Did you like all the nightlife options Cairns has to offer? What about wandering around its astonishing waterfalls? Now, have you heard about the Great Barrier Reef? How about Fiztroy Island? Cape Tribulation? The Walshs Pyramid? Would you like to find out more about what to see in Cairns and its surroundings? Then, please, keep on reading 😉
What to do/see in Cairns’ surroundings?
Great Barrier Reef
It was one of the main reasons why I wanted to go to Australia. So far I had seen the Northern Lights and the Grand Canyon and I wanted to see my third natural wonder. I remember thinking before getting to Australia, in the worst case scenario, if things didn’t work out well, I would just see the Great Barrier Reef and then I would go back home. Fortunately enough things did work our pretty well and I was able to enjoy both Australia and the Great Barrier Reef.
While it is true that the reef is not as it once was, (mostly because of us increasing the global temperature of the planet, which is having a bleaching effect on corals, but also because of natural disasters like cyclone Debbie) I still enjoyed the beauty from outside and inside the water. As you might remember from previous posts, I got my Open Water diving certification with my friend Chaves in Magnetic Island. Thus, taking advantage of the license, I wanted to go diving on the Great Barrier Reef.
There are different diving companies in Cairns: Pro Dive, Cairns Dive Adventures, Silver Swift, Tusa Dive, etc. I just got a taste of what diving with Pro Dive could be. That happened while I was looking for work in Cairns and I ended up doing a trial as a cook with them. The boat was fantastic and so the equipment and the dive masters and instructors. That, nevertheless, has a price, and for me it wasn’t cheap.
I guess the rest of the agencies will have a similar price. I didn’t have much money when I arrived in Cairns so I felt pretty happy when my friend Diego talked to me about Divers Den, one of the few (I sent emails to all the diving companies and they were the only ones who told me it could be done) diving companies that allow you to work as a volunteer in exchange for diving or snorkelling.
As far as I remember, you just needed to fill up a form and show up at the shop, hand in the form, make sure everything was alright and buy a shirt from them, which was used to distinguish volunteers from regular customers. After that, you just needed to find a time that was convenient both for you and for them (they normally have the next couple of weeks already booked) and then, the day of the diving (if you had your certification) or snorkelling, you just had to show up at the shop at 07:00.
I went as a hostie (or volunteer) three times with Divers Den. The first time I teamed up with a guy from Israel, the second time with a girl from Germany and the third time with my friend Diego. In all three times I enjoyed my dives and the work I had to do. I never had the feeling that the job was difficult or exhausting. It was basically helping out preparing lunch, serving it, washing dishes and then cleaning up the boat once back in Cairns. In exchange, I got to dive twice every time I went with them. There was also the possibility to go on the big boat and spend 4-5 days in open sea, which allowed you to do between 10 to 15 dives, pretty cool right?
Fitzroy Island
Green Island and Fitzroy Island are two of the most well-known islands next to Cairns. I didn’t visit the first one but I had friends who visited both of them and they liked Fitzroy Island better.
On Monday the 20th of August, after having found a great deal on one of those typical coupon websites, we met early in the morning at the Marina to get on the boat which should take us to Fitzroy Island. The groupe was made by some of my coworkers from Hemingway’s and Giovanni (my ex-roommate in room number 6 in Caravella Backpackers). I was already living in the shared house in Parramatta, which was like a 30-minute walk to the Marina. Fortunately I still had my Time Machine and I just parked it next to Hemingway’s.
Once we were all there, we got onto the boat and got ready for a 45-minute ride to Fitzroy Island. I had already been in boats with Pro Dive and Divers Den so, by then, I had already got better at seasickness. The same can’t be said about some of my mates and other guests, who, unfortunately, had a really hard time on the way to and back from the island.
Once on the island there were different paths to follow, depending on whether you wanted to go to the beach, to a turtle sanctuary or to do some hiking. We went left and followed the path to the highest point on the island. The way there wasn’t extremely difficult but it was super windy that day. It took us a while but eventually we made it there. It was a sunny and clear day and the views were just spectacular. The blue of the water and the green of the forest made up a perfect landscape.
We didn’t follow the same path back, but a different one which took us to a small beach, were we laid down and had lunch (which we have brought from home). There was a restaurant/bar as soon as you stepped on the island, just in case. We tried to do some snorkelling there but the visibility, due to the strong wind, was pretty low. We then moved to a nearby beach which was more protected from the wind and we jumped in the water. I remember seeing some beautiful coral and even a small shark! Unfortunately no turtles. Ever since I arrived in Australia, I hadn’t seen a turtle while diving or snorkelling, but just coming out of the water to breathe, which was something we saw as we were waiting for the boat back to Cairns 🙂
Wake park in Cairns
On Monday (yes, we were doing everything on Mondays lol) the 27th of August, after having found another great deal on one of those coupon websites, (I’m not providing you with the names of the websites because it was through some friends that I got the tickets, sorry about that) we made it to the Wake Park in Cairns.
Joaquín and a friend of Uriel came to my house, and from there we drove to Caravella Backpackers, to pick up Giovanni. The drive to the Wake Park just takes around 15 minutes, so it is pretty conveniently located. As far as I know, there are also buses that leaves you there, or somewhere pretty close. We had some problems trying to find the right entrance but eventually we made it there.
The way it works is you book a time frame and you can use the circuit until the end of that time. You have to queue and wait until the cables come back free (because someone fell off or because nobody is using them) and then you can jump on the water. They provide you with a helmet, a vest and with a board to stand up (like the ones you might see in snowboard) or something to go on your knees, which you are advised to use (specially if you are a beginner) instead of jumping straight on the board.
Some of our friends from Hemingway’s had already finished (there was not enough room for all of us to do it in the same time frame) and they were just chilling under the sun and having some beers. Giovanni, Uriel, Victoria and myself started to give it a try to see how we could manage it. It didn’t take me too long to grab it. I used the “knee-board” a couple of times and then I jumped straight on the regular board. Most of the people fell right after jumping, because of a lack of balance while grabbing the cable. I did manage to get that part right pretty quick, but then, I was always struggling to know how to balance my body to turn right or left and so, when arriving to the curve, I was always falling lol.
It was pretty exhausting and I remember we all had our arms stiffed for the rest of the week lol. Nevertheless it was a pretty cool experience. I had never done it before and I was able it to cross it off my bucket list 😉
Walshs Pyramid
Or better known as just the “Pyramid”, is a pyramid-looking mountain in the outskirts of Cairns. I had some friends like Diego and Joaquín who had already been there and they told me it was a nice (and intense) hike with amazing views of Cairns and its surroundings. So, as my time in Cairns was about to finish and I was not working many hours anymore, I decided to cross it off my bucket list before leaving.
That time, my partner for the adventure was Vicky, a girl from Argentina who I had (truly) met working at Hemingway’s. I had met her before at Salt House in an improvised dance challenge lol. We agreed the day before that I would pick her up at her place and, in exchange, she would prepare some vegetarian sandwiches for me. We both kept the promise 🙂
As you can see on the picture above, the drive there was pretty short and straightforward. We can’t say the same about the way up to the top of the mountain lol. We started at around 11:00 and it took us about 2 hours to get there. I don’t think any of us was particularly fit at that period of our lives, which made it even harder lol. We were lucky with the weather, which was somehow cloudy. Otherwise I think I should have stopped halfway lol.
There are around 4 Km from the parking lot to the top. The maximum elevation is around 920 meters. If you do the math you can clearly see that the way up there can become a little bit too steep. And that is exactly how we felt. I’m not sure how many times we stopped to catch back our breath, but we had to do it if we wanted to stay alive. At some points, it felt like climbing a steep wall without hands. It was pretty tough for our legs.
Nevertheless, like everything in life, with patience and determination, it can be done. And that’s how we did it. We kept on going, little by little, breath after breath, step after step until, finally, we made it to the top. We were sweating once we reached the top and it was really windy there, so the feeling was kind of freezing. It was nice having lunch (thanks for the sandwiches Vicky!) there with such amazing views. After having some rest we started to go back down.
You might have expected that going down was super easy, but that was far from truth. Our legs were kind of tired after going up and, to go down, you also needed to use them a lot, to avoid falling because of the steep road. We made it back to the parking lot safe and sound (and destroyed). It was a pretty cool experience and I’m glad we did it, even if it was super exhausting. Thanks for coming Vicky!
Daintree National Park & Cape Tribulation
On Friday the 14th of September, exactly one week before leaving Australia, we embarked ourselves on the longest trip “within” Cairns’ surroundings. We had been talking about the possibility of taking a trip to Cape Tribulation for ages but we couldn’t find the right time. Francesco was always working from Monday to Friday and, while I didn’t have a fix schedule, I was mostly working on the weekends. I wasn’t working much during my last weeks in Cairns so we thought it was the perfect time to make it happen. We tried to get Giovanni as well as other people to come, but mostly because of work reasons, in the end, it was Francesco, Tristan and myself.
So, on Friday evening, after finishing work at Hemingway’s, I drove to Caravella Backpackers, (I was back by then, sharing room number 3 with Francesco, because I had been kicked out from the apartment by the crazy Chinese leaseholder) took a shower and got all the stuff we needed for an amazing weekend. After that, we drove to Cairns Central to buy some food and drinks (probably the cheapest beer in town, “Hammer N Tongs”) and from there we started to drive up to Cape Tribulation.
I was confused in the beginning while doing some research on Daintree and Cape Tribulation, but, basically, Daintree is a huge rainforest (the oldest one on Earth) and Cape Tribulation is a region within that rainforest. My friend Diego had lent me a brochure that showed different hiking trails. Unfortunately neither I took a picture of it nor I have it with me anymore. But, worry not, because I will provide you with some useful links for your hikes.
It was already dark when we started to drive. We took it easy and we were just talking and laughing until we thought it would be nice to have a place to spend the night once in Cape Tribulation. We tried to get some last-minute accommodation before getting there but everything was fully booked. Also, it didn’t happen to us, (we arrived before it closed) but just for your information, there is a ferry you need to take once you enter the Daintree. The ferry takes just 10-15 minutes but you still have to take it if you want to get to Cape Tribulation. The ferry closes at midnight. So, if you want to get to Cape Tribulation, you better get there earlier than midnight and you better have some accommodation already booked, unlike us 🙂
As I was saying, due to a lack of planification, we found ourselves on the road without accommodation. Luckily enough that was far from a novelty to me and I used an app that has been one of my favourites ever since I started my Australian Trip, “Camper Mate”. Thanks to the app we found a camping place where we were able to spend the night for free. We had a variety of choices but we picked up the best located and the “cheapest” one. I don’t remember the name of the camping ground but it was located halfway between Cairns and Cape Tribulation. We got there at around 21:00, set up our tent, prepared some dinner and had some beers and, after a couple of hours, we went to sleep.
We woke up early next morning and after putting everything back in the Time Machine’s trunk, we hit the road yet once again. After around an hour driving, we decided to stop to buy some extra food and coffees (we had Francesco in the car, we had no choice lol). Port Douglas was the most northern city I had ever visited in Australia. As we drove, we were letting it behind. Little by little we started to see a change in the scenery and, eventually, we made it to the ferry.
The river was not very long. In fact, the ferry took just around 10 minutes. I would say a bridge could be built to avoid people paying 28 AUD every time they want to cross the bridge and come back. But, of course, if that was to happen, they wouldn’t make any money out of us, and that wouldn’t be fair, would it?
The river we were crossing was supposed to have some crocodiles around, but, unfortunately, we didn’t see any. I was really looking forward to it! I had never seen a croc up till then and I wanted to cross it off my bucket list. After crossing the bridge we started to drive through what it looked like some sort of Jurassic Park’s landscapes. It was both impressive and beautiful. There were signs of cassowaries on the road but unfortunately we didn’t see any. They are both very dangerous and beautiful. I had just caught a glimpse of one while travelling with Chaves and it really made my day.
We drove until a beach that had some mangroves as its highlight. It was easy enough to park the car and start walking. We walked for some time and we saw plenty of warning croc signs. The water was pretty blurry so it was like playing Russian roulette. You could get bitten, beaten and eaten or you could just enjoy the refreshing water on a pretty hot day. It was really up to you 😉
We kept on walking for a while until we saw the mangrove growing almost out of the sea water. It was a pretty odd but beautiful landscape. We tried to find some shade and we did it. The problem was that the trees were coming from some sort of swamp where the color of the water was even dirtier and blurrier than the one we saw on the sea. We were all a little paranoid with the crocodiles, specially after a man on the beach told us a that couple of days ago he saw one around the area where we were laying 😅. All in all, we laid down, had some beers, chilled and started to walk back to the parking lot (still alive).
We prepared some nice pasta by the parking lot. I guess we were not the only ones thinking the pasta was nice because plenty of turkeys (animals) came to say hello. We then drove the car downwards to a some sort of boardwalk-over-the-swamp walk. The walk took us around 45 minutes and we saw some signs explaining how the swamp and the nature and fauna around it had grown. I was always expecting to see a crocodile jumping out of nowhere but it didn’t happen. We did see some big spiders and even a huge lizard climbing up a tree.
After that, we decided to drive to a beach to lay down and chill but on the way we realized we hadn’t booked any accommodation yet. We checked around the main accommodation area but everything was either taken or super expensive. We ended up finding a good deal at “PK’s Jungle Village”, where we were able to park the car and sleep in our tent. The place was nice, with beach’s access and with a good and young vibe. It felt like a backpacker hostel within the rainforest.
After the relief of having a place to spend the night, we went back to the road and drove to the beach we originally wanted to check. As I said before, unfortunately, I no longer have the boucher my friend lent me, so, I can’t provide you with the exact names of the places. Nevertheless, by checking out this website, you shouldn’t have any difficulties planning a nice hike and beach weekend:
http://www.destinationdaintree.com/getting-here-getting-around/walking-and-hiking
Once on the beach, we chilled, relaxed and even tried to do some yoga postures lol. The sun started to set and, just like that, an amazing day in the oldest jungle of the world was coming to an end. We enjoyed the beauty of the moment in silent and eventually we decided to go back and check our accommodation.
As I said before, I really liked the setup and the atmosphere of the hostel. We were sleeping in our tent but we were allowed to use the kitchen, bathroom and the other common areas. We took a shower, prepared some nice dinner (thanks Chef Tristan!) and open our foldable chairs to enjoy the beauty of the night with the taste of a cheap beer. There were some people next to us with a different level of “enthusiasm” which made them stay up for half a night. We were not that young anymore (Tristan and Francesco were both below 25 lol) and we went to sleep soon.
We woke up early on Sunday. That day we were going back to Cairns. Before that though, we hiked for a couple of hours on a small piece of the huge Daintree. The hike was not very tough and the path was properly marked. We heard some weird noises but we didn’t see any crocs or cassowaries coming. It was nice to walk around such a big shelter of life. When we finished the trail, we went back to the car and got ready to cross the river on the ferry once again. On the way there, we stopped at a couple of amazing viewpoints, which gave us some perspective of what and where we had been doing the whole weekend.
Francesco and Tristan had never been to Port Douglas before and I thought it would be nice to show them my second “house” in North Queensland. We had lunch at the “typical” barbeque spot and we walked around the beautiful and always peculiar Sunday Market. Eventually we went to the esplanade with the amazing ocean views, my favourite place in Port Douglas, and we just laid down and enjoy the beautiful weather and views.
I didn’t want to leave Australia without seeing a crocodile so I did some research and followed Diego’s advise and we stopped at the bridge right outside Port Douglas, on the way back to Cairns. To be honest, it wasn’t easy to find good info on the exact location. There were different bridges and the river (Mowbray) had different roads to be approached. Luckily enough we found it, and, from now on, you will be able to find it too:
https://goo.gl/maps/ZTCFTvJb93n
So, as you are exiting Port Douglas and heading to Cairns, once you passed the bridge, keep on driving for a couple of minutes and on your left-hand side you will find a way to turn back. Then, pretend you are driving back to Port Douglas and on the red cross you will find a way to access the river. We sat down for like an hour and we didn’t see anything happening. We drunk some beers while waiting and when we were thinking about leaving… Suddenly, we saw something coming out of the water and it was there, a crocodile!
The feeling of seeing such a powerful animal was breathtaking. Unfortunately we just could enjoy a glimpse of it, because it went down into the water pretty quick. We spent some more minutes and after a while another one showed up. Finally, after a weekend in Jurassic Park, we crossed the crocodile-seeing off the bucket list on a bridge outside Port Douglas 😉
Back on the road, we felt pretty tired and equally amazed. It had been an amazing weekend. The feeling that I was leaving Australia soon made it even more special. The feeling that next day I was gonna say good bye to my most faithful and reliable friend in Australia wasn’t easy to deal with. After 5 months and 11000 Km, it was time to say good bye to my Time Machine 🙁
Back at Caravella I met with Diego to sell him all the camping gear I had bought for my trip. I hope you are still using it and enjoying it, puto! I then cleaned up the car and went to sleep with a deep feeling of nostalgic.
So long Cairns!
On the morning of Monday the 17th of September I went to the car office registration in Cairns. I had agreed with a Chilean couple on selling them the car. The car was bought in the middle of April and didn’t have a problem ever since. We covered a third of Australia together. It took me everywhere I wanted to go and it was always ready to provide me with music and a shelter. I hope you are still alive, Time Machine!
As you might have seen throughout the whole post, even if it was pretty hard at the beginning, with positive attitude and persistence, I managed to spend an amazing time in Cairns. Other than what you have already read, I built beautiful friendships that I still maintain, (Francesco, Giovanni and Ash) I visited amazing places, I did 10 dives and 6 of them were done in the Great Barrier Reef, I had some international lunches with my friends where I cooked paella and where I got to taste some amazing Chilean and Italian food, I improved on my waiting and bartending skills, I worked with some amazing people in some funny events and, overall, I had the feeling I grew a lot.
It wasn’t easy to leave Caravella and all the amazing people I had met. The same can be said about the shared house at Bunda street. It wasn’t easy to leave my job at Hemingway’s and the different jobs with the Recruitment Agencies, where I normally had tons of fun and met nice people. It wasn’t easy to say good bye to the techno nights at Salt House. It wasn’t easy knowing that it might take a while before I would see again the sunrise and the pelicans as I walked through the Esplanade. Many more things were not easy, but, for sure, all of them were worthwhile.
And, as I said when my Australian Trip came to an end and I had to say good bye to Chaves, (whom I’ve just seen last weekend after 8 months) the beauty of things is that they have an end, otherwise, we wouldn’t appreciate them as much. And, as one wise man once said: “behind your fears, you will find the most beautiful things of your life”. Thanks so much for the last 4 months, Cairns! So long!
