The Great Barrier Reef

WE WERE TOURING AUSTRALIA. The cost of our plane fare, both ways, was $75 each, plus bonus miles from our credit card. We rented a car, no plans ahead. Just find a motel at the end of each day’s travel. We moved on up to Bundaburg and found a nice little inexpensive motel. This was at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. We booked a snorkeling trip, but since the weekend was coming up, we had to wait there 3 days. We were determined to see this. We made the most of it, and took several shorter sightseeing trips. On one of these, we saw an animal in the distance that was as big as a cow, but was something else. When we finally found a way to drive up close to it, it was a giant red kangaroo. When it stood up and looked at us, it looked seven feet tall!

     When Monday finally rolled around, we drove to the town of Seventeen Seventy. It was named after the year Captain Cook explored that coast. We got in a very fast jet Boat, and we tourists sat down in the middle area, unable to see out. It was a very rough ride, and the people sitting on both sides of us, and in front and back, and many others, threw up. We did not. I guess you could say we were lucky, somewhat. We didn't produce any of it, but we caught some of our neighbor's produce. It saturated the air. We felt like galley slaves of old.

      After two hours, we reached the reef. We stopped at the Lady Musgrave Island, several acres. There was absolutely no soil there. It was formed by a few trees growing up, with Nodding Terns visiting and nesting there. The trees, at times, secreted a sticky substance, trapping many birds. The Island had grown up from bird waste, rotting trees, seashells and decaying bird bodies.

     We ran into a woman who was stranded there, and had been for days.  A boat had dropped her off, and just did not come back to pick her up. She begged for a ride. The last time I saw her, she was still begging the captain.

     Before anyone was allowed in the water, they raised a chair several feet in the air for a guy who told us he was making sure no one drifted off.  We knew enough by then to know he was watching for sharks. The Great Barrier Reef is known to have numerous types of sharks.

     We moved into the beautiful blue lagoon to snorkel. Barbara was a marginal swimmer, she was sucking in a lot of salt water, and I swam over to her and told her I was just barely holding my own, and not to count on me to be able to save her if she got into trouble. She finally went back to the boat and requested a life jacket. The boat crew didn’t have her board the boat. She sat on a small extented platform and raised both arms, like they told her to do. They quickly popped a lifejacket on her, snapped it closed, and pushed her back in the ocean. Time here was not to be wasted!  When we were exhasted enough, they called us all in for lunch. They had prepared a nice lunch of assorted sandwiches, fruit and cookies. We were all starving!

   We had a fun day, and saw many kinds and sizes of colorful fish and coral. They took us on a ride in a sub-boat. It took you underwater where you could see the colorful coral and fshes up close. This truly is an area of incredible beauty. We felt we were lucky to have seen it!

     The ride back was long, but not quite as rough, and besides, we were all too tired to mess with throwing up by then.  On the way back to the motel, after dark, we learned that kangaroo, unlike our deer, just felt it was their obligation to jump out in front of us if we came anywhere close. We slowed down. The next morning, we headed into the outback. People were very excited. No, not to see us. But because they were getting their first rain in three years.