Travelin' Fullers Blog: Two Great Adventures: The Great Barrier Reef Dive and the Rainforest and Koalas

Well, the dynamic duo ( that would be Bill and me) split up today to enjoy two separate tours. I snorkeled the Reef about 50 years ago with my parents and had no real desire to do it again. I was all for seeing the Koalas and getting to hold one. Bill wanted to see the reef so he went out expecting to snorkel, but found out he could scuba dive with an instructor without a dive certificate. He had an absolutely amazing time as you will see in the photos below. There was an encounter with a Loggerhead turtle and a rather gentle giant of a blue fish (we're unsure of its name).

The ride out on the catamaran was extremely rough and 80% of the 100+ passengers got seasick. Bill was not one of them! Thankfully! His wonderful scuba instructor was named Tang and she did a great job with her two novice divers.

While Bill was enjoying the deep blue, I was enjoying the deep green of the Tropical rainforest. I had a terrific guide named John who was wonderfully informative and I wish I could remember just a small portion of what he told me. We went to the top of the mountain where I was able to see some kangaroos and the piece de resistance, I was able to hold a Koala. I actually held a koala about 50 years ago when we came to Australia with my parents. Now, though, the koala is actually becoming an endangered species so I'm not sure how much longer you'll be able to actually hold one for a photo op! And yes, they are just as soft as a stuffed animal, but beware those claws! The koalas actually have a hard carapace (like a turtle shell) on their back sides so they really feel nothing --- allowing them to spend twenty hours in the branches of a tree without feeling anything! They are nocturnal, but it was nice for us that these guys have their day and nights mixed up! I also saw crocs, wombats, wallabies and kangaroos. After seeing all the animals, and a little bit of shopping :) I took the Sky Way gondola back down the mountain. True to its name, Rain Forest, we had several brief showers on the way down..The area around Cairns gets about 80" of rain a year. But as you work your way further along the coast, the rainfall amounts increase to over 400 inches a year. I was also informed that deadly jellyfish come into the waters at this time of the year! (Bill didn't know this). There is something called a Box Jellyfish which has tentacles 3 meters long and one sting will kill you. There is also a much smaller jellyfish, called the Thumbnail, which can also kill you with one sting. Australia has more deadly species of plant and animal life (57 deadly species) then any other place in the world! It is also the oldest continent..

The name, Yorkies Knob, comes from a Yorkshire fisherman who settled in the area in 1882. He grew lots of vegetables and was a very generous man with the exisiting natives. He was so well thought of for his sharing of produce, that they decided to honor him upon his death by naming the settlement, Yorkies Knob, after his homestead..

Enjoy the brilliant underwater photos of Bill's adventure and mine of the wildlife and rainforest!

Duffy and Arlene stayed on board, but went to lunch in the dining room and toured Deck 7! Duffy continues to get better each day. I did a little personal shopping for Arlene. Good thing we have similar taste! However, I was not able to bring her a Koala!:(

Tomorrow is another sea day with our next stop Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.. If we spot any airplanes, we'll advise.

How cute is this guy?!

A tasty "tasting" of crocodile, kangaroo and emu. I liked the croc the best-- sort of like chicken/fish..kangaroo was next favorite followed by emu.

A male and female Ulysses butterflies-- the female is the larger and stronger one. After they mate, she injects the male with a chemical that knocks him out for the whole process for about 7-8 hours, she is larger and stronger so that if danger approaches she can fly away with her mate attached. Several hours later she will "detach" from her mate..