Cairns, Cape Tribulation And The Great Barrier Reef

Angry Croc!!!

The term - 'it's a small world' is a popular statement generally made when you meet someone in an unexpected or far-away location. So when, on the day I left Perth and headed to the Outback, I got chatting to a guy which just happened to live around the corner form me, and then turns out that I know his brother - you could say that it is a perfect example of 'it's a small world. If I had left the day earlier or had not sat down at the table to eat my cornflakes at just that moment, in just that hostel, in that particular city, in a country on the other side of the world - then I may never have bumped into Josh Droy's brother at all and we would believe that actually the world is a little bit larger than we think. My point is, despite what that popular but infuriating Disney-Land theme park ride says - it is NOT a small world - you only have to look at a map of Australia and work out how far it is from one place to another (as I did of the East Coast when I first arrived) to realise that!!! No, I can tell you all now, you bump into those people where you didn't expect to because the world just happens to be full of uncomprehensible coincidence and thats all there is to it, but rest assured - it is certainly not a small world - after all - la la la la la la la!!!

Finally I had made it to the infamous East Coast of Australia - where you generally hear from most - is where all the action happens. It's the most populated side of the country and as you travel it, you soon understand why. It's beach paradise (full of surf, sun and bbq's) all the way down and the only thing that interupts all the playing in the sand is a good party at night. Sounds like my sort of place.

I arrived in Cairns, a booming town full of large roads, lots of surf shops and a lively atmosphere. It's a fun place to hang around - and many backpackers do just that. You meet people here who have not left for months and at first you wonder why. For in the town of Cairns - there is actually not a lot there. There's the lagoon, where people hang around to obtain a tan and there are some great parties - the club scene is definately well developed as I found out most nights (a few to many in the Woolshed!!!), but apart from that there isn't a great deal in the city. But what you soon find out, is that it's not about Cairns itself that people flock here - it's because cairns is a gateway to some great places and none greater than the Barrier Reef.

Before I took a trip out on the waves though I first did a tour, north of Cairns, up to a place called Cape Tribulation. Along the way we stopped at a fair few places. We took a walk through a forest, up to Mossman Gorge - a scenic place where you only have to watch out for the stinging plant which if touched will give you immense pain for 4-6 months - only in Australia could a plant be so nasty!!!!

We then took a quick trip further north to Port Douglas - a really beautiful small town which appears to attract the celebrity scene. We didn't see any though, despite some individuals looking out with a very keen eye. Further north we passed banana and sugar plantations up to the Daintree region. We stopped at a wildlife park to observe wildlife and particularly the cassowary - a very large, funny looking bird of sorts and a relative of the Emu. They flourish in this region so we now knew what to look out for along our journey - actually we ended up not seeing a single wild version!!! After a briefing about how not to go near the Daintree River or along it's banks by foot for getting one or another limb removed by a saltwater Crocodile - we crossed the river by boat to get into the Daintree Rainforest. The region is, according to the Australian's - the oldest rainforest in the world - which confused me somewhat as I thought I had already ventured into the oldest rainforest in the world (Malaysia's Taman Negara). Well, whoever takes the title, I can now say that I have been to the oldest and second oldest rainforest's in the world which is a statement sure to impress someone!!!

The diversity of life in the forest is incredible - if a little shy. For they have some of the most stunning species of all things creepy crawly and many - never seen anywhere else in the world. As an example, they have a spider the size of a diner-plate - no joke, the largest butterfly in the world and all other insects which seem to be overly large. Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, we didn't see any of them.

We continued north and eventually made it to Cape Tribulation (named by Captain Cook after his ship ran aground on Endeavour Reef). The area has a great beach. It's described as where the rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef - as the vegetation comes right up to shore. We spent some time here - resting, chilling and avoiding giant Lace Monitor Lizzards (which are very dangerous), before heading back down to Cairns. On the way, we took a boat trip down the Daintree River, which was great fun as you can spot some seriously dangerous creatures. The river is teeming with the saltwater Crocs - perhaps the most dangerous Crocodile around - and we saw loads of them. Most were on the banks but a few were taking an afternoon swim. We also saw snakes and a great variety of less so interesting birds. A great trip all round.

Of course the other thing that I had to do while in Cairns - was a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. The Reef is the largest living thing on the Earth and the only living thing visible from space. It's larger than the Great Wall of China and stretches some 2000km. The best place to see it is the Outer Reef - which takes about one hour and forty five minutes to reach, by an unsettling boat ride (especially if your hung-over)!!!

The Reef though, is incredible. Once off the boat you don't have to go far - and there it is. Believe the hype - it's by far the best reef I have seen and I have visited a fair few now. I didn't see any amazing Reef Sharks or Turtles but it didn't matter - the coral was why I was there. It's like an underwater garden full of all different shapes and colours (I like the brain looking coral) and it attracts abundant varieties of fish. It is like a totally different world down there - an awesome experience and highly recommended. It's not one of the natural wonders of the world for no reason and the reason is - it's unbelievable!!!

After a few days I left Cairns. I had made many good friends here including an American guy called Mike and a German girl, Lea - who have asked if I want to go to Fiji with them in a month or so. Fiji wasn't on the plan book but then I don't have a plan book so i'm thinking about it seriously. I will wait and see on that one - it's tempting. Before then though, I had a date with an island....