A wet trip

This week, we spent three days in the city of Cairns, about 4 1/2 hours north of here. The main road in Queensland is the Bruce Highway, or highway 1, a mostly 2 lane road that follows the coastline. Often you can see the ocean from the road.

Sometimes you can't see anything except the unidentified substance covering your windshield.



Then you realize that the vehicle in front of you is a double-decker cattle truck, and as you watch large balls of cow byproduct hit the road, you comprehend what is covering your windshield.



Cairns is a huge and very commercialized city. Stuart compares it to Myrtle Beach. They have a nice boardwalk along the coast as there is no beach, just mud flats. The girls found this piano useful. It is the only chance they've had to play since we got here.




Our second day, we took a skyrail ride up the mountain to the rainforest and village of Kuranda. It was pouring...



A wet walk.



The ever-present brush turkey.



Amy kisses a cassowary as we arrive in Kuranda.


Kuranda is basically a tourist attraction on top of the mountain. There are many shops and some nice rainforest walks. Also a small zoo, an aviary, and a butterfly garden. Evan bought some homemade candy at the candy shop.



At the butterfly garden, Evan was the favorite of the blue Ulysses butterfly. A lovely Cairns birdwing landed on dad, but he moved too fast for a photo!



Adrea's camera was attractive.



And I got a live hair ornament.



This little cockatiel loved being petted by all the kids, and climbed all over them too.






We boarded a scenic train to return to town. This railway winds all the way down the mountain. The views would have been better with less rain and cloud cover, but we still had a fun ride.




In many places, the track was right up against the rock face of the mountain. Building this railway was an amazing feat. It originally serviced Kuranda's tin industry, and carried supplies over the mountain to inland settlements.



Back down on the 'lowlands' here is a sugarcane field. This is a major industry here. There are sugarcane fields everywhere. Also bananas.



After a two block walk back to the hotel, we were ready for sleep.