The Great Barrier Reef is actually a series of over 2400 separate reefs that run along over 2500 kms of western Australia coastline between 60-80 kms offshore .    The outer ridge of the reef falls away to the endless depth of the Australian continental shelf.       

Our intention for the GBR was to do a day trip and then select a couple of islands to that pop up from the reef itself to stay for a few days, allowing us to walk into the water and reefs, snorkelling at leisure.     The business of transporting visitors from shore to the reef is enormous.     Seems almost impossible to be alone on the reef.

Only a few islands offer both accommodation and walk-out snorkelling.    Between cyclone damage from prior years, rates that exceed $1000/night and dubious facilities, we have stuck to the mainland of Australia for our reef experiences.

The big tourist and uni student season just ended the week before we arrived – and their Aussie high season will start in a couple weeks when southern Australians from Melbourne and the like will flee the cold to northern climes .     So in this shoulder season, the Port Douglas we explored was charming and peaceful.    

The beaches are stunning.  Fine sand, long and broad beaches, with few people.   Except it is stinger season, which all lifeguards we talked to say is pretty much year round.        The lethal varieties of “jellies” are taken very seriously here. Stings are painful at the least and fatal at the worst (a sting from the bell jellyfish can cause heart seizure within five minutes).    

A small block of water is cordoned off by floating long tubes of buoys and hanging nets to keep the offending creatures out.      Creates a zoo-like experience for the humans, all of us within the nets and all of nature outside, hopefully catching the irony of being able to look in.   
Lifeguards here are convinced that reports of people dying of heart attacks in places like Hawaii and other Polynesian islands are actually stinger stings.    Some locals even claim that salt water crocs drift over the nets with the higher waves .     No wonder we hear a little fella call out to his father who was cajoling him into the water, "what about the jellies, Da"?  

Our first exposure to the Reef was glorious.       An hour and a half boat ride delivers us to a permanent station on the outer reef, closest to the continental shelf.       Lycra stinger suits are donned, guaranteed to humble the most beautiful among us, snorkel gear passed out and heavy sales pitches are made for scuba diving, guided snorkel swims, and other means for getting under water.       We both snorkelled much of the day, I took the marine biologist’s guided snorkel, and John went under with the diving bell option.        The coral tends to be damaged close to the float thanks to the likes of us over the years, but the variety of coral and fish are a joyful thing to see.   Some good characters (fish, not human) hang around the float to avail themselves of feeding time.   

 Our trip had about 150 people…the boat handles up to 400 .    Can’t imagine the flipper-meets-face incidents that would happen with a full load.

Back on land, we drove north to explore the Daintree Rainforest National Park and Cape Tribulation.        The highlight was a privately run interpretative centre, which offered suspended bridges that wind up from ground level to the rainforest canopy about 80 feet in the air, with a self-guided headset tour to point out the amazing richness of nature in this area.      Daintree is one of the few rainforests that host some trees that have survived without change for over 1.5 million years – affectionately called green fossils.          The other local hero is the Cassowary Bird – a relative of the ostrich, this non-flyer is taller than I am, eats enormous amounts of forest fruit and acts at the best re-seeding agent through its impressive piles of droppings.        The population is fragile and are protected both with laws and the affection of locals.

The people population continues to fascinate too .    One of the quirkiest guys of our trip was the owner of a liquor and wine shop.      A combo believer in all things extraterrestrial, conspiracy and black ops affecting the world around us (including some creative theories of why Target tanked in Canada), we walked backward smiling and nodding until we could safely high tail back to our abode....where we could pop a bottle and relive the experience.    

Our week at Great Barrier Reef Stop 1 was a good one. Not done yet!