There Were Rumors of a Storm Brewing in Cairns, Australia

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DISCLAIMER: Bill Gates decided to remove the “ability to capture a still photo from a movie” tool during his latest “update,” so you’re missing out on some tremendous scenic shots of the train trip. Thanks again, Bill!

PHOTO NOTE: After finishing the verbiage for this blog, I uploaded the photos just as I always do. All that appeared where the photo belonged was the file name of the photo. Closer examination revealed, “We hope you enjoy the new version of Photo Upload! If you experience any problems, report them here.” Yes, I did and yes, I did. Hopefully this will all self-remedy soon.



Tour Day 57-60, Cairns, Australia – Part 1 Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail Rainforest Cableway

As I noted in my last blog, I arrived at Amaroo at Trinity Beach (Trinity Beach is a suburb of Cairns, Australia) in the early evening of 04 DEC. I’m not sure what possessed me at the time I selected this hotel, but Trinity Beach is an AU$50 ride from just about everything (that’s about $35 US). This is a very nice property IF you have a rental car. My original plan was to take a two-night “out-and-back” historic Savannahlander train trip (06-08 DEC) from Cairns to the outback in the Northern Territory. The “Surprise Getaway” normally departs EVERY Wednesday and Friday; however, as my departure from America drew closer, I learned there were no departures scheduled for December. Probably something to do with a certain December holiday and shopping and parties and yada, yada, yada. My disappointment was mitigated by the fact that I would have travelled from New Zealand on Monday, would have had only Tuesday to rest and would have been back on the (rail)road again on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

The rumor mill held that a tropical storm was brewing but hadn’t yet decided on a course of action; however, rain was predicted for the beginning of the week hence. I decided that if I was going to visit some of the Cairns attractions, it had better be sooner rather than than later. On Thursday, 07 DEC (Pearl Harbor Day), I booked two all day trips. The first, the Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, was for Friday while the second, the Big Cat Green Island Reef Cruise, was for Saturday. To give the photos some logical meaning, I split the Cairns visit into two episodes with the breaking point at, your choice, 2400 hours on 8 DEC or at 0000 hours on 09 DEC.

Again, I wish I could have included some stills of the spectacular videos I took of the train trip. Enjoy, as “it is what it is!”

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Photos

Amaroo at Trinity Beach
Top (Fourth) Floor Views Were Nice but Not Spectacular

Amaroo at Trinity Beach
Yup, Two Balconies

Kuranda Scenic Railway
Hard to Get a Shot Without Vegetation in the Way

Kuranda Village
I Just Can't Help Myself

Kuranda Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
This Cassowary Was Spotted Near, What Else, The Restrooms at the Cableway Mid-Point Oasis

Kuranda Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
Same Waterfall, Different Vantage Point