As the old saying goes, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. So is my current relationship to the Internet, marginalized as I am to pricey ten minute increments of computer usage on the island. Today I’m in the public library in Brisbane with a full three hours of computer time to use for F-R-E-E on my day off.
Ahhh, is it good to be back!
It’s hard even to know where to begin or what to tell you first about life on Moreton Island. I come up with dozens of little anecdotes when I’m sitting in my room at night far away from any computer. Now I’m struggling to come up with just one. It figures, I suppose.
Ahhh, is it good to be back!
It’s hard even to know where to begin or what to tell you first about life on Moreton Island. I come up with dozens of little anecdotes when I’m sitting in my room at night far away from any computer. Now I’m struggling to come up with just one. It figures, I suppose.
For starters, here you have a shot of a wee slice of the resort. On the left is the Tangalooma massage hut where guests can work out the kinks in their backs while on holiday. I haven't tried this yet but lord knows I'd like to.
I would be terribly neglectful if I didn’t tell you about all the fantastic wildlife one gets to see and hear on the island. Every morning begins with the jarring calls of the kookaburra in the wee hours before dawn breaks. If you’ve never heard a kookaburra’s call – and chances are that you haven’t since the bird is only native to Oz – imagine what sort of sound a wild banshee would make. That’s more or less it. The kookaburra is loud, proud and he’s going to let everyone know about it. Still, they are pretty cute and cuddly as far as birds go. You couldn’t hate one if you tried.
Later in the morning the pelicans gather on the beach for a feeding by one of the resort’s marine biologists (that’s them in the photo at the top of my blog). These winged giants are good fun to watch as they try to beat out the other birds in a quest for who-can-catch-the-most-fish. Often there are as many as 14 pelicans and scores of pied cormorants (a smaller, goose-like bird) playing the game.
A short stroll down the beach toward what’s known as the Wrecks (pictured at left), a group of deliberately sunken ships just off the shore of the island, and you are likely to see giant turtles, more fish and maybe even a dolphin swimming around. The Wrecks have created an artificial reef and are now a popular spot for snorkelling, diving, fishing and kayaking.
On my second day on Moreton I went for a short run down the beach. I spotted a small mound in the distance but didn’t think much of it until I was about 50 feet away when something told me to have a closer look. It turned out the “mound” was a massive sea turtle beached on the sand. Unfortunately, I think he might have been dead. There were no signs of breathing or movement and his eyes were closed. A shame, but my first time seeing such a creature in person.
Every afternoon about an hour before sunset is when hundreds of screeching lorikeets make their way to the tops of the palm trees and settle in for the night. These birds are fast, colourful and shockingly loud. Did I mention loud?
The highlight of the day for most guests happens every night at 6 p.m. That’s right, it’s dolphin-feeding time. A pod of 8-10 dolphins turns up with amazing accuracy, frolicking and waiting patiently before the dinner bell rings. Five “feeders” form five lanes and then make their way into the water to say hello and give the dolphins a bite before the guests enter. The dolphins even team up in the same pairings and at the same lanes each night. I’ve even heard stories of dolphins bringing “gifts”, such as a half-eaten tuna fish, for the feeders as a way of saying thank you for the food the dolphins get in return. When the feeders have tried to return the tuna fish to the dolphins, they won’t accept or eat it. It’s unbelievable how smart they are.
For the first week I only caught a few short glimpses of the dolphins, usually while rushing off to a shift in the restaurant. Then I had a stroke of luck while talking to one of the staff photographers. She mentioned that they needed another casual photographer to help with the dolphin photos on Sunday and Monday nights. I went down to the photo shop the next day and was soon in business!
I’ve now done photos three times. This involves treading right into the water and standing behind the dolphins as they’re fed. Often the dolphins swim right past my legs as they’re waiting for the fish and you’d just swear they have little smiles on their faces.
On my first night we had a total of 14 dolphins: 10 regulars and four party-crashers. The four intruders were males from another pod and one of them was apparently looking to mate with Tinkerbell, one of the regular females. Poor Tinkerbell couldn’t get a moment to herself as the intruder male swam back and forth behind her for the entire feeding. He even swam up and tried to put distance between me and Tinkerbell when he thought I was getting too close at one point. It was incredible!
Another highlight was the trip I took to the Tangalooma Desert two weeks ago. Moreton Island is the world’s third largest sand island (the other two are also in Oz). The island is made of about 98% sand and 2% rock. Most of that sand is covered in trees; however, a few areas, like the desert, have no trees at all. Instead there is literally nothing but soft, white sand on about 10 acres.
The resort takes guests on “safaris” to the desert (staff can go for free if space permits) to try their hand at sand tobogganing.
The premise is simple: grab a piece of smooth board, add a bit of surfboard wax to one side, climb up a 150-foot sand dune, and slide right on back down. Being Canadian, I like to think of myself as a bit of a tobogganing aficionado. Sand tobogganing was certainly a new one for the repertoire.
Of course, there is much more that I could tell you but this entry is getting very long and I don’t want to put anyone to sleep. I’ll save a few more stories for the next round.
Of course, there is much more that I could tell you but this entry is getting very long and I don’t want to put anyone to sleep. I’ll save a few more stories for the next round.
P.S. I miss you.
