Australia - Cairns - The last stop before Singapore

Well as you know we made it back to Cairns from Cooktown. The country is really beautiful if harsh up there and is well worth a visit. If you hire an offroad vehicle you can travel the many dirt highways that are inaccessible for the omnipresent campers.

Back here we had a few things to do, like get last minute things for the jungle, waterproof bags, soap, shampoo, clothes and of course anti-malarials.

For tbe later we booked a consultat a local medical centre, and picked up some doxycycline. Not our favoured anti- malarial but definitely the cheapest.

So shopping done we booked on a last dive trip to the Outer Barrier Reef (Saxon and Norman reefs to be precise). This was the cheapest and probably the most crowded boat we had been on (60 + people); but despite tha,t the crew of mainly brits and one german were excellent at giving instruction in  the use of equipment and what to look out for.

So after our Bacon and Egg roll and our suit, fins, mask and snorkel fitting, we were ready to hit the water snorkelling and diving, and to take some piccies...

Some of these pictures are very clear and some are a little "misty" due to sediment stirring, but have a look through, spot the fish where you can; and if you know the  names of the corals and or the fish then post a commnet to let us know too...

Have a look at this nesxx set of photos, and bear in mind that we are 90 minutes off the mainland of Australia...

this looks like a beach where the tide had just gone out doesn't it, you can see a few rocks in the distance...

...In fact this is Norman reef being exposed due to a falling tide, see the pale pink colour of the coral in the mid ground....

...and here it is at low water....


We got back to Cairns exhausted after two dives interspersed with as much snorkelling as time would allow. We had a fantastic day at the Saxon and Norman reefs.

We didn't realise that the "tide" went out at this great distance from shore either!

We landed back at JJ's for a well earned last sleep in Jucy Lucy who goes back to her spiritual owner tomorrow. A real tear jerker thats going to be after travelling so far and so long with her :0((

Next, on the 18th June, we are off to Singapore, to get our visas for Indonesia and adventure in Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo.