Eclipse and Outer Space On Wednesday, November 14, 2012 at 06.38
a total solar eclipse was visible in Northern
Australia and the Pacific Islands. We witnessed
this spectacular astronomical phenomenon
at sea off Cairns at the end of a very interesting
cultural cruise around the east coast of
Papua New Guinea. On our cruise ship a guest
speaker was Tom Jones, a veteran Astranaut
who, during his time with NASA flew on 4
space shuttle missions to Earth orbit and
led 3 spacewalks to help build the International
Space Station. Cairns
Cairns, North Queensland with a population
of over 120,000, is a blend of colonial architecture
on wide streets, and gives an impression
of a relaxed, backpacker town. It is the
gateway to the World Heritage sites of the
Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest and
the Atherton Tablelands, a fertile plateau
that is part of the Great Dividing Range,
once a volcanic area. A series of long white beaches, mostly sparse,
link Port Douglas to the Daintree Rainforest
region and Cape Tribulation.
Just south of the equator, 160km north of
Australia, Papua New Guinea is part of a
great arc of mountains stretching from Asia,
through Indonesia and into the South Pacific.
This fascinating land has more than 600 islands
and more than 800 indigenous languages (tok
ples), and is home to the largest area of
intact rainforest outside of the Amazon.
Despite stories of headhunters, the people
we met were the friendliest and happiest
we had ever encountered. They even thanked
us for taking their photo - to them it was
an honour.
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The Great Barrier Reef is made up of over
2900 reefs and 900 islands. It is the largest
reef structure and marine park in the world
- so large that it is visible from
the moon.
Beneath the water's surface lies an incredible
underwater world. Whether you experience
it by snorkelling, diving or glass bottom
boat, it is a mystical world filled with
an abundance of coral, marine life and vibrant
tropical fish.
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The Daintree National Park is probably the
only place on the planet where two separate
World Heritage sites sit alongside each other
(the Daintree Forest and the Great Barrier
Reef).
The Daintree Rainforest is the oldest continually
surviving tropical rainforest containing
the most complete record of the evolution
of plant life dating back to the beginning
of life on Earth. Trekking through the ancient,
150million year old forest at Cooper Creek
was a fascinating and wonderful experience.
Click on any photo on the web pages to open
a slideshow
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