Last Night in Sydney/Arrival in Cairns!!!

Hi! So just to catch you up on yesterday, we went to a Worker's Health Center midday. These centers focus on treatment and prevention of injuries in the workplace and have important applications to "physiotherapy." One point I found interesting was the fact that Australians have an average of 4 weeks vacation time per yer (not counting maternity leave/sick days/bereavement). Imagine how many workplace injuries would be prevented if we were better rested and less stressed! Then we went to a cute restaurant downtown for dinner... down by Darling Harbor where there is lots of shopping and the Acquarium. Afterwards a bunch of people went to a club called the Cargo Bar down by the Harbor. There were SO many international people there and Courtney enjoyed herself dancing with a bunch of South African guys. We decided to head in early, since we had a big morning of travel to Cairns planned. Of course we packed at like 5 am anyway, and got on our way to Cairns on our 3rd out of 7 flights for this trip!!!
Cairns (pronouned "Cans") is a popular vacation spot in Australia offering tropic scenery, resorts and white, sandy beaches. Located in North Queesland, Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. The area is also home to the beautiful Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia. Officially founded in 1876, Cairns was established as a frontier town to support the rush of prospectors after the discovery of gold in the area. The main industries now are sugar cane and tourism.
It didn't hit me until we were landing that I was about to spend a day at the Great Barrier Reef! The landscape here is BEAUTIFUL with lush mountains and hills surrounding the area. Riding into town we were told that the houses are raised up on stilts to allow air to pass under the house to cool it off. This style of house is called a "Queenslander." The bus brought us into Cairns center where an open air market was taking place. There were sooo many cool things to buy it was hard to not go nuts on the wallet. The first thing I did was have a drink of coconut juice straight from a coconut. This ripped guy with a machete cracked it open for me and I proceeded to have the best drink of my life! Then Court and I bought some junk for everyone back home.... and went to McDonald's for the millionth time. I LOVE Mcdonald's here. It are so many more healthy options!
Afterwards we had a visit with the Royal Flying Doctor Service: http://www.flyingdoctor.net/default.htm
When the Service first began, the responsibilites of the Flying Doctor were to fly to urgent cases, render first aid and, if necessary, transport the patient to the hospital; give advice by radio; fly a regular clinic circuit to areas without doctors and consult with rural and remote doctors. In essense, these are still the duties of the doctors, but technology certainly helps out alot now.
The Flying Doctors is a free service covered by medical insurance and funded by state and federal governments. It is almost legendary in nature and certainly a unique part of living in the Outback and other rural areas. The doctors also provide med boxes in the towns with all kinds of supplies. One of the townspeople is given a key and plays the part of distributing the supplies whenever necessary. The service has 1200 landing strips all throughout Australia except up north in Darwin. They also provided aid to this area (Darwin) after the tsunami.
So now we are at out hotel... a BEAUTIFUL resort that is worthy of a honeymoon. So Court and I are trying not to get too romantic! I went for a run into Cairns city center. There are so many fresh fish restaurants and markets just PACKED with people flocking to the area for the seafood! There are some shacks down on the side streets, but for the most part it is very civilized and safe looking here. When I got back from the run, it was dark and I dove into the rock bottom pool. Court and I ate some dinner poolside. So I'm off to bed because tomorrow is a BIG day!!! No one wants a hangover for a day on a boat.
Just a little preview info to the reef:
The Great Barrier Reef, designated a world heritage site in 1981, is a chain of coral reefs in the Coral Sea off the coast of NE Australia. Thought to be over 10,000 years old, it is the largest deposit of coral in the world. Because coral will only develop in water that is clear and salty, above 68 degrees and less than 90 feet deep, the Coral Sea provides an environment in which coral can flourish. It is approx 1250 miles long and comprised of the skeletal remains of tiny flower-like animals called polyps that are held togehter by an algae-producing limestone. The reef is home to 1500 species of fish, 400 species of coral, 4,000 species of mollusk and 242 species of birds. It is also home to humpback and killer whales, spinner dolphins, (among other animals of course), 6 of the worlds' s 7 species of marine turtles and is the world's largest green turtle breeding area.
But mostly we can't wait to get TAN!!! Hopefully I will get some photos up tomorrow!
R