Day 7 Australia Adventure (Port Douglas). Celebrating our Silver Anniversary.

Celebrating our actual 25th Anniversary today, a whole 18 hours earlier than if 

we were in the States. 

Woke up early to check-in at Wavelength Reef Cruises by 8:00 am. Wavelength is the only reef tour owned and operated by Marine Biologist. Almost decided to walk there, but being this was our visit we thought "better safe than sorry" and 

drove 3 minutes to the marina. 

The boat launched and took us out to Opal Reef located on the Great Barrier Reef. Safety lessons and informational talks along the way. We were told we couldn't have come on a better day. Clear visibility in the water out to 20 meters, 10-knot winds, and clear skies. It took us an hour to get to our first stop, "Bashful Boomie". 

We suited up with stinger suits, snorkels, masks, and fins. 

Saw lots of beautiful varieties of fish on the reef including parrotfish. Alecia gave it a go but decided it wasn't for her and didn't want to slow down my insatiable curiosity and desire for unabated exploration. She spent her time talking politics with a Brit who moved his family to Sydney thirteen years ago to enjoy a slower lifestyle. After an hour in the water, the boat signaled to come back on board. Brownies and fruit, with water, coffee, or tea were available to snack on. 

Next stop, "Ray-Ban." This particular site has a famous inhabitant, Nemo the clown anemone-fish. Guided tours were offered in the water and points of interest were pointed out, including a giant clam. 

Learned that good healthy corral are shades of brown or taupe. Some reds, yellows, and mauve. Many expect to see these lush colours as portrayed by the media. One coral, in particular, is called bullhorn corral. When healthy it is brownish with light blue tips. When in distress it is all bright blue, dead color is gray and crumbling. Got to touch a sea cucumber and also saw the tail end of a large Moray Eel swimming away. The tour guide we got was from the states who earned her degree from the University of New Hampshire. Sandwich fixings, fruit, and potatoes salad were served for lunch. Last stop "SNO" which is short for South North Opal. It has the best possible coral cover, with truly beautiful gardens of plate corral. 

Here's, one of the largest locals, a Maori wrasse they call Hamitch. He swam up to greet us and stayed with us quite awhile, showing off and responding to our guides. As I'm updating this in 2024 it seems Hamitch has either passed on, or been renamed, as the visiting Maori wrasse is now named Marvin. The ride back took over an hour and the crew served chocolate chip cheesecake and warm drinks. You could see that everyone was wiped out. 

Back in the town of Port a Douglas, we went to The Mexican for dinner. Ordered our traditional fajitas to split. It was okay, but not as good as what we have in Wenatchee and NO cabbage salsa. They charge you for everything. Extra salsa and even chips. Ordered churro's with a hot salted caramel dip for dessert, our favorite part of the meal, and truly delicious.

Day 6 Australia Adventure (Cairns/Port Douglas). Celebrating our Silver Anniversary.

Checked out of our amazing flat in Mosman this morning. Took out the rubbish and left some items behind with the owner so our luggage wouldn't be overweight for our next flight. Leaving to return the car hire, I turned left where I should have turned left. I got in the right lane when I should have gotten in the right lane. All said and done, we got to the airport with an hour to spare. I think I'm getting acclimated to driving on the left side of the road. 

The flight on Jetstar was one of the best we've had. Plenty of legroom and the row to ourselves. The seat storage is located on the headrest in front of you instead of down by the knees, love it. Jetstar is a no frills, low budget, self check-in airline. Checked bags can't be over 20kg (44 lbs) and carry-ons are only supposed to be 7kg (15.4). 

We landed in Cairns 

Rented a cute little blue Nissan Micra. 

Enjoyed lunch at The Lily Pad Cafe, DELICIOUS, and checked out the mall to pick up some summer wear. Alecia didn't want to leave Target as she found their store floor-plan to favor our higher end stores, and the clothes to be more stylish than the Target back home. The dressing rooms were designed so you can see the front and back view with ease and the dressing room attendant called her "Luv". 

Drove the amazing Captain Cook Highway and will stop at the Gatz Rock Piles located between Port Douglas and Palm Cove, keep an eye out between Ellis and Pebbly beaches. We hope to stop there on our return trip. Roundabouts everywhere along the route, almost every mile for a while. Roads here are much wider than in Sydney. 

Arrived at our next destination, Hibiscus Gardens, and was amazed. The Airbnb places we picked have been very good to us this whole trip. Went grocery shopping and can't believe how small the apples are. Can't wait to see what tomorrow holds.

Day 5 Australia Adventure (Sydney Blue Mountains)

Off to the Blue Mountains for a full day itinerary planned by Jono. 

He suggested we take the route with tolls to arrive sooner. Google Maps said to turn right, I turned left (dang it, there's that left thing again). Ended up going across the Sydney Harbour Bridge...twice!!! Got stuck in the CBD traffic. Our trek took an extra hour and we still had to pay tolls. You gotta laugh. The motorways in Sydney are nothing like the freeway system in America. Speeds are variable between 40km/hr and 110km/hr. They change often. One moment you think you're on a freeway and the next you're in a school zone or stopping for a traffic signal. Traffic is heavy and parking scarce. It's not uncommon to have to leave your lane, drive around parked cars, and return to your lane just before you exit. Roundabouts are everywhere. 

Went to Scenic World and rode the Scenic Railway, The world's steepest incline passenger railway. Alecia liked the Railway so much, we decided to ride it again and snagged the front seat. An Asian gal, from San Francisco, invited herself to join us. She was so much fun! Both times, we adjusted the incline of our seat for maximum thrill factor. Upon arriving at the bottom, the doors wouldn't open. A precarious position when you're in the front near the cliff's edge. After 10 mins of readjusting, they pulled us back to the top of the train ride to see if the doors would release up there. Another 10 mins at the top, doors still wouldn't budge, so the maintenance crew pried the doors open. 

Next, we rode the Skyway glass floor tram across the Jamison Valley, and the cableway, which is the steepest and largest aerial cable car in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Trunkey Creek: Chorizo, Salami, Peppi, & Mozzarella on thin crust. The sauce was...AMAZING!

Drove to Leura to dine at Leura Garage, which closed permanently January 25, 2023. To give you an idea of dining prices, Leura Garage would be comparable to Wenatchee's McGlinn's. The pizza was about the size of an American medium pizza with no option for a smaller or larger version. The cost was $27, tax included, no tipping. The American dollar is strong here so our credit card takes the conversion into effect and we estimate we were probably charged around $20. The card reader, to pay for our meal, at the register stopped working. Ran across the street and withdrew some Aussie cash from the ATM to pay for the meal while Alecia stayed behind so they didn't worry we would dine and ditch. 

Drove back to Mosman across Anzac Bridge (commonly referred to by the locals as Madonna's Bra Bridge) and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which you can climb (a variety of ways) if you're feeling adventurous checkout Bridgeclimb Sydney.

Picked up by Jonathan Moody and Emily Hoffman for a night out at Barrel Bar and Dining which has since permanently closed We dined on typical Aussie Cuisine: Spicy Chicken Wings

Salmon Belly Confit, BBQ Spanner Crab, Broccolini, Flank Steak with Oyster Mushrooms, Pork Belly with Red Cabbage

Chips with Aioli

The food was exquisite and the company superb. What a great way to cap off the day. While we have thoroughly enjoyed all the sights and sounds Sydney offers, the best part of our trip has been spending it with great mates who are local. Tomorrow we are off to Cairns (pronounced cans) and Port Douglas. Catch you on the flip side.

Day 4 Australia Adventure (Sydney)

Woke up to rain and overcast skies. Grateful it subsided before catching the ferry to Circular Quay. We planned to take the train to St. James, but they were down and alternate bus routes were offed free of charge. 

Stopped at Hyde Park on our way to St. Mary's Cathedral, to listen to the boys choir, on the First Sunday of Advent.

Walked the shops of Pitt Street Mall, including the three story Apple Store. 

Took the lift to the top of the Tower Eye, Sydney's tallest building. The 4D movie was down; they offered us a ticket for another day. We passed on the offer, Alecia was relieved to not have to view the shark footage. Having a hard time convincing her to go on a jet boat ride in the harbor due to sharks. 

From Tower Eye we walked to Darling Harbour. When you walk on the footpaths, or in the stores, you walk on the left. 

Had lunch at I'm Angus located at Cockle Bay Wharf. The price you see is the price you pay. Tax is included and no tipping required. Caught the ferry back to Circular Quay.

 Toured the Contemporary Art Museum. Discovered contemporary is not our style. 

Made a trek to The Rocks and the Rocks Weekend  Market. Bought some Oz Beezwax to stop the Australian Salute (waving flies away). The vendor asked "Have you got an accent?" We said, "No." She said, "Your Aussie?" We said, "No." She asked me to say a few more words as you I hadn't said much. She proclaimed, "You're American, you DO have an accent." It's easy to forget we're the foreigners here. Stopped at Gelato Messina, watched a variety of Buskers (Aussie term for street performers). Chrissie (Christmas) here is neat to see. 

White flowers act as snow at the base of the decorated trees in the Quay. It's quite beautiful. 

Headed back to our place in Mossman and drove to the classic art deco Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace to see Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. Parking is difficult, but we lucked out and found a space behind the theater. Two tickets were $42, can you imagine? It would cost us $100 to take our family to the theatre! We are quite fortunate in the States. At the candy bar you can purchase hard liquor, and every theatre is fully licensed to drink in. It's been a great day and we are tired. Tomorrow brings a long trek to the Blue Mountains. Loving Australia!