Friday – November 9, 2018
It took us all day yesterday to fly from Darwin to Cairns, normally a two hour flight. There was a screwup in the planning somewhere and we had to fly from Darwin to Brisbane (4 hour flight) then wait two hours for a flight to Cairns (2 hour flight). We arrived in Cairns at ten o’clock at night and checked in at the Shangri-La Hotel. It was a fabulous hotel: right on the water, tropical garden outside our sliding door, large modern beachy room.
Cairns is the Aussie city which is the gateway to the famous Great Barrier Reef. It’s sub-tropical, warm and humid: known as the place where the rainforest meets the ocean. Our group rallied out to the harbor to ride a large catamaran out to the reef.
The overcast sky cleared after the 90 minute ride out to ‘the middle of nowhere’ in the Pacific Ocean. The catamaran tied up to a large well-equipped floating raft which belonged to the Sunlover company.
Interior of the raft:
Sunlover had everything for snorkeling, diving, glass-bottom boating, swimming, changing rooms, showers, lunch facilities, and enjoying a day out on the reef. There was even a masseuse:
The black suit on the man in the photo above was called a “stinger suit.” It was necessary for anyone who entered the water because of the small jellyfish that lived around the reef. The jellyfish are little but give a nasty sting to swimmers.
Jeff and I didn’t go snorkeling but we enjoyed the glass-bottom boat. A couple of my photos of the Great BarrierReef:
The catamaran tied to the raft:
Life guards on duty:
About three o’clock, the staff began to pack everything up and we all boarded the catamaran for a bumpy 90 minute ride back to Cairns. Jeff and I had an enjoyable day on the raft and we mentally checked off the Great Barrier Reef on our “Bucket Lists.”
Dinner and entertainment was at the Tjapukai Cultural Park – An Aboriginal Tourist Attraction. It was advertised on-line as one of the most authentic tourist attractions. I hope the local Aboriginal community is benefiting. The large hall displayed contemporary art. This is a photo of my favorite work. I like the handprints.
A young man gave a Didgeridoo performance and explanation of the sounds. He also demonstrated how to play the unusual instrument. (Ignore the blue light) Canapés were served within or juice. One was emu, another was beetroot andcucumber. They were a modern take on the Aboriginal diet.
Afterwards, everyone was invited outside to participate in a language, dance and music performance. Two spectators were invited on the primitive stage to learn how to light a fire – with much effort.
At the end, everyone went into the dining room for a sumptuous dinner of a variety of vegetables, crocodile ribs, and kangaroo meat, as well as beef and chicken. Everything was tasty. The crocodile was covered in bar-b-que sauce and the kangaroo in another sauce so, frankly, it was difficult to taste the exotic meats. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable and very different evening. I had a great time! What a day!!!