November 14 - Driving towards Heron Island
Phil and I have spent the last two days in our rental car driving from Cairns to Gladstone. The left hand driving was a little scary at first, but we eventually got the hang of it. Phil drove and I navigated (err yelled at him - poor guy did a great job!). The drive was really pretty, but pretty slow going compared to the US interstate system. The major road that goes from Cairns to Brisbane to Sydney is mostly a two-laned road up in Queensland and goes through lots of towns and populated areas. Gladstone is about two-thirds of the distance from Cairns towards Brisbane. This is the spot where we pick up the launch to go to Heron Island tomorrow morning. We got here about noon and had lunch and then checked into a local hotel with Best Western credentials. I don't think that the Ritz has anything to worry about as far as competition, but the room is adequate and the hotel has a guest laundry. Also the internet is only $16.50 a day so we are doing OK.

This area is at the south end of the Great Barrier Reef and doesn't seem to get quite the number of tourists that Cairns and Port Douglas seems to get. We did see that Sheraton at Port Douglas and it looked beautiful. Haven't had the inclination to try vegemite although I have seen it listed on several menus. I have taken to eating muesli cereal with strawberry yogurt on top. Pretty tasty!! I have eaten so much seafood lately that I need a change. I think we are going to try a steakhouse that is across the street from the hotel tonight - something different before heading to an island tomorrow where I know there will be a ton of seafood.
Queensland is The Sunshine State, you real Floridians.

November 17 - Heron Island
Phil has uploaded some pics from Heron Island to his website. It is really a beautiful place and if you like strange tropical creatures and flora and gorgeous sunsets it is a perfect place to be. We had a great time taking advantage of the assortment of complimentary tours. One of the most bizarre phenomenon is the presence of a bird known as a mutton bird. It spends its daytime hours flying around at sea and after dark comes to Heron Island to perform its courtship ritual (it is Spring down here). The result is some of the most hideous sounds in the middle of the night as the birds imitate everything from demonic wails to babies crying. It was a bit unsettling the first night, but we adapted quickly. At least I adapted quickly. Nothing seems to bother Phil much when it comes to sleeping - even the corncob bed in the Bates Motel.


Getting to the Island is by either helicopter or ferry. We caught the ferry ($440 round trip for the two of us) and enjoyed the two hour ride - each of us working on books.

The first evening we took a Reef Tour where we got to hold some different animals meaning a sea cucumber, a sea star (it's not a fish), and others. We had to wear closed shoes, not sandals, and we were like most people unprepared for that one. The resort has a rack of old sneakers and such and one is most likely to find something if nothing else, wearable. Phil's feet are in the size 13 area, so that was more difficult and the previous owners had started the holes for the big toes. That got uncomfortable.

We tried Vegemite from a jam-type individual serving. It didn't get all-used-up.

Of course we're world-class snorkelers by now, so we rented masks and snorkels and swam with the fishes on our own the next morning. There's a photograph where Sheri is swimming above a manta ray, but you more-or-less have to take my word on that. I didn't tell her there was a small shark in the area.

There was a beautiful sunset.

The morning of our departure we set out our bag onto the porch at 10:00 then went for a ride in a submersible, a boat whose bottom is lined with windows on each side. Seeing the corals and fish from that perspective with a narrator was fine, but not so exciting as snorkeling.