We spent two nights at Cairns and could have stayed a week. What an interesting place. In the evening the Kangaroos come down to the fields to feed, they come in groups of 30 or more. The ones we watched were hopping about in a fenced area where horses are kept. I wonder if they are a nuisance to homeowners?
The highlight of our trip was traveling aboard a large catamaran to the Great Barrier Reef to snorkel. The catamaran could hold up to 300 people, but on our day only about 120 people attended. Tourism and the economy are in a recession in Australia, the same as the U.S., and we are benefitting from smaller crowds. The trip to the reef took an hour and a half, and the winds blew 25 knots, making the ride quite rough. We were prepared and took sea sick pills, but probably half the ship got ill. We were fortunate.
I have snorkeled in many places; Hawaii, Eastern and Western Caribbean, California, Florida, Mexico, Baja California, and more, but I have never seen the ocean floor as beautiful as that of the Great Barrier Reef. Or, as many beautiful fish. It was fun to actually see a Nemo, and a big turtle, and a huge clam shell. The coral and sea plants were stunning. It was hot and sunny and we were properly sunburned at the end of the day.
I did not take any photos of the underwater life, but would really like to try to paint what I saw. I’’m going to have to contact a professional photographer for reference material when I attempt this project.
Gail Niebrugge, landscape artist
