Cairns and The Great Barrier Reef

I know they’re two completely different things but they’re both happening this weekend, so...

Before we start a random fact about Australia: Melbourne is closer to Antarctica than it is to Darwin.

We set off just after 8am to go to Cairns, which is on the way to Antarctica but is considerably warmer and with different wildlife.

The distance from Port Douglas to Cairns is 66km (41 miles) and includes some stunning scenery as mentioned on a previous post. With that in mind I fixed the camera to the bike before we set off, and hit the ‘record’ button when we stopped at the road works. Unfortunately, it then told me the memory card was full, so game over! Once that’s sorted I’ll do the ride again! Third time lucky…

We had a good run down, passing some wallabies in a field along the way. Apparently they were wild, although whether that’s to do with us riding two loud motorcycles past them, who knows.

After a few brief stops to pick up essentials, including a bottle of whisky from Dan Murphy’s (Lowest Liquor Price Guarantee) we headed to Macalister Brewery for something to eat. And a beer. Food there is supplied by catering trucks which are changed every couple of days, so the food’s likely to be different each time you go. We got three different dishes and shared them between us, and they were very good. So was the beer.

For the journey back we swapped bikes so Kerry was riding with me again. I reckon she’s now done more miles as my pillion than anyone else since her mum back in the day!

We stopped at Mowbray bridge on the off-chance, but yet again no crocodiles!

At home over a brew I sorted the camera out, so it will now record on demand and I can view and save the footage. I think!

Then it was into Port Douglas to pay for the trip we’d booked to the Great Barrier Reef tomorrow. As luck would have it Hemingways Brewery were having a German-themed day – Portoberest – and they'd brewed german-style beers especially for the occasion, so we called in to support it. Later on we moved to the Tin Shed where we had something to eat and another couple of drinks before getting the shuttle home. This is a bit like the Ring and Ride service in the UK, but designed to get people to and from town between the hours of 6am and midnight, or 1am on a Saturday.

One thing I found slightly odd is that Tin Shed would only sell me a whisky in a glass full of ice, and not neat. The reason behind it is to stop you downing it, but back at the table I just separated it using an empty glass. At Hemingways the girls had come around selling shots and ringing a bell to celebrate when they were downed in one! I didn’t get it, but it didn’t spoil the evening.

Sunday morning and we were up early to get into Port Douglas for the trip to the Great Barrier Reef. We boarded the Silversonic catamaran In bright sunshine, had a brew and a sandwich, and set off on the ninety minute journey to the outer reef. We completed the medical forms which in my case also meant explaining a couple of things and putting my inhaler and spray in a dry box where it was accessible to the crew if I needed it, and were clear to snorkel. I’d have needed a doctors clearance to dive, but don’t feel I missed out by not doing so as the divers were only shallow. We could see them, and they were progressively losing the ability to see colours as they descended below five meters. At the surface we saw them all.

I have to mention the safety briefing here. As with all the announcements it was delivered as a conversation rather than a robotic script, as if between a few mates and with voice intonation and humour. It got the message across perfectly as people wanted to listen. The river cruise we did earlier in the trip was the same, and it’s good to see health and safety can also be human!

The ride out was a bit bumpy in places, and a handful of people felt unwell as a result but the crew were clearly used to it and handled it with no fuss, and more importantly no vomiting in the cabin! They also sell seasickness medication on board and wisely recommended this to some passengers for the return trip.

When we reached the first stop the water was calm as we were sheltered by the reef, although the Pacific Ocean was only a few hundred metres away and we could see it crashing into the other side of the reef. It looked like waves breaking along a shoreline, but in the middle of the ocean. Impressive.

We’d all been given stinger suits to wear. These are full length lycra garments which zip up the front and include a hood and gloves if required. They’re lightweight but provide protection against jellyfish stings and uv light while in the water. Masks and fins are provided although I used my own, and there are buoyancy vests and swimming noodles available if anyone wants them.

There was a briefing about where and how far from the boat to go, and what to look for, as well as a reminder that the reef is a living thing and a UNESCO Heritage site. In other words respect it - look but don’t touch! In between the first and second stops there was also an illustrated marine life talk given on the sundeck, which was worth listening to.

We stopped at three sites for diving and snorkelling. These are chosen on the day dependant on conditions but are intended to show three different reef environments. Entry to the water is via a submerged deck so it’s easy, and you come out the same way around forty-five minutes later. The dives were guided, while the crew watched the snorkellers from the boat, and had the tender ready if they needed to go out. We were told the signal to give if we needed urgent assistance, which was the universal ‘wave your arms in the air and shout’ but no one had cause to use it.

It's when you get in the water that the day comes alive. The volume, variety and colours of fish and coral really has to be seen. We saw reef sharks, snappers, potato cod, damselfish and wrasse among many others, as well as giant clams, and Conor found Nemo! I took some still photos as the camera and waterproof housing worked perfectly (when I remembered to switch it on!), but the best footage was on Conor’s camera so I’ll upload more pictures once we’ve been through it.

A hot and cold tropical buffet lunch was provided, as well as afternoon tea cakes, cheese and biscuits. The bar opened when everyone was out of the water for the last time. Hot showers were available to rinse the salt off, as well as changing rooms to let you get into some dry clothes for the ride back to Port Douglas.

I think I probably first learned about the Great Barrier Reef about fifty years ago, back in Clive Payne’s geography class at St John’s school in Episkopi. Even back then I wanted to visit, as we did a lot of snorkelling in Cyprus as kids and I knew that the Reef would be next-level. Half a century later and I’ve been proved right. I had a bucket-list day and it was awesome! The pictures won’t do it justice, but there’s a few below and I’ll upload more when we sort through the video footage.

Pictures below show me on the triple on the way to Cairns, Conor and Kerry on the bonnie, bikes parked up at Mowbray River, Macaliter Brewery, Hemingways, Tin Shed, an assortment from the reef day.