'Skyrail' cable car above the rainforest.
Kuranda itself offers a huge range of options for separating you from you dollar. We go to the very interesting "Noctarium" where night and day have been reversed using electric lights to allow us to see the forest creatures of the nights. It is quite funny to hear the noisy feeding squabbles of the large flying foxes (fruity bats) who put their differences aside to see of the challenges of the cheeky gliders (like squirrels that fly).
One bizarre and controversial attraction in Kuranda is the sight of a large make believe ship (we are 900 metres up and many kilometres away from the sea) on the street. even more bizarre is that this is a "shooting gallery" where you can fire real handguns up to and including 0.44 magnums. This is somewhat sad in a country with strict gun control laws, but many visitors are happy to display their decimated targets as a testament to their ballistic entertainment.
We return to Cairns on the scenic train whose construction represented a triumph of engineering as it snakes along the steep sides of the Barron Gorge through numerous tunnels and over dramatic high bridges. The Barron Falls look dramatic but are only a pale reflection of their former selves, having been tamed for hydroelectric power and this being the end of the dry season. Up until 1990 they used be "switched on" twice a day when the train passed by¸ but this had to be stopped after an adventurous tourist climbing the falls was swept away by the suddenly rising waters !
The Barron Falls in tame dry season mode.
Kuranda scenic railway; a triumph of man over nature.
Back in the city, Alan and I go to a fascinating lecture called "Reef Teach" which many people consider obligatory before visiting the Great Barrier Reef, which we intend to do tomorrow. It is delivered by a hyperactively enthusiastic woman, and we leave feeling very knowledgeable about coral reefs and environmental threats, even if I cannot remember the names of the fish.
We also get to see the corals in a small glass bottomed boat, which gives a slightly easier viewing experience. Through our watery windows we can see the black slug-like bodies of Sea Cucumber on the floor below. At one stage the boat captain asks one elderly lady if she would like to feel the slimy sea cucumber and stuns us all by cutting the engine and jumping overboard, without the benefit of mask or snorkel, resurfacing some 15 seconds later clutching his slimy prize. After being passed around the boat the placid animal is returned to the deep to graze once more on the sandy floor.
Before leaving the reef, the Reef Magic crew make some very thorough counts and checks of the passengers on board. This even extends to comparing one's afternoon signature to that which we signed on boarding the boat this morning; with some passengers being asked to sign repeatedly until the crew were satisfied with the match of signatures. This obsession with head counting, results from an unfortunate incident in 1999 where on reef boat returned to Cairns with two less passengers than it departed and the unfortunate American's who went missing have never been seen since !
This is Alan's last full day in Australia, and our day on the reef was indeed a fitting finale to his trip.
Mangrove roots struggle to keep trees upright in Cairns mud.
Fancy some whitewater rafting ? The Barron river switched OFF.
Man's best friend in his vehicle of choice; the back of a ute.
Fine grazing! Indian brahmin bullock in Atherton Tablelands.
The bizarre 'Curtain Fig' which has long since killed its host tree.