The Rainforest

The other exciting part about visiting Northern Queensland is visiting the Rainforest. At our local wildlife sanctuary, I caught site of this bizarre bird - the cassowary. It is a flightless bird that looks a bit like an emu that lives in the rainforest. It is vital to the eco system because it is the only thing that helps to spread 80 different plants and trees. The seeds from the plants pass thru this bird and the cassowary breaks down the seeds and fertilizes them at the same time. Without this bird, the whole rain forest will be altered forever. So, I really wanted to see this crazy bird in the wild. Sadly, this was not to be. But, I have heard tales of it attacking people, so it's probably just as well. This leaves another reason to go back up North. Must see one!

However, there was no shortage of other interesting wildlife. We took a tour from Cairns up to the Daintree National Park. We had a great guide who knew so much about the area and the plants and animals. He even licked the hind end of a green ant to demonstate the ants medicinal properties. Vitamin C! Elliott has had some green ant bites and wasn't keen to try that. In the Daintree area, they have classified much area to be another World Heritage Site. A lot of the area was cleared for logging and farming, but they have now realized the importance of the area. The Australian Government is trying to help buy back land and enlarge the area even more.

We took a walk thru Mossman Gorge and had a boat trip on the Daintree River. The boat ride really was the highlight for me. We saw several crocodiles in the wild - swimming and sunning themselves on the bank. There were tree snakes and even an amythestine python hanging on the branches of the trees. This was so cool because they really were just out there - not in a zoo. There were night herons which feed on croc eggs, 2 kinds of kingfishers and the ever present sulpher crested cockatiel.

We also took a trip to a crocodile farm. They now raise crocs for meat and also for their skins, and of course for the tourists. This was not as good as seeing them in the wild, but interesting to learn more about them. I have a new found respect for the croc for sure. The salt water crocs have not evolved in thousands of years, because they are already a superb killing machine. They are extremely well suited to their environment. They can slow their heart rate down to 5 beats a minute while resting and waiting for prey. They can hold their breath underwater for hours. They only have to eat once a year - yes, once a year - without losing any energy. Their brain is the size of a walnut, but they can stalk their prey. If you fill your bucket from the river at the same time every day, they will know it and be waiting for you. Luckily, they only get a human once every two years or so. I'm surprized it's not more - they are spectacular animals to see in action.

One last note on our trip for those who would like to visit North Queensland in a gentle fashion. We went out to Green Island one day. This is what I call "North Queensland Lite." It is an island a 45 minute boatride from Cairns. You can snorkel right off the beach with some little coral. There is a short little Glass Bottom Boat Tour and an underwater viewing area. A little boardwalk takes you through a rainforest area with lots of signs to read. And lastly, there is a crocodile/fish zoo where you can see all the animals in a very controlled experience. This was a fun day with very little stress. However, you get to see it all, but it's on a very small scale.

So that concludes my thoughts on that trip. We are hanging out here in Brisbane for the rest of this week. Then on Monday, we head to Melbourne. I really need to be able to publish links for you to see the parks and stuff. I'll try to make that a project.

The Great Barrier Reef

We just got back from our trip to North Queensland. We flew up to Cairns, pronounced "cans" on Wednesday with JetStar - Australia's version of Southwest. Let me just say here, everyone who is interested in coming to Australia must read Bill Bryson's "In a Sunburned Country." This is our Bible - he has done it all and tells about it in such a funny way. If you want to read about the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest, please read his book. Bill Bryson is just so much funnier than I am. I'll dedicate this first blog to the reef and come back and post on the rainforest in a day or two.

First of all, for any squeemish men, look away now. As all women know, it is a law of nature to get your period at the most inconvenient time. Because I usually get my period every time we go on vacation, I was very worried about it this time. Bill Bryson doesn't cover this. Here you are - you know two things 1) this is an opportunity of a lifetime to swim at the Great Barrier Reef and 2) sharks attack when they smell blood. I could just imagine the head lines "Tourist mauled by shark!" Is this the kind of question you can ask the skipper of the boat? Still, I don't know the answer to this question because I actually didn't have my period...but I still worry because surely next time we visit I will.

OK - it's safe reading for everyone. We chose to go out on the reef with a tour operator "Down Under Dive" that seemed to be a compromise sort of option. The boat left directly from Cairns and went out an hour and half, as opposed to taking a bus for an hour to Port Douglas and going out 2 hours from there. We would visit 2 spots on the reef. Our boat came with the option of a glass bottom boat tour, but not the platform at the reef. We thought that would be sufficient for our first trip out.

When we arrived at the terminal, we were warned of "Rough Seas." Wind was at 23 knots - whatever that means. I was told that over 20 was considered rough. The glass bottom boat would not run in rough weather. So this means all day on the boat. I start having flashbacks to a ferry crossing to France where I threw up for 6 hours. I beg Tim to reconsider, but he is determined we are all going.

Armed with Dramamine and Ginger Tablets, we start off. What is amazing about the Great Barrier Reef is the sheer magnitude of it all. It is made up of many many sections of reef, stretching 2000 km long and 80 km wide. We snorkelled at two spots on the reef, but really we saw only a minute portion of it. I will say this for our friends, Linda and Michael, Cat Cay in the Bahamas is still probably the best snorkeling we have ever seen so far. Where we were, we saw a lot of evidence of coral bleaching due to the higher temperatures of the ocean. Also, the starfish called The Crown of Thorns has damaged large sections of the Reef. This starfish can grow up to 21 legs and its stomach actually comes out of its body, attaches itself to the coral and sucks out the nutrients. We would definately like to go back to different areas of the reef to see what is around further out. We did see amazing tropical fish, turtles, anemones, and sea biscuits. Tim saw a reef shark, which thankfully, I missed.

We all got in the water - Sophie, Elliott and I all had wetsuits. I mentioned the warm temperature of the ocean, but it felt pretty cold to us! The first place we stopped was fairly choppy and the swells were about 1.5 metres. I have to give Sophie and Elliott a gold star for being so adventurous. The second place we stopped was a bit more sheltered in a reef lagoon of sorts, so there were fewer waves. They did end up running the glass bottom boat so we had a look around without being buffeted by the sea.

We then headed back to shore. Those who had the sea legs for it could sit inside, enjoy a glass of wine and some live musical entertainment. For the rest of us, it was another dose of dramamine and a white knuckle ride on the outside deck. All in all, it was a good trip. We are already planning our next visit and what we will do. There is so much to see up there in North Queensland - two World Heritage Sites in the Great Barrier Reef and the Rainforest. My next blog I will talk about the Rainforest, which I enjoyed even more than the reef. My apologies about the spelling in here. It is early in the morning and the last time I used spellcheck I lost the whole post.

Birthday Weekend

Saturday, we celebrated Elliott's 11th birthday. Elliott took 10 friends to Laser Force where they ran around and shot each other with laser guns and played arcade games. Great fun was had by all - Tim and another Dad enjoyed it as much as the kids I think. It was lucky to have chosen an indoor activity as it rained all afternoon. This was the first real rain we have seen in months, but it was not enough to stave off the next level of water restrictions that came in force this week.

Sunday was Tim's birthday. We had a quieter day then with a nice walk on Mount Coot-tha's Aboriginal Art Trial. Tim and I both turned 40 this year - quite the milestones! On one of our walks over the weekend, we saw Rainbow Lorikeets, Sulpher Crested Cockatiels, and even some Galah Birds. The Galah Birds look like a pigeon, but have a fantastic red chest.

Monday, everyone had the day off in order to celebrate the Queen of England's Birthday. In Australia, this provides another opportunity to skive off work and makes for a nice long weekend. It is funny how the Queen of England's birthday is a day off here, but not in England. Any excuse for a party! Monday also happened to be Lee Deer's Birthday! Perhaps not so widely celebrated in Australia, but an important event nonetheless.

Tim's mom, Sophie, has arrived in town. We went into the city today and walked around. The Botanical Gardens was interesting to see, but it is looking rather sad without enough rain. The plants can only be watered by carting around recycled water from the storm drains. Many beds have been destroyed and plowed under as the plants have died. I already have gotten shin splints from trying to keep up with Sophie. I should have been in training for all the upcoming activity this month! Promise of more interesting blogs in the future as we start our travels around Australia. Next stop - Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.

The Heat is On! June 4, 2006

Winter has finally arrived in Brisbane. Last week, it got down to 3 degrees Celcius in the night. Luckily, we have the luxury of central heating in our house. Tim came down saying how cold he was..."We must turn on some heat!"...but he was still wearing a pair of shorts. The mornings and evenings are quite cool, but the days are still spectacular - clear skies and 20 degrees. Perfect tennis weather.

We have had several get-togethers here over the past two weeks. We must be the only people in Australia without a barbeque grill. The parties were advertised as Barbequeless BBQs. People seemed very happy to come even though we didn't cook out in the Australian tradition. Everyone crammed in the kitchen as usual, but I made people go and sit on our new sofa just to make Tim see it was money well spent. No one commented on our decor or lack of it. The only thing that caused much talk and amazement was the fact that we had bananas in our house.

When North Queensland was hit with a dreadful hurricane a few months back, 90% of the banana crop of Australia was destoyed. The supermarkets have of course taken full advantage of this and have jacked up the prices accordingly. Bananas are now $9.99 (Australian) a kilo. Our guests were impressed I would throw my money around in such a fashion! Really, to be honest, I can't remember what bananas cost before the hurricane. And to be even more honest, I don't even know what an Australian dollar is worth. And even worse is I don't know what a kilo is in terms of pounds. I may be the only person in Australia without a grill and who is still buying bananas.

Last weekend I took Elliott and a friend to the Science Centre in Southbank. They had a great time there. I'm sure they got more exercise there than they would have at a park. Elliott threw a ball to see how fast it flew - he did this so many times, he was sore for days afterward. There was an exhibit that measured how fast you could run that they did a million times. I loved the fact that the museum had several exhibits that required a sick bucket! One spinning chair made people dizzy and then some bizarre walkway resulted in severe vertigo. Strategic trash cans were dotted around in case of vomiting. Now that's a good museum!

Sorry no photos this post. I'll try and remember to take some pictures of something interesting this next week.