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Australia Part Three: Heron Island.
Okay, I really have to finish the Australia recap.
Heron Island sounded like a spectacular getaway. A resort situated right on an actual coral cay. You have to take a helicopter or a ferry to get there. The pictures I saw looked quite resort-y and wonderful. I was imagining watching movies under the stars, swimming in the crystal-clear water, luxuriating in my lovely room. The package cost $1200 US for four days three nights, and included a helicopter transfer onto the island and off.
So. The airport that you fly into in order to take the helicopter to Heron Island, Gladstone, is very small. I've only been to one smaller. It has two gates. It is so small that they ask "Are you going North or South?" instead of your destination. Anyway, when we arrive and finally put together all of our luggage, we're told that the helicopter has been cancelled due to malfunctions, and we have to take the ferry. But because the ferry leaves NOW we have to get in a cab NOW and be rushed there. We split up our luggage because of weight restrictions and left half of it at the airport in storage and bumped over in hasty cab to get on the ferry. Ride took a couple hours. It was raining, a light rain, but continual for most of the day.
We get to the island, and the first thing we notice is the smell, which is so strong it is almost tangible. I normally do not have a strong sense of smell, but this is knock-you-out-of-your-shoes strong and we're all looking at each other in horror.
And there are birds. Everywhere. Noddy terns. There are twenty to forty nests in every tree. They are completely unafraid of anything. That's when I realize: This is an island, so small that it has no predators. It is a bird paradise.
The second most common bird is the rail. They are little brown birds that run around everywhere. They can't fly. I'll get to the third bird in a moment.
So we're taken to a room to be "debriefed". It is a tacky, bare room, with folding chairs, and this is when I realize that "luxury resort" does not have the same meaning to them as it does to me. The debriefing consists of: don't touch the birds, here is where you go to find out about activities, we have a single restaurant that you will eat all of your meals buffet-style at, and a bar where you can purchase yummy drinks, and now we'll take you to your luxury accommodations---oh, I mean your sad little cabins. There are no phones or TVs. But one more thing...Debriefer: there are no keys. Us: Huh? D: There are no keys. You can't lock your cabin when you leave. We're a keyless society, and we've always been a keyless society. Daytrippers aren't allowed on the island. The only people here are resort guests and staff. Us: But wait, there are locks on the doors! D: Yes, don't lock yourself out.
Also, the resort's reception office is only open until eight pm. After that, you're on your own. There is a phone on the outside of the building if you have an emergency. So, let me get this straight. There are no phones on the cabins. So if I fall and break my skull open after hours, I have to walk half a mile back to the reception and hope someone will answer the phone when I pick it up? Great system.
About the sad little cabins. My friends paid more for their "reef view" cabin, and it was near the same as my cabin, only on the reef. And cabins they were. They reminded me exactly of a low end Holiday Inn. No heat, no a/c, just a ceiling fan. Though because there aren't any mosquitoes or annoying things like that you can open the windows, which have no screens, just the tropical style "venting" thing. Of course, that leads to other things...I'll explain in a moment. There is no bathtub. Just a shower. And, because the universe has a Wacky Sense of Humor, my period begins just before we ferry onto the island, which means I'll spend all four days unable to really swim, and with a heightened sense of smell to boot. Oh, thank you. Thank you so.
The buffet was good, but being the insanely nosy person that I am I could see the things which were recycled from meal to meal. Though their seafood buffet at the end of the week was wonderful. The first evening that we came in for dinner we sat on the edge of the screened in restaurant. The restaurant is screened in because of the rails. We were told by the staff that the rails sit next to the door, pretending to be preening, and then as soon as you try to go inside they race in and try to get in behind you. There are three or four of them that live in the restaurant...one is quite portly. You have to leave one person at the table at all times because they will jump up on a chair---sometimes even when one person is sitting there!---and try to steal the food off your plate. My friend almost lost his danish that way. Anyway, the first evening we're sitting there, and I hear this wailing like someone's baby is very upset. The wailing continues and gets louder. Then another voice enters in. And another. They sound alternately like ghosts/babies. And it's coming from underneath the floorboards. We are cracking up, and it turns out that the voices belong to the nocturnal bird #3: the mutton bird. Mutton birds look like crows, and dig in the ground. They are the size of crows as well. My friends' kid tried looking in one of the burrows and almost got a face full of dirt because the bird was still digging it out. Anyway, walking around the island after dark you hear these ghostly wailings everywhere, and it's very spooky and fun.
The island was definitely geared for one thing: The reef. The resort has been there for about seventy years, and it has this aura of "we've always done things this way, why change it". Though it has changed in one aspect; it went from being an island with a turtle soup canning facility to an eco-tourist location. During the forties and fifties, hotel staff would run around the beach at night, flipping over the mother turtles after they'd laid their eggs, and in the morning the guests would be encouraged to ride on their backs while they (the turtles) made their slow way back to the water. Sickening, really. Now, of course, you're not allowed to get within fifty feet.
I took my camera with me everywhere, since I sure as hell wasn't leaving it in the room, being paranoid as I am. But that turned out to be a good thing. Check out my next entry...some of the pics are there.
The island was not incredibly interesting, and it's obvious that most people use it as a stopping point while they run around on the beach, dive, and snorkel. It's small, and you can walk around it quite easily. There is a research station on one side.
The reef was beautiful, but definitely not what you see in pictures. The more colorful portion of the reef is elsewhere. We were in the green-blue section. Everything was green and blue. There was only one type of coral that dominated nearly everything and it was, I think, called stanhope coral, and a very boring color. I saw many beautiful clams, a little bit of brain coral here and there, several crabs, and a few starfish, and lots and lots of sea cucumbers. One sea cucumber would spurt out a sticky glue if picked up. One would squirt water and the teenagers at the research station use them as squirt guns. There were some interesting fish, and a few hermit crabs. Lots of rays, which were cool, and some sharks, even though my friends were told when they booked that there were no sharks there at all. Yet again, more fibs to get us to the island.
One evening we returned to my friends' room, chattering, just winding down. I looked up and thought, now why would someone tack a big plastic spider to the ceiling? But oh no, it was really a spider. A two and a half inch in diameter spider. At least. And of course...the office is closed. We had to use the umbrella provided with the room to knock it down and send it sailing out the door. The next night, there was a three inch diameter spider in the same spot instead. We were told casually by the reception staff that they actually get to six and seven inches. I said, "Ah, so they can knock the birds right out of the trees then. Lovely." They thought I was amusing.
The first night I nearly froze, and, because it was after eight pm, there was no way I could get another blanket. Thank goodness for towels.
We played chess on a giant chessboard, and my friend wiped the floor with me every time. I also got a few hellacious burns wherever I forgot to apply sunblock. Several lessons were learned.
The reef walk was amazing. We walked out about a half mile, to the edge of the reef, during low tide. Any farther out and the undertow would pull you right down from where you stood. It was amazing to feel the waves pounding on the edge of the reef shelf. It was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life, honestly.
We took a semi-submersible tour of the reef. It's a boat that has a glass bottom...a very narrow, near submarine-like bottom. It was great. The glass magnified everything slightly, and you could see lots of fish, tons and tons of the boring coral, and even a small turtle or two. Except the wave action was pretty bad, and nearly everyone got sick, including the guide, so the commentary stopped about two thirds of the way through, because he went back up. I stayed, because I didn't feel the least bit sick. But it was very cool to see it, especially because I ended up not being able to snorkel (waaaah).
I sat on a beach and read LotR(RotK). Every so often we'd look up to watch the rays swim past. It was quite nice, really.
The days had to come to an end, and as our flight left at 6:45 am from Gladstone we had to be on a helicopter at 6 am. So we got up early, were debriefed, and waited for the helicopter. And waited. There were herons in the trees there. Black and white. They were beautiful, but all of the pics of them turned out blurry, not certain why. Long story short, the helicopter was delayed by a bit. We went and ate breakfast instead, and ended up missing every single flight, but that's a story for the next entry. I was very glad we stayed a bit, because I took some last minute pics of the beach that turned out wonderfully.
Check out the next entry...I'll post the pics there.
Heron Island sounded like a spectacular getaway. A resort situated right on an actual coral cay. You have to take a helicopter or a ferry to get there. The pictures I saw looked quite resort-y and wonderful. I was imagining watching movies under the stars, swimming in the crystal-clear water, luxuriating in my lovely room. The package cost $1200 US for four days three nights, and included a helicopter transfer onto the island and off.
So. The airport that you fly into in order to take the helicopter to Heron Island, Gladstone, is very small. I've only been to one smaller. It has two gates. It is so small that they ask "Are you going North or South?" instead of your destination. Anyway, when we arrive and finally put together all of our luggage, we're told that the helicopter has been cancelled due to malfunctions, and we have to take the ferry. But because the ferry leaves NOW we have to get in a cab NOW and be rushed there. We split up our luggage because of weight restrictions and left half of it at the airport in storage and bumped over in hasty cab to get on the ferry. Ride took a couple hours. It was raining, a light rain, but continual for most of the day.
We get to the island, and the first thing we notice is the smell, which is so strong it is almost tangible. I normally do not have a strong sense of smell, but this is knock-you-out-of-your-shoes strong and we're all looking at each other in horror.
And there are birds. Everywhere. Noddy terns. There are twenty to forty nests in every tree. They are completely unafraid of anything. That's when I realize: This is an island, so small that it has no predators. It is a bird paradise.
The second most common bird is the rail. They are little brown birds that run around everywhere. They can't fly. I'll get to the third bird in a moment.
So we're taken to a room to be "debriefed". It is a tacky, bare room, with folding chairs, and this is when I realize that "luxury resort" does not have the same meaning to them as it does to me. The debriefing consists of: don't touch the birds, here is where you go to find out about activities, we have a single restaurant that you will eat all of your meals buffet-style at, and a bar where you can purchase yummy drinks, and now we'll take you to your luxury accommodations---oh, I mean your sad little cabins. There are no phones or TVs. But one more thing...Debriefer: there are no keys. Us: Huh? D: There are no keys. You can't lock your cabin when you leave. We're a keyless society, and we've always been a keyless society. Daytrippers aren't allowed on the island. The only people here are resort guests and staff. Us: But wait, there are locks on the doors! D: Yes, don't lock yourself out.
Also, the resort's reception office is only open until eight pm. After that, you're on your own. There is a phone on the outside of the building if you have an emergency. So, let me get this straight. There are no phones on the cabins. So if I fall and break my skull open after hours, I have to walk half a mile back to the reception and hope someone will answer the phone when I pick it up? Great system.
About the sad little cabins. My friends paid more for their "reef view" cabin, and it was near the same as my cabin, only on the reef. And cabins they were. They reminded me exactly of a low end Holiday Inn. No heat, no a/c, just a ceiling fan. Though because there aren't any mosquitoes or annoying things like that you can open the windows, which have no screens, just the tropical style "venting" thing. Of course, that leads to other things...I'll explain in a moment. There is no bathtub. Just a shower. And, because the universe has a Wacky Sense of Humor, my period begins just before we ferry onto the island, which means I'll spend all four days unable to really swim, and with a heightened sense of smell to boot. Oh, thank you. Thank you so.
The buffet was good, but being the insanely nosy person that I am I could see the things which were recycled from meal to meal. Though their seafood buffet at the end of the week was wonderful. The first evening that we came in for dinner we sat on the edge of the screened in restaurant. The restaurant is screened in because of the rails. We were told by the staff that the rails sit next to the door, pretending to be preening, and then as soon as you try to go inside they race in and try to get in behind you. There are three or four of them that live in the restaurant...one is quite portly. You have to leave one person at the table at all times because they will jump up on a chair---sometimes even when one person is sitting there!---and try to steal the food off your plate. My friend almost lost his danish that way. Anyway, the first evening we're sitting there, and I hear this wailing like someone's baby is very upset. The wailing continues and gets louder. Then another voice enters in. And another. They sound alternately like ghosts/babies. And it's coming from underneath the floorboards. We are cracking up, and it turns out that the voices belong to the nocturnal bird #3: the mutton bird. Mutton birds look like crows, and dig in the ground. They are the size of crows as well. My friends' kid tried looking in one of the burrows and almost got a face full of dirt because the bird was still digging it out. Anyway, walking around the island after dark you hear these ghostly wailings everywhere, and it's very spooky and fun.
The island was definitely geared for one thing: The reef. The resort has been there for about seventy years, and it has this aura of "we've always done things this way, why change it". Though it has changed in one aspect; it went from being an island with a turtle soup canning facility to an eco-tourist location. During the forties and fifties, hotel staff would run around the beach at night, flipping over the mother turtles after they'd laid their eggs, and in the morning the guests would be encouraged to ride on their backs while they (the turtles) made their slow way back to the water. Sickening, really. Now, of course, you're not allowed to get within fifty feet.
I took my camera with me everywhere, since I sure as hell wasn't leaving it in the room, being paranoid as I am. But that turned out to be a good thing. Check out my next entry...some of the pics are there.
The island was not incredibly interesting, and it's obvious that most people use it as a stopping point while they run around on the beach, dive, and snorkel. It's small, and you can walk around it quite easily. There is a research station on one side.
The reef was beautiful, but definitely not what you see in pictures. The more colorful portion of the reef is elsewhere. We were in the green-blue section. Everything was green and blue. There was only one type of coral that dominated nearly everything and it was, I think, called stanhope coral, and a very boring color. I saw many beautiful clams, a little bit of brain coral here and there, several crabs, and a few starfish, and lots and lots of sea cucumbers. One sea cucumber would spurt out a sticky glue if picked up. One would squirt water and the teenagers at the research station use them as squirt guns. There were some interesting fish, and a few hermit crabs. Lots of rays, which were cool, and some sharks, even though my friends were told when they booked that there were no sharks there at all. Yet again, more fibs to get us to the island.
One evening we returned to my friends' room, chattering, just winding down. I looked up and thought, now why would someone tack a big plastic spider to the ceiling? But oh no, it was really a spider. A two and a half inch in diameter spider. At least. And of course...the office is closed. We had to use the umbrella provided with the room to knock it down and send it sailing out the door. The next night, there was a three inch diameter spider in the same spot instead. We were told casually by the reception staff that they actually get to six and seven inches. I said, "Ah, so they can knock the birds right out of the trees then. Lovely." They thought I was amusing.
The first night I nearly froze, and, because it was after eight pm, there was no way I could get another blanket. Thank goodness for towels.
We played chess on a giant chessboard, and my friend wiped the floor with me every time. I also got a few hellacious burns wherever I forgot to apply sunblock. Several lessons were learned.
The reef walk was amazing. We walked out about a half mile, to the edge of the reef, during low tide. Any farther out and the undertow would pull you right down from where you stood. It was amazing to feel the waves pounding on the edge of the reef shelf. It was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life, honestly.
We took a semi-submersible tour of the reef. It's a boat that has a glass bottom...a very narrow, near submarine-like bottom. It was great. The glass magnified everything slightly, and you could see lots of fish, tons and tons of the boring coral, and even a small turtle or two. Except the wave action was pretty bad, and nearly everyone got sick, including the guide, so the commentary stopped about two thirds of the way through, because he went back up. I stayed, because I didn't feel the least bit sick. But it was very cool to see it, especially because I ended up not being able to snorkel (waaaah).
I sat on a beach and read LotR(RotK). Every so often we'd look up to watch the rays swim past. It was quite nice, really.
The days had to come to an end, and as our flight left at 6:45 am from Gladstone we had to be on a helicopter at 6 am. So we got up early, were debriefed, and waited for the helicopter. And waited. There were herons in the trees there. Black and white. They were beautiful, but all of the pics of them turned out blurry, not certain why. Long story short, the helicopter was delayed by a bit. We went and ate breakfast instead, and ended up missing every single flight, but that's a story for the next entry. I was very glad we stayed a bit, because I took some last minute pics of the beach that turned out wonderfully.
Check out the next entry...I'll post the pics there.