But first, we had to brave the airport.
Now the Ayers Rock airport is not big. Like I said, it's in the middle of nowhere.
Tourists come in; tourists look at the giant rock; tourists go out. That's it.
But we ARE talking about a lot of tourists. The airport was really busy.
And we had to check out at the campground and return our rental car before ten, although our flight wouldn't leave until after two. So we spent quite a bit of time sitting in this little airport.
The weird thing was, when we checked in for our flight they refused to check our bags.
Airport Counter Agent: So we'll have to put these bags on hold until it's less than a hour before your flight.
Us: Why?
Airport Counter Agent: In case you don't make it onto your flight.
Us: Why wouldn't we make it?
Airport Counter Agent: Well, you might not show up.
Us: But we're here. We already showed up.
Airport Counter Agent: But what if you took a walk because you have so much time until your flight, and then you don't come back?
Okay. Remember I mentioned that this place is in the middle of nowhere? There is NOTHING around this airport but desert, desert, and more desert.
If I take a walk out THERE and don't get back for my flight, I guess I must be DEAD.
And in that case, I guess it doesn't matter WHERE my bags are!
Anyways, Airport Counter Agent was not budging on this. We had to come back to the counter at exactly 1:30 to take our bags off hold.
So we did, and after a LONG wait we were off to Cairns.
When we got to the car rental place in the airport, our reserved car was waiting for us, but they were out of GPS's.We had to use (GASP!) a map instead.
Let me just point out that, during our marriage, my husband and I have had more fights involving map-reading than on any other subject.
And a good portion of those fights were on our honeymoon, almost eighteen years ago.
I've always thought honeymoons were some kind of trial-by-fire anyways. Let's take two people who, blinded by love, have just made a lifetime commitment to a person they're about to find out they don't really know that well, and have them go on a TRIP together!
I guess it's like, if you can survive the honeymoon, it's good preparation for the marriage.
So of course, a fight over the map was inevitable this time.
I'm supposed to be the navigator since he's always the driver. I got us to the bed and breakfast where we were staying all right. But I was unsuccessful at navigating us to the downtown restaurant for dinner.
I will admit that I was reading the map slightly... upside down.
But in my defense, it was dark. I was tired and hungry. And I've grown soft, depending on a GPS all the time.
We were barely speaking by the time we reached the restaurant. By which I mean, the pub next to our hotel that we hadn't intended to go to.
But a full stomach soothes grouchy nerves, and a good night's sleep smooths over such minor spats.
The next morning we set out to explore what Cairns had to offer.
Cairns is located on the north shore of Australia, and is one of several Australian destinations near the Great Barrier Reef, which was the main thing we'd come to see. However, we planned to see the reef by boat on the second day, so we had the whole first day to spend on land.
The other main attraction around the area was the Australian rainforest.
I don't know about you, but I wasn't even aware that Australia HAD a rainforest.
Obviously my education on the Land Down Under has been sorely lacking.
That's what happens when you get all your information about a country from Men at Work songs, and the "Priscilla Queen of the Desert" movie.
So to see the rainforest we took a skybucket ride.
Actually they don't call it a skybucket ride. It was called The Skyrail.
But at Six Flags we always called it riding the skybuckets.
The views were spectacular from up there.
But definitely not an activity for the acrophobic, despite the fact that the Frommer's guide assured us that, "The view of the coast as you ascend is so breathtaking that even those afraid of heights will find it worthwhile."
Um, I guess so, Mr. Frommer. If they're not too busy covering their eyes and cowering, that is.
I mean, I don't consider myself afraid of heights, but I was definitely keeping to the center of the bench inside the skybucket.
The ride let us off in two different locations so we could take walk inside the rainforest park.
There were lots of interesting things to see.
I asked the ranger what this fruit was called, but quite honestly, I forgot what he told me. He emphasized that it was not good to eat.
In case I was a complete idiot who eats strange fruit with spikes all over it while visiting a foreign ecosystem.
This giant spider was next to the window of the information center.
That's about as close as I dared to put my hand.
Several other tourists who were loath to get too close to this immense arachnid also took pictures of my hand with the spider. Nice to know I'll be starring in the photo albums of strangers. It's almost like being a hand model.
There was a beautiful waterfall to see, called Barron Gorge.
This thing was huge. According to the website, the falls are 250 meters high. Which is pretty tall!
There's a hydroelectric plant there as well.
They also had the old method of transporting people over the falls on display, as you can see over here to the left.
THAT would be exciting to be in while dangling over a 820-foot drop. (I did the math!)
Definitely made me thankful for the invention of the skybucket.
The skybuckets ended at the village of Kuranda, billed as "a rainforest village." Except it was actually a bunch of shops and restaurants for tourists.
Not that there's anything wrong with that!
There was a nice little path going to the village....
...and then it was a retail extravaganza!
We saw an aboriginal art gallery as well, with this guy playing a didgeridu outside.
The lady inside told us that they didn't have all of their displays back up yet.
They had apparently evacuated the whole village when Cyclone Yasi threatened the area, and they were just getting things back to normal. A few shops and restaurants were actually still closed.
We enjoyed the shopping and ate lunch in Kuranda, and then we headed over to the Cairns Zoo.
Now, of course everyone knows that Australia has a lot of strange native creatures, and that's what we wanted to see at the zoo.
Plus, any zoo that advertises "Cuddle a Koala!" as an attraction...well, how can you resist?
That's right! We cuddled a koala!
The poor thing.
Also we fed the kangaroos...
We saw lots of other weird Australian creatures.
This one is probably the weirdest. It's a cassowary.
A cassowary is a large bird, only a little smaller than an ostrich. It has a big ridge on its head, giving it a "Land Before Time" kind of look.
They're endangered, by the way.
I guess if you're a big, slightly ungainly, flightless bird, it's probably a bad idea to have a BRIGHT BLUE HEAD. Speaking from a survival standpoint.
Although apparently they're aggressive. Here's a warning sign we saw in the rainforest:
Back away slowly, little stickman. That's right.
They also had some warning signs at the zoo advising you about the crocodiles.
I'm sorry, but that picture is funny. BAD stickman!
Well, the zoo was fun, but the next day we set out on a boat to look at the Great Barrier Reef and some REAL wildlife!
Our boat was called the Ocean Freedom, held up to seventy-five passengers, and was pretty fast, as you can see from the wake here:
We anchored out by the Great Barrier Reef for snorkeling and scuba diving.
You can see the coral reef under the water here. It was very beautiful.
Of course, I would have found it more attractive if I hadn't been so seasick....
Anyways, my husband was the one with the scuba license; I was just along for the ride.
Here he is under the water.
There were some amazing fish and coral, although I don't think it comes out as well in the pictures.
We also took a glass-bottomed boat out to look at the reef, which was fascinating.
Yet another thing that loses something in a picture, however.
We spent all day anchored out by the reef. It was very scenic, but I was feeling sick the whole day, so I was glad when we got back to the dock.
The next day after our boat trip our vacation was over. We took the long flight back home.
There were amazing views as we flew through Sydney.
But I was happiest to see the sunrise over Honolulu.
And here's my favorite view of all:
Home again!
Um, I guess so, Mr. Frommer. If they're not too busy covering their eyes and cowering, that is.
I mean, I don't consider myself afraid of heights, but I was definitely keeping to the center of the bench inside the skybucket.
The ride let us off in two different locations so we could take walk inside the rainforest park.
There were lots of interesting things to see.
I asked the ranger what this fruit was called, but quite honestly, I forgot what he told me. He emphasized that it was not good to eat.
In case I was a complete idiot who eats strange fruit with spikes all over it while visiting a foreign ecosystem.
This giant spider was next to the window of the information center.
Several other tourists who were loath to get too close to this immense arachnid also took pictures of my hand with the spider. Nice to know I'll be starring in the photo albums of strangers. It's almost like being a hand model.
There was a beautiful waterfall to see, called Barron Gorge.
This thing was huge. According to the website, the falls are 250 meters high. Which is pretty tall!
There's a hydroelectric plant there as well.
THAT would be exciting to be in while dangling over a 820-foot drop. (I did the math!)
Definitely made me thankful for the invention of the skybucket.
The skybuckets ended at the village of Kuranda, billed as "a rainforest village." Except it was actually a bunch of shops and restaurants for tourists.
Not that there's anything wrong with that!
There was a nice little path going to the village....
...and then it was a retail extravaganza!
The lady inside told us that they didn't have all of their displays back up yet.
They had apparently evacuated the whole village when Cyclone Yasi threatened the area, and they were just getting things back to normal. A few shops and restaurants were actually still closed.
We enjoyed the shopping and ate lunch in Kuranda, and then we headed over to the Cairns Zoo.
Now, of course everyone knows that Australia has a lot of strange native creatures, and that's what we wanted to see at the zoo.
Plus, any zoo that advertises "Cuddle a Koala!" as an attraction...well, how can you resist?
That's right! We cuddled a koala!
The poor thing.
Also we fed the kangaroos...
We saw lots of other weird Australian creatures.
This one is probably the weirdest. It's a cassowary.
A cassowary is a large bird, only a little smaller than an ostrich. It has a big ridge on its head, giving it a "Land Before Time" kind of look.
They're endangered, by the way.
I guess if you're a big, slightly ungainly, flightless bird, it's probably a bad idea to have a BRIGHT BLUE HEAD. Speaking from a survival standpoint.
Although apparently they're aggressive. Here's a warning sign we saw in the rainforest:
Back away slowly, little stickman. That's right.
They also had some warning signs at the zoo advising you about the crocodiles.
I'm sorry, but that picture is funny. BAD stickman!
Well, the zoo was fun, but the next day we set out on a boat to look at the Great Barrier Reef and some REAL wildlife!
Our boat was called the Ocean Freedom, held up to seventy-five passengers, and was pretty fast, as you can see from the wake here:
We anchored out by the Great Barrier Reef for snorkeling and scuba diving.
You can see the coral reef under the water here. It was very beautiful.
Of course, I would have found it more attractive if I hadn't been so seasick....
Anyways, my husband was the one with the scuba license; I was just along for the ride.
Here he is under the water.
There were some amazing fish and coral, although I don't think it comes out as well in the pictures.
We also took a glass-bottomed boat out to look at the reef, which was fascinating.
Yet another thing that loses something in a picture, however.
We spent all day anchored out by the reef. It was very scenic, but I was feeling sick the whole day, so I was glad when we got back to the dock.
The next day after our boat trip our vacation was over. We took the long flight back home.
There were amazing views as we flew through Sydney.
But I was happiest to see the sunrise over Honolulu.
And here's my favorite view of all:
Home again!
Aww..what a happy last photo! I loved seeing ALL these pictures and learning about Australia. It is lovely to hear a first-hand account of a place you have never been to. Thanks a lot.
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