May's Bay

Rubber ducky entry and exit is another skill to learn. My skills must be improving though as I successfully negotiated the beach without getting wet or injured. Unlike my Thai experience six months ago. The beach here is small and intimate, and very quickly passes onto mangroves which line the waters edge. These trees really are quite beautiful. The last time I was so up close and personal was a biology trip in high school. The root system is what makes them unique, enabling them to exist on the waterline, yet breath via their network of roots which form a latticework system of breathing points above the water line. As for the salt water, I'm can't quite remember how they deal with that, but given how healthy they look they cope magnificently. Having discussed the potential danger of cone shells I was aware that shell seeking was to be undertaken with care. That and the fact that many beaches within this area would be considered national parks or protected environments. That said, I only found one shell worth investigating, flipping it over to discover it was inhabited by a hermit crab. After he wiggled his claws at me, I gently placed him back in position and left him to his housework. It is the turtles in May's Bay that have most captured my attention. We have sighted a couple each day. They appear out of nowhere, take a breath or two on the surface and go again. Sometimes they reappear further across the bay as they seek food. One this afternoon came up close by our yacht, alerting me to her presence as she huffed out and took another breath of air. The sound so unusual I had to look - and there she was just watching me. An amazing experience. I took a photo on my iPhone, which looks more like the Loch Ness Monster than doing credit to this beautiful girl, but I knew if I left to get the camera, she would be on her way before I returned. I consider myself very lucky to have seen her so close, in her environment, not one of man's making. 13.7.13

It's a sailors life

The interesting thing about expectations is that they are often misfounded. Take this land girls thoughts on sailing. Here was I thinking it would be relaxing, full of solitude, might I even suggest romantic. How wrong was I. With winds that reached 25 - 30 knots overnight there was nothing but noise. I thought that the motion of the boat was what I would find most challenging to deal with. Perhaps I was a Pirate in another time and place as this has been the least of my concerns. The noise though has been something else entirely. Apart from the occasional pump kicking into action and the ropes slapping against the mast the continual slurping and slapping of the water against the hull made me realise the subtle power of Chinese water torture. Most noises I could equate to something at home. The bilge pump reminds me of Tia and Willow scratching at the door to come inside, the ropes slapping on the mast equate to branches falling on the roof, motel doors slamming when I travel for work etc. I wake, recognise the sound, turn over and go back to sleep. The incessant slurping of the water is something else....that said, at least I slept. That makes one of us. The weather this morning isn't much better. Wind has dropped a little perhaps, but it is cloudy and overcast. So at this stage it looks like we will settle in for an hour or so with a book, then reassess things later in the morning. Might not be the best weather for snorkelling but we might take the rubber ducky across to the bay and go for a walk. 13.7.13

Hamilton Island here I come

The big adventure has begun.  This girl is off sailing for the weekend, prior to heading to Mackay to deliver the Read for life: early childhood symposium on Tuesday.
Paul did the furry pickup without incident this morning.  I laughed to see Cinque's travelling companion - a Labrador.  His arch nemesis, although Charley looked like she had some age about her so hopefully he behaved himself.
So, an hour or so in the business lounge, iPad and book in hand saw me happily occupied until my flight to Hamilton Island.  We landed without incident, although the airstrip here must test the skill of the best pilot.  A narrow strip of land seemingly surrounded by ocean.  Once the descent begins I find it better not to look.
Frank met me, we collected my bags - one for work next week, one for pleasure and off we went.  Buggy to the marina, then loading gear onto our yacht.
Actually I think we "stowed" the gear.  There seems to be a specific language to boating and this land lubber has lots to learn.  Home for the next few days is a 44 foot Jeanaue - Miss Deveraux out of Hamilton Island.  Checking out all of the cabinets and hides holes to stow gear kept me entertained for some time.  Hopefully my full quota of bumped heads and banged elbows has been reached and the rest of the trip should be relatively uneventful.
We headed out of the marina late afternoon and by 3.00 had settled on our mooring for the night - May's Bay.  Accessed via a channel between Whitsunday Island and Cid Island, you go further around Daniell Point and on to the next cove.  Dugong Inlet off Daniell Point seems like a popular spot with 32 vessels seeking mooring for the night.  May's Bay had us and one other - a huge multi million dollar cruiser complete with wide screen television.  I'm not quite sure what the sailing protocol is, but I waved as the lady of the boat went out to tackle the anchor....who knows, we might get an invite for drinks one afternoon.
The movement of the yacht takes a bit of getting used to.  Above decks I am fine (well so far), even when we came through the entrance to Cid Harbour - known locally as "the washing machine".  The challenge I have is being below decks in the cabin.  I saw a plane go past, then another one, then a third....in opposite directions.  At the point confusion was about to reign, Frank put me out of my misery by showing me the "star" that I could see.....and each time our yacht moves in the water, we pass back and forth the sight line to the star. 
Best sighting of the afternoon though was a sea turtle - must have been May of May's Bay fame!
 

12.7.13

 

Charters Towers

Took me a while to get this one out - one of the challenges of being on the road.  Once back in the office I played catch up for so long I forgot I was yet to log this blog entry.  So, now the photographs are available seems like the ideal time.

Charters Towers aka "The World" is an historic town, filled with beautiful heritage buildings.  The Council and community really value the unique qualities of their town.

We have spent the week based at the Excelsior Library, which started life as a hotel and now spends its days meeting the needs of locals in other ways.  The building is quite beautiful, and being located on a corner of town, easily accessible to everyone.  

 

 

Within the region, there are also historic points of interest, including Ravenswood (too far to visit this trip without risking missing our flight) and Mingela, a town 50 kms out of Charters Towers.  Once a thriving little town called Ravenswood Junction, as its name suggests, it was the departure point for the train to Ravenswood.  Now though, other than a couple of houses, there is a pub - advertised as a quintessential county pub with a cat and peacocks, the fuel station has closed as has the general store and the post office.  Chatting to a local though, we found out that you can still access a post box for $20 annually.  Just stop by and see the guy at the pub if you are interested.

 

 

Highlights of the trip were sunrise at The Weir and then next morning at Tower Hill, meeting Maggie in the Pioneer Cemetary, seeing my first Red backed Fairy Wren, and meeting new friends.

 

20.6.13

 

Bali overview

sometimes during a trip you capture an image that just doesn't fit within the blog text, yet it says so much about the country or the people that you have been visiting that it should be included for sheer pleasure. so, for our Bali escapade, these are my picks. Enjoy!

Jimbaran, Bali

Jimbaran turned out to be unlike anything I had imagined. We set off to walk the beach, cut through and walk into town. A short discussion with someone in the know however soon changed our minds. Other than a few resorts along the beach front and a cluster of beach front shack styled restaurants, there is not much to Jimbaran at all. Not within walking distance at any rate. Apparently as a starting point for day trips, or to set out on day trips to water ski, fish, snorkel etc it is world famous, but for self made exploration there is little to discover. So, we returned to our villa via Sundarra, the new beachfront restaurant which is part of the Four Seasons complex. We stopped to sit and relax, have a cold drink and just chill for a while, then headed back and spent the rest of the morning swimming and just being lazy. Quite perfect really. We had some excellent seafood at the bar by the resort pool, then again headed back for a swim and relaxing afternoon. Mid afternoon I wandered down to the resort temple which is the practice venue for local girls learning Balinese dance. With only five girls, and an audience of one, there was much giggling and smiling. Eventually the oldest girl came to talk to me so we had a convoluted conversation where she translated for the others and we all tried to understand each other. We exchanged names and they told me they ranged in age from 8 - 11, with the older girl being approx 15. By the end of it all I had made some new friends and thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon. 31.5.13

Balinese dancing

Jimbaran is on the coast, and overlooks the Bali airport across the bay. Planes come and go frequently. My expectation is that the culture of Jimbaran will be more aligned with that of Koh Samui. Still lots of shops and food outlets, but with the addition of more bars. Shops too I expect will be newer and with more European labels and styling rather than the traditional art and crafts seen in Sayan, wood and stone carving and the like. We will find out more later this morning as we explore Jimbaran further. Last night we saw traditional Balinese dancers and a Gamalan band. My favourite musicians were the two guys who each had a set of drums, similar to those we saw in one of the temples. These guys really rocked a rhythm and the sounds they produced, in unison, were amazing. Quite eerie, and unlike the sing song sounds of the rest of the performers instruments. The dancers were very interesting. Luckily we had a translation sheet to the story behind each dance. Due to this I could basically follow the story line, and still enjoy the movement and colour. A bit like opera really. You have no idea what they are saying, but the emotion comes through....and you either love it, or hate it. The highlight of the dances for me last night was the one where two girls were interpreting the courtship rituals of male birds of paradise. I could see the connection following the research I have been doing of late. An unexpected bonus really and much less scary than the old man in the first dance. I was glad though that we took the time to watch the performance as it was quite different to the Thai dancing we saw in Chiang Mai in January. 30.5.13