Cairns, Australia, is a city nestled amidst the wonders of World Heritage-listed Wet Tropics Rainforest. Beyond its stunning beaches and proximity to the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns boasts a rich history, diverse ecosystems, and exciting adventures.
Cairns’ story began in the 1870s with the discovery of gold. The initial settlement, initially called Trinity Bay, boomed with prospectors. In the early 20th century, the scenic Kuranda Railway opened, connecting Cairns to the rainforest village of Kuranda.
The Wet Tropics Rainforest is the oldest continually surviving rainforest on earth. We rode the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, a gondola that glides high above the rainforest canopy. The views were so amazing with 7.5 kilometers (4.6 miles) to enjoy nigh above the rainforest
The Barron Falls, aptly nicknamed “Din Din” by the Indigenous Djabugay people, was extraordinary. The cascading falls on the Barron River was a beauty to be experienced. I had a hard time leaving. It still wasn’t Iguaza falls but beautiful in its own right!
Our last stop was a quick trip through the Cairns Botanic Gardens. We have never seen so many stunning tropical plants. We have never heard of many of them and they were gorgeous!
Now to tell you a little about our expected trip that didn’t happen. When booking our excursions to Cairns we booked a small plane trip over the Great Barrier Reef. A couple of weeks before we arrived, they changed our place of docking from Cairns, which is a full dock that we can just walk off the ship to Yorkey’s Knob, a tiny town near Cairns but we had to tender. Meaning, we had a 50/50 chance of our trip being canceled due to weather. So, with this not being a Royal Caribbean excursion we decided it best to cancel and eliminate the risk of losing the money invested on the plane trip, which isn’t cheap. It was good decision and we would not have made it because it took over 2 hours for us to get on our tender and to the beach. The waters looked calm but when the tender tried to saddle up next to our ship, it was rocking and rolling like crazy! Some of our friends made it to see this world wonder and I’m really disappointed we didn’t get to go. However, we have wonderful videos and photos from them to enjoy.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system and one of the World Wonders we were looking to see. This underwater paradise boasts a mind-boggling diversity of marine life, from vibrant coral formations to playful fish. The Great Barrier Reef is so large it can be seen from space! We will add it to our list of “next times” just like Machu Picchu. We did see some beautiful coral waters so that meant something.
At the dock we got back on the dinghy and about an hour later after a few attempts at tying up next to the ship, we were back home.
Today we spent time with our friends, Cecilia and Laurie on our trip. We had a blast!
We now have 4 sea days until we reach Lombok Indonesia. The seas are supposed to be rocky due to a cyclone below us. Luckily we will be heading in the opposite direction of the storm and only feel the rocking and rolling for a couple of days.
May God bless you always!
Chuck & Lea Ann
WorldTravelReynolds 