April 7, 2009
HOT!! That is the primary word that I would use to describe Darwin, the northern most city in Australia. We docked fairly early in a new dock area under considerable development with a new passenger terminal, esplanade and many condos and shops under construction. We took a shuttle up the hill to the downtown area, and stopped at Tourist Information, noticing that it was already quite warm. From there we walked back down the hill (more like a cliff) to the entrance to the WWII oil storage tunnels underneath the city. Because of its strategic location, the city had its own Pearl Harbor, with massage Japanese bombing, sinking many ships in the harbor and blowing up many of the large oil storage tanks. The purpose of the tunnels was to provide a place to store oil where it could shielded from bombing. After millions of dollars spent on their construction, they were never used to store oil, although they did house some jet fuel toward the end of the war.
We walked in through an access tunnel on some mats since water was on the floor (yes, the tunnels leak!), and then saw one smaller tunnel through a window. Smaller is a relative term, since when we entered the larger tunnel, we discovered that it was both tall (15 or so feet) and long (more than the length of a football field, over a hundred meters). Along the tunnel at various intervals were displays of photographs of Darwin during WWII, including the Japanese bombings. Outside the tunnels Ronnie hailed the shuttle going by from the ship so that we would not have to walk back up the hill in the heat. Back in the center of town we walked a pedestrian mall and passed many of the Aboriginal people sitting on the sidewalk. At this point we began to experience Australian souvenir burnout, and nothing seemed to interest us. I considered a haircut, but the prices were $20+, so I passed.
The other attraction we had picked out ahead of time was a reef display, a kind of mini barrier reef in a form that you can see up close. Going out to the reef in glass bottoms boats you really don’t see the reef, so we didn’t do it in Cairns. We heard this was a good alternative, so we walked down the hill again in the increasing heat (felt like Florida to us) and out to a promontory of a dock where this Maritime exhibit is located. There was no one around and we had to ring a bell to get any attention. After a rather gruff man came out and told us the charge was $20 Australian (about $15 US) a person with no senior discount (yes, we have become better at asking for one). Sounded rather steep for what we saw from the lobby, so we talked it over a bit. Then Ronnie happened to find some discount coupons on the desk, so we decided to go ahead. However, the man had disappeared again. We rang and rang again and were about to leave when old Mr. Gruff reappeared. We purchased the discount tickets and it turned out to be a wise investment. We first watched a film about coral reefs and what is happening to them today. Very informative, especially about coral reproduction, although I have to admit I slept through some of it.
Without a doubt the best part was after the video when we were escorted into the self contained reef environments. The largest was a pool of water on a table about waste high and about 25 feet long, 10 feet across and several feet deep. The water in the tank had not been changed in 20+ years but it was absolutely clear. No food has been introduced into the ecosystem either as it totally self sustaining. We realized Mr. Gruff was actually just Mr. Intense, as he was a one man show and totally committed to the reef project that he and his wife had started. We learned more in a few minutes with him than I had ever know about coral or reefs. I had not realize that the hardened reefs are actually just skeletons of the living coral. We saw the living coral as it fed, and certain types as they opened and closed.
Of course there are so many different kinds of coral, mostly pretty non-descript in color, and if you see red or pink don’t get close as a sting can be fatal! In the ecosystem there were also fish, bright sponges, star fish and others. In another room they had more tanks filled with different kinds of coral and fish, and a magnifying plastic sheet that we used to see things up close. One of the tanks had water that had not been changed in 50 years, yet still looked clear and clean. A lot happens on a micro level in the coral environment and it is fascinating to watch it happen. In any case, we truly appreciated our time with the miniature barrier reef.
HOT!! That is the primary word that I would use to describe Darwin, the northern most city in Australia. We docked fairly early in a new dock area under considerable development with a new passenger terminal, esplanade and many condos and shops under construction. We took a shuttle up the hill to the downtown area, and stopped at Tourist Information, noticing that it was already quite warm. From there we walked back down the hill (more like a cliff) to the entrance to the WWII oil storage tunnels underneath the city. Because of its strategic location, the city had its own Pearl Harbor, with massage Japanese bombing, sinking many ships in the harbor and blowing up many of the large oil storage tanks. The purpose of the tunnels was to provide a place to store oil where it could shielded from bombing. After millions of dollars spent on their construction, they were never used to store oil, although they did house some jet fuel toward the end of the war.
We walked in through an access tunnel on some mats since water was on the floor (yes, the tunnels leak!), and then saw one smaller tunnel through a window. Smaller is a relative term, since when we entered the larger tunnel, we discovered that it was both tall (15 or so feet) and long (more than the length of a football field, over a hundred meters). Along the tunnel at various intervals were displays of photographs of Darwin during WWII, including the Japanese bombings. Outside the tunnels Ronnie hailed the shuttle going by from the ship so that we would not have to walk back up the hill in the heat. Back in the center of town we walked a pedestrian mall and passed many of the Aboriginal people sitting on the sidewalk. At this point we began to experience Australian souvenir burnout, and nothing seemed to interest us. I considered a haircut, but the prices were $20+, so I passed.
The other attraction we had picked out ahead of time was a reef display, a kind of mini barrier reef in a form that you can see up close. Going out to the reef in glass bottoms boats you really don’t see the reef, so we didn’t do it in Cairns. We heard this was a good alternative, so we walked down the hill again in the increasing heat (felt like Florida to us) and out to a promontory of a dock where this Maritime exhibit is located. There was no one around and we had to ring a bell to get any attention. After a rather gruff man came out and told us the charge was $20 Australian (about $15 US) a person with no senior discount (yes, we have become better at asking for one). Sounded rather steep for what we saw from the lobby, so we talked it over a bit. Then Ronnie happened to find some discount coupons on the desk, so we decided to go ahead. However, the man had disappeared again. We rang and rang again and were about to leave when old Mr. Gruff reappeared. We purchased the discount tickets and it turned out to be a wise investment. We first watched a film about coral reefs and what is happening to them today. Very informative, especially about coral reproduction, although I have to admit I slept through some of it.
Without a doubt the best part was after the video when we were escorted into the self contained reef environments. The largest was a pool of water on a table about waste high and about 25 feet long, 10 feet across and several feet deep. The water in the tank had not been changed in 20+ years but it was absolutely clear. No food has been introduced into the ecosystem either as it totally self sustaining. We realized Mr. Gruff was actually just Mr. Intense, as he was a one man show and totally committed to the reef project that he and his wife had started. We learned more in a few minutes with him than I had ever know about coral or reefs. I had not realize that the hardened reefs are actually just skeletons of the living coral. We saw the living coral as it fed, and certain types as they opened and closed.
Of course there are so many different kinds of coral, mostly pretty non-descript in color, and if you see red or pink don’t get close as a sting can be fatal! In the ecosystem there were also fish, bright sponges, star fish and others. In another room they had more tanks filled with different kinds of coral and fish, and a magnifying plastic sheet that we used to see things up close. One of the tanks had water that had not been changed in 50 years, yet still looked clear and clean. A lot happens on a micro level in the coral environment and it is fascinating to watch it happen. In any case, we truly appreciated our time with the miniature barrier reef.
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