Farewell Cairns

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Satisfied that I'd completed what I set out to achieve in Cairns I made preparations to head south. Before I left however, I decided to try one more treat.

After a short walk along the main road I booked myself into a new hostel for the night and set about flicking through some of the travel brochures. One that caught my eye was a trip down to the Tully river for a bit of rafting for the day. Worried that I was too late to make a booking (21:20) I was quickly assured that it was not a problem and I was booked on the trip departing at 06:00 the following morning. I once went white water rafting in NZ and it was terrifying. I knew that I'd probably give it a go another day and this trip provided that opportunity. The Wairoa river in NZ was classified as a grade 5 river (grades run from 1 (millpond) to 6 (liquid death)) and it retrospect possibly a little ambitous for a first timer. Long story short we tipped up on a large waterfall and we went down the next two waterfalls sans raft! Quite unpleasant and as terrifying as the raft can be, nothing compares to the naked vuneralbility of being helplessly washed downstream by yourself.

The Tully river south of Cairns (Tully town with the most millionares per capita in Aus - sugar/banana barrons) is classified as a grade 4 river. About 1 1/2 hours from Cairns we took the bus to Tully river gorge. It turned out to be a great day and I've determined that there is a wide separation between grade 4 & grade 5. We took lots of cool dips in the river along the way, even back tracking along the bank to jump in and white water surf down the rapids solo. Situated in the rainforest we also went for "nature" walk with our guides. They weren't too switched on in the facts about nature in the region and we heard all about trees that grow in the ground, rain that falls from the sky, even Cassowaries that nest at the tops of trees (amazing isn't it ;-) ). It was a relaxing day, with lunch in the forest along the river bank and a skillful Aussie river guide expertly directing our raft down the river, we didn't tip up once.

The bus trip from Cairns to Airlie Beach was uneventful. I boarded at 07:30 and arrived at Airlie Beach at 17:30. The scenery from Cairns slowly changed from rainforest to miles and miles of sugar cane. The size of the sugar industry up here is staggering, fields hemmed in by rolling hills and the occational fruit tree orchid. Eventually though the agriculture gave way to dry scrub and brown grassy fields (not unlike the highveld in SA) as the outback claimed the land for itself. We passed many crusty dry river beds, the vegetation's foothold seemed rather tenuous, dead trees a sign that this region has had very little rain.

Airlie Beach however is rediculously beautiful. Lush green hills surround a bay with the Whitsunday islands vissible on the horizen. Airlie Beach isn't a town as such, it's more like an address. There's a single street about 100m long with shops and hotels. The waterfront has been tastefully developed and there's a boardwalk all along the coast. Life's quite laid back here, more so than Cairns and I can see myself lingering here. A sailing trip is on the cards but I've not committed to anything yet, maybe later in the week - this laid back lifestyle must be infectious.

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Comments

[Jenny Seager]

Fascinating
Hi Graeme - once again fabulous stuff and you make it so real. You should think of writing for a living! Ignorance of the Aussies? Makes one wonder doesn't it. Really good to share a little bit of your adventure. Jenny