The ride to the top via the cable cars affords a great view of downtown Sydney across the harbor.

The shows preformed during the day helped to make up for the dissapointing exhibits. The wild bird show was really good. They had a couple of eagles as well as a dozen or so other birds that performed in an open theatre that overlooked downtown Sydney. Very cool.

There were a couple of exhibits that stood out.

In particular, the giraffes. Like them or not these three were very funny to watch. For an added fee, there always seems to be another way to charge you for something else, you can get your photo taken feeding different animals. As we happened by the giraffes there was a small line of folks waiting to feed the giraffes. As we watched one giraffe in particular went out of his way to get noticed. He was sticking his tongue out and trying to snatch snacks from his mates. It was fun to watch him.

The gorillas also made for a good visit. As two youngers ones played they actually crashed into each other with an audible clunk when their heads meet in midair.

After a nice day at the zoo we took the ferry over to the Darling Harbor for dinner. We stopped at a place called Jordens and enjoyed a great meal. A bit expensive but worth it. I recommend the baramundi.

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Then the rain game in buckets. It rained so hard other drivers were pulling over to wait out the storm. I wanted to get into Sydney before dark so I pressed on. It was very dicey for a while but eventually the rain lessened and we made it to our next stop.

Driving in the city was exciting due to the narrow streets and the tail end of rush hour. To top it off we ended up in the wrong line at the tool coming across the bridge into Sydney and we were 20 cents short of exact change! The toll both operator that manned the other booth told us to go on so we did. After 1000km of watching the speed limit and driving safely I didn't want to get a fine for missing the toll!

Since we arrived too late to return the rental car I had to park it at the resort. I can't wait to turn it in as soon as possible in the morning.

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but the kangaroos were in an enclosure that allowed us to interact with them. They sell cups of cracked corn to feed them and they really do enjoy it. I was able to get many photos of kangaroos close up including one where one of the Roos helped himself to my cup of corn. They allowed us to pet them and hold their paws. Obviously, they have lots of interaction with people so it was very enjoyable.

There were other animals that you could get close to but the kangaroos were the best.

We also picked a good time to come since we nearly had the park to ourselves.

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One of the neater things about Austrailian beaches is the lifeguards are formed as clubs and they in turn watch the bathers. The lifeguards will asses the currents and conditions and will put out a pair of flags on the beach that shows where it is safe to enjoy the water. Further north there was a threat of jellyfish. Here, further south there didn't seem to be so much of an issue.

As we slowly cruised the coastal route we passed some smaller towns including one called Kendal. Since it is the namesake of one of our daughters we had to drop in. It wasn't much of a place but it was fun to explore new towns nonetheless.

As the coast route brought us back to the Coast Highway we headed back. The 3 hour drive took us about 30km down the road.

Coast drive South remains copyright of the author garciamag, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Right next to the Koala Hospital is Roto House. The origin of the name has a couple of explanations but essentially its a house built by a successful business man around the turn of the 20th century. Its a nice view into life and living in this part of Australia during this period. There is no entry fee for this either but it does accept donations. According to the sign on the door it is open whenever there are volunteers available. In our case there was a nice older gentleman that gave us some details on the house and made sure we knew about the Koala hospital next door.

All in all a good way to kick off week two of our travels.

Visiting the Koala Hospital remains copyright of the author garciamag, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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One of the stops was Byron Bay lighthouse. It was also the easternmost point of Australia. The lighthouse, set against the clear blue sky was beautiful to photograph and the seas below made for great scenic vistas with endless sky and seas beyond.

We also found a town called Mooball which had a gas station/cafe all done in cow theme. I am not sure where the name comes from but it was too good a name to pass up.

The rest of the drive to Port Macquararie was not eventful until we got about 30 minutes from the resort. Another big rainstorm came over us and the stars and moon that lit the journey earlier were gone. All we had to guide us were the taillights of the truck in front of us. We could catch fleeting glimpses of the road signs. We finally made it to the resort and got in with no problem.

One thing we immediately noticed is the resorts that are wholly owned by WorldMark are much friendlier then those that share properties.

Driving on the 'wrong' side remains copyright of the author garciamag, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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The drive out the the rain forest included several stops to pick up other guests so it took about 2:30 before we finally got to our first stop. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and gave us details the whole way up.

We finally stopped at a river bend down river from where we were heading. Lucky for us the rain had a break in it so we could explore. As it turns out this part of the rain forest is regrowth so wasn't natural but had grown back quick densely.

The next stop after seeing many sugar cane and other crops that did well in this part of the state we had a very nice lunch and a visit to another beach. While it was pouring (with a capital P) when we arrived after a delicious lunch the rain again gave us a break to explore the beach which looked like the Swiss Family Robinson could have lived there.

Next stop the Daintree River Cruise. This stop started dry but after the normal break for tea and cookies we headed down to the river boat. This is open boat with a cover but no cover on the sides or front. This was all well and good until another heavy shower approached the river. This were no where to go so we drove right through the front. We all ended up quite wet but the effort was rewarded. We saw a few crocodiles and a king fisher the was quite brightly colored.

The bus driver/tour guide met us at the ferry crossing on the other side of the river and off we went to the Daintree rain forest. This was slightly different from the rain forest at Kuranda in that much of it had been logged earlier in the 19th and 20th centuries so much of this was regrowth. It was lush and thick and green but not as tall as Kuranda.

The drive home was long since we were the last drop almost 13 hours after we started but it was a good end to very exciting adventures in Cairns.

Tomorrow we head for Brisbane then drive to our next stop Port MacQuararie.

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The ride out the the reef is done on a day boat. We did two dives on Norman reef and had time for a snorkel as well before we were transferred to the overnight boat. The overnight boat names the Ocean Quest stands on station in the ocean for up to three months at a time! They rotate passengers and crew with the day boat but otherwise they stay out until they need to refuel and get more fresh water.

Diving on a boat isn't much different from normal diving but on a live-aboard its a very condensed. I did seven dives on the reef at four different sites including a night dive. The dives were very similar due the rain and rough weather except for the night dives and the last dive.

While the surface was choppy once you hit about 10 feet or so it smoothed out but the visibility wasn't great. Still the water was warm and I saw many types of coral, lots and lots of fish and some other wild life as well.

The topper was probably the night dive. They turn on the lights and the night starts around 7:30. While this might not seem too late it was the 4th dive of the night. But the was the possibility of sharks! And Grand Trevallier's sp? The latter are huge fish that we were warned would 'fish' using our lights. ;-)

We were not disappointed on either score. There were black tipped reef sharks right off the boat and more down below. I met many folks on the boat but one in particular was an Israeli, going to school in Australia named Alon. He did the night dive with me and had not seen sharks before while diving. While he was an experienced diver it was fun to see his expression when the sharks arrived.

The Grand Trevallier's, true to form followed our lights and tried to eat anything we highlighted with our lights. We moved the lights around so as not to make it too easy for them to get their fill.

At the bottom of an opening in the reef we ran into another group the had descended just before Alon and I. They were led by on of the boat crew and she motioned us all to the bottom. We all knelled on the bottom and covered our lights. The darkness was total and immense but very liberating at the same time.

As Alon and I headed back to the boat he saw another shark and disappeared from sight. Not good to loose a buddy in sight of the boat! But I followed procedure and sure enough he came up right below me. As I waited two sharks swam within arms reach of me. Very cool.

The first dive of the morning (6:30am) wasn't too spectacular due to the weather. It had rained all night and the viz was not good. But we did get to see a lion fish and the was good.

The next dive was number 50 for me and helped me qualify for my Master's Dive certificate but was, again, not great.

The last dive however, did turn out to be very good. With the tide changing the water cleared and the surge settled so it was a very good dive allowing my buddy and I to 'camp' in different places and just watch the action on the reef unfold.

After the last dive we hooked up with the Reef Quest, the day boat the brought many of us out the day before for the ride home. There was talk about a front coming in with a possible cyclone headed towards Cairns in a day or so. The right home was at a steady 18 knots and was kind of exciting.

I hope return to the reef again when the weather is nicer. When I do, I will be doing it on a live-aboard. There is just no other way to do it!

Tomorrow, we head down into the Daintree Rainforest.

Diving the Great Barrier Reef remains copyright of the author garciamag, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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In Kuranda we wandered the village which has lots of small shops and resturants. They don't tip normally in Australia so its kinda of wierd the way the resturants work. In many you order your food then sit down and someone brings it to you.

After a nice hike along a river and through the rainforest we stopped for a bite to eat. We bought some cool stuff to bring back and really enjoyed the place. On the way down, we stopped to see Baron Falls. It was nice to see, the ground rumbled but there were trees blocking many of the outlooks but it was still a good experience.

After the long ride down from the rainforest, we took a break and then headed for the night zoo. This is a regular zoo during the day but at night we have a much smaller group. The adventure starts with dinner and the offer of as much as you want to drink. Apparently, they encourage the visitors to help themselves to beer and wine so they are more open to participating with the 'concert' at then end of the evening.

During the visit we saw a very cool owl, bats, crocks and, of course, Koalas and Kangaroos. We got some great Koalas, Kangaroos and lots of crocks. We even got to pat a wombat!

One of the best parts of the night zoo was getting to feed and pet the kangaroos. Inside this enclosure there must have been 50 or so kangaroos hanging around the campfire despite it being 80f degrees or so.

Then evening ended with a concert and many of the visitors singing and dancing to Australian songs.

Kuranda and the night zoo remains copyright of the author garciamag, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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The GBR (as its called here) is full of life. Lots of different fish, anenomes, and many types of coral. We both snorkeled for a while then went back to the big boat for lunch. After lunch Julie enjoyed the sun on the coral sand beach and I went looking for some critters to photograph.

Julie even babysat for a younger couple so they could enjoy a snorkel together while out on the quay. As it turns out they were from Edmonds, just a couple of towns over from us. Another example of how small the world can be.

After several hours on the reef it was time to go home. But the adventure wasn't over. Many of the boats that head out the reef are twin hull designs to help keep them stable. Ours was one of these. Between the two pontoos is an open grid that folks can sit on and watch the water pass under the boat.

On the way home the seas got a bid choppy. Not unlike Hawaii, where the afternoons bring wind and some heavier seas depending on which side of the islands you are on. So as this big boat bored through the waves they started crashing over the starboard (the right side for you landlubbers) side of the boat. The waves also came crashing through the grid and splashing over the starboard side chasing all of the people on that side to the back side of the boat....except your's truly. I thought why worry about getting wet when on a sailboat. So as each wave crashed up and over, I was soaked again and again. Each time I would take my very wet towel, try to dry my face, wring out the towel and wait until the next wave. I rarely had to wait long. This defiance apparently was very entertaining to both passengers and crew and I refused to be chased from my otherwise comfortable perch. At one point I calmly pulled my mask and snorkel from my bag and put it on. This brought a very nice thumbs up from on of the crew.

All in all it was a great day and a super introduction to the Great Barrier Reef.

Tomorrow we head for Kuranda a village atop the Rainforest. We get there by a tram and pass over the rainforest. Tune in for tomorrows report.

The Great Barrier Reef remains copyright of the author garciamag, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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The rest of the day was given over to shopping and exploring. We ended up getting the weeks excursions set up and then back to the room.

Tomorrow we head for the Great Barrier Reef. The largest living thing in the world for a day of snorkeling.

Arrival in Cairns remains copyright of the author garciamag, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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We're heading out of Cairns for Brizzy (Brisbane for you mainlanders) just in time. A cyclone is predicted for Wednesday.

We are going to learn to drive on the 'wrong' side of the road. We're going to drive down the coast from Brizzy to our next stop. Beware Aussie drivers!

Flight is calling. More details later!

Week One Done remains copyright of the author garciamag, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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But trying to get from Sydney to Cairns didn't work so well. We went without delay from the plane to customs and then immigration but we just couldn't get past the luggage area. It turns out the QE2 and QM2 are both scheduled to dock in Sydney today and there are no dearth of ugly, pushy and whiney Americans arriving in Sydney to take in the cruises.

Anyway, once we got to the domestic terminal we couldn't get on our 9:30am flight. The Qantas guy that is supposed to help with such issues didn't seem to care about out plight at all. He did get us on the 7:30PM flight to Cairns. A nice bloke helped us figure out how to call Cairns from Sydney so we could alert the resort we would be late. We are also quickly getting used the various sized money. Both the paper and coins are different sizes but their size isn't in order of the amount. I got 25 cents change and the 20 cent piece was almost the size of a 50 cent piece. But both are larger than the $2 coin.

So, we now have an 'extra' 9 hours to explore Sydney.

So we try to get help from a few more Qantas airline personnel but none we approached seemed too interested in helping us. We did finally find a nice lady at an information booth who suggested we buy a day pass and go explore the harbor and see the ships.

The public transportation in Sydney is really easy to figure out. We took a train out of the airport to the ferry docks then took two different ferry rides around the harbor area. Our first sight was the Opera House and the bridge. We did see the QM. The QE2 didn't arrive until later this afternoon.

So after the day crusing Sydney harbor, we grabbed some lunch then headed back to the airport. The domestic terminal doesn't seem to a lot of travellers during the week. Even Burbank seems to have more folks walking through it on a normal business day. It was strange to see such a big terminal area be so quiet on a workday.

So we are waiting at the very last gate for domestic Qantas for our flight. We are a little early but 60 minutes before our flight there are just three passengers...;-0

Tomorrow Cairns... then the Great Barrier Reef!!!!

We made it...almost remains copyright of the author garciamag, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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It rained all night....Then, only hours before we are due to head for the airport I find that I don't have the proper connection for my dive gear! A call to my local dive folks got me fixed in just minutes and all was good.

We have made the first leg of the journey just fine. We are now checked in and waiting for the LA-Syndey leg. As as reminder when we checked in with Quantas the gate attendant said "they serve dinner and breakfast on the flight and free drinks for the duration of the flight so eat too much in the airport. Ya gotta like that.

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Every person we come into contract with that has been to Australia has only glowing comments about the place so we are even more excited then ever to get there and experience all the great sites and experiences that await us.

We still have about 24 hours of plane travel ahead before we get to 'relax' but it still beats a good day at the office!

Almost ready remains copyright of the author garciamag, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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All travel plans seem to be in place. I am getting some...but would always welcome more, suggestions on things to do and see when in the Land of Oz. There seems to be a variety of choices and I really want to make sure we see the important, memorable sites. Diving the Great Barrier Reef sounds like fun but where to start? There seems to be so many great places to dive. And where to eat? Cairns doesn't seem too but but once we get to Sydney I want to find the 'hot' spots to eat.

I think the packing list for clothes, dive and photo gear is close to complete. We have all the travel docs, passport, visa, plane/hotel and even Australian $$$ all ready...I just hope I haven't missed anything.

The in-laws arrive the day after I get home from my next trip and we leave two days after that.

Can't wait....

2 weeks and counting remains copyright of the author garciamag, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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We decided the safe way to travel was keep a minimum of money and use travelers checks and the AMEX debit style card. The fees seemed reasonable, $14.50 per card and services charges. But we found out that AAA (Automobile Association of America) offers the very same features for much less using a MC or Visa logo on the card thus making it more acceptable for travel. If you are outsite the US you might check with your local travel organization to see what offerings they might have.

Since this is a 'big' trip we decided we should have travelers insurance just in case. Again, AMEX and others have reasonable insurance rates but by checking around we were able to insure our trip for a fraction of what the big names were charging. The company that underwrites our insurance is a big name, here in the US, so we didn't undercut ourselves but were able to save considerable money by shopping around.

The exitement level is rising as we get closer and the details are falling into place.

4 Weeks and counting remains copyright of the author garciamag, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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