Queensland From The Air

Thanks to my awesome Dad, we took our trip up North to “the next level” (according to the marketing brochure) by enjoying a private helicopter ride over the Outback to Mount Mulligan, above the Rainforest to Cape Kimberly and Shipwreck Beach then out to sea, soaring over the Great Barrier Reef. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences where you get to see the World from an otherworldly perspective, and I loved every minute of it.


We dropped down on the very edge of Mount Mulligan (the picture of the big mountain/rock looking thing), sipped sodas on a beach accessible ONLY by helicopter, and watched whales and sea turtles dance along the edge of the reef. Plus, we did it all in a big yellow helicopter that felt so “Mission: Impossible!”




We capped off our trip by holding Koalas, petting kangaroos, and eating an absolutely obscene amount of food.


More pictures of the Helicopter trip are on my flickr site here.

More pictures of the koalas and kangaroos are on my flickr site here.

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Kyle Taylor

Them Queenslanders

Before I headed north everyone kept telling me, “Kyle, them Queenslanders are an interesting bunch. It’s always Queensland first, then Australia.” Already thinking that Aussies as a whole are a rather interesting bunch, I didn’t really flinch.


It turns out that Queenslanders are, well, quite an interesting bunch. It all started with the lovely Beverly, who drove the rental car shuttle from the airport. “You’re lucky I’m drivin’ you. I was supposed to get off at 6. But I’m drivin’ you. You’re lucky.” Really Beverly? Am I lucky? Aren’t you kind-of lucky that I chose your rental car company so that you could get your paycheck? “It’s been real busy,” she went on. “Real busy. Rented 60 cars today. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.” She burst into uproarious laughter. Why? I have no idea. Apparently renting 60 cars is very, very funny.


“Yep, I don’t always drive the shuttle. Sometimes I do the counter. We are all on salary though, so they can just keep us here as long as they darn want to. That don’t seem fair, does it?” No Beverly. It most certainly does not. “It’s hot. HAHAHAHAHA.” Pan to the shuttle riders. Complete silence. “It’s hot, isn’t it? I mean, real hot! HAHAHAHA.” Yes Beverly. “Okay, here we are. You are L-U-C-K-Y LUCKY I drove ya. I was supposed to be off at 6.” Thanks Beverly.


This joyous experience was amplified by our rainforest tour guide Peter One (because literally every tour guide we had was named Peter. No, seriously. Queensland is weird). Peter One was AWESOME - as was the hilarious old lady trio that cruised the Daintree with me - and this little rant was possibly the highlight of the day.


The topic of environmental degradation came up and Peter decided to launch into a full frontal assault on the religious right. “You know who really irritates me,” he asked rhetorically. “Those super Christians, because they think they’re going to some fantastic eternity after this world so don’t give a S$%T about this world, which is the only one we’ve all got. So they just trash it. That just irritates me.”

Man, Queenslanders are awesome. More Daintree Rainforest Pictures Are On My Flickr Site.

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Kyle Taylor

Stereotypical Oz - And PERFECT

There are those “things” that people associate with Australia:

Kangaroos
Koalas
The Great Barrier Reef
The Rainforest
The Outback

What if I told you there is a place where you can see ALL of them at once? I know, right? It’s called Northern Queensland, where the Great Barrier Reef runs into the mighty Daintree Rainforest which trickles into bush and outback just over the mountain ridges. Once there, kangaroos abound and koalas munch intensely on the native Eucalyptus leaves. It’s pretty darn perfect.


Nothing quite compares to the tranquil wonder of the Great Barrier Reef. There you are, 30 miles from shore, finning around in crystal clear water with the likes of fish, sea turtles, and sting rays zipping by in every direction.


One fin, two fin, goggles on, wetsuit zipped, snorkel placed in mouth and kerplunk! You join the other world that lives below the sea. I felt like I was simultaneously living through Finding Nemo and The Little Mermaid with a tinge of Jaws in the back of my mind.


One minute the boat is zipping along at Mach 3 and the next minute you’re apparently “there,” though “there” looks a lot like that scene in Open Water when the two people mysteriously disappear.

Paddle paddle here, paddle paddle there. “Look over there,” I shout and point. “It’s amazing!” A few seconds later a new “most amazing thing ever” appears and I point once again. Paddle paddle here, paddle paddle there. I hold my breath and duck dive to get a fully submerged look, spinning 360 degrees to find myself completely enveloped by a school of brightly colored fish.


The whistle blows and it’s time to go, the fastest hour of my life having zoomed by without fair warning. It’s back on the boat and onward to our next dive site. Two hour-long dives later and we’re zooming back to shore to re-enter our World, which suddenly doesn’t seem quite as vibrant, lively, and social as the one I just left behind.

Fortunately, global warming means I might have the opportunity to call the fish “neighbor” a whole lot sooner that I would have liked.

You can find more pictures of the Great Barrier Reef on my flickr site.

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Kyle Taylor