The first part of the trip is made over the rainforest canopy by cable car....indeed one of the longest , if not the longest cable car system in the world. On the way up we had panoramic views of Cairns whilst skimming over the impenetrable jungle below. Then, at the first changeover point, there was a mechanical problem and we were stuck for around 40 minutes while it was fixed. It was just as well that we had our feet on solid ground and that we were not dangling hundreds of feet up, and Aussies being Aussies, everyone had a good chat and put the world to rights whilst waiting.
Eventually we got going again, climbing ever higher over the canopy until we reached the village of Kuranda. We could have spent a few hours here but it is a tourist trap and there are only so many cultural centres and local art galleries that you can see in the course of a week. We had a quick look around and had some lunch before making our way towards the railway station for the journey back to Cairns.
It was at this point that we had our second problem of the day. I guess that the clue is in the words "tropical rain forest", but it started to rain, and rain, and then rain even more. Luckily we had come prepared with umbrellas but they were hardly effective against the deluge but we made it to the train rather damp, and on time.
The Kuranda Scenic Railway is another one of those great little rail journeys. It was originally built in the late 1800's against all odds because of the heat, jungle and steep terrain, for the gold prospectors. It then became of huge strategic importance during WW2 as a supply line in the Pacific theatre. Typically the rain stopped not long after we got started on the 37km ride back and this meant that we could get some great views of the mountains, ravines, bridges and waterfalls along the way.
To end the day we stood on our balcony and watched the fabulous bat flayaway at dusk. It really does have to be seen to be believed. We then had dinner at one of the many boardwalk restaurants, and for one the shoe was on the other foot as we were the ones ashore watching whilst the Sun Princess sailed serenely out of the harbour.
As for Cairns itself, there is not too much to say about the town. It is much larger than I had expected, not really high rise, but it is spreading laterally. Obviously it is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest and thrives on tourism. There is a huge Asian influence with lots of Asian cuisine and all the menus and notices are written in Cantonese, Korean and Japanese as well as English. If you took the hostels, Chinese restaurants and a tour offices out of Cairns there would not be much of a town left.
So I am now writing this note as we fly out of Cairns towards our next stop, Sydney, waving goodbye to Queensland and the turquoise waters of the Reef 30,000 feet below.
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