My Australian Adventure: The Great Barrier Reef and Beyond

Continued from previous blog entry…

After a short evening in Christchurch, New Zealand; I woke up in the morning to catch another early morning flight to begin the next phase of my Oceana adventure. I caught a flight from Christchurch to Cairns in Australia to spend the next couple of days exploring the Great Barrier Reefs, yet another bucket list item that I had built this trip around. I still recall growing up as a child and finding a children’s book about the Great Barrier Reef in the Philadelphia Public Library near my house and being instantly mesmerized by what I saw in those pages. It took me a while to shift my mindset and realize that international trips were possible to accomplish with the correct mindset and forward planning. Over two decades since I first saw that book in the library, it was time for me to make that childhood dream a reality and see the Great Barrier Reef for myself in person. Once I arrived in Cairns, I had to fuel up for the upcoming adventure, so I took a trip to a highly ranked local steakhouse where I enjoyed their reef and beef specialty that combined their amazing ribeye with local tiger prawns. The restaurant is known for its use of locally sourced, grass-fed beef and signature beef marinade. Both factors came together to create an amazing steak dinner with a great view of the harbor with the meal. I spent the remainder of the evening wandering through the town of Cairns. This is primarily a small tourist town people visit to use as a jumping off point for the reefs with tourism being the primary economic driver for the town. The town’s location at the edge of the Danube rain forest also leads to some unique wildlife that can be found in town. The trees lining the streets of Cairns are filled with colorful parrots and large bats. The night market is also a fun place to spend the evening. This location offers vendors that sell a variety of locally made souvenirs and a diverse collection of food stalls to try. This night market was the first place since Tokyo where I was able to enjoy some Taiyaki, a fish shaped dough pastry bursting with an assortment of fillings such as the red bean variety I enjoyed at the night market.

The following morning, it was time for me to board my tour boat and begin my Great Barrier Reef overnight adventure. I boarded the Coral Sea Dream and set sail towards the Great Barrier Reef, where I would spend the next 2 days snorkeling and scuba diving within the reef. It took 4 hours before we arrived at the first of our 3 reef communities that we would be exploring on this trip, Eustice Reef. This was by far the most breathtaking underwater adventure I can recall having. The sheer size and diversity within the reefs are incredible. I saw countless fish, a kaleidoscope of colored reefs, green sea turtles, squid, and several green sea turtles. We anchored a short swim from the edge of the reef, and I could see the abundant wildlife of the reef from the second my head went beneath the water. My first foray into the reefs was with a snorkel. Within a few minutes, I swam to the edge of the reefs and was awestruck with the variety of shapes and colors I could see of the reefs. The sheer scope needs to be seen in person to truly grasp. I began to swim within the channels that were flowing between the reefs and within a short time; I was surrounded by both reefs and fish in every direction that I looked. From 20-foot-long gray reef sharks to tiny clown fish and other colorful, small fish that made their homes within the reefs themselves; it was the largest collection of diverse wildlife that I could recall seeing. After a few hours, it was time for me to take the adventure up a notch was I attempted my very first scuba diving adventure. I donned my gear and made my way into the water with my guide. Although getting acclimated to the increased pressure was tricky at first, once I was able to accomplish this, I received a brand-new vantage point of the reefs from 36 feet down; at the very base of the coral reef community. The first fish I recall seeing once I began to look around was a large reef shark swimming just below me and shortly afterwards, I spent minutes following a green sea turtle as it maneuvered its way among the reefs. Being able to look up and see stacks of coral community rising 30 feet above your head and overflowing with color is an unforgettable experience that met and surpassed and expectations my imagination created when I first learned about the reefs from that memorable book in the library so many years prior. I would go on to repeat these underwater adventures over the next two days at two additional coral communities: Flynn and Moore Reefs. Staying the night out on the reef also led to an incredible night sky filled with stars. Being hours away from any city allowed for an environment with no light pollution at all. Once the captain turned off the lights on the boat; the night sky truly came into being in front of us with countless stars dotting every direction we looked and the milky way being prominently displayed across the entire night sky. Eventually it was time for our nautical adventure to come to an end and we set sail on the four hour journey back to Cairns.

Once I arrived back in Cairns, I had enough time left in Cairns to enjoy one final dinner in the town. I ate my way through the outback with a sampler platter of the local wildlife at a local restaurant called Dundee’s. The meal included a filet from the local cattle industry, two links of crocodile sausage, kangaroo skewers, a local pan seared fish called barramundi, a local crawfish known as a yabby, local BBQ lamb, and locally caught tiger prawn shrimp. These were all served with sweet potato from a nearby farm and showcased the diverse assortment of local game and agricultural products that are available within Australia.

The following morning, it was time to board my flight and head towards my destination for this trip, Sydney. Since I knew my time in Syndey would be limited, I booked a hotel along in the Circular Quay, in a very central location that not only offered an easy base to explore the main attractions from the city from but even offered an amazing view of the Syndey Opera House from my hotel window. I spent the evening wandering through the harbor and central business district of Sydney, Australia. This is an extremely fun, vibrant, and active city filled with lights, music, and food. So far, my favorite part was the harbor across from the iconic Sydney Opera House known as the Rocks that provides incredible views of the Opera House itself but is also filled with lots of live music and dozens of food trucks with an amazing variety of cuisines. Funny Story: When I arrived in Sydney, I started exploring the area around the iconic Opera House and noticed the entire area was filled with live music, light displays, food trucks, and modern art exhibits. I figured Sydney was simply a very lively city with a vibrant night life and this was normal nightly life within their central business district and tourist hub. I found out that I happened to arrive in Sydney in time for one of their larger annual festivals: the Sydney Vivid Light Festival. I went out and enjoyed this fun festival, including a boat ride through the harbor. The incredible light show of the festival made this city's iconic skyline stand out even more as the entire city was lit up with gorgeous lighting everywhere, including a light show display on the Syndey Opera House. This was a great way to bring this amazing adventure to an end. I even found a food truck that was serving up skewers of kangaroo, crocodile, and emu; giving me yet another opportunity to sample more of the local cuisine and continue to experience the regional culture through its food.

I spent another a separate evening in Syndey venturing to city's Chinatown for dinner and exploration, at a restaurant called “The Eight” that was offering some great BBQ and Dim Sum. I started off with their dim sum sampler of prawn, pork, and chives dim sum before trying their BBQ sampler platter to get a great taste of their menu. This platter offered their BBQ pork, roast duck, and soy sauce chicken. After dinner, I spent some time exploring this neighborhood, one of the world's top ranked Chinatowns. I saw so much incredible looking food that I would have loved to try if I wasn't so full. This neighborhood highlights the importance of immigration from East and Southeast Asia had on the growth of the city in Sydney as I saw restaurants from a variety of countries located such as China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and the Philippines.

This Asian heritage was mixed with cuisine that was also representative of the country’s early history as a European penial colony with many European nation’s being represented in prominent architecture and cuisine throughout the city. In fact, I found a Belgium cafe by the Circular Quay in Sydney that had one of the most unique desserts I've ever had known as a Mango Vanilla Egg. This Belgium pastry was made from a vanilla egg-shaped shell that could be broken up just like an egg to reveal a vanilla custard filling and mango center. This tasty treat paired incredibly well with their Belgium mocha latte.

I spent my final day in Sydney, Australia exploring the many landmarks of the city such as the harbor entrance and Bondi Beach. This was a gorgeous city to explore with a beautiful harbor, iconic skyline, great variety of food, and fun culture. It's without a doubt a city, I can see myself returning to in the future. The best way to really take in the city’s skyline is from the water so with that spirit in mind, I boarded a cruise ship to take a tour around Sydney Harbor. This is one of the most popular activities for visitors to the city to do due to Sydney having one of the most iconic and recognizable skylines in the world, anchored by the world-famous Sydney Opera House. A harbor cruise like this is one of the "must do" activities for first time visitors to Sydney.

Following my tour, I wanted to enjoy one final meal in Australia before my flight home that would allow me to enjoy a unique culinary experience. I found a great restaurant in Sydney that was tucked away in a neighborhood just beyond the central business district called “Fish at the Rocks”. It had a great local vibe with amazing local seafood. I wanted to try as much of the local cuisine as I could, so I got their Mixed Seafood Grill platter that came with local King Prawn, Salmon, Ling, Scallop, and half a local Lobster Tail. I have been really enjoying trying the local cuisine during my time in Australia since it will likely be a while before I have an opportunity to try this type of food again. Great restaurants such as this one take a bit of exploring to find and require getting away from the main crowds. However, they are well worth the effort.

The next morning, it was time for me to begin my journey back home to the United States after having spent the previous weeks amassing many memories and checking several items off my bucket list. My first adventure to my fifth continent proved to be a tremendous success and the experience makes me even more excited to take my first steps onto my 6th continent later this year once I embark on my African safari adventure. But that is a story for another day…