Stu Gets an Apres-Snorkeling Kiss from Nikki

A Pirate Ship?

Shortly after starting back to port, we passed this interesting looking boat. I think it's a yawl because the mizzen is behind the helm. 

The Award Ceremony

On the way back to port, the two tourists who went SCUBA diving, one of whom is shown here grinning like an idiot, were congratulated by our diving guide and presented with certificates comemorating our dive on the Great Barrier Reef.

Of course, I'm all decked out in my new Quicksilver Diving shirt, also comemorating the dive.

In truth, this dive filled a 40 year-long wish to SCUBA dive on this reef. 

Drew Weyand

One of the most pleasurable parts of a nearly perfect day was the music on the cruise back to Port Douglas. Drew Weyand works for Quicksilver and performs regularly on the Wavedancer, so regularly, in fact, that he wrote a,d recorded a song about it.

He sang a mix of Dylan and other popular American rock songs from the 1960s through the 1980s and popular Australian songs, some of which he wrote. We bought his CD, which was not as good as his live performance, but was still pretty good. It's a great souvenir of the day. 

A Close-up

 

Loren and Carla Coming Back to Port

Bob and Carole

 

Coming Back into Port

 

Dinner at a Private Home

 

A Stroll through Port Douglas in the Morning

Port Douglas is a lovely town, about a 40 minute drive north of Cairns. It is a center of water-based activities -- lots of boats, dive shops and beaches. And as you can see here and in the pictures that follow, it is a very lush and colorful place. 

The Most Important Spot in Town

Ah, the internet cafe... Carla and I read our e-mail, saw the latest round of pictures of our new grandson, and even saw the pictures of our balloon flight in Alice Springs. 

Why We Have RGB Monitors

Incredible tropical colors on the road to the beach. 

The Beach at Port Douglas

In the Thorn Birds, it was on a beach like this one where Ralph and Meggie finally consummated their love for each other. While the Matlock Island location of the Thorn Birds was fictional, everyone seems to agree that the setting was somewhere off the coast of North Queensland. When the TV mini-series was made in 1983, the Matlock Island scene was filmed in Hawaii because of its similarity in appearance to North Queensland. 

Australian Political Humor

This rock sits just at the edge of the beach. 

Shark Nets

The white preimeter around the swimming area is made of shark netting which has proven to be a very effective protection from the sharks which are plentiful in the tropical waters of Queensland. 

More Tropical Color in Port Douglas

 

A Neat Ice Cream Shop with a Dazzling Interior

A Wall of Ice Cream Flavors

 

Street Scene in Port Douglas

 

Heading North from Port Douglas to Cape Tribulation

We set out for an afternoon tour of the tripical rain forest of Cape Tribulation and the Daintree River. The activities included a stop on a mountain overlooking the Pacific Ocean, a walk through the rain forest, a stop at a conservation area for flying foxes, a cruise on the Daintree and an informal North Queensland dinner.

Here we see cattle just north of Port Douglas. 

 

 

It's a Pretty Bird, but the Meat is Tough

Statue of the Southern Cassowary

On a Mountaintop Overlooking the Pacific where We Dove the Pervious Day

 

I Stole This Picture!

I had a telephoto lens on my camera, and I just couldn't focus on this incredible butterfly as it homed in again and again on Doris' shirt. I failed to get a picture of it.

Fortunately Jo had better luck than I did. Thanks Jo!

Given the similarity in color between the insect's wing and Doris' shirt, and given the butterfly's persistence in persuingDoris, I can only believe that the butterfly was fascinated by the shirt, assuming that the mother ship had finally come for it.