|
|
back to all the tales...
|
|
more tales in australia...
|
brisbane: general info
· city links
· history
· hostels
tours
· things to do
· free stuff
· culinary delights
· scuba diving
· read reviews
|
|
|
|
Date: November 2007
Location: Central Queensland Australia
It’s not all about city living in Brisbane,
especially with the sub-tropical playground of Moreton Bay and
its islands glistening on the city’s eastern fringe.
Moreton Island in the bay’s north is home to Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort nestled on the mainland side of the island, the city skyline reaching like fingers towards the sky in the west.
Jump on one of the resort’s three dedicated vessels and cruise along the pristine waters of the bay and make your way to as much action as you can handle… or just while the day away on ‘island time’.
Jump in a four-wheel-drive or on a quad bike, go kayaking or snorkel around the wrecks just off shore their rusting frames jutting out of the water like crooked teeth.
The resort offers heaps of self-contained accommodation options set in lush tropical gardens. Brand new to Tangalooma are the Deep Blue Apartments – views across the water to Brisbane and beyond are just the start. The wonderfully open design brings the outdoors indoors with huge decks complete with barbecues mean lazy afternoons spent watching the rest of the world go by are a must!
If you’re feeling peckish roll up to any of the buffet, steakhouse and a-la-carte dining options. If a barbecue lunch sounds good, pick up a plate and the chef will cook it up right then and there before you sit down beach-front and consider how to spend the rest of the afternoon.
One option is to spend some time with the marine scientists and
learn about the whales, dugongs and dolphins that make the pristine
waters of the bay their home. Or you could just watch the world
go by and the sunset over the water as the city lights of Brisbane
start to glisten in the distance and the stars start to glimmer
in the sky.
Watch the sunset turn the sky tangerine, the water like rippling
silk - the Glasshouse
Mountains in stark relief on the horizon.
Come dusk, people make their way to the jetty to catch a glimpse of Tangalooma’s other stars – the bottle-nosed dolphin pod that come in for a free feed at this time every day.
Tinkerbell, Fred, Bobo, Rani, Shadow and her little bundle of joy Silhouette and others show up punctually and play around in the shadows of the jetty as the crowd starts to stir in anticipation.
Resident marine scientist Matt Adams informs his guests about the beautiful marine mammals’ lives and the threats they face on a daily basis.
It’s not all serious though as the baby of the bunch Silhouette drops something near Matt.
Matt tells us it’s a puffer fish that Silhouette scares until it puffs before she bats it like a tennis ball out of the water before chasing it with glee!
Guests are then invited down to feed fish to the pod. Before feeding, we are carefully instructed on how to disinfect hands and hold the fish. Between 200kg and 300kg full-grown the dolphins are incredibly gentle as the take the tasty treats from our hands, turning on their sides to stare curiously up at us with large, liquid eyes.
We then catch the last boat home (it leaves after feeding time) jump in the car and are back in the city centre 20 minutes later.
Safely ensconced in the sandstone splendour of the heritage listed Conrad Treasury Hotel it is then a tough decision whether to head out for a nightcap or curl up inside and listen to the sounds of the city, reminiscent of the sounds of the water against the shore where the dolphins were playing only an hour earlier.
For more information:
Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort
http://www.tangalooma.com/tangalooma/start.asp
Tel +61 7 3268 6333 or 1300 652 250 (if phoning within Australia)
- By Damien Condon
|
|
|
|
|
