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This Sunday was an early start and with that, we saw hundreds of bats hanging upside down in the tress as we headed to the Skyrail. While on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, we saw amazing views of the rainforest, the Coral Sea, and the Barron Gorge. We glided meters above the World Heritage Tropical Rainforest that descended and left us at Red Peak where we were able to experience the best views of the gorge and falls from lookouts at Barron Falls Station. We eventually ended our Skyrail tour in Kuranda.
Kuranda was one of the best adventures we had. In Kuranda there was the: Kuranda Koala Gardens, the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, and Kuranda Birdworld. Our first stop was the Koala Gardens where we got to hold and cuddle a koala. This is the moment where one of our longest dreams had come true; we got to hold a Koala. Our koala’s name was Piper and she was 3 years old. Koalas sleep an average of 20 hours a day because the eucalyptus leaves they eat are so low in nutrition, they don’t have much energy to stay awake. When koalas are born they are the size of a jelly
bean and crawl inside their mother’s pouch where they remain until they are healthy and ready to come out and meet the world. Of course we took tons of pictures of: Vicky with Piper, Eric with Piper, and Vicky and Eric with Piper. It was here that we also got to walk alongside and pet kangaroos and wallabies. They had buckets filled with food and we got to walk up to them and feed them straight out of our hands. There was no employee there or zoologist, just you with the animals. It was an amazing feeling being in their habitat; very different form the zoos in the United States, where large boulders, fences, and glass walls keep you a safe distance from the animals, not in Australia. One can literally hold the hand of a kangaroo and hop along with it. We also got the chance to see crocodiles get fed. They eat chicken heads about once a week. Crocodiles don’t like to move much for their food, they want their chicken heads to land in their mouths.
Next, we had lunch near the Heritage Street Markets. Eric had a Emu burger and Vicky was not quite adventurous
and had a B.L.T. Eric’s burger was very delicious and they had ice cream for dessert.
After lunch, we went to Birdworld where we got a bag filled with apples, grapes, peanuts, and other tasty things that exotic birds would enjoy. Again, we got to come into close contact with the animals. Birds would land on our shoulders, heads, and arms and eat from the bag of treats.
After the Butterfly Sanctuary, we headed back to the train station and boarded a scenic railroad train back to Cairns, where we enjoyed a delicious seafood meal at Barnacle Bills.
Australian Word of the Day: Dingo=Free roaming/stray dog
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