Reefs and Rainforests

Saturday, October 26, 2013
Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia
 What a difference a day makes. In a little more than 3 hours we travelled from one of the driest, most barren places on earth to a lush tropical paradise. Even though our flight was delayed so that we didn't reach Cairns until after dark, you could feel the difference in the air.

By the time we arrived at our hotel in Port Douglas I was glad to take advantage of the golf cart transportation to my room, and barely had time to enjoy the room before collapsing in bed . The one feature that I couldn't miss though, was the giant spa tub.

The first day in Port Douglas was spent exploring the Great Barrier Reef. I was surprised at the hour and a half that it took to reach Agincourt Reef, even travelling on the large catamaran, but the time was filled with talks and slideshows about the fish and corals that we were likely to see on the outer reef, as well as presentations about the many optional adventures that we could book. Once we arrived at the large pontoon/platform, our boat was docked along side for the duration of our stay. Although I rented a lycra suit for protection from the jellyfish and too much sun, I wasn't sure that I would actually snorkel. However, after viewing the reef from the semi submersible, I knew that I wanted to see the fish and coral from the water.

After lunch I got into the black suit that covered from ankles to the top of my head, with sleeves that could be extended to cover my hands . Sorry, there are no photos because I threatened my companions with serious bodily harm if they pointed a camera in my direction. I spent the next hour happily floating over the reef with other members of the group, under the watchful eye of our trip leader who encouraged us to explore area away from the platform. I took a number of pictures with my underwater camera but am disappointed that the photos do not reflect the brilliant colors of the coral and the fish. All too soon, it was time to leave the reef and travel back to Port Douglas. The sun was shining, the water was calmer and it was a very pleasant trip back.

Day two of our stay in Port Douglas was an excursion to Daintree National Park, the world's oldest rainforest. Travelling north from Port Douglas, we had to take a small ferry across the Daintree River to reach area where we spent an hour walking in the rainforest with Prue and Neil Hewitt who live in the rainforest and conduct ecotours Spending time with 77 year old Prue who has created a second career sharing her knowledge of the forest and its plants and animals with interested tourists was inspirational . Because of Australia's separation and isolation, many of the things found here no longer exist anywhere else on earth. We kept looking for the elusive Cassowary, a unique bird that is responsible for the continued existence of many of the plants in the rainforest through dispersal of rainforest seeds. Although we saw many signs of the bird, we never actually spotted one. However, we did see the beautiful Ulysses Butterfly, the Boyd's Forest Dragon (a living dinosaur) and the lichen spider who is hard to distinguish from the lichens on the tree trunk. After tea and conversation with the Hewiits we left the rainforest for a cruise through the mangroves in search of the crocodile.

We boarded our small oat near the mouth of Cooper's Creek, in fact we could see the edge of the Coral Sea as we headed up-river. Both the air and water have been getting warmer which means that the crocodiles are harder to spot. Finally our alert guide showed us a large one sleeping on the bank . He was very hard to spot, and there was some discussion about him. But some closeup photos clearly show his crocodile grin (or at least his sharp teeth.) There were also opportunities to see small birds and butterflies, but alas, no Cassawaries.

Before leaving the National Park we had lunch at a local restaurant located on a small stream with a pretty swimming hole. Our leader and two of the most adventurous guests took an after-lunch swim. I was more than happy to enjoy the garden and watch them from the restaurant.

Our final day in Port Douglas was a free one. Instead of taking another optional tour, we all decided to do some local exploring. Mimi and I visited The Wildlife Habitat, where we finally got to see not one, but two Cassowaries. The design of the Habitat means that you are observing the birds and animals in their natural environments rather than in cages. We planned our visit to arrive early and were able to see the birds during the feedings and also were able tolearn more about them from our well informed guides. Although it would be better to see all of thse birds and animals in the wild, sometimes they just don't cooperate. Because of weather or timing it would have been sad to miss seeing many of the unique animals that we saw in the wildlife park.s.

My final afternoon in Port Douglas was spent swimming in the resort's pool and later drinking wine and visiting with other members of our group. It was a relaxing time before departing for Sydney and the final stop on my exploration of Australia.


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