Day 13 - Tuesday 12th JUly

Today we'd be going to Kuranda - a town in the rain forest near Cairns. So I set my alarm for 7am and we went downstairs for the hotel restaurant breakfast at 8am. It was cold (13C) on the open air deck in the restaurant and so I went back up to our room to get my puffer jacket.

The shuttle bus picked us up at 9:40am and drove us to Smithfield which is the lower terminal for the cable car to Kuranda. It was very busy with long queues but we were lucky because the person boarding people called out for a couple of just two people and brought us to the head of the queue - much to the annoyance of a few others who were waiting in the queue.

The cable car took off slowly out of the terminal and then accelerated to a cruising pace high above the trees heading up across the mountains. This gave us a good view back to Cairns and out to sea.

The first stop was at Red Peak where we got off and went for a walk along the timber boardwalks in the rain forest. There were information signs along the way. Perhaps the highlight was a gigantic tall tree that was apparently 400 years old.

For the next stage of the journey, we needed to board a different cable car nearby. This time there was a different couple to chat to. Once again, this leg took about 15 minutes and we got off at Barron Falls for another walk along the boardwalk through the rain forest.

This walk was a little scary. Partly because it was overlooking a deep valley down to the Barron River waterfall - a long way down. But also because of the glass bottom viewing platforms of the valley below. I didn't stand on them - I held onto the rail on the other side.

Back on the cable car, we took the last leg of the journey above the valley and the trees tops to Kuranda. Along the way we could see the skytrain that took other people from Cairns to Kuranda. Originally we had wanted to go on the train in one direction but it was booked out.

The first destination was the cruise on the Barron River. We crossed the train tracks on the footbridge and then descended quickly down the path to catch the 11:30am departure. There were only three other couples on the vessel. Our guide, Warren, was very entertaining.

The river was a muddy brown because of the recent heavy rain. Warren said it is not normally like that. Nevertheless it was a bright sunny day.

He took us to the other side of the river and threw breadcrumbs into the water to attract the ducks, fish and turtles. He joked that they know the timing of the cruises better than some of his staff. It was a great photo opportunity. Later, we did see crocodiles - one in the water and one on the bank.

The cruise turned back when we got to the dam wall. He explained that the dam is used to generate electricity that is fed into the national grid and that in the wet season the water rises metres above the top of the dam.

At the end of the cruise, Warren spotted a baby cassowary hiding behind a tree near the bank and, as he steered towards it, the cassowary ran towards us. Perhaps it was looking for food or perhaps it just wanted us to take heaps of photos. We obliged with the photos.

Next we walked back over the railway line and up along the main street of the town which was very busy with tourists like us. There were plenty of cafes, gift shops, musicians, etc. I took photos of an Aboriginal man playing a didgeridoo.

At the top of the hill, we went to the butterfly sanctuary where you walk among the butterflies. This is an enclosed area that simulates a forest.

It would have been a great opportunity to take photos of the hundreds of different colourful butterflies if they would only stay still while I focused my camera.

Luckily a butterrfly landed on the arm of a young boy next to us and it stayed there giving me the opportunity to take a photo. Eventuially it did fly off.

By this time (1:30pm), we needed to find somewhere for lunch but the cafes were closing down. We managed to get something from one of the sidewalk cafes while the staff started to put the tables and chairs away around us. It was still 23C and cloudy.

There was plenty of time to fill in before our return journey on the cable car and so at about 2:30pm we sat down in the pub near the cablecar for a drink. This might be the only pub in Australia that closes at 3pm. Most of the town was getting deserted by then.

At the cable car, we joined the queue - which was a queue  (through the gift shop) for a queue (to the cable car). Eventually we got onto the cable car which turned out to be our booking time of 3:15pm.

We got off the cable car at Barron Falls again and walked along the boardwork again to look at the view. Then we caught the cable car back to Red Peak and did the boardwalk again. This time we went to the CSIRO exhibit of the history of the rain forect.

We reached the base station at Smithfield at 4:25 but our shuttle bus wasn't due until 5:25 and so we waited in the cafe until it closed at 5pm and then out near the carpark by which time there were plenty of other people waiting too. The shuttle bus dropped us back at the hotel at about 6:15pm.

It was a great trip but the shuttle bus experience was not ideal. Perhaps a taxi might have been better. I don't recommend the cafe at the Smithfield base.

For dinner, we'd booked at the Water Bar and Grill which is located in the same building complex as the hotel - on the deck overlooking the bay. It wasn't easy to find but we got there in the end.

Although it was a steak restaurant, I order fish. Suzy ordered pork ribs and they gave her a bib and a finger bowl. It was a popular restaurant  but expensive and noisy. Another great day.