Cairns, Day 5 (Round 2)

We had a lazy sort of day today – but we did get up early hoping to catch a spectacular sunrise. Well, it wasn’t really spectacular but it was pretty.

There was a large pelican floating along the shoreline, trying to catch fish (which were doing well at jumping out of the way) and lots and lots of exercisers – walkers, joggers, people using the exercise stations. It was a pretty busy place for 6 in the morning.

Australian Pelican

Early morning fitness on the Esplanade

After doing some laundry (exciting, I know), we headed out for a drive and took a picnic lunch with us. We went north and investigated the beaches at Yorky’s Knob (no I didn’t ask why that name)

John at Yorky’s Knob beach

and Trinity Beach

Chris at Trinity Beach

and then headed south and checked out where the Worldmark in Cairns is located. Next stop was lunch and we found a kind of quiet spot near the northern end of the esplanade where we sat on the lawn and enjoyed the views.

That’s about it for today – we were going to go geocaching but that didn’t happen – maybe tonight, maybe not.

Tomorrow morning we leave for Brisbane airport and the drive north to Golden Beach at Caloundra.

Butterfly

Cairns – Day 3 and 4 (Round 2)

Saturday, April 25

John was awake before the crack of dawn and headed down to the park at the shore (2 blocks from our apartment) to be a part of the Dawn Anzac Memorial. He said the cars were double parked on the streets, some blocking other people in. Not sure how many people were there but the paper says over 5000. Later in the morning, there was a parade to another part of the park. We watched that from our apartment and then decided to go for a drive.

Anzac tribute

Navy League Cadets

Air Cadets

Veteran’s Motorcycle Club

We ended up at the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park and thought it must be closed for Anzac Day because there were no cars in the parking lot. To our surprise, it was open and there were only about 30 visitors. We wandered around taking in the demonstrations (Hunting and Weapons, Bush Tucker, Digeridoo, and a dance performance). John also took part in boomerang throwing.

John throwing a boomerang

It was an interesting look at the culture of the indigenous people of Australia. It took a couple of hours to see the exhibits and then we went looking for something for dinner (preferably, fish and chips). For a city that is right on the ocean, it is really hard to find a fish and chip shop – and then when you do, they use egg in the batter. Ok, plan B – in the morning we had noticed a sign on a fishing boat that they had fresh, cooked prawns for sale. They were wonderful!

After eating, we were watching out the window and thousands of bats flew by. A lot of the bats roost during the day in trees right in Cairns and they make a lot of noise (and excrement). Once the bats were gone (I did try to take a photo but couldn’t quite manage to capture them), we went down for a nice soak in the hot tub, or so we thought. Turns out the hot tub was less warm than the pool. Oh well, it was refreshing.

Weapons and hunting

Weapons

Digeridoo

Cassowary dance

Chris with the dancers

Sunday, April 26

Another wonderful visit to the Great Barrier Reef with Reef Magic Cruises. We had debated going with another company just to see what they might offer but, in the end, we went with Reef Magic. One of the reasons was that we had had such a good time 7 years ago when we went out with them and the other was that they offer snorkelling off an anchored pontoon instead of just off the boat.

Snorkelling platform on Marine World

It was a beautiful morning and the day was just as good. It takes 45 minutes to get to Moore Reef which is on the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef. When we got there, we were given a safety briefing and it was recommended that we rent lycra suits as it is still stinger season – we weren’t going to but then we had second thoughts. John paid for the rentals, and when I went to pick up my suit the staff person handed me and XS! I told him he must be joking, I’ve never ever been an XS so he gave me a small and said they stretch 🙂
Well, the small fit but the sleeves were about 12 inches too long!

Chris and John on Marine World

On top of the lycra suits, we wore life vests and I also had a pool noodle. We were set! I thought I might have a few minutes of panic as usual when snorkelling but I was floating around before John even got into the water. And yes, it was still like bath water in temperature.

John snorkelling

It wasn’t long before we were being amazed by the fish and the corals.

A short stop for lunch and we were back in the water. After tiring ourselves out (and drinking a lot of very salty water), we decided on a semi-submersible trip which was a lot of fun – even the old fellow who wanted us all to sing “My Bonnie lies over the Ocean” complete with hand actions and the other fellow who wanted everyone to sing Yellow Submarine.

Before we were ready, it was time to leave the reef. If anyone goes to Cairns, check out Reef Magic – they’re great.

Cairns, Day 1 and 2 (Round 2)

THURSDAY, APRIL 23

We left Chambers Resort about 8:30 in the morning and headed out to do some more exploring on the way to Cairns. We wanted to stop at the Australian Platypus Park but we were there before opening times so we drove on to Millaa Millaa Falls – a very pretty waterfall just outside of the town of Millaa Millaa.

After we had visited the falls, we drove back to the platypus park and were the first ones there. The owner told us an interesting story of how he had planned on having stocked fish ponds and he had brought in shrimp to grow as food for the fish. Just as he was getting going, some platypus moved into one of the ponds and thought they had their own all you can eat buffet. Not long after, there was a cyclone that killed almost all the fish but the shrimp continued to thrive and more platypus came. He has now set aside one of the ponds for the platypus and offers people an opportunity (for the princely sum of $5 for a lifetime membership) to see platypus up close. He doesn’t feed them so they are “in the wild” but they are used to people – in fact, you are supposed to talk around them so they realize you are not a predator on shore.

We stayed for about an hour and saw quite a few platypus. The pool we were at was inhabited by female platypus – apparently the males live in the more quickly running water and the females prefer the still pools.

When we got on the road again, we headed for Murdering Point Winery, just south of Innisfail on the coast. They have some unusual fruit wines and we were interested in trying some. We liked most of them 🙂 but came away with three bottles – a lychee fruit wine, a bottle of pineapple port and a mocha cream – which is made without dairy but tastes just like flavoured thick cream.

We got to Cairns about 4 and checked in to the Cascade Gardens – a self catering apartment hotel. It is very nice – quite spacious, lots of utensils and dishes and a comfy bed (although I had to discard one of my pillows as it was duck down and feathers).

One of the views from the Tablelands

The road keeps going and going….

A yarn bombed tree along the Esplanade in Cairns

FRIDAY, APRIL 24

I could just write – went on the Skyrail today – round trip from Cairns to Kuranda and back but it is an experience that deserves more than that. Most of you know that I really, really don’t like heights or trams but this one is not bad. The gondolas are just a short way over the tops of the trees so it really doesn’t feel like you are up high and I hid behind my camera and took lots of photos so I even managed to look down!

It takes about 1 1/2 hours to reach Kuranda (that includes stopping at both stations and wandering around on the boardwalks through the rainforest). Once we got to Kuranda, we browsed through some of the souvenir shops (a lot of imported products) and then decided to visit Kuranda Koala Gardens. The first display was freshwater crocs and they were looking at us like they could use a snack *s* We then saw some lizards and finally came to the koala enclosure. One of the koalas kept peeking at me and then turning her head away – silly thing. John asked if I wanted a photo with a koala and how could I say no. I was really impressed with the keepers – once the photo was taken, they invited John to stand with me and Tam and they used our camera to take a couple more photos. Even after Tam was back in the keeper’s arms, they stood talking to us for quite a while. Best experience for a koala cuddle out of the three I’ve done.

Chris and John with Tam, the 10 year old female koala

We got to feed some kangaroos and wallabies and then it was on to the reptile exhibit. I won’t post any photos of snakes on here or on facebook (just for you Aunty Pat) but I have to put a photo of a blue tongue lizard because I actually caught it with the tongue out (I love my new camera).

Blue Tongue Lizard

We browsed through a few more shops, bought a 1.5 litre bottle of cold water for 3.50 (other places had them for 4.99), and headed back to the Skyrail station. When I checked my watch, I was shocked that it was already after 2:00.

View coming back to Cairns on Skyrail

That was about it for today – except for a relaxing stroll to the waterfront just a few minutes ago. Tomorrow is Anzac Day (like our Remembrance Day) and it is 100 years since the first soldiers from Australia and New Zealand were sent to WW1. It’s going to be a big day in all the towns and a lot of stores are closed.

Wombat

Koala

John feeding an Eastern Grey Kangaroo

Cairns – 2

THURSDAY, MAY 8

On the way to the Skyrail terminal,

we passed fields of sugarcane. Apparently they begin to harvest in June (the dry season). We were told that most rain in the tropics is in the summer months.

I did it! I went on the Skyrail without any (well not much) problem. I didn’t like the leaving from the stations or the going over the towers but otherwise it was great – and this is such a good time to go. It wasn’t crowded and we had the cable car to ourselves. Fantastic views – and the boardwalks at the two stations were neat. When we got to Kuranda we went to the Butterfly Sanctuary – it was a bit of a letdown. The zoo in Sydney had more varieties of butterflies but we managed to hit a “tour” time so we got a little more information than a normal visit would have. The butterflies were beautiful – I had one land on me but John wasn’t there with the camera.

After that, we wandered around Kuranda – can’t say I was impressed with most of the stores but I found what I didn’t know I was looking for. A little background – when I was born, my uncle gave me a stuffed koala that was made of kangaroo fur – I slept with it for years and it was bare when I finally put it away. Today we found a toy koala that is almost an exact replica – his toes are different but he’s made of kangaroo fur (and is so soft) and he wasn’t much more expensive than a plush koala.

There is also a “hippie” area in Kuranda – tie-dyed clothing, beads, etc. Looked just like a flea market or craft fair at home – needless to say, we didn’t buy anything there.

We were booked for the 2:00 train back to Cairns and found we were in the very last car at the end (and not beside a window). Shortly after we started out, the hostess came along and said that if anyone wanted to move – the #5 carriage was completely empty and we were welcome to move to it. When we stopped at the Barron Falls lookout, John made a beeline for #5 and got 2 window seats so that we were on the side of the train that overlooked the gorge. That was almost worse (at times) than the skyrail. *s*

Temperature: 25 C – sunny with some cloud

Tree Frog in Kuranda

Stoney Creek Falls

Tree at Red Peak Station, Skyrail

Poinsetta tree in Kuranda

FRIDAY, MAY 9

Awesome, Superb, Fantastic, Breathtaking, – there aren’t enough adjectives to describe the Great Barrier Reef. We had booked an all day (5 hours at the reef) tour withReef Magic with an added option of a 5 minute helicopter flight over the reef. The boat was a catamaran which docked at a platform on the Moore Reef. The cruise out was a bit rough (but not bad by BC Ferries standards) and there were quite a few seasick people. But not John and I! The water was so clear and warm (26 C) – although there were not many people who opted for just a bathing suit – most hired wet suits. On the way out, there was a brief talk by the on-site marine biologist and plenty of offers of “extras” at the site (most at an extra cost). I decided to take an introductory snorkelling tour as I have never snorkelled before and John decided to join it too. We were glad we did – Eric, the biologist, showed us how to adjust the mask (they even had prescription ones so that John could see underwater) and snorkel and then floated us around and pointed out various corals and fish.

John met Wally and

I met Sarah, both Maori Wrasse who live at the reef.

After the tour, we headed to the platform for lunch (a buffet – and I even found stuff to eat – including huge prawns.) There was lots of food – and the tropical fruit salad bowl was refreshed a few times over the afternoon. Our heli tour was booked for 1:10 so we stayed dry and looked at the fish through the underwater observatory and went to the sun deck for a look around.

Then it was time for the helicopter tour – we were tendered over to the heli pad and taken on our 5 minute tour – we saw eagle rays and sea turtles. Best of all though was the view of the reef from the air.

Back on the platform, we headed to the snorkelling area again for an hour or more of snorkelling, until we were exhausted. 5 hours wasn’t enough time for everything though – we had wanted to go on the semi-submersible but the times weren’t right for the activities we had signed up for. The crew was wonderful – the proportion of crew to tourists was about 1 to 5 – and most of them remembered names by the end of the trip. We bought a few photos of ourselves from the on-site photographer and she included 90 shots of the reef and the platform. We did take some photos with disposable marine cameras but we’re not sure how well they’ll turn out so it’s nice to have some good ones *s*

The trip back in was much smoother (although some people were still seasick). We passed a fire on an island and the crew called it in to the forest service so they could check it out.

Cairns from the ocean

We got back to port about 5 p.m. and wandered our way back to the hotel. All evening, we kept talking about the reef and all the things we’d seen. It was one of the best experiences ever and I’d recommend Reef Magic to everyone.

Sorry no pictures with our Caps jerseys at the Great Barrier Reef – we didn’t have room to carry them in a backpack as we had to take our own towels with us.

Temperature: 28 C – sunny with high cloud

Chris and John boarding the Reef Magic cruise

Nemo (photo from Reef Magic photographer)

Parrot Fish (photo from Reef Magic photographer)

Coral (photo from Reef Magic photographer)

SATURDAY, MAY 10

It was a scheduled lazy day today – the only things on the agenda were waiting for Lizz and Erik to call, getting the films from the disposable cameras developed and figuring out how to pack everything we have with us into the 3 suitcases. We’ve decided that after Brisbane we can fit everything into 4 bags as we’re each allowed 2 on the flight back.

We walked into town along the promenade along Esplanade Street – still hoping to see a saltwater croc *g* We didn’t see one but when we got down to the pool area, there was an open air market with lots of craft stalls. We decided to find a store to develop the film and then browse through the market. Luckily we went looking for the shop when we did – a lot of the stores (not the souvenir shops) close at 1 or 1:30 on Saturday afternoons – actually the town was pretty empty except for tourists.

There were some interesting craft stalls – one that was impressive sold boulder opal necklaces. They were gorgeous. John learned a lot about them when he was talking to the people who made them. Oh – and there was a stall selling natural products including a tropical strength mosquito repellent – it was very similiar to your Camper Cream, Lalena. Soon it was time to go back to pick up the photos – we weren’t holding out much hope that they’d be very good but we were surprised – there are quite a few good ones. Unfortunately, they are in print form so you’ll have to wait until we’re home to see them.

We puttered around in a few more souvenir shops and then made our way back to the apartment where we ate the juicy, fresh local grapefruit we had bought at the local fruit and vegetable market (Fridays and Saturdays only). They had all kinds of fruits and veggies that are grown just northwest of Cairns in “The Tableland” area. We saw passion fruit, dragon fruit, melons – did I mention that cantaloupe are rockmelons here?, papayas and something that is like a lychee nut. For veggies, there was everything from lettuce, cucumbers, carrots to asparagus, bokchoy, and fresh corn. There was even one stall selling sugar cane – both raw and as juice. John found the macadamia nut stall right away – the fellow running it recognized our accent as Canadian and we had quite a chat about travelling and tourists.

One thing we’ve seen a lot of is Wicked Camper rentals. They are wildly decorated and usually have some weird sayings on them – today we saw this one:

but we’ve seen a lot of others – like Homer Simpson, the Beatles, anime and some that I don’t even want to mention.

Off to do the laundry – well some of it anyway and then to pack up everything we’re not going to need in the morning. Next stop – Worldmark, Golden Beach in Caloundra where there is supposed to be internet access *s*.

Temperature: 30 C – sunny with high cloud

Lorrikeets

Flower

Alice Springs/Cairns

TUESDAY, MAY 6

Alice Springs was much busier today – since it wasn’t a public holiday. We managed to get a noon checkout (instead of 10 a.m.) so we headed to town in the morning and browsed through the souvenir shops and other stores.

Todd Mall isn’t a mall in our sense of the word – it’s a street that is closed to traffic with a lot of open air stores and cafes.

Apparently, Alice Springs downtown district is a “dry” area (in public spots). Most of the signs simply say – No Alcohol Zone but this one caught our eye:

After browsing for the morning, we went back to the hotel and checked out – leaving our luggage in a locked luggage room (but carrying the laptop around in the backpack). On our walk, we had spotted a Reptile Centre so we decided to spend some time there before it was time to leave for the airport. What a neat place – they do tours throughout the day (and on our tour there were only 8 people) and bring out some of the “residents” for a show and tell and holding session. The guide started with 3 lizards – a bearded dragon, a blue-tongued skink and a shingleback (sorry no picture). The skink likes to “give kisses” – we took a lot of photos trying to catch him with his tongue out but no luck so I had the idea of taking a video which managed to capture him with his tongue out. Wish I could post it but we haven’t figure out how yet.

Chris with the blue-tongued skink

Then she brought out Olive, the olive python. She also likes to be held and she feels so smooth and it tickles when she moves around you. She moves until she finds a comfortable spot (she likes the heat of backs) and then she just cuddles. She really liked John’s hat and actually got it off him when the guide was taking her off.

John with Olive

The Centre also had a fossil room with some really neat looking fossils and skeletons.

They also had some green tree frogs (must be cousins to the ones you have Lalena *s*), some perentie lizards (the biggest in Australia) and a saltwater croc. It was a good way to spend a few hours before heading back to the hotel. We still had a little time to wait for the taxi, so we sat by the pool (in the shade) and talked to a man from Perth. The other thing we learned was that Thorny Devils are like snowflakes – no two are exactly the same.

We had asked for the taxi to pick us up at 2:50 but were still waiting at 3:05 (I think that taxi company runs on manana time) – when John tried to call them to find out where the taxi was, all he got was a busy signal so the receptionist at the hotel called a number for him to talk to the cab company. It turned out that she called a different company and the taxi was at the hotel within minutes – just before the other one arrived.

We were at the airport early but could check in about 15 minutes after we arrived and then we whipped through security. We thought we would get something to eat but the grill in the restaurant was closed so we bought a snack and some beer and sat in the outside area until the flight was called. As for the flight, Qantas is tops in our books. It was only 2 hours and 20 minutes but we were served a snack, immediately followed by a dinner. John had beef, rice and veggies and I actually got a fruit platter. I was so impressed that there hadn’t been a glitch.

We arrived in Cairns at 7:50, found a cab and were regaled by stories of man-eating crocs and staying away from the mangrove swamps. Reception at the Cairns Queenslander was closed but we followed the late arrival instructions (and noticed that the taxi driver had waited to make sure we got in ok – what a nice guy). The apartment here is more than I expected – there is a hot plate as well as a good sized fridge and microwave. I thought we would be making do with just the microwave and a small fridge. It is also a lot larger than we had thought – it’s a great deal for $105 a night.

Our first impression was that it was warm and humid – a nice change after the dry heat of the desert.

Temperature: 27 C – sunny

Pygmy Mulga Goanna

Bearded Dragon

Bedroom

Living room area

Kitchen

Dining area

WEDNESDAY, MAY 7

No activities planned for today so we had a “lazy” day. We walked the 1.5 km into town by way of the pathway along the waterfront. It’s a well maintained path, with lots of information signs along the way. On the way we saw

a few of these exercise stations (all with different exercises)
and this sign:

Cairns has a large saltwater pool near the waterfront. It looked inviting but was closed for cleaning at the time we were there. We kept walking and found a coffee shop in a fancy hotel. I ordered a coffee and John had a mocha – word of advice – if you’re ordering a mocha in Australia, it’s not sweetened. Next stop was the information centre to find out about Great Barrier Reef cruises. There are way too many choices. The receptionist at the hotel had a few suggestions and the girl at the info centre had a few others. In the end, we narrowed it down to 2 different choices and then finally chose the one with the short helicopter ride included. We booked it for Friday and on Thursday we are going to Kuranda via the Skyrail and return via the train.

Our choice finally made, we wandered into the downtown area to browse and have lunch at a Mexican restaurant (and yes, I did have nachos as usual *g*). Cairns has lots and lots of souvenir stands – some good, some tacky. We didn’t buy anything today because we thought we would check out the Night Market first. So, after dinner we walked back downtown and found the market. The prices weren’t any better than in town and it seemed like they were more a lot of the time. The store owners seemed disinterested and we were disappointed. We didn’t buy anything and will probably shop in town on Saturday.

Hopefully the internet will be working on Thursday – the date on the server is out of synch (or so the tech support guy said – it’s showing January 1, 2000 right now) so it won’t let me buy time.

Temperature: 29 C – sunny, but humid

Sculptures in the saltwater pool

Palm tree

John and the Blues Brothers

Masked Lapwings

Travels with John and Chris

A diary of our travels

Cairns

Cairns, Day 5 (Round 2)

Cairns – Day 3 and 4 (Round 2)

Cairns, Day 1 and 2 (Round 2)

Cairns – 2

Alice Springs/Cairns