Port Douglas, Daintree, Lizard Island, Queensland
World Trip Two
Thursday, May 21, 2009: Hobart-Port Douglas, Australia
Today was one of those very annoying days you have, every now and then, when traveling. Or should I say, when you put your life in the hands of the airlines and, ultimately, the weather. We were scheduled to fly from Hobart to Cairns, via Melbourne. But bad weather in Melbourne caused our flight to be rerouted to Sydney. Of course, you can imagine the bedlam this caused. We spent the next five hours waiting around in Sydney Airport. Travel consists of much hurrying up to wait; today was a good example of this axiom.
We left Hobart at 4:30 a.m. and arrived in Port Douglas via Cairns at 9:00 p.m.; a very long day.
Friday, May 22, 2009: Port Douglas-Daintree, Australia
A little park in Port Douglas.
We spent a full and fantastic day in Port Douglas. The first task of the day was finding breakfast, which led us to the main street of Port Douglas. This street is full of restaurants and shops. We had risen early, so most places were closed.
The Four Mile Beach.
But there was one early bird café that indulged us. After this, we walked to Lookout Point via a little jewel of a park. The views from the park and the lookout were spectacular. We continued our walk to the Four Mile Beach, where we strolled on its wide stretch of fine sands. From here, we returned to our apartment, rested a bit, and then drove to Mossman Gorge.
A short walk took us through the lush rainforest to gushing waterfalls and the cool Mossman River. Julia was horrified by a park sign that stated: "If you touch this plant, seek medical advice." From her initial sighting, Julia could be seen gliding past all plants with distance to spare.
A primordial monster.
Once safely back in our car, with no plant encounters, we continued to the little and sleepy town of Daintree. Its only claim to fame is its many river cruises to spot crocodiles.
We selected the Electric Boat cruise as the idea of electric drive seemed very novel. As it turned out, it was not only novel, but its quietness allowed us to get very close to four crocodiles, including a very young baby croc.
We returned to Port Douglas, where a Mardi Gras was in progress. The main street was filled with horses, fire trucks, and floats of all descriptions.
An ancient reptile.
From Julia:
I cannot imagine how anyone ever came to settle near the Daintree River. It's stunningly beautiful, but filled with crocodiles, stinging trees, and biting insects. We were drawn to see a crocodile, but from the safety of a boat.
Stupidly, I only checked with the boat skipper that it was safe to get a couple of feet away from a large estuarine croc when we actually were a couple of feet away from one. Luckily, he said it was okay. He was a wiry, suntanned, outback sort of guy. And he seemed to love the river and crocodiles. He knew their hangout spots and habits. In a thick Aussie accent, he told us all about how they were nearly hunted to extinction, that they are now protected, but still, if a human gets eaten by one, the croc is shot in retribution. He pointed to the thick, green rainforest at the banks of the river and told us that the forest and the crocs had been there for the last 150 million years. He sprinkled phrases like "fair dinkum," "mate," and "good onya" into his explanations, which was terribly endearing to me, but David didn't notice the quaint colloquialisms like I did.
Port Douglas Video
Saturday, May 23, 2009: Port Douglas-Lizard Island, Australia
One of the island's namesakes.
After so much rushing around, it was now time for Julia and me to kick back and take it easy at the Lizard Island resort. The island is even further north, up the Queensland coast, than Port Douglas. It is also very close to the outer part of the Great Barrier Reef.
The view from our room.
We drove from Port Douglas back to Cairns, where we picked up our general aviation flight to the island. A short one-hour flight had us landing on the small strip in the middle of the island. This is the second time I have been here, and I still cannot get over how the place reminds me of the tacky TV show *Fantasy Island*. Not that Lizard Island is tacky. It is rightly a five-star resort. But the idea of having your every wish granted was then, and is now, their motto.
Immediately after landing, we were greeted by a host and several of the many giant lizards on the island. We were then driven to the lodge and shown around the resort. Soon, we were settled in our cabin, which overlooks the sunset beach. After much wine and a superb lunch, we found ourselves floating about, in snorkel gear, on one of the many little sheltered bays that congregate about the island. Later, we watched the sunset while consuming more wine and then ended the evening enjoying a five-star meal.