(name pronounced CANS), is Australia's second most visited destination after
Sydney, but as I found out quickly, this is not because of the city, but
because of all the things you can do in it's general area. These activities
include horseback riding, scenic train rides, canoeing, bungee jumping,
white-water rafting, skydiving, and most of all, trips to the Great Barrier
Reef.
Cairns, the city itself, is really a dreadful place. I am not a big fan
of beach resorts as a rule, but this is way beyond tacky. The town is full
of shady looking hostels, souvenir shops, tour booking offices, swimwear
shops, money exchanging facilities, and internet shops. There are almost no
sights worth visiting in the city center, and not a single redeeming beach
within 6 miles of Cairns. It's waterfront looks polluted and ugly, and you
couldn't swim there anyway because of the saltwater crocodiles and
jellyfish. It's main sights are a casino, three separate markets, which were
all overpriced and lame, and an expensive but decent aquarium. If you are
getting the impression I really hated this place, you are getting the
correct impression. It was awful.
Fortunately, I was starting my East Coast tour, and the hotel I stayed in
was called the Cairns Colonial Resort, and it was certainly nicer than the
hostels and hotels I had been staying in. It had two restaurants, 4 pools
(one with a swim up bar), 3 bars, a nightclub, and just about everything
else one could want from a resort. After being in such meager lodgings
before, I will admit I felt a little out of place here.
Since I didn't like Cairns, I took advantage of the activities in the
area. On day one of the tour, we went to the town of Kuranda, in an area of
lush rainforest known as the Atherton Tablelands. Kuranda can be reached by
a 90 minute scenic train, or by the hour long Skyway Cable car. We chose the
cable car, as it took us up and above the rainforest and provided a bird's
eye view of the surrounding area, including Cairns and the coast. Kuranda is
a town of 700 known for it's weekend markets, but these have become so
touristy that the locals complain that they have lost their charm. I
couldn't agree more, but the town was still cute.
River, one hour south of Cairns. On most days, this would have been a really
cool thing to do, and I enjoyed it for the most part. The river was a class
four (on a scale of six) so it was pretty demanding. The rafting part was
fun, but there were large biting flies in numbers so large that by the end
of the six hour trip, almost all my fellow rafters and I could remember was
the flies. I had so many bites on my face, my right eye had completely
swollen shut. Lovely. Too make up for that, I went out that night to a
bar/nightclub in Cairns called The Woolshed and got blind in the other eye.
The most spectacular thing in Northern Queensland is, of course, the
Great Barrier Reef. The Reef stretches over 1,200 miles from north to south,
covering an area of over 125,000 square miles in space. Inside that area are
over 3,000 individual reefs and 1,000 small islands. The first white man to
see the reef was Capitan James Cook, who also discovered most of Australia's
east coast for Britain in 1770. So unaccustomed to coral reefs, the great
captain almost destroyed his ship, The Endeavor, on the reef, a move which
probably would have lead to Australia being undiscovered for a number of
years more, or being colonized by the French. The Reef is now protected,
after being declared a World Heritage Area in 1981. Even with these
protections, the reef has experienced a great deal of damage from fishing
and irresponsible tourism. There is a saying on the reef, Take only pictures
and memories, and while this seems like common sense, there are a lot of
people who still take parts of the reef as souvenirs.
The GBR is home to over 15,000 forms of life, which includes fish,
coral, mollusks, turtles, sharks, dolphins, whales, rays, jellyfish,
octopus, eels, crabs, lobsters, and shrimp. A great deal of these creatures
are very bizarre looking and can only be found in this area. The colors
below the surface are so diverse and magnificent that the whole area looks
like something out of a dream.
bus one hour north of Cairns to the town of Port Douglas, where we boarded a
vessel from the Quicksilver company and headed out. One mistake people often
make with the reef is thinking that it is just of shore from mainland
Australia. Our boat, one of the fastest out to the reef, took an hour and a
half. No part of the mainland is visible from the pontoon where our boat
docked. The trip included free snorkeling equipment, and underwater viewing
platform, lunch, and a ride on a small submersible boat with a marine
biologist providing commentary.
I like the platform, and the boat ride and
commentary were fascinating,
although as my pictures prove, without a professional underwater camera,
photographing the reef is nearly impossible.
Then there was my attempt at snorkeling, or should I say my attempt at
drowning. I have snorkeled before, but never so far away from land, and
never in such a unique place. The first two times I went in, the
adventure
lasted less than 5 minutes, and ended with me swimming back to the
platform
chocking on massive amounts of saltwater. I was disturbed and almost
ready
to give up. After some recovery time, and a little food, I was ready to
try
it once more. This time, after dumping the stupid feet fins they made me
where, I got more comfortable and actually spent a half hour or so
swimming
around a viewing this amazing ecosystem. I was sure glad I tried it a
third
time.