Backpacker Central

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Cairns is a bit of pilgrimage for backpackers - the town was full of them (us). It was a picturesque little place, although it looked like it was stuck in some kind of time-warp, resembling something that you often see in films about 19th century America.

There is plenty to do in Cairns itself, but even more to do around it. I went on excursions to Kuranda and Cape Tribulation and on a boat trip to the Great Barrier Reef. You cannot possibly go to Cairns without going to the reef and, as I didn't fancy a scuba-diving course, some snorkelling was compulsory. Despite the fact that the water is keeping your back cool, it is in reality burning to a crisp. I couldn't lie on my back in bed for three nights and it peeled big time.

Boy did I suffer! So much in fact that this unlikely tip more than justifies a mention. When snorkelling, you can often get so engrossed in all the marvels of nature that surround you that you lose track of time. Next thing you know, your back has been exposed to the tropical sun for several hours and that cool water has prevented you from feeling it burn to a crisp.

You've then got several days of complete agony to look forward to, coupled with severe problems sleeping since you cannot lay on your back. Then, to add insult to injury, you get up in the morning, after a sleepless night, to discover that the tan you had spent so long nurturing has peeled off and your bed is covered in crusty, flaky skin.

Finally, in the longer-term, it'll develop into skin cancer and you can expect a long, agonising death.

So my Travel Tip number 6 is "Wear a tee-shirt whilst snorkelling".

This was actually the first time I'd been in the sea in Australia. Apparently the Box Jellyfish only hang-out around the coastline so it is perfectly safe out on the reef.

Whilst in Cairns, I got chatting to someone who ran an ice-cream parlour on the sea-front and he offered me a job. The idea of spending a couple of months working in the tropical Queensland was very, very attractive. I had the choice of working there, but not being able to save any money for the return trip to England, or of heading back down to Melbourne where I would be able to save a lot more money. In the end it was the head that ruled over the heart and I left to head back down south.

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Photos

Tropical Sunrise
Sunrise and river in Cairns

Tropical Sunrise
Sunrise in Cairns

Sand-dune Island
A sand island near Cairns