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Cairns (inc. Karunda)
Entry 60 of 88 | show all | print this entry |
Wednesday October 13th - Day 169
The nine hour long bus journey along the Bruce Highway to Cairns was pretty much uneventful. Rene watched a low quality Steve Irwin film called 'The crocodle hunter' and I was trying to catch up with the journal.
We'd pre-booked a couple of nights accomodation at a caravan park, and the greyhound bus drove right past it on our way into Cairns. But not being allowed to stop until the final destination, we had to take a taxi back out.
Dark on arrival in Cairns, we presumed the Coconut caravan resort was fairly large as we were transported to our cabin in a golf buggy and gien a map.
We navigated our way out and stretched our legs walking to the nearby supermarket where we stocked up on food.
Expenses (A$2.5/pound): Accom 71.10, bfast 4.30, lunch 3.80, taxi 13.20, supermarket 41.80
Thursday October 14th - Day 170
Daylight reveals the Coconut caravan resort to be huge. It's more like a vilage, with tarmac roads, a shop and tropically landscaped gardens. Its 28 acres contains hundreds of tasteful pre fab cabins of varying size and price.
Everyone turns up for the free pancake breakfast and even though we'd rather have our teeth pulled than wear the sticky badges we're given displaying our names and where we are from, it's free pancakes.
Rene signs up for tomorrows aqua aerobics class and I was sorely tempted by the Bavarian dance classes on the basketball court.
For us, Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, but the weather here sn't brilliant for snorkelling at the moment, with a strong wind blowing and we learn we may have to sit tight for a few days. It'll be tough.
Our cabin is spacious and clean and well equipped with good shower, kitchen, and a small TV. The park is 7m from the ciy centre, but they provide a free shutle bus 3 times a day.
So with the kettle fired up and a fridge containing a box of wine and mini mars it was a lazy tropical day.
Expenses: Laundry 4.60, internet 12, wine 13, accom 71.10
Friday Octoer 15th - Day 171
See yesterdays last paragraph. I've got a bit of a chest infection so it was another day of taking it easy.
Expenses: Accom 71.10, post 3.30, internet 6, supermarket 46.20
Saturday October 16th - Day 172
The settlement of Cairns was first established in 1876 as the port for the newly established Hodgkinson Goldfield and later chosen as the starting point for a railway line giving access to the Aherton Tableland.
Being avid trainspotters we decided to take this scenic railway up to the village of Kuranda. It was a very pleasant trip up through the steep and winding Barron Gorge, and it was some incredible feat of engineering to complete the 34km long rack which climbs over 300 metres, and contains 15 tunnels. All done with picks and shovels back in the 1880's.
It was raining when we arrived at Kuranda which is advertisd everywhere as the 'the village n the rainforest'. What all the gumpf doesn't tell you is that Kuranda is one big tourist trap, with a thousand shops selling tourist tat. We hated it and left as quick as we could on the superb Skyrail.
The skyrail rainforest cableway runs between Kuranda and the Caravonica Terminal which is 14km outside Cairns. It travels 7.5km just above the canopy of pristine tropical rainforest, which is part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage area.
To be sat in a gondola skimming along above the treetops of a 120 million year old rainforest was amazing and bizarre. Taking a year to construct, the cableway was completed in 1995 and to avoid disturbance to the forest all the towers were lifted into place by helicopter.
From start to finish skyrail takes about 45 minutes but there are a couple of stopping off points with various viewing platforms over Barron Gorge and a rainforest interpretive centre.
As we reached Red Peak Station, the highest point on the cableway at 545 metres, the mist had descended and the rain was pouring. Twenty minutes later, following a very steep final descent, we arrived at the Caravonica terminal in bright sunshine.
To leave the terminal we had to pass through another shop area over flowing with Chinese manufactured didgeridoos and cuddly koalas.
The bus driver was waiting out front, dresed in what seems to be standard uniform for bus drivers, whatever their size or shape. Sky blue cotton shirt, dark blue (finishing right at the top of the thigh) coton shorts, some form of ankle boot and finally socks that are pulled right up to the knee and turned over. It's not a good look.
Back at camp we did our good deed for the day and helped an elderly couple with their shopping bags. Walking with them back to their cabin we discovered they'd been living at the park for 15 years and that there were about 20 'permanents' on site, as they called themselves. Mrs over 80 divulged a lot of information in a fairly short walk, she seemed delighted to have a fresh face to talk to. Mr over 80, probably due to 60 years of not gettng a word in, seemed to have lost the ability to speak and walked on ahead in silence.
They weer nice people and our thoughts turned to our grandparents back home, so a big hello and how yer doin to Emmy, Dorothy, Win and Eric, who being eternal have a combined age of 356.
Expenses: Accom 71.10, intet 2, Karunda 174, photos 1.60, groceries 4.75
Sunday October 17th - Day 173
Still not feeling great so we didn't bother with our trip to Cape Tribulation and had a day of R and R.
Rene exhausted herself with an aqua aerobics class and I didn't.
Expenses: Acom 71.10. post 3.30, supermarket 10.35, internet 2.
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