Thursday began early for Zack who flew off before the crack
of dawn to begin his journey back to Denver for a week or so to attend the
wedding of his stepbrother Dave.
The rest of us slept in a little bit before our departure from the
mansion at 10am. After that, we
processed into the little town of Trinity Beach with luggage in tow. During breakfast we discussed the
different activity options for the day before our flight to Sydney at 6pm; after
good price negotiation over the phone by Justin, everyone decided to experience
the Great Barrier Reef from yet another dimension – the air!
The six of us divided into two
four-passenger planes that flew at about 1000 feet over the town of Cairns and
the Great Barrier Reef. It was fascinating
to see the reef colors and contours from above. We flew over Green Island, a tourist “drop spot”, Parrot
Reef – it was fun to see the large groups of snorkelers from above, and many
other large reef formations. We
saw stingrays, noticeable by their black diamond shape and the cloud of
kicked-up sand trailing behind them.
We also saw the reef where Australian wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin
met his demise when pierced through the heart by a stingray. The return flight followed the
coastline and we were all able to see our mansion from another dimension as
well. Flying in a small private
airplane has now been checked off of Cindy’s bucket list!
We had a little bit of a wait in the Cairns airport before
our flight; hence the creation of the song below, composed and sung over and
over by Aubree, much to the dismay of Morgan and Ray.
Sittin’ in the Cairns Airport
Sittin’ in the airport.
Sittin’ in the airport.
I like to sit in the airport all day.
Sittin’ in the airport.
Sittin’ in the airport.
I like to sit until we fly away!
repeat
 |
| Notice how bored Morgan and I look in this picture! |
Boarding a plane in Australia is quite laid back in
comparison to the USA. No ID is ever
checked – all you need is a boarding pass. Liquids are not a problem, shoes do not need to be removed,
and non-passengers can accompany passengers to the departure gate as well as
meet them at the arrival gates.
Upon our arrival at the Sydney airport, we each bought a MyMulti1
Weekly Pass (allowed us to use any form of public transportation for a week, be
it rails, busses, or ferries) and Aubree guided us seamlessly through the
airport and onto a train, which took us close to our hotel. I was so impressed by our once “directionally
challenged” daughter! After a few
difficulties with getting the elevator and room keys to work (picture Morgan
and me stuck in the elevator unable to open the door or go up or down for quite
some time), we snuggled in for a good night’s sleep before our search of Sydney’s
sights began the next day.
Sue
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