Flying to Cairns & Port Douglas
The most common way to get from Ayers Rock to Cairns (I'll never learn how to pronounce that right the Ozzie way) is to take a long flight to Sydney, mess with a transfer, and then take a long flight up to Cairns - all totalling 8 hours or far longer. There are lots more choices that way and it's far cheaper.
But to save time we chose to splurge and take the only flight direct between the two - Qantaslink - 2 1/2 hours. Unfortunately, the flight is in late afternoon, so it was after 7:00 PM by the time we disembarked and picked up our car for our drive to Port Douglas; much of the drive was in the dark.
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| Click on any photo in the blog to enlarge it |
What kind of economy does Australia have?
In the Cairns airport we found the Budget rental counter, got in their car, and were off to Port Douglas. It was a bit confusing leaving the airport, but we soon found our way.
We had read about the many roundabouts on the highway north toward Port Douglas. We were a bit apprehensive ... in a long past trip to the UK the joke had been that when we approached a roundabout warn me, and even though I was driving, I'd hide until we were past. But this time, even though many were 2 lanes wide with heavy traffic in both lanes, it felt more comfortable.
The road eventually narrowed to 2 lanes with almost no shoulders as it tightly twisted through unknown terrain. Luckily we came across a driver who drove similarly to me, pegged at the speed limit. It was relaxing following the red tail lights rather than trying to peer into the darkness past the headlights' beam, looking for curves or rockfall or the feared nocturnal animal crossing the road.
At Port Douglas we found the Outrigger Port Douglas Holiday Apartments, set amidst its lush tropical gardens, found the manager's instructions to our second floor walkup apartment (we had warned them we'd be late). The apartment was spacious ... kitchen, living & dining room, bedroom ... the rooms arranged in an L-shape around a large patio-balcony ... large sliding doors (with screens) and copious opening windows let in the tropical air.
We unpacked then walked the two or three blocks to Macrossan Street, Port Douglas's main drag, to find a place to eat. The first thing we noticed was a sure sign of a tropical tourist town: a semi-open-air walkup liquor store. We bypassed it ... forty years ago I'd have walked in and picked up several bottles (and those bottles would not have been bottles of beer *if* it was one of those rare moments at that age when I could afford more than brew). But nowadays we drink more water and coffee, having, at dinner, only one glass of wine (Ginny) or a beer or a double shot of whisky neat (me) or the very occasional cocktail (both).
Best of all, our apartment had its own washer and dryer. We'd planned the next day to be a "down day", a chance to wash our clothes and relax after having been on the go for 10 days after leaving home - especially after the dusty red earth of the Red Center, and to shop for food for our breakfasts and picnics (dinners as always were to be in restaurants - who wants to mess with cooking on a holiday), and to explore the more-tropical-than-California town.We awoke early to dawn's raucous cacophony of birds in the palm and other tropical trees outside our windows.
We'd always known that Port Douglas and the Great Barrier Reef were on the coast of Australia, vaguely on the western edge of the south Pacific Ocean, but were a bit surprised when we realized that it's on the shores of the Coral Sea, only about 500 miles from New Guinea.
It was more tropical than we expected. The air wasn't just hot;it was sticky. Sweat didn't evaporate. The dryer in our apartment wasn't vented to the outdoors, increasing the humidity. We kept all the windows and doors open and hung stuff to "dry" on the patio when it wasn't in shade.
All of that while realizing that we were there on a *relatively* cool day with clouds hinting at the possibility of a tropical rain. Unfortunately (?) it didn't rain on us.
It was early spring, with summer yet to come, but even then people tended to lounge around pools and wear swimming suits downtown. (We're possibly the only people who came to Australia without swimsuits. I cooled myself off by thinking about being in the Pacific Northwest mountains, dipping nude into an alpine tarn fed by melting nearby snow.)
Sugarcane
Next day we drove north of Port Douglas through Mossman to the Daintree Rain Forest, a UNESCO world heritage site.
I had always imagined Mossman to be a tiny hamlet tucked between trees and waterfalls in a rain forest. It's not. It's mostly a farming town in the middle of a large and unexpected sugarcane growing area ... and apparently early October when we were there is the middle of harvest.
There were machines that looked like old wheat threshing machines from the early/mid 1900's cutting the cane. And there was a small narrow-gauge railroad that wended its way along and across the highway, with branches into what seemed like almost every cane farm, trundling trains of cars loaded with cane to a plant in Mossman. It was fascinating, but we were in too much hurry to get to the Daintree to stop for photos, so here are some photos from the web.
(Photos by Craigle (top) and Bahnfrend (bottom)
from Wikimedia Commons)
from Wikimedia Commons)
Daintree Rainforest
This was THE HIGHLIGHT of our stay in Port Douglas, unexpectedly topping the Great Barrier Reef.
"The Daintree Rainforest is one of the most spectacular ecosystems in the world"- Dr. David Suzuki
It's hard to overstate the importance of the Daintree and its history. It's *interesting* to look at, see, and explore. But when one learns its history and finds out more one is simply awestruck and dumbfounded.
The Daintree Rainforest is estimated by scientists to be between 110 and 180 million years old!!!
Yes. That would make it and its ecology existent before Australia and Antarctica broke free from the former continent of Gondwana and drifted apart.
At the visitor center we picked up a colorfully illustrated 74 page summary of Daintree, its history, ecology, plants, and animals: Daintree, Jewel of Tropical North Queensland by Lloyd Nielsen, 1997 (obtainable from Lloyd Nielsen, PO Box 55, Mount Molloy, QLD, 4871, Australia or online at this link)
There is lots of information about Daintree online (google is your friend). Some quick summaries include Discover The Daintree and CapeTribBeach.com.au and an especially good one at this link that talks about both the forest and Cassoways
Although we left Port Douglas very early, we were in a hurry. We had scheduled tours with the naturalists at Cooper Creek Wilderness Tours starting at 11:30 halfway between the Daintree River and Cape Tribulation and we didn't know how long we'd have to wait for the cable ferry across the river. It's reported that during busy times the wait can be hours (plural). We needn't have worried; we got there in plenty of time and there was no wait. That gave us time for a leisurely drive, sightseeing, and time to stop at the visitor's center as the road wound its way through the rainforest.
Although much of the Daintree along the roadside is wild, much land has been carved out of it.
Unfortunately Daintree has a long history of dismemberment by humans. Sugarcane farming expanded into much of the area. Parts were cut out by logging, others by speculators for small lot development. The severe rainfall and difficulty of access kept much at bay but dismemberment began to pick up in the 1960's. Throughout the 1970's and 1980's and later dispute raged, with some private interests and the governments of the shire (county) and Queensland on one side and the government of Australia and environmentalists on the other side. Much focused on a road proposed through the area in the 1980's.
Gradually the environmentalists began to prevail; the government of the shire reversed course, as did later the government of Queensland. In 1981 the Great Barrier Reef was listed as a UNESCO site followed by the Daintree in 1988. A government buyback of properties was begun, but has since been discontinued so the fight goes on. See a partial history here and and also here
We drove down the barely-one-car-wide dirt and gravel drive into Cooper Creek Wilderness Tours http://coopercreek.com.au/ , where we got instructions directing us to the launch site for the first part of the tour, a one hour boat tour along Cooper Creek to see mangroves, river life, and hopefully, crocodiles (alas, none were to be seen).
While we were waiting for the boat tour we were joined by a family from the Netherlands. They had just arrived the previous evening after long flights from Amsterdam to Hong Kong to Cairns. The parents were exhausted - they left to sleep; their 20 something son was raring to go. so Tom joined us for much of the day.
Afterwards we piled into our car, Tom showed us a nearby place to have lunch at a beach, then off we went back down the narrow road to meet a naturalist who would lead a smaller group on a fascinating and informative walk through the rainforest.
Why warn about a bird crossing? They are flightless and big. Very BIG. And although they are ancient birds which have been around through prehistoric eras, they are now endangered, with only about, 1,200 to 1,500 left in Australia - too few to lose one to the car of a heedless driver.
Cassowaries can stand 6 feet tall, weigh 130 pounds, jump 7 feet high into the air, and can run 30 mph. They have a reputation of being dangerous - the middle of the three claws on each foot is sharp and can slash 2" or more deep - and they can kick - hard. Luckily, they eat mostly fruit and only small animals like snails and frogs.
Because they have the reputation of being dangerous, and because they look (and are) prehistoric, youtube is full of videos about them: here - at the beach and here - a mini documentary and here - being stalked
The naturalist told us there is a chance we'd see one. There was a female and several nesting males nearby and it was about time for their chicks to hatch and for them to be out and about.
Yup. The males sit on the eggs and tend the young. A female cassowary will mate with several males; the last male is the one who sits on the eggs for about 50 days. In the meantime she'll seek out other males and start over again.
He also assured us we'd be fine, be calm if one came around, that they are usually docile, more interested in eating fruit, and usually attack only in defense when disturbed or frightened. The only person known to be killed by one had been chasing and harassing it ... he was killed by one kick that sliced his torso open from top to bottom. Alas, we didn't get a chance to see one nor to be disemboweled.
He pointed out the the dangers of the gympie-gympie plant, the stinging plant. The hairs have a neurotoxin that is excruciatingly painful and keeps up until every one of them gets removed by a wax hair removal strip. The pain is said to have caused people and animals to kill themselves.
He also pointed out the dangers of the pretty purple fruit that we often came across on the forest floor - cassowaries eat copious amounts of it with no ill effect (and they plant more by passing its stone in their droppings), but its skin contains a powerful neurotoxin to most other beings ... do not touch and if you do, wash immediately and do not touch your mouth.
I knew Australia was notorious for having more species of poisonous snakes and spiders and jellyfish than any other place on our planet. Damn. Even plants too.
We sat at a table with another couple only about a decade younger than us. And on the reef and on the way back ended up sitting and talking with them too ... we had a lot in common and had enjoyable conversations about our countries (they were from Sydney AU) and about travelling. They invited us to dinner when we were to pass through Sydney a week or so later. (Unfortunately, when we did get to Sydney, our plane was scheduled to arrive in the mid evening, our plane to Queenstown was scheduled to leave early the next morning, and Ginny's coughing was still bad, so we had to cancel.)
One of the other things we had in common was that both our wives were affected by the motion of the boat ... they didn't get horribly seasick, but enough to make the trip unenjoyable.
This was THE HIGHLIGHT of our stay in Port Douglas, unexpectedly topping the Great Barrier Reef.
"The Daintree Rainforest is one of the most spectacular ecosystems in the world"- Dr. David Suzuki
It's hard to overstate the importance of the Daintree and its history. It's *interesting* to look at, see, and explore. But when one learns its history and finds out more one is simply awestruck and dumbfounded.
The Daintree Rainforest is estimated by scientists to be between 110 and 180 million years old!!!
Yes. That would make it and its ecology existent before Australia and Antarctica broke free from the former continent of Gondwana and drifted apart.
At the visitor center we picked up a colorfully illustrated 74 page summary of Daintree, its history, ecology, plants, and animals: Daintree, Jewel of Tropical North Queensland by Lloyd Nielsen, 1997 (obtainable from Lloyd Nielsen, PO Box 55, Mount Molloy, QLD, 4871, Australia or online at this link)
There is lots of information about Daintree online (google is your friend). Some quick summaries include Discover The Daintree and CapeTribBeach.com.au and an especially good one at this link that talks about both the forest and Cassoways
Although much of the Daintree along the roadside is wild, much land has been carved out of it.Unfortunately Daintree has a long history of dismemberment by humans. Sugarcane farming expanded into much of the area. Parts were cut out by logging, others by speculators for small lot development. The severe rainfall and difficulty of access kept much at bay but dismemberment began to pick up in the 1960's. Throughout the 1970's and 1980's and later dispute raged, with some private interests and the governments of the shire (county) and Queensland on one side and the government of Australia and environmentalists on the other side. Much focused on a road proposed through the area in the 1980's.
Gradually the environmentalists began to prevail; the government of the shire reversed course, as did later the government of Queensland. In 1981 the Great Barrier Reef was listed as a UNESCO site followed by the Daintree in 1988. A government buyback of properties was begun, but has since been discontinued so the fight goes on. See a partial history here and and also here
While we were waiting for the boat tour we were joined by a family from the Netherlands. They had just arrived the previous evening after long flights from Amsterdam to Hong Kong to Cairns. The parents were exhausted - they left to sleep; their 20 something son was raring to go. so Tom joined us for much of the day.Afterwards we piled into our car, Tom showed us a nearby place to have lunch at a beach, then off we went back down the narrow road to meet a naturalist who would lead a smaller group on a fascinating and informative walk through the rainforest.
Like most visitors to the Daintree, we had been hoping all day to be lucky enough to see a cassowary. At many places along the highway there had been the standard yellow diamond-shaped signs warning of animal crossings . But instead of silhouettes of leaping deer, they showed the silhouette of a cassowary.
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| Photo from Wikimedia Commons by Licualawin |
Cassowaries can stand 6 feet tall, weigh 130 pounds, jump 7 feet high into the air, and can run 30 mph. They have a reputation of being dangerous - the middle of the three claws on each foot is sharp and can slash 2" or more deep - and they can kick - hard. Luckily, they eat mostly fruit and only small animals like snails and frogs.
Because they have the reputation of being dangerous, and because they look (and are) prehistoric, youtube is full of videos about them: here - at the beach and here - a mini documentary and here - being stalked
 |
| Our naturalist explaining: some trees use their roots as a buttress |
The naturalist told us there is a chance we'd see one. There was a female and several nesting males nearby and it was about time for their chicks to hatch and for them to be out and about.
Yup. The males sit on the eggs and tend the young. A female cassowary will mate with several males; the last male is the one who sits on the eggs for about 50 days. In the meantime she'll seek out other males and start over again.
He also assured us we'd be fine, be calm if one came around, that they are usually docile, more interested in eating fruit, and usually attack only in defense when disturbed or frightened. The only person known to be killed by one had been chasing and harassing it ... he was killed by one kick that sliced his torso open from top to bottom. Alas, we didn't get a chance to see one nor to be disemboweled.
He also pointed out the dangers of the pretty purple fruit that we often came across on the forest floor - cassowaries eat copious amounts of it with no ill effect (and they plant more by passing its stone in their droppings), but its skin contains a powerful neurotoxin to most other beings ... do not touch and if you do, wash immediately and do not touch your mouth.
I knew Australia was notorious for having more species of poisonous snakes and spiders and jellyfish than any other place on our planet. Damn. Even plants too.
At the end of the walk we hooked up with Tom's parents, said goodbye, and started back to Port Douglas, wishing that we could have planned to stay longer.
The Great Barrier Reef
The next day we got up early to walk to the harbor to take the Quicksilver cruise to the Great Barrier Reef. What a change from the previous day ... from laid back walking in the rainforest to a one hour ride on a speeding catamaran holding over 400 passengers to Agincourt Reef - a platform on the Great Barrier Reef. It was windy, so a bit rough.
We sat at a table with another couple only about a decade younger than us. And on the reef and on the way back ended up sitting and talking with them too ... we had a lot in common and had enjoyable conversations about our countries (they were from Sydney AU) and about travelling. They invited us to dinner when we were to pass through Sydney a week or so later. (Unfortunately, when we did get to Sydney, our plane was scheduled to arrive in the mid evening, our plane to Queenstown was scheduled to leave early the next morning, and Ginny's coughing was still bad, so we had to cancel.) 
Before we came on the trip we had debated how best to see and experience the reef. We both wanted to experience the outer reef. ... But ... If outdoors people tend to arrange on a scale from more mountain oriented to more water/sea oriented, we're both on the mountain end of the scale. And if travellers are arranged on a scale from those who like to do things with big groups and those who don't, we're on the don't end of the scale.
If we were really into the sea and either snorkeling or diving, we would *definitely* have chosen a very small and active cruise to a more remote portion of the reef. But Ginny definitely didn't want to snorkel (and she was justifiably nervous about getting seasick). I'd have liked to snorkel, but it was no great deal to me to miss it.
Quicksilver has their large platform with various things to do to experience a curated part of the reef including looking out from a semi submersible and walking through an underwater passage, watching the (less colorful than expected) underwater life. So Quicksilver became our plan.
Am I glad we did it? Yup, given our interests. Would I do it again? Nope. What could have been better: snorkeling with a small group in a more remote place.
The Beach & The Drive
Before leaving we had to hit the beach at least once, so we walked the four blocks from our apartment to Four Mile Beach. The signs at the entry add excitement, but the locals are comfortable using it and stinger season had not yet started. Although it was cloudy and a bit chilly there were some playing in the water. I wadded in. I'm used to the ocean being cold. The warm water was great!
We had lots of time so we mosied down the coast to the Cairns Airport, enjoying the scenery and the beaches that we had missed when northbound in the dark. The Captain Cook Highway and its view reminded me of California Highway 1 north of San Francisco in the 1960's. There were pockets of development, but long stretches with unpopulated beaches.
At Rex Lookout, a hang glider was soaring on thermals, jumping off, soaring down, then letting the thermal take him high over his takeoff & landing spot. He had a sign out offering to sell tandem rides.
Last stop on our way to Cairns airport to fly to Melbourne: a picnic in the park at Palm Cove.
Before leaving we had to hit the beach at least once, so we walked the four blocks from our apartment to Four Mile Beach. The signs at the entry add excitement, but the locals are comfortable using it and stinger season had not yet started. Although it was cloudy and a bit chilly there were some playing in the water. I wadded in. I'm used to the ocean being cold. The warm water was great!
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| 4 Mile Beach - Port Douglas - See the kayaker? |
At Rex Lookout, a hang glider was soaring on thermals, jumping off, soaring down, then letting the thermal take him high over his takeoff & landing spot. He had a sign out offering to sell tandem rides.
Last stop on our way to Cairns airport to fly to Melbourne: a picnic in the park at Palm Cove.
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