THE GREAT OZ EXPERIENCE PART III (Greener Pastures)

Friday, October 30, 2009 1:00 PM

Idalis:

The scenery definitely started to change. As we began to head east from the Outback towards the coast, reds turned to yellows and then to green. Once reaching the coast, we glimpsed our first Australian beach (beautiful!), hiked through the oldest living rainforest, snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef, and went to an island with a beachy vibe and cuddly koalas. Our adventure continues:

3264 K – Head out from Alice Springs early in the morning, breaking camp and having a quick breakfast first. Loooooong, hot travel day. Huge, weird termite mounds line the sides of the sizzling asphalt road. There are so many of them. Are all those spooky dirt mounds still inhabited? Or have their owners moved on to more desirable real estate property?

3294 K – Crossed the Tropic of Capricorn!!!! It looks no different.

3642 K – Stop for a pee break in the bizarre little town of Wycliffe Well, the UFO sighting capital of Australia. There is nothing redeeming about this place, and I can understand why the locals have started seeing things . . .






3681 K – Drive through the Devil's Marbles. According to scientists they are the granite remains of molten lava after millions of years of erosion. I like the local Warumungu Aboriginal creation story better, which says the rocks are the eggs of the Rainbow Serpent.




4396 K – Drive well after dark, but stop to camp at a simple rest area on the side of the road once we realize it's not safe to continue (don't want to hit those kangaroos). No showers. We are all starting to smell but can blame it on dingo pee, sure to be around. Dinner is quick (leftover pasta salad) but the views from our tent that night are amazing. The sky is expansive and the stars seem to twinkle right at us!

Head out at 6:30 am the next morning from Mt. Isa. Our early morning rewards us with one of the most beautiful sunrises while we break camp. Will drive over 1100 kilometers east today. An even longer travel day!

4961 K – Stop in Normonton for lunch in a park under a covered picnic table. A sleepy little town, even the stray dogs look bored.

5534 K - Stop at a truck stop in Ravenshoe for the evening. Very rustic surroundings right next to the highway, but at $5 per person, you can't complain. The hot showers and spicy chili for dinner warms the soul, even if it comes from a can. Wake up early the next morning again to break camp, eat breakfast, and drive the remaining 200 kilometers to the coast. I can't wait to see the beach!

5541 K – On the way out of Ravenshoe we stop at the Windy Hill Wind Farm. With an altitude of 904 meters, Ravenshoe is the highest town in Queensland. We stop at Australia's largest wind farm, with 20 turbines that supply enough energy for several neighboring towns. The winds are strong and the cows look refreshed! The scenery as we head towards Port Douglas via the Atherton Tableland is so pretty – hills and purple jacarandas, which remind me of Kevin's parents' street and sends me a pang of nostalgia.




5708 K – Yay! We've made it to the coast, with most of the day to spare! Port Douglas is a beautiful vacation destination. We check out Dougie's Backpackers but are put off by the party vibe and the minuscule tent spaces (“Sure there's enough space! You can pitch your tent right there between the Wicked Campervan and the fire dancers!”) Pandanus Caravan Park, just next door, turns out to be our best campsite yet. With shady trees, spic and span kitchen facilities, and a great pool, it's like the Hilton of campsites. We are very impressed.

Can't chill out on the beach just yet. First, we have to put up the tents and go food shopping at Coles. With such great amenities, we go crazy in the supermarket, buying tons of fresh fruits and veggies and saying goodbye to canned food for a few days. Goodbye chili, hello salads!

That afternoon, we pick mangoes from the side of the road (I love Australia!) and visit the Mossman Gorge, filled with clear (but very cold!) swimming holes. Kevin and Nic jump right in, while I get my feet nibbled by a cheeky black cat fish. We take the walking trail through our first glimpse of the Daintree Rainforest and then head back into town to watch the sunset and have dinner. A perfect day!












The next day, we catch up on boring stuff: laundry, internet, postcards, etc. We finally make it to the beach in the afternoon. Four Mile Beach is beautiful, backed by palm trees and such white, powdery sand between my toes that it makes me want to cry. I'm in heaven! That night, we cook dinner at the communal kitchen (yummy pork chops) and chat with Rob, a Canadian retiree traveling around Australia with his buddy. Rob survived chemo and three strokes in one year, and has maintained a positive disposition and cheerful outlook on life. A true inspiration!

5788.4 K – Time to head out again! I take advantage of an early morning run on the beach and we have a big breakfast before breaking camp and heading to Cape Tribulation, one of the few places in the world where the rain forest meets the ocean.

5837 K – Take the car ferry across to Cape Tribulation. After crossing, we stop at Ridgeway Farm, privately owned land with some walking trails. The friendly owner, an expat from London, tells us about his property and how the lands have been dry on account of five months without rain. The trails are still wonderful. Even the pesky green ants can't take away our excitement at wandering through the world's oldest living rain forest. Before heading to our campsite on Noah Beach, we stop to book our snorkeling trip for tomorrow. We're going to see the Great Barrier Reef!

5902 K – Noah Beach has the worst campsite ever! Just our luck, the tiny space we've been assigned over the phone is the crappiest one here! It's got bumpy ground with glass shards all over it, and our tents barely fit. We try calling the Parks Department but the nice guy tells us the computers are down for the day and we can't change sights, even though there seem to be several available. Oh well. There are toilets, but no showers, so we'll have to bathe in the salty waters for the next few days. No dingo pee here to blame our smells on. Too bad. We make the best of it, having a dip in the ocean and pray that stinger season has not started yet. We make a simple dinner (spaghetti and red sauce). We laugh so hard when we realize that the water jug Kevin filled this morning in Port Douglas has a tree frog holding on for dear life onto the inside lid! We release him into the wild, but not before thinking about adopting him as a pet for the rest of our road trip!




5918 K – Today we snorkel the Great Barrier Reef! The Rum Runner catamaran is spacious and the staff is very knowledgeable and professional. I'm one of the last to get in the cold water, as I have to try on several wet suits before I find one that fits. Kevin's already in the water and waits for me as I put on my mask and fins. I know it's going to be a wild day when Kevin asks me (right before I jump in), “What do you want me to show you first? A shark or a stingray?”

It's an amazing day! The coral is so colorful – purples, reds, and blues dot the ocean floor. The sea is teeming with wildlife – colorful parrot fish crunching on the coral, giant clams, gargantuan sea cucumbers that regurgitate their intestines for protection (we saw it!), tropical fish, and yes, sharks and stingrays. It's a great experience, even though we're shivering cold and I'm afraid to swim into scary creatures. A magical day!







5925 K - But it's not over yet. On the way back, we stop at Marrdja Boardwalk to walk through the swampy land. It looks a lot like our Everglades back home. Birds chirp, mangroves bubble, and we pray that the crocs have gone elsewhere!




It is a very early night for everyone. We are all exhausted and sleep well. Not even the rocky ground or annoying sand fleas can deter us from having serene aquatic dreams.

5978 K – This morning we wash our breakfast dishes out of a bucket and scratch our bites before we're back on the ferry again to cross back. Today our destination is south to Townsville, gateway to Magnetic Island.

6065 K – It's a beautiful drive. We stop in Cairns and take a short walk around this pretty town. Kevin takes a dip in the salt pool and we have lunch before we get back in the car to finish our journey to Townsville. Cairns proves to be our nicest lunch stop yet!

6426 K – We make it to Townsville with just a little bit of daylight left. The campsite is more of a trailer park. It's filled with converted buses and we camp at an intersection, right next to where the train passes. Yeeehaaaw! We have arrived in Bogan (Australian redneck) Territory! The menu prices don't seem to match the annual income of our neighbors– a Sizzler's steak is $30! We opt for pizza, a slightly cheaper option.

6447 K – Next day. We restock on much-needed supplies before driving to the ferry port to Magnetic Island, only 11 kilometers from the mainland and named in 1770 by Captain Cook when his ship's compass went crazy as he sailed by.

6456 K – Our ferry times were mixed up, so the next one doesn't leave for another 1 ½ hours. No problem! There's free internet and Kevin and I catch up on e-mails, the blog, etc. Time wisely spent! We soon take the 45 minute ferry to Magnetic Island, get back in the car, and start looking for accommodations where we can pitch a tent.

6467 K – Stop the car! Stop the car! It's our first koala sighting! OMG! They are soooo cute! We get out of the car and take 50 picture of this confused koala who has just woken up from his nap on the eucalyptus tree. It's so fluffy! I just want to cuddle and hug it, but it's sharp claws keep me at a safe distance. Mama didn't raise no fool . . .





6470 K – Another great campsite. Best one yet. Bungalow Bay is so nice, and it happens to be a koala sanctuary. We set up camp under the sweet frangipani trees. That afternoon, we walk to Horseshoe Bay. This island is full of wildlife! We spot turtles and manatee (called dugong here) in the water and on the way back home see more koalas and flying foxes, huge scary bats! We will feed the green, cacophonous lorakeets at our campsite and they will reward us with bird poop on our heads!

Last night it rained but our tent has stayed dry. Thank goodness! After a pancake breakfast, we drive around the island looking for a good snorkeling spot. But the winds are strong and the sea is choppy, so Kevin and I opt to hike to two secluded bays. Radical Bay is lovely, its tall palm trees providing shade in between our dips in the ocean. Balding Bay is even more gorgeous, and turns out to be the island's unofficial nude beach. Surprise! The giant granite boulders give us privacy and you know what they say, “When in Rome . . . “ I did keep my watch on, though ;)

This morning we did the Forts Walk. Kevin spotted the first of many koalas along the track, so guess who gets a free beer tonight? Magnetic Island has been great, with it's easy-going attitude and slower pace of life. The locals must take a hint from the koalas. Those cuddly marsupials eat eucalyptus (which takes up 20% of their energy to digest) and sleep up to 20 hours a day. Now that's the life!

This afternoon we will visit our favorite secluded beach again (this time I'll leave my watch behind). Tomorrow we leave our little island paradise. We're not too worried, though. In this country, picture perfect beaches seem to abound. We head south to Arlie Beach, where Nic will spend a few days sailing the Whitsundays while Kevin and I explore the coast. Going back to work someday is going to be VERY hard!