Off to the Great Barrier Reef

Left Melbourne at 5am, having got up at 4am to grab a flight to Brisbane.. Then a small connector flight for a hour north to Gladstone to meet the catamaran to go out to the reef.

 The Queensland landscape looks tropical alright. They had a wet and steamy summer. The Qantas logo is in the pic only because of the bank of the plane...

 This is a tailings pond I think - they have much mining in the Gladstone area.

 This is the plane a Dash 8 - same as what is on the Calgary-Regina run often now. Or is this a Q400 ? Anyway Bombardier is big here, trains, planes - Vive Le Quebec!

 The little airport at Gladstone!

So got the on the boat and we're away!

 Away from the harbour at Gladstone the reef changes from a yucky muddy colour to the loveliest greens and blues...

 Our giant catamaran glides over the lovely sea!

 We pass several coral cays - all of them alive with all kinds of life.

 Approaching the entrance to the jetty on Heron island.

 To be welcomed by some turtles and sharks... They are 1-2 metres long. That's the turtles and the sharks! The concrete strip on the way to the wreck was built with concrete blocks because the channel cut in the reef distorted the water flow around the island. It was cut before this section of the reef was labelled a national park. In the bad days of Heron Island tourism was s awful, like at Philip Island, that people would come to ride the backs of the loggerhead turtles :(

 As the giant cat unloads with supplies using it's big crane arm you can see the dive boats.

 The Tropic of Capricorn is literally a few meters off the island. hence the name of Capricornia Cays. In America they would be Capricornia Keys. This is the southernmost region of the Great Barrier Reef - the 'Capricornia Sector' on a map.

 So a long day to get here leaving Melbourne at 4am and changing planes in Brisbane, the connecting tiny plane they held back and drove me out in a car on the tarmac to meet it, as storms in Melbourne and Brisbane over night had backed up the airports and we were very. very late. Made it though ! And doesn't it just look lovely!