Barron Falls

This past week we have been continuing on the job hunt. We have both applied for numerous jobs and Dave has been working hard to get his name out in the fishing community. We have settled into our apartment and are enjoying the area. Our apartment complex is located right next to the Cairns Botanical Gardens which has loads of trails and paths to explore. We have been trying to get out and walk or bike the area as often as we can for both exercise and knowledge of the area.
The day we moved into our apartment we went out exploring in the rental car we had gotten for the day. After shopping for linens  , groceries, cleaning supplies, bathroom necessities, etc., we didn't have a ton of time left in the day, but we figured we should make the most of having a car. We drove about 30 minutes to the small town of Kuranda. Its a neat little tourist town that a train from Cairns runs to. Also a sky rail from just north of Cairns goes up the mountains into Kuranda. We didn't do either of those, but we did go to Barron Falls. This waterfall is super tall but doesn't have a ton of water running over it since its the dry season. It will be cool to go back in the wet season and see the falls gushing with water. The river apparently rises an incredible amount and the width of the falls widens. We'll have to make a trip back in a few months!

Cairns Apartment

This week we have been exploring Cairns and getting to know the area. We bought bikes and have been peddling all over town. We have looked at several apartments this week, and finally decided on one. We signed a lease on Friday. We move in on Sunday for 5 months! It is a one bedroom apartment at "The Lakes" in Cairns North. It is about a 15 minute bike ride to the city center, but an enjoyable one. Because we are pretty much directly north of the main city area near the water, we can use the Esplanade the whole way into town. The Esplanade is about a 5 mile stretch of park along the waters edge ranging from 50 yards wide to a couple hundred yards wide. All along the grassy Esplanade are bike trails, walking paths, playgrounds, bbq areas, fitness stations, a children's water park, a huge public pool, skate park, beach volleyball courts, tennis courts, and anything else you could imagine. It has all been really well designed and is landscaped beautifully. So from our new apartment, we cross over two blocks east to the esplanade and head south into the heart of town. Of course there is plenty in the area that we are in as well, but the main shops, marina, and attractions are in the center of town. So far we are really liking the area. It is much bigger than the town we lived in, in New Zealand. Cairns has a little over 150,000 people including the suburbs, which will be a nice change for a little while. We do love small towns, but sometimes its nice to have good shopping, big grocery stores, and a nice selection of restaurants. The next couple of days we will be getting ready to move into our apartment and get settled.

Leaving T.I.

Today we are leaving Thursday Island to go to Cairns, Australia on the mainland, where we will spend the next 5 months. We will be quickly getting an apartment and jobs. This past 2 weeks on T.I. has been so wonderful. It is such a beautiful remote place. Since our camping trip last weekend, Dave and Jason headed out fishing on the boat a couple times and we also fished from the wharf on Horn Island and a wharf here on T.I. Yesterday was our last day, and it couldn't have been more perfect. We took Jason's boat over to Prince of Whales Island and found an amazing beach to spend the day at. On our way over we stopped at a Japanese Pearl farm on Friday Island to have a look around. Kazu Pearl Farm is a large producer of pearls here in Australia. We wanted to have lunch and do a tour, but they were fully booked, so we opted to shop a little in their store. It was such a neat spot all alone and secluded on it's own island. They had some really nice jewelry and nice Mother of Pearl Shells, along with other pieces. On Prince of Whales Island we enjoyed ourselves playing on the beach, swimming, fishing, grilling lunch, shell hunting, and relaxing. The water was clear and shallow, and the perfect temperature too! We found a small river and the guys did a little fishing and netting. We headed back in the afternoon and ended a truly perfect day.

Loyalty Beach Camping

Over the weekend, Jason, Vee, Dave, and Jill took Jason's boat on a weekend camping trip to the mainland. We left on Friday morning, and made the 27 mile crossing in just over an hour. We got to the Loyalty Beach campground, checked-in, and set up camp. Our camp site was right on the edge of the beach with beautiful views over the Torres Straits. Each couple had a small two-man tent under the trees. We didn't bring along any luxury items like air mattresses, but we did bring a small grill and a hot plate for cooking. Once we set up camp, we jumped back on the boat and headed over to Cape York, the most northern point on Australia's mainland. We had a nice ride over in the sunshine and anchored up on the rocks for a bit while we explored. There is a sign there that marks the spot, but it isn't very frequently visited. It is nothing like the crowds of people who visit the southernmost point in the USA in Key West. There was no one else around, and we took our time enjoying the location. The boys spent a little time fishing while the girls picked a nice spot in some shallow water to lay down and relax. We left Cape York and headed back, stopping along the way to visit some beaches. Jason was successful in catching 3 mud crabs, which we took back to camp, and they were not a hit with us. We also stopped to explore a river where it met the sea. It was such a neat spot and really pretty too. On Saturday the weather was not as nice, with some wind, but we went out on the boat to see what we could get into. We tried to go up the Jardine river, which is suppose to have lots of Crocs, but the shallow sandbars wouldn't allow us to pass. We tried another river and had the same problem. With wind and rain causing us problems, we headed back in the afternoon. We had to fight the abundance of sandbars and try and maneuver our way around them to get back to camp. The sandbars went on for miles and miles and seemed to change right in front of our eyes. We finally got back to camp and spent the rest of the day ashore. After dinner at our tents, we went to the campground eatery and had a few drinks while we watched the sunset. We had a fun night and even ate local green ants, which were tart, but not to bad (they're edible and apparently a good source of survival if your lost in the bush). On Sunday morning, we woke up and packed up camp. We took off on the boat to head back, but didn't rush. We island hopped for a few hours before getting back to Thursday Island.

  

Good Catch!

On Thursday May 23rd we went out fishing again with Jason. We had a very good day with quite a few fish. We trolled for awhile around white rocks, which are huge boulders in the ocean covered in white bird poo. Jill caught her first GT weighing 22 pounds. We also caught about 6 or 7 queen fish. We kept 4 and gave them to friends of Jason's. Dave and Jason snorkeled in a nice reef spot on the way home and got 1 good size cray. Then our last stop on the way back to the boat ramp landed Dave his 50 pound GT. With not much time left, he threw a popper only a handful of times and hooked up right next to the boat. It was a fantastic catch and a perfect end to our day fishing.

Our First Aussie Catch

We are loving the weather here in the Torres Straights. It is very similar to Florida, with high temperatures and high humidity. The water is nice and warm and the sun is nice and bright! Monday May 20th we went for a fish from land on Thursday Island. Dave caught his first few fish, 2 of a species that we don't know, and 2 coral trout (pictured). They were all pretty small, but were just fine as a start to his Australian fishing. Jill sat out on the jetty rocks as Dave fished, keeping an eye out for crocodiles. Thankfully none were in the area, so we didn't have any worries.
On Wednesday we went out fishing on Jason's boat. We started off popping on top water, which means you are casting a wooden bait and quickly reeling it in to make it pop/jump across the top of the water, like a bait fish would look if he were swimming. Amazingly Dave hooked up a GT (Giant Trevally) on his third pop of his first cast. Considering this is the species we were targeting, and it was Dave's first time trying for this fish, it was really impressive to catch one so quickly. After popping for awhile, we went out to a bouy to jig for GT. This is dropping a lead/metal bait to the bottom and reeling it up at a quick pace with stop and go action. Jill caught her first fish in Australia jigging from the bottom up and hooked a Golden Trevally. It was a nice size and an accomplishment for her. Dave caught a few more fish for the day, and Jason caught a few as well. These were all released back into the water. We are very pleased with the start to our Australian fishing!!

We made it to Australia!

Sunday was a long day of traveling, but well worth the journey. We woke at 4:00am in our hotel to get going to the airport. Our 6 hour flight left New Zealand at 7:00am. We collected our luggage in Cairns, went through customs, checked in with the domestic terminal, and boarded our 2nd fight. We flew a short 1 1/2 hours to Horn Island, just north of Australia's mainland. We then took a bus from the airport to the harbor, where we got onto a ferry. We took the ferry along with our 5 suitcases, rod case, and backpacks to Thursday Island where our friend Jason Kidd picked us up. It was great to see Jason after a year apart. We met him originally in New Zealand, but he moved away to Australia in early 2012. We settled into his apartment where he lives with his girlfriend Vee, and had a nice bar-b-que dinner. We went up to a hilltop on the island to watch our first Australian sunset. It was a beautiful night after a long 18 hour day.