Cairns was more humid than hot. The hotel where we were staying was like a southern plantation situated on the edge of the rainforest. At night, behind the hotel there was a large pond, or possibly it was a swamp, and we could hear the musical songs of frogs, crickets and other creatures from the rainforest. We stood and listened for a while to enjoy nature's recital - an unusual orchestra for those of us who are normally surrounded instead by the sounds of the hustle and bustle of the human kind.
Excitedly we boarded a catamaran for a two hour trip out to the floating dock at the outer Great Barrier Reef. With a typhoon threatening a day or so off land, the waters were extremely rough resulting in about half of the passengers on board being sick, including some of the staff. I was fortunate that my equilibrium was in complete sync with the rocking, lurching boat. When we arrived, underwater scooters were unloaded, scuba and snorkelling gear was prepared for use and a wonderful lunch was served to those who felt well enough to partake of it.
After lunch some chose the scuba and snorkelling options while others took the submersible where we could go down and view the reef and the fish with no chance of getting wet. Surprised and somewhat disappointed, I expected the reef to be much more colourful than it was. I also thought there would be more varied fish as well as ones that were more colourful than what we saw. However, in spite of my expectations and what I didn't see, there are reportedly 30 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises in the Great Barrier Reef, 1,500 fish species, 17 species of sea snakes, 6 species of sea turtles, 25 species of shark, stingray and skates and 9 species of seahorse. There are estimated to be 2,900 reefs in the Coral Sea of which the Great Barrier Reef is part with 400 coral species which are all living organisms. There are also 500 species of seaweed and 15 species of sea grass in the reef system. Saltwater crocodiles live in mangrove and salt marshes near the reef. In spite of not seeing what I expected to see, the excursion was a wonderful experience.
We later took the Skyrail, a cable car system over the rainforest above Barron Gorge National Park. We travelled from Kuranda to the suburbs of Cairns, a distance of 7.5 km of cableway stopping at two rainforest stations. One stop was Barron Falls station where we walked along boardwalks leading to three of the fall's lookouts. In some areas we barely skimmed the tree tops while in other areas we were high above them. In most places the foliage was so thick we couldn't see the trunks of the trees. The Skyrail cable cars began operation in 1995 amid controversy over potential damage to the rainforest's ecosystem.
Cairns was officially founded in 1876 although in 1770 James Cook mapped the future site of the town calling it Trinity Bay. It is 1,700 km from Brisbane and 2,700 km from Sydney. It is a tropical climate with monsoon season during the months of November to May and dry season from June to October. We were fortunate that we experienced no rain while we were there in March. This lovely city has a population of approximately 153,000; is laid back and unpretentious. Besides tourism, sugar cane, bananas and coffee are grown on reclaimed land that had once been mangroves. As well as what we saw, there is a lagoon to visit, the botanical garden, Trinity Beach, the historical society museum, the opportunity to take a harbour cruise or go on the Gulflander-Kuranda Scenic Railway, take the ocean road to Port Douglas by car or explore one of the 200 walking trails.
A city with many things to do and see, a pleasant, warm climate, lush, green surroundings and with welcome arms extended, it is a place I would return to for another visit. Unfortunately, the time we were there didn't allow for all I would've liked to see.
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