Flesh on the Bones

There have been some changes since I posted the original itinerary. In order to add a day in Cairns for platypus viewing without losing my opportunity for a full-moon reef walk at Heron Island, I've added a day in Sydney, Hervey Bay and Heron Island have switch order, and Cairns has been moved to the end of the trip. My hotels have been booked, too. The only outstanding issue is the rental car return from Victor Harbor, but Plan B is ready. Some activities have been added to the plan and I'm putting in some more detail to explain obscure references. If you go to the links, please keep in mind that most prices are in Australian Dollars (1 AUD equals about .80 USD) and that I'm using frequent guest points, travel agent discounts, and other tools to cut costs dramatically.

• August 6-7 Fly to Australia losing a day as I cross the International Date Line
• August 8-11 Sydney. Opera House, Taronga Zoo (behind the scenes tour, platypus), Harbor Cruise, aquarium (highly recommended, has playtypus, open evenings), koala sanctuary. Hotel: Sydney Harbor Marriott (http://marriott.com/property/propertypage.mi?marshaCode=SYDMC)
• August 12-13 Victor Harbor. Southern Right Whales (hopefully), penguins, Urimbirra (wildlife park with evening visit planned to see all the wonderful nocturnal animals. http://www.victor.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=325). Hotel: Whaler's Inn Resort (http://www.whalersinnresort.com.au/about.html)
• August 14 Kanagroo Island. Kangaroos, koalas, seals, sea lions, and, with luck, platypus, echidna and Rosenberg Goanna. (Only animal I know of that shares my name. Unfortuantely, it's a lizard.) (http://www.sealink.com.au/high.htm) Hotel: Adelaide Hyatt (http://adelaide.regency.hyatt.com/)
• August 15-17 Hervey Bay. Humpback whales, dugongs. At least one trip with Whalesong based on recommendation from a contact in Tonga (http://www.whalesong.com.au/). Hotel: Outrigger Hervey Bay (http://www.outrigger.com/hotels_detail.aspx?hotel=67)
• August 18-20 Heron Island. Great Barrier Reef. Snorkeling, spa, general relaxation. Hotel: Heron Island Resort (http://www.heronisland.com/)
• August 21-25 Cairns. Great Barrier Reef, Kuranda (Aboriginal village, rainforest and wildlife. http://www.kuranda.org/), Tjupkai (Aboriginal cultural program free for travel agent. http://www.tjapukai.com.au/), platypus viewing (http://www.wildscapes-safaris.com.au/prod01.htm) Hotel: Cairns Resort by Outrigger (http://www.outrigger.com/hotels_detail.aspx?hotel=44)
• August 26 Fly home

On another front, the last couple of weeks of whale watching have not been fruitful. The southern migration may have been a bit early as the numbers reported by my friends at Monterey Bay Whale Watch have declined quite a bit as well (http://www.gowhales.com/slstcurr.htm). That isn't to say that the trips haven't been good. We've had beautiful weather and plenty of sea lions and otters. Last week, we came across a very cooperative otter with a pup. Way too cute.