Page 156 - WDT Magazine Egypt

Day One was devoted to the Great Barrier Reef, where I
swam with angel, clown and parrot fish around enormous
boulder corals in chilly (winter, remember) clear water. My
daylong snorkel tour on the Silversonic took me to three
dive sites along the outer reef. We spotted turtles at one site
and iridescent blue ridges on giant clams at another. Yellow,
blue and green fish swam around pink mushroom coral puls-
ing in the slight current. Suffice to say, the Great Barrier Reef
lived up to my expectations.
Port Douglas became a bit of a blur. It’s amazing what one
can experience in two days. I saw the rainforest rise above
the sea on a Sailaway sunset cruise, and discovered some
odd Australian creatures at Wildlife Habitat. All my senses
buzzed at the magnificent Daintree Rainforest, a World Herit-
age site and the oldest
tropical rainforest on
the planet. I followed
guide Jenny Carson on
a Ngadiku Dreamtime Ancient trees surround hikers in the Dain-
Walk at the Mossman tree Rainforest.
Gorge. Ancient red ce- Left: Eerie lights illuminate a storyteller at
dar trees, sky-high boul- Flames of the Forest.
ders and a foaming river
served as backdrops for
Carson’s legends about
the local Kuku Yalanji
people.
I learned more about
the indigenous people
at Flames of the Forest, a mind-blowing outdoor dinner
theater in a clearing surrounded by dark woods. Thought it
would be kind of like a luau or folkloric dance show—it was
far more. Red, gold and blue chandeliers lit long linen-draped
tables where strangers sipped Australian wines and dined
on tiger prawns, kangaroo loin, reef fish and sirloin. As the
courses wound down, I began fantasizing about my favorite
Australian dessert. While in Brisbane, I searched endlessly
for Pavlova, the meringue, whipped cream and fruit fantasy
served at Christmas and special occasions. And here it ap-
peared in the rainforest in all its sugary sweetness.
Between courses, Yungundah, a member of the local
indigenous tribe, told stories about the origin of the platypus
and described the music of a didgeridoo in an eerie, backlit
setting, adding considerable drama to the excellent Australi-
an-themed meal.

156 WDT MAGAZINE SUMMER 2018