Australia Overland--Day Five--March 2nd

Australia Overland—Day Five—Friday, March 2, 2012

Talk about early mornings, today we received a 3AM wakeup call, but it was a mistake!  The hotel made a mistake and gave us another group’s wake up call.  Needless to say, we were early for breakfast and coffee!

At 8AM we were collected and driven to Freshwater Station to board the Kuranda Scenic Train, often referred to as Australia’s answer to the Orient Express.  The railroad will take us up the mountain to Kuranda, through the rainforest, past sugar cane fields, over many, many bridges and traversing 15 hand cut tunnels, then past the spectacular Barron Waterfalls.

After visiting the town of Kuranda and doing a little shopping, we headed for the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway to begin our assent back down the mountain.  Having seen many rainforests around the world, this is one of the most impressive, as impressive as the Amazon.  The rainforest has the largest concentration of ancient flowering plants in the world.  Midway down the rainforest, we stopped for a short walk with a Skyrail ranger to learn more about Cycads, Kauri Pines, Basket Ferns, bright blue Ulysses Butterflies, Cockatoos, and too much more to mention.   It is no wonder this rainforest is listed on the World Heritage list and is one of the world’s remarkable natural wonders.

Our final stop on this amazing 5 days covering miles of Australia Outback, the Red Center, and so many of the countries natural wonders was to the Tjapukai Cultural Theme Park.  Here we listened to the distinctive sounds and call of the didgeridoo, learned to throw a boomerang and watched an authentic Aboriginal dance and of course, rain – more rain.

The day has come to an end and it is time to head for home.  The ship waits and sail away is scheduled for 6PM.

Australia Overland--Day Four--March 1st

Australia Overland—Day Four—Thursday, March 1, 2012

We were so excited about seeing and snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef we could hardly sleep last night.  The day dawned overcast and rainy, we’re getting used to the weather, and it is after all, the rainy season.  After a delicious breakfast we were collected by Quicksilver, the largest operator of reef trips operating out of Port Douglas, located one hour up the coast north of Cairns.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of Mother Nature’s greatest masterpieces, a collage of colorful marine life that extends 1243 miles along Australia’s coast.  It is a living organism, the world’s largest living structure, about half the size of Texas.  The reef’s basic life form is coral, which comes in all shapes, sizes and colors of the rainbow.

At the Port Douglas Marina we boarded a technologically advanced 121 foot Quicksilver Wavepiercer vessel.  This superb vessel can cruise at a fast 32 mph and gave a very smooth ride to the reef.  Our destination was Agincourt reef, which lies within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and World Heritage area.  It is the only ribbon reef on the very outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef to be visited by a day cruise.  It took us 1 ½ hours on this very fast vessel to reach our destination.  At the reef is a two-story pontoon, the base for snorkeling, a semi-submersible ride, scuba diving, helmet dives and helicopter flight seeing.  Also we received an informative reef presentation by a Marine Biologist and could access an underwater observatory to view the many varieties of fish and coral.

Deciding we were going to snorkel, the staff suggested that everyone wear wet suits, necessary to purchase for an additional $5, to keep you from being stung by jelly fish.  Needless to say, we were lovely but the suits did help to keep us warm as we spent hours in the water!

We saw royal blue coral and many more beautiful colors of coral and so many tropical fish, turtles and mollusks.  It was a day we will never forget!

Australia Overland--Day Three--February 29th

Australia Overland—Day Three—Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Today our grandnephew, Niran, was born – a leap year baby!

Our day began with a 4AM alarm and checkout from the hotel.  We hoped to see a beautiful sunrise light up the morning, displaying the many color’s of Uluru.  Alas, this was not to be.  The Rock was half covered with clouds and an overcast sky.

A guided walking tour around the base of Uluru showed us some of the many caves, water holes, gullies and Aboriginal carvings (some 10,000 years old), ancient cave paintings and we learned about their legends.

We learned much about the edible, drinkable desert.  Available water sources are passed down from old to young.  It is not only found in water holes but hidden in roots and upper branches of oak trees.  Also, the water-holding frog, cyclorama, hides in the ground.  The Aborigines can dig these frogs from their burrows and squeeze them for a drink.

Witchetty grubs live in the roots of certain acacia bushes.  These grubs contain a large amount of protein and fat and can be eaten either raw or cooked.

There are many sources of honey in the bush.  Insects that live on the branches of the mulga tree appear as red bumps, are sweet sticky honeydew and can be sucked directly from the branch.  A different source comes from honey ants.  Enough said!

Some free time was enjoyed after lunch and we headed for the airport to board our flight to Cairns and The Great Barrier Reef.  Arriving at the small, 2 gate airport serving Uluru - Kata Tjupa National Park, it was announced that all flights were delayed due to what else, RAIN.  But we discovered the whole of Australia was suffering from rain and flooding.  The Uluru Airport had flooded and the security area was closed.  After a 3 hour delay, we departed for Cairns.  Our orientation tour of Cairns was cancelled due to our very late arrival and we headed straight for the hotel.  We are excited about tomorrow and spending the day at the Great Barrier Reef.

  

Australia Overland--Day Two--February 28th

Australia Overland—Day Two—Tuesday, February 28, 2012

With our stomachs full of a delicious breakfast our group assembled for the next Outback adventure.  Today would begin learning about the natural and cultural environment of the center of Australia by visiting Alice Springs Desert Park.  Forming the backdrop to the Desert Park are the magnificent West MacDonnell Ranges.  The mountains are the perfect location to showcase the red kangaroos, many birds, plants and animals we observed.  Also, a nice way to walk off our breakfast going up and down the hills!

On we went to Anzac Hill, just north of town, providing superb views of Alice and the surrounding MacDonnell ranges.

Then Alex, our guide, announced we would begin our six (6) hour motor coach trip to Uluru-Kata Tjupa National Park!  On the way to our destination, we were surprised with a stop not on the schedule - a visit to a Camel Farm and the opportunity to ride the camels.  Australian camels are dromedary (one hump), very hardy and some roam freely throughout the desert. What fun…. but I sure did feel sorry for the camel with both of us onboard!

Along the approximately 300 miles to Ayers Rock (Uluru, to the Aborigines), we stopped for lunch at the Mt. Ebenezer roadhouse, owned by the Imanpa Aboriginal people.  Inside was also a gift shop featuring local artifacts and paintings done by the Aborigines.  Along the road between Alice Springs and Yulara (the village where tourist visiting Ayers Rock stay), there are only 8 working cattle stations, some providing necessary services to travelers.

We arrived in Yulara, dropped our luggage at the hotel and proceeded another 45 minutes to view and hike the Olgas (Kata Tjutas, or “Many Heads”, to the Aborigines).  These 36 rock domes are large and magnificent, are just as old as Ayers Rock and in our estimation, more beautiful.  They reminded us of Sedona!

Now to the highlight of the trip – sunset viewing of Ayers Rock – or so we thought….                    

But first, Uluru or Ayers Rock, is a pretty breathtaking sight, a 650 million-year-old sandstone behemoth, rising 1141 feet above the pancake-like surrounding plain (and it is supposed to be twice as big beneath the surface).  It’s dimensions are impressive – 5 ½ miles around the base, 2 ¼ miles long and 1 ½ miles wide – but the most awe-inspiring feature is the glow and amazing colors it shows at different times of the day especially at sunrise and sunset, or so we were told and have seen pictures.

Arriving for our sunset viewing, we were treated to champagne/mimosas and canapés.  Just as we were about to toast the Rock the skies opened and the first downpour began.  We all scattered for the bus.  Between the rain showers, the group posed for a photo, the sun set and we headed to the hotel.  It rained all night.  Ayers Rock is beautiful in the rain and not many people see it with lightning bolts in the sky!

Australia Overland--Day One--February 27th

Australia Overland—Day One—Monday, February 27, 2012

At 5AM the alarm rang announcing it was time to get ready for the first of our 5 days touring the Australian Outback of Alice Springs, Uluru (Ayers Rock), Cairns and Kuranda.  We were met by our local guide, Alex and were off to Sydney Domestic Airport to board our 3 hour Qantas flight to Alice Springs.

On arrival in Alice Springs, the Red Center of Australia, we first stopped at Todd Mall for a short stroll and quick lunch.  We looked into many local shops, had a sandwich and observed the first sightings of many Aboriginal natives.  Our touring began with a trip to the very historic Old Telegraph Station. Opened in 1872, the line suddenly reduced the isolation of Australians from the rest of the world.  The exchange of messages now took hours instead of months it previously took by sea.

Next we visited the School of the Air, “the largest classroom in the world”; covering 521,000 square miles, double the size of Texas.  Founded in 1951 to educate children isolated in the Outback, we discovered it was a school without students!  All the teaching is done via satellite and computer equipment between teacher and student.  We viewed the unique educational methods from the broadcasting station, watched a movie explaining the operation and asked many questions.

In an area equal to about two-thirds of the United States, medical care is provided by the Royal Flying Doctor Service, which, since the 1920’s has been coming to the rescue of the Outback’s sick and injured.  This amazing service is offered to anyone in need including tourist visiting Australia.  Today they operate 53 aircraft from 27 bases, health facilities and healthcare clinics, with a staff of nearly 1000.  During our trip across the Outback we passed several of the remote landing strips – short and probably bumpy.

Finally as our day is coming to an end we head for our hotel, the Crown Plaza and dinner.  We’re sure tomorrow will be another very early morning but this has been a very satisfying day!

Sydney, Australia

Sunday, February 26 we entered one of the most famous and iconic harbors in the world – Sydney, Australia, capital of New South Wales and home to nearly 4 million residents.  This is the end of segment two of the World Cruise.  Our sail through the harbor was just as the sun was rising and took about an hour, passing all the sights including the famous Sydney Opera house and finally reaching our berth at Circular Quay.

Sydney is the first of our 2-day or overnight stays on this World Cruise.  This morning we were picked up by Kathy, a friend met previously on a cruise, and taken to lunch.  Lunch was hosted by Gai, another cruise enthusiast!   Gai lives in Frenchmen’s Forest, a lovely area across the Harbor Bridge and several miles on the other side looking back at downtown Sydney.  Gai had invited a group of 10 cruising friends, including us, to spend the day eating and drinking “Aussie Style”.  What a wonderful day!  Several of us will be sailing together this fall on the Diamond Princess.  Thank you Kathy and Gai – and we can’t wait for September.

After Kathy returned us to the ship, we hurried back onboard to finish our packing for the much anticipated 5-day Overland Adventure through the Australian Outback.  The alarm clock is set to ring at 5AM!!!!!!