Adrenalin-fuelled Tropical Northern Queensland - Cairns, Australia
Cairns, Australia
The extreme sadness of leaving New Zealand was reduced slightly on the approach into Cairns and flying over the Great Barrier Reef, where I would be visiting a few days later. On leaving the airport terminal, the intense humidity was like a smack in the face with a hot damp towel! Already I was beginning to feel that this could take some getting used to! But Cairns wet season was just starting, which meant that we would be in for pretty regular downpours - a joy as they clear and cool the air briefly, before the heat turns the moisture back into humid warm air in the atmosphere. I found the central city of Cairns to have a strange feel which is difficult to put ones finger on. Nothing to particularly dislike, and actually a very compact and walkable city, it has an awful lot to like about it. An esplanade complete with free and non-enclosed public swimming pool on the shore (there's an idea Weston - oh yes you've been there and are phaffing around refusing to do anything with the old, derelict place!) and nicely tended gardens. A large marina, shopping mall and a vast array of independent retailers and restaurants. And surrounded by two World Heritage Sites, it has an awful lot to offer, including a first for me - the drive-thru off licence!! My first full day was spent on a rainforest trip. Daintree is the well known part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Site, but the Heritage Site's rainforest extends down to Cairns and well beyond. I didn't have a great deal of detail when booking my trip and inadvertently booked an Eco tour of the rainforest area closest to Cairns rather than Daintree. In hindsight though, this turned out to be a blessing. Kevin, Owner/Proprietor of Wilderness Eco Safari, was our guide. A great guy with a witty repertoire, interest in everyone's lives and countries, and the Aussie trait of being able to engage everyone in some serious banter - me being the first target due to me coming out with a spoiler within the first 15 minutes of being in the 4WD. Talking about rain, I mentioned my amazement at NZ's Doubtful Sound record of 16 metres of rain in one year. Kevin just looked over and said, "thanks James, I was going to try and impress these guys later on by telling them about our rainforest record of 12 metres. Jeez, you've just gone and spoiled the whole day now"! The tour included some pretty impressive sights. Kauri trees weren't quite as large as those witnessed in NZ, but an amazing tree called the strangling fig tree is a sight to behold. This amazing specimen grows several shoots up and around an existing tree, and links and joins its many trunks to create a smothering effect rather like the action of a boa constrictor. The result is that the victim tree dies and eventually rots whilst the fig tree grows into an enormous and elaborate tree with hollows throughout and amazing gentle sweeping trunks and roots that reminded me of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. The oldest of these that we saw is thought to be over 900 years and the victim tree is long decomposed, leaving hollows in the fig tree's trunk. Kevin commented that there are 6 types of possum in the forest. When I asked whether they are accepted here in Oz, or are caught and exterminated as in NZ, he said animatedly, "we love 'em, and we love to share - we send them over to New Zealand!!!". As mentioned in one of my NZ blogs, they battle to eliminate non-native species such as the possum to restore their native bird populations. I was amazed at one point in the day. Kevin asked if everyone was comfortable discussing evolution. I thought this a strange question, but he went on to explain that when he worked for another company, before buying this business, they were banned from mentioning evolution because some people had been offended by the suggestion that the Earth and species existed millions if years ago, taking it as a dig against their religion. Other fascinating species that we witnessed were walking trees. These trees, as with many plants, lean towards the sunlight, but then go a step further. They grow additional branches on the sunny side, that reach down to the ground, implant and become roots. Meanwhile roots at the back cease life and release - resulting in the tree literally walking through the forest towards the light! My first few sightings of kangaroo here, unfortunately, were dead ones, stiff on the roadside. But in discussing these funny animals, nature's sophistication is evident again. Mummy kangaroo looks after her young joey for 18 months. In that time, she could have had another, so will be carrying around two of differing ages in her pouch - with 4 nipples inside, each providing milk of the right formula for each joey's age. In addition to this, she could also be pregnant. She's a dedicated mother. The incredible thing is though, that if conditions are not favourable for the pregnancy, such as a drought or food shortage, she is able to suspend her pregnancy and stop the foetus from growing, until she is ready to continue her restart it again. Over the crest of the mountains the surroundings change totally. The lush green rainforest with huge varieties of tree species, creating dense canopies and dim light below, gives way to dry, hot, arid conditions, with an open and light forest consisting of a vast variety of eucalyptus. Eucalyptus thrives on fire and actually needs it to regenerate, and we saw the bright green forest floors where regrowth had taken place. The eucalyptus seed pods require the heat of fire to split the pods open and allow germination. It is clear that fires are a natural and required phenomenon - and the problem with Australia's frequently broadcast bush fires is not the existence of fires but man's encroachment into the forests and building of homes in potential fire risk areas. The bush and the required fires were a feature long before in habitation. On reaching a beautiful cascading waterfall, Kevin took us along a little known path, which brought us out at the top of the waterfall. Here we were able to swim in the pool at the top whilst looking over the falls in one of nature's infinity swimming pools! Discussion through the day reinforces my previous thoughts that Australia seems to have a 'live for today' approach to it's economy and as a result impact on its environment. Huge amounts of resources are present here - metals, minerals, coal, oil and gas. The economic boom here is largely supported by rapid extraction and sales of these finite resources. Having taken millions if years to produce, it raises the question in my mind over how few years, comparatively, will it take to deplete these resources, and what damage will have been done in the meantime. It was with huge sadness that I woke one morning to the news that a former colleague, Claire, had lost a long health battle and passed away. A warm, fun, bright and can-do person, it is a great loss. Moments like this are always poignant, but with Claire being around my age and with a family, it is especially so. In thinking that you need to live for today and not have any regrets, I decided to book a few activities for the rest of my Cairns stay. Andi's friend Sarah invited me for dinner with her husband Aaron, and children Rowan & Baden. A lovely evening, it was also funny to be somewhere, the other side of the world, where Andi had been more recently than I last saw him! My first 'just get on and do it' activity was extreme white water rafting with Raging Thunder on the Tully River. Having never rafted, I was a bit worried about going straight for the highest level on offer - extreme! But I had been told by the tour office that it really was worth it for adrenaline rush and variety of activities. Kiwi guide, Johnny, got our crew kitted-up and on board. Robbie & Kiera (Ireland), Simon (Italy) & Steph (UK) and Rubens (Brazil). Rubens and I were placed at the front of boat and were deemed team leaders setting the pace & rhythm ('Novice rafter deemed team leader for extreme rafting day' - I can see the newspaper headline now reporting the tale of a catastrophic rafting trip!). After a quick and amusing practice run ("EVERYBODY LEFT", as we pile to the left edge of the boat, "EVERYBODY RIGHT", "GET DOWN" - commands were followed with the urgency of earthquake survival!), we were off and furiously paddling downstream. What an incredible experience as we hurtled over rapids, into rocks and worked together as a great team under the instruction of Johnny. As we approached some gaps it was evident that the boat was too wide for the gap. How do we get through such spaces I hear you ask. "EVERYBODY LEFT" or "EVERYBODY RIGHT" as we squeeze through the gap sideways with the boat leaning at a 45 degree angle and 7 occupants clinging on with all their strength before hurriedly getting back into position on clearing the gap, avoiding capsize!! The morning was exhilarating and adrenalin fuelled, but after lunch the adrenalin rush was about to increase. Here we deliberately overturned the raft (actually much harder than you would think!!!), and swam through rapids. We climbed rocks and jumped from 5 metre tall rock faces into deep parts of the river. We made it through amusingly named and thrilling rapids such as the Devil's Toilet Bowl!! Probably the most sensational experience, however, was body surfing. One narrow rapid has water that rushes down so forcefully that at the bottom the water circulates back on itself creating a backward current. The aim was to launch your body into the middle of it and ride that circular wave with your body, much as a surfer rides a wave on a board. Most of you will know my sporting/activity ability so like me are already expecting me to hit the wave in the wrong place and be swept down river rather than being held in suspension. The first of our crew jumped in and hit the side, disappearing downstream. The second followed suit. Then my turn. Tentatively I get into position and reluctantly launched myself into the rapid. Hitting bang on, I'm held in suspension with hundreds of litres of water per second gushing past, under and over me. Turning over from my front to back, I continue to be held there in suspension - so much so that I start to get a little concerned about how I get out of this thing!! That bit hadn't been explained (assumedly because most people just whoosh straight out!). With a bit of wriggling I finally catch the side current and am carried out of the wave and downstream. What an incredible experience. But it serves to show how deceiving flowing water can be and the dangers it can pose. Towards the end of the day, during one of our gentle coasts downstream, Johnny tells us that at the moment, transition from dry to wet season, it is actually the most risky time to raft, as more rocks are exposed, rapids are narrower through rocks and the risk of injury is heightened! At least he told us afterwards - those of us that were a little nervous of the extreme rafting beforehand thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Johnny is the most experienced guide there and travels around the world to catch different seasons and has worked as a guide in NZ, Switzerland, Canada, many African countries - so we were in great hands. Yet another outdoor pursuit which I loved. The warmer climate is a big motivator to giving these things a go. The one thing that is synonymous with Cairns in most people's minds is the Great Barrier Reef. In fact it is the only place on the planet where two World Heritage Sites meet - the Wet Tropics rainforest of Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef. There are plenty of boat trips going out to the Reef from Cairns, but I chose to go on the only old sail boat that does the trip, the Falla. The Captain, Doug, took us about 20 minutes offshore before cutting the motor and giving quite a moving introduction where he said that many of us will have thought about one day visiting the Great Barrier Reef. That day had finally arrived, he said, and the crew were there to help realise that dream whether that be steering, raising the sails, or assisting in the snorkelling/dives. Until Doug said this I hadn't really thought about the significance of this. The Great Barrier Reef is something that I first heard about at school, and as with this trip in its entirety, was something that I never thought I would see or achieve. Since leaving the UK, not one day has passed when I don't reflect and think "I can't believe I am really doing this". It is with huge gratitude that I experience all that I am seeing and doing, with the wonderful words of support and encouragement of friends and those that I love dearly. Carrying out a dive and also some snorkelling, the Reef didn't disappoint. Beautiful and fascinating corals teeming with marine life, fragile but also robust. Our dive guide showed us a couple of the corals which we could touch - velvety tentacles wavering in the smooth current. She also pointed out well-disguised fish and incredibly large clams, open and feeding. It was necessary to get used to swimming through jellyfish - there were a few around - but we were assured that these were not the deadly or irritating species that also do inhabit these waters in certain seasons. I had my first experience of using a GoPro camera and captured some good images and video, so not only has a dream been realised, but it has been recorded for future memory refresh and to share with others. The time out at sea was truly wonderful, and allowed me to meet more great people. Rachael was part of the crew and is currently on her own travel mission to see all Seven Natural Wonders of the World over a 12 month period. Natalie was my dive buddy and had brought her two young children to experience snorkelling on the reef - fulfilling that dream before they've probably even conceived it. Emily & Neil were on holiday from Ipswich, and it was great talking to them throughout the return. On the return, twenty minutes from port, Doug again cut the motor allowing us to travel sedately by sail only, whilst he told us the history of this vessel. A 1956 Pearl Lugger, which had a short career helping collect mother of pearl, before being used as a fishing vessel and later as a reef tour boat. Worryingly, the vessel has actually sunk due to collision with the reef and been restored and relaunched - not once but twice. Doug was an interesting guy - originally from Miami. The most recent sinking was during Doug's ownership about 7 years ago. He told the story of how he was charged and found guilty of sailing recklessly, endangering life and causing a wreck in the reef National Park. But with determination and the support of evidence prepared by other mariners uncovered that the Harbourmaster had in fact had the navigation aids moved over 300 metres and not communicated this to mariners, resulting in the navigation error. Convictions were overturned, charges dropped and a damning report published about the actions and subsequent deceit of the Harbourmaster. Unfortunately Allianz Insurance would not accept the findings of the court and never paid out. With great food, crew and sailing experience, the Falla is the way to go. As Doug rightly said, this is a historical vessel. We could have chosen to go on one of the fast modern catamarans but notice how none of our passengers photographed the passing catamarans, whilst most of their passengers photographed us on the beautiful Falla, with her sails raised and full in the wind. Another of Cairns main attractions is the Skyrail and scenic railway that glide up into the rainforest to a town called Kuranda, where there are some wildlife parks. Catching the Skyrail up and the scenic railway back, it did give a different perspective to the rainforest, particularly seeing it from above on the Skyrail. However, with Kuranda being dominated by touristy/souvenir shops I felt that the Wilderness Eco Safari that I had already done gave me a more intimate, peaceful and extremely informative perspective of the rainforest - the Kuranda trip was interesting but probably not worth the cost (a full day's Eco Safari, with lunch included, was much cheaper than the Kuranda trip and was personal and fun). They say in the commentary that the scenic railway is one of the world's most scenic railways in the world. I'm guessing that the person who claims this has never travelled outside of Queensland! There are some beautiful & spectacular views but much of the time the train is in cuttings and trees. There are railway lines in the UK that I would say have a greater durations of scenic impressiveness. My final full day in Cairns arrived and today was the day that I was to do something that I had kept secret from everyone. A skydive from 14,000ft over Queensland and landing on the beach. I have always said that I would never do one unless it was raising a lot of money for charity. Sat having a light breakfast before I was collected, I didn't need any further anticipation (I had ready woken up the past two mornings thinking about the free-fall!!!) so when Pitbull's Give Me Everything came on the radio (lyrics include "Give me everything tonight, we might not get tomorrow"!!!!!) it made me chuckle. On the minibus en route to the dive site, we are shown videos of excited smiling people jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft, waving and smiling at the camera as they rocketed towards the ground at gravity's mercy! I sat thinking, I know full well that I will have a clenched-teeth, panic-faced grimace on my video!! When booking the trip, the options were 10,000ft, 14,000ft or 15,000ft. The tour agent said not to go for 10,000ft and advised that 14k was about a minute of free-falling and 15k was about one minute 20 seconds. One minute is quite enough thank you, so I booked the 14,000ft! Sat at the aerodrome my nerves heightened, and typically I was in the last group to go as we were doing the beach landing. As soon as we started moving and kitting up the nerves subsided - the worst bit is definitely sitting waiting. We all squashed in the plane, sitting legs around the person in front. Soon it was time for the door to open and the first two pairs jumped. One of the most incredible images that will forever remain in my head is the sight of my fellow jumpers toppling out of the plane door and whooshing down under the tail and rapidly into the distance. Door closed and then we ascended further (which I thought at the time was odd, as like them, I had booked 14,000ft). Another 5 minutes and the door opened again, quickly followed by the next pair to jump. Then it was my turn. My legs dangling out the plane, I tucked them under the plane fuselage as instructed, crossed my arms and pushed my head back on Greg's shoulder. With no delay, 3-2-1-jump! The free-fall sensation was just incredible, but the biggest surprise - no rollercoaster stomach! I had earlier been thinking about the nerves that I face on some of the biggest theme park rides. But somehow this felt safer. Safer?!!!! Just having toppled out of a plane, hurtling towards the ground at about 200kph with someone strapped to my back!?! Hmm - very safe! About 5 seconds in, and the shoulder-tap indicates it's time to adopt the free-fall position. The wind rushing into my face, adopting a smile resulted in my cheeks inflating and flapping like someone trying to erect a tent in a gale force wind!!! On seeing the video my friend Cassie coined the phrase "Bingo Cheeks", cheeky mare!! :-) It's amazing how quickly your mouth dries out - especially when you haven't drunk anything for two hours to try and stop feeling the constant need for a wee!!!! After about 75 seconds of free-fall, Greg indicated the countdown to the parachute release and the canopy opened. With a slight jolt the pace suddenly slowed and the descent position changed to vertical. At this point Greg put us into a few tight turns and spins, giving us 360 degree views over the Great Barrier Reef, the Wet Tropics Rainforest and for miles into the distance. A thoroughly enjoyable descent saw us head towards the beach, and complete a near perfect landing onto our feet near the water's edge! Awesome! Another activity that I probably wouldn't have carried out at home. And the final prompt to book it had been the sad news a few days earlier and the reminder to live life to the full. May you rest in peace Claire, and if heaven exists then after that skydive, all I can say is that the view must be awesome! So that draws my week of exploring and activities to a close in Cairns, as I head to Melbourne for the festive season. So, my final evaluation of Cairns is that it is set within stunning surrounds (although for locals the position of being between rainforest mountains and the ocean, on a crocodile inhabited floodplain isn't necessarily perfect city planning!!). It is the perfect spot to explore many of Tropical Northern Queensland's natural wonders. The available activities here are plentiful and an adventure sports person's dream. Socially I saw very few places that would be my kind of drinking establishments, with a plethora of blokey blokes hanging around outside bars & pubs in the afternoon/early evening. People said that I may have overdone it with a week in Cairns, but with only one rest day, I have done so much and still only had time for a brief wander around Cairns itself. PICTURESQUE/SPECTACULARITY : 9 FRIENDLY: 7 STUFF TO DO: 9 SOCIAL: 7 TOTAL: 32