Days 198-215: July 12- July 29- Foreign Invasion

For 17 days, we hosted Matheson's friends Nicole Nyholt and Dillon McBain. These school friends of Mat's somehow convinced their parents that visiting their lonely friend in far off Australia was a good idea. Fortunately, their parents both travel a lot and were able to get plane tickets on Aeroplan points for the Toronto to Sydney journey.
After a few telephone conversations and a considerable number of emails between March and June, we were set to receive our guests.

The Photocast of these adventures is available here:

http://photocast.mac.com/rod.murray/iPhoto/teens-visit/index.rss


Day 198- Thursday, July 12th- Sydney Airport

We were on holidays enroute from Cairns to Melbourne via Sydney and during our stopover, had prearranged to meet Nicole in Sydney. She arrived first and began to call us after acquiring a Telstra phone card. When we switched on our mobile phones, she had already called us. Eventually, after a few phone calls and attempts at going to the other terminal, Nicole made her way to the Virgin Blue Domestic terminal and, needless to say, was relieved to catch up with us, as she and Dillon had been on separate flights from Toronto, and had only seen each other in Australian Customs during their long journey.
We hopped on the Virgin Blue flight to Melbourne hoping that we would catch up with Dillon, who had booked an earlier Qantas connecting flight and was already ahead of us.
Sure enough, we all ended up at the same baggage collection area and were ready to start our first Oz Adventure together. And it came right away. We now had 6 people's luggage and our 5 seater car was a few kilometres away at a long term parking facility. We put all the teens onto the City Shuttle bus to Melbourne's Southern Cross Train Station and told Matheson to deliver them home to Glen Waverley Station. Colleen and I counted the suitcases, loaded them onto the car park shuttle and collected our car.
After a few wrong turns on the Citylink freeway, we arrived home and dropped the luggage, drove back to the Glen and met the teens at the Glen Station.
We ate and all were tired and ready for bed by early evening, with the warning that we would rise early for our Ausssie road trip adventure.

Day 199- Friday, July 13- enroute to Port Dover, Ontario! (not really)

We held a moment of silence for the motorcycle riders heading to Port Dover for the Friday the 13th gathering, and packed ourselves up for our first road trip. We had booked a rental van and were on our way down the Great Ocean Road. First stop- Torquay.
Torquay, Victoria is the surfing capital of Australia, maybe even the world. It is here that all the major surf companies have their headquarters and have set up an outlet mall, just for surf stuff. The teens were in heaven, and apparently their wallets immediately became lighter.
We drove on towards Apollo Bay, our destination, passing Bell's Beach, Anglesea, Airey's Inlet, Fairhaven Beach, stopping in Lorne. Here, the visitors divided their time between the surf shops and the skateboard park. It would not take much to figure out who spent the most time at each location.
After a good hour or two in Lorne, a very trendy place with excellent french fries, we plodded on, down the twisting Great Ocean Road towards Apollo Bay, as twilight descended. We had been given the keys to Bruno D'Elia's Apollo Bay cottage and settled in there for dinner and another good rest.

Day 200- Saturday, July 14th- Apollo Bay

Apollo Bay was hosting a market along the foreshore and we all finished breakfast and headed down, on foot or in the vehicle. This was after remembering that automatic vehicles do not start when they are not in "park" and that no amount of boosting the battery with jumper cables will do anything to change that.
The market was fun and we bought some great cakes, as well as other souvenirs.
Moving onward down the Great Ocean Road, we headed into the Otways, a rugged area where the Road leaves the ocean and passes through hills, dales, rain forests and waterfalls. We stopped off at Mat's Rest Rain forest as well as the detour down the Cape Otway Lighthouse Road in search of koalas in the trees. We were amply rewarded and the visitors took lots of photos of the wildlife. We even saw kangaroos from a distance, which was ironic since the visitors had now seen 2 types of native wildlife on their second day in this country whereas we waited months.
The drive through the Otways is challenging with tight corners and steep hills. This was compounded by the rain showers that continued on and off throughout the day. The passengers slept on and off too, and late in the afternoon we stopped at a favourite roadhouse that we discovered last trip down the GOR in Princetown.
We spent the remainder of the afternoon at the Twelve Apostles, this time Colleen was able to enjoy the walks out to the vistas over the Southern Ocean where it crashes into the Australian south coastline, eroding sandstone stacks into pillars and bridges. Matheson was still not impressed. "You cannot see twelve, they are just rocks, and there are way too many tourists there."
There is only one way back to Apollo Bay from here, and the 100 km retracing of our route was going to be a challenge. Colleen kindly took over the wheel, and the rest of the passengers napped as we headed back from Port Campbell.

Day 201- Sunday, July 15th- Apollo Bay to home

We decided to wash our bedding at the laundromat so we could do it all in one load before locking up the cottage. The boys hit the skate park, Nicole went shopping, and I went off to church at the tiny wooden Anglican Church at the far end of town, overlooking the beach.
We headed home, eastbound on the GOR, stopping again at the same spots such as Lorne and Bell's Beach and Torquay. Tired from our first Teenager Road Trip, we all wanted to head to bed early, especially the adults, who had to go back to work on the Monday morning. The teenagers had to first see Harry Potter at the theatre before they crashed, however.


Day 203- Tuesday, July 17th- Dandendong National Park- Feeding the Rosellas

Day 204-206- Wednesday, July 18th to Friday, July 20th- The Grampians

Colleen decided to bravely take the 3 amigos (Matheson, Dillon, and Nicole) to the Grampian Mountains to climb the Pinnacle and have a very good opportunities to view wildlife. They enjoyed a wonderful 3 days with wonderful winter weather (+10 C and mix of sun and cloud). The kangaroos were everywhere, the scenery amazing, the accommodations perfect and the and the company, well, as I said, the 3 amigos were perfect too (that's what Colleen said anyways).
They climbed the Pinnacle Trail and ate their lunch at the top, just like we had done as a family. Nicole admitted that this was the first hike that she had ever been on! The kangaroos were everywhere, even on the front steps of the cabin they rented.

Day 207- Saturday, July 21st- Victoria Market

Day 209- Monday, July 23rd- Olde Melbourne Gaol Night Tour

Day 211- Wednesday, July 25th- Healesville Sanctuary

Day 212-213- Thursday, July 26th to Friday, July 27th- Phillip Island Penguin Parade and Surfing

Colleen again packed up the car (what a trooper, eh?!) and took Nicole and Dillon, along with Kevin, to the Penguin Parade on Philip Island. They arrived on the island in time for the dusk arrival of hundreds of Little Penguins that exit the water and head to their nesting territories. At the height of the breeding season (December), the numbers can be as high as a few thousand. It was a slower night and our group of intrepid bird watchers, who paid extra to stand closer at the "Penguin Plus" location, saw a few hundred walk by.
The following morning, after, a good night's sleep at a local caravan park cabin, the group headed for Smith's Beach and their prearranged surfing lessons. Now you might not think it prudent to surf in the Southern Ocean in the middle of winter, but surfers here do not let the cold water of winter scare them off. Donning wet suits and booties, in they went for a 2 hour lesson with Matt, the store owner and instructor. All 3 teen aged surfers managed to get up on their boards and got a sense of how much fun surfing can be. Too bad Dillon and Nicole couldn't stop over in Waikiki to try warm water surfing on their way home!

Day 214- Saturday, July 28th- Home and Away

Day 215- Sunday, July 29th- Airport Amazing Race

Rising at 3:30 a.m., we packed the car with Nicole's and Dillon's suitcases and headed to the domestic terminal at Tullamarine Airport. Here, they would take their Qantas flight to Sydney, and transfer to Air Canada for the trans-Pacific journey home. Unfortunately, due to Air Canada's high level of customer care, they had to spend 6 hours in Honolulu airport awaiting for a replacement pilot for the one that called in sick. Nicole arrived home some 36 hours after departing, a marathon in travel terms.

Cairns "Photocast"

This is a test of our latest way to share our photos. A "photocast" is a set of photos that we can upload and that friends can view.
If you wish to see them, you will need an updated web browser, such as Mac OSX "Safari," Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 etc.
The Photocast can be seen at this link:

http://photocast.mac.com/rod.murray/iPhoto/cairns/index.rss

Days 197-198- Cairns and surrounds

Day 197- Tuesday, July 10th- Exploring Cairns

We drove downtown and parked near the skateboard park (where else?). From here, we strolled the shops near the pier and swimming lagoon. There are lots of great souvenir shops here, with didgeridoos and opals, and lots of tacky souvenir shops with fake didgeridoos and cheap t-shirts.
Mat and I headed out to the pier to see the boats. A week ago, while in Palm Cove, a truck rolled up with a sign on it featuring a sailing vessel that read “Duyfken 2006.” I was curious as to what the significance was but had forgotten to look it up.
Here was a replica of Dutch ship that sailed around the north east coast of Australia in 1606 was the first to map it. This ship was re-enacting the voyage and had now pulled into Cairns harbour. Unfortunately, it was closed to tours that day. However, they were looking for crew members. Interested? I could not covince Mat to join in. Visit www.duyfken.com





Day 198- Wednesday, July 11th- Kuranda, Atherton Tablelands, Curtain Fig Tree

An early start put us up the twisting highway to Kuranda, up in the Atherton Tablelands, many 100s of metres above Cairns by 9 am. Normally, thousands of tourists arrive by train or by cable car. We had our Subaru Forrester hired so we took that. The town was a souvenir Mecca. Again, they ranged from tacky to authentic. The sleepy town was interesting, until the first train arrived and the tourists descended on the shops. We made our first large souvenir purchase, a didgeridoo. It is large, termite bored, with excellent aboriginal art painted, and a rich sound. Kevin and Mat quickly took to it and can make a variety of sounds. I am still trying to flap my lips into it.
We stopped in Atherton at a local coffee plantation. They also had local chocolate. We bought some of both.
The area above Cairns is quite different. Termite mounds and large fruit farms are in the forefront of large hills and valleys.
We also stopped at the Curtain Fig, a huge tree of amzing girth and size that pictures cannot do justice. Heading back towards Cairns on the Gillies Highway was a winding, motion sickness kind of descent back to sea level.
We stopped off at home, gathered our leftover food, and headed a few blocks away to the home of the Hylands, on exchange from London, Ontario. Their teenagers and ours shared stories and the adults did likewise. We really appreciated their hospitality and felt quite at home with them. Coincidentally, their exchange partner is an acquaintance of a colleague of mine back at my school in Canada.
It was home early as we had our 6 am flight back home via Sydney the next morning where we would rendezvous with Mat’s friends Nicole and Dillon who were on their way to visit us.

Days 194- 196- The Daintree to Cairns

Day 194- Saturday, July 7th – World Heritage Daintree Rainforest

This area is so rich in things to see and wildlife and birds. From the cassowaries, to the brush turkeys to the small fowl roaming the Beach House property where we were staying, encounters with birds and animals continue to amaze us. We ventured south along the beach this morning to Kulki (Cape Tribulation Beach) via the mangroves, keeping a sharp watch out for crocs.
The Kulki picnic grounds are signed with numerous warnings about crocs, cassowaries as well as Lace Monitors, which are large (up to 3 metre) lizards. We felt that given a few minutes of searching, we would probably find one. It was, actually, a few seconds before Kevin spotted one a few metres from where we were standing. We photographed this one, with a length of 1.5 metres, as he moved into sunny spots to gather heat. Apparently this one has been know to steal food from picnic tables, just like raccoons back home.
The boys headed off to a “Jungle Surfing” tour where, connected to zip lines 24 metres above the ground, they move through the rainforest canopy. The boys told of great tour guides who taught them about the rainforest, its ecology and unique nature. These wet tropics have been identified as having the most biodiversity anywhere and are also the oldest living things on the earth. The species here are remnants of the continent Gondwana before it broke up into Australia and Antarctica many millions of years ago.
Colleen and I explored the local galleries and cafés and stopped at the Dragonfly for a latté and sticky date pudding, a staple around these parts. It was a short drive back to the Beach House.
The boys arrived back and Colleen and I immediately set out with “Stewie,” the kayak guide. We headed a few 100 metres down the road to his secret location where we would launch from Cape Tribulation Beach for a sunset kayak tour. These sit-on-top boats were different to paddle than our kayaks at home (these ones are absolutely guaranteed to get you wet) but we headed out into the calm waters and the dwindling light. The waters off the Cape were, however, quite rough, and the swell was significant, but this did not stop us from seeing the hundreds of crabs running along the rock, or the sea turtle along the fringing reef, and the boats moored near the Cape. The group was quite an international one, and we photographed a couple from Melbourne and 3 young women from the USA (who are on study exchanges) since we had our waterproof digital camera. We returned in near darkness, helped Stewie put all his boats and equipment away, and then chose to walk the trail back to the beach using our headlamps instead of the van ride back. Along the trail we had to tip-toe around the large toads that crossed our path.
After hot showers to warm up (even the tropics have cool nights in the middle of winter), we walked back to the Bistro and ordered dinner. The boys played a round of pool and we topped off the great food with lattés, and liqueurs. Matheson and I phoned home as we studied the night marsupials that roam the Beach House grounds near the telephone booth.

Ahhhh….we slept well.


Day 195- Sunday, July 8th- The Bloomfield Track, Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Settlement and Bloomfield Falls

We had to be ready to go on our tour by 7:30 a.m. so an early rise was in order. An inquisitive cassowary twice interrupted our breakfast at the outdoor kitchen. Our 4WD Toyota Landcruiser from Mason’s Tours arrived, driven by Tony, a retired senior Australian Government employee. He seemed to know the answer to every question about the history and science of the area, as well as how to handle the Bloomfield Track and its numerous river crossings and the steep (up to 33%!) gradients. We were joined by 2 families who had set up a vacation rendezvous in Australia. The 4 parents, who had been neighbours in New Jersey, were from NZ and Puerto Rico, Montreal and New York, respectively. In addition, a young woman who acted as a health policy advisor to a Labour MP from Sydney was on the trip. This profile, along with Toni and Marina, our local guides and their thorough knowledge of the area, made our travel conversations very interesting.
Our stops included river crossings, vistas and beaches on the way north. Probably the most beautiful was Cowie Beach at low tide, which had remnant mangrove and wonderful patterns in the sand left by the receding tides.
Crossing Melissa Creek in the dry season, we were told, is nothing compared to the art of “navigating” it in the wet, when the water is up to the windscreen and the snorkel on the air intake and the low range 1st gear are the only things keeping the turbo-diesel going.
We entered the Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Territory and were met by the Walker family women who toured us through their land. We walked the track to Bloomfield Falls while Gloria explained the many traditional medicines used by their people. Keeping a continual eye open for crocs, we fed the fresh water perch that seemed to know that Gloria was touring another group. Gloria gave us permission to take photographs, and we learned quickly that she had a wonderful sense of humour and a rich knowledge of her people, their land and us, the tourists.
We began the ride back with a stop on the lookout over the Bloomfield River where crocs are normally seen. Apparently the crocs only show up on weekdays when the construction workers rebuilding the road on the other side (washed out last rainy season when over 8 metres of rain fell!) make their appearance. Weekends are usually a no show as was today.
We arrived back at the river crossing for morning tea and a swim. The sun was bright and the air was slightly cool, but nothing compared to the water in the swimming hole. Most of us changed into “bathers” and I was the first one in, much to my shock. It was a relief to know that there was a hospital back in Wujal Wujal, if I required a restart.
The locally grown tea and Mrs. Mason’s (the tour company owner) homemade coconut chocolate chip biscuits warmed us quickly after the swim. It is hard to imagine that there is water in a tropical creek that could be as cold as 13°C, cold enough for trout. Because we were up in the mountains, there were no crocs in this pool. It was a wonderful stopover.
Continuing on down the track, we arrived back at the Beach House to discover another cassowary in the parking lot. Most of us needed an afternoon nap, the boys in their beds, Colleen on the beach, me in a chair watching the Australian Geographic DVD about the Rainforest that the Aboriginal Women had given us.
Later, we prepared a quick pasta dinner (and moved inside again while another large cassowary intruded) and then waited for the Jungle Surfing van to pick us up for our night walk.
The night walk was a rugged 2-hour tour near the mountains focusing on creatures of the night. We enjoyed ourselves but the guide admitted that this was the least active night he had ever seen, due to the dryness of the forest, and the unseasonably cool temperatures. Most of our encounters were with plants and insects, which you should remember, if you are a student of ecology, are the bottom layers of the food pyramid. It’s just that the pyramid here has such a large base and that the larger creatures are few and far between. The sounds of the rainforest at night are amazing, and could easily frighten. We were back in our beds and asleep in no time.


Day 196- Monday, July 9th- “You’re not back in Toorak…”

Another early morning, as we had to check out and make the trek south to Cooper Creek for a boat tour and some croc spotting. The tour guide was knowledgeable about the local environment, particularly the estuarine environment. The crocs were sunning on the wide bends in the creek, and we were able to get uncomfortably close.
We lunched at Café by the Sea, another Lonely Planet recommendation, where the legendary grilled Barramundi Burgers are topped with carrot and beet shavings, special sauce and more than meet the description in the guidebooks. While sitting in the cool breeze next to the beach, one of the tour guides we had seen earlier at the Creek had his 4WD Landcruiser blocked by a rental red mini-Hyundai. Hoping not to have to crunch it to get out, he surveyed the customers at the café. Once he found the culprits, his “You’re not back in Toorak, ya’ know, mate,” put them in their place. Toorak, for the Melbourne challenged, is a swanky part of the city near downtown.
We continued on towards Cairns, making stops at the Daintree Ice Cream Company’s orchard, to try Apple-Rhubarb, Yellow Sapoté, (and two other flavours we cannot remember) and the Daintree crossing to buy local bananas.
We found the Sunland Caravan Park in Cairns after a few circles of the block and discovered our little cabin in the trailer park to be very clean and comfortable.
If you have not yet had it explained to you, caravan parks in Australia have very nice cabins on site that have every amenity, including a kitchen, BBQ, pool, store and internet café, at a price much lower than any hotel room or condo. They are usually more comfortable too, with table, chairs, couch, ensuite, and TV.
It was however, one of the coldest nights ever recorded in a tropical winter in Cairns, and the comfortable beds were somewhat useless against the +5 °C night air. We vowed to ask for more blankets for Tuesday night.

Days 191-193- Great Barrier Reef to Daintree Rainforest

Day 191- Wednesday, July 4th- 16˚ South Latitude, aboard Haba Tour’s high speed catamaran “Eclipse”

Destination: Great Barrier Reef

We arose very early so that we would arrive at the Marina in Port Douglas, in far north tropical Queensland, by 8 am, in time for check in at the Great Barrier Reef tour company’s base in the beautiful harbour town of Port Douglas. The outfit we chose was suggested by our Elysium Apartment hosts (who, coincidentally, had been on a teacher exchange to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan) because of the personal attention and smaller boat size. It turned out to be the best decision.
We booked just the snorkeling tour, which includes the one hour high speed cat ride out to the Reef, a marine biologist talk about reef ecosystems, morning and afternoon tea, as well as a full buffet lunch.
We had not considered the option of an introductory scuba dive, but the welcoming atmosphere of the crew, and the open invitation to attend the dive briefing, where we could listen and consider the opportunity was very intriguing. The boys were pumped, and the more we thought about it, the more we realised that this once in lifetime opportunity would probably not come again and we should go for it.
Harold, the Dutch born marine biologist who gave the briefing was particularly clear and straightforward with his instructions and we were hooked. We arrived at the reef and were immediately called to the stern dive platform, where we receieved our scuba gear, jumped into wetsuits, and queued up for the dive. Christian, our dive master, went through the procedures and signals with us again, and Mat was first in the water, followed by Kevin, myself, and then Colleen. For the boys, it was a first time under, and once I was in, I had a flashback to the time I went into Lake Clearwater, at Pioneer Camp with scuba gear back in the 1970’s. There is an overwhelming feeling of anxiety as you go under and begin to breathe in the most unnatural of ways, in the most unnatural of places. Christian ran us through the basic procedures of clearing our regulators and evacuating water filled masks under the water. We also practised the simple communications signals of “I’m OK, go up, go down, ear pressure problem, mask problem, etc.” Holding on to the boat’s mooring line, I slowly began a relaxed breathing rhythm, which allowed me to be more calm, and begin concentrating on the overwhelming visual stimuli that the Reef presents to you. We slowly descended, a few centimeters at a time, each time balancing our ear pressure by holding our noses and lightly blowing. I did not know it, but Mat had difficulty balancing the air pressure in one ear and had to ascend once or twice while Kevin and I waited on the line. Christian finally signalled that we were set to go, and we followed him off the descent line toward the Agincourt reef.
The Reef is teeming with life and we did not realise that we were now 10 metres down, winding our way through channels and coral and azure blue colour, surrounded by a rich variety of fish and coral.
We drifted together, up and down, in a huge counter clockwise circle. We looked up and saw that Colleen was floating above us on the water’s surface, and that the photographer was now in front of us. Our “photo shoot” was as new an experience as everything else. Consider that you must follow the photographer’s instructions, given only in hand signals, and once ready for the shot, you must not smile, or risk losing your regulator.
This different world is so foreign to non-divers. You are constantly trying to keep breathing and at the same time soak in the visual sights around you. It seemed like hours, but was really only minutes.
Finally, we arrived back at the mooring line and began our slow ascent, but not before a giant sea cod, almost as big as Kevin, circled us within just centimetres, sometimes touching us as it passed. Thinking that Christian had food, it charged towards us each time, allowing us to pat it as passed.
Once on board, we sat on the dive platform, the adrenaline still rushing through our veins, as we began to talk for the first time in a half hour, the conversation of course, focused on our new experiences. What a rush!
We quickly jettisoned our scuba gear, after shaking hands with Christian in congratulations, and hopped back in the water to snorkel over the same areas where we had just been. The Reef is quite different from above than from below, each point of view having advantages over the other, and providing varied perspectives on the biodiversity.
The day was not over, as we had only reached midday. After toweling off, a full buffet lunch was served on board in the galley, and Tonya, another marine biologist on board (and with an equally humourous style of presentation) gave us a great talk on Reef life, accompanied with photos. Meanwhile, Christian II, the photographer, began posting his photo proofs on the rear deck, and we could see that we would have to splurge for his CD of the photos he took. They were awesome!
Meanwhile, back inside, Christian (the Dive Master), was gathering recruits for a second intro dive, and Kevin eagerly joined the group as we motored south at 25 knots towards Opal Reef. This was an even better site, and Kevin was quickly back in the water and descending the mooring as we donned our snorkel gear and followed above. We missed the White Tipped Reef Shark that cruised by the stern just moments before we entered the water.
We spent the next hour or so with Harold and Tonya, as each provided in-depth information about the various fish and corals that inhabited this particular reef.
We tired quickly and soon, we were back on board, having warm tea (despite the sunshine, and temperatures of the sea and air in the mid twenties C ˚. Keeping our eyes open for Minke whales on our return to Port, most passengers, especially Mat and Kevin, napped while we motored. Others ordered their photo CD’s.
We reflected on our day as we drove towards Palm Cove, realizing that this was one of those days that you never forget for your whole life, and that rich experiences of the living world’s treasures have a long shelf life and change the way you think.
The day was still not over, and we jumped back in the car and drove across town to the condo where fellow exchange teacher Marlene Norsworthy and husband Kim from Edmonton (and brother-in-law Ken and wife Del) were staying. Not wanting the day to end, we stayed late into the evening and enjoyed a fine meal and a lot of laughs.
What a day!!!




Day 192- Thursday, July 5th- North along the Cook Highway towards the Daintree National Park and World Heritage Rainforest

We passed numerous sugar cane operations on our way north towards the Daintree, and, after our last two days, the notion that we really were in a different part of the world, on the Coral Sea, in the rainforest, near the Great Barrier Reef, really settled into our psyche.
Arriving at the Daintree River cable ferry crossing, where crocodile warning signs were posted everywhere, we quickly entered into the depths of the Daintree rainforest heading towards Cape Tribulation. Captain Cook ran aground here in 1770 and named the place, along with other local landmarks, Mount Sorrow and Misery Point. Apparently he was not happy that HMS Endeavour ran aground. The Bloomfield Track, now paved as far as Cape Tribulation, was a controversial project built against the protests of conservationists who felt that this unique area should be left untouched. The environmentalists lost and the road was pushed through, although, in the end, the area did receive its World heritage status a few years later. And it is clear why. The towering trees, beaches and fringing coral along the coast (the only place on earth where coral lines the shore) are impressive.
After 40 kilomteres or so, the pavement ended and we drove past creek crossings and Cassowary crossing signs (a large rare flightless bird that can kill humans with their horned head protection). The entrance to the Cape Tribulation Beach House appeared and we drove down the driveway, checked in, rolled our gear down the walkway, past a cassowary, which was casually foraging beside the first building. Our cottage was a small duplex surrounded by rainforest, with a double and 2 single beds, halfway down the path to the beach, pool and bistro. What an idyllic place!
The camp kitchen, however, was a little unkempt and very busy with lots of young European backpackers. We poached our fish and boiled our rice in 2 small pots, and ate outside, despite the fact that the temperature had fallen below 20 ˚C. After cleaning up, we walked to the seaside Bistro and had tea and desserts, and then savored the southern sky that was so transparent, the Milky Way seemed so close it could be touched. With dreams of stars, and oceans, and diving and coral, we drifted off to sleep.


Day 193- Friday, July 6th - Djubi Rainforest Walk

We awoke to the sounds of the rainforest. Colleen and I took a walk along the beach and watched the sunrise over the Coral Sea, and then did lattés at the bistro. Eventually, we had our breakfast with the boys.
Our goal today was to head to the Djubi Rainforest Walk, where we experienced the rainforest/mangrove/beach environments, and then picnicked. While stopping by the reception office, we decided to book ourselves into a series of tours, so that we would see beyond the immediate area. Saturday’s activities would include a rainforest canopy walk and sunset paddle at Cape Tribulation. Sunday, we will take a 4WD tour up the Cape Tribulation Road and on our return to Cairns, stop at Cooper’s Creek (this side of the Daintree River) to experience the estuary, and perhaps a crocodile or two.
We returned to the beach for a walk, coconut gathering and a swimming race at the pool. Gathering our evening meal, we drove back to Djubi where outdoor BBQ’s are located. Cooking and eating dinner was a race, as the tropical night comes early, and twilight lasts only a few minutes at these latitudes.
The boys played pool under the Bistro’s canopy while I sipped a latté and Colleen enjoyed Cointreau while editing photos. Again, the tropical night was “stellar” and the Milky Way so rich and bright, it is almost unbelievable. We keep reminding ourselves to imprint every moment of this trip into our collective memory, so that even the minutest details are never lost.

Day 189- Monday, July 2, 2007- Melbourne to Cairns

Day 189- Monday, July 2, 2007- Winter Holidays- en-route from Melbourne to Brisbane on Virgin Blue Airlines’ Boeing 737


We cannot quite believe that we are on another Australian adventure already, this time by air to the northern tropics. It seems like yesterday that we drove our little Mazda onto the ferry at Port Melbourne and headed south across the Bass Strait to Tasmania. This time we are headed north, a long way north, past the Tropic of Capricorn. This is our first trip within Australia via air, and we are testing the claims of British aviation guru Richard Branson by flying on his Virgin Blue Australian airline (so far so good, Richard).
This is a high tech airline, from the Internet booking of relatively inexpensive flights, to automated check in machines. All you have to do is scan your emailed receipt, or your Virgin Blue Velocity point card and then your boarding passes, along with those of your travel companions, (in this case, T Colleen, R Matheson, and Kevin R), will be automatically printed. Then just hand in your baggage at the counter and you are on your way. We don’t fly that often and when we do, it is almost always an “international flight” with tight security. Domestic flights in this country are easy to board, with limited security and limited hassles. What a breeze. Take note Air Canada.
The plane was a renovated Boeing 737-800, with leather seats and TV screens on the seat backs. You can watch CNN live (or even Fox News Channel if all you need is a Paris update) or even the BBC if you need real world news while you cruise along at 1100 kilometres per hour at an altitude of 11500 metres.
This is a big country, about the same size as the continental United States. We were on a 2 1/2 hour flight to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. Then we change planes for another 2 1/2 hour flight to Cairns (pronounced “Cans” for those with little background in Australian pronunciation) in far north tropical Queensland. This would be at least as far as Toronto to Victoria, BC.
When we arrive in Cairns (remember, it’s “Cans”) we will rent a 4WD and head north to Palm Cove, which, I have been told, is the hangout of Australia’s rich and famous. From here we shall visit the Great Barrier Reef and stroll the beach with the rich and famous. Then, we move on northward again to the Daintree National Park, a world heritage listed rainforest and stay at Cape Tribulation, which history buffs will know is where Captain Cook ran aground in the 1700’s. We stay at the Cape Tribulation Beach House, described by the Lonely Planet Guide as “simply divine.” It is a cross between a backpacker hostel and a 4 star resort, right where the rainforest meets the Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef. Here we will sea kayak, visit the Reef again, take a 4WD adventure tour up through the Daintree, do a tree top canopy tour of the rainforest, board a crocodile cruise on the Daintree River, walk the rainforest tracks and watch the sun rise over the Coral Sea. Can you believe we are doing all this? Neither can we.
Our trip is only 10 days, as we will return a few days before the 2 week school holiday ends and meet Matheson’s friends Dillon and Nicole during our stopover in Sydney.
Coincidentally, before we left Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport, we met fellow exchange teacher Leon Baker, from the UK and wife Sarah, at the airport. They were off to Adelaide for a tour of the famous Barossa Wine region of South Australia.

Virgin Blue has saucy signs everywhere:

• Take all take emotional baggage you want, just make sure yours fits in this space.
• Time Poor? Get Rich quick with self check in.
• On the bathrooms: “Virgin Loo”


Later the same day…
Our stopover in Brisbane was uneventful, except for the fact that the boys had their skateboards confiscated. The desk clerk at the Virgin Blue check-in noticed the skateboards, and was certain that they were not allowed on board. Apparently this escaped the eagle eyed security staff at Tullamarine International, Honolulu International, and Pearson International, as well as the employees of United, Aloha, Qantas and Virgin-Blue as this is how they have carried the skateboards since we left Canada.
At least the Brisbane Airport is set up so that you only have to walk a few metres to make your connecting flight.
Our flight departed Brisbane 2 minutes early and arrived in Cairns almost a half hour early and we quickly gathered our baggage, including the contraband skateboards, picked up our new white rental Subaru Forrester, and headed north, in the dark, up the Captain Cook Highway to Palm Cove, where, with a little searching, we found our beautiful condo, walked to the ocean front, and found a Greek Restaurant that prepared Massoukas and Lamb Chops for us to take out, as most other restauarants had already closed.
It my have been the price, or the fact that we were exceptionally hungry, or the fact that we ate out on our spacious 3rd floor patio deck in short sleeves, but it was the best take out we have ever eaten.

Day 187- Saturday, June 30- Canada Day Celebrations!

So what that it was a day early! The Canada Club of Victoria (http://www.canadaclub-vic.org.au/index.html) hosted their celebrations at a pub in Melbourne today, and since we were in the city to buy a guitar for Kevin's Grade 8 Graduation, we carried on to the festivities.
We met many Canadian individuals and families who have made Melbourne home. Fine people, great afternoon and wonderful Oh Canada cake!