When: Day 35 Cairns, QLD and Sydney, NSW
Where: Cairns and Sydney
Weather: sunny and warm in Cairns. Much the same in Sydney
What: travel day to Sydney
Who: just us
Wine: will know later tonight
Whine: last night in Australia
Winery: none
Wtf: how did 5 weeks go by so quickly?
Wild: we got a good view of the Great Bugger-All while flying
Wildlife: no wallabies, no koalas. So it goes.
Water: Pacific Ocean
Wonderful: the amazing view we got flying over Sydney.
Here's a few random pics:
When: day 33 Cairns
Where: Cairns, QLD
Weather: cloudless sky, about 30c. Gorgeous.
What: last day lazing in the sun
Who: just us
Wine: Lindeman's Origins Cabernet Merlot 2009
Whine: these beautiful tropical birds shit all over the place (including on me!)
Winery: none
Wtf: the internet has been down for the most part during the last day (and still not totally back).
Wild: we survived without it (mostly).
Wildlife: a really bizarre looking insect that looked like a moving piece of wood (photo will follow when we get proper internet - see above).
Water: much to the chagrin of Brent, I swam in the ocean today. I'd guess the water temperature was about 28c. I survived to tell the tale (marine stingers, or box jellyfish, are known to be in the area at this time of year and swimming is not advised).
Wonderful: the resort planted two trees in honour of my birthday. Kinda.
When: Day 32 Cairns
Where: Cairns, QLD
Weather: mostly sunny but breezy. High 30
What: beach and pool day
Who: just us but we took the girls to the airport
Wine: Giesen Sauvignon Blanc from NZ
Whine: cocktail hour just isn't the same without the ladies.
Winery: none
Wtf: it appeared that we were the only two guests at the resort today.
Wild: I discovered today that there are two types of Flame Tree.
Wildlife: crazy crab jumped a foot in the air as he scurried across the beach.
Water: Pacific Ocean
Wonderful: the wind today kept away the March Flies (mostly)
When: Day 31 Cairns
Where: Cairns, QLD
Weather: little shower overnight. Mostly sunny. A few clouds and about 30c
What: nothing but the beach and pool
Who: just us, and Wendy and Lorie
Wine:Rocky Gulley Cabernets from Western Australia (this is the bottle that the Qantas Flight Attendants gave us).
Whine: I want to come back in January!
Winery: none
Wtf: Brent's glasses fogged up in the high humidity.
Wild: we found a rare bug (see below). It hissed at us when I was poking it with a stick.
Wildlife: rhinoceros beetle.
Water: pool and bay
Wonderful: the rain overnight seemed to scare away the March Flies.
When: day 30 Cairns
Where: Cairns and Port Douglas
Weather: cloudyish in the morning and a bit breezy. Calm and hot by late afternoon
What: Snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef!
Who: me, Brent, Lorie, Wendy, Melanie, Hannah, Calum and Liam.
Wine: Saltram Eden Valley Riesling
Whine: too bloody hot in the afternoon!
Winery: none
Wtf: this British woman who asked the skipper to stop the boat while she was walking because it was hard to walk with her wine glass!
Wild: the turtles were amazing!
Wildlife: all the fishes and coral. Amazing.
Water: the Pacific Ocean and Great Barrier Reef
Wonderful: the amazing new friends from the Synergy.
When: Day 29 Cairns
Where: Cairns, Queensland (sometimes called Far North Queensland or Tropical North Queensland or The Deep North)
Weather: sunny and very warm. About 32c
What: Beach and Pool day
Who: me, Brent, Lorrie and Wendy
Wine: Cape Schank Tallant Pinot Grigio 2012.
Whine: it's hot when I'm not in the pool but then I get a chill when I go in the pool!
Winery: none
Wtf: just realised that in a weeks time, we'll be back home.
Wild: saw two geckos fighting over territory. Lots of room here and plenty of bugs, but they still fight. And one was mocking me most of the morning.
Wildlife: these frogs. Tree frogs.
Water: the Bay
Wonderful: we still have another week!
When: Day 28 Cairns
Where: Between Cairns and Port Douglas on the Captain Cook Highway
Weather: sunny and gorgeous. About 30
What: beach and pool
Who: just us
Wine: Bird in Hand Pinot Gris 2013
Whine: it's so hot and there's hardly any wind!
Winery: none
Wtf: I followed the inukshucks and found this
Wild: the pool is not heated but around 26c. Lovely.
Wildlife: bloody horseflies (possibly kangaroo flies here). Got bit twice today. Fortunately I'm charged up on prednisone and don't seem to be having a reaction.
Water: this gorgeous bay
Wonderful: these three palms in front of our room. Just like Gilligan's Island.
When: Day 27 Byron Bay and Cairns
Where: Byron Bay and Cairns, Queensland.
Weather: absolutely sunny and gorgeous. About 28 in Cairns
What: travel day. Drive from Byron Bay to Brisbane. Flight to Cairns.
Who: me, Brent and Nikki who gave us tons of info during our flight.
Wine: Rocky Gully 2012 Cabernet (see wonderful below)
Whine: there's no internet in the room! We have to connect at the pool area!
Winery: none
Wtf: there are stingers here and we can't swim in the ocean.
Wild: the resort is in a stunningly beautiful setting.
Wildlife: this bird wanted to be fed. Lia? Any idea?
Water: the bay
Wonderful: the Qantas flight attendants. Possibly the friendliest we've ever encountered. And they gave us a bottle of wine (like we actually need more).
When: Day 26 Byron Bay
Where: Byron Bay, NSW
Weather: mostly sunny and glorious. About 25c. Nice breeze.
What: Last beach day in Byron
Who: just us
Wine: Jacob's Creek Sauvignon Blanc from Borassa Valley
Whine: the last day in this paradise.
Winery: none
Wtf: this tree. But is it art? Also, Jesus was at the beach.
Wild: the waves! (I also took some video that I will try to upload).
Wildlife: this bird. No idea what it is.
Water: last day at Kings Beach
Wonderful: last day at Kings Beach
When: Day 25 Byron Bay
Where: Byron Bay, NSW
Weather: 23c, sunny with a few clouds. Beautiful. A light breeze.
What: beach day. Awesome
Who: just us and those damned bush turkeys
Wine: Kim Crawford Spitfire Sauvignon Blanc 2013. Delicious.
Whine: that wave got me wet when I wasn't looking!
Winery: none
Wtf: why, on such a gorgeous day, do most people at the beach hide in the shade?
Wild: most of the locals go everywhere barefoot and usually shirtless. In grocery stores, restaurants, everywhere!
Wildlife: bloody bush turkeys that try to break into people's bags!
Water: Kings Beach. Yes, it's once again becoming the most beautiful beach I've been too. It's amazing.
Wonderful: the lovely colours of my (possibly) broken toe. Debbie K will know what happened.
When: Day 24 Byron Bay
Where: Byron Bay NSW
Weather: partly sunny, 20c. Breezy
What: beach day and walking.
Who: just us
Wine: Rock Ferry Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Whine: far too windy at the beach. Had to leave early.
Winery: none
Wtf: following the signs to walk to the lighthouse took us in circles. We never did find our way. Tomorrow we'll try driving.
Wild: the artisan market. They had a full on 'drum in'. Drumming, dancing like it was the sixties.
Wildlife: this bird:
Water: Kings Beach. My recollection of Kings Beach from the last time I was there (1996) was that it was the most beautiful beach I'd ever been to in my life. Current reality isn't quite the same. Although it is really beautiful, I can imagine other beaches that are even more pretty. See what you think:
Wonderful: Brent is now completely enamoured with Byron.
When: Day 23 Byron Bay
Where: Byron Bay, NSW
Weather: big thunderstorm last night. Mostly steady rain this morning. Cloudy and about 20c this afternoon. The first day of rain on the holiday.
What: Not much. Lazing around. Scoped out where the good beaches are. Did a bit of shopping.
Who: just us
Wine: Scrubby Rise Shiraz Cabernet Petit Verdot from Wirra Wirra in McLaren Vale, SA
Whine: the signal is so weak that we can only get internet in the living room and not out on the deck!
Winery: none
Wtf: I think Ogopogo escaped from the Okanagan!
Wild: within 30 min of the rain stopping, the sand on the beach is already dry.
Wildlife: a long nosed strange looking white water bird. He got away before I could take a pic.
Water: rain and lots of it.
Wonderful: Schoolies appears to be over. And the rain overnight kept the party noises to a minimum.
When: day 21 Noosa and Byron Bay
Where: Noosa, Queensland and Byron Bay, NSW
Weather: sunny and warm in Noosa. 26c in the morning. 35c inland. About 25c in Byron and Cloudy and muggy
What: travel day to Byron. About 3.5 hour drive thru Brisbane
Who: just us
Wine: Train Trak Pinot Noir 2011
Whine: we have to cross a street to get to the beach
Winery: none
Wtf: discovered this morning that a 26 hand is not possible in cribbage. I thought only a 19 hand was impossible. John W pointed out this fact to me. So my cribbage hand was only 24, not 26. Brent figured if I had counted right, he'd have won the game. This despite the fact that I nearly skunked him. FYI, and again thanks to John, 25 and 27 are also not possible.
Wild: to get out of Noosa and to the freeway, we had to cross 12 roundabouts (yes, we counted). I did it cooly and calmly and without incident. I think I should get honorary citizenship now.
Wildlife: Schoolies. Bad timing. This is the time of year when students graduate from high school. The flock to Gold Coast and Byron Bay to party. The town is packed. And loud.
Water: The Bay at Byron! Here's our view. The picture does not do it justice.
Wonderful: the hotel. The nicest place we've stayed thus far. And there's a plunge pool!
When: Day 21 Noosa
Where: Noosa, Queensland
Weather: 27c and gorgeous
What: beach day. Last full day in Noosa
Who: me, Brent, two Americans from Florida, and a flight attendant from Switzerland.
Wine: Demeter Robinvale Wines, Madeline Elizabeth Rose Family Series 2007 Reserve Shiraz.
Whine: had to walk an extra 3 min because I couldn't find parking closer to the beach.
Winery: none(maybe I should remove this category?)
Wtf: dying bird on the beach. Sad to see it suffer.
Wild: got a 26 hand in cribbage. My highest ever.
Wildlife: bush turkey
Water: Alexandria bay
Wonderful: my scratched cornea seems to have completely healed.
When: Day 20 Noosa
Where: Noosa, Queensland
Weather: sunny 26 and gorgeous
What: beach day
Who: me and Brent
Wine: psyche smuggler petit Verdot from chateau Mildura
Whine: got something in my eye yesterday and have a scratched cornea (thanks for the diagnosis Jill). It's scratchy like crazy but not infected. Hope it heals up fast.
Winery: none
Wtf: part 2 of the dead birds at the beach. We heard from a local what's going on. Apparently, these are migratory birds that come in from Asia. They have a long journey so they stop to rest and refeed on an island off the coast of Queensland. This island has been fully developed and the birds' habitat has been destroyed. So they no longer stop there and just get tuckered out before they reach their nesting grounds. This year was worse because they faced unusually strong headwinds which tired them out even more. They get to Noosa at the beach and die.
Goes to show that Australia can screw up the environment as well as Canada.
Wild: waves at the beach!
Wildlife: I saw a lot of these at the beach. They look like slices of cucumber. They are a hard shell and most have a spike at the end. I have no idea if they're alive or not.
Water: Alexandria Bay
Wonderful: just 3 days in the sun and my farmers tan is all gone!
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