Odder Still

 

This sea cucumber feeds by folding one arm at a time to the mouth.  The body is buried in the sand.  All arms retract when disturbed. This video was taken at Lindeman Island on the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia by Deb Burton.

Oddities

Pale Octopus, Victoria, Australia

Weedy Sea Dragon or Seahorse, Victoria, Australia

 

 

 

The Amazing Colorful World of Marine Worms and More

 

Persian Carpet Flatworm from Vanuatu

Fusia Flatworm, North Keppel Island, Australia

Starry or Snowflake Moray Eel, Tonga

Peacock Mantis Shrimp - Photos by Deb Burton

Fish 101

 Fish photos featured here today.  For the past six years Deb has devoted a large part of her psychic energy on finding reef fish and documenting their appearance, habitat, behavior, etc. Here we try to provide a window into the world of the coral reef.

Long Beaked Coralfish - Australia

Lion's Mane Jellyfish - Australia

 

Dwarf Hawkfish - Tonga

 

 

 

 

Emperor Angelfish - Tuamotu, French Polynesia

Sunrise at Cairns Reef, north of Cape Tribulation

October 23, 2021

 

Driving Victoria in fall

Leaving Kalliope in Bundaberg Queensland and her transmission at a shop in New South Wales, we drive on to the Bass Strait south Coast of Victoria.  Arriving at Wilson's Promontory Park in time for a few hikes in blustery, occasionally wet weather.  We start with a bit of fly fishing along the Tidal River.

This park features high class boardwalks where needed to protect hillsides or river banks

On the way back to the trail head Deb gets shots of a crimson rosella,

Three emus which are fairly common here in cow pastures and car parks

And a galah, say it with emphasis on the second syllable.  They are common in small flocks everywhere.

We hike the trail to the scenic overlook

and we are rewarded with a panoramic view of Bass Strait between the

State of Victoria and the southern island state of Tasmania.

Frasier Island Redux

To do:

Six weeks of isolation - check

Haul Kalliope & paint the bottom - check

Test all systems -  check

Cast off the lines - check

Cross the Mooloola River Bar - check

Sail to Double Island Point - check
Anchor for the night - check

Greet the songbirds in the morning

Hitch a ride ashore with friends Greg and Lisa

We cross the Wide Bay Bar in perfect conditions so no drama and no photo. 

Now we are in Great Sandy Straight National Park where we find our way 

through braided channels among sand bars.

Enjoying another sunrise that couldn't be beat.

Spill out of The Straight into Hervey Bay.  We could not get a good picture of the spill.

Debbie shopping for sea shells by the sea shore.

 Anchor near the Kingfisher resort and

hike the trail to the site of the former Secret

WWII Frasier Island Commando School.

Get stuck driving the commando's not so secret surplus equipment.

Walk back 'cause the tractor is stuck.

Have such a good time we forget all about Mooloolaba sunsets.

Noosa River Bar

After three months of anti-social distancing we venture

out to the beach, still keeping our distance.

Subtropical Queensland

Well anyway, we rent a camper van and head south from Brisbane in March 2017.  Still in Queensland, we stop at Springbrook Falls N.P. for a walk on a well established trail.

After half an hour or so, Deb begs me not to take her picture because she is feeling the heat.

The main attraction of this park is a waterfall where a small stream tumbles

off a plateau falling a long way down before continuing the journey.

Along our walk to the bottom of the falls a harmless green tree

snake entertains us.  This one is for Henry.

Along the way we get occasional glimpses of the falls

When I was sixteen the thought of climbing down in the cool morning and up that long trail in the hot afternoon wouldn't daunt but . . . .  at least a unique feature awaits us at the bottom where the creek takes another tumble and passes briefly through a natural arch or tunnel if you prefer.

The cool mist at the bottom offers some relief.

Eventually we climb back out and take one last look at that long drop from the top.

All in all it is an experience uplifting for both body and soul.

Frasier Island

Parts of Queensland are in the third year of drought.

Bush fires are common and radio news announcers

routinely describe threatened regions while advising

residents to "Shelter in Place, Watch and Act or

Prepare to Leave."  Frasier Island has no residents

and no such warning but here is smoke from a fire

 that burns for days or weeks at the south end.

Straddie

Views like this attract visitors who take a ferry from Brisbane.
We were here before and came more for dive opportunities
than the view.

Kookaburras land on the spreaders to sing a song of welcome
but it sounds more like they are laughing at us.  We hosted many
birds aboard but never Kookaburras.

The beach stone curlew patrols the cafés and growls at the
diners until someone throws him a chip

The sulphur crested cockatoo sounds a loud obnoxious squawk
when it flies.  We see them everywhere in Queensland.

The rainbow parakeet gathers in large noisy flocks in the
trees near sunset.

The beach stone curlew patrols the cafés and growls at the
diners until someone throws him a chip.

Atoll and Lady Musgrave Island

We enjoy four days of fabulous weather, diving and explor-
ing on the atoll and one small island called Lady Musgrave.

Noddys nest here along with several other species of birds. 

This marks our sad farewell to the Great Barrier Reef

 This is the narrow beach where we land the kayak.

When we leave for the next anchorage we pass through

another algae bloom.  These are common on the GBR 

this year.  Other than visual pollution no one seems

concerned about it and the fish suffer no obvious detriment.

Some time passes. I don’t know how much.  What am I, a watch?  All right, Kalliope leaves Brisbane, Australia for Vanuatu, an island nation about 1,000 miles NE.  We clear in with customs and immigration at Port Vila and take a leisurely tour of the islands.  Why visit Vanuatu? People, friendly welcoming and generous people at every landfall, every village.  Not everyone speaks English but you are never far from someone who does.

 Marie takes us on a guided tour around the island of Efate.

Albert is a friend of a Adam who we met in Alaska twelve or fourteen years ago.  We don't show Adam's picture but Adam spent two Peace Corps years in the tiny village of Mbenenvet, Vanuatu teaching home economics to village girls.  We give Albert the shirt with the logo from Dillingham, our home in Alaska.  We take this pic and send it to Adam who now resides in Switzerland.  Is this a little confusing? 

Norman is the Seventh Day Adventist pastor who was Adam's 

good friend when Adam taught here ten years ago.  I think Pastor

Norman is everyone's friend.

Albert's Mom is anxious to model the traditional costume of her village.

Lena is the first to welcome us to Lamen Bay on Epi Island.  

She takes us to pick pomplemouse in the garden then carves

and shares it with us.

Deb overcomes her shyness to get acquainted with these women passing

the time after church service in Lamen Bay on Epi Island.

The school bus from Lamen Island to the school on Epi Island.

Schoolkids walk across the shallows from school on Malakula to their homes

on tiny Avoka island.  At high tide they paddle dugout canoes.  They know

their tides well.  Hope you can see them in the distance.

Greta and Joseph operate a bakery where we buy two delicious 

familiar looking loaves.  Not those anemic baguettes popular

in this former French colony.