Cairns & Lizard Island

Day 34

Today was another travel day. With an 11:30 am flight, we had a leisurely morning. Pat picked up his favorite belt from Argentina that needed some repair work from a local shoe repair shop, then we said “farewell” to Brisbane.

We arrived early afternoon following a 2 hour flight in the same time zone. Both Brisbane and Cairns (“cans”) are in Queensland and don’t adjust clocks for daylight savings time.

After checking into our hotel, we walked down the boardwalk to Salt House for a drink and some appetizers. Cheryl stayed with her “go to” drink (vodka-tonic tall with lime), while Pat tried a couple of local beers. Our “app” was a charcuterie plate that ended being larger than we expected, so decided to skip a full dinner, and we just had a few canapes from the Executive Lounge back at the Hilton.

Day 35

We had to get up early this morning, but it wasn’t too hard with a view like this. Notice the low fog line between the bay and the mountains.

We had a small group tour scheduled with Tropic Tours for the Daintree Rainforest and surrounding area. Our tour began with an 8 am pickup at our hotel. That’s when we learned our tour went from “small group” to “private,” as we would be their only customers today.

Simon and JJ gave us a tremendous amount of information all day – lots of facts and figures about the area, its flora and fauna, and the indigenous people of the region. In route to Daintree, we also stopped at Palm Coast and Port Douglas admiring the very scenic views.

Along the way, Simon provided a refreshment break, which included his wife Renae’s delicious homemade fruit bread. We then went on a 60-minute crocodile tour at Bruce Belcher’s Daintree River Cruises, which was fantastic. We saw crocodiles of all ages and sizes, including several recently hatched babies (around 2 weeks old), an adolescent (maybe 3 years old), a mama crocodile, and one of the top alpha males, named Scarface (due to a fight wound on his right upper jaw), who is about 70 years old. The mama crocodile will stay with the babies for around 3 months, providing protection and guidance before the young crocodiles disperse. Only 1% of the babies will reach maturity, in fact the mama crocodile will turn on her own babies as they get older. These baby crocodiles came from a nest of 21 eggs (the wildlife experts actually went to the nest while she was away to see).  

Captain Brad insisted we were lucky, as he sometimes spends the entire tour giving a discussion of mangrove trees when no crocodiles can be found. He also had lots of funny “dad jokes”.

From there, we proceeded to the National Park, starting with lunch that we pre-selected at pickup. Pat had crocodile, which was prepared as a simple light batter with salt and pepper, then deep-fried. Cheryl had the barramundi. The food was modest but excellent.

We then did the entire 2.5 km loop of the park, heading into the Mossman Gorge. We were shown so many fascinating things about the wildlife, plant life, topography, geography, and geology of the area.

While anyone can do a self-guided tour, you will be unaware of the many interesting facts and details that guides of Simon’s and JJ’s caliber can show you. Several times during our tour, independent trekkers stopped to hear what our guides were saying.

One of the more fascinating observations was the very large Golden Orb Weaving Spider (the body was 2 inches long and the leg span was 6 inches long) that we got to see in a web above the walkway. The large spider is a female. There are actually 2 or 3 male spiders in the photo, but they are really hard to see. They are red and about 1/8 inch across. To impregnate the female, they “go in” when she’s eating and otherwise preoccupied. If they stick around too long, the female will eat them too!

While we were on our hike, the skies opened and we continued through a downpour. Who knew? It’s a rainforest, and it didn’t disappoint. We had prepared to swim in the river when we expected a group tour, but when it became just us, we opted to forego the swim and get a longer walk with more breaks. The hike was quite a bit up and down, it was very hot and humid, and then the rain added an additional treacherous component to the adventure.

Simon showed us a lot of very interesting trees that had grafted on to other trees and eventually overtaken the original host over hundreds of years. This occurs when a bird eats the seeds of the banyan trees, but is unable to cleanly “pass” the seed after digestion. As it seeks to rid its backside of the annoying seeds, it will fly into the branches and rub its rump against one of the limbs, eventually gaining freedom. That seed then germinates high in the tree and sends its roots downward seeking water and nutrients. Over time, the new tree envelopes the original host, ultimately killing it.

On our way home, we stopped for one more scenic outlook. We really enjoyed our tour with Simon and JJ and would highly recommend them if anyone is looking for a Daintree Rainforest tour.

After returning to the hotel and showering, we went to dinner along the boardwalk at Dundees on the Waterfront, very close to our hotel. Despite being tired from the day’s adventure, hunger won. The meals were good, although not spectacular. Cheryl had garlic prawns and Pat had a combo kangaroo and crocodile skewers. The kangaroo was delicious – very tender. The crocodile was fine (“tastes like chicken”), but the quality of the pieces was subpar with lots of cartilage.

Day 36

This morning, we headed over to the airport to catch our charter flight to Lizard Island, which is the northernmost island resort on the barrier reef. There were only 8 of us on the flight, so we were each able to have a window seat to see the incredible beauty of the barrier reef. We sat in the first row of passenger seats, so we were right up there with the pilot. Neither of us had ever been in a plane that small, so it was quite an experience. The 50 minute flight was very smooth (other than a couple bumps midflight as we flew through a rainstorm) and as we landed, we were greeted with 4 smiling faces all waving at us (reminiscent of “Welcome to Fantasy Island!”). Pat kept doing his Hervé Villechaize imitation, “Da plane! Da plane!”

Our luggage was whisked off in a golf cart to our rooms and we were taken to our Welcome Lunch. There are 40 rooms at the resort and only about 40% occupancy at the time we were there. Each staff member greeted us during our stay with a handshake and would remember us the next time we met.

Once seated in the restaurant, overlooking Anchor Bay, we were given a glass of Lallier Champagne to celebrate our arrival. Then our dietary needs were reviewed. Cheryl was so happy that once they noted she didn’t like to have spicy food, they would advise her as to which menu items should be avoided or how they could alter them so that it would appeal to her palette (perfection!!). The Executive Chef of the Salt Water Restaurant at Lizard Island is Jesse Holohan, who is from Cairns. He has trained all over the world, including Noma in Copenhagen, which has been rated The World’s Best Restaurant. The food was outstanding, both in quality (the fish from the ocean in front of us) and the preparation. We started our first lunch with freshly prepared focaccia and we knew we were in trouble because it was too good. Although it was delicious, the focaccia Derek makes is still our favorite.

After getting the overview of the resort, we were escorted to our room, which was a hilltop Oceanview Plunge Pool Villa. It had a great view of Sunset Beach and the ocean beyond. Pat surprised Cheryl with Champagne and rose petals – something about an important anniversary coming up?!

The Champagne was opened and we headed to our plunge pool to enjoy it.

Below us is Sunset Beach and we saw someone snorkeling there, so we knew we would be able to as well. We also saw one of the local residents hanging around. We stayed in the pool until the sun had set. After rinsing off the pool, we headed back to the restaurant for dinner, which was excellent.

Day 37

Pat reserved a dinghy for the day, so that we could go out to the different beaches and snorkel. We took a ride out to Mermaid’s Cove to see it but then headed to Turtle Beach. This is stinger season for the box jellyfish, which are highly venomous and can cause cardiac arrest and death, so we had to wear our stinger suits. They also doubled as excellent sunscreen while snorkeling.

As soon as we went out to the reef, we knew it was going to be the best snorkeling we had ever done. We saw hundreds of multicolored fish, huge clams of varying colors with openings 3 feet from end to end and a foot across, sea turtles, sea cucumbers, a reef shark, blue and purple coral; the list goes on and on. It was truly a site to behold. After snorkeling for a while, we enjoyed a picnic lunch on our boat and then had to move over to Watson Beach due to the changing tides.

The snorkeling at Watson Beach was excellent as well. Unfortunately, when we returned to our boat, the tide had gone out and the boat was grounded. This “unfortunate” event led Pat to make an interesting discovery. Of all the amazing animals native to Australia, the most unique might be the “talking sea gulls”. As Pat sulked under the shade of a tree, he distinctly heard the two seagulls talking “Raaawk! Can’t drive a boat!” and “Raaawk! Captain ran aground! Raaawk!”

Since we had to wait for the tide to come back in, we went onto the beach and found some picnic tables under the trees. Pat had ordered a bottle of Champagne with our picnic lunch, so we decided to enjoy it while gazing out into turquoise water. Although Pat didn’t love the fact that he grounded the boat, it turned out to be a lovely place to spend some quality time together. We ended up going back out to snorkel and when we came in, the boat was floating again!

That evening, we went on a sunset cruise with a newlywed couple from Atlanta. We enjoyed charcuterie and camaraderie as we cruised around Anchor Bay.

After returning to shore, we enjoyed another lovely dinner at the Salt Water restaurant.

Day 38

We reserved a private dining experience for our last night on Lizard Island. In order to make sure that the menu was suited specifically to our tastes, we met with Chef Jesse at breakfast to participate in the selection of the 7 course Degustation Menu. Chef reviewed the order of the dinner and gave us choices for several of the course (“would you like the eye fillet or the rib back strap? I recommend the back strap” etc).

Because the snorkeling was so amazing yesterday, we decided to go snorkeling again, but this time on Sunset Beach, below our villa. Pat couldn’t resist getting a phone cover, so he could attempt to capture some of the beauty that we were witnessing. Unfortunately, an overnight storm had kicked up the surf, so the water was cloudy with silt, so the pictures weren’t clear. We were so glad that we decided to snorkel here because we saw some very different things on this beach, including many bright blue starfish (currently being studied for use in cancer treatment since they are the only variety that can regrow a complete starfish from a severed limb), the blue dot stingray, and a very large lobster. Below are representative pictures from the internet of some of the things that we saw.

After a quick lunch, we headed over to the spa for a couples massage. This was a lovely way to relax in anticipation for our special dinner that was being prepared for us.

Because this was such a special culinary delight designed especially for us, we will do another deep dive into the food and wine experience. If you would like to skip this commentary and go right to the pictures, hit the button:

We arrived a few minutes early and decided to get a drink at the bar.  Knowing our dinner would include paired wines, we both chose a glass of the Lallier R019 non-vintage Champagne. Although non-vintage, the “19” refers to the year the Champagne was blended and bottled.

Very soon, our hostess for the evening, Meribel, greeted us at the bar and escorted us to our own section of the dining area.  It was in a small “rotunda” with a nice view of the bay. This turned out to be a lovely spot for us to enjoy our unique dining experience which allowed us to both hear and see the waves crashing on the beach.

Meribel then offered us a different glass of Champagne, this one the R020 from Lallier.  It’s amazing what a difference a year can make.  The R020 had a richer, deeper color than the R019, and a flavor profile to match.  Whereas the “19” was crisp with notes of citrus and green apple, the “20” presented more intense flavors of stone fruits, like peaches and plums.  We were off to a nice start!

Meribel then gave us an option to receive the full printed menu in advance or wait for her to present and describe each course and wine pairing as they were served to us.  We both agreed to be “surprised” with each course and to await her explanation.

And so it began with focaccia bread (we decided to share a single piece to save our appetites for the subsequent courses) and whipped butter. The focaccia bread is made fresh everyday, along with the sourdough bread. The bread was light and airy, with a crunchy, salt top. Our first course was BBQ North Queensland Redclaw, essentially reef crayfish, seasoned with a garlic butter, lemon and parsley. The redclaws appeared to be the size of shrimp, however, the texture was similar to crabmeat. When the redclaws were served, it was the garlic that we initially smelled. However, when we tasted them, we were surprised with the underlying smokey flavor from the barbeque that combined so well with the garlic butter. The Champagne and seafood are a classic pairing and this Champagne didn’t overpower the delicate flavors of the redclaws.

Our second course was Yellowtail Kingfish Sashimi. It was served with a ponzu sauce, along with ginger, scallion, and toasted sesame seeds. The Yellowtail was sliced thin, and was extremely tender. It was paired with a Yarra Valley Reisling, the 2022 Mac Forbes RS20. Yarra Valley is a wine region just outside Melbourne (our next and final stop on our Australia adventure), so essentially on the SE Coast of Australia. No surprise, the Reisling was very mild and did not interfere with the delicate flavors of the the Sashimi dish. We both agreed that it was quite delicious. That’s right, Cheryl ate sushi, and she liked it!

Our next course was a lobster ravioli, served in a shallow bowl with a shellfish consommé and some tomato oil. The consommé had a vegetable stock base so as not to dilute the subtle flavors of the shellfish. The pasta was freshly made today, as is the case with all the pastas served at Salt Water. The wine pairing for this course was a 2020 Bay of Fires Chardonnay, from Tasmania. It was crisp, yet delicate, having only light undertones of oak. This was Cheryl’s favorite white wine, not counting the champagne. While we appreciated the homemade pasta and the fresh lobster, this would end up being our least favorite course of the evening.

But it was onto the next course, which was the first of our two “mains”. Meribel presented us with pan-fried Coral Trout, served over roasted garlic, wombok (Chinese cabbage), wild mushrooms, and charred scallions. The trout, of course, was caught within the past day. It was meaty, yet tender – a bit like a nice Chilean Sea Bass. The fish was absolutely delicious. The wine pairing for this course was a 2022 Tangerine Dream, made from Sémillon grapes from the Barossa Valley region of South Australia. As the name “tangerine” might imply, this was indeed an “orange” wine. For those not familiar, orange wines are not made from oranges or any other citrus, but are white varietal wines. The fermentation process involves leaving the skins and stems in contact with the juice, which results in a “darker” white wine that appears a bit orange. The process, which is similar to how red grapes are fermented, creates a white wine that has tannins (from the skins and stems). So in this case, we wouldn’t describe the wine as light, or crisp, or refreshing, but rather more bold and savory. Regardless, neither of us particularly like orange wines, but we did appreciate the rationale behind the pairing.

Our second main, and fifth course overall, was a wagyu rib cap perfectly prepared “mid-rare”. It was presented on the plate pre-sliced along with Swiss Chard, burned (blackened) shallot (pronounced in Australia, like the UK, as “sha-lawt”), and a wagyu bordelaise. Accompanying the wagyu was a confit tomato as a garnish. The thin slices of wagyu were tender, flavorful and delicious with the bordelaise sauce. The wine pairing for this dish was a 2021 Wilyabrup Cabernet Sauvignon – our first red – from the Margaret River region of Western Australia (near Perth). Because of the heat, the wine was served chilled (Pat guessed about 45^oF). As a result, the flavors were a bit muted, and we both said it seemed more like a Merlot. Pat mentioned that it was closer to a Bordeaux style wine than a Napa (more subtle than being big and bold), although it didn’t have the strong presence of terroir that you find in traditional Bordeaux wines.

Next, we were served an intermezzo, or palate cleanser, in the form of a Davidson Plum sorbet. It was very tart and Cheryl’s favorite sorbet that they prepared on the island. It was just the right amount to prepare our taste buds for the final course – dessert.

For the dessert course, we were served a Manjari Chocolate Cremeux (mousse), with a blood orange oil and a slice of dried citrus (likely a small blood orange). While the taste was wonderfully chocolate with hints of orange and salt, the consistency was lacking. Possibly because it was so hot, the dessert might have “melted” and was more soupy than creamy. The Pots de Creme that we make is better. The dessert was paired with a Chambers “old vine” Muscat from Rutherglen, a small region just north of Melbourne, but interior, not on the coast. Vinified into a dessert wine, it was sweet and intense, with the flavors of citrus and tropical fruits. This was a perfectly matched with the dessert.

In total, we enjoyed 5 white wines and only one red wine. As most of our readers know, we are primarily red wine drinkers, except for Cheryl’s passion for Champagne (and Pat’s willingness to drink GOOD Champagne). Despite that preference, the fact of the matter with this tasting menu is that a predominately red wine pairing would not work for two reasons. First, a majority of the courses were soft or delicate seafood dishes that likely would be overpowered by most reds, except possibly a lighter Burgundy Pinot Noir or a Southern Rhone Grenache. But the other more important reason is that it simply was TOO DAMN HOT and humid to be consuming red wine.

To combat the heat of the evening, we decided to go for one last swim in the pool. Meribel kindly provided the remaining Lallier R20 champagne and an ice bucket to keep it cool.

Day 38

With much regret, we had to pack our bags this morning to leave Lizard Island. It truly was paradise both in its natural beauty and that created at the resort. We enjoyed one last lunch at the Salt Water restaurant and then boarded our charter plane for Cairns. We traveled with the same family from Maryland as on our arrival. The Mom & Dad had been waiting 25 years to visit Lizard Island, having heard of it when they were on their honeymoon. They included their four children (how lucky for them!), including daughter #3 who is doing a Study Abroad in Sydney. We had a perfect day for flying with blue skies over the ocean, allowing us to see the reefs below.

We checked into our hotel and grabbed a quick dinner. The remainder of the evening was spent repacking suitcases, since we had a early morning flight, and working on the blog.