Advertisement
Published: August 21st 2006
Edit Blog Post
Arrived in Cairns on the 3rd of August from Mission Beach and checked into a v.swanky hostel - we were soooooo excited, it was almost like being in a hotel - crisp white sheets, fluffy white towels, ensuite bathrooms and swipe card entry (the obligatory bunk beds remained but were sturdy with proper mattresses - Gill, think you may have to move back into my room with bunk beds when I get back cos i'll feel lonely in a room on my own!). Spent the afternoon exploring and getting our bearings (which isn't difficult because all the streets are in a grid).
We were much in need of a good night out as the previous few weeks had been pretty quiet and chilled out so in the evening, we got ourselves ready, collected our complimentary glass of wine from the hostel bar and then headed out. We went to a bar where we had vouchers to get a free dinner (this happens in a lot of places in Cairns and has meant we haven't done too much cooking since our arrival!) and then stayed there as it was ladies night and free champagne between 10&12 😊 Then it was back
to our hostel bar and a few more drinks and LOTS of dancing.
We quickly found out that there isn't too much to do in Cairns during the day and its a jumping off point for lots of trips to surrounding areas and good party place in the evenings. However there is a pretty, manmade lagoon area which was perfect for soaking up some sun (the tan is progressing nicely, finally, and currently i'm browner than I think i've ever been in my life!) so we have spent a fair bit of time there.
On Saturday morning we were picked up at 7.40am for our 2 day tour up to Cape Tribulation. We set off with our cheery guide, Fin, and trainee guide,Coral. First stop was Daintree Mangrove Wildlife Sanctuary to be shown a Cassowary and a saltwater Crocodile - two creatures we might see in the wild up there. Then it was back on the bus and a cable ferry crossing over the Daintree River whilst keeping our eyes peeled fro crocs. Once over the river we were taken on a guided rainforest walk and shown all the things to avoid whilst walking in the rainforest like
'wait-a-while' which has these huge hooks and when it attaches to you, you have to walk backwards and slowly unhook yourself rather than trying to pull free. We were then dropped off at our hostel in Cape Tribulation and given until lunchtime the following day to explore the area and check out the rainforests and beaches. This area is the only place in the world where 2 World Heritage areas lie side by side - the Rainforests and the Reef! We saw an adult female cassowary walking around at our hostel but made sure to keep our distance.
The following day we got picked up and headed back towards the river. On the way we saw an adult male cassowary with his 3 chicks(once the female has laid the eggs, the male is in charge of hatching the eggs and looking after the chicks til they are 2yrs old - good, huh!?!)walking along the side of the road. After crossing back over the river, we went on a river cruise to do some croc spotting and saw a 2.5m female and a 25cm, 9mth old hatchling along with frogs, tree snakes and birds. It was then on to Mossman Gorge
which was flanked on either side by rainforest - v.beautiful and peaceful. Kathy and I then got dropped off at Port Douglas where we spent one night. We spent the day on 4 mile beach just chilling before being picked up in the afternoon and taken back to Cairns.
Also took a day trip up to the Atherton Tablelands (this time on my own). It was another early pick up by another cheery tour guide, Scott, who was a lot cheerier than the weather - dark skies and rain. We set off towards the tablelands hoping that the weather would improve. On our way there we had to travel along a 19km stretch of road that had 230 bends in it - not suitable for persons of a nervous disposition! We stopped to check out a Catherdral Fig tree - a huge strangling fig tree which is 5 storeys tall and just seems to stretch all the way to the sky.
Our next stop was at Lake Barrine, a volcanic crater lake where we were taken on a rainforest walk.Scott pointed out this stinging nettle plant which if you accidently brush against, will leave you with a intendse burning
pain for up to...6months!!
In the afternoon, I went canoeing on Lake Tinaroo with some of the others in the group and Matt, our canoeing guide, to see if we could spot a platypus. We paddled down the lake a bit before 'parking' our canoes in a creek and going in search of naturally occuring ochre stones which when wetted and rubbed on a rock, produce a paste the same colour as the rock. After we'd found a few different colours, we had a mass aboriginal face painting session!
We explored further down stream on foot and then headed back to the canoes to go back on the lake. On the way back,we stopped and were looking for tree kangaroos at which point Matt proceeded to climb out of his canoe and clamber on to the end of ours before capsizing it!!Apparently he was practicing the 'canoe rescue drill'(yeah, whatever!) so me and the other girl in our canoe bobbed around in the lake while Matt emptied the water out. Then came the fun bit when we had to try and get back in. We lined the 4 canoes up side by side and then had to be hauled into
Post canoeing on Lake Tinaroo
Cold, wet and looking silly but still smiling! the canoe - not a v.dignified entry with my bum up in the air!Back on land, we were taken back to the lodge and changed into dry clothing before getting back onto the bus and going back to Cairns. The return journey involved lots of singing along to songs and trying to guess movie theme tunes on Scott's ipod.
On Friday eve we went out on the 'big birthday bender' for an early celebration because Kathy was flying home on the morning of my birthday. It was a great night and ended up with us in a popular backpacker bar, the woolshed, dancing on the tables with everyone else 😊
On Saturday eve we decided to go for something more sophisticated and less backpackerish( i think i've just made up a new word!) and went out for a thai meal washed down with some nice wine. It was the perfect ending to a fantastic 6 weeks of travelling the east coast together.
On sunday morning (my 23rd birthday) I waved Kathy off on her shuttle bus to the airport and then opened my birthday cards (thanks to everyone that sent one, it was so nice to get
them even though i was on the other side of the world) and then spent the day relaxing and having a few treats like coffee and cake at a nice cafe. In the eve my roomies took me out for a few drinks to celebrate.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.092s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 8; qc: 51; dbt: 0.0614s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Sarah
non-member comment
Lady in the box
Are you out of the cupboard now? Its great to see such a wide grin on your browning face- im dosing up on fake tan... its not the same... looks orange!!! Keep having fun. Stay Safe. Great pics and stories x x x