Australia, Part 1

Welcome to Australia, Mate

In New Zealand, "terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad days" do not seem to exist.  Nevertheless, the doctor and blonde woman "moved" to Australia for two weeks.  To have a look around.  And expand the Southern Hemisphere experience.

Australia---a big place, mate.  Geographically, the world's sixth largest.  Too big to experience in just two weeks.

First stop: Sydney.  Sydney contains 4.6 million (Boston metropolitan) multicultural Australasians living by the beaches, bays, arts, culture, and happenings.  The city center received three days of scrutiny by the blonde woman and her partner.  City tramping and blisters to show.

Sydney Opera House

Guiseppo Verdi's "Rigoletto" offered the two an opportunity to witness the Sydney Opera House.  Thought to be licentious at the Venice premiere in 1851, "Rigoletto" displays men in tight pants and women with plunging cleavage past the points of no return.  The doctor dutifully listened to the classic art form, but concluded the Washington Pavillion surpassed the Opera House for acoustics.  The blonde woman maintained her faith in the operatic voice as an expression of the human spirit.

Town Hall

Queen Victoria Building

Designer macaroon display

Walk, walk, walk.  To the Hyde Park, to the QueenVictoria Building, to the Manly Island ferry and then to Manly Island.  The bus to Bondi Beach with stops at coffee shops and seaside restaurants.  Good things to eat directed the travelers as efficiently as traffic signals.  Architecture from the 1800's as demonstrated by the Town Hall intermingles with the 21st century's new projects.  The short visit to Sydney left a more intense curiosity to return.  Not all the macaroons tried, not all the venues seen.

Celebrating new life

Then, off to Cairns.  While awaiting a flight in Sydney's airport, the blonde woman raced around to establish internet connection.   She arrived!  A granddaughter.  Another chapter.  A celebration of life aboard the plane.  Happy, very happy.
   Cairns sits along the northern Queensland coastline at about 17 degrees South.  The temperature dialed up.  A world of tropical forests, crocodiles, multiple birds and brilliant white-sand beaches opened.  Supper on the grill included crocodile meat, emu, kangaroo, and the favorite fish, barramundi.  Meals shared with fellow travelers from the USA, England, France, Italy, Brazil, and many others.

Walmart greeter at Daintree River Ride

Little Egret

Cassowary

Forest excursions imitated the sense of original exploration.  The wildlife assisted the ruse within the national parks and protected areas.  Cameras and field glasses traveled every site often with perceptive clarity.

Orange breasted Kingfisher 

Why make the effort to uncover Australia's intimate wonders?  The Great Barrier Reef.  In fact, considered one of the world's seven natural wonders, the Reef extends along the Queensland coast variable distances from the mainland.  Near Cairns and Port Douglas the Reef is relatively close.  The Australian trip mandated a visit to the natural beauty.  Swimsuits.  Sunscreen.  Dark glasses.  And a well equipped fast double-hauled sea-worthy vessel stuffed with good food and equipment for Reef exploration.  With overcast skies, the vessel churned the Coral Sea toward the Reef carrying the blonde woman and doctor toward another glory.  After about 90 minutes of searching for the destination and dodging rain clouds, the anchor dropped.  Fitted with snorkeling gear and wet suits, the twosome morphed into aquaman and aquagirl.  They eased from the stern into the aquamarine Coral Sea and met an underwater biologic cornucopia.  One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish, big fish, wee fish ...

Portion of Great Barrier Reef

Aquagirl

Aquagirl has arrived at the Great Barrier and is taking names of fish and whatever else crosses her path.  She glides through the silky water supported by her blue foam personal floatation device.

Aquagirl's suitor, not actually at Reef

Copperband Butterfly fish

Giant clam

Passer-by wrasse

Coral display

Coral skeletons provided a trip to the ocean's equivalent modern art museum.  Living polyps survive in colonies organized like patches of shaggy rugs across the sea floor.  Exploration of three separate areas of the Reef required four hours with goggles on.  Aquaman and Aquagirl reappeared, chilled and overstimulated.  The Great Barrier Reef now witnessed.






Along the Queensland coastline extensive beaches buffer the rain forest from the Coral Sea.  The Australian beach investigation began at Thornton Beach near Daintree in the northernmost Queensland region.  Other beaches sequentially down the coast included Four Mile Beach in Port Douglas, Mission Beach near Tully, Airlie Beach and Whitehaven Beach at the Whitsundays, Hervey Bay, Seventy Five Mile Beach on Frazer Island, and Sunshine Beach at Noosa.  Whitehaven ranks among the top five beaches in the world according to beach judges (who has that job?).

Mission Beach 

Here is a volunteer to be a world beach judge.  She specializes in toe dipping and sauntering through soft sand.

Typical Beach-Forest relationship

Mission Beach may have been the best sun day.  Tom and Cheryl had reserved this beach months ahead or so it would seem.

Cheryl loitering on Mission Beach

Only to have had access to the catamaran!  What is on that island?  What is down the beach another mile?  One experience leads to the next.

Overview of Whitehaven Beach at Whitsundays

Whitehaven

Whitsundays

 Whitehaven Beach is accessible by boat, seaplane, helicopter, or a very long swim.  All will cost something.  The beach sand is intensely white.  Marine biologists explain that the silica is the by-product of the parrotfish's digestive process---billions of parrotfish over millions of years.  Big piles of by-product.

White sand of Whitehaven

More sand loiters 

Whitehaven beach stretches along the southeastern aspect of the Whitsundays.  It is an Australian National Park.  A short hike to a viewing platform allows views like this.













The amazing white sand brought to this place by the currents and winds compliments of the parrotfish.









Tom and Cheryl worked at swishing the perfect amount of sand.  In fact, many representatives from the world did the same.  Met the usual United Kingdom person, and always the Germans, as well as a young Belarus woman.

Driving the beach at Fraser Island

Fraser Island nestles up to Hervey Bay with a reputation of the largest sand box island in the world.  It is designated a World Heritage listed location and another Australian National Park.  4WD vehicles haul visitors on a jolting drive through the paths in the forest and along the beaches.  Crystal lakes hide amongst the dunes and trees.  The fine sand cleans old skin and coins.  Mostly old skin.

And then the sun sets on Fraser Island

The Australian trip continued down the Queensland coast with journeys into adjacent areas of interest.