Travels of the Manmonkey

So with a week in Cairns under my belt, it was time to look at what was outstanding on the "Must do" list of Northern Queensland. I'd done the Bungee, explored Cape Tribulation via the Daintree Rain forest and enjoyed a brief trip through Port Douglas. I'd spent time lounging in the hostel pool and the public Lagoon, and spent rainy afternoons in the shopping centre, and watching an awful film at the Cinema (If you get the chance to see The Good Shepherd... don't!). the only thing left was to go and visit the only living thing that you can see from space (And the thing that kills the surf on the top half of the coast!)... The Great Barrier Reef. So on Monday morning, bright and early I jumped on the shuttle bus from my new, out in the middle of nowhere hostel (Well, I had a couple of free nights to use up!), to be on the deck of the twin hulled Ocean Spirit by 8:00, to head to the rather exclusive Michaelmas Cay.

Michaelmas Cay is one of the most important reserves for marine bird life on the Great Barrier Reef, and is surrounded by a 7Km stretch of the reef itself. There are only 3 tour boats that are licensed to stop there, so even at it's busiest there is still plenty of space for everyone to snorkel (Only 50 people at a time are allowed onto the Island itself). And after 2.5 hours under engine power we arrived, and with clear blue skies and the sun shining, it was perfect snorkeling weather... so snorkel we did! After donning stinger suits to help prevent Jellyfish stings, and slipping on the rather cumbersome flippers, mask and snorkel, it was time to once again enter another world!

The corals themselves were just about the same as I'd already seen around the Whitsunday islands, but nothing could prepare me for the massive array of tropical fish and other aquatic life under the shimmering ocean surface. The stretch of reef around Michaelmas Cay is home to 1000 different species of fish, and other weird and wonderful life forms such as Sea Slugs and Giant Clams. As you can imagine, upon plunging into the tropical waters I was faces with a rainbow's worth of colourful fish, some plain, some intricately patterned but all fascinating, ranging from less than an inch long, to over 2 feet! In a way I wish I knew more about exactly what it was I was looking at, but in no way did that detract from the visual spectacle on offer!

The two stints of snorkeling were broken up with a tour on a glass bottom boat, where we got to see some of the reef a little further out from the island itself, during which we saw a massive Manta that was around 1.5 metres in diameter, impressive stuff! We were also served with a delicious buffet meal including an array of cold meats and fresh, in the shell prawns... yummy! With all the fun of the day over with, we headed back for Cairns under sail power, driven by winds of up to 25knots. This was accompanied with live music and a chilled glass of Aussie Sparkling Wine, all in all a very civilised was to spend a day at the reef (Especially as we paid $70 less than everyone else, I love free upgrades!). The evening was spent in the rather less civilised surroundings of The Woolshed, a backpacker bar that had become a bit of a regular place for us to spend our evenings!

My last morning was spent checking out of my hostel and getting back into the Cairns CBD, booking accomidation for the next couple of nights in Darwin, and organisig transport to and from the Airport. This was rewarded by spending my last afternoon with friends, havinf a fun time swimming and relaxing in the Lagoon, and sharing some food and Ice Cream before saying goodbye for one last time, well 4 or 5 times actually!

So with a safe flight to Darwin under my belt I leave the East Coast behind. I've had a lot of fun over the last few weeks traveling up the coast, have met some really fantastic people, and made some great friends. These are not just people I want have met traveling, but people that I want to continue to have in my life in some way or another, all of which I'd like to see again, whether it's in England... or when they next visit the Land Down Under!

Well, tomorrow I start my journey around the Northern Territory, the Red Center, South Australia, and then Victoria ending in Melbourne... once I've had my fill of Australia's second city, I'll be back in Sydney to face reality! It's going to be a very busy 3 weeks or so!

Much love to everyone.