TR - A Week in Cairns

[zanzibar138]

Welcome to my Cairns TR! This will just be a short and sweet one, so that I can get started on my RunDisney TR.

Participants on this trip were me and DH, and SIL and her DH.

 

[zanzibar138]

Day 1: Arrival

We arrived mid-afternoon and made our way to our hotel. Unfortunately they put us in the wrong room type to start (we had booked a loft room with spa), but it didn’t take long to get fixed.





We spent the remainder of the afternoon wandering around the vicinity of the hotel, and found a tourist information centre where we booked our reef trip and planned some other activities. They gave us vouchers for dinner - $7 meal and drink at an Irish pub – which we used that night.

 

[zanzibar138]

Day 2: Road Trip to Cape Tribulation

DH and I started the day before dawn with a 16km run along the Esplanade, down towards the airport and along the mangrove boardwalk, through the botanic gardens, and back down along a little creek trail. We met SIL and her DH at breakfast, and then headed out on our drive.





It was a long drive, and it took a good couple of hours to reach the Daintree river crossing. I think it was about $25 for a return trip on the car ferry. There were restrooms you could use while waiting for the ferry, and we just took in the views of the river. It wasn’t a long wait. It was quite a full ferry, and we got stuck behind some slow drivers on the other side. There was a lookout point about 5 minutes into the drive. It was a nice lookout, but be aware that *everyone* from the car ferry will stop there. I’d recommend leaving it until on the way back if you’re not in the first few or last few cars, to avoid the crowds.





After a nice lunch stop, we continued on to the end of the sealed road. On our way back, we stopped at three short walks. They were all nice easy walks, mostly on boardwalks. We had a few wildlife sightings, including a croc, which went back under the water before I could get a photo. There were also a couple of detours to some nice beach scenery.















Our last stop in the Daintree area was at an ice-cream place recommended by the tourist information centre. It was exotic tropical fruit flavoured ice-cream, but you couldn’t choose the flavours – you could just buy a pre-scooped selection of each of the 4 flavours of the day. Some were nicer than others.





It was pretty late when we got back to Cairns, but we did manage one last stop at a lookout on the coast.

 

[zanzibar138]

Day 3: Kuranda

Since we had a car, we did the self-drive option to Kuranda. We decided to start with the Skyrail and return by train. It was a reasonably expensive activity, but worth the trip.

The Skyrail terminal is a short drive north from Cairns. If you have pre-purchased tickets, you can go to a self check-in kiosk and save heaps of time lining up. There was only a short line to actually board, so it was a nice quick procedure. They say to allow an hour and a half for the Skyrail, but it’s not all at once. It’s in 3 sections, with 2 stations along the way where there are short walks. Both stations also have restrooms. There was a long wait to get back on at the first station, but the second one wasn’t too bad.











Kuranda itself is a cute little rainforest town with plenty of shops and restaurants (and ice-cream). There are also a few short walks you can do. After a nice lunch at one of the pubs, we returned to the train station via the rainforest walk, and along the river. There were some short hilly sections, but it was a fairly easy walk for the most part.











The train station at Kuranda is quite big, and has restrooms too. There’s also a shop where you can buy snacks/drinks for the journey. It was quite a long way, about an hour and a half I think. There is plenty to see along the way though, and it goes quite quick. They provide commentary as you go, and actually slow the train down for photo opportunities.













For the self-drive option, you get off at the station before Cairns, where there is a shuttle bus that takes you back to the Skyrail station. It was a bit chaotic, but they had everyone on buses and on their way surprisingly quickly! Then it was just the short drive back into Cairns from the Skyrail terminal.

 

[zanzibar138]

Day 4: Reef Tour

We opted for the reef tour that visited Green Island and the outer reef. Because I’m not a big swimmer, we thought it might be nicer for me not to be stuck out at sea all day.

It was quite an early morning, and the cruise terminal was chaotic. We waited in line for about half an hour to check in. Despite this, it seemed that we were on the early side, and managed to get some great seats for the trip to Green Island. The trip took about an hour, and actually went quite quickly. There is land visible for the whole trip and some nice scenery.







At Green Island, snorkelling was included, so we went to the dive shop to get our supplies. Life vests were available for an extra fee. The snorkelling at Green Island is just off the beach. There is one beach that they recommend you use, but it gets quite crowded. There are life guards there, and flotation aids a little way out. We saw a few rather drab fish there, and a bit of bleached coral, but nothing really exciting. My mask kept fogging up, swimming was really hard work, and I wasn’t enjoying it much at all. Once I had given up on the snorkelling, the rest of my group went to a different beach (swim at your own risk style), and saw some sea turtles.





There are plenty of other activities available at Green Island (most for an extra fee of course). I decided to take a walk around the island (it’s tiny, and the walk only takes an hour at a leisurely pace with plenty of photo stops). There is a path for the first half, and the second half just follows a rocky beach. It was a nice walk, but again, nothing spectacular. Green Island in general was disappointing for me, and I would recommend just going straight to the outer reef.





The trip from Green Island to the outer reef took another hour or so. We were one of the last groups on board this time around, and got stuck with pretty bad seats. This trip was definitely mid-ocean, with not much land around, and I struggled with sea-sickness. On this part of the trip, they provided a small piece of cake for morning tea, and the bar was open for snack/drink purchases.



The pontoon at the outer reef was large, but still got pretty crowded with all the people from the boat. There didn’t seem to be enough tables for everyone. Lunch was served here, and there was a variety of activities you could do. Snorkelling was included, as was the semi-sub ride. We started with lunch, then did our semi-sub ride before doing some snorkelling. The snorkelling here was much better, and I actually quite enjoyed it. Life vests were provided, which made swimming easy, and they also provided a spray for the masks which prevented them from fogging up. There was a platform where you could put on your flippers, which was much easier than trying to do it on the beach! And the ocean life was much more colourful and worth seeing.













The trip back to Cairns included a detour back to Green Island, so it took the full 2 hours. This time we were one of the first groups onto the boat so we could get the good seats again, and I found the trip back much more enjoyable. We got back fairly late and picked up a pizza on our way back to the hotel.

 

[zanzibar138]

Day 5: Road Trip to Atherton Tablelands

This was another long, but enjoyable day. We drove to the Tablelands via Lake Barrine (thanks AussieWendy!). There was a decent section of winding roads where I got a little car sick, but other than that it was fairly easy driving.





At Lake Barrine we did the wildlife cruise. Although we didn’t see a whole heap of wildlife, it was an enjoyable cruise around the lake, with some nice scenery. After the cruise we had Devonshire tea at the tea house. It wasn’t the nicest Devonshire tea I’ve had – the scones were served with the jam and cream already on top (I’m used to them coming out with the jam and cream on the side, and you put on whatever combination you like), and the cream was that canned stuff. Still, you can’t go too wrong with Devonshire tea – it was still yummy!





We decided we wouldn’t have time to do both the Cathedral Fig and the Curtain Fig, so we chose to do the Curtain Fig since it was the shortest detour. It was a pretty amazing side trip, and I would recommend it if you’re in the area.



We also stopped at Tarzali Lakes, which was kind of like a fishing spot/platypus sanctuary. For $5 each, we could spend as long as we wanted at the platypus area, and we could even come back another day if we wanted. We were given strict instructions to not scare the platypus. We had to keep talking, and we were supposed to get our cameras out slowly (something to do with the magnetic field). Also, no umbrellas! We were at the lake for about half an hour before we had any real platypus sightings. They definitely are timid. It was totally worth our patience though!





Our next stop was Millaa Millaa falls. It was a nice easy walk to the falls, and you could go swimming if you wanted. There was a tour group finishing up when we arrived. We decided to go back to the tea rooms on the corner for lunch, instead of continuing around the waterfall circuit. It was a nice lunch, and from the deck we could see a newborn calf taking its first few steps. We decided to only visit one more waterfall, so we stuck with one closest to the other end of the waterfall circuit. It was a bit more of a hike down to that one (and back up again of course!), but it was very pretty.







Our last stop was Paronella Park. It’s kind of a ruin of a Spanish castle that someone built for his wife who was homesick. It was $42 *each* for entry. You start off with a brief tour/overview of the site, then you get left to explore on your own. Bits of it was interesting, and there were some nice photo opportunities, but I couldn’t help feeling bitter at having paid so much to get in. We also did the hydro tour (at no extra cost, but you have to sign a waiver as it’s a ‘hazardous’ trip). There is also a night time tour for no extra cost, but it was a 90 minute tour and we were still a long way from Cairns, so we decided not to take part. If you spent all day there, did all the tours, and maybe brought a picnic lunch or something, it would still be expensive, but perhaps not sting so much. You can actually see bits of the castle from the public park outside.















We were all tired and just wanted to get back, so we stopped for fast food on the way, and were pleased to arrive back at the hotel.

 

[zanzibar138]

Day 6: Scenic Flight

Today was a fairly relaxed day. DH and I didn’t really do anything apart from the scenic flight at lunch time. Since we had booked so late (only a couple of days before), there was only the mid day flight left. It worked out well though since it ended up being a private flight.

The scenic flight was definitely a splurge. SIL wanted to do it for her birthday. She chose the most expensive one (of course), which did a full loop out over the reef then back over the rainforest and coast. I seriously considered not going due to the cost, but was glad that I went in the end.

The flight company sent a minibus to pick us up at the hotel. When we arrived at the office, we were checked in and had an opportunity to use the restrooms before the flight. We were able to leave our bags in the (locked) office. Our pilot escorted us to our little 6 seater plane out on the tarmac. There was a bit of a rush to get strapped in and get going, as he had to meet his take off schedule (being an international airport!). I asked the pilot where I should sit to lessen my air-sickness, and he suggested the front seat, so I got strapped in as the co-pilot lol!





We had beautiful clear skies for the take off and over the reef. The pilot provided a bit of a commentary about the various points of interest along the way. Heading back towards land, he got me to steer the plane for a couple of minutes – that was pretty cool! There was a bit of turbulence over the hills, but it smoothed out nicely again when we headed back to the coast. DH’s highlight was when we landed – there was a Qantas flight waiting for us to land before they could take off lol!



















SIL and her DH went for a drive afterwards, but DH and I just stayed at the hotel, relaxed, and got organised for our trip home the next day.

 

[zanzibar138]

Day 7: Departure Day

We had a morning flight, so didn’t have too much time to spare. We did make a quick stop at the mangrove boardwalk on the way to the airport.



Overall I was pleasantly surprised by Cairns. The city itself had some great features (just love the Esplanade area), and it was a good base for seeing the many sights in the area. We ended up running out of time to see everything, and now need to go back lol!

Well, that's it for my super short Cairns TR! Thanks for reading along.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Finally caught up months later. Sounded like a nice short break and useful info there for others. I am still bummed my old fashioned Devonshire Tea has gone the way of the dodo! I think we might have to stretch for a scenic flight next visit as well. If you ever go back go out to the Undarra lava Tubes - like walking in giant worm holes under the desert - lots of fun (though given the bum steer I gave you this hols I am wary of recommendations these days! Lets say when we went we thought it was great.)

 

[zanzibar138]

Finally caught up months later. Sounded like a nice short break and useful info there for others. I am still bummed my old fashioned Devonshire Tea has gone the way of the dodo! I think we might have to stretch for a scenic flight next visit as well. If you ever go back go out to the Undarra lava Tubes - like walking in giant worm holes under the desert - lots of fun (though given the bum steer I gave you this hols I am wary of recommendations these days! Lets say when we went we thought it was great.)

I really wanted to do the lava tubes Wendy, but it said it was a 3 hour drive away! Since it was supposed to be a nice relaxed trip and we already had so many other big day trips, we decided it would be too much to try and fit that in too

Don't feel bad about the advice you gave us! Lake Barrine was very nice

 

[Marlea98]

I've been to Paronella Park a few times and the ticket includes free camping for the night if you have a tent or van or whatever plus you can get a free return visit within 12 months. It has changed a lot over the years since I first went there in the early 90s. The hydro part, where you walk down the steep steps to the water to feed the turtles etc often floods in the wet and it was recently closed off as crocodiles were spotted in the water. I think it is a beautiful testimonial to one man's hard work and devotion to his wife

Millaa Millaa Falls has the occasional croc spotted there, too.

My tips for anyone visiting that way - include Gallo Dairy and Mareeba on your itinerary. Skip Kuranda as it's an overpriced tourist trap (but do the Skyrail and train if you must) and be careful along the Cairns esplanade as the homeless/drunk population can be an issue. DO NOT give them money or smokes or anything they ask for and give them a very wide berth. If you want to venture further afield make an effort to visit Atherton and Herberton, too.