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Published: March 10th 2011
Heading further north along the east coast of Australia we stopped in one of our favorite ports-- Cairns. This place is hopping with young visitors and seems to be a favorite jumping off point for Japanese who want to dive the Great Barrier Reef or explore the Outback. There is so much adventuring to do in this part of Australia and therefore it attracts people from all over the world. It is really convenient to be able to walk off the ship and be right in the center of the town. Cairns is like a frontier town with most buildings just one or two stories with overhanging roofs which protect the residents from the roasting sun and the tropical rains. While the ocean is beautiful along this part of the North Coast, it is not at all hospitable. We saw numerous signs warning of the presence of crocodiles, deadly box jelly fish and strong rip currents. The Cairns Esplanade was created so residents could cool off in a saltwater pool without fear of being eaten alive. Since the end of the so called White Australia Policy, Australia has welcomed many of its Asian neighbors to her shores. This has brought greater
cultural diversity to the country and as an extra bonus, the restaurant offerings have vastly improved. When we first came to Australia 25 years ago it seemed that the only food available in eateries was of the English variety. Now every town has an array of ethnic cafes. There are a large number of young South Koreans who are starting life anew in Cairns. We went to the Night Market which consists of booths of touristic souvenirs and reflexology shops mostly worked by Asians and a food court with Malaysian, Indian, Chinese, Thai and Japanese food alongside the British fish and chips and savory pies.
Thursday Island is quite an anomaly. It is located in the Torres Strait between the northern tip of Australia and Papua New Guinea. The inhabitants are not Aborigines but are Melanesians who are called Torres Strait Islanders. At one time T.I. was the center of a vigorous pearling industry. But now it is just a sleepy little island whose main claim to fame is that it is the home to the northern-most pub in Australia.
An Australian reef pilot came on board the Voyager in Brisbane and guided us safely through some tricky
waters all the way to Darwin. Peter Martin told us about the swift currents and hidden reefs and a lot of the history of the area while we cruised. He noted that the ocean is still cloudy as a result of Cyclone Yasi which struck a month ago. He pointed out a small island where there once was the first “post office” in Australia. Actually southbound sailors would leave letters on the island and the next ship through would collect the mail to be delivered upon arrival in Europe.
Darwin is in the Northern Territory which is not a state in Australia but is still part of the country. As a matter of fact the residents voted against statehood in the 1990s. The city was bombed by the Japanese during WWII and was leveled by cyclone Tracy on Christmas Eve 1974. In the last few weeks it was hit by another cyclone resulting in some flooding. Our visit coincided with the Wet—as the rainy season is known. And it lived up to its reputation with a big downpour at midday. Darwin is most noted for its WWII heritage sites and for the jumping crocodiles which are somewhat on a
par with trained seals.
Cruise Specialists hosted an Australian farewell party as we sailed away from this lovely land. We were fortunate that the rain clouds disappeared so we all could enjoy a beautiful sunset as the punctuation mark to a great visit to an exciting country. Now we are off to see the rest of the world as we steam north to the exotic ports of the Orient.
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