Australia I - Lord Howe

[elHoagie]

I will be on Lord Howe for 4 nights in October - besides the Mt. Gower hike, what else do you recommend?

The reef and fish in the lagoon are amazing, much more impressive than the couple spots where we visited the Great Barrier Reef. We did the Mt. Gower hike with Lord Howe Environmental Tours, and they gave us a free wetsuit when we combined that with a two-hour snorkeling tour. The tour was really good, they took us to four different spots and the coral was noticeably different at each location. The only bummer was that the water was really cold (even with a wetsuit), and I'm sure it won't be any warmer in October. We also went on 2 or 3 other hikes besides Mt. Gower and they were all really nice.

[Daryl]

Some dude refused to wear the helmet and had to be taken out on a stretcher. Who's dorky now? Just kidding...

I heard they had some pretty agro tour guides on Lord Howe, but flattening a tourist because they wouldn't wear a helmet? Wow, that's hard core!

Our guide was great, although he wouldn't let me get any Leppidorhachis seeds. I was just joking about the helmet thing...

Jack, I was too!

[osideterry]

Your photos are stunning, and make Lord Howe Island a trip I might be able to sell my wife on, combined with an Australia vacation. An easier sell than Madagascar!

[Walter John]

Your photos are stunning, and make Lord Howe Island a trip I might be able to sell my wife on, combined with an Australia vacation. An easier sell than Madagascar!

I'm being pedantic but Lord Howe isle is Australia, just like Coochiemudloo or Goat island. Love to see you Terry, you now have someone local for tips too.

[osideterry]

Wal - Like saying "next time you're in Albuquerque, New Mexico why not swing by and see me in San Diego?" Oh and all the water...

[Walter John]

Say Jack, have any pics with Howea F and Howea B side by side ?

[elHoagie]

Wal - I thought I had some pics of the two Howeas side by side, but I can't find 'em. I'm starting to worry that days photos got erased by accident...

[elHoagie]

Wal - I thought I had some pics of the two Howeas side by side, but I can't find 'em. I'm starting to worry that days photos got erased by accident...

Ahh, found it!

[Manolitus]

Jack,

I was in Australia roughly around the same time you were. For our last weekend, we went to Cairns and had a lovely time in the rainforest and so forth. I had always fantasized about LH, and I almost went over, but for some reason, we just did Cairns. When I was there, I thought I had made the right choice because of the horrible rains they were having in Brisbane....and I thought that LH was being affected by the weather....but judging from your pics you were well east enough and had beautiful days.

I don't regret visiting Cairns, and so all this means is that I WILL visit the land down under one day soon, and when I do I WILL visit LH.

Your pictures have made that an undeniable fact.

Thanks so much.

Manny

[Jeff in St Pete]

This is brilliant Jack.

Wow! That should be the cover of the next Palms magazine! Excellent photo.

[mike in kurtistown]

I somehow missed this thread earlier. Really cool. Great pictures of palms in habitat. Thank you, thank you.

[Brad Mondel]

now everytime i look at my kentia palm i will think of this paradise and your pictures thank you for this,now i know what mine will look like when it starts to trunk:D

[John in Andalucia]

Thanks for sharing, Jack. Thoroughly enjoyed it! (A once-in-lifetime trip, as that amazing photo proves.)

[Tyrone]

I've just sat back with a glass of red and had a good unhurried look at these pics. Truly amazing pictures that I've enjoyed immensely. Thanks for posting them.

Best regards

Tyrone

[amazondk]

Jack,

That looks like a great trip. The landscape sort of reminds me of the Southeastern Brazilian coastline in the states of Rio and São Paulo.

dk

[JEFF from Trabuco Canyon CA]

Looks like an amazing trip! It is at the top of my list.

[JD in the OC]

Great photography Jack! Encyclopedia-worthy shots!!

I liked the snaking Lepis..

JD

[Justin]

Hey Jack, what footwear do you recommend for the hike? I was packing today (and reading your post and other stuff to get amped for it), and I was curious whether good shoes would cut it, or whether I would need full-on hiking boots. I'm hoping I don't need the boots, because of the weight restrictions and the fact they'd be lugged around for three weeks while being worn only once.

Thanks again for the photos.

[boko]

Hey Jack, what footwear do you recommend for the hike? I was packing today (and reading your post and other stuff to get amped for it), and I was curious whether good shoes would cut it, or whether I would need full-on hiking boots. I'm hoping I don't need the boots, because of the weight restrictions and the fact they'd be lugged around for three weeks while being worn only once.

Thanks again for the photos.

In one word AMAZING!!! I been to Australia a lot but never made it to Lord Howe, next time for sure.

Great to see kentia in there natural habitat can,t believe it is the same kentia we sell by the truckload here in holland.

thank you

[Alicehunter2000]

A very nice trip with great pictures to remember it by.....what more could you ask for (other than a few seeds ) .....so the tour guide must have run into "palmy" folks before. Did they strip search you for seeds?

Any native wildlife on this island? wallabies etc.?

Thanks for the pics.....I think I will use one for a screen saver as well.

[ariscott]

Hey Jack, what footwear do you recommend for the hike? I was packing today (and reading your post and other stuff to get amped for it), and I was curious whether good shoes would cut it, or whether I would need full-on hiking boots. I'm hoping I don't need the boots, because of the weight restrictions and the fact they'd be lugged around for three weeks while being worn only once.

Thanks again for the photos.

Where else are you going, Justin??

Regards, Ari

[Justin]

Lord Howe

Adelaide/Barossa Valley

Kangaroo Island

Kuranda/Daintree/Cape Trib

Lizard Island

Sydney

Blue Mountains

We leave on the 16th. Hopefully we'll get decent weather everywhere - its hard to plan when the country is so big and the climate is so varied.

[elHoagie]

Justin - Sorry for the late reply, thanks to work I don't have much time to spend on Palmtalk anymore

Anyway, I think you'd probably be ok on the hike with a pair of shoes. Just note that it is VERY steep in some sections, and there are a lot of areas where you climb up and down using ropes. It was relatively dry when we went, but still a little slick in places...

To everyone else - Thank you for all the great comments!!!

[Walter John]

I always try to tell overseas visitors (before they come) to allocate more time for their visit, and that is not to see or do more but simply to hang out longer at the places they do see, don't rush, take your time. Australia is not like Europe or Asia etc. this is not a normal touristy tourist spot, this is the land down under, where women glow and men plunder. Walk a beach, climb a hill and view the outback, have a picnic under the shade of a coolibah tree, get over to Ari's or Wal's and have a BBQ and a coldie, we'll chew the fat and crap on and slowly watch the sun go down. The best things don't cost a cent here.

Having said that, hope you have a ball Justin.

[ariscott]

He is not going over to my place, Wal... Darwin is not in the itinerary... Maybe next time.

Regards, Ari