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Published: August 16th 2009
CAIRNS
Getting to Cairns was a disaster! We arrived at Brisbane Airport to get our flight with plenty of time to spare. Unfortunately, when we got to the Jet Star check in desk they had no record of us on the flight even though we had paperwork with the booking numbers on it. We were told to go to the Qantas’ ticketing desk because apparently our tickets had not been ticketed and since the original booking was with Qantas it was they who would ticket the booking. Simple? No!!! The booking had been ticketed and the paperwork had ticketed numbers on it. The problem was that the booking had been cancelled (technical error!!!!!) the week after we booked it. Now of course the flight is FULL, in fact all the flights that day to Cairns with Jet Star and with Qantas were full!!! We were beginning to get a little stressed! Finally after a bit of a wait they managed to get us on to a flight with Virgin Blue. Hooray!! Thankfully we were allowed to go into the Qantas lounge to wait because we still had to wait for a few hours.
The flight was fine except for the
fact you have to pay for anything you want to drink or eat. Even water cost $3. It’s a British owned company so we were a little surprised (of course it’s been a long time since we have been on a domestic flight in the UK so maybe you have to pay on those too!!).
We arrived in Cairns with a grey cloudy sky which was disappointing but at least it was warm. We were staying at the Holiday Inn again and this one is very nice. Thanks to our executive status with Priority Club we were upgraded to an ocean view. There’s a balcony so I was looking forward to watching the sun come up while sitting on the Balcony with my morning tea!!!
We hired a car for the next 2 days and so decided to have a day of relaxing at the beach followed by a day of sightseeing. For the beach we took a short run up the coast north of Cairns to a place called Palm Cove. The beach was beautiful. The sand was soft and there were very few people on it, and the waves weren’t too big for swimming. It was
Palm Cove Beach
This beach is about 4 miles long stretching between 4 different beachesso nice to just relax again. It had only been a short drive so we had no pressure on us to get back by a certain time and there was nothing else to do today. The girls had a blast again looking for shells and swimming with Kevin. I watched them swim from afar because I knew how cold the ocean was…too damn cold for me!!!!
After a quick lunch at a café that offered really cool chilled water bottles (free) we headed a little further down the coast to Kewarra. I had really wanted to see this beach so I could check out the Kewarra Beach Resort. My Mom and Dad spent their 40th Wedding Anniversary there last March so I wanted to have a quick look. Unfortunately by the time we got to this beach some grey clouds had rolled in and it had become pretty windy. We did get to see where the resort opened out onto the beach and it is nice and secluded but we didn’t get a chance to get really nosey and check out the whole thing. I made sure I took a photo in front of one of their signs so
I could show Mom and Dad that I did find it!! (If the truth be known, I had looked at the possibility of staying here for a couple of nights but it was a little out of our price range!!!!) We stayed just a short while longer and then headed back to the hotel and to check out Cairns itself.
Cairns is definitely a tourist town. There are lots of hotels but nothing that towers more than about 15 floors. It’s not a big city like Brisbane or Sydney but it’s certainly a friendly and pleasant town. There is a boardwalk along the “Esplanade” that leads to the piers full of very large and expensive boats both for personal use and group tours. The city has a huge open aired pool surrounded by boardwalk areas and grass for viewing or sunbathing. There is an abundance of restaurants and gift stores and a great “night market” full of stall holders selling everything from clothing, jewelry, souvenirs and would you believe 15 minute massages to relieve any stress you may have!!!!
ATHERTON TABLELANDS: This area is remarkable. We set off in the car early to make the most of the
glorious blue skies and warm temps. The plan was to go high into the mountainous area a little south of Cairns called the Atherton Tablelands to see what is was all about. It wasn’t long before we started to move a long a winding road and then we saw a sign saying “winding road for 19km” and then one that said “Danger: high accident area”. It didn’t faze Kevin at all but I was thinking” Oh Crap!!” as I started to see the steep slope on my side of the car. We took it slow and there is a number on every bend. In total there were 250 turns on the road, all of them getting higher and higher up the mountain. Relief was had by all when we hit a straighter patch of road - Kevin because it was now an easier drive and he was tired of hearing me screech most of the way up; and me because, well we were away from certain death!! I will admit that the view at a few points along the way were pretty spectacular!
At the top we were incredibly surprised to see how flat the land was. We now
understood why it was called the “Tablelands”. Looking at the mountains from below you wouldn’t have any idea that at the top there was a vast flat area with its own lakes, rivers and rolling fields! It was like the top of a table and it spread out for miles and miles. We were excited to explore.
We came across a sign for a “Curtain Tree Fig” and had to take a look. We have never seen a tree like this before on any of our adventures. The tree is enormous and looks like it is a mass of vines. The Curtain Fig is a seed that latches onto another tree, a host tree. It then grows vines that grow downward into the ground and these eventually force the host tree to die making it fall into yet another tree. The Curtain Fig takes over the second tree and grows and grows. The vines are thick almost like branches and they do form a curtain around the tree. The tree we saw must have easily been 100ft tall by 30ft wide. It was a sight to be seen!!
From the tree we headed to Atherton which I think
Kewarra Beach
I had to go and check out the Kewarra Beach Resort to see where my parents had stayed for their anniversary. is the largest town on the tablelands (although it was really pretty small). The girls and I laughed as we went past a few stores. There was Woolworths which we had seen everywhere (a British store we know very well which has now closed in the UK) but they also have a Target Country which we assume is just a more outback style of the Target store we had seen in the big cities that we also love from home. Today was not a “shopping day” so we moved on quickly and to a place called the Crystal Caves that we had had recommended to us. The caves were built by a collector of precious stones who wanted a way to share his collection with the public in a fun way. We entered into what seemed like just a store front but inside there is an entrance to the caves. We donned on some hard hats that had headlights and headed off down the cave path ducking and maneuvering past the cave wall and stalactites hanging down. I felt bad for anyone over 5 ft 4 (my height) because I knocked that helmet more than a dozen times while in
Night Market
Megan wanted to buy EVERYTHING!!! the caves!!! The caves were not real but the creator had done a fabulous job of recreating the effect! The main lure was the hundreds and I mean hundreds of crystals, rocks and more that he had down there. He really had some incredible pieces that had been built into the “rock walls” so that they looked like they belonged there. We must have taken over an hour to walk through and finished with the biggest purple amethyst we have ever seen. It is in fact the largest piece of this kind owned by any collector in the world. We sat mesmerized watching the news footage of its discovery and move from Peru to Atherton, Australia.
Of course with any attraction you have to leave through the gift shop. Megan and Sophie have been trying to get a little souvenir from the places we have been to and so this was no exception!!! We spent so long waiting for Megan to weigh out a mixture of stones for her 100g bag. She must have looked at every shape, size and color trying to get the best she could. It took ages and when we thought she was done she
went to pay to find out she was underweight so we had to go back and choose more……OMG!!!! (hopefully anyone with children is understanding the pain!!!)
We stopped at a couple more places before heading back. We had decided on the way up the winding road that we did not want to come back down in anything but full daylight (or at least I had decided!!!). We took a look at the dam that had been built to enable more land to be reclaimed for farming. It was pretty cool to see pictures of how wet it was before hand. We were still in awe at the fact that this whole area in on top of the mountain!!! Finally we stopped by Lake Barrine which is beautiful. This lake looks almost round and was formed when volcanic water overheated and exploded out forming a water filled crater. There is a walk around the lake or you can take a picturesque boat ride to see the birds and fauna that surrounds it. Time was short so we just took a look at 2 HUGE pine trees that were growing close by before leaving. It is astounding to see how big
some of these trees grow and it isn’t a large number of them in one spot. You will be surrounded by average woodland or rainforest and then suddenly you will find one that “breaks the mould” and stands out in all its glory. Amazing!!
It was time for the drive back down! Kevin seemed to be driving faster on the way down so the verbal abuse coming from my direction was a little more consistent than on the way up but we did get to the bottom safe and sound.
KURANDA RAILWAY AND SKYRAIL: We had really been looking forward to this day and had booked a “tour” so that everything was organized for us.
We started with an early start and a 7.40am pick up from the hotel. We were taken to the railway station for the start of our journey. The station was so picturesque and quaint. It had been set up in order to keep the character of on old style station. A few carriages from an old train had been brought into the café area which was cool and there was a museum that explained how the railway had been built and why.
We were astounded to realize that it had been done completely by had without any kind of power tools (of course they hadn’t been invented then). There are 15 tunnels on the line and the girls found it fascinating to read stories from the children that grew up near tunnel 10!! I laughed and asked if they thought they would survive in those conditions without their itouch and TV.
The train ride took us past some amazing views. It was so relaxing to sit in the old carriage and look out the window at the natural beauty we were passing. The girls enjoyed the train and Megan had a blast taking millions of photos! Her Granddad would be proud of all her “scenic views”!! We made a stop on the hour long ride up to Kuranda and that was just for 10 minutes to look at the beautiful Barron Falls. We are actually here in Queensland during the dry season and so the waterfall was not at its full glory but nonetheless it still looked pretty spectacular!
We got off the train in Kuranda which is a quaint town up in the mountains. It’s predominantly geared for tourism
Crystal Caves
This crystal is just one of many amazing crystals we saw in the caves in Atherton as from the moment you get off the train you pass by gift stores or stores selling locally made products. We were trying to persuade Kevin to buy a cowboy hat at one store and I’m sure if we could have found the right size in the right color he would have bought it. He did look very handsome in the hat although he probably wouldn’t have worn it in public. It would have been his gardening hat!!!!!!
After wandering around the heritage markets we were picked up to go to the Rainforestation for a few hours before our sky rail back down the mountain. First stop in the Rainforestation was a guided tour around their wildlife reserve. We certainly learned a few things…kangaroo’s are very calm animals but if they do attack they tend to go for children so that they will be taller and able to overpower…tiny lizards like to hang out with crocodiles so that they have protection from predators (unfortunately as they get bigger the croc’s begin to look at them as a food source!!!!!!)…dingo’s are gorgeous but pretty much extinct. I could go on and on with the interesting facts we learned about some
Crystal Caves
Ready for action in their hard hats of the animals but it would take all day and you readers would be bored!!! We then had a duck tour through the rainforest and into the water where we saw beautiful Ulysses Butterflies, nesting birds, cool ferns and plants and discovered where rattan comes from. The visit was finished off with Aborigine dancing and demonstrations of how to play the Didgeridoo and throw spears. We did get to throw a Boomerang which we all did well on…well Kevin did well while the rest of us deciding bouncing it would work better!!!!!!
To get down the mountain we had to take the Skyrail which is a cable car that travels high up above the rainforest canopy…really high!!!!! Being scared of heights I was practically having a panic attack before getting on and of course being so high up there was a little breeze so I was in need a valium in mid flight…if only I had some!!! The view did distract me after a while because they truly were awesome. You could see for miles and miles and towards the end you could see across the mountains all the way to the ocean.
GREAT BARRIER REEF: We
Crystal Caves
Kevin was trying to see his future with this huge crystal ball. At least he's smiling!!!! will never look at fish in the same way again! This day was beyond anything we could have imagined and we will never forget the experience. The day started early again with our boat leaving at 8am after a 7.30am check-in. The trip was organized with Passions of Paradise and they were excellent. We booked with them because they used a smaller catamaran boat (although it still had 80 passengers on it) instead of one of the huge cruisers we had seen departing for the docks. The boat had lots of outside sitting/sunbathing areas as well as 2 trampoline sunbathing areas (which Megan and Sophie loved!). Inside were comfy seats and tables for when it was time to eat. It takes 2 hours to get out to the reef and our first snorkeling spot. A glass bottom boat transferred us to what seemed like a tiny island made of sand. The water was crystal blue and the sand white. We had put on wet suits before leaving the boat because although it was a hot sunny day, the water after a while would feel very cold. We looked quite a site trudging from the sand into the water. It’s a
Kuranda Railway
Megan and Sophie playing a tune on the old piano at the railway station shame no one had a video camera to see us trying walk with our flippers...it was comical! We swam just a very short distance to snorkel over the reef at which point a whole new world opened up to us. Kevin swam with Megan and I swam with Sophie as we were met by so many different fish of every color you can think of. Some of them were huge and I couldn’t believe the girls were swimming so close to them without freaking out. A stingray swam past as though we were a natural occurrence in his territory and the best of the day was the sea turtle. He swam so close to Sophie and I that she was able to touch it as it went by. They move so gracefully under the water it’s unbelievable especially since they are so big. This one had to be at least 3 ft x 2 1/2ft. I still can’t believe we saw it! Wow!!
After a nice lunch we headed to our next stop which to our horror was a reef called Paradise Reef which is in the middle of the ocean with no land mass to swim from. We
had to jump straight in the ocean from the boat into depth we couldn’t even fathom. Sophie and I opted to have a guide to swim with us to the reef but there was another woman with us who was having a hard time so in the end we left them behind and swam by ourselves. This reef was magnificent with bright colored corals of every kind. The fish again were amazing but I will be honest when I say that I was a little nervous as we swam around with my eyes constantly darting to the deeper darker areas of water around the reef to see if there were dark shapes swimming around like a shark or as we have learned recently…a crocodile!!! Some of the divers on our boat reported seeing an 8ft bull shark but thank god I didn’t see it too or they would have seen a panic attack like no other!!!
Our day out at the reef was so much more than we had expected. We saw a whale while sailing, there was great food, fabulous people, incredibly helpful crew and on the way home they turned off the engine, hoisted the sails and
Kuranda Railway
The seats were long benches sailed us home. It did get a little chilly on the way back and some of the waves splashed onto the deck so a lot of people went inside. I get sea sick and although I had taken tablets it is not a wise move to be inside when the boat in bouncing up and down so I was one of just a few that huddled under a towel at the front and shivered!!. Believe me the shivering was a better alternative to seeing my lunch come up!!!
We decided to spend our last day in Cairns and in Australia just hanging out at the pool that is at the end of the Esplanade. The sun was hot and the pool was clean and clear so it was great to chill and sunbathe for a while. It was only a 5 minute walk along a bustling street of bars, restaurants and shops to our hotel so it was so convenient. When we were well and truly baked/burned and fried we headed back to the hotel Jacuzzi where the girls played while Kevin and I stretched out to read. This is the life we have to say goodbye to
Kuranda Railway
I couldn't resist making the girls pose next to the railway logo on the train tomorrow so we were making the most of every second!!
Dinner was a new experience and probably the only time we will experience it! Kevin and I ordered a duo of Kangaroo steak and Crocodile. We couldn’t come to Australia and not try any of these unusual meats. The Kangaroo was so good. It was delicious! The crocodile was OK but was pretty much like a slightly chewy chicken. I felt very guilty afterwards for eating these meats because the girls had only been cuddling Kangaroo’s just a week earlier. It felt wrong but I am very glad I tried them both.
Next stop is Hong Kong as we say goodbye to this country that we have loved so much. We have only been here for 2 weeks but in that time we have done some pretty incredible things and seen some amazing sites. The weather has been perfect and the Australia people have been nothing but kind and accommodating.
We will be back (just not for a while unfortunately!)
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Dad
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I'm pig sick with envy. Those pictures had better be good, Sophie. Can't wait to see you all again in Shrewsbury