Does anybody follow the blog? I would have loved this job. *sigh*
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The Best Job in the World Blog
http://www.islandreefjob.com/Nov 12 2009
To the very top of Australia – the Torres Strait Islands
Location: Cairns, North Queensland
Weather: Hot and humid but bright and sunny in the Torres Strait. 34ºc
Am I allowed to just limit a blog to a photo such as this, letting it paint a thousand words and not write anything? I thought not, but it would actually do my visit here justice…..
View from the resort
There were parts of the Best Job adventure which I’d been looking forward to weeks before even getting the itinerary sent through and this was probably my most anticipated of the lot; a chance to visit the Torres Strait island group located at the far northern tip of Queensland…almost touching Papua New Guinea.
It would be a chance to visit just a few of the dozens islands, of which many are un-populated and lie scattered across the 200 kilometre wide Torres Strait, which separates Australia from PNG (Papua New Guinea).
I boarded the Qantas flight which would take me further north in Queensland than I’d ever been before, this was unchartered territory for me and as we climbed up into the clear skies the ocean below seemed just that little bit more blue than normal. Coral cays and sand islands fringed by reef splattered the scene, bursting a huge array of colour from below…I think I probably looked out of the window for 90% of the flight time!
Our final approach to the runway was a looping fly-by and as the wingtip dropped I could see the small tarmac strip below nestled amongst the bush on the northern side of the island, where it has been since the 1940’s when the island was a busy military base.
Horn Island
We touched down and made our way to the tiny airport terminal where Vanessa from Gateway Torres Strait was there to whisk us away and show us a side of the island which I had read but knew very little about…the military history.
The islands logo Mangroves mean crocodiles
The tour around the is;and Wartime remnants
Horn Island became a strategic outpost during the Second World War and was the site of the northern most Australian Operational Airbase, which came into operation around 1940 to act as a deterrent against potential bombing raids from the Japanese. Two dirt runways were built and 15 men were stationed on the island to man and run the operation base.
On the 14th March 1942, 12 Zero fighters and eight Betty Bombers left Lae to fly to Horn Island with the intention of bombing the airstrip. By chance a number of American Kittihawk aircraft were stationed on the island at the time of the attack and were scrambled to meet the incoming planes and the ensuing dogfight resulted in all of the attacking aircraft being destroyed.
The tour took us around other key areas of the island which were of military significance including the trenches built to hide from incoming air raids, the concrete bunker which housed the anti-aircraft guns and the site of one of the downed planes, which a rather over-zealous pilot crashed into the tail of a plane parked on the runway! The remains are in surprisingly good condition with the twisted and melted aluminium superstructure lying in a very sorry looking state…incidentally the pilot walked away from the crash!
There’s loads of islands up here in the Torres Strait and with just a few days to visit it means another whistle-stop tour, before I’ve even got under the skin of Horn the bus drops me at the jetty ready to catch the next boat across the short stretch of water to Thursday Island, or T.I. as its affectionately called by the locals.
The next boat isn’t the usual ferry either it’s Tony with his two fishing boats, all kitted up ready for an afternoon on the water…this is what I want, a chance to go snorkelling and fishing. I’ve been so curious about the marine life here at the northern extremity of the Great Barrier Reef as the water temperature is much warmer than down south, there are far fewer people ‘harvesting’ the ocean for recreation and the reef extends all the way in to the islands. Potentially some of the best snorkelling and diving in the world.
The largest of the islands in the Torres Island group is Prince of Wales Island and we race across the water tracking alongside some pristine sands and beaches, dense areas of mangrove (no doubt harbouring some mighty saltwater crocodiles) until we find a suitable stopping off point. With the temperature hitting the mid 30’s the idea of jumping into the water seems refreshing but once in you get in quickly realise that its really warm in there, in fact like a warm bath at around 28c which isn’t actually that refreshing at all!
Another island paradise
Tony steered us into a quiet sandy bay (they’re all pretty quiet up here as there’s no-one about!), anchored up and I jumped into the tepid, crystal clear water…now this is how all swims in the ocean should be; no body shock, no goose bumps at all.
Even where there’s no reef the marine life is still ever-present, turtles occasionally bobbed up to see what was going on and in the distance loads of mullet all broke the surface of the water swimming as fast as they could to escape the predator behind them with an inquisitive osprey circling overhead in case one was to stay up for that second too long.
Fringing reef all around the island Arriving on the island Aluminium wing from the crash The tour around the is;and Mangroves mean crocodiles Welcome to the Torres Straits The islands logo One of the gun posts The unripe fruit The shell once ripened Cotton from the fruit The slit trenches How thick was the glass back in 1943? Leftovers from the military Wartime remnants The islands power station Dhoeri head dress Transport between the islands Arrival on Thursday Gab Titui Cultural Centre Gab Titui Cultural Centre Gab Titui Cultural Centre
Friday Island
I knew I’d spent enough time in the water once my skin had wrinkled and my fingers become like those of my grandmother…Tony upped anchor and we were off again this time making for Friday Island (Captain Cook really wasn’t at his most creative when he got to this part of Australia was he…I mean Wednesday, Thursday, Friday…come on!) and the rickety boardwalk of a jetty which led to the Kazu Pearl Farm for an hour of education – every day’s a school day you know!
The Pearl farm The boardwalk to the beds
Kazuyoshi Takami was there to meet us as we arrived, he has owned and run the Friday Island Pearl Company for 36 years producing some of Australia’s finest pearls from the 30,000 oysters he has here and he gave me a little insight into the fascinating micro-world he lives and works in.
Now I know nothing at all about how to make a pearl, as far as I was concerned it was a hit and miss operation to say the least; have thousands of oysters and every so often you’d be lucky enough to hit gold…or pearl and find one in the shell. But no it’s a fine art.
The holding tank Separated for harvest The masters tools A split oyster
A pearl in the wild forms when a piece of grit or sand gets caught in the oysters gonad…over a number of years the oyster continually rotates the foreign object inside the chamber adding a nacreous layer to it (which is actually the substance we know as mother of pearl) and eventually out pops a pearl.
It wouldn’t be the most profitable of businesses based on this hit and miss method so the foreign object is inserted artificially into the gonad which forces the oyster to produce a pearl. The end result however can be a bit hit and miss with slight mis-shapes, uneven colour etc affecting the end result – the ideal outcome would be a golden, perfectly circular ball to raise the most money at the point of sale.
Mr Takami showed me how he delicately opens the oyster, adds a small piece of the mantle (fleshy outer part of the oyster) to act as the catalyst and a tiny ball into the gonad itself. The ball actually comes all the way from mussels found in the Mississippi River!
I’m not particularly fond of eating oysters but am trying to learn how to do it properly…these special oysters are much better as they have a large fleshy area which is prepared by throwing them as hard as possible against the ground to tenderise them, they are then served with soy sauce and wasabi making a delightful sashimi appetiser. I am converted.
The expert removes the pearl The fruits of 2 years labour Japanese shashimi Sashimi oyster
We overnighted back on Thursday Island and on the way to the hotel had a chance to drop into the Gab Titui Cultural Centre which displays a wide range of the art, artefacts, carvings and jewellery associated with the Torres Strait islands – the dhoeri head-dresses are a huge part of the indigenous culture with each one differing from island to island and are incredibly intricately made from Frigate Bird and Torres Strait Pigeon feathers.
Arrival on Thursday Gab Titui Cultural Centre Dhoeri head dress
It’s an amazing insight into the cultures and people of the Torres Strait islands who are so vastly different from the Aboriginal people of the Australian mainland, almost appearing to more Pacific Islander at first glance. The centre has won prizes at the last four Queensland Tourism Awards and also to the prize of best bread and sandwiches so far in Australia judged by me!
Tony the man Kazu Pearl Farm Catching the bus Another island paradise How clear can the water get? Tony's transport Kazu Pearl The water tank Separated for harvest The holding tank Mother of pearl The masters tools A split oyster The catalyst is chopped up Inserting the seedling Inside an oyster Wide view of boardwalk The boardwalk to the beds The expert removes the pearl The fruits of 2 years labour It's not just pearls you know Japanese shashimi Sashimi oyster The Pearl farm Hazy sunset
Poruma / Coconut Island
In the morning we jumped on board the ferry back onto Horn Island for another short hop across the ocean to my next island on the trip, Poruma or Coconut Island to the locals…and as we touched down onto the tarmac of the tiny little airport it was easy to see why. The place is full of coconut palms all bearing a dangerous amount of fruit, no sleeping outside here unless you don’t want to wake up ever again!
That wouldn’t be a problem though, our impeccable host for the duration of our stay was Phillemon and as we drove through the main tarmac street (the only one of its kind on the island) he explained to me that the island has never really had much focus on tourism as it’s never been important to the people here, in fact we’d be staying in the only accommodation on the island….the incredibly surprisingly lavish surroundings of the Poruma Resort.
The island’s a coral cay meaning sand makes up the foundations and is everywhere, on this plants and trees have established themselves and together with the coconut palms everywhere you really feel as though you’re on the ultimate desert island. The water surrounding the island is the richest turquoise I’ve ever seen (and that includes Mozambique, Zanzibar, the Mediterranean and the Red Sea), teems with life of all shapes and sizes including monster game fish and of course, the next step up the food chain, sharks.
As I climbed the steps of the African-style reed-roofed building I wasn’t expecting much more than a comfy bed on which to rest my head that night but as I entered the room my jaw dropped to the floor…this was THE best accommodation of the Best Job adventure so far. Before this Lizard Island held my prize for the most amazing place to stay but I have to say it that this little island in the middle of the Torres Straits has taken the mantle.
The resort My room - the best yet View from the room
The room looks out over ocean with a couple of palm trees thrown in for good measure, the bed was huge, the toilet has THE best view I’ve ever had whilst sat down doing my business and to cap it all off there’s actually a plunge pool right in the centre of the main bedroom – perfect for jumping into to cool off from the heat of the day.
The best toilet view?
Out in the courtyard of the ‘resort’ a couple of the local ladies were demonstrating their weaving skills using the only abundant crop on the island…coconut leaves, making boxes, little fish, grasshoppers, windmills, hats – in fact virtually anything you could think of. Their chatter punctuated every so often only by the unreserved, full-bodied laughter that comes from deep in the stomach and seems to be commonplace here – it’s so refreshing to hear and something that’s almost frowned upon in society these days.
The ladies were helping to prepare some of the decorations to be used during the celebrations organised for the evening, in fact there were a gaggle of different people running around doing all manner of things; bringing chairs and tables in, cooking, practicing dance moves – the energy was incredible!
The master weaver Palm leaf weaving
Windmill weaving A grasshopper A bird
As the sun plunged into the ocean the wispy clouds and sky became illuminated with pink, red and orange bands and my SLR whirred into life snapping away… with it the throng of people in the courtyard was increasing too, something was about to happen.
I sat and waited with the others members of our group the local children, dressed in traditional costume, assembled in front of us ready to perform. They were joined by the musicians with their traditional drums and instruments and started to bang out a slow, methodical rhythm…this was flipping awesome, it felt as though I was on one of the Pacific Islands not Australia at all.
The feast, which had been prepared, was slowly built in front of our eyes as the dancing continued into the night…as did the size of my stomach. There’s no burgers here just the harvest of the ocean and I adored it.
If you want to travel to somewhere in the world where people’s attitude is reflected in their clothing then look no further than here…all of the men wear bright flowery Hawaiian style shirts and the ladies are exactly the same but with full length dresses and their personalities shine through with it. The are no inhibitions about meeting somebody new, they welcome you with open arms and over the course of the evening I must have sat with ten different people who were all warm and talkative. They love their island, people and culture, where quality of life is everything and it shines through.
The next morning we had a few hours to kill and Phillemon had organised a boat ride across to neighbouring Robert Island for a fish and snorkel. We smashed across the bumpy water for half an hour and arrived at an idyllic tropical island paradise with no one else there at all – this was a truly uninhabited place. The fringing reef shone through the clear water and I couldn’t contain myself any longer…mask on, fins on, snorkel in and over the side into an untouched underwater paradise.
Being at the most northerly tip of the Great Barrier Reef means very few people come here to visit, in fact only the locals come here to fish and so what’s left is some of the most intact, preserved, beautiful reef and coral I’ve seen. The abundance of fish life is spectacular with everything being at least 50% bigger than further down south; maybe because the water is warmer, maybe as there’s food everywhere or maybe as humans haven’t had a chance to impact on the ecosystem as much as elsewhere on the Great Barrier Reef.
I spent nearly an hour diving, drifting and just taking in everything I was seeing, the limited footage I managed to film really doesn’t do it justice but I did manage to spot a tiny little Nudibranch which until a few days later I really thought was a new species I’d found…only to be put in my place by an expert, Gary from
www.nudibranch.com.au who told me it was actually a Bornella Anguilla.
Back on Coconut I took a final walk down the main street soaking up some of the atmosphere the place oozes, there’s the remnants of a church here which was built in 1926 but failed to ever get a roof and so remains just remnants…kids run through the streets beaming smiles back at you and even the earth moving equipment seems happier than normal – see what I mean:
A 'pretty' excavator
It was with an air of sadness that I had to pack up my things and prepare for departure, my time on Poruma had come to an end, my day there not long enough by far. To explore a place like this, however small it may be, is not about geographical size but more about getting under the skin of the people, the culture and the environment they’re lucky enough to call home and that would take many weeks.
View from the room Simple but luxurious My room - the best yet The resort Coconut island for this reason Better than knitting? The master weaver Palm leaf weaving View from the resort My room on Poruma Flowers in the room A fresh as it gets Coconut milk anyone? I love fresh coconut A bird A grasshopper Windmill weaving Going fishing Poruma from the beach Gone fishing Spearfishing pros Off fishing The windmill dance The girls dance The guys dance Drummers The best toilet view? Poruma main street Poruma island Poruma house Contrasting colours Island flowers Frangipani Island life A 'pretty' excavator No swimming here then! The school on Poruma The unfinished church Street scene Local kids in the street Heavy with fruit A new tree starts Processing the coconut Classic sunset? Love the clouds at sunset Sunset over the ocean Our feast Island sky Making the damper bread Wrapping the damper
Masig / Yorke Island
Maybe I’d read my itinerary wrongly but for some reason I thought the further east I got the less populated and more remote the islands would be, I certainly thought this for Masig but as we banked sharply for our final approach onto the runway of this teardrop-shaped island I could see below me the infrastructure of a well organised community.
Jack, the community leader, met us at the one-roomed arrivals area and once we’d loaded our luggage into the back of his pickup drove us 600 metres down the road to our accommodation for the night, Lowatta Lodge – six self-contained cabins set in the centre of the island.
Now Uncle Dan is a famous man on the island and was to be our guide for the afternoon, he took us for a wander along the island’s main street and out onto a glorious white sandy beach with the most attractive whitewashed church and this one actually was finished with a roof on too! I didn’t think that the view through my toilet window on Poruma Island could be bettered but how about this for one from a church – no wonder they haven’t replaced the glass!
Best church window view in the world?
The celebration of NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee) happened back in July of this year but for some reason the locals are still celebrating it here…well that’s great news for me as the photo opportunities are endless (I just wish I had the talent of James Hill, one of my fellow Best Job finalists, to be able to capture them as well as he does!) The community centre on the island is underneath a huge tree and it was here I found more weaving and laughter amongst the ladies, playful kids all running amok and a gentle man by the name of Songee, one of the island’s elders (I hope I have spelt his name correctly).
Songee explained that tonight we’d be having another huge feasting dinner with dancing going on until 2am and that he‘d love us to come along to experience it. The perfect invitation.
Now I’ve known for a long time that the indigenous people of Australia are allowed to farm and hunt the waters along the Great Barrier Reef differently (find out more here) to others, their ancestral rights allow them to hunt turtle and dugong as long as it’s not on a commercial level and will be used by the community.
Torres info
Torres Strait info
There’s people out there who will complain, moan, comment and generally kick up a fuss about this and I’m not about to enter into any discussion about the wrongs and rights of hunting protected or endangered species, my job is to diarise and report on my experiences.
As we arrived at the beach Songee announced that cooking here were two different meats for tonight feast, a pig and a turtle. In the traditional ‘Hungee’ way buried under the sand wrapped in leaves, covered in hot coals and rocks our dinner was slowly baking away.
The Hungee on the beach Opening the firepit Uncovering the turtle Taking off the leaves
The turtle being prepared
There was quite a babble of people gathered as the announcement was made that cooking was complete and we’d be taking the food out of the ground, the sand was brushed off, the covering cloth doused to stop fire breaking out, the leaves slowly peeled back and finally the metal grid with the turtle on was hoisted out of it’s fiery pit (apparently it takes half an hour more for turtle to cook than pig!).
Being one of the non-locals I was asked to sample the meat first, I admit the turtle did look sorry and forlorn lying on its back with its lower shell removed, although the smell was fantastic as the meat had been marinated in soy sauce, garlic, ginger and onion first. I didn’t know what to expect, maybe a strong fishy flavour?
The meat pulled apart easily looking like beef crossed with pork, slightly fleshy but also fibrous and rich in colour and the taste was something else – the closest taste I can relate it to has to be wild boar or a rich pork and very palatable too. There was no waste at all with every morsel scraped out of the now floppy shell and collected for consumption later…I was even given a taste of the lung, quite a strange experience!
After I’d made it back to my cabin to freshen up it was straight back to the community centre where tables had been prepared and laid with a gigantic feast, around 100 locals had also arrived all looking bright and colourful, laughing all the time which seems to be the religion here. With the speeches and welcome over the feasting started followed by the obligatory dancing this time with both men and women joining in the shenanigans.
The feast commences The dancing continues
I finally left the entertainment at 2am exhausted from the day’s activities and experiences…
Visiting the islands of the Torres Straits gave me an understanding of somewhere I considered to be ‘just another part of Australia’, but it’s massively different and hugely unique even to the Aboriginal culture which it seems to easily paired to.
These people are islanders in every sense of the word; their remote location harbouring an age-old culture that should never be lost, the waters around them providing a bountiful harvest of seafood and adventure. Their happiness, hospitality and laughter are unrivalled creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere which is reflected in the bright and colourful clothing worn by all.
Tourism has never even been considered on a commercial level here, one of the elders even asked me to explain the word to him as he didn’t understand the concept of it and I hope, to a point, it remains that way.
The sheer cost of the flights out here means that at the moment few people will ever visit but if you’re lucky enough to arrive on the islands you’ll experience a different type of tourism – one that is not driven by money or want but instead by the desire to educate and entertain people about the different way of life here.
Whitewashed church on Masig Best church window view in the world? The clam shell font Community gathering NAIDOC celebrations My little friend from Masig The ladies of Masig Robert Island from the ocean Brain coral Coral close up Coral 3 Colourful clam Coral 2 Coral 1 Bright pink coral Crayfish for dinner Coral thriving in the clear water Fish life around Masig A sea cucumber Mine's on the RHS Fishing at the Tear Drop The Hungee on the beach Opening the firepit Uncovering the turtle Taking off the leaves Unwrapping the turtle The turtle being prepared Sunset on Masig Island Uncovering the damper hungee An intrigued local girl The feast commences The women play the beats The men perform The dancing continues The islands jetty Our snorkel beach
End of trip location: Back in Cairns
Distance covered: Around 1200kms
Topic: The Best Job in the World Blog (Read 3139 times)