Reef walk

Had some spare time today so took off on a walk out on the reef surrounding Murray Island.  The marine life quite pretty.  Star fish are beautiful.

Mitchell stopped for a play on the way. 

A photo of our local shop, church and the congregation area. 

One and only shop

One and only church

Group congregation area used for celebration days and family get togethers.

Our one and only main steet.





Arrival on Murray Island June 2011

We arrived on Murray island and had a tour around and about the Island.  The Island is a lot bigger than what we had thought.  After looking around the island we were back at the Health Clinic. 

The health clinic

Patient/client waiting area

Our clinic room.

Our amulance which consists of a stretcher in the back and thats about it!

Nearly all of the residence are located on the East side of the Island, therefore missing most of the windy weather.  There is one street which has the residence houses, a small Ibis shop, and of course the clinic.  Our house is located directly behind the clinic.  We live in the top story which is very secure, security gate an guard on the stairwell and all windows etc have security screens.  The bottom unit is for visiting doctors and other health workers.





The beaches surrounding are very nice and the sunsets are beautiful.  Shells lining the beach are in abundance. 

Swimming is an option, however the sharks are plenty of sharks which cruise backwards and forwards only about 1 metre, 2 metres of shore literally. 

I was standing just in the water to get this shot where this rather large shark was only 2 metres away from my feet. 

The kids still go swimming as long as someone keeps watch when the sharks are coming.  

Mitch and his friend TJ fishing.  The sharks don't seem to mind!!

We attended a celebration evening where there was plenty of dance, song, and food.  This was to celebrate the coming together of the two smaller islands just to the west of Murray.  All of the tribes/families come together for song and dance and there is so much food, scones, chicken, vegetables, rice and of course turtle.  Celebration starts about 1000 and goes until midnight with children dancing girls then boys, women dancing, then men dancing.  As different people dance they are doused in talcum powder and sprayed with perfume, this is a sign of appreciation and to let them know they are performing good dancing.  This applies to eveyone.  I took some video footage although it doesnt come out on this site.  

Guy attended a council meeting recently for the youth of the Island.  There was also other people/speakers who came from Murray island initially but now live in Townsville or Cairns who have good employment who came to speak to the gathering about getting off the island in order to achieve good jobs, earn money, see how other people live, work etc.  There was also the opportunity for health promotion for us (which is our next task) getting people involved in health lifestyle, decrease alcohol, exercise, walking groups, diet education and diabetes education.  We will see what comes about after next weeks meeting.   

   





Flight to Murray Island

 

We arose early Saturday morning to catch the ferry over to Horn Island for a 7am flight to Murray.  Of course being on "aisland time" the flight left about 0730 on a quite smallish light plane.  But we made it.  The weather was not particularly clear so the photos are a little foggy. 

There are so many tiny uninhabited islands with the most spectacular coral reefs around them that stretch out encircling the tiny little amount of land in comparison.  The colour of the water over the coral reefs is so amazing.  It looks a bit like glazed pottery. 

Coral sea bed

Flying over the top and then onto Murray Island.

Murray Island is quite mountainous as the reminants of a volcano.  It is also surrounded by coral reef. 

Lining up for the airstrip



More photos of Thursday Island

Fort on Thursday Island left over from war

Ferry from Horn Island

The colour of the water is amazing.  So

Aqua green colour. 

Mitchell helping with Simulation day.  Very comfortable looking after our patient!! He could become a doctor yet??????

Thursday Island 7th - 9th June 2011

Our weeks orientation comes to an end tomorrow (Friday).  We have spent a week on Thursday Island where some orientation days have been long, with the usual blah blah Monday, Tuesday.  Wednesday was cultural awareness day which was great, informative, interactive, well constructed and delivered. We learned Torres Strait history which was quite interesting and the expectation for being culturally aware. Thursday saw us re-doing competencies and running over technical equipment as well as some informative information about what to expect when we hit our islands on the Saturday.
Thursday Island would appear to have loads of Hotels in comparison to the population (left over from the Pearling days no doubt).  There are only a few shops, cafe's (as such) bowling club (synthetic grass as water is precious and pumped here from Horn Island), 50m swimming pool. 
It has been fairly overcast since we have been here so not too hot, however still humid, but, not nearly as humid as it is going to be when the rains begin. 
Mitch has had to endure a long suffering boring week with no school, slothing around playing computer, internet and using up all the battery on our phones playing games. 
Torres people are friendly, shy and most helpful in anything. 
We are growing tired of a motel room and are looking forward to getting to our Island, meeting people, getting started in the clinic and our new life.  However,  Mitchell will miss Austar and the movies.  But also,  looks forward to school next week to meet some new Torres friends. 
We have a new list of words to start getting to work on our Creole (Torres Strait language), so hopefully within 6 months we will be pretty good. 

Thursday Island photos. 

Low Tide...

Still havn't seen one!!!

Ferry Wharf from Horn Island

$9.00 a kilo (cheap)

Leaving Port Macquarie

We left Port Macquarie on Sunday, 29th May 2011 in our fully loaded 4WD with camp trailer and headed for St George in Queensland.  Jo being sick all the way from food poisoning the day before, so Guy had to do all the driving until we reached St George at about 1700.  Mitchell handled Walcha mountain extremely well this time (because I did not drive to make him sick apparently).  Too exhausted to fold out the camp trailer we decided to Motel it!! After dinner at the RSL we crashed out. Got up early next morning and headed 200kms up the road to Roma, had brekkie and then onto Emerald for lunch.  Trashed a driving light along the way after hitting a flying emu (bloody big bird).  Stayed the night at Belyando crossing, which is 200kms south of Charters Towers.  Belyando crossing, a thriving township consisting of a truck stop only incorporating a bottleshop, pub, cafe, four motel rooms and about 10 camping overnight stay sites.  We flipped out the trailer and sat down to a well deserved beer!  Mitch had coke, of course! and played Uno. 
The next day we made it to Townsville (what a milestone) via Charters Towers, stayed with relatives at Bluewater just north of Townsville.  After walking around and along "the strand" in Townsville, thought this was a beautiful place and perhaps a nice futuristic place to look at later on. 
Following Townsville,  made our way to Cairns, where we stayed with more relatives in Mossman about 80kms north.  We walked around Mossman gorge where Mitchell went swimming in very cold water to see if he could catch a turtle.  However, he was unsuccessful in this venture, but the fish really enjoyed all the bread he fed them.  Mitchell was shown how to open coconuts successfully and which ones were good for drinking and which ones were better for eating.  We then headed up through the Daintree to Cape Tribulation where we stayed on a lovely property.  The sunrise in the early morning was spectacular, although we were constantly looking around for the elusive crocodile.  Mitchell stayed in bed, sleeping.  Here we left our camp trailer for when we were able to get leave from the Island and make some short trips around the place.  Heading back to Cairns we googled somewhere where we were to spend the next two nights.  We ended up at the a motel in Cairns which was rather nice luxury which we knew was going to be vastly different from the Island.  The Cairns Challenge (triathlon) was on on the Sunday which we were going to miss, however, there was the expo on the Saturday which we visited which had some great displays and equipment to buy (of course we bought stuff!).  Mitchell got to meet and get a photo taken with Chris McCormack and of course got an autograph.  Great Day, Love Cairns, Love the atmosphere here. 
We flew out from Cairns to Horn Island in the Torres Strait which had the most amazing views of the coral reefs up the coast to Horn Island.  The water colour is amazing, so green and clear, however not game to test out the temperature after seeing a sign posted "recent crocodile sighting"! After landing on Horn, with our enormous bags which we had, have, will be living out of for however many weeks, we caught the bus/ferry to Thursday Island where our Orientation week was to begin.  Thursday Island is a small Island, has several shops, lots of hotels, post office, grocery store, cafe/take away store and a few other minor stores where you can just about buy anything however a little more expensive than the mainland.  The people are so friendly, although appear a little shy at first. 

Cape Tribulation photos:-

Daintree walk

Daintree river crossing

Mossman gorge

friendly wildlife

Orientation is orientation, what can you say.  Motel rooms are motel rooms.  We head out for dinner of an evening as there are no cooking facilities (lucky we get re-imbursed for meals, expensive), and it stays light up until about 1930. Mitchell after being bored on the first day having to resort to computer, movies and games, went fishing with one of the other nurses husbands on the Tuesday morning.  He caught one little tiddler and so did Paul.  However, the lady next to them, using doe as bait, an island lady, caught plenty!  Mitch will join in our cultural awareness day tomorrow.
until next blog,..................