Today we toured the “lagoon” and one of the seventy-four small islands off the west coast of Queensland that make up Whitsunday National Park. What makes these islands so remarkable is their location right on the Great Barrier Reef. While we did not go underwater, we did enjoy the beautiful turquoise waters above the reef.
Frankly, the day started out rather slow. We took a lagoon tour that was supposed to be narrated, but our narrator was an Aussie and we needed subtitles in order to understand him. We sailed around in the still turquoise water for two hours. It was pretty, but there were not any photo opportunities.
When the boat docked at Hamilton we rented a golf cart and drove alll over the island. The carts, called “Buggies,” are everywhere, climbing the hills like electric mountain goats. We went on every paved road we found and looked at the beautiful views. What a place. The buggy have left hand drive, but they are driven on the right side of the road...it was confusing at first, but we got the hang of it in a couple of minutes.
All is not perfect on this island paradise though...a cyclone came thru last February and destroyed a lot of the million dollar “cottages.” A few repair trucks will not stop the tourist or the local, so life goes on regardless of the upheaval around them.
There were cockatoos and love birds on the waterfront...the locals don’t much like the cheeky cockatoos.
The cockatoo uses it’s beak to chip away at wood, thereby destroying homes much like an American woodpecker. One lady told me that they are smarter than the average woodpecker, so they are more destructive. On the other hand, the Rainbow Lorikeets were just spectacular. How can you not enjoy looking at these brightly colored birds that hang out with each other all the time.
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