Pics from Cairns, Part II

On Saturday, 5 July, we traveled inland, to see the tropical rainforest in the hills west of Cairns.

One of the best ways to get there is by Skyrail.

The Skyrail takes you up over the canopy, with amazing views -

- and a couple of stops along the way to walk through the rainforest.

The final destination is the village of Kuranda, the "Village in the Rainforest".

Kuranda is a pretty touristy town.  But it did have a lot of really nice art, including aboriginal art.  There were a couple of paintings that I really liked in art shops.  If I had had more time, more space, and more money, I would have loved to purchase some pieces.  But I did not.

This mural was outside, and we took this photo for free.

We ate lunch in Kuranda in a small cafe, that had a selection of children's books to entertain the little ones while you waited.  Tim was more entertained than anyone by this book.

From Kuranda, we caught a coach to the Rainforestation, a station set up in the rainforest to showcase animals, native culture, and to give tours on an amphibious army duck!  Part truck, part boat, built for World War II.

Here is Jonathan with a kangaroo.

It appears we didn't take a picture of the crocodile.  But we did take a picture of the sign warning you that crocodiles should not be petted like kangaroos.

Here is our tour guide on the duck tour.  He was really great, and super knowledgeable about plants, animals, and local history -- especially recent history.  It sounded like he had lived in the area for many many years.

One thing he told us about was the stinging tree.  Like a stinging nettle, it has fibers on its tips that embed in your skin and cause pain.  Unlike the simple stinging nettle, the fibers of this tree are covered with neurotoxin.  Stings can cause excruciating pain for six months or more. How did he know?  He had been stung, twice, and hoped never to experience it again.

When the amphibious vehicle entered the water, we saw a tiny turtle and a few large blue butterflies, Ulysses buterflies.  But that was it.  Still, very educational....

Next stop, native dancing, and other native events.  Like throwing a boomerang.

Tim wanted to play the didgeridoo, but I guess they didn't want his mouth all over it.  So we got instructions on how it worked, but only the guide got to play it.

Back to Kuranda, to catch the train home.  The Kuranda Scenic Railway was built between 1882 and 1891, and runs over tunnels and bridges through the rainforest to Cairns.

It stopped once, and we climbed out for a view of Barron Falls.  Apparently during the wet season, the rocks of the falls are almost completely covered with water.  During the dry season, in July, it's still an impressive falls, but not as powerful.

Here is a view of the falls from the Skyrail, earlier. You can see that it has the potential to be quite ... wet.

And here is the whole family on the train.  See how happy we are?

Especially Jonathan.

And that is the end of part II.