Great Barrier Reef

We are just back from three days out on the beautiful Great Barrier Reef.  We got a really good deal on a liveaboard boat that went from Cairns out to the outer reef, approx 70 km offshore.  All up we did nine dives over the three days at three different reefs.  Our favourite reef and the one that we did the most diving at was called Milln Reef.  The dives were generally around large bommies, which bottomed out around 25 m and then rose almost to the surface.  On many dives, the fish would congregate around the top of the bommies, which made our safety stops (3 mins at 5 m before going up) very entertaining.  We were also lucky enough to see whales from the boat. 

Trying to describe the dives and the creatures we saw would not really do the GBR justice, so I have loaded a selection of my underwater photos on to flikr.  A few quick highlights included seeing a friendly Hump-headed Maori Wrasse, a Bulbo metapon (hump headed parrot fish) and his feeding scars, a massive giant clam and some sleeping White Tip Reef Sharks. 

Tomorrow we begin our push for The Tip.  The first stop is the Daintree and then the wilds of Cape York.  Consequently, blog updates may be few and far between for the next three weeks.

Click here for GBR diving photos

Tville to Cairns

We have spent the last week migrating further north from Townsville to Cairns.  Our time in Townsville was very enjoyable, catching up with old friends and visiting some of my favourite places.  For those that have spent time in T’ville, you will be pleased to know that the JCU crowd are wonderful (as always), the beer at The Brewery is still cold and refreshing, and the coffee at Coffee Dominion is still of the best quality. 

After tearing ourselves away from social activities we headed north, stopping at Paluma, Wallaman Falls and Mission Beach on the way to Cairns.  Unfortunately, with the wet season not very far off, we had to pick the top couple of stops along the T’ville – Cairns route and have decided to come back to the others at another point in the future.  This said, we did catch up with our old family friend Steve at Mission Beach and very nearly didn’t leave this idyllic spot.

At all of the above locations, we were shocked by the damage that Cyclone Yasi has inflicted.  Many of the walking tracks in the national parks are still closed due to tree falls and landslips, and there is evidence everywhere of large trees that were blown over and hillsides that were obviously totally denuded of vegetation and that are only now starting to regain some foliage.  I tried to capture some of this in the photos (on flikr), but really, you need to see it to believe it. 

The bird list is growing at a phenomenal rate – some days up to five or six new species.  Some of the best spots of late have been Alligator Creek (south of Townsville) and the Townsville Town Common – literally hundreds of Brolgas and thousands of Magpie Geese at this wetland.  Despite the Ivy Tea Cottage closing down, we still managed to hunt down a Victoria’s Riflebird at Paluma (in the wild rather than sharing Devonshire Tea, no less).  So far, no success on the Cassowary front, but we are keeping our eyes pealed and Troopy is taking care along the roads.

We are now in Cairns and heading out on a dive boat first thing tomorrow – 10 dives on the outer reef, with the promise of 23 degree water and 20 m visibility.  Fingers crossed the reefs are in good condition and that the fishies are feeling friendly!  We’re also expecting some humpback whale spotting and Luke is hoping for sea birds. 

There are a few of photos from the last days on flikr, and I’ll post some underwater shots later in the week, when we’re back on dry land.  Also check out the big thing page for the latest – The Big Gumboot (Tully) and The Big Cassowary (Mission Beach).  The shot below is from Troopy’s sticker board – she’s been collecting stickers from big things and world heritage areas, and as you can see, she’s been getting around!!

Click here for photos on flikr

Bundy to T'ville

We have survived our travels through Qld’s Capricorn Coast and are now back in, what is for me, familiar territory.  Most of the last week has been somewhat hampered by bad flu for both of us, meaning that our adventures have been restricted to car-based activities and very short walks.

After leaving the Qld rum capital (Bundy), we headed for the Town of 1770.  We camped for two days in the nearby Eurimbula NP – a beautiful, secluded spot next to Bustard Beach.  The photo below shows you our taking in of the sunset one night – life is tough!! 

We then headed north to Qld’s beef capital, Rockhampton (and got a bad photo of the Big Bull on the way into town – see big things page).  Being in the beef capital, we felt obligated to have a steak (well I had a steak and Luke a chicken schnitzel), so spent a pleasant evening at the surprisingly atmospheric Criterion Hotel.

After Rocky, it was the long haul up the highway to Mackay (not really a capital of anywhere) and then up into the hinterland to Eungella NP.  Here we went in search of platypus and the Eungella Honeyeater.  Unfortunately, we didn’t find either, but had a couple of short walks through lovely rainforest and a fun 4WDing adventure in the adjacent state forest – see photo of Troopy’s first real creek crossing on flikr.  From Eungella, we headed to Townsville (capital of north Qld), with a night stopover in Proserpine and the obligatory photo at the Big Mango in Bowen.

We spent the first night in T’ville at good old Alligator Creek – for those that don’t know, this is the local swimming hole for Townsvillians to escape the summer heat.  It was the most peaceful and enjoyable time I have spent there – lots to be said for mid-week trips in winter!  Our night at Alligator Creek night also happened to be census night and I was worried we weren’t going to be counted (Luke was less perturbed).  But, luckily, the authorities were on to things and the ranger came around with census forms and so we, and Troopy, got counted!  Now we are off to catch up with old friends at my old local, The Brewery – good times!!

We haven’t taken that many photos (feeling too poorly really), but some ok shots are on flikr.  Click here for photos on flikr

Back on the road with Troopy - Fraser Is

We finally managed to leave Bris-vegas, leaving Mum to regain her peace and quiet.  We headed straight to Rainbow Beach, the launching pad for Fraser Island.  We went via two big things – the Big Pineapple, perhaps Qld’s most famous big thing, and the Big Matilda, the winking kangaroo from the 1982 Commonwealth Games now residing at a petrol station outside Gympie!  Much to our horror, the Big Pineapple is has closed down and is now all but a derelict shell of its once grand self!!  Photos are on the Big Thing page!!

We arrived there later in the afternoon and decided to overnight on the mainland before heading over.  We found a nearby free campground called Poverty Point.  Based on the name, we weren’t expecting much, but were delighted to find a perfectly tranquil spot nestled into a calm bay with a lovely outlook for sunset (see photos).  It was the best first night to be back in Troops!

The next day we made the crossing to Fraser Is and Troopy was excited that she was in 4WD and not to come out for another four days.  After an uneventful ferry crossing we barrelled down the beach (with all the other bogans!) and then headed inland for some exploring.  We were intending to do a scenic drive via some of the lakes, but Troops had other ideas and missed the turn off.  When we ended up on the western side of the island without seeing any lakes, it was much to our surprise!  We’d intended to venture over there at some point, so we had some lunch and a twitch and then pressed on to the campsite at Central Station.  The campground was set in amongst the old logging area and was full of really tall Tallowwoods and Kauri Pines.

The next couple of days we spent touring around, checking out the beach, lakes, Eli Creek, the Pinnacles and the Maheno Wreck (see photos).  I braved a swim in Eli Creek, which was chilly but crystal clear and really lovely.  At a couple of points I had to manoeuvre over some sandbars and got beached az!  We spent one more night at Central Station and another at Dundubara, which was set back in the dunes amongst the paperbarks.

Troopy’s 4WD’ing was excellent, apart from a slight bogging when I was trying to drive up a hill and had to pull over into the soft edge to let another car passed.  It wasn’t my finest moment, but luckily Luke came to the rescue!

Our nature watching was also really great – our bird list for the island was over 50 species, including some new ones for the master list (highlights being Red Backed Fairy Wren, Scarlet Honeyeater and an Owlet Nightjar that we flushed one morning).  We also saw some whales breaching and carrying on a few hundred metres offshore.  We had a couple of goanna experiences – one in the campground and one when Troopy nearly squished one.  We only spotted one dingo, which was wearing a radio collar.  Apparently it’s pupping season at the moment, so we suspect that the dingos were off in the bush away from pesky humans.

Overall, Fraser Is was a great start to the second major leg of our Troopy adventures.  We are currently in Bundaberg doing some jobs and drinking ginger beer (we are on alcohol detox from Europe, so that has saved us from the bundy and cokes).  Heading further into the deep north tomorrow.

Troopy on the beach at Fraser below and for more photos click here

London (Europe Trip Part 1)

The beginning of the European leg of our holiday got off to an exhausting start with a marathon three flight journey to London.  Since we arrived at 6 am, we had to fight sleep for the entire day, so that jet lag didn’t get the better of us.  The fight was greatly assisted by the fact that Jane was having a “work” from home day, so we checked into our Wimbledon B&B and went over to see her, had lunch at the pub (really yummy veggie burgers), hunted for Wombles in the Wimbledon Common (didn’t see any) and then rejoined Jane, Neil and Anne (Jane’s mum) for dinner and drinks.  We were very proud of the fact we stayed awake for the whole day, taking our awake time to 48 hours.  Needless to say, we slept like logs for the first night – take that jet lag!

The next day we decided we needed to keep active and as Jane had a secret wedding dress fitting, we took off on our own to see the Tower of London and the Natural History Museum.  We loved the Beefeater tour (recommend getting on the first one of the day) and the Crown Jewels were amazing – we did the circuit passed them numerous times, to get a really good look at the Star of Africa diamond (the largest cut diamond in the world), in particular.   We wondered whether Kate Middleton had gazed with similar awe at the jewels as a little girl and had ever imagined that she would wear them one day!!  The NHM had two major highlights – the building itself is amazing, with such intricate detail of plant and animal themes on all the columns, walls, ceiling and floors, both inside and out (see photos on flikr).  The other was the statue of Charles Darwin presiding over the great hall (and his dinosaur friend).  The exhibitions were, of course, excellent.

Day 3 in London started early, as we both woke up before 5 am ravenously hungry (jet lag rears its ugly head).  Breakfast at the B&B wasn’t until 8 o’clock, but luckily we had a chocolate fudge brownie that we had bought the day before, but not eaten.  So at 6 am we were sitting in bed, eating a brownie, drinking tea and watching the BBC – jet lag conquered!!  The day then proceeded with a London walking tour with Jane and Anne – through Camden market and around the major parks.  It was a lovely day (and hot), so an evening BBQ at Jane’s was just the perfect end to a fantastic day.  This was also when we convinced Chris (Jane’s brother) that he wasn’t feeling well enough to go to work the next day, but instead needed a medicinal trip to the tennis to see the Wimbledon round of 16 matches!!

Our trip to the tennis was a fantastic day!  It started early with at 5:30 am Chris pick up and then we joined The Queue (they really do capitalise it – see the photos for proof).  Wimbledon is one of the only major sporting events in the world where you can still get tickets on the day, but you need to be committed.  We arrived in The Queue at 5:50 am and were numbers 2627 – 2629.  Although we queued for nearly 4 hours to get in, it was a fun experience.  The tennis was great.  We saw Bernard Tomic in his successful round of 16 match (and then saw a dejected Xavier Malisse catching the Eurostar the next day), some great doubles matches and Novak Jokovich (on the big screen).  The whole experience was topped off with delicious strawberries and Pimms, which we got free from HSBC (thanks for banking with them Chris!!).

The next day we took off to France on the Eurostar – these adventures are to come in Part 2, but check out our London adventure photos on flikr.

Click here for London photos

France (Europe Trip Part 2)

The real purpose of the trip to France was to watch Le Tour de France, but we just couldn’t pass up the chance of a few days in Paris.  We caught the Eurostar across the Channel (highly recommended) and headed to the Latin Quarter where our hotel was.  We then proceeded to walk our legs off for the next few days.  Over three days we visited Notre Dam, the Louvre (amazing, but super busy), the Luxembourg Gardens and palace (where the French Senate now sites), the Sacré-Cœur (with a giant skateboard ramp set up for some random Red Bull sponsored stunt), the Eiffel Tower and of course the Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomphe.  We also just really enjoyed just wandering around and taking in the atmosphere.

I wouldn’t do our trip to Paris justice without mentioning the food – a major highlight and topic of conversation and planning.  We devoured numerous croissants, pain au chocolates, baguettes, other yummy pastries, macaroons (from the famous Laduree on the Champs Elysees – check out the website at www.laduree.fr), three course French meals, three course African meals, delicious Moroccan tagines and I really got into the Pastis and Luke the Pelforths.  Even with all the walking, I left Paris with an extra kilo, but it was totally worth it (except for a minor stress that I might not fit into the dress I bought for the wedding!!).

After Paris we got super saver deals (1.50 euro each) to Nantes on the TVG (French bullet train), hired a car and staked out a bit of footpath to watch the Tour.  We managed to catch some of each of the first three stages.  The first stage stakeout was at the 1 km to go mark and while we didn’t recognise anyone in the first pack to wiz by (although Cadel was there), we did manage to recognise Stuart O’Grady and the Schleck brothers, who were taking it at a slightly more leisurely pace (if only they knew what was to come).  The second stage was the team time trial and we got a great spot near the start, from which we could also see a downhill section near the finish.  We were so close to the action that the HTC team nearly ran over my foot (that Cav!!).  For the third stage, we staked out a spot right near the start so we could see the riders taking it slowly before the official start of racing.

It was so much fun being at the Tour and taking in the atmosphere – and of course our recollections are all the more fond for Cadel’s eventual victory.  The thing that really struck us, and that you don’t get a feel for on telly, is the sheer scale of the overall operation.  The number of team cars, team buses, official cars, medical support cars, press cars, TV motorbikes, neutral service vehicles, gendarmes and sponsors is unbelievable.  We were guessing for every one cyclist (and there are 200 of them to start) there must be at least 10 hangers on (and probably a lot more).  We were driving down the highway on the way to stage three and got caught up in the Katusha team bus-car-etc convoy, which was quite exciting.  This was until we noticed we also had 100+ gendarmes on our tail, which was somewhat less exciting since Luke was still a bit unsteady on the wrong side of the road!!

Our last night in France provided a real highlight.  We were staying in Nantes (a university town that our hotel guy in Paris had questioned the need to visit) prior to a 6 am flight to Turkey.  We’d had a quick look on the LP website for a dinner recommendation and decided on the Creperie Heb-Ken.  After a small drama finding it, we found the restaurant full of French students and proceeded to have the most delicious galettes (savoury crepes) and crepes (apple and chocolate was the winner) we had ever tasted.  It is a must visit for anyone thinking of going to Nantes!

So for France the highlights were the food (yum) and le Tour.  And the best thing about the Tour was that the fun continued in our next destination – Turkey (see Part 3).  Photos for France are on flikr.  There are, of course, a lot more from the Tour and also video – I will post this sometime soon (will have to wait ‘til August when my flikr upload limit is reset).

Click here for France photos

Turkey (Europe Trip Part 3)

We travelled straight to the Mediterranean Coast of Turkey to a small seaside town call Kas (pronounced “cash”).  Here the plan was to relax and go diving, which is exactly what we did.  Overall the diving was a little disappointing, primarily because we are so spoilt living in Australia and having been diving on the GBR and in PNG.  The water temperature was a lovely 25 degrees and the visibility was great at around 30 – 40 m, but there just wasn’t the marine life that we are used to.  The diving was primarily on rocky outcrops which were unusually shaped and made for some interesting swim throughs and caves.  There was also a large seagrass bed that the afternoon dive focused on each day.  We did see some turtles, barracuda and schools of herbivorous fish feeding on the seagrass and these were enough to keep us entertained, without wowing us.  It was really pleasant out on the boat (except for when Luke got a bit seasick and fed the fishes), and a nice respite from the hot temperatures on land.  My travel recommendation for anyone thinking of diving in Kas (and probably the Med more broadly), would be to definitely go for a dive, but maybe just plan for 1 -2 dives.  Diving photos are on flikr. Click here for diving photos

We also continued our Tour watching in Kas, and made some local friends in the process.  Since we were in Europe the Tour finished most days around 6 – 6:30 pm.  This gave us the perfect amount of time to do our diving and then wander up to the pub for a drink and to catch the last hour of the day’s stage.  We found the most reliable coverage at the Barcelona Bar and made friends with the owner, barman and neighbouring shop keeper (all of whom were going for Contador and had no idea who Cadel was – presumably that has now been rectified).  The funniest thing was that they would speak Turkish, we would speak English, we were in a Spanish bar and the Tour coverage was in French – not a common language amongst us, but we still all knew what was happening and the collective cheers and groans were understood by all.

From Kas we headed to Istanbul to catch up with Luke’s friend Aylin.  Since we’d both been to Istanbul before we didn’t feel the need to fight the cruise boats and other hordes of tourists and instead focused on the local haunts.  We did spend a day in the Grand and Spice Bazzars, buying Luke a tie for the wedding, Turkish Delight for people at home and a crazy chandelier for our future (yet to be discovered and purchased) house!  Aylin took us to some great local places that we never would have discovered for ourselves, like little tea gardens on the Bosphorous and lovely little restaurants.  It was also really interesting to hear about the current goings on in Turkey, where it seems the conservative government is slowly making a proudly secular state less so.  We were also introduced to just how big Istanbul is (~17 million) when we travelled for 1.5 hours at 11 pm on a Tuesday night on 4 buses, each of which was crammed full – and that was just to get half way across town!

The food in Turkey was also delicious and I was inspired to buy a Turkish cook book (in English), so that we can continue our own Turkish Food Safari in Troopy.

From Istanbul (and what a chaotic international airport that is), we headed to Santorini, Greece for the driving reason behind the Euro leg of our adventures – the wedding (to be continued in Part 4)!