Great Barrier Reef and then some

It has been a long drive, but our final destination in Australia is within our grasp. We couldn't believe that we had actually arrived at this natural Wonder of the World, the Great Barrier Reef, at it's most southern extremity near Arlie Beach. This tourist Mecca and jump off point to the Reef begins with a day trip to the world famous, 9 km Whitehaven Beach. See the attached video at Whitehaven Beach Voted one of the top 10 beaches in the world, the white silica sand stretches as far as the eye can see and except for the day trippers such as ourselves, no one else is around, not even any beach vendors, restaurants or bars. This National Park has bragging rights of showing off the simplicity of nature at her finest. The only negative, being that it is not advisable to go swimming unless wearing a protective stinger suit to guard against the invisible stinger jellyfish, which are present all along this coast due to the warm waters. An annoyance for sure, but a reality that has to be understood, in order to take in everything these waters have to offer.

The trip up the coast has included stops in Townsville, Mission Beach and Palm Cove. We are traveling in the off season but the weather is hot and humid and these tourist destinations seem rather deserted in the midday because of the heat and the humidity, and there are vacancies in abundance at some beautiful accommodations.

Port Douglas is the ultimate destination for those really looking to experience the Great Barrier Reef. Prior to leaving we had booked a day trip with the Quick Silver Group, who is the only tour operator with a license to operate a floating deck right at the Reef itself. The ride was a 40 km, one and a half hour roller coaster ride on a very larger catamaran out to the reef and platform. One can try to describe the experience but it is just one of those things that have to be experienced firsthand to get a real sense as to what it is all about. We did two snorkel outings and took a ride in a semi submersible. I have included a few pictures but they really are not at all representative as to what was experienced. A great lunch was also included but we passed on the wine as I probably would have lost my lunch on the return trip due to the swells and rolling of the boat. One poor woman, who apparently suffered from vertigo, had to be flown back by helicopter from the platform.

The following day we were up early once again and off to experience The Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation. It's notoriety stems from the fact that it is the only range of rainforest that runs directly down to the reef from the mountains. It was another full day, with stops at a wildlife refuge and a riverboat ride up the Daintree River, in search of crocodiles and other reptiles such as the python. We found both, but kept our distance, and I was conscientious to keep my hands in the boat and was constantly looking over my shoulder for any sign of predators in search of an evening meal. This certainly is a beautiful and interesting part of the world as attested to by the renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough, who was quoted as saying that if he had to choose, this region would be his favorite of all.