Australia in June

G'DAY, MATE!

TIME FOR A TRIP
In late May, Mary and I decided we were ready for a trip. (Jeff too, but he still works full-time.) Because there's no such thing as a road trip on Guam, we looked into air trips. At about $600 each and 4 1/2 hours, the flight to Cairns, Australia came up the winner. In addition, it was off-season and Mary found us a great deal at a resort we couldn't normally afford. Not wasting any time, we booked our trip for June 10-17.

FRIDAY
Technically we arrived in Cairns (swallow the "r"; the city is "Cannes" in Australia) on Thursday, but it was so close to midnight that very little was left of Thursday. We took the hotel shuttle to the Lakes Resort, checked in, and went right to bed--each of us in her own room. Friday was a day of relaxing, exploring the lovely grounds of our resort, and stocking our little kitchen. That afternoon after we rented a little yellow Peugeot and a wheelchair, the adventures began! First was driving--not only on the "wrong" side of the road but also around the many traffic circles. Mary was the one to take on this challenge, and she did a splendid job. Only once did we find ourselves face-to-face with a car, luckily on a back street. After that, the biggest challenge was the turn signal: in Australia, the pesky windshield wiper lever is where the turn signal "ought" to be. Most of the week, we were prepared for rain around every corner! Our next adventure on Friday was a stroll along the beach boardwalk.


SATURDAY
By the next morning, we were ready to venture a little farther. We decided to go to Kuranda, about an hour's drive around multiple traffic circles. Just when we were congratulating ourselves on making it halfway to Kuranda, we passed a road sign that said "Cairns, 13 km." It seems we'd gone an extra round on the last traffic circle... However, a stop at a grocery store and a map on a paper bag later, we found the road to Kuranda:
a corkscrew through the rainforest that rivals the road to Sedona. Only a little discombobulated, we arrived in a mountain village that exists for the delight of tourists. Our first stop was Bird World, where we saw many varieties of Australian birds (rainbow lorikeets) and exotics from around the world (Indian blue ringneck).













After a picnic lunch, our next stop was Kuala Gardens. Here we got to see many native animals and interact with a few of them.
















SUNDAY
Sunday was a real sabbath for us. Discovering a Lutheran church less than a mile from our little apartment, we decided to attend the 10:30 service. The sanctuary was open on three sides and cool with the breezes. Everyone was very welcoming, and we were invited to the home of Ed and Eulaly Beck for lunch. A modest house by American standards (2 bedrooms, 1 bath), it was perched on the mountainside with rainforest all around. Even though the neighbors were close, trees shielded the house, so we felt quite private. We took our potluck lunch out onto a wide shaded deck that felt just like a treehouse. As we ate and visited with a family that had just relocated from Papua New Guinea, we saw the famous brilliant blue "Ulysses" butterflies (as big as a child's hand.) After lunch, we returned to our resort for a long nap and supper on our own covered deck!

MONDAY
Our destination for Monday was Tjabukai Aboriginal Cultural Park. About a twenty minute drive for us, Tjabukai is one of those "don't miss" experiences. We saw an amazing hunting dance in which one of the dancers takes the part of the animal being sought--in this case a kangaroo. It was amazing to see how the dancer caught the movements of the animal! We learned about the many native uses of rainforest plants and listened to a didgeridoo demonstration. In case you're unfamiliar with it, this instrument is made from a termite hollowed tree trunk and has a deep bass sound produced by a constant air intake through the nostrils and simultaneous outflow through the mouth. A tough skill to acquire! We also saw boomerang and spear throwing demonstrations and browsed through a wonderful gift shop filled with native crafts. As at all of the attractions, people were very friendly and adept at answering all kinds of questions. Lots of fun and very educational!

TUESDAY
With our days dwindling down, we decided we were ready for a modest road trip, so we hopped in our little yellow bug and headed up the Captain Cook Highway, which runs along the coast. This part of Australia is lots of fun because it goes from mountainous rainforest to coastal lands very quickly. The whole area looks volcanic to us. Beaches are pristine but narrow. We didn't see anyone on the beaches, but we were there off-season and this was a work day. Partway up the coast, we stopped at the Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary. At the end of our visit there, we agreed it was the high point of our visit. Spotlessly clean and user-friendly to human and beast alike, we were free to wander in three ecosystems: rainforest, grassland, and riparian. Within the ecosystems, the birds and animals are free to wander among the humans. Animals that needed protection from humans or that might enjoy attacking humans are kept in large fenced, habitat-appropriate areas. All of the birds and animals there are native to Australia. I'm including pictures of three. The black-necked stork sitting on her nest (these birds fly so high they have been spotted from commercial aircraft), a mama wallaby and her joey (look close for the feet--junior is inside nursing), a cassowary--a brightly colored ostrich-size bird (with much the same belligerent temperament).

WEDNESDAY
Because our flight back to Guam was scheduled to leave at 12:20 a.m. Thursday, Wednesday was really our last day. (Flights go from Guam to Cairns and back only twice a week, always at these midnight hours.) Consequently, we decided to have a relaxed day. We started out the morning with breakfast at a little cafe in the Cairns' Rainforest Preserve. Then we wandered through the rainforest, amazed at the towering plants, especially the giant tree ferns. Longfellow's description of the early American forests (Evangeline) kept running through my head: "This is the forest primeval..." After our rainforest adventure we returned the wheelchair and car and went back to our apartment, where we read and relaxed and got ready for a night with no sleep.

LAST IMPRESSIONS
What an opportunity! As we explored this one tiny corner of Australia, I kept marveling that a kid who grew up in Texas could find herself standing "down under"--where the Southern Cross is visible at night and where the water drains counterclockwise! The second marvel of the trip was that I have a friend willing to do all the driving--and pushing. Without Mary's support, I could not have made this journey, particularly not with as much laughter and good humor. I wish you all the opportunity to visit Australia. Even more I wish you the blessing of caring friends.