A Day in Brunei

Our marathon journey from Australia back to the UK involved a 15hr stopover in Brunei so we booked onto a tour of the city.


Masjid Jamek Mosque

Ladies must preserve their modesty

The Sultan's entrance

Taxis on the river.
We went on a taxi ride around the Kampong Ayer water village, stopping for some tea at one of the houses.

In one of the houses we had a chance to dress in traditional wedding attire and pose in a wedding scene - practice for June 2012?

Houses in the water village - more than 30,000 people live in traditional houses built on stilts over the Brunei river.

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque with a replica of the royal barge

Our Last Day in Australia

Em's topping up the suntan

Chilling out after a long day on (and under) the water

The sun's going down on our last day in Australia

Sunset over Cairns

Swimming with the Fishes

This fish appeared to be flying through the water

Parrot Fish - last seen munching on the coral

 

 

Hundreds of little fish on this coral

Wavy Coral

 

A Giant Clam

Diving and Snorkelling

For four days we cruised around the reef. The boat moved to a new dive site twice per day and as soon as it was moored up we headed to the dive deck.


Em kitted up for another snorkelling session

Em soon got used to snorkelling

Just the two of us!

Just floating around in this fish tank.

Kangaroo Explorer dive boat

Duck diving.
Towards the end of our time on the reef I went too deep for the camera so we missed out on pics of the turtles we saw.

The Great Barrier Reef

For our last few days in Australia we're on a dive boat on the Great Barrier Reef.


Reef Kist - our transport from Cairns to the reef

Kangaroo Explorer - our home for the next four days and three nights.

The Millaa Millaa Waterfall Circuit

Today we're doing the Millaa Millaa Waterfall Circuit.


We walked for miles to find these falls - then discovered we'd gone round in circles!

Millaa Millaa Falls

Cathedral Fig Tree

The Cathedral Fig Tree is a gigantic 500 year old strangler tree.

 

Atherton Tablelands

Typical shops in the Atherton Tablelands

Lake Barrine

This afternoon we went for a walk around Lake Barrine.

This lake is a reminder of the violent volcanic past of the Atherton Tablelands. Scientists believe it was formed about 12,000 years ago when molten hot magma rose inside the earth and heated the water table, creating super-heated steam trapped underground. The massive explosions which followed are still remembered in Aboriginal stories. These stories recall big winds, billowing red clouds and people swallowed by cracks in the ground. Water eventually filled the crater, creating a tranquil lake which gives no indication of its violent creation. The lake is now protected as part of the Crater Lakes National Park.


We spotted turtles in the lake.

The Curtain Fig Tree

To count the tangled roots of the Curtain Fig would take a week. It is one of the largest trees in north Queensland, and one of the best known attractions on the Tablelands. Its curtain of aerial roots drop 15 metres (49 feet) to the ground. Large basalt boulders cover the forest floor, which is probably why the forest here wasn't cleared for farming - and why the curtain fig tree remains standing.

Mt Hypipamee Crater & Dinner Falls

Having returned from Sydney we've now come south to spend a few days in the Atherton Tablelands.


Mt Hypipamee crater is a diatreme formed by an explosive eruption of volcanic gases which blasted through solid granite. Angular blocks of granite as large as refrigerators can be found in the surrounding rainforest, giving testimony to the power of the explosion that hurled them there. A 400m walking track leads to a viewing platform above the crater.

I don't think we'll go swimming today!

Dinner Falls, at the headwaters of the Barron River.

Sign of the Day

Needless to say, we drove very cautiously for the next few miles....

Hard Rock Sydney

The last time we were in Sydney we were disappointed to find that Hard Rock was not yet open. This time it was so it would've been rude not to visit. The staff were all new, not very experienced and our waiter was Mr Keen - slightly annoying!

We spotted "the sign"

Celebrating the end of three days (not particularly hard) work.
Back to Cairns tomorrow - the holiday continues :-)

Sydney Revisited

We're now back in Sydney for three days of work for the Australian Broadcasting Company. We flew down from Cairns last night and will fly back on Thursday. We're staying in an expenses paid apartment which is a bit of luxury after several weeks of camping!


Em's chance to spend some more time visiting this interesting city.

The statue of Captain Cook

Pyramid in the Botanical Gardens

Fruit Bats

 

Matchsticks - a rather funky sculpture next to the art gallery

Emma and Friends

We've spent the last couple of days chilling out in Carins.


Emma with Bruce the Koala, the latest addition to our collection of pets! 

Yarrabah

This afternoon we decided to drive out onto the Yarrabah penninsula which juts out below Cairns. It turned out be quite an experience as the road ends in an Aboriginal settlement where some sort of celebration was going on. The settlement reminded me of the townships in South Africa.
We didn't hang around too long being the only white faces there!


Looking north from Yarrabah towards Cairns.

 

Waiting for a tasty snack to swim past!