Today marked the last of our four ports of call in Australia, one I had been looking forward to for some time, and it didn’t disappoint. After our first stop in Sydney we’ve been working our way steadily north, and today we got a taste of the country’s fascinating, but less visited tropics.
Cairns, a city of 160,000 residents, is the last urban center of any size in northeast Australia. The roads continue on northward from here, but lead to nothing but small towns like Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation. Unfortunately, the harbor in Cairns wasn’t available for some reason, so we anchored just north of the city in Yorkeys Knob, where we tendered ashore to begin our day.
Our destination was the Daintree Rainforest, one of the world’s oldest rainforests, fully ten million years older than the Amazon. There are a thousand species of trees here, and 20,000 species of plants, some dating back to the time of the dinosaurs. Curiously, the forest is not at sea level, but is reached by a winding road that climbs a thousand meters up into the mountains of the Macalister Range.
Originally we had booked a scenic train ride that would take us from Cairns up to the village of Kuranda, in the rainforest, but the train wasn’t running due to problems resulting from a major cyclone (Pacific hurricane) that hit here around Christmas time. Even the road is still under repair in some places, as we saw on the bus we took instead. Although the train ride is reported to be wonderful, I think we actually made out better with our alternate itinerary, because the train ride ends, as I said, in Kuranda, which appeared, as we drove past, to be something of a tourist trap.
Instead, we continued on to Rainforestation Nature Park, where we had a more authentic rainforest experience. After arriving we gathered in a small amphitheater to watch a performance by aboriginal dancers, which was very similar to the one we saw in Sydney. I’m still fascinated by the didgeridoo, a long, hollowed out wooden branch that the aborigines fashion into a wind instrument capable of a surprising variety of sounds.
Next we were taken to a field where we were instructed in the use of the boomerang and given an opportunity to try our hand at it. Let me just say that it’s trickier than it looks, and most of our group, including me, didn’t do very well. Michele, on the other hand, is a natural, as her throw made a graceful arc and returned most of the way back. Her talents have no limits, it seems.
After an impressive demonstration of spear throwing (no, we didn’t try that) we got to the part of our visit that I was excited about, a duck boat ride through the virgin rainforest. The amphibious craft took us back in time, past giant tree ferns and lush undergrowth, almost all of it alien to me. Part of the ride was on a muddy waterway, but fortunately we didn’t have to fear crocodiles leaping out of the water at us, as at least so far they haven’t been seen up at this altitude.
By now most of us know that Australia is home to a wide assortment of creatures that are incredibly dangerous, including crocodiles, jellyfish, snakes, spiders and even cassowaries. Yes, the fauna here is not to be trifled with. But here’s something you may not know. The flora, too, is worth paying attention to. They actually have trees here that kill other trees. Google strangler figs if you don’t believe me. But let’s focus on a plant we saw on our duckboat ride today that’s far more dangerous, at least to humans.
I’m referring to the gympie-gympie, more commonly called the suicide plant. Possibly the world’s most toxic plant, this innocuous looking bush/tree has leaves so dangerous that even the slightest touch results in incredible pain that can last for weeks, months, or even years. Just getting near the plant on a windy day is dangerous, because the fine hairs on its leaves can break off and be inhaled, causing, well, never mind. There are reports of ten year old dead samples in laboratories causing stings. Small wonder that the plant got its nickname because it is said that back in the days before high powered pharmaceutical painkillers, victims would contemplate suicide due to the incredible, longstanding pain. And here’s the thing. The gympie-gympie is so ordinary looking that unless you knew what it was you wouldn’t give it a second thought if you passed by one. We got pretty close to one on our duckboat ride, so I got a good photo. Study it closely if you ever plan a trek through Queensland’s tropical rainforest.
Needless to say, I loved the tour, and we even had an added bonus after we returned. As we disembarked from the duckboat we were treated to the sight of a wild cassowary eating a jackfruit right in the yard of the Rainforestation Nature Park. It’s one thing to see one in a zoo, but quite another to see one in the wild, and I was thrilled. They’re quite dangerous if angry, so we gave it a wide berth, but we did get some photos.
Back on the bus, we wound our way back down out of the mountains and into the city of Cairns. After a quick stop at the Cathedral of St. Monica to see the world’s largest painted windows we were dropped off at the popular waterfront Esplanade and Lagoon. Michele and I made a beeline for the nearby Night Market, where we enjoyed poking around the Asian food and other shops in the large enclosed structure. Afterwards, we strolled through the waterfront park and along the Lagoon, which is a free 4800 square meter saltwater swimming facility. The whole area is nice, and worth a visit if you’re ever in Cairns.
From there one final ride on the bus took us out of Cairns and back to Yorkeys Knob, where a tender returned us to our home away from home on the Serenade of the Seas. We’ll now have four interesting days sailing along the Great Barrier Reef as we go over the top of Australia and then turn west to head for Lombok, our first stop in Indonesia. The reef is endlessly interesting, so I plan to spend quite a bit of time out on deck. As always I’ll provide a full report of our adventures, so stay tuned.
Aborigines preparing to perform.
The aborigines have many different dances, each with symbolic importance, everything from welcoming to war.
The didgeridoo is such an interesting instrument.
My feeble attempt to throw a boomerang.
Michele showed how it’s done.
On to our duckboat ride into the rainforest.
Tree fern.
Some of the tree ferns towered overhead.
This is an epiphyte, a plant that grows on another plant and gets its nutrients from the air, water, and whatever else lands on it.
There were spiders overhead as large as your hand. Our guide claimed this one was actually harmless. I was happy not to find out in person.
This harmless looking plant, on the other hand, is terrifyingly dangerous. This living nightmare is the gympie-gympie, or suicide tree. One touch will change your life, and not for the better.
Wild cassowary eating a jackfruit that fell from the tree. We were told they frequent the Park, but I didn’t expect to see one.
On our way back we stopped at St. Monica’s Cathedral, which has the world’s largest painted glass windows.
Closeup of the windows. They’re very colorful.
On to the waterfront of downtown Cairns. We went to the Night Market first.
A lot of Asian food stalls at the Night Market, but there’s also a little of everything else too. Sunhats are a must here in the tropics.
Road signs you won’t find in the U.S.
Back outside, we walked along the Lagoon, a 4800 square meter saltwater pool.
Australian pelican. I think they’re gorgeous.
Big ferris wheel right off the waterfront.
Nice art along the water too.
End of a great day.
Nice sunset from the ship as we sailed away from Cairns. Next stop, Indonesia.
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