Saturday arrived and our next adventure started. We made use of the bigger room in the hotel to repack what we needed for our 6 days at Orpheus. There was a 15kg limit and we had had to give them our weight as well, so we were being careful what we took.
We had to be at the helicopter checkin just after 1pm and left the car in the secure long term carpark at the airport. Our pilot turned up, weighed the luggage (which also had to be in soft duffel type bags), weighed us and we were just on 30kg. I had put on my joggers (heaviest shoes), tied my warm coat around my waist, put my phone in my pocket….. but she laughed and said I guess your weight includes the handbag and coat, that’s ok. We boarded her van for a drive to the hanger they had at the airport and watched the usual safety film and waited. We were lucky to be going in the bigger helicopter, just the 2 of us. We both sat in the front with Jackie (there were 3 seats in the back) and she organised the takeoff. She said that as Townsville is a military airport as well, there are stricter rules. We lifted up a few meters and moved to the spot on the runway with the big H, lowered to the tarmac and waited. The most unusual thing was that when she got clearance, she taxied down the length of the line on the runway a few meters above the ground before she then lifted off. (A few people here have also commented on this.) What a scenic flight – out over the collection of islands known as the Palm Islands – Jackie giving a good commentary. 30 minutes later we landed on the big H here at Orpheus to be greeted by the assistant manager with a glass of champagne. Our luggage was looked after and we walked to the resort (100m!). There we sat in the lounge with another cucumber water drink and Chrissie explained how things worked. She then brought in the chef and restaurant manager and we had a chat about what we like to eat or don’t like. Chrissie came back and brought us to our room – looking out to sea across the grass with 2 hammocks and lounges, the only things obscuring the view. In our room was a beautiful cheese and fruit platter and a bottle of French champagne on ice with a personalised welcome. Wow!
Dinner was at 7pm. There were only 14 guests (max of 28). A couple had eloped and been married here on Saturday and the celebrant and photographer went back on our helicopter. They were having a special dinner down on the jetty – very romantic. There was a couple with 2 boys and they had eaten earlier, so that left only 8 of us. There were 4 tables for 2 looking out to sea on the covered deck. Our personalised menus were on the table – mine different to Paul’s as mine had no jalapeno dressing on one of the courses as I had said I didn’t want anything too spicy. There followed a 4 course magnificent meal.
Sunday started with a breakfast of fresh fruit, strawberry smoothie, raspberry and currant brioche, fresh grapefruit juice, and a choice of cooked dishes – mine being asparagus, poached egg, kale, macadamia and rye bread croutons. Not a big serving, just right.
We had chosen to go snorkelling – they were taking a boat out and 6 of us chose to do it. The newly weds took a runabout and picnic lunch and I don’t know what the other 2 did. The family of 4 flew had flown out after breakfast. Now just a total of 10 of us. It was a bit windy so Callum (driver) and Tegan (dive instructor) took us to a side of Fantome Island (a leper colony till the mid 1970’s) and close by, which was quite calm. Here we drift snorkeled for more than 45mins. The coral and fish were very good. She showed us dead coral broken on the sea floor after Cyclone Yasi, but now having new coral growing above it. She said that the cyclones they had earlier this year had actually protected the coral from bleaching, as the cyclone moved the warmer water around. Not everything is bad. That was fun, then back to the shore – just leave everything, they fix it up. Since I was wet I decided to do some real swimming in the 25x13m infinity pool. Naturally noone else was in it. A lovely pool, beautiful view – wow! Just enough time to get clean and be ready for lunch. You sit for breakfast and lunch in a slightly different section, always at a table for 2. The chef tries to do theme lunches. Today was Thai, so we had soft shelled crab, a thai beef salad, green papaya salad and rice. The bowls were placed on our table and we helped ourselves. It was light and just right.
Paul then decided to teach me Kelly pool, a bit of fun. A read, a walk, then a champagne at 5 to watch the sun set, but a bit cloudy. Instead we got talking to one of the couples – he used to live nearby and knew a lot to f the same people Paul knows. Small world again.
Back at 7 for dinner, just 6 tables for 2 set along the edge of the open veranda looking at the jetty which had lit flames the length of it. We were now 12 as another couple arrived on the helicopter. Another amazing dinner. A 4 course degustation with our own personalised printed menu. We commented that each course was little, so it was not a big meal, but the technique and presentation as good as the best way we’d find in Sydney. We asked one of the other guests later why a chef this good would be at such a small resort on an island, and his response was that there are 3 chefs in the kitchen and they’d be being paid very good money.
They told us that they were going to feed the reef sharks from the jetty when dinner was over, and so 8 of us walked down to watch the salmon carcasses from dinner feed a variety of reef sharks, in an eating frenzy. A staff member had lit a fire on the beach, a crescent moon was in the sky, lighting the water. A short walk back along the sand to our room. A wonderful day.
We met the newly weds watching the reef sharks. They too live close to home. Such a small world!
Jottings & Blottings 