Same here Alan, but I did suggest they went yesterday, although most I could only find one reef trip with availability of semi-sub. Town is packed, people everywhere, hope the weather doesn't let everyone down.

wish i could be in cairns for the eclipse
i see that there is live streaming and there are some amazing places to see the eclipse from
A Cairns hot air balloon www.hotair.com.au
A Great Barrier Reef island www.ustream.tv/Panasonic
from the beach www.ustream.tv/cairnseclipse2012
and with some celestial experts even http://events.slooh.com/
hope the weather goes well for you lucky people that are going up there

So how was it, everyone?

Wonderful except our group had a dirty black cloud come across just before totality and leave soon after. they had paid big money for this site while my free site had wonderful views the whole time except for first contact.

Most people got good or excellent views.

Great, Alan. Hope Ralph had a great view, too - he was looking forward it so much.

Hard to believe it's history now, but what an incredible show it was! From Port Douglas the sun was in and out of the clouds all morning. However, we were so lucky that the view was unobstructed for almost the whole period of totality. The beach, crowded with thousands of eclipse watchers, erupted in cheers at the moment the sun disappeared behind the moon and the dazzling solar corona became visible. Truly an experience of a lifetime!

Still in Australia presently enjoying Cooktown. Will post a trip report of our adventures once back in Connecticut.

Thanks to all for your help and support!!!

Ralph

Ralph, I am so pleased you had an almost unobstructed view of the total eclipse, especially after your three and a half years of planning. It must have been an awesome sight and feeling to be part of such an event.
My class and I watched a livestreaming of it, and it was so obviously darker than daylight - the children were intrigued it was dark and yet it was still only the morning. They were excited to see the 76% we saw here in Wellington. I think they are planning to go to the next total eclipse when most of them will be 24!

So glad it worked for you Ralph. Love Cooktown.
Take a walk up the hill behind the pub, where the old chimneys are. Very interesting auras.

Glad to hear the trip was a success!

Shame on you dottyp, enthusing children about science and travel!

Missed opportunity for a souvenir eclipse menu?

This from 'Column 8' in yesterday's Sydney Morning Herald -

LET it never be said that the Australian tourism industry is less than industrious when it comes to milking the odd extra shilling from visitors to our shores. In Port Douglas just after the eclipse, Julie and Chris, in town for the grand lunar moment, decided to splash out on a seafood lunch. They were each given a menu, and Chris said he’d like the seafood salad. Julie looked at her menu and said ‘‘It’s a little pricey, don’t you think?’’ They compared menus. Hers gave the price at $90 to share between two. His said $70. Raising the discrepancy with the waiter, Chris was told that he’d been given the ‘‘wrong menu’’. As the waiter ran back to the kitchen to fetch another, they overheard the manager tell the waiter that ‘‘The eclipse menus are over there.’’ Chris was unimpressed. ‘‘Mate,’’ he told the harried wait-creature, ‘‘I’m from Tully and she’s from Townsville. We’ll look at the real menu, thanks.’’

And that's Port Douglas for you farremog, totally typical. If they're going to rip people off they should be aware that they don't come from Tully or Townsville, thankfully where I live just out of Cairns there was no price hiking, people were just glad to have the tourists about after a very lean time. Fortunately not all of Port Douglas either, if they'd gone to the Tin Shed they'd have got a reasonable price, but then that does no promote itself to tourists.

Yes we suffered price gouging too at a couple of places. As I was turning away business maybe I should have joined the game.

Me too, Alan, but I didn't - probably mad.

Mad, but with our integrity and self respect in tact.

Well I won't have to travel anywhere near as far to see this total eclipse in 2017:

http://www.eclipse-chasers.com/tseNext.php?TSE=tse2017d

But absolutely no regrets regarding the eclipse of 2012 - a great excuse to return to the wonderful land Down Under!

So does anyone have any idea the chances of good weather in, say, Nashville in late August?

Alan,
Thank you unfortunately I only now saw your offer. I was on the Esplanade in Cairns and there was one LARGE cloud over the sun at the time of the total eclipse. I did however see the shadow moving across the sun and I was glad to see what I saw.

What I found astounding was that there were no T-shirts for sale anywhere, celebrating the eclipse.

Nywoman,
I had an experience similar to yours. My wife had great views at home and those who went to the places I had scoped for my group also had wonderful views of the eclipse. Five & 20 people respectively in spots which could hold a couple of hundred.

If you see a lost Aussie wondering around NY in May please don't push me into the gutter.

The eclipse is old news, I know, but I can't help but share this video on YouTube of the eclipse as seen from Port Douglas, apparently very close to the spot I was standing with my wife and friends. I don't know Robin Craig, the woman who posted it, but if I did, I would compliment her and her daughter for some some great commentary, capturing the drama, emotion, and beauty of the event as it unfolded, threatened by clouds until the very last moment. (Fast forward to 7:15 for the climax)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKt8UlkiAUA