Townsville and Reef HQ

So this weekend, I went up to Townsville. This is the main city in the area and is about an hour north of Ayr. The first thing that we did, once we got into the area, was we went to Reef HQ (make sure you say it 'hay-ch'). The best way to describe this is a smaller version of the Monterey Bay Aquarium but for Australia, and especially North Queensland (including the Great Barrier Reef).

I think I could have stayed in this place and watched some of these fish for hours. It was so cool to sit there and have these fish swim around in front of you, but there was no one else there scaring them off because they wanted a picture and you weren't getting that odd chapped lip feeling from the extra salty water and you were guaranteed not to burn!
Tropical fish have always cracked me up. I mean there was this one fish, of course any attempt to take a picture turned out like a black blobby blur, but it was all black but it had orange fangs. I mean it was just so neat to have it all right in front of you.

One area that sort of freaked me out was the 'predator tank' this tank was not that large, but in it were some of the biggest fish that I have ever seen. Sitting on the bottom alone with this really large swordfish (not a marlin), a nurse shark and a few leopard shark. Swimming around the top were platter sized turtle, sharks with black tipped fins and a bunch of other fish that I don't know the name of. Anyways, I have decided that if half of those things come anywhere near me if I go snorkeling, then I am DONE! No way!

Anyways, after we spent a fair bit of time there, we went out side of town, up a mountain and had coffee at the oldest slat house in (North)Queensland- the ()s have to be used because the answer depends on who you talk to. One of the things that they are famous for is that they sell this coffee that is $50 a cup. It is supposed to be this amazing coffee because the beans are taken out of the poop of some sunk looking cat and then roasted and grounded and brewed. Apparently it is really good coffee, but you best be a coffee snob who can really appreciate the differences- seeing as I am not one, I didn't bother, plus the thought of drinking something that is made from something like that is more than disgusting.

After a relaxing cup of coffee (which yes it was all hot coffee even through it was close to 95degrees in the sun) we headed back down into the city proper. Once in the city, we did a bit of shopping. I found a normal Target, and yes, it looks exactly like ours, with the only difference being the size of the isles; we had to turn side ways if you wanted to pass some one (the whole time I was think about how my dad would be having a cow; no easy escape if there was an earthquake :) )

After the tour of the new huge mall, which most malls in the US would put to shame, we headed out for our dunch, seeing as it was close to 3 in the afternoon. It was another great picnic lunch on the water. We could have sat there for ages, the wind was constant but not cold so it was the perfect temperature and there was not a single insect! It was close to paradise, just sitting there looking out over the water.

However after a long sit, it was time to head back and even though it looked as though it was going to rain, it didn't. Which meant that I got to sweat all night, just like I am doing right now! The humidity is here and it is not going away. Even though you take a cold shower or hop in the pool, you never fully dry; the water dries just enough that you have your own personal bubble of hot, thick air. Oh how I long for the cold!!!
This week is the last week of school, its full of concerts, awards nights, and parties. Then on Saturday it's off to Cairns for a look at the Tropical Rain forest and maybe even the reef! Even though I like getting to know one place really well, I love this part of traveling, the part where you get to discover new exciting places.