Michelle and John: Bloomfield Lodge

Our next stop brought us up to Cairns, where we spent the night in the Cairns Lakes Resort. This was a lovely place, and we had a big apartment here. We got two nights free here when we booked the Bloomfield Lodge, which was a nice addition, so we took one night either side of our stay in Bloomfield. Bloomfield is the our one concession to absolute luxury on our trip, and we had decided to stay five nights here.
We were up early the following morning to be picked up and brought back out the airport to get on the small plane bringing us to Bloomfield. On their website this is advertised as a scenic flight. It was pouring rain, so we didn't get to see much, nor could we land at the Bloomfield airstrip. Instead we were brought to Cooktown, where they have a concrete airstrip, and brought in a 4x4 to Bloomfield River, which we then crossed to arrive at the lodge. (We crossed a few rivers on the way too - when the creeks get very high they simply flow over the road)
We were greeted by the ever smiling Greta, and brought up to the bar for a welcoming drink. As it was only ten am I stuck to juice, but John, and the other two passengers who had arrived with us went for the alcohol. We were told that it been raining quite a lot in the past while and that they hadn't managed to bring out a reef trip in over two months. But they were hoping for an improvement. We were then shown to our room, which was absolutely beautiful. We had huge windows, looking out onto the rain forest, and over the bay, as well as a massive verandah.
All of our food was included in the price (the place is so remote that there were no other options! This also meant no phones or internet for the few days). And what food! We ate so well. Two course breakfasts and lunch every day, and then a three course dinner and canapés before hand. Because there were so few guests (lodge max of 34, max of 15 during our stay) we all ate together which was quite nice and friendly. For the first few days it was all retired people, but towards the end of our stay a few more honeymoon couples arrived. It was great to be able to meet and chat to so many interesting people, most of whom were very well traveled.
We had hoped that the weather would improve enough for us to be able to take a reef trip, and there were a few other couples who wanted to the same. We were so lucky to get a few lovely days of sunshine, and to get out onto the reef. (Do NOT be fooled by the sunny image of Australia! It's not all sunshine, and we were staying in a rain forest. It rains alot, especially in Queensland. There was even an article in the local newspaper saying that tourist should be warned that summer in Queensland generally means rain).
Anyways, we did manage to get a reef trip, which was an all day affair, with two guides. The guides were excellent, and our first stop was Hope Island - basically your standard idyllic deserted Island. We were given snorkels, masks, flippers and stinger suits, and while everyone else dove straight in, we needed a bit of instruction. Didn't take me too long to head out and I loved it! The instructor said I was a natural, and showed me how to duck dive as well. (Apparently the next day, on a different excursion he was telling other guests that I am a goldfish!) There was plenty of coral to see here, and lots of different kinds of little colourful fish and a few clams. We then went back to the Island where we had a picnic lunch, which was up the same high standard as the rest of the food we had been served. After lunch they took the boat to another part of the reef, and I snorkelled off the boat too. There was a lot more to see here, including some giant clams, turtles and ,my favourite, clown fish. (I know thats their proper name, but I still call them Nemo fish. And they were even in an anenenome!) After snorkelling we (the group in general, as opposed to actually including myself) went fishing. John seemed to be quite good at it and caught a few. They are fairly strict though - fish under a certain size have to be thrown back in, as do certain fish. I don't really remember the names of what he caught though. Baramundi cod are protected and must be put back. Bigger coral trout and moses perch are eaten.
Over the next few days we spent much time doing nothing much. We went for a walk in the rain forest, which was up a steep enough hill to have ropes in place to help you up. It was very hot an humid, and quite a tough walk. We also had a guided walk around the lodge, with Paul telling us about all the native flora and fauna. And we went on a river cruise, which was really a hunt for crocodiles. We found three, though I only saw two of them. We saw some snakes, a dog and a horse too though. We also learned a bit about the surrounding area, including some of the place names, which happily include: Weary Bay, Mount Misery, Mount Poverty and conversly Mount Jubilee. Around the lodge we saw some amazing butterflies, my favourite of which was the ulysses (I think....), which is a big bright blue one. We also had a possum come and inspect our dinner, and saw a few frogs (and heard more than we saw). We spent the time around the pool, in the pool, in the hot tub, or just reading. It was a fabulous place, and I was sorry to have leave.
We were able to fly from the local airstrip on the return leg. Before we could do that, a few wallabies had to be chased off the landing strip. When we got back to Cairns it was raining again, so while we spent some time wandering around the city, we didn't really see much.
Next stop Singapore.........