Australia: Cairns and around 16-22 September Part 1

After arriving in Cairns late on Wednesday evening, I was soon asleep in the hostel.

Thursday 17th September
Awake at 0605, awoken only a couple of times by people in the corridor (favourite comment: 'My Dad's a millionaire!') but a good nights sleep. Out at 0830, walk down the esplanade, tide in - a few pictures of wildlife, and there are volleyball courts, free to all. One very slightly embarassing moment in a shop when I couldn't work out that coinage was what. And then, still suffering slightly from jet lag it seems, I fall asleep at about 1330 and wake up at 1600! After booking a trip for tomorrow I move to the Lagoon - a free place to swim since there is no real beach here to speak of - unfortunately just after the sun had set, but still enjoyable. Then a trip to the Rhino Bar for my free meal, courtesy of the hostel - Spagetti Bolognese. Passable, but free! Highlights of the Magners League are on a big screen in a place too rowdy for my tastes. Getting old? Never! Lovely temperature in the evening, sit out.

Friday 18th September
Out at 8 and went to Rusty's Market, an open area with dozens of stalls all selling fresh produce, emitting some lovely smells. Purchased 3 peaches and a pinapple (which, alas, I never got around to eating). Booked a trip to go the Great Barrier Reef - amazing how quick and easy it was to part with $310. But, got to be done! (For one reason only, as to be revealed later.)
Waited then for my bus to pick me up for my visit to Kuranda, a town in the middle of the rainforest. After various pick ups around Cairns, a smallish town akin to half of Swindon, we proceeded to the SkyRail station, about 15 minutes outside of Cairns. In little pods you were carried up and over the rain forest, with two stop offs on the way to witness the forest in action. Then the last little trip over to Kuranda. Simple, no. The pod, of which I was the only occupant as I got stuck between two family groups, stopped high. Since I had been told it would stop for a couple of minutes I wasn't too worried. 5 minutes became 10, became 20. In all I spent an hour just dangling over the rainforest with just a Rob Shearman and Nick Briggs podcast for company.

Eventually I reached Karunda and began to explore for 2 hours. It felt like a very old-fashioned American town (not the first time I would feel this) with plenty of shops and places to eat, all in the thrall of the jungle. Had a pie from 'Annabels' - $4.10 for steak and bacon, very tasty. Then a walk along by the river - could have taken a boat trip but decided against it - and then through the forest. No insects or anything of note, just one red-headed bird crossing the path (later found to be a turkey - and the story goes that to cook it you take two stones, put the bird and the stones in the oven for three hours then eat the stones, as the meat on the turkey is so tough as to be inedible). Having felt the very real potential of getting lost and missing the returning train, I jog pack to the station, where a very grumpy attendant swapped my tour token for a ticket. It was a lovely, old-fashioned train, a reddy-brown in colour, and it felt like I could be in the 1800s. It took us back through the hills towards Cairns, with an occasional commentary on the history of the line. It took an hour and forty-five minutes - in early years it would take four and a half hours.

Saturday 19th October

Awake as usual not long after six, to be greeted shortly after by a splendidly received text - Sale 12 Bath 25! After the first peach I had yesterday was not quite ripe, the second this morning was gorgeous. Based on the temperature at 0830 it was going to be a scorcher! Another trip to Rusty's market with a girl from the hostel, and she purchased a local fruit, which smelt a bit like peach, but its taste was sour and left a dark stain on your fingers! From there we went to the Cairns museum ($5 entry) and a relatively small building. It was brought to life by a gent called Cliff, a guide who said to us "if you have a free twenty minutes I'll talk you round." An hour and forty five minutes later we left! Really knew his stuff and took photos of us with crocodile heads, sharks mouths and fish teeth, as well as in a tiny plane - for which he gave us a pilots licence! Learnt lots about phones and fridges, planes and dentists. All this and he looked a little like Rolf Harris! The afternoon was laid back and I went for a swim in the Lagoon, though I would hardly call what I was doing swimming - floating aimlessly with the odd muscle stretch would define it better! - for about half an hour.

Next time: The Great Barrier Reef, seasickness and the Atherton Tablelands.