Travel Guides and Stories

Location: Cairns, Australia

Season: Winter, temperature around 28°C (Being in the tropics, Cairns has pleasant temperatures during Australian winter, making it peak tourist season). Transportation: Flight (from Sydney, round-trip ticket $400). Day One: First took a bus from Canberra to Sydney, then flew from Sydney to Cairns. The flight took about 3 hours, watching the sky change from lake blue to light brown. We were lucky enough to catch a sunset from the plane.

After landing at dusk, we took the airport shuttle (round-trip $12) to our accommodation. Our group of three stayed at Dreamtime Backpackers opposite the train station. It's a hostel featuring a swimming pool, BBQ facilities, outdoor cinema, kitchen, and laundry room. The building is over twenty years old. The owner, a middle-aged guy, is very friendly. We arrived on the hostel's 20th anniversary celebration - there was free BBQ, beer, and even a fire-twirling show. How lucky! :)

   Dreamtime Travellers Rest

Day Two: After a good rest, we walked fifteen minutes (Cairns is a small city where most places are walkable) to the Esplanade. The Trinity Beach area runs along the Esplanade. With towering palm trees lining both sides, a public pool matching the color of sea and sky, and occasional blue-eyed local kids running past, everything set a delightful tone for our trip.

However, we soon discovered why Australia has the world's highest UV levels. Just an hour of outdoor walking left all three of us showing signs of heat exhaustion. Despite it being winter in Australia, tropical temperatures remain high. We retreated to our accommodation until dusk before continuing our city exploration. In the evening, we had dinner at the Night Market on the Esplanade. Cairns has a vibrant nightlife, with various pubs giving this quiet city a different atmosphere after dark.

   Cairns Night Market

A small incident occurred when we returned to our hostel that night. Just as we were about to enter, something huge and bird-like flew down from the tree by the door. Its wingspan was wider than a seagull's, making us all scream - it turned out to be an enormous bat. The hostel owner later told us that Cairns has many fruit bats. They're huge but feed only on fruit and don't harm humans. Some tourists even book special day tours just to see these bats! Day Three: Cairns has Australia's best-developed tourism industry, not only for its beautiful Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef but also for its vibrant Aboriginal culture and well-preserved rainforest. So on our third day, we decided to explore the rainforest around Cairns. Our destination was Kuranda, a small town in the rainforest. We bought round-trip scenic train tickets ($72) at the station across the street. Other options included the Skyrail (more expensive) and bus (cheaper but with limited views). Sitting in the vintage train, watching the unique rock formations, deep valleys, waterfalls, and rainforest pass by, we felt like the first explorers of this continent. The railway passes through the entire Barron Gorge National Park, with its well-preserved rainforest, mountains, valleys, and waterfalls creating spectacular views.

   Kuranda Rainforest Nature Park

Upon arrival, you'll find that Kuranda Station is small but charming.

   Kuranda Rainforest Nature Park

Following the path into Kuranda village, it feels like entering another world. As we walked, we were drawn to beautiful singing. Following the music, we found a market with a harpist performing. We left a tip, took photos, and received a grateful smile for our simple compliment.

The market had many "Made in China" crafts, along with local Aboriginal handicrafts. Past the market, we visited the Butterfly Sanctuary (student ticket $16). The butterflies here fly freely and often land on visitors. The sanctuary offers free guided tours (in English, with Chinese information available at the entrance) through the breeding, hatching, and free-flight areas. After the tour, we got our cameras ready for photos.

You can spend hours in the Butterfly Sanctuary. Afterward, we explored another market, enjoyed a fresh coconut (similar to those sold in Hainan), then caught the train back. Kuranda has many attractions including a Koala Park, Crocodile Farm, and Aboriginal Park - enough to fill 2-3 days. Day Four: Cairns Tropical Zoo. We booked a day tour through a local travel agency on the Esplanade - basically transportation to and from the zoo with admission included for $65. Here you can get close to kangaroos, crocodiles, koalas, pythons, and other animals, seeing all tropical Australian wildlife. The zoo isn't huge but offers many shows that can fill a day. First was the kangaroo enclosure. These small kangaroos seem harmless to visitors and will act cute for food from the entrance shop. One greedy little kangaroo even hugged my leg for treats. This small area must have 50-60 kangaroos!

Here you can see cassowaries, lemurs, dingoes, red pandas, wombats, crocodiles, lizards, and venomous snakes. You can also take photos holding koalas for about $16. There are three animals available for photos: koalas, baby crocodiles, and pythons - around $30 for all three. Shows include: koalas and wombats, venomous snakes, kangaroo feeding, birds, lemurs, red pandas, and crocodile feeding.

Day Five: Great Barrier Reef diving. The reef has inner and outer sections, with the outer reef having more coral and fish. At the Cairns marina building, official tour operators offer safe trips at reasonable prices. We booked a tour combining diving and snorkeling. The group was about 100 people. The boat provided buffet meals, and the return journey featured cheese, wine, and musical entertainment. Our tour visited the outer reef, stopping at two reef locations.

You can rent prescription diving masks (refundable deposit required) and try different prescriptions to find the right fit. If you don't need prescription lenses, all equipment is provided free. There's an hour of training before entering the water. Once in the water, instructors provide additional training, including practicing emergency procedures like replacing a dislodged oxygen mask. The underwater scenery is stunning - you can see practically every character from Finding Nemo. We didn't rent an underwater camera ($50), so couldn't capture the underwater beauty. However, you can still see the colorful coral from the surface. If you get seasick, helicopter returns are available, though expensive ($200).

While snorkeling, I accidentally swallowed some water - incredibly salty and felt like my throat was burning! Also, contrary to popular belief, the Coral Sea is actually green, not blue. Day Six: Morning flight back home, concluding our Cairns trip. There's actually much more to see around Cairns, but we had limited funds. Places like Green Island (the pearl of the Great Barrier Reef), Fitzroy Island with its clear water and white sand, and hot air balloon rides (Cairns is the hot air balloon capital, though it costs over $300 for a morning flight) await future visits. Hope to travel here again someday.