After a week in Sydney we hired a car and decided to go up along the eastern shore to Cairns. It was a long, 4 day trip but it was well worth the mild discomfort. The countryside along the way wasn’t very varied, mainly eucalyptus forests lined the road, mostly with signs of recent bushfires. As it turned out it is a very frequent occurrence and even commercial radio channels often remind residents of necessary precautions.
The tropical heat was a welcome change for all of us. The morning of our first day in Cairns greeted us with a 34C temperature. Not wasting our time we booked a Great Barrier Reef trip in a couple of days. The journey included a catamaran ride to the reef 40 km-s off the coast, to an artificial platform, where we could go to snorkel the surrounding waters, use the glass-bottom boat and a semisubmersible to sail out a bit further and look around in the immediate vicinity from the underwater observation deck of the platform. For extra money one could go scuba diving or for a helicopter ride over the Reef.
Pre-dive preparations of the lycra squad
The sights were awesome, with incredibly rich marine life. I saw a Grey Reefshark but missed the photo opportunity with the resident Maori Wrasse, called Wallie, which is a massive blue fish, about 40-50kg and can be cuddled and stroked All in all the experience was well worth the money.
We settled in well in Cairns, in a great little campsite, Palm Cove, north of town. The weather was really good all the way through, so spent most of our days swimming, which was only allowed in the fenced area as it was jellyfish season. These creatures can be dangerous as can the crocs which, apparently, were rather common in the vicinity.
Daniel started his fisherman career here as well. Didn’t catch anything but was quite happy to chill out on the pier and wet the line.
We met a lovely English expat family in the camp, Patrick, Georgina and their two children who were very friendly and helpful. Spent some time together and they told us about a few local secret attractions. If you are reading this blog, thanks for all and do visit us in Hungary!
On the second week we went to see and cuddle the koalas and kangaroos in the Cairns Zoo. The kids immediately decided that they want one of those at home! There were plenty of crocodiles and alligators too, along with a small show, which unlike the one in Thailand, was focusing mainly on the educational side of things.
We found Cairns to be a cool place, of course very touristy. We loved the large open swimming pool in the beachfront in the middle of the town! The shopping was great too.
A beach on the beach, the pool at the seafront
Nearly two weeks we spent in Cairns then headed back to Sydney. First we popped up a bit further north, following the advice of Pat and Georgie and indeed, the environment was amazing. We saw some of the real rainforest, beautiful swimming holes in the jungle and Cape Tribulation where the forest meets the ocean. It was fantastic.
The Blue Pool in the rainforest
The fence of the police station in a little town along the way
Then finally, while the weather turned rainy, we got down to Sydney. Still had two days til our flight, but we were lucky again. The customer service guy at Quantas changed our itinerary immediately on the airport and two hours later we were sitting on the plane to New Zealand!
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