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| The Great Barrier Reef |
There were so many highlights of my first trip to Australia. I was doing a 30 day tour of New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. Just the opportunity to do this trip was amazing. However, after all these years there are some things which just stand out more than others.
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| Whitsunday Islands |
As I have mentioned before, one of my reasons to go to Australia was the Great Barrier Reef. This trip was long before I got my PADI diving certificate. The Barrier Reef is a massive coral reef system that is about 2300 km long. The reef starts off around Brisbane and runs all the way up the coast of Queensland. At Rockhampton, the reef is about 300 hundred km out to sea. One of the optional trips was a flight to the outer reef in a very, very small sea plane. Three passengers and the pilot. I remember the beautiful views of the outer reef as we came into land ( guess you can't really call it landing as we were on the sea). The plane came to rest in a lagoon on one big coral bommy. A coral bommy is basically a coral island which has not quite reached the surface yet. There was a deep canal going between two bommies. So I came to snorkel so snorkel I did. I will never forget the first time I put my head into the water on the reef. A multitude of beautiful fish. One of the fish I was keen to see was a long nosed butterfly fish. This was just about the first fish I saw. There was a bit of a current, but not too strong. The top of the bommy was only about 1 or 2 meters meters deep. I was enjoying just drifting and letting the gentle current carry me along. Suddenly I went over the edge of the deep channel. Firstly, I nearly had a heart attack, and a fresh pair of swimming trucks. Then, I realised just how beautiful it was. Crystal clear water with a massive array of coral going into the deep. I have since done about 90 dives in various places, including the Great Barrier Reef, but I have never again seen such beautify. I spent most of the time snorkeling in the channel. Amazing!
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| This looks very much like the place I did my first trip to the Reef |
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| Long nosed butterfly fish |
The tour also included a cruse and stay on one of the islands in the Whitsunday group of islands. This also included a day trip to Hyman Island, which is now one of the premier resorts on the reef. Also once in Cairns, there was another trip, this time to Green Island, which was about 20 km out to sea and then onto a floating pontoon moored to a bommy on the outer reef for more amazing snorkeling.
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| Green Island. Great place to visit |
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| Pontoon at the Outer Reef - a must do. |
The trip through the Red Centre from Darwin down to Adelaide was also pretty spectacular. Catherine Gorge just South of Darwin was amazing. Then of course Ayers Rock ( now called Uluru) and the Olgars was spectacular. These are two massive rock formations in an otherwise very flat landscape. We could climb up Uluru. It is a very special place for the Aboriginal people and I think it is no longer possible to climb it.
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| Road train in the Red centre |
At Kings Canyon, some 300 km south of Alice Springs, we were sitting having lunch when a sulphure crested cockatoo came the table. I thought it was someones pet parrot. This was before my bird watching days and I now know there are about 40 indigenous parrot species in Australia. Another reason what I thought he (or she) was a pet was because the bird climbed onto my hand!
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| Cathrin gorge in the Northern territory |
We camped out at the Devils Marbles. Strange round rocks in the middle of nowhere. Perfectly round large rocks piled up on each other. For all the world like marbles!
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| Devil's marbles |
The mining town of Cooper Pedy was also very interesting. This is the place where many of Australia's opals are mined. It is very hot there, and many of the mines have been converted into underground homes. While having a beer or two in the local pub, I started talking to some of the miners. They told me about sea shells which had become Opal. As I had just finished my degree in microbiology and zoology, I was very interested in this. So, in the middle of the night we went off to the guy's mine and I got a bag full of these opalised shells. In a later trip to Australia I discover that these shells had become very poplar and were pretty expensive.
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| Underground church at Cooper Pedy |
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| Opalised shells |
Then there was the mighty city of Daily Waters with a population of 8! In the outback, there is a filling station about every 600 km. At each filling station, there is also a pub. The locals might drive 400 or 500 km for a beer, so they normally stay for more than one.
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| The mighty city of Daily Waters |
All to soon, it was time to head home. I remember sitting looking out of the window as we took off for Sydney. There was the most beautiful view of the Opera house and brigade and I wondered if I would every see that sight again. I have been back to Australia a few times, but the first one is always special.
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| View of Sydney from the plane |
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