Blog Archives
franklyHANK in THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
G’day, Chicago. I’m back in the states, but I had to share with you my adventure in The Great Barrier Reef, my favorite spot down under! I stayed on the beautiful Hamilton Island in The Whitsunday Islands. The photo below is a view from my hotel room at The Reef View Hotel. How would you like to wake up to that?
While on Hamilton Island, I was not alone. This is one of the many cockatoos that are natural to the island and repeatedly perched themselves on my balcony every day (hoping for food). Did you know cockatoos have the mental capacity of a 2 or 3 year old child? Sometimes you can just see their cunning minds plotting. LOL
Check out the view on the water above the reef. It doesn’t get any greener than that.
And under the sea, the fish swim right in front of you. I’m still need to develop my pics from my underwater camera. Can’t wait to see those.
And here are two pics from my very first time scuba diving on the reef. Amazing does not describe it.
Check out these aerial views of the reef. I didn’t have time to take a flight over the reef, so i captured these when I was flying to Melbourne. I’m 20,000 feet in the air, so you can see how massive these reefs are.
More photos on The Great Barrier Reef page. Check it out. Coming soon… my last stop in Australia…Melbourne!
franklyHANK in CAIRNS
G’day, all. My next stop on my great Aussie adventure was Cairns. Despite how it’s spelled, it’s pronounced CANNS. I’m still getting it wrong, but I’m trying. Cairns is on the east coast of Australia and very tropical. It reminds me of a little beach town we would see in the states. It’s also the closest major city to the Great Barrier Reef.
When I trecked out to the reef, our first stop was Green Island (below – click on any pic to make it bigger). Look how beautiful the water is. Amazing! It’s a small island, but it has a hotel and you can stop there and snorkel and relax. That was not my destination though. I was headed to the outer reef.
I would love to share with you the pictures I took at the outer reef, but my underwater camera floated out of my pocket while I was snorkeling. 
Whomever grabbed it, I hope you enjoy the pictures I took and may a plague descend upon your home for the next 20 years (that’s the Italian in me coming out).
There was a bright ending to the day though… once I was back on the boat to come back to Cairns from the reef, we spotted this amazing rainbow nearby.
More past the page break…
Oprah Audience Lands Down Under, Mate!
300 wild, screaming, crying, Jesus praising members of the Oprah Winfrey audience have landed in Sydney, Australia to begin their 8-day journey courtesy of Harpo.
They will explore the Great Barrier Reef, the Outback and the country’s wine regions, take surfing lessons, observe kangaroos and koalas on Kangaroo Island and enjoy beachside barbecues, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Two Oprah shows will be taped at the Sydney Opera House on the 14th and another will be taped in a TBD location, but it’s believed it will in the Outback.
Have fun, Sheilas! Throw a shrimp on the barbi for me and don’t the let the dingo eat ya baby! G’day!
