Cairns 25 September 2013

 

View from gondola at the peak

Our first full day of proper sightseeing and we are both exhausted. I think it must be a combination of the heat and delayed jet lag. For the past three days we have yawned constantly and, if we sat down, simply nodded off. Thankfully, we don't have to do anything if we choose. Despite the lethargy we made an early start today and took the Skyrail cable lift trip from Caravonica to Kuranda, a former mining town in the tropical Barron River National Park that is now a thriving tourist honey pot. My vertigo remained under control and the views as the gondola traversed the Barron River gorge were fantastic.

 

View of underwhelming waterfalls blocked by
these two, both in need of a loo stop.

 

 The region is nearing the end of its dry season so the river and falls were somewhat underwhelming but the fun of being in the air more than compensated. At one point we travelled with a pair of pasty, nervous Americans who were clearly not enjoying the experience of swinging in a small cable car 200 metres over the gorge. Apologies to my American friends but I did feel smug. The cable car stopped twice enabling us to explore boardwalks built into the forest canopy.

 

 

 

 

 

Gondola crossing Barron River as it
descends to Kuranda.

Kuranda itself was disappointing. It's marketed as an historic village but is really nothing more than a collection of cafes, restaurants and arty gift shops. We haven't yet adjusted to the Aussies regarding anything older than the 1930s as historic. And it's all the more bizarre when you see shops filled with appallingly tacky tourist items which, according to one remarkably honest stall owner, were all made in China or Thailand. Ho hum. We could have gone walkabout in the rainforest but our return journey back down the gorge on the scenic railway was timed so we didn't have time, sadly.

 

Narrow gauge railway crossing one of the
smaller bridges to span the Barron Gorge

According to the local Djabugay people, the Barron River gorge was carved by the powerful rainbow serpent Gudji Gudji, a wet season creator, who visits the gorge in the form of Buda Dji, the Carpet Snake. And our train certainly looked like this as it wound its way back down the opposite edge of the gorge, taking twice as long as the cable car to complete the same journey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Huntsman came calling

Fiona learnt three things today. Firstly, those clouds of huge birds circling over Cairns at dusk are not birds, they're giant fruit bats. Secondly, she doesn't see spiders in the shower even when they hang just over her head. Which perhaps is a good thing as a huntsman came calling today, 5 inches in diameter and looking for all the world like he eats crocs for breakfast. Mercifully he wasn't as big as the one she met in Sri Lanka in January. Still, we needed the help of the courageous Tania (our host) with her patented spider catcher (veg colander and postcard) to return the visitor to a banana tree in the garden. Finally, colonies of giant ants like to make nests in cars. Something is telling me that there might be a bit of squealing on this trip.



You too can sit here, my
favourite part of Kuranda