There were loads of birds:
and an outdoor pool area:
and after having a coffee and wondering round the shops there wasn't much else to do so I went back to my hostel to book some trips and make some friends.
The next day I was picked up for my first tour...The tablelands!
There was only 6 of us on our tour and the scenery was beautiful:
We were taken to lakes:
and waterfalls:
And a massive tree:
We even saw a platypus:
It was a great day out into the countryside and our guide was really good.
The next day my next tour was the great barrier reef:
I was dropped off at the pier by my hostel and found the boat I was going to be on for the next few hours. There were 6 other people on board, 2 Canadians, 2 Americans and 2 Australians. The Canadians and Americans were young girls so I made friends with them.
We sailed out to the great barrier reef on a catamaran. It was so bumpy and quite cold but it was worth it when we arrived.
Everyone on the boat opted for wet suits but I was the only one brave enough to go without and the water wasn't very cold at 23 degrees celsius but everyone kept complaining about how freezing it was. Now I have to admit i am not a fan of snorkeling. I tried it in bermuda and kept getting bashed by rocks and swore I would never do it again. However, I couldn't pass up the opportunity so after looking at the water for a while I eventually went in.
It was amazing. I didn't have an underwater camera for pictures but I saw loads of fish and a sting ray and lots of coral and swam about for ages. The sea was a bit choppy but it wasn't that cold.
We went to two different spots. After a couple of hours we then had to go back and had a lovely picnic on the way back. I even got to steer the boat.
My new friends and I then went out to a harbour bar for the rest of the night.
The next day was Kuranda!
We were taken to an old fashioned railway station for Kuranda.
I got on board an old fashioned train next to a few older people and we started our decent through the rain forest. It was very picturesque and I saw valleys and waterfalls.
We ended up at Kuranda which was very pretty and had lots of little shops and it even had a Scotland shop:
The vibe of the town was very hipster and I really enjoyed wandering around into the little art galleries and having nice coffee.
It was then time for me to go and I had to venture back to Cairns via gondola!
It was amazing looking over the rainforest tree tops trying to spot wildlife.
I even met a retired couple from Melbourne and had a lovely chat with them.
I really enjoyed Kerunda and the rainforest although I didn't see much wildlife apart from kangaroos on the way to the railway station.
My last adventure in Cairns: Cape tribulation!
I met two boys from England (Joe and Christopher who had just finished their degrees) on board and became friends with them. It was a full bus and we started off in Port Douglas. It was very pretty and I wish I had more time there but we only had an hour which was just enough to have a wonder and take some pictures.
We then headed into the rainforest for a rainforest talk. After, we drove for ages to cape tribulation for lunch. We were taken to a cape trib resort which was disappointing as we wanted to see the real rainforest. Everyone else had bought lunch as part of the tour but me and the boys had our own so we ate them on the beach. We were told we couldn't swim on the beach due to crocodiles so we had a walk along it.It was massive!
After relaxing on the beach we went on a crocodile tour. This was my favourite part as we went on a boat and the crocodile guide was really knowledgeable and we saw loads of crocodiles including babies!
The tour guide then drove like a maniac back to cairns where my new friends and I went for dinner. We then had dessert at this dessert place and looked at the night markets. I then had to say goodbye as they were leaving for melbourne the next day. I then went back to my hostel and made friends with a Scottish guy. I overheard him talking and said I'v not heard a scottish accent in soo long and so we ended up chatting til 2am!
On my final day I started off in the botanical gardens which had jungle swamps and an aboriginal garden.
It also had a butterfly sanctuary.
I walked around for ages then walked into town along the promenade.
I had another wonder round Cairns and it started to pour in rain so went into a shopping centre and went shopping for a while. When it stopped it was time for dinner and went back to chat to my new Scottish friend for the rest of the evening.
I enjoyed Cairns because the tours were good (apart from cape trib because the tour guide was rubbish but making new friends and seeing crocodiles made up for it). Cairns itself is a bit boring. After a day you are done and most people seem to stay for the amazing wildlife and diving etc around the area. I think Port Douglas was much prettier but its a bit out of the way from everything.
