Day 27 recap (Mon Mar 7)

[Stef] As you read this, to get the full effect of my excitement please read aloud in a raised voice – HOLY CRAP I JUST SNORKELED THE GREAT BARRIER REEF!

Yup, it’s Monday and we snorkeled the reef today. We got up and packed our clothes up and set off to the Gladstone Marina to catch the boat over to Australia’s Heron Island (72km northeast of Gladstone). The boat ride over was really bumpy and for a bit I thought I was going to get sick…. But I made it! Good thing they took the boat today instead of the catamaran (which has a much rougher ride). We watched some informational movies on the 2 hour ride over. One told the story of Heron Island and the other talked about the University of Queensland Research Station on the island. About 40 years ago, this boat trip took 6 hours for visitors of the resort!

As we came into the island, there was an old rusty shipwrecked boat in the jetty area. It originally was a boat carrying supplies in the World War II, after being damaged by a tug it was towed to here where it is home for many of the birds on the island. The water was so blue and the island was so cute! There were a wide variety of birds were circling around the tops of the trees as well. This tropical island sits right on the Tropic of Capricorn, and is located on the Heron Reef (a part of the Great Barrier Reef). The island itself is only 42 acres with a circumference of just 1.8km! We chose this resort because it is one of the only ones located right on a reef. You need to take an hour boat ride to get to the good snorkeling at most of the other island resorts, compared to five minutes here. Another great selling point for Heron Island is they have a maximum of 200 guests and no day-trippers here – remote and very un-commercialized.

Once we walked to the reception area, they brought us into a conference room where they told us about the different resources on the island. Then we split into groups and the guides took us on a brief tour of the amenities and then dropped us off at our room one couple at a time. Scott and I didn’t book the cheapest rooms, but they weren’t the most expensive either. We were more than pleased with our decision. The expensive rooms were individual huts with a hammock off the back – too big for the two of us. The cheaper ones must be a bit smaller from looking at the outside – and they aren’t on the beach like ours. Scott and I have the second floor of a two floor building. (None of the buildings are over the tree line, so you can hardly see them from the beach.) It is a beautiful room with a spare daybed and some wicker furniture. No guest rooms on the island have a TV or phone, and it is a keyless society since there are no day-trippers. All the lights have dimmers on them too, so you can create your own mood lighting in the evening – and people on the beach can’t see in as well! We also have a little balcony which is shaded by the trees and a haven for our talkative birds. Scott says they talk almost as much as me! (I don’t think so! – haha ) I don’t think we could have gotten a more perfect room! After the tour guide showed us the room, he also told us our bags would be delivered to us and that at night we needed to close our curtains. The lights from our room would make it hard for the newly hatching turtles to find their way into the sea. They instinctively use the light horizons to orient them to the sea, so any light on land would confuse and disorient them. With all the birds around, there is of course a lot of bird waste as well. Another guest told us that it is supposed to be good luck if they accidentally hit you. Well, I think Scott wants to take me to Vegas because just in one day, I have become one lucky woman! (3 times already today!)

After we freshened up, we headed over to lunch. It was a buffet, and it was enormous. Everything was fresh – fresh whole shrimp (eyes and all), lobster, a variety of cold salads, and fresh fruit. We were amazed at the selection and how good it was. (Everything is included in our package except for some drinks.) We finished eating, checked in at the Marine Center for tide times and set out to try some snorkeling right off the beach! The water was so clear and amazingly warm. Nothing like New Zealand waters… It was as warm as bath water – somewhere around 28 degrees Celsius. We saw so many things. I even saw a lemon shark – which they say is a nice (non-aggressive) shark. I didn’t stop to find out! We saw beautiful coral and bright colored fish everywhere. It was incredible, and like nothing we had ever seen. I felt like Nemo! So we signed up for the boat tour the next morning to get to see more in deeper water.

After our snorkel, we showered up and went over to dinner. WOW AGAIN! It was a 3-course meal. I had potato gnocchi for an appetizer, roasted lamb loin for an entrée and strawberry something or other for dessert! Scott had seafood bisque for an appetizer, Mahi Mahi (with apricot glaze/marmalade) for an entrée and chocolate crème brule for dessert! It was great to relax and unwind.

After dinner we went over to the bar and I enjoyed a great Mango cocktail – which had fresh mango in it - and Scott had a Toohey’s pilsner (an Australian beer). We played a game of pool and relaxed some more before turning in for the night. It was an awesome day here – only can imagine what the next few days will bring! The air and water compete for the warmest temperature and the exclusion of modern conveniences is beyond perfection. It is the perfect combination of simplicity and elegance!