The day had come. We were heading home. This was the final leg of our around-the-world trip.
We took a nearly-five-hour, non-stop Blue Star Ferry from Paros back to Athens at 10:45 a.m. We spent the time on the ferry reading, downloading photos, writing, and staring out the window. Our long-dreamed-about trip around-the-world was coming to an end. And we wondered, what’s next?
Back in Athens
We arrived in Athens on time, and checked into the same hotel, the Acropolis View Hotel. After freshening up, we went for an evening walk around the Acropolis and to find some dinner. We said “hey” to Boss the dog, sleeping inside the closed gates of the Acropolis. We dined at “God’s”—high expectations with a name like that–and filled up on delicious risotto-stuffed tomatoes, fava, and wine.
On the morning we left, we used the last of our traveling coffee packets, and sat out on our balcony, soaking up the sun and staring at the Parthenon. It’s tenacity seemed a fitting ending to our trip, and a reminder of home for us Nashvillians.
A panorama of Athens and the Acropolis. Greece.
And then, we flew home: ATH – LHR – ORD
First, we had a taxi ride with Michael to the airport. The car windows were down and open to the sunny sea air, and the Foo Fighters, ACDC, Supertramp blared from the stereo. Everlong will forever remind me of flying through foreign streets: “…If everything could ever feel this real forever, If anything could ever be this good again…”
The four-hour British Airways flight left Athens at 1:30 p.m. BA ran out of vegetarian meals by the time they got to my seat. And because one passenger on board had a peanut allergy, no snacks with nuts were being sold and we were asked not to eat the peanut M&Ms we’d brought onboard either. BA also charged for water, payable by credit card only. And with that, British Airways officially became the least favorite of all the airlines we’d flown around the world.
It was a brief stop in London, and as we got to the gate on this dark, rainy night, we were asked some strange U.S. immigration questions before boarding the American Airlines flight. It was nine hours to ORD–plenty of time for a meal, a movie (the tearjerker, “Coco”), some reading, and some quiet time to reflect on our trip. We landed at O’Hare around 7:30 p.m., and were back at home by 9 p.m. We’d gone all the way around this big old world! It was good to be home. And yet, I’d go again in a heartbeat.
Around the world
28,000+ miles
6 countries, plus 4 more touched in transit
Our 7th (and 8th!) continent
Big planes, little planes, scenic rails, overnight trains, taxis, buses, bicycle rickshaws, remorks, tuk-tuks, small boats, big ferries, and miles of walking. From glaciers on the 8th Continent to the Great Barrier Reef, to the Taj Mahal and Angkor Wat, to Mt. Everest and the Parthenon…here’s to all the sunrises and sunsets, smiles, laughs, beautiful animals, crazy sights, tasty meals, and Nescafe along the way.
Select photos from our trip are available on Etsy.
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Carol Fletcher is a traveling, dog-loving, coffee-addicted photographer and blogger living in Chicago. To see more photo essays and projects, please visit www.carolfletcher.com.
Located at the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, Lady Elliot Island is remote—50 miles from the Australian coast. There is limited air access, and no ferries or boats come in. Evenings on Lady Elliot Island are dark and quiet but for the sounds of the wind, the waves, the birds, and sometimes the sounds of sand being scooped and pushed as Green and Loggerhead turtles come ashore to dig holes and lay eggs.
The Green and Loggerhead turtles that call this island home are the size of end tables–three to four feet in length and about 500 pounds or more. They can live to be 50-80 years old, and will often travel as far as Africa in their lifetime. At night, they lumber up on the same beaches where they were born, to find a place above the high tide line to lay their eggs. About 8-12 weeks later, hatchlings dig their way out of the nest and run for the sea—usually on a cool, dark night. It is said that the baby turtles know their way to the water by looking for the lightest part of the sky—the horizon. Any other lights may disorient and confuse the turtles. So during our stay on Lady Elliot Island, we were urged to keep room lights off at night, and when lights were on—to close the thick curtains tight.
“She must have forgotten the time”
Every morning, we saw at least one turtle making her way down to the water after sunrise. Sometimes we saw turtles sitting at the lip of the surf–exhausted from their night’s labor–waiting for the tide to ease them over stones and back out to sea.
A turtle has an audience as she slips back into the sea on Lady Elliot Island.A turtle waiting for the tide to help her over the rocks and back out to sea one morning on Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.A turtle and her tracks, waiting for the tide to help her out to sea one morning on Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Watching the Turtles
On land, turtles seem prehistoric, lumbering, slow, and so intentional. In the water, they float, glide, dive, and seem so carefree. On a glass-bottom boat tour, we saw a teenage turtle resting in a bed of sea plants on the ocean floor, while another large turtle cruised past the boat’s sea window looking in at us. A Hawksbill turtle—which is endangered and rare to see around Lady Elliot—swam by the boat. On our final morning, Bryan saw a single half-dollar-sized hatchling race to the sea.
Another day, I sat on the beach, soaking in the sun and staring out at the turquoise blue of the reef. Bryan was snorkeling—or as he said, putting his face into an aquarium of colorful, Finding Nemo fish. I tried to write in my journal, and should have been applying sunscreen to my shins. Instead, I couldn’t take my eyes off the glinting water. And like a vision, I saw a giant turtle raise her head and look at me from the reef right in the very spot where my eyes were focused. I saw her feet treading water as she bobbed in the shiny waves, looking straight up the beach at me. She stayed there for a few minutes before turning and diving down. Maybe she was looking for her nest, or being kind to this non-swimmer with a little viewing. I’ll remember that turtle for a long time, gracefully bobbing in the sparkling blue water.
Nest types can be identified by the tracks. This Green Turtle waits for the tide on Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Dual Green Turtle tracks to the water. Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Seen from a glass-bottom boat, a teenage turtle rests in a reef cubby. Lady Elliot Island, Australia.An endangered Hawksbill turtle, rarely seen in Lady Elliot Island, surveys us in the glass-bottom boat.Possible turtle nests are marked on Lady Elliot Island.A turtle hatchling–only the size of a half-dollar–runs for the ocean one morning on Lady Elliot Island.
Saying Goodbye to Lady Elliot Island
Turtles are solitary and mysterious creatures. They navigate long distances, and yet regularly find their way back across the vast ocean to the same tiny bit of beach where they were born.
As we lifted off the runway, and circled around to see the island from the air one last time, I hoped that I–like a turtle–could find my way back to the peaceful beaches of Lady Elliot Island and the Great Barrier Reef.
Photo taken from a plane just leaving Lady Elliot Island and circling around for a last look. Note the plane landing from the right (on the tip of his nose 🙂Tiny little Lady Elliot Island, in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
“And the turtles, of course…all the turtles are free, as turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be.” Dr. Seuss
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on earth. At 1,400 miles long, it occupies less than 0.1% of the ocean surface, yet 25% of all marine species can be found in the reef. Lady Elliot Island’s reading room exhibits explain that the reef is made up of corals—which are tiny marine animals that grow in colonies. The colony excretes a hard carbonate skeleton, and over many generations coral reefs are formed from the buildup.
Lady Elliot Island’s Coral
The beaches on Lady Elliot Island are filled with bits of coral washed ashore, making beach walking a slow workout, especially when you stop every three feet to photograph a piece of strawberry red, asparagus green, or carrot orange coral. The coral bits sometimes have shapes like hearts, sponges, tubes, or plant-like stalks. They sound hollow, feel hard and a little chalky, and clink and crunch like bone china beneath your shoes.
Coral beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Walking Around the Island
Every morning on Lady Elliot Island, we circumnavigated the island. It takes about 45 minutes to walk all the way around including a few minutes to stop and examine a piece of coral, or to stare out to sea. We did the walk at least twice a day.
A coral branch, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.A coral sponge with stars, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Strawberry-sized coral pieces, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Orange coral stalk, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Red coral and a cone shell, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Bright red coral among milky white corals, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Reef Walking
A favorite thing to do was reef walking. Wading up to my knees with a walking stick in one hand, camera in the other, I walked in the paths between the corals. How peaceful out there. No one else around, just the sounds of the waves and the birds, and feeling oh-so-small in the big blue sea. One day, I caught a glimpse of something cobalt blue underwater. I made my way over in the maze of coral to find a blue starfish below the waves stretching its arms and hugging the coral, as it made its way across the reef.
Reef walking, Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Reef walking, just me and the sea and clouds, Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Blue Starfish in the coral reef off of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Blue Starfish crawling over the coral, Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Peaceful Days
Lady Elliot Island was a series of glorious days of sun, of passing clouds, and of peace. One day was a repeating cycle of a misty rain for 2-3 minutes, then the bright warm sun for 5-10 minutes before the mist returned. This cycle repeated again and again that day. I felt like a vegetable in the grocery, waiting for the mist machine to cycle on. Another day was really windy—which they say is a forbearer of cyclone season, but since the wind came from the east, there was no reason to worry. We watched the birds float on the wind, just over the water.
A crab coming out of his shell, Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, AustraliaA crab coming out of his shell, Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Striped coral, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Shells sheltering on a stone, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.In a coral bowl, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Various sizes and shapes of coral, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Corals, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Sponge coral, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Neutral shades of coral, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
We spent sunsets at the Lighthouse, with champagne and beer. Sitting in plastic chairs photographing the colors and the clouds. One evening, there was a double rainbow behind us as the sun went down. Such extraordinary beauty. Afterwards, walking back across that little island in the dusk and dark, across the deserted runway, feeling the wind and the mist, hearing the birds and the ocean waves surrounding us—and beneath all those stars—THAT was magic. That feeling of isolation, of distance, of solitude, of the immenseness of the world. It puts things in perspective.
Lighthouse and rainbows at sunset, Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Heart-shaped coral found, arranged, and photographed on the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
The Great Barrier Reef was at the top of our list of what to see in Australia, and thankfully we found this tiny island. Lady Elliot Island is a coral cay located at the southern tip of the World Heritage Great Barrier Reef. The 111-acre island is a a highly protected sanctuary for over 1,200 species of marine life and is known for its abundance of manta rays, turtles, birds, and unspoiled coral reef. All of that sounds great…but the thing that hooked me was the photo. When I searched for places to stay near the Great Barrier Reef, I came across an image of a green and white dot, circled by a turquoise tutu with white fringe sitting alone in the middle of miles and miles of midnight blue water. Here. That’s where we’d go. I reserved our room within the hour of seeing the photo. Booking at Lady Elliot Island includes their air travel to/from the island, a basic room, and buffet breakfasts and dinners.
Lady Elliot Island, in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. A 111-acre eco resort 50 miles from the Australian coast.
Getting to Lady Elliot Island:
We left Hervey Bay in the rain, on a 20-seater plane with two propellers and two pilots. After only about 30 minutes flying in the thin layer beneath the rain clouds and not far above the water, we saw the tiny island ahead. In five more minutes we flew in over the reef, the beach, touched land, and bounced down a grass airstrip.
Looking North at Lady Elliot Island’s runway. Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Looking South on Lady Elliot Island’s runway, near the solar panels. Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Lady Elliot Island is an “Eco Resort” which means they generate their own power with solar panels, desalinate seawater for drinking, maintain a waste water treatment plant, and recycle the majority of the island’s trash. Their goal is to have minimal impact on this fragile ecosystem and be 100% sustainable by 2020. They also minimize the use of disposable items: they were the first island in the Great Barrier Reef to eliminate selling bottled water in 2012.
We checked in to our reef room, with a sliding glass door view to the water (which was just 24 steps from the porch). We did the first of many walks all the way around the island. You can go all the way around in about 45 minutes and that includes stopping for photos and looking at turtle tracks and pretty corals washed ashore.
The beach just outside our room on Lady Elliot Island. On the day we arrived, it was breezy and threatening rain.Morning walk around Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Seats on the beach at Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Coming back from dinner that first night, with our phones acting as flashlights on the dark trails, we saw many birds sitting on the pathways. One was sitting on the steps to our unit, and Bryan nearly stepped on her. She made a whining sound as she jumped out of the way. We’d meet her again in the morning…and each and every time we came in or went out. We named her Gracie.
Gracie, our pathway’s Bridled “dog” Tern, Lady Elliot Island, Australia.
Gracie, the Dog Tern
February is bird season here. Lady Elliot Island has the highest seabird diversity of any island in the Great Barrier Reef: 94 species have been recorded. It is an important nesting site, and over 100,000 birds come to Lady Elliot Island during summer breeding season. The island isn’t that big, so the nests are everywhere, and sometimes very close together. Between the territorial spats and the babies begging for breakfast from mama birds, there was a continuous racket of bird cries…cackling, whistling, calling, whining, barking.
Despite having webbed feet, the White-Capped Noddy Tern nests in the trees of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Our reef unit bird, Gracie, was a whiner and a barker. She made little woof-woof sounds, which explains this bird’s nickname: Dog Tern. The official name is Bridled Tern and they are most often seen nesting on pathways. It seemed all the units had a resident dog tern. These birds sat on paths everywhere on the island, waiting for moms to come feed them, and hunkering down when guests walked by.
And Gracie was always there at Reef Unit #1, on the steps, the porch, the sand path. We walked carefully around her during the day and prayed we didn’t step on her in the dark nights. Her similar-sized mom brought Gracie snacks often. One day, we heard a lot of whining and barking outside. Looking out, we saw mama bird hopping around with food in her mouth. No Gracie. Mama bird flittered around the path and the porch, frantically looking—the food still in her mouth as she whined, called, and cried. She got too close to neighboring White-Capped Noddy nests which caused even more commotion. We stood inside, watching this mother’s heartbreak. Did Gracie unexpectedly leave the nest? Did something happen to her? After a long while of this, Mama bird flew away. As we stood there wondering if another bird had gotten her, Gracie came side-stepping up the lane back to her usual spot. All smiles now, we told her that her mom had been looking for her.
Gracie portrait, Dog Tern, Lady Elliot Island, Australia.Path to the beach: Gracie and mama bird’s shadow, our pathway’s Bridled “dog” Terns, Lady Elliot Island, Australia.Sun and Shade: Gracie, our pathway’s Bridled “dog” Tern cooling her tail feathers, Lady Elliot Island, Australia.Gracie on the bricks, Lady Elliot Island, Australia.Flock of Noddy Terns on the beach. Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.A bird at sunrise. Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
The second stop on our around-the-world trip was Australia, which checked off our final continent. Australia is a very big country—about the same size as the continental USA, and getting around it can be expensive and time consuming. So, we made a decision to stick to one area and see it well.
We were on a One World Alliance round-the-world trip ticket going west, and from Auckland we had good arrival city options. The Great Barrier Reef topped our wish list of things to see in Australia, so we chose Brisbane and the area known as the Sunshine Coast in Queensland as our anchor. And we splurged on a booking at Lady Elliot Island in the Great Barrier Reef.
Auckland to Brisbane is a four-hour flight over the Tasman Sea. It was a brilliant afternoon–blue skies outside and a sunny mood inside on our Qantas flight. They served cheesy pasta and a crisp Australian white wine for me, and beef and rice curry with a Tasmanian beer for Bryan. And then, ice cream! Woo!
The shadow of our Qantas flight descending into Brisbane Australia.
We needed ETAs (Electronic Travel Authority) visas to enter Australia and we’d purchased them online for $20 AUD ($16 USD) before leaving home. Once again, no one stamped our passports. This is probably the single most disappointing thing about modern travel for me. I miss border crossings with the strange anxiety when an immigration officer holds your passport up to scrutinize your tired travel face versus the worst photo you’ve ever made in your life, and then with a sigh or a grunt, punches the stamper down about 10 times in 5 seconds in the secret confines of his desk, and hands your passport back with a flat, “Welcome. Next.” Would you believe we asked four of their TSA folks if we could somewhere get a stamp in our passports? Maybe? Please? No, nay, nada, nope. Boo. I was distracted from the missing passport stamp when we got on the “Travelator”…a moving walkway. What a great name!
Brisbane
We’d booked AirTrain transfers into the city and caught the train into the city during the evening commute. Hotel Jen is super conveniently located–next door to the busy Roma Street station, and is surprisingly quiet. It’s a modern, comfortable hotel, with a kicking buffet breakfast featuring fresh honeycombs pulled from the honeybee boxes out back. My favorite thing there was the juice machine—a large compactor contraption that took in a wide assortment of already peeled veggies and fruits and loudly smashed and squished them into your own special juice concoction. Carrot and beets and oranges. Looked like a pretty tie-dye in a glass. Yum with the eggs, beans with tomatoes, and coffee. We were still trying to figure out the differences between a flat white (basically an espresso with foaming milk) and a long black (espresso over hot water) coffee, so drank both. More often than not, hotels offered Nescafe ”sachets” in Australia.
After checking-in, we went over the Brisbane River on the Kurilpa Walking Bridge on our first evening walk in Australia. As we loitered back, watching the moon rise an hour before sunset, we tried to sort out the time difference vs New Zealand and vs Chicago. 4 a.m. Brisbane is 7 a.m. Auckland and noon yesterday in Chicago. Dialing our moms was tricky business.
We went over the Brisbane River on the Kurilpa Walking Bridge on our first evening walk in Australia.
February is in the heat of summer. Our first morning, it was already 74 degrees Fahrenheit at 8 a.m., on it’s way up to hot and humid. After a street cafe breakfast, we walked over the Victoria bridge to see the Wheel of Brisbane. We were sitting in the shade to cool off, when I heard creeping. I turned to see a large white bird with a long black beak and a black head tip-toeing behind me. This was our first Australian Ibis sighting (they are also known as “bin chickens”).
On the Victoria bridge, looking over the Brisbane River the Ferris wheel.Australian Ibis, aka the “Bin Chicken”.
The day got steamy, and we walked until we were sticky and exhausted. We were sampling our way through an outdoor market—strategically staying under the stand umbrellas—when Bryan came up with a genius idea for a luxurious and cheap dinner. He bought a large piece of just-smoked salmon, a heaping tray of “vege” paella made to order, and a quart of assorted fresh fruit for a picnic in our room. For about $40 AUD plus a bottle of wine, we had a feast that would have cost us at least twice that in a restaurant. As the storm clouds rolled in and the rain poured down over Brisbane, we showered in our cool room, and spread our indoor picnic. Delicious!
North to Hervey Bay (pronounced HARVEY Bay)
A couple of days later, we took a 6-hour Greyhound bus north to Hervey Bay, a coastal town that would bookend our days on Lady Elliot Island. Greyhounds are not the tour-guide buses of New Zealand, but they are a clean, cheap, and practical way to get where you’re going and see a little landscape along the way.
Along the drive, we saw an Australia that is not so different than the USA with the many places to shop: K-Mart, IGA, KFC, 7-Eleven, ALDI, and of course, McDonald’s (or “Mackers” as they say in Australian). It falls a little short of my expectations to see too many similarities to home in a place so far away. I like foreign to be foreign, not a cookie-cutter replica of Anyplace, USA. Sure, it’s reassuring to know that you can walk into a bit of the USA all over the world and order the same Mickey D’s french fries, but I also like the little surprises–like walking into a store named Woolworths to find out it’s a supermarket here. And I got a cheap thrill out of sitting in the front row–on what would be the passenger side back home–and guessing which lane we’d turn into.
One thing that is different in Australia is the curious town names, with places like Nambour, Kybong and Gymbie. In Kybong at the traveler’s area where we stopped for lunch, there is a giant, old, metal kangaroo called Matilda. I thought I was losing my mind when I noticed Matilda was looking in a different direction. But then, she winked…with a sound like a creaking, banging garage door in motion.
Matilda, looking right, at Kybong, Australia.Matilda, looking left, at Kybong, Australia.
Back in the bus, I started to notice the unique Australian Federation-style homes with roof-on-roof verandas, porticoed porches, Victorian gables and finials, and RV garages. I scanned the immense land, the gardens, the roads, looking for a real kangaroo. Nothing.
We found this faux kangaroo on a street bench in Brisbane, Australia.Bryan finds the infamous Vegemite in a Woolworths Supermarket, Austraila.
The Greyhound bus dropped us in Hervey Bay and we had a long walk to our hotel. Houses and small hotels lined one side of the Esplanade, and on the other side of the road was Shelly Bay, a walking path, park, and beach. I thought it was going to be about a 15 minute walk from the bus stop to the hotel, but it was at least 30 minutes, plus it felt even longer with the heat, the bags, and the audacity of the numbers on Hervey Bay’s Esplanade to be consecutive: 499, 500, 501… As in, “OMG, we still have to walk past another 45 houses!”
Our first hotel in Hervey Bay (Shelly Beach Motel) was clean, cozy with immaculate grounds and beautiful gardens. And we loved Debra, the kind hostess with a trim, tan, stylish look and a brisk, friendly manner. Our room had a balcony overlooking the Esplanade and the bay, and when we opened the doors we got a refreshing cross breeze. We sat on our balcony a lot over the next few days…watching the sandy beach part of our vacation get rained out. Those days in Hervey Bay were nothing but rain, rain, rain.
Shelly (and Snake-y!) Beach
Despite the rain and the heat and humidity during the rain’s breaks, we made a lot of walks—inevitably getting soaked from a new wave of rain, or sweat, or both. We took morning walks on Shelly Beach at dog walking hours and one morning there was a snake on the beach. I thought it was a stick, until it moved. Turns out, sea snakes are poisonous. Twenty-one of the worlds 25 deadliest snakes are found in Australia–and about 25 people are hospitalized in Hervey Bay every summer due to snakebites!Bill Bryson’s “In a Sunburned Country” wasn’t wrong!“Australia has more things that will kill you than anywhere else.”
Shelly Beach on a rainy morning, the 1/2 mile long Urangan Pier in the distance.Dog walking hour on Shelly Beach, Hervey Bay, Australia.An Australian dog having a rainy morning walk in the surf of Shelly Beach, Hervey Bay.That’s close enough. Sea snake on Shelly Beach, Hervey Bay, Australia.
We got to know the restaurant Santini’s along the Esplanade. Good Italian food at reasonable prices, but slow—sometimes perfunctory—service as it was always packed. It was here we were taught by a snappy waiter the Australian restaurant lingo:I
booking = reservation
entree = appetizer
main = entree
organize your docket = get your check
”Here in Australia, with nothing to do.”
We spent most of our time during that first stint in Hervey Bay listening to the rain, the birds, and the waves. We watched some movies, read some books, and talked a lot about our lives up to this point over cups of Nescafe and peanut butter sandwiches. We struggled with ourselves on these rainy days, joking ”Here in Australia, with nothing to do.”Even on the other side of the world, on the trip-of-a-lifetime, it was way too easy to sit and watch TV. This boredom, laziness, sluggish fatigue for no-good-reason is terrifying. Ennui turns in me like a cement mixer, sometimes bubbling up as a cold terror of losing mobility, momentum, memory, and health and a burning frustration that I do nothing about it. As I went down that depressing rabbit hole of self-incrimination on a rainy day on the other side of the world, a bird whistled for me. So loud it startled me. Just there, sitting on the balcony railing, looking in the screen door to our room on a pouring rain afternoon, was a curious black and white bird. Again, she sang her tune. It sounded like a person whistling, loud. I leapt up, and then froze–trying to reach my phone or camera without startling her. She cocked her head sideways, looking back at me from not more than five feet away. Eye contact for a second, maybe two. And she was gone, and with it, my wet-blanket mood. My heart felt lighter. II googled “black and white singing bird Hervey Bay Australia” until I found a match…this was the Australian Pied Butcher Bird. I did eventually record one of the birds another day (listen below to the waves and a song):
The Australia Pied Butcher Bird, Hervey Bay.Bryan walking out on the Urangan Pier, Hervey Bay, Australia.Looking back towards Hervey Bay from the end of Urangan Pier, 1/2 mile out!
We rallied, doing more rain-dodging walks. One morning, we walked all the way out on the long Urangan Pier. Just as we touched the end railing—a 1/2 mile into the bay—the rain came again. We were soaked by the time we got back to the Esplanade, but laughing and happy.
Hervey Bay: Take 2
After Lady Elliot Island, we returned to a sunny Hervey Bay. It was a completely different place. We stayed up the road at Shelly Bay Hotel… which was more like an apartment with a full kitchen and an in-unit washer and dryer (thank goodness, because all our clothes felt beachy–sticky with lotions and sand and sea salt.)
On these days, we explored further around Hervey Bay. I bought a lightweight maxi dress for $29 AUS at the Australian Post Office–trying it on in the back room, surrounded by passport-making supplies and holiday decorations. Hervey Bay was at last without rain, but the shelly, orange beach lost something in comparison to what we knew was only an hour out there. We walked and walked, back and forth on the long beach. The hard sand feeling good on our bare feet, our shadows following and the birds singing.
From the air as we returned from Lady Elliot Island: Fraser Island in the far distance, 1/2-mile long Urangan Pier in the mid-distance, Hervey Bay, and in the foreground–the pier below, Australia.Another pier in sunny Hervey Bay, Australia.A sunny walk on Shelly Beach, Hervey Bay Australia.
