From Adelaide we flew across Australia to the coastal town of Cairns and drove up the coast to the town of Port Douglas, both of which are the gateways to the Great Barrier Reef. So this weeks post is partially art inspired and partially planet earth inspired.
We crossed off a major bucket list item getting the opportunity to dive on the GB Reef, and although everyone told me, ‘the reefs are dying’, ‘it’s not as beautiful as it used to be’, and ‘I hope you’re not disappointed’. I can tell you now, that it did not disappoint.
That said, climate change is real, the reefs are dying and we need to make drastic changes to alter our impact on the worlds oceans. And as amazing as our experience was, I can’t even imagine how many more fishes there used to be and how healthy the corals once were. Yet, it was truly incredible to swim among one of the worlds largest ecosystems. All of the above photos are from a snorkel dive which gave us some up close experiences with the giant clams and amazing corals, but on our scuba dives we also saw sharks, eels, rays, octopus, barracuda and of course Nemos and Dorys too!
On land, I’m equally inspired by the nature of Australia. The below photo left is the variation of color and texture on a palm tree that I got a little obsessed with, the middle photo is weaver ants building a nest for their larvae and the below right photo is a finished weaver ant nest. Works of art by mother nature…
In addition to being in complete awe with the creative powers of planet earth, we also did visit a few galleries in Cairns to check out some local artwork. Below are a few samples of some of the works that caught my eye.
From left to right: detail of a vinyl cut paper piece from a local artists exhibit, two pieces from a concrete based exhibition and a linocut print from a children’s book illustration exhibition. All were on exhibit at the Cairns Art Gallery.