Diary 10th - 15th December 2000 & Images
from my time in Cairns, Australia.

Sunday 10^th December

Rose 0745 had breakfast and made myself ready for today's event.
In 1886, the then Premier of Queensland Sir Samuel Griffith, used a silver spade to turn the first sod for the construction of the Cairns-Kuranda railway. The men tackled the jungle and mountains not with bulldozers, jackhammers and other modern equipment, but with strategy, fortitude, hand tools, dynamite, buckets and their bare hands. In 1891 the railway line was opened to passenger travel. I decided to experience the journey that had been made possible by the work of so many labourers in terrible conditions all those years ago.

The coach arrived and I was the only passenger to join from the Colonial Club. There were a couple of more stops to make and by the time the coach arrived at Freshwater Railway Station where the journey commences it was almost full.

Inside the Station concourse a large Christmas tree reminded us of the time of year.	Alongside the platform there is one of the original trains now used as a tearoom.	While waiting for the train to arrive I took a look around the Station and recorded the carriage logo.
The train pulled into the Station where by now there were many passengers waiting to board.	I watched the others board this very old-fashioned line of wooden carriages with external steps.	Once on board the train, I sat back to enjoy the spectacular views. We immediately passed through a cane field
and within minutes we were out in the open countryside.	Leaving out the window I could see many of the 14 carriages that made up the train as we rounded a bend.	The interior of carriages had the minimum of comfort and were sparsely furnished.
As I journeyed about 75 km into the interior we passed through 15 hand cut tunnels and many bridges like the one seen here built to carry the train over a gorge.	Winding ever upwards we were treated to the sight of many spectacular waterfalls.	Occasionally when there was not heavy trees and shrubbery beside the track we could see the distant vistas.
Sometimes it was very dark poor visibility	Whilst at others we could see the cloud hanging on the hillside and the terrain brightly lit below	the Barron River seen here running through the Valley is a deep brown colour as it carries some downstream during the monsoon season.
The track meanders around 93 curves and dozens of difficult bridges over ravines while travelling through rainforest and climbing to height of 327m. The train stops for a ten minute break at Barron Gorge to view the Falls which are now a trickle due to a damn but were once a spectacular roaring cascade of water.	An hour and a half after embarking I stepped out at Kuranda railway station which must be one of the most beautiful stations I have ever seen. The plaque erected for the Department of Transport Queensland Railways	Platforms are lined with hanging baskets and pots of plants.
Exotic tropical plants lending colour wherever one turns	I took the free bus service up to Kuranda market and had a leisurely stroll around the village. Chinese massage is popular in this part of Australia.	Before deciding to have lunch I stopped to visit in the boomerang maker. I was sitting on the pavement outside a restaurant having ordered marinated kangaroo and salad with a glass of red wine when Mario and Nicole approached. Having become acquainted on the diving course together we were pleased to meet again unexpectedly and they joined me for lunch.
After lunch I took the shuttle bus from the village to Rainforestation which is a ten minute journey.	I wanted to acquaint myself with an aboriginal experience. First I went for what was billed as a Dreamtime Walk.	The Pamagirri guide, Markula, explained the ancient aboriginal cultures and demonstrated how to make animal noises with the didgeridoo. The aboriginal was very experienced and made a variety of sounds with different lip and tongue movements as the blew air into the instrument. He asked if I wanted to try the didgeridoo but I declined
We then went to a specially netted area where he demonstrated how to throw a boomerang. I threw a boomerang but unfortunately mine did not return	Passing another warrior I stopped to admire his body paint .	From here we went on to a spear throwing demonstration.
Markula showed us the different ways the spear is used according to the animal being hunted. He is an absolute expert aboriginal spear thrower and is listed in the Guinness book of records for a throw of 120 m.	Another handsome warrior demonstrates the skills of a fighter.	As we wandered round I saw a display of different aboriginal dwellings and inside one of these buildings I let this handsome fellow.
First the song man came onstage with his didgeridoo then the dancers came out.	they danced to show how they hunt in the mangroves using leaves to hit their bodies and keep the mosquitoes away.	A hunting dance with the weirding sounds of the didgeridoo.
Then the dance of the silent snake.	They performed another dance to show their imitation and had to skills by making the actions of a Cassowary, the large flightless rainforest bird of Australia.	Sometimes all the warriors would take part in the dance
while at others specialist numbers were performed by selective members of the troupe	They danced in search of the Makor tree and they chop it down	then they remove this sweet tasting centre which they share among the tribe
The next dance mimicked a young kangaroo challenging an older kangaroo to a fight over territorial grounds	and before the close with a dance called Sheikh and lastly dance which shows the different styles of dance called Warrran-Jarra.	It was a riveting half-hour display and I was much impressed and grateful for having shared the ancient aboriginal culture with them.
Typical of the monsoon season it had been raining all day but now at 1430 it eased off and I took this kangaroo with the joey in his pouch.	Back at the entrance still waters of the lake reflect the rainforest on the far bank.	On my return into the village I met Mario and Nicole again who had now been joined by two other scuba divers Michael and Barbara. I spent a short time chatting to them as they watched yet another demonstration of the variety of sounds that can be made from a didgeridoo.
Leaving my friends behind I made my way to the Skyrail terminal as I intended to come down from the mountain by cable car.	The 7.5 km cable way was completed in 1995 after nine years of construction.	All the towers were lifted into place by helicopter to avoid any disturbance of the rainforest.
Through breaks in th etrees the water can be seen falling down the rockface.	The Baron dominates all and can be viewed from many different locations	The train I came up on can be seen from the cablecar as I descend,
The tallest tower is 40 m in height, the highest point on the cableway, which is at Red Peak Station is 545 m (1788 feet) and the cable carries 114 gondola cabins.	Walkways to look at points offer views over the Barron River, the Gorge and the Falls. The lower stop is in the rainforest at Red Peak Station where there is a couple of hundred yards of Boardwalk which circles the Station and has information on over 160 species of rainforest plants that can be seen from there. As I walked round I came across a bird's nest with two eggs in it.	It was a marvellous journey offering panoramic views across the rainforest canopy and the journey takes up to 1 1/2 hours depending on how long one stays at each of the two optional stops on the route. The upper stop is at Barron Falls Station where there are interactive computer displays, videos and information on the rainforest.
Descending out of rainforest the villages and coast come into view.	The lust green pasture near the shore receives the goodnes that flows from the hills on the waterflow.	Finally the cable car comes to rest at the Caravonica Terminal where I alighted and made my way to take the coach back to Cairns.

The evening was spent quietly at the Colonial Club where I appreciated the rest after the hectic time I'd had recently. It gave me an opportunity to catch up on a backlog of chores that I'd fallen behind with and I finally turned in at 0400.

Monday 11^th December
I took the 1100 courtesy bus and went into town centre. The weather continued to be wet as it had been for days fortunately most of the walkways an undercover. I checked with Trailfinders to ascertain the latest situation with the civil unrest in Fiji. It was my intention to make alternative arrangements to visit a different island if it seemed necessary. As far as they were aware the situation had not deteriorated and there was no expectation that it was likely to do so. They directed me to the Qantas airline office as they would have the most up-to-date information.

At Qantas I was informed that the last warning was on the 28th November and it applied only to the east of the island around Suva. At Nadi in the west anything had been quiet and the tourist industry was flourishing therefore there was no reason for me to make any adjustments to my travel arrangements. I went shopping for cereal, fruit and a few bits and pieces in Woolworths before returning to the Colonial Club.

There are three restaurants in the hotel complex and all serve very good food. I suspect they are priced to cater for different income or perhaps social class levels rather than different tastes as the choice of food is remarkably similar on each of the menus. This evening I dined in the Homestead restaurant in the complex where, after perusing the menu, I selected the Australian Plate. The kangaroo meat was barbecued on a wooden skewer, the emu was ground or minced and formed into a sausage then served in slices and the crocodile, a quite tough white meat was sliced thinly and had perhaps been roasted. The crocodile tasted like no other meat that I had before and it is difficult to describe the rather bland flavour. Something between a duck and a fish is how I would describe it. Beneath the meat there was Queensland pumpkin and although I don't usually like pumpkin very much this was actually interestingly tasty and well cooked. I helped myself to a selection of the vegetables and salad from the salad bar and enjoyed my dinner.

Tuesday 12^th December
Rose and prepared my bag in readiness to go out on the reef again today. The bus left the Colonial Club at 0815 and arrived at Trinity Wharf the departure point for the Catamaran.

The MV Tropic Sunbird is a 34m high-speed catamaran able to carry 400 passengers although there were only 230 on board today.	One young English man on cruise appeared to have forgotten to change out of his pyjamas.	By 0940 we were underway and heading out to Fitzroy island.
Here we stopped for 50 minutes to explore this tropical national park island.	I took a walk along the jetty and into the rainforest returning along the beach where I could see before me the cove where the Sunbird had come alongside.	On reaching the boat I discovered that Mario and Nicole had also returned. I had met them earlier as they were leaving the Sunbird to explore a Secret Garden which was in the opposite direction from that taken by myself.
Back on board the videographer was busy making an ideal of the passengers which he would later sell to anyone who was interested in making a purchase.	It rained all day long from the moment we had left the hotel. Many passengers were seasick and these two girls appear to be on an artic expedition rather than a tropical cruise.	At 1215 we arrived at Moore Reef Pontoon and tied up alongside. As I intended to go scuba diving I immediately went to the far end of the pontoon where I was issued with a wetsuit, a tank of air and a BCD. There were five of us going on the first dive under the supervision of an English instructor named Mark. The water was fairly clear with good visibility and during the 45 minutes that we were out we encountered a shark, several giant clams and many colourful fish and coral.
Back on board I encountered this Japanese chap inspecting a blue starfish from the tank of touchable specimens that had been set up for the passengers to enjoy.	While I had been scuba diving many of the day trippers took advantage of the secured area to snorkel above the Reef and enjoy watching the fish. I showered after removing my wetsuit and scuba gear, left the pontoon and went across the gangway to the catamaran where I cut into a hearty lunch of beef curry and rice which together with a running supply of tea and coffee was included in the price of the excursion.	I decided to return to Cairns by helicopter and left the pontoon on a small launch at 1500 to arrive at the floating Helipad a few minutes later. This afforded me an opportunity to take a few pictures of the catamaran and the Great Barrier Reef at its best from the air. The area surrounded by white buoys is where the snorkellers were confined.
The pilot took us up and over the boat. we could see the swimming safety barried and bouys.	Looking down the reef was clear beneath the clean water of the Pacific ocean	Inside the reef the water is shaloow and outside it appears a dark nbue showing a much greater depth to the bottom
Part of the reef as we banked for the last tour round for the	Pilot to take a last sweep over the Sunlover Dive boat.	Shortly after we left the Reef the rain stopped and I was able to see Cairns clearly against the backdrop of hills covered in rainforest and topped by clouds as we came in from the east at 500 feet to eventually land near the international airport.
On my arrival back at Cairns Heliport I asked one of the attendance to take this picture of me as I left the helicopter.	Finally a shot of helicopter with Capt Frank at the controls. I was offered a lift back to my hotel for which I was grateful and having enjoyed such unexciting day decided to remain at the hotel resort during the evening.	One is issued with a certtifacate to prove that it wasn't all just a dream.

Wednesday 13^th December
I find that I am very short of energy after all the activities I have been doing over the past ten days. This morning I took it easy and as it was a sunny afternoon for change I went into Cairns with the idea of renting a motor scooter. However scattered brain that I am, I forgot my driving licence with consequence that I was not able to rent one.

I found this interesting little photo shoot going on in the centre of Cairns

She is a very arrtactgive Santa Clause but they were too busy for me to get any details of what the shoot was about.

As it had been raining so much for the past week I recognising the positive aspect of not being able to hire a motor scooter. Instead I took my driving licence and returned to town on the courtesy bus and there I rented a motor car instead.

I drove north from Cairns along the winding coastal road and eventually came to Port Douglas. It was a beautiful drive passing through Palm Cove which is a small but beautiful village resort running along the beach. I drove into Port Douglas and it was dusk by the time I got there. After finishing some excellent young snapper fish, chips and salad I wandered round the village before returning to Cairns.

Thursday 14^th December
I left at 0845 and drove south to Gordonvale along the Bruce Highway. Making a right hand turn I took the Gillies Highway and drove through the winding road up through the steep mountains.

Bordered on each side by rainforest there was little to see for some time. The road was never straight for more than 30 m at a time and those short stretches were few and far between.	Eventually there was a break and I took a picture at Heales Lookout.	Meandering ever upwards into the rainforest the views were splendid when seen through the trees that edged the twisting road.
A short while before I arrived at the village of Yungaburra I turned right and drove 6 km along a very narrow road to reach the Cathedral Fig Tree.	It is estimated to be 500 years old and was quite an unusual and interesting site with its air roots hanging down as thick as tree trunks in themselves	It is 43m around and if 24 people linked hands they would just meet round the tree. There could be a road cut through it.
I saw an interesting little bird darting around and it seemed to be posing for me to take a picture but each time that I attempted to do so it turned its head away.	The next side road I came to lead down to Lake Tinaroo, a large expanse of water.	As I viewed the beautiful scenery a Jet ski came into view with a flurry of spray behind it
which turned out to be a water surfer being towed along	After a little over an hour's drive the village of Yungaburra reminded me very much of Belize. Similar style houses lined the streets and the vegetation was almost identical to what I seen in the Caribbean.	The police station was a wooden building that would have been quite at home in Belize city.

The post office too was very similar to the colonial buildings I had seen in the Caribbean	I drove on to Atherton, a picturesque, natural Wonderland at the heart of the Tableland, situated over 500 m above sea level. While cruising around the village the court house with this amazingly kitsch Christmas tree immediately grabbed my attention.	The main street has a host of coffee shops, restaurants, antique shops and historic hotels. Here the police station was a brick building with a police car parked outside. In the heart of the tableland the countryside opened up to reveal acres of green pasture.
Maize, peanuts, potatoes, tropical foods, sugar cane and a host of other crops now thrive in the rich, red volcanic soil upon which vibrant dairy and cattle industries also flourish.	Manmade advertising and billboards mar the beauty of the landscape from time to time as I pass along the roadside leaveing Atherton	My next stop was at the Malanda Falls which were disappointingly low but quite wide. The Falls cascade over a wide basalt lip into the town's swimming pool.
I continued into the village where I took a picture of the Malanda Hotel which is reputed to be the largest wooden building in Australia.	This picturesque farming town is set in rolling green hills interspersed with pockets of rainforest, 800 m above sea level. It is home to Malanda Dairy Farmers, which boasts "the longest milk run in the world" and is supported by over 190 local dairy farms. Some of the farmhouses I passed were painted with bright vivid colours.	This wooden church represents what I consider to be standard build for tropical buildings and again it is very similar to churches I've seen when travelling in the Caribbean.
I stopped at the local bakery to buy a couple of rolls and an apple pie which I intended to eat later.	This intriguing sculpture on the roadside opposite the bakery caught my eye.	Leaving the town I was attracted to these three dogs chained to the back of the vehicle.
At Millaa Millaa Falls which is located three km off the Highway I came across a busload of tourists who were about to bathe in the Falls.	They undressed and on the bank of the pool exposing as yet untanned bodies	then waded and swam over to the Falls where they climbed up on the rocks behind the cascading water.
These two were much more interested in their image and relationship than they were in the waterfalls. I was so pleased that it had been a bright warm sunny day and I enjoyed the drive through the splendid countryside.	Even out in the back of beyond I found this farmhouse beget with Christmas spirit.	Motoring on I passed through Millaa Millaa, a town surrounded by waterfalls. The next Falls I came to where the Mungali Falls but unfortunately the viewing point is at the top of the Falls which is very poor impressions of its magnificence.
At the head of the falls the waters lie as peaceful as in a lagoon	I continued my journey along the Palmerston Highway and came to Crawford's lookout point.	Farther a long Highway I came to the banana plantations.
This young lady is cutting of the leaves that have blackspot to prevent seas from spreading.	At this time of year about two or three weeks before the bananas are ready for cutting and are still green they are covered. The plastic bags protect the bananas from the hot sunshine, attack by birds and various flying insects as well as acting as a dust shield.	This specimen is not covered by the bag and shows the fullness of the plant.

Friday 15^th December
I rose at 0700 made sure everything was packed then left to take a drive out to the airport where I got a few pictures of aeroplanes before returning the car to the rental office. I was disappointed to learn that I had not read the paperwork properly and found that I was only allowed 400 inclusive kms. I had in fact travelled 533 and consequently had to pay a further $26. Naturally had I known this from the beginning I would have been less extravagant.

I walked to the courtesy bus stop in the town centre in the hope that the bus was running a little late as it usually is. I was fortunate as Rob pulled in a few minutes after I'd got there.

By the time I got to the airport at 1120 the sun was shining brightly and I was about the last in the queue to check-in. I was unable to get a window seat. My allocated seat was beside a gentleman from Sydney who had the window seat. I slept for most of the three hour journey waking up only to take lunch. On the approach to Sydney airport I was able to see the city, the bridge and the opera house.