Queensland: Beautful One Day, Perfect the Next

November was a big month for us.  It marked the one year anniversary of our arrival in Oz.  It also meant that it was finally time to enjoy a holiday that Jason had been planning for months.  Best of all, we’d be embracing our first visitors, Jason’s mom and dad.

The plan was for the four of us to meet in Cairns where we’d start our trip.  Jason and I seized the opportunity to fly up early so we could squeeze in some extra scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef.   Our day of diving was incredible.  At this point, we were even more excited for the next morning when we could pick up Tom and Charlotte from the airport.  Then, we heard the news.  On the same day they were meant to fly out of the States, Qantas had gone on strike; grounding its entire fleet…worldwide.  Our jovial mode quickly turned to panic.  We jumped on the internet to see if they had taken off.  -Talk about relief! Their plane was in transit. The flight took off 2 hours before the announcement. Whew!  However, their flight only flew them into Brisbane; still 10 hours from where we were waiting.  We went to our hotel lobby and sprinted to the last vacant computer.  EVERYBODY was trying to shuffle their travel plans thus making the internet connection slower than ever.  We found another airline with a connecting flight which had very similar travel times to the original.  It took forever, but we plugged in their info and hit the purchase button…only to see an error message.  Ugh! Turns out, we had to start over because the airline jacked the price up an extra $100 per ticket simply because they could!  We may have paid out the nose, but in the end we happily bought the ticket they needed.  Everything was back on track.  The first minor setback was overcome. 

The next morning we encountered our second hurdle.  This came in the form of tiny white spiders, hundreds of them.  Our one and only suitcase had become infested while staying at our seemingly nice hotel.   It was so disgusting!  They were spilling from every possible crevice of our luggage.  Jason was pounding on the bag to help draw them out while I was beating our unmentionables against the car.  It was quite a scene.  We eventually got our hands on insect spray; we showed absolutely no mercy.  After that fiasco, we made our way to the airport to greet our guests!

Our trip was basically broken up into 3 legs.  This blog shares our experience of #1.  

1) Queensland: Port Douglas, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Whitsundays.

2) Newcastle and Sydney

3) New Zealand: South Island

 On our way to Port Douglas, we stopped in a great little town called Kuranda.  It’s a beautifully well kept village in the rain forest.  We spent our time there catching up over a nice lunch and unsuccessfully shopping for opals.  

 

Still in route to Port Douglas, we came across a scenic pull off that we couldn’t resist.  Not only offering stunning views, it came with free entertainment and the chance to buy a fresh coconut dessert.  We don’t normally gravitate towards vegan treats, but we gave it a go.  We all agreed that it was really beautiful.  The 70 year old businessman and doctor (doctor of what…we don’t know)/coconut farmer/advocate for vegan & raw living was just  Stateside for Woodstock’s Fruit Festival.  He was a guest speaker nonetheless.  Apparently, it’s a big deal in his world.  We knew nothing about it.  Anyway, the interesting thing about this guy is that he still climbs the coconut tree to retrieve the fruit. That’s pretty impressive given his age.  Maybe he’s on to something…

Mmm...Coconut milk

Paragliders taking off beside us

Yes...he's 70!

  Port Douglas is a stylish little town not to be missed.  It’s the perfect location to see the Daintree Rainforest, Great Barrier Reef and Four Mile Beach.  Unfortunately, we only spent a couple of days there.  Next time, I’ll see to it we add an extra day.  There were a lot of cute shops that Charlotte and I didn’t have time to check out.  Jason probably planned it that way in an effort to save his wallet.  Still, our stay was so nice and relaxing.  The biggest decisions we made were where and what to eat. 

St Mary's By the Sea

  Tom and Charlotte didn’t come all this way not to see some Aussie animals so we went to Wildlife Habitat of Port Douglas.  This was the best animal reserve Jason and I have been to.  We did the standard touristy koala holding, kangaroo/wallaby feeding, and bird watching.  It’s no secret that I don’t like birds, but they are spectacular in Oz.  Charlotte doesn’t like birds either, but she agreed with me.  Actually, she took it a step farther and allowed one to stay put after it jumped on her head! –No, thank you!! 

Blurry as this wasn't seen coming!

Oh dear...

Nope...she's gonna be alright!

Tom to the rescue

From the habitat we made our way to the Daintree Rainforest.  The forest was as you’d imagine; green and lush.  We stopped along the way for bushwalking and to relax on some gorgeous beaches.  Not that we had a very taxing day, but we decided we “needed” ice cream.  Based on a trustworthy recommendation, we went a small stand that specializes in organic, biodynamic ice cream.  (We didn’t know what that meant either).  Tom and Charlotte were smart enough not to partake.  Jason and I opted to share a small amount. A small piece of advice: if you’re going to indulge on ice cream, eat the real stuff.  Walk away from biodynamic frozen treats.  Case closed!  Shortly after that Daintree redeemed itself in the form of 2 cassowaries.  Normally, these flightless birds are elusive and very hard to view in the wild.  Lucky for us, we were at the right place at the right time as we watched them mosey across the road.     

Myall Beach, Daintree

Cassowary

  I’ve learned a long time ago that a Thiry vacation isn’t a Thiry vacation unless every minute of every day is maxed out.  I had to either get on board or stay home.  In the end, I think they’re on to something.  I have to admit; we see and do a lot!  So, after we left Daintree we had just enough daylight to navigate our way through Mossman Gorge.  Actually, we finished our hike in the dark which was exactly what Charlotte and I didn’t want to do.  Jason said it was perfect because we saw animals that we’d probably not have seen in the day.   Another small piece of advice: Always carry a flashlight or headlamp when hiking with Jason.  

  One of the highlights of our Queensland trip was going to the Great Barrier Reef.  During our days trip our boat took us to 3 different reefs.  Jason and I went scuba diving while Tom and Charlotte snorkeled.  We all agreed it was amazing; like swimming inside of an aquarium.  The reef was massive with the most colorful assortment of fish.  November marks the beginning of stinger season in this area.  That means you wouldn’t want to be in the water without a stinger suit.  The lycra suit covers everything except your face.  I wouldn’t have minded having my face covered if it meant extra insurance against the box jellyfish.  When there’s a stinger in the water that can kill an adult in 3 minutes, I would have taken any protection…no matter how ridiculous it looked.  Honestly though, once we were in the water and were mesmerized by colorful and shiny fish, we didn’t even think about the risk.  

Divers

Snorkelers

Four Mile Beach

The last portion of the Queensland trip was too perfect.  We hired a catamaran, “Whitsunday Blue”, to sail around the Whitsunday Islands.  The Whitsundays are one of Australia’s most highly regarded travel destinations. Their natural beauty makes it all the more alluring.  Our incredible weather made it even better.  We were slightly pampered on this trip.  Our crew consisted of 2 lovely ladies who took great care of us.  All of our meals were provided and prepared for us.  For 3 days while we were on the boat our only job was to sit back and relax.  Along with that, we ventured off the boat for snorkeling, kayaking, and lounging at Whitehaven beach.  Whitehaven Beach, our favorite spot in the Whitsundays, is a definite "must-see."  It’s made up of crystal clear aqua waters and pristine silica sand.  It’s nature at its best.  As the tide shifts, the white silica sand and turquoise shades of the inlet blend seamlessly to create a breathtaking view of swirling Whitsunday colors. It’s easy to see why it is the most photographed beach in Australia.

Airlie Beach, gateway to Whitsundays

Tom's making sure she knows what she's doing

What more can you ask for?

Whitsunday Blue

First sunset

Whitehaven Beach

Whitehaven-it's worth 2 pictures

       Captain & First Mate

Virginia is for lovers, but the Whitsundays are for me!

This leg of our holiday was wrapped up with a short stay on Hamilton Island.  It’s probably the most touristy of the Whitsunday Islands.  Even with that, it can’t be sold short.  It’s a small, hilly island where the mode of transportation operates by foot, golf cart or bus.  Not surprising, the scenery was breathtaking.  

When it was time, it was hard to board the plane.  The Queensland leg of our trip was more amazing that we expected it to be. The good news is that we still had plenty of travel ahead of us.  Stay tuned for Part II.