Month: November 2018

The city of Cairns, at the base of the Cape York Peninsula in northeastern Australia, is known as the Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. However, don’t let that title make you think the reef is all the area has to offer. We spent a wonderful couple of days in town and out exploring the surrounding area. One note on pronunciation – we were coached on pronouncing “Cairns” correctly – ‘The R is silent…’ (Not sure that help us that much… the more we tried, the worse we got.)

Because the area has such a strong draw for international tourists, there is a pleasant array of different restaurants. We had no problem finding places to eat, especially down along the wharf. After dinner one evening we headed over to the ‘Night Market’, located between Abbott Street and The Esplanade. The market is a colorful experience and has just about anything you might want. Julie found the ideal ‘Australia hat’ with the required kangaroo embroidered on the front.

High Adventure

Most of our traveling companions headed for Kuranda via the old scenic railroad and returned by the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway one morning. Julie and I went climbing in the morning and white water rafting in the afternoon. So, where does one go climbing in downtown Cairns? To the casino, of course. We headed across the street from the Cairns Pullman Hotel to the Reef Hotel Casino and up to the third level. They have an interesting center there called the Zoom and Wildlife Dome that sits above the Casino. Koalas, snakes, crocodiles and a huge variety of birds populate the wildlife portion of the dome. Above all that are several levels of climbing lines, ladders, walls and such.

We got harnessed up and clipped in our safety lines and we were off. We had a great time climbing above the exhibits, even the crocodiles. (Thankfully, as we traversed the zip-line above the crocodiles, they were not actually leaping and snapping at us as the brochure showed.)

Once we were at the top of the dome, several stories above the floor, we headed outside. For the daring, you get a great view of the city, the harbor, and the surrounding terrain. If you really trust your safety equipment you can lean back and dangle over the empty space between you and the streets below. Oh, yeah. That was a rush!

White Water

After lunch (we were hungry after all that climbing), we headed for the Barron River for some more adventure. We started off just below the Barron Gorge Hydroelectric Dam with some safety training.

With helmets and life jackets in place, we pushed off. Our guide, Yoshi, had us run through procedures and instructions for paddling a few more times before we hit the rapids. At this time of the year, the river only has Class 3 rapids, but that was sure enough for us. We paddled, got tossed around, bounced the raft off rocks and generally had a great time. While no one from our raft ended up in the water by accident, some other rafters weren’t so lucky. We did leave the rafts a couple of times to ‘aggressively float’ through some of the less demanding sections. One section sucked you down under the water and spit you out the other side. That was awesome.

The water and weather were perfect. In the end, as we were slowly floating to the exit point for the rafts, Yoshi explained that crocodiles were not an issue in the Barron River. At that point, we were floating under a large section of overhanging trees as Yoshi explained that the real danger was from pythons dropping into rafts from overhanging branches. We quickly paddled back to the middle of the river. The Barron River rafting experience definitely gets two thumbs up!

Great Barrier Reef

The first thing you have to understand about snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef is that you have to get there first. It took us two hours to get to the reef via ‘fast catamaran’. Great Adventures has a semi-permanent platform we used as the base. Because there was some risk of jellyfish, we put on ‘sting-suits’ made of lycra before getting in the water. (The suits are very flattering… at least that’s what we were told). The water was nice and the abundance of coral and fish was incredible.

In addition to snorkeling, Julie took a ride on a semi-submergible that she described as amazing. I went out the second time after lunch and was rewarded as the light overcast cleared and the sea was lit up with bright sunshine. Whoa! Here I’d thought the morning was great; there are no words to describe to a variety of life and color! When the ship’s horn sounded at 3:30, signaling our return, we grudgingly climbed back on board.

Farming – Crocodile Style

With Julie’s farming roots, we were looking forward to visiting a crocodile ranch. Hartley’s Crocodile Adventure fit the bill. Floating along on the placid waters we were questioning the need for the steel cage material on the sides of the boat. Then we were told that it was feeding time and some red meat was hung over the side on a section of rope. There was a splash and a monster of a crocodile leaped out of the water and snapped his jaws shut on the meat. I found myself asking if the steel was going to be strong enough to keep that guy out if they ran out of food.

They raise crocodiles here for food and their hide. We had crocodile several times in northern Australia and it was pretty good. Crocodile hide is valued and fetches a pretty penny when used in footwear and women’s handbags. Fortunately, I didn’t need a new handbag.

Hartley’s also had a python demonstration that I took advantage of since I’d never had a python around my neck before. It was interesting, but I’d only recommend it in a supervised environment. The skin was not as rough as I expected, but I could sure feel the muscles under that skin. I was careful not to tick it off.

A Definite Must Do

I hope this gives you a good overview of our time in the Cairns area. There is so much to do here, not just the barrier reef. This northeast corner of Australia is a definite must see if you make it to Australia, we certainly enjoyed it.

More photos from Cairns can be found here.

The Ghan Train runs from Adelaide to Darwin, across some of the most challenging and desolate parts of the Australian Outback. We boarded the train in Alice Springs, which is just about the mid-point on the route.

The Ghan Train

“The Ghan” is a sort of throwback experience to the days of luxury train travel. From the moment we boarded the train I felt like we were in an Agatha Christie novel. As we were settling into our ‘cabin’, the consigner stopped by to explain everything and answer our questions.

Lucky for us, the bar was the next coach forward and the restaurant was just in front of that. First stop, the bar. We sat with many of our traveling companions from the group and had a drink before dinner. Meals and drinks are included, so what the heck! Our dinner was elegant and delicious; Linen tablecloths, fine silver, and stemware. This is definitely the way to traverse the Australian Outback.

By the time we’d returned to our cabin, it had been set up for sleeping with an upper and lower berth. We drew straws and Julie got the upper berth. Then we drew straws three more times until Julie got the lower berth. (Funny how that worked out…) While I slept great, the swaying of the train woke Julie up several times through the night. Before we knew it, it was time to get up.

Like dinner the evening before, breakfast was delicious and the coffee was hot. We had a planned stop at Katherine Gorge at 9:00 AM. I liked to think that they were taking on water and coal for the engine, but the engines were diesel and it was simply an opportunity to see the gorge. Where was Agatha Christie when you need her?

Kathrine Gorge

1,000 km north of Alice Springs, Katherine Gorge is a great stop for a little sightseeing. Actually a series of seven separate gorges, Katherine Gorge was just entering the wet season. Over the coming months, the water will be upwards of 18 feet deeper than it was when we were there in November. We cruised two of the gorges, walking between the two because of the low water levels. We had a glimpse of ancestral drawings on the gorge wall along the way. The geology of the gorges is interesting and the views stunning. Before we knew it, we were back on the train and headed another 300 km down the tracks for Darwin.

Kakadu National Park

Kakadu, located several hours east of Darwin, is almost 20,000 square kilometers – that’s about half the size of Switzerland, so we only got to see a small portion of what this place has to offer. The park offers cave paintings, the oldest of which are up to 20,000 years old. The park also has more than 10,000 crocodiles – a tenth of all the crocs in the Northern Territory! This was the start of our ‘beware of crocodiles’ portion of the trip. If there’s water, there are crocodiles. Over the following week, we saw countless crocks, the largest was about 18 feet.

The cycle of the region is for the floodplains to flood during the wet season with water covering thousands of square kilometers. Gradually the water retreats and the floodplains dry – this is the dry season. No winter, spring, summer, and fall – just wet and dry. As we visited at the end of the dry season, much of the wildlife had retreated and concentrated in the remaining wetlands and rivers.

We took the Yellow Water Cruise one afternoon and saw plenty of crocks in the water, water buffalo on the floodplain and tons of birds. At one point we came across the remains of a large water buffalo killed by a crock.

PWhistling ducks and magpie geese were abundant as we cruised through the wetlands. The guide on the boat kept pointing out different birds and sometimes got excited – ‘ooww, there’s a blue-eyed ring-nosed fish trumpeter…’ or something similar. We must have had ‘bird people’ on the boat because they also got excited… ‘Frank, look, that’s a male frog darter, what impressive plumage…’ (Frankly, they mostly looked the same to me). The camera clicked away.

Another notable aspect of the park is the abundance of termite mounds. These monsters can be over 25 feet tall. We stopped at one that was maybe 13 feet high and had our pictures taken with it. I kept looking over my shoulder for the swarm coming out of mound to carry us away, but it never came. Before coming to Australia, i’d always thought the mounds were sort of crusty-soft or sandy, but they’re not. Through some chemical process, the termites build the walls of the mound to be nearly as hard as a rock. I knocked on one to get an idea of how hard it was – it was solid. Then, when I thought I heard a rumble of termites massing for an attack from inside the mound I ran for the safety of the bus.

We heard a story of a young guy, who may have consumed some number to beers, who then drove his car into a termite mound. His car was destroyed and the mound remained. There is no truth to the rumor that he was then carried away and into the mound by soldier termites…

Nourlangie Rock Walk (Burrungkuy)

The Nourlangie Rock Wall is one reason why Kakadu is World Heritage-listed for outstanding cultural values. With its stunning rock paintings, this famous site documents life in the region from 20,000 years ago to the first contact with European explorers. We took a walk through this area; it was like exploring an outdoor museum, viewing several different examples of art from different periods.

Unfortunately, those of us that left our bug nets behind were frequently attacked by swarming insects. The bugs can be one of the distractions at this time of the year. A lightweight bug net is an east remedy. Add to that the heat and humidity and you can understand why we didn’t linger there too long. While we were there we did see some incredible wall painting.

In order to get a bird’s eye view of the park, Julie and I took a ride in an airplane over the park. The area is a mix of rock formations separated by broad wetlands or narrow rivers. Australia had done a wonderful job of preserving the area in its natural state. The flight provides a wonderful perspective on the diversity of the terrain and the scale of distance. There is little sign of human presence outside of several small towns.

Australia’s Northern Territory is a wonderfully diverse region that shouldn’t be missed. If you have the time, The Ghan Train is the best way to get there and enjoy a unique experience in the process.

Northern Territory Photos

For more information, check out the following links
Ghan Train
Katherine Gorge
Kakadu National Park

“Ayers Rock”, known as Uluru by the aboriginal people in the area, is a huge sandstone monolith that’s the centerpiece of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The name ‘Uluru’ is the name given by the aboriginal people, however, it has no specific meaning. Uluru is just what they call it. This massive sandstone monument rises over 1,100 feet above the surrounding land and is almost six miles in circumference. So, you might ask, how does a huge sandstone monolith like this just appear in the middle of the desert? That’s a good question.

Geologists told us that a while back (we’re talking a couple of hundred million years ago) the center of current day Australia was a huge inland sea. Over time, sediments were compressed by the weight of the water and the sediments themselves and turned into a layer of sandstone.

Then, during a period of tectonic movement, the land folded like a ‘U’. The exposed ends of the ‘U’ eventually eroded away, leaving a stub of the sandstone layer sticking up out of the ground. The other leg of the ‘U’ is the Kata Tjuta (“The Olgas”) formation about 25km away. You can find more information at Austraila National Parks website.

We explored several different sections of the rock. I want to make it clear that we did our exploring in the mornings because the afternoon temperature hit 106 while we were there. Fortunately, in the late mornings, it was still a relatively cool 92. After noon, we made a bee-line for the resort and spent the afternoon relaxing in the lounge and swimming in the pool. We consider ourselves to be smart travelers!

The most interesting walk that we took was the Kuniya Walk on the southwest side. The distance is no more than 2km round trip and has a great deal to offer. We saw cave paintings under a broad overhang and heard aboriginal stories of how the rock was formed and how various marking and formations came to be. Walking along the well-marked trails we made our way to the Mutitjula waterhole, home to an ancestral wanampi water snake.

Not being a bird-watcher, I can’t tell you the names of all the interesting birds we saw, but there were many and they were all new to me. However, as an amateur photographer, I can tell you that the colors, shadows and bright contrasts made the entire experience wonderful.

For more pictures take a look at the Uluru Photo Album

As a result of our Facebook and Instagram posts over the past two weeks, we’ve gotten multiple questions regarding where we were and how the keck we got there. I’m writing this post to hopefully give some background on where we are today and how we got here.

Where are we? Well, we’re in Australia. More specifically, we’re in Jabiru, Northern Territory, Australia, just outside Kakadu National Park. How did we get here? Well, let me tell you, it’s been a long trip so far.

October 24 – 29th

We left from Toronto on Oct 24th, flying through Chicago and Los Angles on the way to Melbourne, Australia. With the long flight across the Pacific Ocean (16 hours) and crossing the International Date Line, we ended up landing in Melbourne on Friday the 26th. After we were situated in our hotel, we spent the rest of Friday and Saturday exploring Melbourne. Here’s a city that is not at all what we expected. It’s an interesting mix of old and new with quaint streets and blocks of skyscrapers. This is a clean city with a wonderful mix of architecture and culture – a fantastically friendly city.

On Sunday the 29th, Julie took an all-day tour of the Great Ocean Road. Me, I stayed in bed with flu symptoms. The Great Ocean Road was going to be one of the highlights for me, but Julie did a great job of capturing some stellar pictures for me to pine over.

October 30th – 31st

Fortunately, I got to sleep in on Tuesday as we had a mid-day flight from Melbourne to Hobart in Tasmania. After landing, we took a nice walking tour of Hobart’s historic waterfront district. (see Hello Tasmania ) It was ironically, Halloween the following day when we got to see our first Tasmanian Devil at the Tasmanian Conservation Park, en route to Port Arthur. These are cute little creatures until you get close enough to see their teeth. Then, watching them tear into their lunch consisting of a leg of some animal…, well. I can tell you that they lost any semblance of cuteness.

The story of Port Arthur and the life of those interned there is interesting. This place housed repeat offenders and political prisoners. There was no escape. The one land-bridge to the rest of Tasmania was guarded by a line of chained dogs. Regardless, the terrain is so challenging that most that made it past the dogs returned hungry and dehydrated after a few days. The community was close to self-sufficient out of necessity. If they wanted a new building because they needed to store more food, they designed the building. Then they quarried the stone and built it.

November 1st – 2nd

Adelaide and Kangaroo Island were our home for the next few days. The city of Adelaide is a small town with a bigger city feel. Our group took a ferry from Cape Jervis across to Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island. There were loads of seals at Seal Harbor Conservation Park and loads more land animals in Flinders Chase National Park. The winds were blowing and it was cool, but an awesome day.

November 3rd – 5th

Saturday morning we flew over 1,000 miles traveling from Adelaide to Alice Springs and then on to Ayers Rock. The flight provides some perspective to the size of this country. While we saw Uluru of Ayers Rock from the distance, we spent the afternoon exploring the area and getting used to the heat. We stopped at a viewing sight at sunset, but the weather wasn’t cooperating. We saw a colorful display of lightning across the desert, but the clouds kept the sunset hidden. We did, however, enjoy some wonderful snacks and champagne while we watched nature’s lightning show.

Several of our traveling companions elected to strike out at 4:45 AM on camels to see the sunrise. Julie and I chose the ‘sleeping in option’. We got up sometime after 4:30 AM and had breakfast before heading out on a 9 AM tour of Uluru. The weather was fantastic with clear blue skies and temperatures in the mid-90s. In addition to learning about the geology of the area, we saw the rock up close, viewed 12,000-year-old cave paintings and learned of the cultural significance the rock holds for aboriginal people.

We traveled most of the day by bus on November 5th. After passing through Collins Station, Alice Springs greeted up late in the afternoon. There are several notable galleries of native art in the city that we had time to browse through. Before we knew it, the time to board the train was upon us. Dinner time saw us heading north out of Alice Springs on the Ghan Train en route to Darwin.

November 6th

There were a lot of miles to cover overnight. Traveling on the Ghan Train is somewhat like traveling in a 19th-century book. The train has a wonderfully classic look-and-feel to it. Our compartment had stacked bunks, but it was an interesting experience. The linen tablecloths, hot coffee, and breakfast all added to the nostalgic experience from the day before. After a stop of several hours to cruise the Katherine Gorge, we were back on the train heading for Darwin.

After a quiet morning in Darwin, we headed for Jabiru outside of Kakadu National Park. This brings you up to date on how we ended up in Jabiru on the US Election Day, 2018.

We’ll get more photos and blogs posted in the coming days.
.