Wednesday, August 1st, 2001
Latitude 16 degrees 55 minutes South
Longitude: 145 degrees 46 minutes East
Marlin Marina, Cairns, Australia
I awoke today to find David making a wonderful breakfast in honor of my 41st birthday. Yes its true, I’m officially in my 40’s. Not too shocking though I still have lots of life left. On the news this morning we hear that this is also the Horses Birthday in Australia. Australia being a country that likes its horse racing and polo ponies thinks this is a big day. What does this mean? Well, it doesn’t matter when a horse is born through out the year; its birthday is August 1st. It doesn’t matter if the horse was born last august 2nd or this July 31st, they both turn one-year-old on August 1st. I personally don’t understand it. But I certainly don’t mind sharing my birthday with the horses of Australia! We didn’t have any special plans for the day. I invited our Australian friends from Goldmund over for dinner and David being such a great chef is going to make a feast of my favorite things. I went out to explore more of downtown Cairns and checked out one of the many Internet cafes. Later this evening Graham and Karen arrived for the birthday celebration and feast with a bottle of champagne and video camera in hand. During the evening Karen announced that she finally received her birthday present today as well (only 3 weeks late) she held out her hand to show us a huge diamond engagement ring. So we had several things to celebrate and the champagne was popped. It turned out to be a wonderful birthday being shared with our new Australian friends.
Thursday, August 2nd – Thursday August 9th, 2001
Latitude 16 degrees 55 minutes South
Longitude: 145 degrees 46 minutes East
Marlin Marina, Cairns, Australia
The next week was spent exploring the sites of Cairns. Cairns is the second largest city in Queensland and is known as the capital of the far north. It is one of the top tourist destinations in the north of Queensland. The streets are full of dive shops, aboriginal artifacts and art shops, surf shops, jewelry shops selling pearls, gold, opals and diamonds, all of which are grown and mined in Australia. There are restaurants of every kind offering everything from crocodile to kangaroo on the menu. The town is bustling with young adults from all over the world that make up the large backpacker population of the north. There are many backpackers hostels and many restaurants and internet cafes that cater to and offer special deals to the backpacker community. Being that it is now winter in Australia, many Australians from the colder southern climate also flock to the northern community for a bit of sunshine. Southern Australia is now very cold and even boasts several great ski mountains, of which we watch the ski reports for everyday on the news. It’s hard to believe people in this country are skiing while we are in this very warm tropical environment of the far north. There is large shopping mall right in front of the marina called the Pier Marketplace. Several tourist offices operate out of this mall and it to is filled with restaurants and shops of many varieties, including a shop that makes things out of crocodile skins. It is a hub of activity everyday.
I spent one day visiting the Cairns Regional Art Gallery, mostly to see a special exhibit they had on by Thancoupie, an aboriginal ceramic artist. What made this artist unique is that she a women and is the first aboriginal artist to undertake formal training in ceramics and one of the first to use clay to depict indigenous imagery. In the last 30 years she has a developed a style that is uniquely hers. She hand builds a round vase out of stoneware and then incises the pot with traditional indigenous imagery. She also records the stories and imagery of her people in relief style tiles. Thancoupie lives in the Cairns area and has a very rustic studio in the out of doors where she enjoys teaching other aboriginal children. It was a wonderful show and I wish to find out more about this unique and talented lady.
We are now in a part of Australia where aboriginal people live. Some of them are not a pretty site. Much like our American Indians they have been pushed off their land onto reservations or left homeless. They seem to have intolerance for alcohol and tend to drink too much. They are the forgotten population of this country and are trying to fight for their rights and land. Unfortunately here in Cairns we have witnessed the unpleasant sites of the homeless as we have seen them sleeping on the streets and in the parks of the town.
On August 7th we became part of Australian history when we were asked to fill out the census form. Even though we are not citizens they wanted to know our statistics. There was also a box to check to have our names and information added to a time capsule to be opened in 100 years. This is in honor of the centary federations 100 years. So in another 100 years if anyone is around well be there in spirit and name.
Friday our friends on Gandalf arrived, but being that there was no room in the marina for them they stayed anchored in the inlet and dinghied in everyday. Gram and Karen have a friend in Cairns that has started a laser tag game out in the woods. They invited David and Aaron to join them in the fun. So they all took off for the day. They didn’t arrive home until late in the afternoon and had nothing to eat since breakfast. So we all went out for a feast at the famous Tim’s restaurant. (Known for their extremely large portions of food) it was a nice way to end the weekend. Thursday David rented a car so we could take a trip inland and then later David could use it to drive Aaron to Brisbane to catch his flight home. We used the car Thursday morning to fill propane tanks and get all the heavy things we need from the grocery store. In the afternoon we drove out to Yorkies Knob with the Gandalfs to check out the marina situation there. It’s a nice enough marina but is far away from everything. They do have a nice clubhouse so we decided to enjoy the lovely afternoon on their veranda. I don’t think the Gandalfs or we will be making a stop here this year. I spent the rest of the day preparing for our trip into the hinterland tomorrow.
Friday August 10th, 2001
UNDARA LAVA TUBES,
Northern Queensland, Australia
We loaded up our gear and headed off on our outback adventure into what is known as the Gulf Savannah lands. It was suppose to be about a 4-hour drive to the Undara Lava Lodge. David had spoken with them on the phone and made a reservation for us to stay in what they called a swag tent and then take the lava tube tour the following day. We drove on a very curvy road up through the mountains of the Gilles National Forest. After we emerged from the lush forest we were spit out into the beginning of the bush. From here it's all down hill to the Gulf of Carpentaria on the Cape York Peninsula. The landscaped turned from a luscious green to a red dust bowl with large termite mounds scattered about the land. We made a stop at the last little town of Ravenshoe before we got to the lava tubes. We decided to stop and get some snacks for it was starting to look pretty remote where we were and we weren’t sure what the lodge to have offer. As we left this little town the road turned into something like we have never driven on before. It was mostly a red dirt and gravel road with a single lane of rough white concrete running down the center. It was fine driving down the center narrow ribbon of concrete until a car arrived from the other direction. In which case each vehicle was to drive the outer two tires onto the dirt grave while the other two inside tires remained on the concrete. This was pretty interesting being that there was usually a big ledge between the concrete and gravel while the vehicle coming from the other direction was usually a big truck or camper. After this exhilarating drive we finally end up the lava lodge. It was very rustic and many of the guests stayed in railroad cars that had been converted into bunkhouses. We were to stay in the swag tent area. We found our swag in the swag village. A swag tent is half tent half camper. It is raised off the ground with a hard fiberglass floor and built in cooler (know in Australia as an Eski) in the floor. The sides of the tent which are about 15 to 20 feet tall are alternating canvas and fiberglass panels. The fiber glass panels have little windows in them for ventilation. Inside the tents we found a set of bunk beds and a one bunk with just bare mattresses. Apparently we were to bring our own blankets etc… for sleeping. The gal took pity on us and said they would provide us with some from the rail car bunks. So at least we wouldn’t freeze to death tonight. After we got settled in we decided to go on one of the many hikes in the area. The hike took us over large pink granite boulders and dark brown lava fields until we reached the end of the trail and the beautiful overlook of the lava fields. The sky here was as a blue as I’ve ever seen. We were later told that the oil from the eucalyptus trees is released into the air, which helps make the sky appear to be bluer. After the hike we decided to take a refreshing dip in the unheated pool at the lodge. Before we knew it was time for dinner at the lodge. The lodge is also made up of old railroad train cars and one is even made into the bar. Quite charming. After dinner the night’s entertainment was listening to the tall tales of a real cowboy from an outback cattle station around a glowing campfire. Boy this guy loves his horses. After about an hour of this it was getting way to cold so we retired to the comfort of our swag tent and called it day.
Saturday August 11th, 2001
UNDARA LAVA TUBES,
Northern Queensland, Australia
We awoke this morning with anticipation of our bush breakfast that awaited us down the trail. Off we went down the dirt path with the smell of bacon leading us to the spot. We arrived at a clearing in the eucalyptus forest where breakfast was being cooked on the barbee. We were handed a metal plate and sent down the line to collect our bacon (rashers), eggs, and grilled tomatoes. There was also bread that could be toasted over a wood fire with the help of wire bracket. There were also bags of cereal and fruits to have as well. We were warned by the cooks not to feed the birds that were hanging around. They said it would only make them fiercer in their quest to get our food. Hanging around watching us eat were several large ravens. I had a pack of cereal in my pocket that must have been sticking out a bit for the sly raven spied and grabbed it out of my pocket and flew off to his secret hiding place.
After breakfast we were loaded onto a small bus with an eco-tour guide named Val. Val was very knowledgeable about the environment having grown up in the area. We were informed about all the trees, kangaroos, and wallabies of the area. We finally arrived at the lava fields. Around 190,000 years ago this part of Australian beautiful pink granite began to be covered with lava flows from 164 different volcanoes. The most impressive being the one they call Undara. One of the lava flows from the Undara volcano was more than a 160 kms, making it the longest single flow on the planet. This flow produced more than 23 cubic kms of lava, the total area of the lava field being 1550 sq kms. Val began filling our heads with overwhelming facts and figures as we began down the path to the lava tubes. We were only allowed in a few of the lava tubes for some of them had collapsed and we were of course only taken to the safe ones. The only thing I found surprising about these tubes was their enormous size. I had been in the Mt St. Helen’s lava tubes and they were small compared to these in Australia. We spent the morning hiking from tube to tube and hearing legends of aboriginal people who once lived here. It was an interesting morning topped off by lunch at the lodge. Then we had to begin the long drive back on the ribbon of concrete. This time I persuaded David to stop so I could take some pictures of the large termite mounds that are common to the area. Some of these mounds were as tall as I was and looked like big lumpy round balls. This time we drove back through the Atherton Tablelands. This was a beautiful drive through beautiful green hills with the occasional volcanic cone sticking out of the landscape. We finally arrived back at the marina later that night after a long two days of traveling.
Sunday, August 12th – Sunday August 19th, 2001
Latitude 16 degrees 55 minutes South
Longitude: 145 degrees 46 minutes East
Marlin Marina, Cairns, Australia
Sunday morning David and Aaron loaded up the car with all their gear and surfboard and began the drive to Brisbane. They were hoping to find a spot along the way for Aaron to go surfing. After they left I spent the rest of the day cleaning up the v-berth. Tuns out that David and Aaron made it to Rockhampton that day. When I talked to him on the phone David commented on the many dead kangaroos that were on the side of the road. The following day they made it to the Mooloolaba area where Aaron was able to get a little surfing in. Wednesday David drove Aaron to the airport for his long flight home and David began his long drive back up to Cairns. I spent the week hanging out with Dewey, since the Gandalf’s and Goldmund’s had left and headed on to Port Douglas. By Thursday night David had arrived home safely and was extremely tired from driving for 6 straight days. Now all we need is the computer back and we are ready to go. But David called them on Friday and it looks like they are waiting for apart to arrive on Monday so we will wait.
While all this is going on there is a very interesting event developing in Australia. At first I didn’t give a second thought, but it has developed into quite a political mess here in Australia. Australia is in the unique position of being close to Indonesia. Thousands of people from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and other neighboring countries have for years been making their way to Indonesia and then paying people smugglers to bring them into Australian waters. Usually these are boats much like we see come in from Cuba. Many of the boats are sinking or falling apart before they arrive and they have to be rescued. Once they are in Australian waters they can claim to be asylum seekers and are taken to detention centers around the country where is it is reported that the govt. spends 40-45 thousands dollars per person processing them and giving them visas and a place to stay. This has been going for years, boats come to Christmas Island or crash up on the Ashmoore reef, the Australians rescue them and bring them in for processing. Well I guess they have finally had enough. All detention centers are full, they are getting real bad press about the detention centers and so enough is enough. So, some poor guy on a Norwegian vessel called the Tampa rescued a bunch of Afghanistan’s on their way to Christmas Island. His closest port of call was Indonesia and so that is where he should have taken them, but the Afghanistan’s threaten the captain and said they must be taken to Australia. So the captain called up Australia and told them he was on the way. Australia said don’t you dare bring those people here and so the stand off has begun. There are believed to be 460 people on this boat, they are going on hunger strikes and still making demands. And so the week ends with these people floating about in the ocean off the coast of Christmas Island (Australian territory) with the Australia govt., the Norwegian govt. and the United Nations trying to figure out what to do.
Monday August 20th - Saturday August 25th, 2001
Latitude 16 degrees 55 minutes South
Longitude: 145 degrees 46 minutes East
Marlin Marina, Cairns, Australia
The computer repair shop kept promising our computer back everyday, so we kept waiting instead of moving on. But alas the end of the week came and we were no closer to getting our computer back then we were 3 weeks ago. So we began looking at the charts and trying to figure what we have time left to do. Because of the requirements of our visas we will have to leave the country by November 9th and we need to have the boat somewhere safe for cyclone season by then. We also have to start thinking about where we want to go for a week or so. Seeing the amount of water we have to cover by then we decided not to go any father north and start heading south again. The computer would have to catch up with us somewhere along the way. So when a north wind blows we will be on our way.
Before we left Cairns I wanted to visit the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Center. It is suppose to be one of the best in the country. David didn’t want to go so on Thursday morning I took the bus out to the center and spent a wonderful day taking in the culture of the indigenous people of Australia. The tour started out with a very grim history of the aboriginal people in this part of the country. From there we were ushered into a room called the Creation Theatre. Here we were told the creation stories and legends of the Tjapukai people. This was done in their native tongue and the performers interacted with holographic images to enhance their stories. We all wore headphones that translated the Tjapukai language into the language of your choice. From here we were allowed to wander the grounds and take in the museum of artifacts and art. I also attended a class on bush medicine and food and went to the spear and boomerang throwing areas to try my hand at it. Later in the afternoon I went to one more performance of dance and song put on by the male members of the tribe, this was concluded by a didgeridoo demonstration. It was very interesting and I’m glad I had the opportunity to take it in.
It was two years ago on Saturday August 25th that David and I left the dock at Elliot Bay Marina in Seattle and started on this grand adventure. It’s hard to believe that we have been gone two years and how far we have come. We decided to celebrate by going out for dinner.
As for the asylum seekers on the Tampa; they have decided to take out an Australian naval ship to transfer the people onto. This way they would have proper food, medical facilities, and bathroom facilities. The Prime Minister has a plan of action for these people that he is working on with New Zealand. Indonesia has not returned his calls. Meanwhile there is tons of information on the news about the Afghanistan refugees and why they are leaving their own country. There are believed to be 2 million Afghanistan refugees in Pakistan. Some of these people are going through the proper channels to get refugee status and proper visas in Australia, it just happens to take a year or two. Meanwhile the refugee camps in Pakistan are miserable. So the ones that have money try to buy their way here with the people smugglers. Some pay as much as 7000 dollars. So the Australians view these people as queue jumpers. It was only a mere 30 years ago that Australia had an all white policy. This meant unless you had white skin you were not allowed residency in the country. We have heard many angry Australians say that they should reinstate that policy. Wow this is really becoming a big deal! Meanwhile the Afghanistan refugees are still floating around in the ocean without a country to call home.
Sunday August 26th, 2001
Latitude 17 degrees 36 minutes 45 seconds South
Longitude: 146 degrees 07 minutes 05 seconds East
Mourilyan Harbor, Queensland, Australia
Today there is a light northeast wind blowing so we will leave. We motored out of the inlet at 7:30 am and made our way toward Fitzroy Island. It looked like we would be getting a very nice boost from the north wind so we decided to keep motor sailing south. Later in the day David informs me he is not feeling well. I suggest that we stop at Mourilyan Harbor, for we could make it there before dark. He says he wants to keep going and stop at either Dunk Island or Hinchinbrook Island. This would mean sailing way into the night. I know I wasn’t thrilled with that idea and we had never been in Mourilyan Harbor and heard it was very beautiful, plus the captain should take a break and get some sleep as well. I finally won out and we were soon making our way to the harbor entrance. We did arrive right at sunset and managed to anchor just before it got dark. From what I saw of the harbor it was very beautiful. We entered the harbor in what appeared to be a crack in the giant rock wall. Once we were inside it opened up into a beautiful mangrove. It was very calm in this little anchorage and made for a peaceful night’s sleep.
Monday August 27th, 2001
Latitude 17 degrees 55 minutes 55 seconds South
Longitude: 146 degrees 08 minutes 33 seconds East
Dunk Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
At 6:30 am we lifted the anchor and headed out of the harbor as the sun was beginning to rise. We had to motor sail our way to Dunk Island but it was a short 4-hour trip. We were once again anchored at Dunk Island. We launched the dinghy and David took me over to the little island off dunk for some exploring, while he went back to the boat to rest (still not feeling great) after an hour he came back to get me, but as he neared the shore I noticed he was paddling the dinghy. When he came to shore he was not a happy person. On the way to get me the outboard stopped running so he tried to pull the cord to start it again and the cord broke! So we both paddled back to the boat and set to work on fixing the outboard. I found a cord close to the same size in my sail repair kit. It wasn’t long when we had the outboard running again and we were on our way to the shores of Dunk Island. We had nice walk around the beaches and relaxed a bit before we headed back out to the boat. We had found a nice peaceful anchorage for the night. I ended the day watching the white cockatoos and booby birds fly around in the sunset.
Tuesday August 28th, 2001
Latitude 18 degrees 28 minutes 23 seconds South
Longitude: 146 degrees 13 minutes 02 seconds East
Hancock Island, Hinchinbrook Channel, Australia
We heard some strange noises during the night. We weren’t quite sure what it was, but we weren’t worried enough about it to get up and see what was going on. It sounded like someone was throwing water on the boat. When I awoke in the morning I noticed that there was white speckles all over my blanket. Being that I sleep under the open hatch we devised very quickly that it was bird poop. We ran quickly to the deck only to find it covered in bird poop. It was hard to imagine that all this happened in one night! Just then we heard the noise again. As we looked up we saw a great brown booby bird sitting on our spreaders. He is apparently the culprit of this crime. We tried to scare him away but he was not to budge. David finally went after him with one of the halyard lines and he finally flew away. Now we were left with the mess, and what a mess it was. We got out the canvas bucket and I began scooping up ocean water to clean the decks and canvas. Ick! What a terrible thing to wake up to, and do before breakfast. But best to get it off as soon as possible for it really stinks! Well, what a way to begin the day. After this little cleanup mess we decided to get going. We thought we would see what the wind was doing before we made our decision of where to go. It looks like we can give the Hinchinbrook Channel a miss and head straight to Orpheus Island. We set coarse for Orpheus, but as we neared the north end of Hinchinbrook Island the wind change on us. So we decided to go down the channel after all. We would have to motor, for there was not a breath of wind inside the channel. So we enjoyed a lovely afternoon making our way down the channel. The only wildlife we saw was a few dolphins and another very large shark! We anchored at the south end of the channel by a little island called Haycock Island. We were very close to the mangroves and I heard a bit of splashing around over there on shore. I imagine it was probably a crocodile. It turned out to be another peaceful anchorage.
Wednesday August 29th, 2001
Latitude 18 degrees 35 minutes 55 seconds South
Longitude: 146 degrees 29 minutes 26 seconds East
Orpheus island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
High tide is at 7:30am and we want to leave the channel on the high tide so we best get going. By 8:45 we had maneuvered though the channel buoys and were on our way out to the reef and Orpheus Island. The wind looked favorable to put up the sails and off we went. It wasn’t long when the wind was coming straight from the south again, so we took down the sails and motored the rest of the way to Orpheus. In two hours time we were anchored in Little Pioneer Bay at Orpheus Island. David still not feeling great stayed on deck to watch me as I snorkeled about the giant pinnacles of coral. This is by far my favorite snorkeling spot. I have to say I was pretty nervous about being in the water by myself having just seen that giant shark a few hours away from here. I kept a watchful eye out as I swam about snapping pictures with my underwater camera. The rest of the day was spent enjoying our peaceful surroundings.
Thursday August 30th, 2001
Latitude 19 degrees 09 minutes 02 seconds South
Longitude: 146 degrees 49 minutes 04 seconds East
Breakwater Marina, Townsville, Australia
During the night the wind switched on us again and is now coming out of the west! This is not good for it puts us on a lee shore and over many coral heads. All night we could hear the chain crunching on coral as the boat jerked up and down. Doesn’t look like the situation is going to change so we decided to get up and get moving again. This time we thought we would head to Palm Island where we would be protected from this wind a little more. By 10:30 am we were anchored in Casement Bay at Palm Island. As we were anchoring a big powerboat from the Marine Parks approached us. They just wanted to hand us some brochures on the national marine parks and fishing areas in the Great Barrier Reef. I asked if they had seen any whales out here, for we had not seen any yet. Sure enough they were on the backside of Orpheus this morning. David went below to rest while I stayed on deck to watch things for awhile. I rescued a big plastic bag that was floating by. It’s important to keep plastic out the water here for the turtles think it is a jellyfish and try to eat it, which could kill them. So hopefully I saved a turtle from this fate. By noon I was getting the feeling that this was not going to be a safe anchorage either. The wind had once again switched, leaving us on a lee shore again! This is really getting old. It wouldn’t be so bad except as you get close to shore there is lots of coral. The wind was picking up and things were getting a little bumpy. So we once again decided to raise the anchor and head to Magnetic Island. By 3:00 in the afternoon we had a nice north wind and we able to sail without the aid of the engine. We were cruising along nicely at 7 knots. It actually was beginning to look like we could make Townsville before dark, so we called up the marina and got a slip assignment. By 6:00 we were tied up to the dock and wouldn’t have to worry about which way the wind was coming from tonight. A nice hot shower and we were ready to turn in.
Friday August 31st, 2001
Latitude 19 degrees 09 minutes 02 seconds South
Longitude: 146 degrees 49 minutes 04 seconds East
Breakwater Marina, Townsville, Australia
It’s good to be back in Townsville. It almost feels like coming home, for we now have many friends here. Several boats that were our neighbors in Scarborough are now here and plan on spending cyclone season here (A little risky). It was good to see some familiar faces. We spent the better part of the day washing down the boat with disinfectant to get rid of the last traces of bird pooh and washed all my blankets. Now we are sparkling clean again. We found out today we have arrived in Townsville just in time for the annual cultural festival, which starts this afternoon. I’m very excited about this so we arranged to go later with Tony and Lindsey from Checkmate. The festival is being held on the Strand, which is on the waterfront of Townsville. At around 5:00 we walked down to see what was going on. The air was full of smells of all kinds as every ethnic group in Townsville had a food stand where you could try the taste treats of the country. There was a huge stage where the different cultural dances and songs were being preformed. I was very excited for this reminded me of the festival in New Caledonia last year. Over the next few days we would be entertained by groups representing Africa, Italy, the Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Ireland, Greece, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Scotland, Spain, India, Tokelau Islands, Buddhist, Hare Krishna and Aboriginal. There is also a cultural village where these different groups could display and sell arts and crafts indigenous to their county and display information about their country and or religious beliefs. The Townsville Center for Immigration puts on this whole festival and all the participants are now residences or citizens of Australia and live in the Townsville area. I had no idea that Townsville had such a diverse culture. Looks like the next few days will prove to be interesting.