Port Douglas :: Other Bits

This will round out the Port Douglas posts.

Annmarie loves going on the 'big plane' - really really loves it. When Jamie travels we kinda have to keep it under wraps that he gets to go on a plane, as she gets very jealous and has a crazy 3 year old fit over not being able to go. Therefore, she was thrilled to go on a plane and now asks constantly when she gets to go on the big plane again.
Here Annmarie even got to see her suitcase get loaded on the plane.
We didn't spend much time at the beach in PD because of the stinger risk. The stingers are apparently prevalent closer to shore. They do have nets set up that are suppose to keep the stingers out, but that doesn't really make me feel any better. The water was also pretty rough.
Oh, and you also have to worry about crocs. No thanks.
Here you can see the net.
We spent most of our time at the swimming pool.
We also enjoyed a couple of trips to the ice cream shop.
And of course several babyccinos.
That pretty much wraps up our holiday. It was great to be back in warmer temps for a week, it's getting cold here in Sydney. Jamie and I also got to have two dinners alone. The food was good. I took several naps. It was great because we were there during the off season and we pretty much had the resort to ourselves. The resort had a nice little breakfast where we took our time eating every morning. It was just the way I like to vacation. You wouldn't have to twist my arm to go back.

Port Douglas :: The Bump

View from our room at the Hibiscus Resort and Spa.

Port Douglas :: Wildlife Habitat

Another one of our outings included a trip to the Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas. They have a lot of different cool birds, koalas, and kangaroos - Annmarie's favorite.
And a huge crocodile.
After checking out all the exhibits we had lunch with the Rainbow birdies and Annmarie loved it. Jamie held this little guy first.
Then it was Annmarie's turn. I'm really surprised that she wanted to hold it, she usually shy's away from this sort of thing - unless it's a kangaroo. But she got the biggest kick out of this.
Grandpa's turn.
It was a fun little outing.

Port Douglas :: Great Barrier Reef

Jamie and I headed out to the Great Barrier Reef on this boat to snorkel.

Here I am right before getting on the boat, hoping I will not get sea sick. I have only been sea sick once, days before our wedding in Hawaii, on a snorkel cruise where pretty much everyone got sea sick. It was bad. I'm happy to report I did not get sick, the boat was huge and handled really well.
It was fairly calm going out to the reef and took about 90 minutes to get out to the pontoon.
You really can't go to any beach in Australia and not be aware of stingers (jellyfish), especially in Queensland. While most are harmless, Queensland is known for the most venomous species on earth - the Box Jellyfish.

Insert the stinger suit.
I know it doesn't get much hotter than a pregnant women in a stinger suit....maybe this guy who just ran the Boston Marathon (sorry - can't let the joke go).
It covers 99% of your body, so you are protected from those damn stingers. Oh, and it also protects you from the sun, no need to apply sunscreen. I may just start wearing one all the time. I kid.
Here are some other snorkelers.
We snorkeled for about an hour before heading back to the pontoon for lunch. I saw a lot of cool fish and the coral was impressive. However, I was not completely blown away. I guess I had pretty high expectations for the reef. I was expecting National Geographic type of stuff. We went out on this huge boat that takes hundreds of people to the same spot, so it isn't like going to some remote private location. But it still was probably the best snorkeling I have ever done. After lunch we headed back out for a bit more.
Here is the pontoon that the boat docks up to.
And heading back to the harbor.
It was also nice because we where in Port Douglas during the off-season, so our trip out to the reef wasn't too crowded.