Good reef

Our group was rostered for an early 6am start which caused a few moans and groans among the fellow passengers but both of us are early risers so it certainly wasn’t a problem. With calm, clear, mild weather it was great to be setting off early for the 15 minute zodiac ride to what is a totally unique place, Montgomery Reef. A bonus was being to watch a wonderful sunrise in a nice clear sky. The manner in which the extreme tides partially submerge then expose this extensive 400 sq km reef system means that water is flowing over its surface vigorously and continuously. It craetes an attractive environment for turtles, seabirds and other wildlife. Despite our expectations, we caught only very brief glimpses of the rather shy turtles as they momentarily stuck their heads above the water. There were however many seabirds visible including white and grey egrets, grey shore plovers and sea eagles.
En route back to our ship a surprise awaited us as we diverted to a small sandy island where glasses of cold champagne were waiting.
On our return there was an interesting and enlightening talk, “Introduction to sea turtles of Australia” where we learned a great deal about the seven species of turtle, one of which is endemic to Australia.
The big event of the afternoon was a zodiac trip to Freshwater Cove to meet with an Aboriginal family living there a largely traditional lifestyle in extreme isolation. We were given the choice between a short walk inland from the beach or a far more demanding 1.5 hour return trip over some rough terrain to visit Aboriginal cave paintings. Brian elected to take the easy option and was thankful he did as the weather was rather warm. Elspeth meanwhile decided bravely to do the walk and we’re pleased to advise that she managed it rather well and only required some assistance over the rougher patches. She reported that the highlight for her day was having an Aboriginal elder from that area talking about the paintings. She arrived back safely to the ship and quickly revived after a martini.
We then watched another wonderful sunset from the observation deck, a fitting end to a day in which we had also enjoyed the sunrise.Weiterlesen