On December 31 Ben will hang up his snorkel and wetsuit and bid farewell to his time as Caretaker of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef. The Tourism Queensland team will be sad to say goodbye and we know you will be too after following Ben’s adventures over the past six months.
We’d like Ben’s friends around the world to post him a final hoorah message below and let him know which blog, photo or video was your favourite and which destination/experience he’s inspired you to visit.
Weather: Sunshine with scattered cloud…windy though and a rough ocean. 28c
I’ve flown places, I’ve driven places…I’ve even kayaked places but so far on this crazy Best Job adventure not been lucky enough to cruise anywhere and to be honest in the past I’d never really given it much thought.
As we flew in low over Dunk Island our vessel ‘Coral Princess’ was moored up in the bay overlooking the island. Bre and I were about to jump onboard a day into the three day cruise down the Queensland coast from Cairns to Townsville. Coral Princess Expedition Cruises offer a huge variety of different experiences around the coast of Australia, and far beyond on their fleet of luxury ships.
Dunk Island’s launch ferried us out to meet our floating palace and as we jumped onboard an air of excitement filled my body – this was going to be very different from the usual hotel room, much more like the view from my Land Rover’s tent last year with every day changing!
The friendly crew welcomed us aboard and a very familiar face popped up, Brittany who we’d met back in July in Palm Cove was now working here. Our room was a delightful little double cabin with perfect ocean views and even a little ensuite bathroom complete with shower – the lap of luxury again!
As our fellow passengers started to come back onboard from their afternoon exploring Dunk Island I sat down and chatted to a few of them. They were from all over the world and a wide range of ages and backgrounds too, with people from South Africa, Germany, USA and the UK enjoying the relaxing environment away from the hectic pace of life on the mainland.
As the sun descended into the ocean the engines were fired up and we started our cruise south heading out into less protected waters and the waves started to build, the number of people enjoying the social lounge decreased as the consequences of the swell started to take effect and seasickness took its toll!
We finally moored up alongside Pelorus Island and entered the sheltered waters of the bay just in time to witness a very colourful sunset – the passengers all gathered in the upper bar for the complimentary drinks and nibbles which was a great way to meet other people and to familiarise myself with the crew.
Josh, the cruise manager, was a particularly knowledgeable guy and told us all stories about the surrounding islands then ran through the itinerary for the evening and following day. Dinner was then announced and we all made our way downstairs to the dining hall.
Each couple on the cruise has a chance to dine with the Captain and tonight was to be our lucky night! The food was great, really well made and presented good old fashioned home-style cooking with vegetables – no over-the-top presentation here, just classic simple cooking. Full marks.
I had some catching up to do on the blog so made my excuses and headed back to the room to work away, the gentle rocking of the boat adding to my already tired head.
Sunrise is one of those great times of the day when colours just erupt like an artist’s palette, and being so close to Pelorus Island just amplified it even further. Once breakfast was out of the way I had a quick chat with Matt, the dive master, and discussed the plans for our dive later in the day. We’d head off the shore of the island to explore some of the coral and clams which line the rocky coast, excellent news another chance to get under the water to investigate. The tender was prepared and we all headed ashore for a day of relaxing and eating – more of it!
The gorgeous sandy beach on this side of the island acts as the hospitality area for the cruise guests and the staff from the boat were busy preparing our lunch by the time we’d returned from our guided walk around the island – Josh again imparting the guests with his knowledge in a very unique way.
After a 40 minute dive navigating our way along the coastline I broke the surface of the ocean to find Bre still there sunbathing away – this Canadian will never learn, her slightly pink skin testament to the strength of the lunchtime sun. Slip, slop, slap is definitely the order of the day here.
Back on board we all met up on deck for sundowners and as we socialised preparations were underway for our evening’s activity, the Coral Princess quiz – a test of our knowledge and fact recollection from all of the information Josh had fed us over the last 48hrs.
With dinner out of the way it was down to the hard work, ten quick fire questions followed by a drawing competition to try and portray our cruise assistant Brittany in the best light possible and once all of the marks had been given we found ourselves in a very respectable third place out of four!
After a long night at the computer I hit the pillow heavily and before I knew it the alarm was ringing again announcing the start of another day…our last onboard. We’d cruised down the Queensland coastline all the way to Townsville and as breakfast was dispatched the familiar sight of the foreshore came into view.
What a relaxing few days we’d had at sea, a thoroughly enjoyable time getting to know lots of different people and learning lots about the geography and coastline of the area. This experience would suit the ‘less-active’ traveller looking for a chance to travel at a more sedate pace whilst stopping off at a number of different remote locations along the way – the comfort and fine dining adding to the cruise-like encounter.
Location: Cairns, North Queensland
Weather: Hot and humid but bright and sunny in the Torres Strait. 34ºc
Am I allowed to just limit a blog to a photo such as this, letting it paint a thousand words and not write anything? I thought not, but it would actually do my visit here justice…..
There were parts of the Best Job adventure which I’d been looking forward to weeks before even getting the itinerary sent through and this was probably my most anticipated of the lot; a chance to visit the Torres Strait island group located at the far northern tip of Queensland…almost touching Papua New Guinea.
It would be a chance to visit just a few of the dozens islands, of which many are un-populated and lie scattered across the 200 kilometre wide Torres Strait, which separates Australia from PNG (Papua New Guinea).
I boarded the Qantas flight which would take me further north in Queensland than I’d ever been before, this was unchartered territory for me and as we climbed up into the clear skies the ocean below seemed just that little bit more blue than normal. Coral cays and sand islands fringed by reef splattered the scene, bursting a huge array of colour from below…I think I probably looked out of the window for 90% of the flight time!
Our final approach to the runway was a looping fly-by and as the wingtip dropped I could see the small tarmac strip below nestled amongst the bush on the northern side of the island, where it has been since the 1940’s when the island was a busy military base.
We touched down and made our way to the tiny airport terminal where Vanessa from Gateway Torres Strait was there to whisk us away and show us a side of the island which I had read but knew very little about…the military history.
Horn Island became a strategic outpost during the Second World War and was the site of the northern most Australian Operational Airbase, which came into operation around 1940 to act as a deterrent against potential bombing raids from the Japanese. Two dirt runways were built and 15 men were stationed on the island to man and run the operation base.
On the 14th March 1942, 12 Zero fighters and eight Betty Bombers left Lae to fly to Horn Island with the intention of bombing the airstrip. By chance a number of American Kittihawk aircraft were stationed on the island at the time of the attack and were scrambled to meet the incoming planes and the ensuing dogfight resulted in all of the attacking aircraft being destroyed.
The tour took us around other key areas of the island which were of military significance including the trenches built to hide from incoming air raids, the concrete bunker which housed the anti-aircraft guns and the site of one of the downed planes, which a rather over-zealous pilot crashed into the tail of a plane parked on the runway! The remains are in surprisingly good condition with the twisted and melted aluminium superstructure lying in a very sorry looking state…incidentally the pilot walked away from the crash!
There’s loads of islands up here in the Torres Strait and with just a few days to visit it means another whistle-stop tour, before I’ve even got under the skin of Horn the bus drops me at the jetty ready to catch the next boat across the short stretch of water to Thursday Island, or T.I. as its affectionately called by the locals.
The next boat isn’t the usual ferry either it’s Tony with his two fishing boats, all kitted up ready for an afternoon on the water…this is what I want, a chance to go snorkelling and fishing. I’ve been so curious about the marine life here at the northern extremity of the Great Barrier Reef as the water temperature is much warmer than down south, there are far fewer people ‘harvesting’ the ocean for recreation and the reef extends all the way in to the islands. Potentially some of the best snorkelling and diving in the world.
The largest of the islands in the Torres Island group is Prince of Wales Island and we race across the water tracking alongside some pristine sands and beaches, dense areas of mangrove (no doubt harbouring some mighty saltwater crocodiles) until we find a suitable stopping off point. With the temperature hitting the mid 30’s the idea of jumping into the water seems refreshing but once in you get in quickly realise that its really warm in there, in fact like a warm bath at around 28c which isn’t actually that refreshing at all!
Tony steered us into a quiet sandy bay (they’re all pretty quiet up here as there’s no-one about!), anchored up and I jumped into the tepid, crystal clear water…now this is how all swims in the ocean should be; no body shock, no goose bumps at all.
Even where there’s no reef the marine life is still ever-present, turtles occasionally bobbed up to see what was going on and in the distance loads of mullet all broke the surface of the water swimming as fast as they could to escape the predator behind them with an inquisitive osprey circling overhead in case one was to stay up for that second too long.
I knew I’d spent enough time in the water once my skin had wrinkled and my fingers become like those of my grandmother…Tony upped anchor and we were off again this time making for Friday Island (Captain Cook really wasn’t at his most creative when he got to this part of Australia was he…I mean Wednesday, Thursday, Friday…come on!) and the rickety boardwalk of a jetty which led to the Kazu Pearl Farm for an hour of education – every day’s a school day you know!
Kazuyoshi Takami was there to meet us as we arrived, he has owned and run the Friday Island Pearl Company for 36 years producing some of Australia’s finest pearls from the 30,000 oysters he has here and he gave me a little insight into the fascinating micro-world he lives and works in.
Now I know nothing at all about how to make a pearl, as far as I was concerned it was a hit and miss operation to say the least; have thousands of oysters and every so often you’d be lucky enough to hit gold…or pearl and find one in the shell. But no it’s a fine art.
A pearl in the wild forms when a piece of grit or sand gets caught in the oysters gonad…over a number of years the oyster continually rotates the foreign object inside the chamber adding a nacreous layer to it (which is actually the substance we know as mother of pearl) and eventually out pops a pearl.
It wouldn’t be the most profitable of businesses based on this hit and miss method so the foreign object is inserted artificially into the gonad which forces the oyster to produce a pearl. The end result however can be a bit hit and miss with slight mis-shapes, uneven colour etc affecting the end result – the ideal outcome would be a golden, perfectly circular ball to raise the most money at the point of sale.
Mr Takami showed me how he delicately opens the oyster, adds a small piece of the mantle (fleshy outer part of the oyster) to act as the catalyst and a tiny ball into the gonad itself. The ball actually comes all the way from mussels found in the Mississippi River!
I’m not particularly fond of eating oysters but am trying to learn how to do it properly…these special oysters are much better as they have a large fleshy area which is prepared by throwing them as hard as possible against the ground to tenderise them, they are then served with soy sauce and wasabi making a delightful sashimi appetiser. I am converted.
We overnighted back on Thursday Island and on the way to the hotel had a chance to drop into the Gab Titui Cultural Centre which displays a wide range of the art, artefacts, carvings and jewellery associated with the Torres Strait islands – the dhoeri head-dresses are a huge part of the indigenous culture with each one differing from island to island and are incredibly intricately made from Frigate Bird and Torres Strait Pigeon feathers.
It’s an amazing insight into the cultures and people of the Torres Strait islands who are so vastly different from the Aboriginal people of the Australian mainland, almost appearing to more Pacific Islander at first glance. The centre has won prizes at the last four Queensland Tourism Awards and also to the prize of best bread and sandwiches so far in Australia judged by me!
In the morning we jumped on board the ferry back onto Horn Island for another short hop across the ocean to my next island on the trip, Poruma or Coconut Island to the locals…and as we touched down onto the tarmac of the tiny little airport it was easy to see why. The place is full of coconut palms all bearing a dangerous amount of fruit, no sleeping outside here unless you don’t want to wake up ever again!
That wouldn’t be a problem though, our impeccable host for the duration of our stay was Phillemon and as we drove through the main tarmac street (the only one of its kind on the island) he explained to me that the island has never really had much focus on tourism as it’s never been important to the people here, in fact we’d be staying in the only accommodation on the island….the incredibly surprisingly lavish surroundings of the Poruma Resort.
The island’s a coral cay meaning sand makes up the foundations and is everywhere, on this plants and trees have established themselves and together with the coconut palms everywhere you really feel as though you’re on the ultimate desert island. The water surrounding the island is the richest turquoise I’ve ever seen (and that includes Mozambique, Zanzibar, the Mediterranean and the Red Sea), teems with life of all shapes and sizes including monster game fish and of course, the next step up the food chain, sharks.
As I climbed the steps of the African-style reed-roofed building I wasn’t expecting much more than a comfy bed on which to rest my head that night but as I entered the room my jaw dropped to the floor…this was THE best accommodation of the Best Job adventure so far. Before this Lizard Island held my prize for the most amazing place to stay but I have to say it that this little island in the middle of the Torres Straits has taken the mantle.
The room looks out over ocean with a couple of palm trees thrown in for good measure, the bed was huge, the toilet has THE best view I’ve ever had whilst sat down doing my business and to cap it all off there’s actually a plunge pool right in the centre of the main bedroom – perfect for jumping into to cool off from the heat of the day.
Out in the courtyard of the ‘resort’ a couple of the local ladies were demonstrating their weaving skills using the only abundant crop on the island…coconut leaves, making boxes, little fish, grasshoppers, windmills, hats – in fact virtually anything you could think of. Their chatter punctuated every so often only by the unreserved, full-bodied laughter that comes from deep in the stomach and seems to be commonplace here – it’s so refreshing to hear and something that’s almost frowned upon in society these days.
The ladies were helping to prepare some of the decorations to be used during the celebrations organised for the evening, in fact there were a gaggle of different people running around doing all manner of things; bringing chairs and tables in, cooking, practicing dance moves – the energy was incredible!
As the sun plunged into the ocean the wispy clouds and sky became illuminated with pink, red and orange bands and my SLR whirred into life snapping away… with it the throng of people in the courtyard was increasing too, something was about to happen.
I sat and waited with the others members of our group the local children, dressed in traditional costume, assembled in front of us ready to perform. They were joined by the musicians with their traditional drums and instruments and started to bang out a slow, methodical rhythm…this was flipping awesome, it felt as though I was on one of the Pacific Islands not Australia at all.
The feast, which had been prepared, was slowly built in front of our eyes as the dancing continued into the night…as did the size of my stomach. There’s no burgers here just the harvest of the ocean and I adored it.
If you want to travel to somewhere in the world where people’s attitude is reflected in their clothing then look no further than here…all of the men wear bright flowery Hawaiian style shirts and the ladies are exactly the same but with full length dresses and their personalities shine through with it. The are no inhibitions about meeting somebody new, they welcome you with open arms and over the course of the evening I must have sat with ten different people who were all warm and talkative. They love their island, people and culture, where quality of life is everything and it shines through.
The next morning we had a few hours to kill and Phillemon had organised a boat ride across to neighbouring Robert Island for a fish and snorkel. We smashed across the bumpy water for half an hour and arrived at an idyllic tropical island paradise with no one else there at all – this was a truly uninhabited place. The fringing reef shone through the clear water and I couldn’t contain myself any longer…mask on, fins on, snorkel in and over the side into an untouched underwater paradise.
Being at the most northerly tip of the Great Barrier Reef means very few people come here to visit, in fact only the locals come here to fish and so what’s left is some of the most intact, preserved, beautiful reef and coral I’ve seen. The abundance of fish life is spectacular with everything being at least 50% bigger than further down south; maybe because the water is warmer, maybe as there’s food everywhere or maybe as humans haven’t had a chance to impact on the ecosystem as much as elsewhere on the Great Barrier Reef.
I spent nearly an hour diving, drifting and just taking in everything I was seeing, the limited footage I managed to film really doesn’t do it justice but I did manage to spot a tiny little Nudibranch which until a few days later I really thought was a new species I’d found…only to be put in my place by an expert, Gary from www.nudibranch.com.au who told me it was actually a Bornella Anguilla.
Back on Coconut I took a final walk down the main street soaking up some of the atmosphere the place oozes, there’s the remnants of a church here which was built in 1926 but failed to ever get a roof and so remains just remnants…kids run through the streets beaming smiles back at you and even the earth moving equipment seems happier than normal – see what I mean:
It was with an air of sadness that I had to pack up my things and prepare for departure, my time on Poruma had come to an end, my day there not long enough by far. To explore a place like this, however small it may be, is not about geographical size but more about getting under the skin of the people, the culture and the environment they’re lucky enough to call home and that would take many weeks.
Maybe I’d read my itinerary wrongly but for some reason I thought the further east I got the less populated and more remote the islands would be, I certainly thought this for Masig but as we banked sharply for our final approach onto the runway of this teardrop-shaped island I could see below me the infrastructure of a well organised community.
Jack, the community leader, met us at the one-roomed arrivals area and once we’d loaded our luggage into the back of his pickup drove us 600 metres down the road to our accommodation for the night, Lowatta Lodge – six self-contained cabins set in the centre of the island.
Now Uncle Dan is a famous man on the island and was to be our guide for the afternoon, he took us for a wander along the island’s main street and out onto a glorious white sandy beach with the most attractive whitewashed church and this one actually was finished with a roof on too! I didn’t think that the view through my toilet window on Poruma Island could be bettered but how about this for one from a church – no wonder they haven’t replaced the glass!
The celebration of NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee) happened back in July of this year but for some reason the locals are still celebrating it here…well that’s great news for me as the photo opportunities are endless (I just wish I had the talent of James Hill, one of my fellow Best Job finalists, to be able to capture them as well as he does!) The community centre on the island is underneath a huge tree and it was here I found more weaving and laughter amongst the ladies, playful kids all running amok and a gentle man by the name of Songee, one of the island’s elders (I hope I have spelt his name correctly).
Songee explained that tonight we’d be having another huge feasting dinner with dancing going on until 2am and that he‘d love us to come along to experience it. The perfect invitation.
Now I’ve known for a long time that the indigenous people of Australia are allowed to farm and hunt the waters along the Great Barrier Reef differently (find out more here) to others, their ancestral rights allow them to hunt turtle and dugong as long as it’s not on a commercial level and will be used by the community.
There’s people out there who will complain, moan, comment and generally kick up a fuss about this and I’m not about to enter into any discussion about the wrongs and rights of hunting protected or endangered species, my job is to diarise and report on my experiences.
As we arrived at the beach Songee announced that cooking here were two different meats for tonight feast, a pig and a turtle. In the traditional ‘Hungee’ way buried under the sand wrapped in leaves, covered in hot coals and rocks our dinner was slowly baking away.
There was quite a babble of people gathered as the announcement was made that cooking was complete and we’d be taking the food out of the ground, the sand was brushed off, the covering cloth doused to stop fire breaking out, the leaves slowly peeled back and finally the metal grid with the turtle on was hoisted out of it’s fiery pit (apparently it takes half an hour more for turtle to cook than pig!).
Being one of the non-locals I was asked to sample the meat first, I admit the turtle did look sorry and forlorn lying on its back with its lower shell removed, although the smell was fantastic as the meat had been marinated in soy sauce, garlic, ginger and onion first. I didn’t know what to expect, maybe a strong fishy flavour?
The meat pulled apart easily looking like beef crossed with pork, slightly fleshy but also fibrous and rich in colour and the taste was something else – the closest taste I can relate it to has to be wild boar or a rich pork and very palatable too. There was no waste at all with every morsel scraped out of the now floppy shell and collected for consumption later…I was even given a taste of the lung, quite a strange experience!
After I’d made it back to my cabin to freshen up it was straight back to the community centre where tables had been prepared and laid with a gigantic feast, around 100 locals had also arrived all looking bright and colourful, laughing all the time which seems to be the religion here. With the speeches and welcome over the feasting started followed by the obligatory dancing this time with both men and women joining in the shenanigans.
I finally left the entertainment at 2am exhausted from the day’s activities and experiences…
Visiting the islands of the Torres Straits gave me an understanding of somewhere I considered to be ‘just another part of Australia’, but it’s massively different and hugely unique even to the Aboriginal culture which it seems to easily paired to.
These people are islanders in every sense of the word; their remote location harbouring an age-old culture that should never be lost, the waters around them providing a bountiful harvest of seafood and adventure. Their happiness, hospitality and laughter are unrivalled creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere which is reflected in the bright and colourful clothing worn by all.
Tourism has never even been considered on a commercial level here, one of the elders even asked me to explain the word to him as he didn’t understand the concept of it and I hope, to a point, it remains that way.
The sheer cost of the flights out here means that at the moment few people will ever visit but if you’re lucky enough to arrive on the islands you’ll experience a different type of tourism – one that is not driven by money or want but instead by the desire to educate and entertain people about the different way of life here.
Sunday 1st November 2009 – Officially listed as a day off on the itinerary….
however anyone who knows me will also know it’s never a day off…so when Julia (the fantastic lady who organises everything to do with my itinerary back at Tourism Queensland in Brisbane) told me I instantly wondered what I could fill it with.
Maybe an ATV session, some white water rafting or even a bungee jump – hold tight on those for now, how about something I’ve never ever done before – a ride in a hot air balloon. Perfect…almost.
I say almost after dragging myself out of my bed at 3.30am to make the manically early start (especially as I didn’t get to bed until 1.30am after the Tropical North Queensland Tourism Awards the night before) needed in order drive the one hour inland to the Tablelands where we’d be taking off from.
Browney from Hot Air Cairns was there to meet Bre and I and whisk us west from Cairns to our likely launch site, around Mareeba 80kms away.
The first sign of light on the horizon signalled our arrival at the ‘chook sheds’ (An Aussieism for chicken in case you’re wondering) our launch site for the morning’s activities. Three Land Cruisers, trailers with baskets strapped on board and crews were there already talking about the weather – how very British! The wind had just dropped off in the half an hour we’d been there, luckily as I thought at one stage the entire thing may be cancelled – thank you oh god of wind!
The usual setup for a morning flight involves a pretty big balloon, in fact the largest one in Australia holding a huge amount of hot air and suspending a basket with 25 people beneath it. Our experience was going to be even better than this though…Bre and I had our very own balloon with one other person aboard – our pilot Jay of course.
Jay’s a cracking South African chap so we instantly hit it off and chatted loads about our time in the dark continent, he left there a number of years ago after flying balloons for years across the African savannah, viewing elephants, lions and every type of game from the air…with some pretty intense stories about close shaves he’s had in the past!
With the vast balloon filling quickly with air supplied by a massive fan it started to billow in the light breeze and take shape, the next job was to fire up the powerful twin burners mounted on the framework at the top of the basket. With a roar and blast of flame the balloon…well ballooned I suppose gradually standing upright until it was tugging at its mounts, desperate to climb into the heavens above.
The basket was now stood upright and as I climbed into it I fired up my gps to try and track the route which you should be able to see at the foot of this blog post, click on the Triptracker logo to have a look.
Pre-flight checks completed, Jay sent up another rush of hot air into the vast spherical void above us and the basket said its temporary goodbye to the ground beneath. We silently climbed up into the cool morning air , the clouds above us swirling and opening to allow the sun’s rays through…this was going to be pretty special.
Bre could hardly control herself, big smiles and giggles all over her face signalled her outright enjoyment and I wasn’t far behind I can tell you. The fear of heights which I had two years ago has got so much better now – but that is after:
Climbing five of Africa’s highest mountains last year
Throwing myself from the world’s highest bungee jump
Taking up rock climbing as a hobby
Learning to fly a helicopter and
Flying in a few seaplanes
There’s nothing like taking on your fears is there….?
As we gained height it was easy to see why the pilots love what they do (another person here in Australia claiming to have the Best Job in the World), the vastness of the land below stretching out far into the distance.
As we entered the cross winds above us the balloon was pushed along gaining speed as we gained altitude until we were literally up in the ceiling of cloud and feeling the cool of the mist on our faces – we were at the maximum height allowed for balloons before entering restricted commercial airspace. WOW.
The features on the ground below were breath-taking; long roads stretching off into the distance, the lush water courses and creeks breathing life into the parched grasslands around, fruit and nut plantations systematically laid out in uniform lines with the odd Kangaroo bouncing around, – their shadows in the early –morning sun clearly visible.
As the flight drew to a close Jay identified a likely landing spot in the distance and as we dropped down in altitude and out of the wind we entered another windstream taking us in a very different direction. It’s amazing how these pilots can read the wind using tell-tale references such as smoke on the ground or simply spitting over the side….pure genius!
Our final few metres before touch-down slowed the balloon sufficiently and after a couple of light hops, we came to a standstill, our ground crew were there to meet us and pull the ropes atop the balloon to release the hot air inside, effectively depowering our graceful machine and in doing so rendering the vast bird flightless.
Suddenly it was just a heap of material on the ground attached to a basket…
Together with the team we folded it all back up into its bag, rolled the basket onto the trailer and hit the road back to a huge delightful breakfast at their HQ. A full on feast for the hungry flyers was laid out and everyone else who’d been lucky enough to have their own ‘first flight’ chatted enthusiastically about the experience.
A magnificent time and so worth doing! Thank you to all at Hot Air Cairns for the morning.
Another great reason for being up here in Tropical North Queensland is to attend the regional Tourism Awards, and it’s one I’d been looking forward to for a while as it signalled a bit of a reunion – my good friend Anjaan from the Best Job in the World final would be MC’ing the evening!
The theme for the night involved a little bit of dressing up and not the usual black tie, instead the organisers had decided to theme the evening as ‘Bollywood’ with guests dressing up in traditional Indian clothing…and it would be not different for Bre and I.
Dressed in the traditional Sari and Kurta, Bre and I arrived at the Cairns Convention Centre and found an amazingly themed venue with a flamboyantly decorated stage replicating the Taj Mahal.
The evening went with a bang and Anjaan did extremely well, firing the crowd up when needed as the awards were handed out and dancing impeccably at the end with his gorgeous wife Anrita, putting all of us to shame with her moves!
Many of the winners or nominees were actually places I’ve been lucky enough to stay or visit over the last few months and I can vouch for them as deserved entries into the competition.
The awards serve a very worthwhile purpose within the industry giving individuals and businesses something to aim for and recognition for their endeavours. Even putting together a submission takes a serious amount of time and effort.
Well done to all the winners and better luck next year for all the other entries.
Weather: Starting to get a little more humid here today! 30c
Not known for travelling that lightly at the moment with everything I have to take with me in order to dive, blog, photograph and live, I almost feared the fact that my latest itinerary spanned nearly 14 days and would take me to a wide variety of environments and appointments all requiring different attire and equipment. I left Blue Pearl (my house on Hamilton Island) with nearly 48kgs……yikes!
After a short hop onboard my Qantas flight to Cairns the blast of hot air greeted me as I exited the aircraft, I’d arrived once more in Tropical North Queensland and the temperature was certainly a few degrees warmer than that back home.
First stop, collect my hire car from Avis, a rather cute Holden Astra(Opel/Vauxhall depending on which country you reside in) which was convertible. Excellent I thought, a little wind in the hair motoring to come. I popped the roof back, threw my luggage in and drove…..for almost a kilometre before coming to the end of my journey at the hanger of GBR Helicopters, my next mode of transport to whisk me up north.
It took me two seconds to place the face in front of me, Nigel had flown Bre and I back in July when we visited Green Island on a short flight out over the reef and would again be my pilot today, excellent! I love meeting up with familiar faces once more.
Safety briefing out of the way (I could almost give these to the pilot now as I’ve become so used to them!) we powered up on the landing zone, waited for clearance and took to the skies once more, Nigel expertly sweeping us low over the Hinterland taking in vast properties, fringes of rainforest and the Captain Cook highway winding its way north along the coastline towards our destination for the day, Cow Bay around 100 kms to the north.
As we banked back into the mainland from the reef the stunning beauty of the Daintree became obvious; a spectacular mountain range smothered in dense green rainforest towering above the coast it runs along. Memories of driving through a similar environment in Gabon last year during my Afritrex expedition brought the emotions flooding back….I actually cried back then as I was so blown away by it all.
Dropping out of the sky and down to the cleared grassy area meant the end of another fantastic experience. I said goodbye to Nigel and hello to Barney from Back Country Bliss Adventures, my host for the remainder of the day and an experienced guide who manages a company offering some of the best adventures I’ve heard of and totally up-my-street such as river snorkelling, sea kayaking, mountain biking, kitesurfing, wakeboarding etc….having just an afternoon with them would not be enough.
I was being tagged onto the back of a group made up by an international contingent from Tourism Queensland with familiar faces from all around the world. As I arrived at the Daintree Discovery Centre two faces stood out from the crowd, Shana who works in the USA office and was instrumental in organising my recent interview with Oprah (still can’t believe that actually happened – massive round of applause please) and Jane Nicholson from the UK office who I’ve known since the initial round of Best Job interviews started way back in March, great to see her smiling and away from her desk for once – a very deserved break I think.
We were deep in the rainforest now, the Daintree Discovery Centre being an informative and fascinating insight into the life of the flora and fauna which exists in this incredible eco-system. There’s raised boardwalks which allow you to walk from ground level up into the trees giving a unique view of the surroundings and ends up at the huge tower and information centre which, if your control of vertigo allows, lets you climb the remaining 20 metres to the viewing platform above the canopy.
The 360° views are awesome as are the sounds of the birdlife below, it’s almost as though they don’t see you as they fly past cackling, screeching and calling out. I loved it up top and could have stayed for ages but the whirlwind tour had to continue and we headed back to the 4×4’s ready to move on…but it wouldn’t be long before we’d be back up in the trees.
As we bounced and bumped up the dirt road which wound through the rainforest a clearing appeared and our next destination had been reached – Jungle Surfing – Zip Lines – Flying Fox, call it what you will it meant more adrenaline and more dealing with being up in the clouds.
Harnessed up, personalised helmet on (I was to be called Tarzan for the day…but I could have been MiniMe, King Kong, Skippy or Barbie!) and camera strapped to me, we made our way to up the first stepping-off platform at around 12 metres off the ground.
The platforms are all mounted high up in the trees using cable and chains but extensive efforts have been made to protect the trees as much as possible. There is no direct alien contact with the trunks themselves instead small wooden blocks have been placed around them to stop the chains cutting into the bark – a very good effort to protect their environment and duly noted!
There are a total of five cables secured between the trees each of which interconnect the platforms and offer a different ride from the next; the first is a winch up hill, then a short slide across the canopy, the next a trip across a deep valley below, then a super-fast ride steeply downhill to the final test….a trip upside down to the last hopping off point.
It’s a cracking adventurous ride which educates and excites, the guys operating give a short talk at each platform about the environment, the trees, the history and the view and you leave feeling pumped up and relieved to have made it to the end in one piece…yes especially you Jane Nicholson and very well done for completing it at all!
Back Country Bliss Adventures offer a huge array of activities which you can do here in the rainforest and together with GBR Helicopters can drop you off at one of the peaks where you can mountain bike down to the river for a snorkel before enjoying lunch on the beach.
I had one more appointment to make before the afternoon was out which involved a drive south towards Port Douglas, a left hand turn towards Mossman Gorge and a short climb up to Kuku Yalanji Dreamtime – an Aboriginal Tour Centre which gives an insight into the local community’s connection with the forest itself.
Run by locals the walking tour winds through the rainforest floor with stop-off points along the way to listen and learn about the history of the area and the traditions contained within it. One I’d been secretly dreading but was keen to try out once and for all was the eating of the witjuti grub….yes that famous long, fat, pus-filled monster found in dead trees out here. Bushtucker trial…eat your heart out!
Of course to make life slightly easier for all concerned my hosts had very kindly been out and sourced some of these particularly in-digestible grubs prior to my arrival so as I arrived at the bush camp I knew something ready for me judging by the smile on their faces.
Here’s the video of me trying the gorgeous appetiser, which turned out to be much better than expected – once the heads been removed you’re left with a squirming body that has a wet, fish skin-like consistency filled with gooey water. Once I’d chewed it a few times the taste disappeared I after a proper swallow it was gone…wow that was something I’ve been meaning to try for ages and not as disgusting as I thought.
There were a few Custard Pears to try afterwards to wash down the witjuti grub which cleansed the palette rather well…or at least offered something different to taste anyway, the whole process provided great amusement to the crew who’d decided they didn’t want to participate for some reason.
Warren took me on a walk through the forest explaining to me the significance of the trees in their culture and about how he and his family have a particular interest in protecting the forest for future generations. We arrived at a slowly flowing stream when he decided to take a liking to my face and painted red ochre and other natural clays across it just as the Aboriginals would have done traditionally with their own people.
No visit to the gorge would be complete without a lesson in how to play the didgeridoo and so came my turn. Now I have about as much musical talent as a…person with no musical talent but I thought I had to give it a go as I’m here…
I watched the master at work and then tried desperately to recreate the incredible sounds he was able to produce, pursing my lips together and blowing a raspberry through them….after a few attempts I could do it! But then came the really difficult part….circular breathing. This is the art of continually breathing out through your mouth to create a sound with the didgeridoo and at the same time inhaling through your nose to provide air for the next breath, simple I thought.
No way in the world is it simple, I huffed and puffed and stopped, Then huffed and puffed some more…and it stopped again, damn this is harder than it looks. The lesson came to an end a few minutes later as my mouth really wasn’t able to do it and my mouth was starting to cramp with all of the effort, stick to running and training Ben.
With the excitement of the day over I jumped back in my little hire car, dropped the roof back and prepared for some more convertible-motoring all the way back down the coast to Port Douglas, or just Port as the locals affectionately call it and what a great little town I found too.
The spit of land which the town is sited on has a sumptuous entrance road lined with palm trees and smart looking commercial and business properties leading to the main road through which is where the shops and restaurants start.
My guide for the afternoon was Doug Ryan whom I met at Salsa, one of the classier eateries along the front offering views out over the water and a corking menu, I hadn’t had pasta for a few days and you can never have enough seafood….so I combined the two and came away delighted. Stomach full it was time to catch up on some family business with some birthday present shopping in the town and then back onto the road south for Cairns, my overnight stopover.
My weary head was in need of a good pillow and the Hilton in Cairns can certainly offer that…there’s one of those amazing pillow menus to choose from but I was so tired I could have slept on a brick that night!
Distance covered: 500kms on Qantas, 100kms in a helicopter, 120kms in a car!
