Australia 2017

The good news is that the 15-hr flight to Brisbane was half full and on a 787 Dreamliner. They say it's more comfortable because its pressurized more than other planes, but it's more likely that having room to stretch out was what allowed us to all sleep for a good portion of the flight. I probably slept for six hours straight - that NEVER happens. Of course, I never remember that sleep aids aid.

From Brisbane Airport, we could feel the warmth and humidity, but didn't get outside during a three hour layover. We were a bit worried about Jetstar Airlines, which offers cheap flights by making money on charging for any service (with full-on gouging if you have to add bags or whatnot at the airport). The flight to Cairns offered cool views of the northeastern Australian coastline and some reefs.

Cairns is warm and muggy. We arrive late in the afternoon on Thursday. Our AirBnB apartment is cheap and about a mile and a half from the tourist center in a neighborhood sporting more than one autobody and detailing/customization shops. We won't be renting a car for a couple of more days.

We spend 30 minutes walking to the Marina as dusk encroaches. Cairnes and its surroundings are surprisingly and impressively mountainous. The lushness reminds us of Alaska. We eat on the water some prawns, some kangaroo (Dash liked it), and their local fish, Barramundi. "Is that a bat?" Over two feet wide. A trickle, then a stream. I get up and walk towards the source. Big ole bats in a steady stream heading from mangroves towards the bay. Further south a river of them. Cool.

Friday morning we walk back to the marina for a ferry to Fitzroy Island for a day of swimming, snorkeling, hiking, etc. They advertise a "coral beach". One would expect crushed coral, but it consisted of 4-inch branches of white staghorn coral, not to be walked on barefoot. The idea was to get Dash acclimated to the water, easing his PTSD of winter La Jolla beach water. It didn't work: he didn't want to snorkel. We got him in finally, but he wouldn't use a snorkel or fins. Wasn't impressed, wasn't motivated for the upcoming scuba diving. They did have a water trampoline, he did make heavy use of that. A nice summer beach day.

I had been hyping up Dash that when facing the sun, it would be travelling from right-to-left instead of left-to-right at home. I hadn't taken into account that, being near the Australian summer solistice, that it would actually still transit the meridian to the south, like at home. That was a surprising (but mild) disappointment.

Back at the Marina we get in a taxi to pick up our car at the airport (it took a while. I'm not used to hailing taxis, and I didn't hail a few because I could see passengers in the front seat - they weren't passengers, they were the drivers (left-side driving in Australia)). Turns out the car reservation was for the city Hertz lot, not the airport. It had closed an hour earlier - for the weekend. I find another Hertz car at the airport and take a taxi there. While I've driven on the left before in England (I was in-country for two weeks before I attempted it) and in South Africa (Leigh supported me there by laughing whenever I tried to signal a turn by turning on the windshield wipers - which was every turn and change of lanes), I was worried because the to-the-right reflex can kill you. I still didn't have a phone for navigation and had to go old-school, but all was good.

I did go out and look at the Southern Sky. Large and Small Magellanic Clouds were naked eye visible, 47 Tucanae, through binocs. I was hoping to taunt my observing buddy, Jon, that Omega Centauri, the Milky Way's most amazing Globular Cluster looked better through the inexpensive 4" refractor I brought than through his 22" reflector at home (it didn't. I'll have to return with better equipment).

Saturday, we drive - on the left. We're heading north to the rain forests. I didn't know there were rain forests in Australia. Lots of roundabouts. We had one close call. I knew to look right (cars in the roundabout have the right of way), but it didn't occur to me that cars ahead of me, to the left, might come to a stop because of the cars we're watching to right. A shriek from Leigh alerted me to this possibility (and averted a full-speed rear-ending). Once that dangerous possibility was pointed out, it made the rest of my driving safer. All the roundabouts have differing geometry, so there is a video-game puzzle-newness to each to keep things exciting. The urban ones become navigable, but some, like at the airport, have a single sign to demarkate facilities off of five exits; you wind up just guessing. I did have one in Cairns that took me five transits before I knew what was going on.

The Cairns Region's motto is "Where the Rainforest meets the Reef". Good one.

We drove north to the Daintree Reforestation Center. At the check-in desk the clerk mentioned that the Huntsman Spider on display he had caught in his kitchen. "Where do you live now?" I would have moved.

We then continued droving up along the coast to Cape Tribulation.

Herds of kangas on the drive home.

Sunday was a full day of tours. A sky car up to Kuranda Rainforest. Waterfall.

Nature Center. Duck boats.

Aboriginal Dancers. Koala on Dash photo. Kangaroo pelt. Train ride.

Monday began four days and three nights at Norman and Saxon Reefs. Full Scuba Diving Story here.

A night at the Holiday Inn Express. Flight to Sydney.

Drove to Coogee Beach to a lovely little hotel at the north end (Coogee Sands Apartments) where we felt very welcome. Dash and I went to see Star Wars.

Tuesday we headed to downtown Sydney for a bus tour to the Blue Mountains

Sydney Blue Mountains Point Sublime Dash Jump

Another Cable Car - Australia is full of rainforests and cable cars, apparently. Old coal mine. 17th steepest railway ride (3 minutes).

Aboriginee Show. Olympic Village. Ferry Ride down the Parametric River.

Wednesday morning we drove to Bondi Beach.

I saw Leigh and Dash struggling at the parking meter with a sinking feeling. It involved an electronic interface. Doah!

After a couple of hours it rained.

Thursday, Christmas was rainy.

Beach empty. Most shops and most restaurants closed. Found one place open.

A not unwelcome quiet boring day. I was reading Chernow's Alexander Hamilton, so I was set.

Friday, we started the long drive to Melbourne. Leigh "navigated". It was during this trip that we decided that a lot of "navigation" in Australia involves U-Turns.

We rode along the coast for a while, stopping to watch hang gliders take off.

Dash got sick in the intervening rain forest, but as soon as he threw up, he was willing to go for a tandem flight. I was impressed with his ballsiness. But, lo, a change in wind left no available slots.

I coincidently was wearing a Fly the Outer Banks t shirt. One of the flight instructors came up to me saying he works there at Kitty Hawk Kites three months a year, travelling the world as an instructor. Cool. I'm inspired to fly again.

We headed inland to get to Melbourne in one day. Cool ride. We thought of checking out the capital, Canberra, but we missed it, going the long way around it. Leigh was "navigating." We reserved a room at DoubleTree in downtown Melbourne, it didn't have a window, a first for me.

Saturday we drove down to the southernmost point of Australia, Wilson Prometory, at almost 39-degree south. Some light swimming on a warm Salted Caramel Gelatto beach. The water was considerable cooler than off Cairns.