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Trip to Australia, 2004
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We pass the Great Dividing Range in
easterly direction and suddenly the
landscape changes: more friendly and even
greener. Sugarcane is the main crop. The
producers and factories are in troubles as
the market price for sugar is less then 200
dollar per ton and nobody can make money at
that price level. Over and above, sugar is
excluded from the just concluded Free Trade
Treaty with the USA, so the government is
supposed to support the branch. In
Mackay we download our emails and check the
dive pro. At this moment there are no trips
to the Great Barrier Reef, so they advice us
to go to Airliebeach.
At the coast
we have at last a delicious Fish and Chips.
We later hear that the fish in it usually is
shark. iIn the evening we book by phone a 3
night is then called "flakes". We see
that often in fish shops.
We stop in St Helens and discover a
wonderful camping, full of palms in every
variety. Our campervan rests nicely
protected from the hot sun under the palms.
We call a dive centre and we book a dive
boat trip for the next day, 3 days and
nights, in which 10 dives are scheduled.
We have to kill some time
before we can board, and during a stroll in
the town we see an opal merchant. His
collection is very special and we cannot
help It, but have to buy again 9 opals of a
very special kind.
Swimming in
tropical Queensland is risky. There are a
few kinds of jellyfish on the coast, and if
you hit one you may die, and if not it is
probably the worst you ever experienced. One
is the Chironex or Box jellyfish, a up to
30cm across and has up to 15 ribbon-like
tentacles. This jellyfish delivers a severe
and potentially life threatening sting.
Stings from this jellyfish have been
recorded predominantly in coastal area's.
A different one is a very small 1-2 cm,
invisible jellyfish, with 4 small tentacles
and called Irukandji. Although the sting
causes only a minor stinging sensation, half
an hour later however this is followed by
severe generalised muscular pain, headache,
vomiting and sweating. The sting of some
species cause very high blood pressure that
may be life-threatening.
You are
only allowed to swim in a full lycra suit,
a so called anti-sting suit. The person who
sells diving trips insists that they go to
area's without that dangerous jellyfish.
Then we can board the diving cruise.
It is pretty full with young people, mainly
backpackers and most of them with diving
experience. A nice bunch of guys and girls,
all divers.
Birgitt prefers to snorkel,
a very exclusive position as she is the only
one.
The Great Barrier Reef is the
biggest reef in the world and stretches
along the North East cost of Australia. Here
it's more than 100 kms off the coast and
during the night we cruised to our planned
destination.
The boat had all the
luxery you can expect from such an
adventureful dive trip.
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