As we continue on with my adventures along the east coast of Australia it was time for me to move from the cities and get more tropical and rustic in the town of Cairns, with some exciting activities coming up that I’d been looking forward to for the whole of this trip. Before we get into it if you missed out on the two blogs I have written already covering Melbourne and Sydney be sure to check them out to see what I’d been up to until this point.
Why I Headed To Cairns
As I was doing some research into the places that I had to visit whilst I was in Australia, Cairns was one of those places that I was being told I really had to go to when visiting the east coast. So I delved into things a little more as to why this was, finding out that not only was it a great little hub for nightlife as a traveller it was also a perfect place to be able to escape into nature on a variety of day trips. Waterfalls rainforest, aboriginal history or going under the sea (cue the Little Mermaid song). For someone who love a good adventure, it only made sense to me to stop by at this awesome place.
Trust me, I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
What Did I Think Of Cairns
Cairns was a phenomenal place for me to visit and had everything that I wanted from a place. The adventures that you can go on here into the rainforest, the fresh water gorges and hills allow you to really appreciate the tropical beauty of Australia in its fullest, which suites me perfectly. Additionally to this, it allows you to really appreciate the Aboriginal history of the location that I feel needs to be celebrated and supported in its fullest after the horrors they have been through in the past at the hands of various colonialists, which to an extent occurs in the modern era.
That’s your day time plan sorted and then when it comes to the nighttime, you will not be disappointed. For what looks like a sleepy town in the daytime, it certainly wakes up in the evening for you to drink, party and throw some moves. If there were any frustrations in my opinion, it would be that it does seem to centre around the hostel/hotel/nightclub that is Gilligan’s. Or else you may opt for a chilled evening by the beach with some nice food and a few drinks. It has anything you’d expect from a tropical escape.
The only downside that I could find with this place is not being able to go into the sea! Bloody Australia and its abundance of things wanting to kill you, whether it be sharks or highly dangerous jellyfish! Even if there are cordoned off places, they can still get through thus you get to wear a sexy jellyfish suit that will not do your sun tan any wonders.
Should You Cover It?
100% a place that you should travel to! I really loved my time there and would highly recommend anyone else to go out and explore this tropical paradise. Embracing the natural beauty of mother nature is a must, with plenty of beaches, forests, animals and plants for you to appreciate. It’s a place designed for someone who wants to take it nice and slow or hard and fast when they travel. I would implore you to explore and support the Aboriginal population and their history too. This will allow you to reconnect to our more natural routes as a species, learning a thing or two about what we could bring into the modern era.
As I said before, just be wary of the fact that you may not be able to fully enjoy the beaches like you would anywhere else, which may be a gripe if you enjoy those free sea swims without being held within a net or wearing that not so fashionable jellyfish suit.
Day 10 - 2 January
Another day of pretty much just travelling for me. Of course firstly this wasn’t without saying goodbye to the fantastic people that I shared my experience with in Sydney including signing one or two travel journals, before taking myself to get the train back down to Sydney Airport centre ready to fly north to my next location.
I’m sorry but this was pretty much it for the day. Train to the airport, fly north to Cairns via Brisbane taking 8 hours in total, including a 6 hour layover in Brisbane, then getting myself to the hostel I was staying at.
So let’s talk about the well known Gilligan’s Hostel, that is based in the middle of Cairns.
This place is quite the location and pretty much has everything in it if you really didn’t want to leave the hostel/hotel. It has a combination of rooms, both shared and private for you to enjoy depending on your travel style. It has a fully fledged pool and relaxation area around it, sometimes playing host to pool parties. Then there’s the restaurant providing you with a reasonably priced and filling food menu, along with a bar if you fancy getting some drinks in early.
I must admit, my actual exposure to the hostel as a whole in the daytime was minimal as I was always out and about, keeping myself busy with a variety of activities. The last thing I wanted to do was sit in a hostel all day!
Now, we move to the nightlife, which has its pros and cons. In the middle of the place, there is a booming nightclub that travellers and locals from around flock to for the party. So if you’re party animal and want to spend the night dancing the night away, this is the place for you, don’t you worry! However, if you are heading off early in the morning for a day trip, there’s a chance your early night may be disturbed due to the thumping bass unless you have a good set of ear plugs.
Always clean, comfortable beds and plenty for you to do, no matter what type of traveller you are, this place had something for everyone and was reasonably priced for all that it offered. I enjoyed my stay there but that takes into account that I don’t struggle to sleep through most things whereas others may do thus decided to stay elsewhere.
It’s a recommended place to stay for me!
Day 11 - 3 January
The first full day and I was having an early start to be head out on my first day trip. This was quite the trip too with all kinds of activities.
An early pick up was the first order of the day as the tour guide did a round robin of all the hostels to collect the rest of the groups before heading north along the coastal road, giving us amazing views of the coastline as we went.
The first stop on this tour was the Mossman Gorge. This had two things to offer us. The first was talking through the history of the local indigenous people and how they used to live their lives in the forest and on the land surrounding. A really interesting part of the tour that reminded us of the more natural ways of living that humans used to have. This finished with a smoke ceremony, used to cleanse us of the bad spirits attached to us. A very wholesome experience. The second activity in this location was to allow us to strip down and enjoy some time in the refreshing water of the Mossman Gorge, allowing a swim and a bit of a rock to jump off. Just don’t do what I did and slip as you jump. The ego and your torso will end up very bruised.
We dried off, got dressed again and continued north on our tour, heading towards where we were going to be sitting down for lunch. Located in the rainforest, this restaurant was a great spot! With the Cape Tribulation only a couple of hundred metres away, being able to walk off your lunch on this spectacular beach was perfect. Pure paradise. No rest for the wicked though as it was was soon we were on the move again.
With lunch finished off, it was time to go croc hunting on the Daintree river. Silently cruising down the river on our boat, we were on the lookout for a crocodile or two in the wild. Unfortunately though, they were feeling a little shy and we only managed to catch a glimpse of a baby one on the banks of the river. From speaking to the guide, it seems this part of the tour can be hit or miss. Sometimes there are numerous encounters with the local wildlife or you could end up like us where the sighting of a baby crocodile and plenty of plant and tree sightings are about all you’re going to get.
Back to the bus and though we were nearing the end of this very busy day, there was still plenty for us to see before home time. The next stop allowed us to go for a stroll through the rainforest on one of the boardwalks whilst our guide pointed out various highlights and plants of interest to us. There was one plant that stood out to me during this walk was the “gympie-gympie” plant. A stinging plant that causes such violent stings that one person recalls having pain for 2 years! Take heed of the warning from the guide and don’t touch it. I know some of you may be like me and think “how bad could it be?!” but from what I’ve heard and read, don’t do it! Doesn’t seem worth it!
The finish off the day in style, on the way back we stopped off as a little ice cream store that served black sapote ice cream. You may be wondering what’s so special about this? Well, it’s a fruit that tastes like chocolate! Amazing, I know! Then it was to the Mount Alexandra lookout point, giving us picturesque views whilst we tucked into this mind-blowing experience of chocolate fruit!
A very, very good day!
Day 12 - 4 January
My second full day in Cairns took a slightly slower pace where I was under my own steam doing my own thing rather than an organised tour. My plan for the day was had to head to Fitzroy Island which is about a hour or two away from the Port of Cairns. Frustratingly, I missed the earlier ferry as I decided to have a lie in from the night before so I used my time productively to explore the rest of Cairns, focusing mainly around the Esplanade and the waterfront. As I mentioned before about being unable to get into the actual sea, there’s a lagoon that’s been created right next to the coast so you can get the “going to the beach” vibe whilst not risking your life for it. This is alongside a promenade that stretches pretty much the length of Cairns giving you a perfect place to have a romantic stroll, bike ride or run along the seafront.
As I mentioned before I missed the first boat that goes to Fitzroy Island, as there are two ferries that run during the day; one in the morning and one the afternoon. My initial plan had been to spend the whole day on the island enjoying the resort that was there, enjoying the beaches and climbing to the top of the hill in the middle of the island. But I failed, missing the morning boat so my time was somewhat shortened, leaving me having to truly make the most of it. Since looking up the timetable for the Fitzroy Flyer though, there seems to be a little more flexibility in the timetable, working it into your schedule better. I unfortunately wasn’t blessed with this luxury so only had 2-3 hours (from memory) to get everything in that I wanted to whilst I was there.
Don’t worry though, I feel I definitely made the most of it. With a handy map given to me before I got off the ferry and knowing exactly where I was wanting to head to, I was off to the highest point of the island. Due to the amount of time, I quickly ran to the top of the peak, with it taking around 10-15 minutes. The trail isn’t too long nor is the gradient too challenging so it’s definitely within the capability of pretty much everyone. It’s well marked and cleared too so you have no worries about getting lost! Just watch out under foot as you can come across the odd critter or large eight legged creature…
Once you reach the top, you will find a viewing platform as well as a couple of large rocks behind it, if you have the nerve to climb up, to gain a full 360° view of Fitzroy Island in all its glory, whilst being able to see out to neighbouring islands. This is where I captured the picture that you see on my blog’s front page. This was done by precariously balancing my GoPro on those edge of the rock behind me, using my phone as a remote control for my GoPro Hero Five Session. Risky but the reward speaks for itself.
With the clocking ticking and time being against me, I ran back down the hill to the resort before heading out towards the secluded beaches. With the size of the island and the number of people either visiting or in the resort, you can have one of these to yourself. On another day, it would have been amazing to just sit, soak up the sun and either read or just watch the waves break on the shoreline.
Very peaceful.
However, I didn’t have that long but made the most of it before I was having to head back to the boat to get to the mainland, as I didn’t fancy paying for a night at the resort. A little outside of my budget at the time, that’s for sure.
Day 13 - 5 January
Another day another fantastic day out planned for me. This time, I was off on a boat to go under the sea (cue The Little Mermaid again). It was time to experience my first time scuba-diving. Admittedly I was a little apprehensive about this after the issues my ears in the past however, thankfully I went with a very understanding company that allows you the opportunity to go down to certain depth to see if you’re OK before you fully commit and have to pay for the full trip. If I was unable to dive, I would have elected for a simple snorkelling adventure instead so the day wasn’t ruined. Thankfully for me though, during the test dive part, I was able to pressurise my ears, which meant I was good to to enjoy the breathtaking (in the right way!) experience of scuba diving.
If you want to read about my scuba-diving trip and more detail we should check out the blog that I wrote about my first experience that really goes through how welcoming, Compass Cruises, were and what the day fully entailed. Rest assured, Compass Cruises, provided everything that you need to have a fantastic day out. Supplying plenty of great food, really helpful and friendly staff are fantastic experience and it all being reasonably priced write a perfect all round down day out. I would also recommend them if you’re simply wanting to only go snorkelling or free diving (though the latter is on your own accord), as they offer those within their trips too.
Day 14 - 6 January
My final full day whilst in Cairns was taken up by another day trip out, this time on the local waterfall trip. With another early pick up, this was a trip that takes you round a variety of different waterfalls, fresh water gorges and an opportunity to check out the Curtain Fig Tree (doesn’t sound that amazing but just wait for the picture below!). The trip not only gives you the chance to enjoy all these revitalising refreshing locations, especially given the heat of Queensland, It allows you to learn about some of the famous landmarks, in particular the Peter Andre “Mysterious Girl” and Herbal Essence advert waterfall.
Now, you may wondering how I can find a day of just seeing waterfalls as enjoyable as I did but you’ll be surprised. For me, I find the revitalising feeling of cold natural water to be something that simply can’t be argued with, whilst every waterfall location had its own unique experience. From the first one being a simple freshwater gorge where you can go in for a quick dip to the second one where it had your own natural slide supported by the torrent of water.
From there you head to the third location, providing you the opportunity to swim under the waterfall into the cave behind it giving you a very different feel and then finally the location of the spot known for being in Peter Andre’s “Mysterious Girl” video and the Herbal Essences. As much as you probably won’t believe me, the Curtain Fig Tree was just an impressive! The scale and power of nature can leave you in awe. To finish off the day, we headed to spot where we had a bit of freedom to either sunbathe, go for a swim or even try a hand doing a few backflips off a pontoon. An all round amazing day that I won’t forget.
You may be wondering how does someone finish off a final day like that? Well, once I’d eaten and rested up a big, there was only one to celebrate my last night in Cairns: party! Seeing as most people on the trip were staying in the same place or nearby, we’d all come to the agreement to collectively head out on a bar crawl around Cairns. Picking us up from our hostel, we cruised through the streets of the local area on a double decker party bus, touring three or four bars, each giving a slightly different experience before finishing up at Gilligan’s.
Personally I thought that it was a fantastic evening with a great group of people and was are very smooth with the organisation. Admittedly with the town not being the largest of places, the variation of places to go was quite small but we were still able to definitely make the most of it and party the night away. If you’re wondering if I would recommend this event, I would say 100%.
All in all, a fantastic final day here.
Day 15 - 7 January
After a full night of partying and waking up in a hostel that wasn’t my own, I was definitely against the clock to get back to my own so I could quickly pack my bag, check out and head to get my coach. The whole of day 15 was a significant blip during my Australia trip. It was taken up with me travelling from Cairns down to Brisbane via Townsville. So the plan was as follows: get a Greyhound coach Cairns to Townsville to spend a few hours down in Townsville with one of my friends that I went to college with. Followed up by proceeding to fly down to Brisbane.
As much as the beginning of the day was in a rush but just about went to plan, the rest of my day did not. Thankfully I got back in time to the hostel, got everything sorted and managed to make my couch with about 10-15 minutes to spare, feeling very tired. Thankfully, I had someone that I had met on the waterfall tour from the day before to share the ride with, though admittedly I spent most of the journey sleeping.
Six hours later, I arrived in Townsville ready to hang out with friend and explore another location even if it was only for the afternoon. This is where things started went sideways. Said friend decided that they weren’t free anymore and left me completely hanging, meaning with my two bags and roughly eight hours to kill, I had to find myself something to do. Not being in the mood particularly to do anything strenuous and having two heavy bags with me, my lack of brainpower and physical effort in me didn’t come up with something last minute. So even though it was a wasted opportunity in hindsight, I decided to simply get a taxi to the airport find somewhere comfy to sit and spend the time both planning stuff to do in the later places I was visiting and of course, some much need shut eye.
I caught my flight to Brisbane and that was that. Great way to finish off this blog, aye? Anyway…
What I Missed
Even though my time in Cairns was jam packed with stuff and very eventful, I feel I could have done with another week (though my bank account would have hated me) to have had the whole experience as I still missed out on a few things that I wanted to do:
- Sky diving – There were so many posters around to be able to go sky diving and this is one of things that I simply didn’t have the time nor the finances to do when there. However, it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do and wish I had done.
- Scuba diving – “But Reece, you went scuba diving?” Correct, I did. However, I wanted to go more! One day trip was never enough and with the number of dive sites around, a week is probably not enough for diving alone. There is also the side of maybe learning whilst I was out there to get the full experience. Pricy but I’m sure very worth it!
- Fitzroy Island – Again, something that I did do but as I alluded to earlier in the blog, something that I only got half the experience from and would have liked to have had a full day where I could take it in instead of rushing around.
- Botanical gardens – A lot slower paced than the other activities but it would have been nice to have taken in the vast botanical gardens, seeing nature doing what nature does best.
- Sunrise hike – On the east coast, there are a number of places you could go for sunrise hike, being able to take in the full beauty of the surroundings from up high whilst engulfed in the golden hue.
That wraps up my tropical adventure in the north of Queensland. It was a very busy time here but definitely a thoroughly enjoyable one. Plenty of Activity is shared with you that should give you plenty to think about in terms of what you would want to do if and when you travel here. The next offer me is Brisbane Fraser island and Gold Coast so you know what you need to do: Using the buttons below or at the top of the page follow me on Instagram Twitter Facebook so that you’ll be one of the 1st to hear about when I release that blog. Here you also be able to see new things I get up to, Inspirational videos that I share & Various tips tricks and helpful hints to improve your health. So don’t miss out!
