After seeing the beautiful harbour city Sydney , we flew to Cairns . It was a long journey. We had a rest on that day and enjoyed the beautiful small city in the evening . This is mainly a tourist city.
I had been to this place a few years ago. There was a technical conference in Cairns. Visiting the Great Barrier reef was a bonus for me to see this great wonder of the special part of the world. So , I visited it again for repeating the adventure. Revisiting this place is a wonderful time of discovering the Nature.
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the great natural wonders of the world. Located just off the coast of Cairns. It is underwater spectacle of brilliantly coloured corals and more than 10,000 diverse and unique marine species. It is a protected Marine Park , the waters around the island are home to large variety of tropical sea life including colourful fish, turtles, giant clams , starfish , shells ,anemones ,spong and many more incredible marine creatures. Green Island is a showcase of what Australia’s most famous World Heritage Area. One has to take catamaran which departs from Cairns. This journey itself is a wonderful journey. It takes four hours to reach Green Island , one of the most beautiful place in the world. This island was created by thousands of years of wave action pushing up coral rubble and sediment to form a coral cay.
The World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef, which stretches for more than 2,000 kilometres along the Queensland coastline.One can swim, snorkel, dive and sail the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef, a living masterpiece so big it can been seen from outer space.
Green Island is a island paradise. It is surrounded by white sandy beaches and beautiful coral gardens. It is 6000 years old.This paradise island is an idyllic coral cay located only 15 nautical miles offshore Cairns.It offers the best elements of the tropics in one destination: beautiful island beaches, shady emrald rainforest and a world-reknowned coral reef. Green Island is one-stop tropical reef and island experience.Spending a day is not sufficient to cover many activities and relax. There is great a fun for anyone who visits as a tourist . It is an ideal tourist spot for family holiday.
We boarded the most modern and comfortable cruise. It was a fast catamaran with a spacious activity platform and we viewed a magnificient site on the outer edge of the Great barrier Reef. We saw the pristine marine wilderness . The marine diversity here is at its most extreme. We joined Semi-submersible tour for seeing the underwater world. Snorkeling was an good experience .It was a fun to see underwater observatory. We enjoyed the fish feeding . It was just a fun. In Semi-submarine , one can view the underwater world from a diver’s perspective. We got very close to nature and appreciated the values of this wondrous World Heritage environment.
There are many options to view the reef. Snorkelling, glass bottom boat , semi-submarine , scuba diving and helmet diving . We saw the reef by joining semi- submarine and glass bottom boat. It was a unique experience. One can see the spectacular coral reef where you see an abundance of fish. There are so many colours and species of fish. It was an intriguing and beautiful experience.
The 2,300-kilometre Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world. It is a Home to diverse marine life of the most vivid colours. We experienced the Reef and it was a life-changing adventure. One can see the Reef by scuba, snorkel, glass-bottom boat, jet ski, semi-submersible, sail boat, from the air or even skydive to completely immerse yourself in this wonder of the world. It is just amazing. It is very difficult to express in the words and difficult to forget.
Tropical buffet lunch was served on the Cruise. Tea – coffee was served after boarding the vessel and before departing. Arrangements were superb.
Flecker Botanical Gardens is a heritage-listed botanic garden at Collins Avenue, Cairns, Australia. It was built from 1886 to 1960s. It is now known as Cairns Botanic Gardens, and also known as Edge Hill Nursery, and Fitzalan’s Botanical Gardens. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 2 February 2007.
RAINFOREST – CAIRNS :We drove from Cairns to Townsville, through World Heritage-listed reef and rainforests to golden outback savannah. On this journey we did not miss an inch of Queensland’s tropical splendour. Walk in Daintree Rainforest was a unique experience . We saw tribal village and experienced the Aboriginal culture. We could not explore historic gold mining towns but saw the lush orchards and plantations of the Tropical Tablelands.
We explored the dense tropical rainforest of Cedar Bay National Park. The Daintree Rainforest is a main attraction. We took the old railway to Kuranda.
We travelled by Skyrail Rainforest Cableway from Cairns to Kuranda, dangling just metres above eucalypt-covered ridgelines and dipping into lush thickets of rainforest . We enjoyed the short walks and saw Barron Falls plunge 265 metres (875 feet) into the gorge. The Cableway is one of the iconic attractions in this area and a must-do for visitors.
When we reached Kuranda, we had brunch before following bright blue Ulysses butterflies to the Din Din Barron Falls lookout, winding through World Heritage-listed Barron Falls National Park to the vertigo-inducing edge of the gorge (1.2km or .74 miles return ).
The Kuranda Scenic Railway which journeys across historical 125-year-old bridges and through 15 hand-made tunnels is another glorious delight, taking us through gorgeous scenery.
On our way to Kuranda we stopped in for the Army duck tour.It was a very interesting tour for us and we loved the ride. Especially when it goes on land then into the water. It only takes around 30 mins which is just enough to get an idea of thick forest.
Tropical North Queensland rainforest is to experience nature at its finest! Rail, Gondolas, and amphibious Army Ducks all came together which enabled us to appreciate the compelling enchantment of the rainforest village of Kuranda. Our trip included :
- Kuranda Scenic Railway
- Army Duck Rainforest Tour & Tropical Fruit Orchard
- Skyrail
- Free time in Kuranda Village
Australian Butterfly Sanctuary is a great place to visit and we saw hundreds of colourful butterflies. This butterfly zoo is the largest butterfly flight aviary in the Southern Hemisphere .It is located in the heart of Kuranda , only a short walk from Skyrail and Kuranda Scenic Railway Station.This sanctuary is home to over 2000 butterflies from a variety of species. I remember the one I saw in Florida . This is quite different from that.
We experienced the tropical rain forest from a totally unique perspective aboard an amphibious World War II Army Duck or DUKW. The DUKW (colloquially known as Duck) is a six-wheel-drive amphibious modification of the 2-ton capacity CCKW trucks used by the U.S. military in World War II. In Australia the largest fleet of DUKWs is at Rainforestation. A ride on this historical vehicle is a unique experience .It used 6 Wheel Drive, propeller and rudder. During 45 minutes rainforest tour ,we get lot of information from knowledgeable Duck Captain who showed us fascinating plants and wildlife as we moved into thick forest. It drove through a lake and jungle. We saw tropical fruit orchard which featured over 60 different species of exotic tropical fruit trees.
The Australian Butterfly Sanctuary is a butterfly zoo and exhibit situated in the centre of Kuranda Queensland ,Australia.
Kuranda Butterfly Sanctuary is listed by the Guinnes Book of World Records as Australia’s largest butterfly flight aviary and exhibit.The sanctuary was conceived, designed, and built by Paul and Susan Wright in 1987. The sanctuary rears only native butterflies of Australia that are bred on the premises.The lab breeds about 30,000 caterpillars each year, and sends about 24,000 pupae to be released in the aviary.
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway is a 7.5 kilometre scenic cableway running above the Barron George National Park in the Wet tropics of Queensland’s World Heritage Area.
The cableway, which travels over the McAlister Range between Smithfield and kuranda , includes six-person gondola cabins that travel metres above the treetops. A one-way trip takes about 1.5 hours and a return trip is about 2.5 hours. Two rainforest stations, Red Peak Station and Barron Falls Station, allow exploration of the forest floor on boardwalks, interaction with the environment and education of the World Heritage area.
The Skyrail Rainforest Cableway experience spans 7.5kms over Australia’s pristine tropical rainforests. Skyrail is a must-do experience whether you’re in Cairns or Port Douglas. This Skyrail is to protect the environment and wonderful rainforest.
We glide just metres above the rainforest canopy before descending through the canopy layers and deep into the heart of the forest at Skyrail’s two rainforest stations for the ultimate tropical rainforest experience.
Skyrail is a must do rainforest experience.
We had very interesting entertainment. We saw the Tjapukai Dance show. It was excellent tribal community show. It was also interesting to try our hands at Boomerang throwing. It requires special skills and only tribals can have that. Most of us were not that good in Boomerang throwing.