Cairns: Great Barrier Reef and Rainforests
Trip Start
Mar 23, 2009
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21
Trip End
Jun 03, 2009
Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Friday, May 8, 2009
While our skill level definitely differed with surfing, we both could scuba dive so we decided to kick off the week with a 3 day live aboard dive boat experience. After arriving in Cairns and staying the first night in a hostel, we were picked up by the dive company early the next morning. We boarded the day trip boat and started the hour and half sea journey to the Great Barrier Reef. The seas were pretty rough, so all I can say is that dramamine is my new friend!
After 2 dives on the day trip boat, we transferred with other passengers to the company's live aboard boat. It was much larger and we were adapting our sea legs, so we found our cabin and regrouped for 2 more dives that day. The highlight was the evening's night dive, which was amazing and intense. The spot light off the back of the boat attracted dozens of fish of all sizes in the pitch black water. It was about 7:30 pm, which was not only human dinner time, but apparently shark dinner time, too. We knew the circling, feeding sharks we saw below us were reef sharks and not interested in human snacks, but it was still a mental hurdle to dive in! It was fantastic and an experience I won't forget. Jury is out if it I will repeat the experience, though!
The next two days we had the option of 4 or 5 dives per day at different spots all around the GBR. While the night dive was an adrenaline experience, the sunrise dive was just as much a highlight, as we started out with flashlights in the dark water and then watched the rising sun above light up the corals and fish below. We rented an underwater camera to capture the highlights of each dive. After 9 dives in 2 1/2 days, we relaxed the last afternoon on deck with the first really sunny day and then transferred back to Cairns.
We still had a few more days in Cairns and wanted to experience the other major natural attraction, the Tropical North Rainforest. Three young guys from England had stayed on our dive boat, and told us about a small overnight eco-tour leaving the next morning from Cairns. Rainforest walks, waterfalls and wildlife was right up our alley, so we were able to book the last two spots on the tour. One more night in a hostel in Cairns and we were picked up the next morning by Cherene, our guide with On The Wallaby tour company.
I had done a few tours around Australia, but this was Melissa's first experience, and she described it best as adult summer camp. You start out quiet on a small bus with 20 strangers the first morning, and by the end of the second day, you are exchanging email and Facebook info and vowing to visit and stay in touch! The On the Wallaby adventure was two days of exploring the rainforest walks (albeit with the occasional leech check), giant fig trees, swimming in waterfalls, jumping off of trees into pristine crater-lake waters, night canoe trips to look for the elusive nocturnal tree kangaroo, platypus spotting at dawn, mountain biking and more canoe time. It was a blast and I'm happy to report we broke the spell of bad luck of not being able to spot the native wildlife. Melissa could leave Australia satisfied that she saw grazing wallaby's, sleeping tree kangaroo, sunning snakes and playing platypus all in one day!
We got back to Cairns for one last evening and enjoyed apps and drinks with Cherene and our Brit friends. We'd had a blast that week, but it was time to pack up as Melissa departed at 6 a.m. and I needed a day to get organized for the last leg of my journey - Thailand and meeting up with Eric for the first time in 2 months. Next entry from Bangkok, or some exotic Thai island with Eric!
Cheers!Stephanie
Comments
On to Thailand
Get another camera so we can see more pictures!! Glad everything is going well. A friend said to tell you when you get to Thailand to check out the Sapphires and Rubys (stones). Look forward to next posting. Priscilla