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  • Day 5

    Another day on Lord Howe Island

    February 5, 2017 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    Determined to join the cycling tourists today so first stop should have been Wilsons Cycle Hire. Instead got sidetracked by the local museum which for a very small island is a very good one - didn't get to see it all and then couldn't resist the allure of the cakes at the Museum cafe.

    Finally got the bikes and slowly wobbled off down the Lagoon road which fortunately was empty.
    Visited more of the beaches along the lagoon and on to the Catalina monument commemorating the loss of seven lives from a Catalina flying boat which crashed in 1948. Amazingly large pieces of wreckage are still lying in the paddock 69 years later. Cycled back to The Treehouse our accomodation or at least tried to. Too many uphill sections for me so had to resort to walking and pushing a few times.

    Afternoon was spent walking to Transit hill lookout which gives 360 degree views. Although only 27 degrees C the humidity of 70 percent is really getting to me and I began to take on the hue of a beetroot. The track wasn't difficult but it was of course uphill so absolutely exhausting in the humidity. A lot of the path was through dense Pandanus and Kentia palm forest but no nasties to worry about as there are no snakes here. Saw an emerald ground dove and the sweetesr pair of white terns - oddly they don't make nests they balance a solitary egg on a branch.
    Lots of flowering hibiscus especially the yellow variety and frangipani. 58 percent of the plants here are found nowhere else in the world a staggering fact.
    The view from the top was worth every step. I can see I am going to run out of superlatives in describing this place.

    Photos
    The empty main road perfect for wobbly cyclists
    White terns
    The Island Trader bringing supplies every two weeks
    Track through the palm forest
    Pandanus tree
    View from Transit Hill
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