On Monday morning ,July 17 my flight , QF 922 to Cairns was due to leave at 945am . The plane had been held up because of a security breach in Melbourne, so the A 330 Airbus would be late taking off . The flight was full which is indicative of the passenger traffic from Sydney to Cairns at this time of the year.
I walked past Tanya Plibersek, Federal Environment Minister as she was going into the Qantas Lounge . I chatted to a couple of elderly ladies, who were also going on the Cairns flight. The 24 of them were travelling then to Port Douglas to stay at the Ramada. And they intended to play bridge and see the sights. They had done the same thing last year …
I checked into my self -contained studio accommodation , Cascade Gardens in Cairns City and walked to Woolworths to do some shopping . Tuesday mid- morning, i visited the Aquarium ,which was not far from my accommodation . It is open from 10am to 3pm . The Aquarium opened in 2017, and is home to 15,000 species in 10 ecosystems. The rainforest, as well as the oceans /waterway displays, are presented well . I would give the Museum 10/10. .i had a late lunch at Dundees Restaurant, which is attached to the Aquarium .
On Wednesday i took Brett’s Kuranda and Outback Tours – Food and Wine Tour to the Atherton Tablelands. I was picked up at about 8am at Cascade Gardens , and we travelled up the Gillies Highway. Breakfast at Gillies Café , and then to sample various flavours from Australian native superfood , which is grown on regenerative plantations . In the Rainforest Bounty brochure are listed ooray plum , lemon aspen , Cape York lilly pilly and boonjie tomarind. All are high in anti oxidants. Email info @ rainforestbounty.com .au .
Throughout the day, we passed some old Army huts, which were evidence from the Australians and Americans , who were based in the Tableland during World War 2.
Then, on to the Platypus Farm for lunch and a wine tasting . I declined the kangaroo on a skewer and the crocodile in a roll . We did not see a platypus surface -perhaps a glimpse of one. After lunch, we travelled the wonderful Gallo Cheese Centre in Atherton. We were presented with a cheese platter between 4 people . The macadamia cheese was popular in my group. There were also wonderful chocolates for sale.
Then , on to a Boutique Distillery, Mt Uncle which made gin and whiskey. Afternoon tea , which was gelato followed. Then, a quick call in to The Humpy, established in 1969 to taste some North Queensland fruit .
We all had a great day and were suitably full. I arrived back at my accommodation after 5pm, and was feeling tired. i would recommend this tour to anyone who wants to do something different . The Atherton Tableland has rich soil and is a food bowl for so much wonderful produce .
Thursday, was my Green Island tour. I had walked to the Reef Terminal to check in for the 1030am departure of the catamaran to Green Island. I chose to return to Cairns on the 430pm boat . Whilst at Green Island , i did a half hour tour in a glass bottomed boat . Sadly, there was no coral to see as the coral around Green Island is in fact dead ; we saw different sized fish .
I was last on Green Island with Harold, prior to it having a Resort, which opened in 1994. This was most likely in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s period. The coral was then alive and well around Green Island. This particular day a British Naval Destroyer , en route to Sydney for exercises, stopped by , and the sailors were tendered into Green Island . Harold went to the end of the wharf and called out ‘any Yorkies on board . Lads follow me to the pub .” A typical Yorkshireman!. I was decamped for some time to the beach to talk to some American ladies.
Green island was named by Captain James Cook on June 10 1770 after Charles Green , his Chief Observer and Astronomer on the HMS Endeavour.
Friday morning, at 730am i left with John , the tour guide on the Cape Tribulation Daintree Rainforest Tour and the other 26 people on the tour. Stop one was Mossman Gorge to eat breakfast at the café at the Information Centre. Then we went to a Welcome Ceremony with the Kuku Yalanji people . After the ceremony , walked on the boardwalk to Mossman Gorge where you could swim if you wished .
Then ,, back on the bus and off to the Daintree River for a river cruise. We saw a young crocodile showing his pearly whites whilst resting on a tree trunk and a 5 metre one lying peacefully on the river bank. Lunch at Cape Tribulation was next . This was followed by a rainforest walk -the Murrdja Boardwalk, where the rainforest meets the sea. Then on to the beach to photograph Cape Tribulation.
Cape Tribulation , 3 hours north of Cairns was named by Captain James Cook in 1770 . He was the first European to discover the area. Whilst sailing through the Great Barrier Reef the Endeavour crashed into coral , damaging the Endeavour . Cook named the area Cape Tribulation, as this is where his troubles began .
We then stopped at Alexandra Range lookout ,a spectacular vantage point overlooking the mouth of the mighty Daintree River, along the coastline and to the Coral Sea. Again, gelato at the Daintree Ice Cream Company before taking the cable ferry which is used to cross the Daintree River. A fee is charged to cross on the cable ferry.
Port Douglas was our next stop for half an hour . The restaurants and pubs were very busy at 6pm Friday night . It was most likely all those visitors from down south that were keeping them very busy ! I arrived back at my accommodation at 730pm – exhausted after a fascinating day.
Saturday morning, i was picked up at 1030am for the 11am departure on the Skyrail . Skyrail was commenced in June 1994 and opened to the public in August 31 1995. It is owned and operated by a Cairns family . It is 7,.5 kms long and has 114 gondola cabins. There are are 32 towers of which the highest is 40.5m . The highest point is Red Peak Station at 545m above sea level. Skyrail can carry 700 passengers per hour in each direction .
It takes approximately 45 minutes to reach Kuranda by Skyrail. You can stop at Red Peak and Barron Falls Station . The 6 people in my capsule on the Skyrail opted for the Barron Falls stop. And then, we were back on the Skyrail, for a short distance to Kuranda . The journey takes you over the top of the rainforest, which is spectacular.
One of the ladies, Lorraine who was from Bendigo , Victoria was by herself ,so we spent the afternoon in Karunda together . Lunch in the pub was followed by a look at the shops, and a visit to the Butterfly Farm . There were stunning coloured butterflies flying around and many displays of butterflies from around the world .
The delightful old train departed Karunda at 330pm for Cairns. I did a quick shop at the lovely Shopping Centre near Cairns Station , and Lorraine and i shared a taxi back to our accommodation, as we were both exhausted . i had to pack Saturday night for my Sunday afternoon departure. The week had flown on by too quickly.
It was almost a full plane on the return flight to Sydney . QF 923 departure was at 155pm, and the female Captain navigated the Qantas Airbus –A 330 down the Australian coast and into Sydney ahead of time . I sat next to a Macquarie University academic , who had attended an international conference in Port Douglas on reading . We had an interesting conversation.
There were so many Victorians holidaying in Cairns, and elsewhere in North Queensland , to escape the cold weather at home. I met people from Sydney , Canberra , Adelaide as well as overseas visitors. I heard many different languages being spoken in Cairns , so international tourism was alive and well in Cairns.
One couple from Adelaide had taken 2 months to drive to Cairns, and they were travelling to Cooktown before returning to Adelaide . Another elderly couple were flying in a 4 seater plane up to Cooktown, and then to the top of Australia for a few days. Some travellers in Cairns were flying South to the Gold Coast for a stay .
My last visit to Cairns was in mid – 1996 with Mr Col Murray and Years 11 and 12 Geography for an almost week long Geography excursion . We had a great week . i recalled our week whilst there recently , and find it hard to believe that Col passed away in August 2016. I am told that a former St Georgian, and her family own Daintree Siesta in the Daintree, Cape Tribulation .
On this visit, i had flown on the Australia Post mail run up to Cape York . We landed in Sue island in Torres Strait. This was an exciting experience to fly over the top of Australia and to fly over the northern part of Queensland . Unfortunately this flight does not operate today.
My next trip to Cairns will include a visit to the Torres Strat Islands on a multi-day tour . A tour company , Strait Experience launched in June 2023. The Mer Group (Murray Islands )are the home of Native Title in Australia.
July 29 2023
