So, we've moved a few miles further south. Only a few, though; we're on Green Island, a jewel of a sand cay 45 minutes by ferry from Cairns. It's the only tropical island in the world that has both beach and rainforest, but don't get carried away, you can walk around it in 30 minutes, so it's not a leviathon in island terms (in the way that Greenland is, for example). And apologies in advance if my prose becomes a little flowery, or my spelling a little erratci - I've just polished off 4 glasses of wine...
Green Island is on the inner Barrier Reef, and since arriving here yesterday we've experienced fish-feeding at 5.00pm (where the Reef Sharks, moon fish, yellow-tails, trevali's, seargent major fish and turtles turn up so promptly you can't help but wonder if they have an alarm clock secreted away in the coral), a glass bottomed-boat trip that knocked anything we've seen on Maurituis (sp) into a cocked hat, a plane trip over the reef that sent Boy #2 into an ecstatic trance and Boy #1 suffering from air sickness, and oh, yes. Boy #2 has been ill.
Not convenient in our current location, when it's a 15 minute and A$400 helicopter ride from the nearest doctor, but he seems to be getting it over it now...
Would we come back? Hell, yes. Though perhaps with antibiotics at the ready.
what a fabulous experience, and i bet the illness won't mar it in the memory. it's been lovely to experience aus through your posts!
ReplyDeleteI'm absolutely stunned by the variety of things you've done on this trip. How long did it take to plan this? Do you have a detailed itinerary? Don't tell me your just finding stuff to do as you go along.
ReplyDeleteAt least you've done it right!
ReplyDeleteCoral reefs are amazing places. I suspect that the fish know when to show up for the food. You're not the first ones you know!
ReplyDeleteLovely description. Discovered your blog via Daily Telegraph. Have yet to potty train my little boy so will be reading your site in minute detail a bit later on...
Hi Grit, thanks, and am sure I haven't really touched on the authentic Aus - but at least I've put something down in writing!
ReplyDeleteHi SB, I would luuuurve to take credit for this trip, but have to say that it's almost all been down to Husband's planning genius. Sure, I had a couple of things I wanted to do, but he pulled it all together. Sometimes being married to an even bigger control freak than yourself is a good thing...
Hi Aims, I do think so, actually. And life back in London is certainly going be just a little pedestrian when we finally get home.
Hello HD, thanks for the visit (apologies for the abbrev but you're not alone...). You're spot on of course about the fish - although someone had clearly forgotten to wind up the reef shark's alarm clock today as they were running around 15 minutes late. (Wouldn't have liked to be on the recieving end of those comments when they realised all the good stuff was gone...) Good luck with the potty training; am just about to embark again with Boy #2, and have to say the prospect does not fill me with joy...
Thanks to your posting, I now understand better why friends have just left Scotland to emigrate to Australia. Sorry, though, to hear about your boy's illness. Never good at any time. Even worse on holiday.
ReplyDeleteHi MaL, like all these things it was worrying at the time but over very quickly. We're on our way home now, so all of this will soon seem like a distant memory when we're surrounded by school runs and grocery shopping again...
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