Planning the trip- No easy dive!
Planning this trip was more difficult than many others outside and inside of Australia in the past for the simple reason that the quantum of options available dizzied my mind and it became all about what I would miss by elimination. Secondly a trip within a trip is a arduous task because you are pressed with time and closer to the date of travel the whole lot associated with it is too expensive.
After lengthy squabbles with my husband, the last time being when we were changing the living room sofa; we decided to make Cairns( North Queensland) eliminating Port Douglas as our base and planned a four nights trip that covered much more than the reef.
After lengthy squabbles with my husband, the last time being when we were changing the living room sofa; we decided to make Cairns( North Queensland) eliminating Port Douglas as our base and planned a four nights trip that covered much more than the reef.
Day 1 Northern Beaches
By the time I landed, picked up the pre-booked car from the Hertz Car at the airport and checked into the hotel it was noon. As Cairns does not have a sandy beach at its water-front we decided to drive to the Northern Beaches along the coast line for lunch and a swim. The drive was scenic and in some ways like cross-states drives in the USA, no signs of human and concrete for miles and cornfields of the US replaced by sugarcane farms. The beach strip had staggered resorts and eateries; the kids bathed and swam enclosed by the yellow flag in a beach populated by fewer than two digit number.
Day-2 Kuranda - Village in the rainforest- Pros and Cons
Like I said before, my partner for life and I had soaring arguments in planning this itinerary and a trip to Kuranda too aroused a squabble. While I was not very keen to add it, my husband had not left any room for otherwise. Now that, are going was certain, the choice was to take the train or the cable car. After some productive and unproductive research we zeroed down to taking the 8.50 am train from Freshwater station and return back in a cable car( services available from 9am- 5pm) There are two trains in the morning, both starting from Cairns station and providing one stop at Freshwater station 20 minutes later. Many tour organisers offer packages which pop out on their sites to lure visitors but we bought our combined ticket from a visitor centre that morning and did get the same discount.
Again the journey is more rewarding than the destination.
Kuranda Scenic Railway- The train comes with comfortable seating and continuous informative commentary about the history of the train and its surrounding( which means you have to hush the kids so that fellow passengers are not deprived of its audibility) As the name suggests you fest your eyes with man made tunnels, bridges, waterfalls and the rainforest in all its green-glory.
Kuranda Village has two parts, first is a walk in the rainforest which was adventurous as we feared rendezvous with
Cassowaries ( dangerous birds)..definitely no sighting! and the man-made Kuranda town with shops, cafes,Koala park, butterfly park, Aboriginal art galleries etc. Even if you are not a shopaholic, you will be cajoled to obtain one or few articles from the versatile and elegant Kuranda market. Out there are the finest clothes, leather bags, Aboriginal arts and artifacts, kangaroo skin rugs, hand made candy (soft and hard) My mouth waters when I remember the soft candy and I must mention that it is great for gifting back home. (My friends loved it!)
Skyrail Rainforest Cablway It is the best way to experience the rainforest canopy as you are just a few meters above them, and there are two midway stops to feel, see, smell the rainforest in this 7.5km long ropeway. It was absolutely thrilling to see the topography change from dense high forests to farms to the sea.
Kuranda Scenic Railway- The train comes with comfortable seating and continuous informative commentary about the history of the train and its surrounding( which means you have to hush the kids so that fellow passengers are not deprived of its audibility) As the name suggests you fest your eyes with man made tunnels, bridges, waterfalls and the rainforest in all its green-glory.
Kuranda Village has two parts, first is a walk in the rainforest which was adventurous as we feared rendezvous with
Cassowaries ( dangerous birds)..definitely no sighting! and the man-made Kuranda town with shops, cafes,Koala park, butterfly park, Aboriginal art galleries etc. Even if you are not a shopaholic, you will be cajoled to obtain one or few articles from the versatile and elegant Kuranda market. Out there are the finest clothes, leather bags, Aboriginal arts and artifacts, kangaroo skin rugs, hand made candy (soft and hard) My mouth waters when I remember the soft candy and I must mention that it is great for gifting back home. (My friends loved it!)
Skyrail Rainforest Cablway It is the best way to experience the rainforest canopy as you are just a few meters above them, and there are two midway stops to feel, see, smell the rainforest in this 7.5km long ropeway. It was absolutely thrilling to see the topography change from dense high forests to farms to the sea.
Day-3 Daintree river cruise and Cape Tribulation
This one was a long trip that needed a lot of planning and running around to meet time frames to cover a long route and its many attractions . It is very likely that you will get carried away and over-stay at one stop; you know you are getting leisurely comfortable if the tourist bus that entered the same time as you and have left much before you. Also, you have to be very careful about not getting lost and follow the map precisely otherwise you may lose yourself which is fine but time-lost will be very painful.
Daintree River Cruise- We started our trip from here while some people end here, Not that I want to raise my collar but it is advisable to start here as this one is a package of excitement and adventure as you try to spot crocodiles in their natural habitat...Yes! we saw quite a few in this estuary (river meets the sea) and you will be surprised how two hours pass by as you try to keep pace with the expert driver who has eyes of a hawk pointing out the crocs, birds, flora specially the mangroves.
I had blocked seats for my family days in advance on a website but even if you have not you can get seats on the spot too. Just follow the timetable found in the website and be on time.
I had blocked seats for my family days in advance on a website but even if you have not you can get seats on the spot too. Just follow the timetable found in the website and be on time.
Wallu Wugirrigga- A tongue- twister of a name meaning look about and true to its name you envisage thousands shades of green in a board-walk in the heart of a rainforest and without binoculars view the daintree river meeting the warm sea and you can see the far off islands like Port Douglas, many isles and the lazy hills at the back.
Ice-cream factory and shop- Definitely you are hungry by now and who needs to be ravenous to feast on freshly made ice- cream with fruits grown in the adjoining orchard!!!
The Marine Park- Where the rainforest meets the sea, a heritage sight nestled in the north -east tip of Australia jutting into the sea like a arch infested by marine stingers. You are thrown into a museum of ecology where you see mangroves whose roots are black and thick and very thick, and a hop you are surrounded by tall tropical trees and the sea that makes infinity look small.
Mosman Gorge- Rush! Rush!! you want to get there before it closes which is around sunset..you are more than a little ready for a dip in a gorge nestled in a forest. Yes! we did make it in time and man! the water was cold and reviving; though I must confess I stayed near the banks as it did have strong currents and I am not a illustrious swimmer.
Finally! Its the Reef on day 4
The fact is that we were booked the previous day for the reef visit but our hearts sank when we woke up to light showers and moderate winds, We called Reef Magic Cruises and postponed the trip for the next day. We did not want our reef experience to get jeopardised by murky water and bad weather. Reef Magic Cruises operate out of Cairns, on a stable and fast catamaran taking the adventure seekers to a marine platform at the outer Reef. They have exclusive right to operate there which is flanked by exquisite coral, flamboyant marine life and there exists a special understanding between the marine life and the operators...jokes apart! they generously provide sustenance to them keeping the first-timers and the timid ones exhilarated.
Reef Magic cruises leaves Cairns around 8.30 AM and gets back around 6pm. I can vouch for their hospitality, food and services. If you get on board, they make sure you view the marine life by hook or crook! Yes, they have semi-submersible, glass-bottom boat, guided snorkelling tour, scuba- diving, helicopter ride..... but to see it through your own lens nothing beats that!!
Reef Magic cruises leaves Cairns around 8.30 AM and gets back around 6pm. I can vouch for their hospitality, food and services. If you get on board, they make sure you view the marine life by hook or crook! Yes, they have semi-submersible, glass-bottom boat, guided snorkelling tour, scuba- diving, helicopter ride..... but to see it through your own lens nothing beats that!!
50 Shades Of Blue!
My husband and I had spent weeks planning this snorkelling trip and we wanted all the work to be rewarded. This could only happen if we chose the company that was the jewel in the crown. And we found the Kohinoor. Reef Magic. According to the Australians, it was by far the best company that took people snorkelling the magical waters of the Great Barrier Reef. It had sublime food and even a tutorial how to snorkel for the inexperienced ones with hydrophobia! It also furnished us with great snorkelling gear according to our size composed of a wetsuit, goggles and a pair of flops. Water and I weren’t exactly best pals, so I decided to take the class. ‘Brace up’ I told myself when the coach told us to look inside the water. Now, there are moments in life when you don’t know how to think, feel or react. All you know is that you’re petrified in shock. That is exactly how I felt. The ground was around 50 feet deep and there were more than 5hundred thousnad fish of each breed. The water felt so good. Everyone seemed to be having a ball. I was very worried that my kids won’t want to go back and would end up staying in the water while the ferry would go sailing away when it was time to leave. My boys weren’t happy at all when it was time to take a break for lunch. I have to admit, even I was reluctant. I felt like coming here 50 times. I soon got over my disappointment and enjoyed the food. As we are vegetarians, there aren’t many food options for us in Australia, but Reef Magic made us forget about that. The food was absolutely splendid. It was time to go back into the magical water. This time, the people working for the company clicked photos of us touching a big, green fish. When it was time to leave, my elder son sadly asked me if we could come back here. I passed a smile and said there was a 50-50 chance!