomorrow.
For the rest of us, it was mostly a lazy day. Brian and Brennan had to go back into the city to get fitted for wetsuits and scuba equipment for their dive tomorrow. So mom and I tagged along to do a little bit more shopping. We found some more great stuff in the tourist shops along the main pedestrian shopping mall.
Friday, June 9, 2006: Cairns, Australia
The day started off overcast and gradually got worse. It was not the best weather with which to be venturing out to the Great Barrier Reef. However our tickets were purchased so away we went. The boys got picked up at the nearby shopping center at 5:45 to start their three day dive trip. Mom, dad, Sierra and I did a day long cruise on the Ocean Spirit catamaran out to Michelmas Cay. Our transfer to the dock in Cairns was at a much more reasonable time of 7:20. Sierra slept most of the way on the bus and then on the boat to the cay. Her ear was still really sore but we she was a trooper and kept on going with us.
Unfortunately as well as gray rainy weather, the wind was high so we did a lot of rolling and swaying on the boat. There were many seasick people on board. Thankfully by the time we reached the island and got anchored in the bay, we were more sheltered. It was dad’s first time snorkeling and he was a little nervous. We donned our wetsuits (because of the weather) and caught the “beach buggy”, a small transport boat, to the shore. After some tricky maneuvering to get on his flippers, dad was ready to tackle the water. We had to make some adjustments for the added buoyancy caused by the wetsuit but after that we were off. Dad did absolutely fabulous especially considering that his first time was possibly in the worst snorkeling conditions. It was gray, cold, choppy and worst of all extremely low tide. That meant at times there was less than 30cm of water above some of the coral. However he was still thrilled at all the marine life he was able to see; especially the colourful giant clams. We even went back in a second time. Overall we were the first pair into the water and the last pair to come out. Not bad for a 76 year old guy!!!!!!
While dad and I were at the beach, mom and Sierra went on a semi-submersible boat to get a different look at the reef. They saw two large green sea turtles, clownfish, giant clams, parrot fish, numerous corals and so much more. Mom was very pleased with her underwater experience.
After our snorkeling adventure, we enjoyed a delicious hot and cold buffet on board the catamaran. I particularly like the fresh prawns. Yum. Then dad, Sierra and I took in the afternoon launch of the semi-submersible. Dad was surprised to discover how much clearer everything was when he was snorkeling versus through the thick glass of the boat. He felt very proud of himself once again. Later he bought some photos of the two of us snorkeling together as a memento. On the return voyage, we were treated to a lively musical performance by one of the crew. It was all a lot of fun regardless of the weather. It would only have been better if Sierra’s ear had shown some improvement.
Saturday, June 10, 2006: Cairns, Australia
The weather didn’t improve at all over night, in fact it got worse. I thought about Brian and Brennan out on the dive boat. It would have been a rough ride on top of the water. My other thoughts were directed towards Sierra and her ear. It was time to go to the doctor after a couple of days of antibiotics still hadn’t done anything. The ear was infected to a higher degree than I expected so it was a good thing we went when we did. She had been so stoic that I couldn’t tell how much pain she was feeling. We got a prescription for another topical ear drop and some other instructions for pain relief etc. By evening there was a slight improvement; so hopefully we started down the path to healing. Also on the positive side, I finally got to drive the car twice while Brian was away. I managed to stay on the correct side of the road at all times and not hit anything.
The rest of the day was filled with internet searching for hotels in Hawaii and New Zealand, journaling and preparing pictures for the website. So while most of the family had a lounging day here at Turtle Close, I was hard at work up in the computer area.
Sunday, June 11, 2006: Cairns, Australia
Omit the doctor’s visit and today was pretty much like yesterday. The best news was that Sierra was beginning to feel better. Her ear was still sore but not as tender as before. She felt like sitting up, playing board games and calling some of her friends on skype.
Brian and Brennan made it home with lots of stories to tell about their diving adventure. I’ll let Brian fill you in on this.
Brian on Diving the Great Barrier Reef:
After getting over the sticker shock of the cost of diving down in the Whitsunday Islands, I knew two things: 1) I was not going to pay $140 Aus per dive and 2) I was going to find a way to dive the reef safely and cheaply. The dive mission started the first day we arrived in Cairns with a detailed internet search seeking out the different options. Unfortunately the day dive costs here were pretty much the same. It was going to cost nearly $300 per day for Brennan and I to get in 2 dives apiece. It turned out that it was much cheaper however to do a “live aboard”. The best deal we found was with Pro Divers in Cairns. The offered a $500 Aus. Per person package for 3 days and two nights out on the reef. 11 dives. That brought the price down to less than $35 USD per dive and it included all your food! Yikes mate where do we sign up??
The next day we immediately headed downtown and booked Brennan and I into the tour departing Friday and returning Sunday. It was a terrific experience. The weather could have been better. The 2+ hour trip out and back saw quite a bit of rocking and rolling and the 32 passengers were all pretty much strapped into their bunks. The weather when we got there was pretty blustery with 25-30 km/hr winds with a fair bit of rain and cooler temperatures. We didn’t care however as the whole purpose of the trip was to get wet! Brennan and I did get a 2 bunk cabin to ourselves which was ok. The rest of the passengers were largely made up of 20 somethings completing their first open water course. Brennan was by far one of the most experienced divers on the boat and was several years their junior. The food was great considering the size of the kitchen, and was pretty much served cafeteria style.
The thing that impressed us the most about the dive boat was the safety measures they had taken up in the last several years. Anybody who has seen the movie Open Water should know that the two divers stranded out at sea occurred several years ago out of a Cairns dive shop. Now there are very rigorous sign in sign out procedures every time you hit the water and return onto the boat. They make you sign the sheet even before your flippers are off. Each diver was also given a signaling tube it they surfaced too far from the boat. Combine this with a random headcount and sign in several times a day and you are there.
The diving was terrific. The water was warm and the dive sites were everything you would expect out of Barrier Reef. We spotted a bit of everything ranging from sharks and turtles to lion fish, huge cod and cuttle fish. I particularly enjoyed the fact that we were diving on our own, without a guide. The conditions were such that the dive masters were pretty tied up with the students, and the experienced open water divers got some basic compass headings and instructions to surface and look for the boat if they got lost. Our navigating was pretty good, and we managed to find the boat 10/11 times. This is a good thing because in general the surface was a bit choppy and the less time you spent there the better! Underneath however the weather was great!
The thing that most impressed me however was not the sights or the dive conditions, it was Brennan! He has been turning into a really really strong diver, with excellence buoyancy control and a terrific sense of direction. He almost always knew where the boat was (intuitively) and often spotted animal life I missed. Guys started following us around on our dives because Brennan managed to spot so many interesting things that they would have missed. All in all it was a terrific experience. It wasn’t the Eclipse in Palau but it was the next best thing!
Monday, June 12, 2006: Cairns, Australia
This was our last day in Cairns and it was spent in a near panic trying to get all the last minute things done. The packs were reorganized and resorted for “traveling mode” and both Debbie and Brian spent hours on the computer getting the web site ready to post. We have had a wonderful time in Australia, and we even managed to pick up some “honorary turtles” along the way. We saw so much while we were here but once again it feels like we have only just touched the surface of this wonderful country. It is certainly up there as one of our very favorite destinations. (Brian would move here in a minute!) Our time with Mom and Dad Coleborn was everything we had hoped it would be! Its time to move on however and we are all looking forward to our next stop in New Zealand
Goodbye Australia. Like last time we know we will be back again.