La Perouse

The last time I went out on a weekend photography coastal walk was probably some time last year. Since I managed to hand in one of my chapters, I gave myself a weekend off and chose to venture to La Perouse, a place popular with wedding photographers and divers.

Located 14km south-east of Sydney, La Perouse is one of the few French-named suburbs in Sydney. It is notable for its military outpost at Bare Island and the Botany Bay National Park.

To me, the most notable characteristic of La Perouse would be the footbridge that connects Bare Island to the headland.

Speaking of divers, coincidentally, there was a group there. Apparently, during summer weekends, there can be as many as 200 divers here, as it is a common diver training location and also very popular for snorkeling. The island has numerous dive sites, some of which extend to over 19 metres in depth.

The reefs that stretch around the island and out to the south and west are home to some of Australia's most colourful marine animals. I saw children snorkeling and wondered if they saw any of the sea life that has been spotted by other snorkelers and divers, such as big belly sea horses, sea dragons, pygmy pipehorses and red Indianfish. Other sightings include seals and grey nurse sharks.

As for the fort on Bare Island, the public is allowed entry by guided tour only on Sundays and tickets are available for purchase at the La Perouse Museum and Visitor Centre up the road. Part of the traditional land of the Gweagal and Kameygal Aboriginal tribes, the fort was built to protect the back door of Sydney. The island was also featured in the movies Mission: Impossible II and East West 101.

The island is made up of impressive rock formations, as I found out...

And judging by the crowd present there, the island seemed like a popular fishing spot, not just for the birds but also for the fishing enthusiasts.

During sunset, a silhouette of the containers and cranes of Port Botany, Australia's 2nd busiest container port can be seen.

On the headland, there is the Barrack Tower, also known as the Watch Tower situated just up the green from the car park. This round stone tower was the first building to be built in the area. Constructed in 1820-1822, it functioned as accommodation for a small guard of soldiers who were stationed there to prevent smuggling.

On the other side of the carpark, there was a little pathway leading to a coastal walk along Little Congwong Beach Trail. The trail gave views of the island from afar.

Little did we realise that Little Congwong Beach was in fact, a nudist beach until we saw an uncle there doing star jumps totally naked (accept for a fisherman's hat and shoes).

Frankland Islands, Great Barrier Reef

A trip to Cairns is never complete without a visit to the Great Barrier Reef, if you ask me. How could we miss out on the chance to snorkel or dive in the warm tropical waters of one of the most amazing natural wonders of the world? 

We marked the first day of the year with a day out at sea and this was made possible by the very enthusiastic and friendly people at Frankland Islands, whom we found through a random Google search for one-day snorkeling tours.

Our pre-booked shuttle bus came up to our doorstep and proceeded to other hotels for other tour participants. We were taken to board a ferry on Mulgrave River, where it drizzled for a bit. We were also asked to keep an eye out for crocs. Crikey!

We went out on deck for some fresh air when we were exiting the river mouth into the open waters of the ocean due to the choppiness of the water. We could even see the difference in water colour as it changed from fresh to salt water.

It was like a scene out of Shrek, as we kept asking, "Are we there yet?", when we clearly knew that we were not because we could not see any island in sight. But when we did see one, we were very thankful.

10km offshore and 45km south-east of Cairns, the Normanby Island is part of the Frankland Group National Park.

A short open water crossing later, we were on land again!

We changed and grabbed out snorkeling gear. My first time on a guided snorkeling tour - excited!

See that white float thingy? I was literally hugging that the entire time. It is not funny at all for someone who does not swim to be out in the ocean but I do not regret going on the tour. Despite the strong underwater current that made underwater visibility less than satisfactory, I still managed to see quite a wide variety of marine life. In the wild!

Thumbs up to our guide for pointing out all the different fishes, starfishes and corals. Apparently, it normally is a playground for giant turtles but we did not 'meet' any, unfortunately. The four giant clams made up for it, though. However, we did see one giant turtle on our way back, poking its head out every so often to say hello.

The island has a short 20-minute 1km return walking track. This circuit walking track passes through a range of environments, including rocky outcrops, dense rainforest, coastal vegetation and mangrove communities. 

Again, the tour guide brought us on the walk and introduced us to the different types of shells.

On the other side of the island, he picked up a shell from the waters and passed it around. "It's a horseshoe shell", he said. Oh, right and as Shriya passed it to me, I went, "Gosh, this is heavy!"

And, yes, he picked up a sea cucumber and as its protective mechanism, it spurted some white, slimy substance, which had us all go, "Ewwww.....". I still stepped forward to touch it, so that I would know what a live sea cucumber felt like. Xin Wen went, "You don't touch me ar!"

We were lucky to be in the presence of a flock of seabirds. Apparently, it was nesting season for them.

Do look them up if you are thinking of snorkeling or diving up in Cairns. I would recommend them just due to their exceptional service.