Cairns

It’s never too late to reflect on the amazing moments in your life. I wrote this blog post the week I left Cairns Australia, yet somehow never posted my memories. I found this document on my computer and elided it was time to share more of my travel memories. Re-reading this post I wrote a year ago made so happy, and I hope it brings a smile to you too!:

Cairns is a backpackers playground with unlimited new experiences and things to do. I have spent my time in far Northern Queensland in the sun, and enjoying every moment. Dave and I have doing everything from diving the reef, to wakeboarding on Lake Tineroo in the tablelands, swimming under magical waterfalls, lying on the beach, trekking through the Daintree Rainforest, and spending time with friends in the great city nightlife. 

 
After arriving in Cairns and settling in for a couple of days, it was time to look for work. Dave was lucky enough to go back to his old job at Wicked and Indie Travel. He was able to start work right away, and enjoy the perks of travel sales giving him many free dive trips, a 50 meter bungee jump, cable ski and more! I also stumbled upon a job opening at the nicest bar in town, The Salt House. It is an outdoor cocktail bar right at the pier on the water. Dave and I began working lots right away, and found a beautiful flat with a view of the ocean from our bedroom window and balcony. 

On our days off, we have so many options of things to do. Dave and I have been going diving as much as possible, exploring the reef. We have fallen in love with visiting the reef, as we have been able to swim with huge sea turtles, creep up on reef sharks, pet the beautiful mauri wrasse, and play with the Christmas tree worms. I feel like a fish when I am in the water, and find peace swimming deep under sea level with the sunlight shining through. Learning to dive was the best decision I have made this year, and has shaped our trip in Asia so we can see the best diving while we are there as well. Dave and I are now up to 17 and 18 dives each and plan to double, maybe even triple that number before we return to Canada.

 











Last week Dave, Francesca and I were able to dive one of the top ten dive sites in the world, the S.S. Yongala wreck of 1911. It has been under the sea for more than one hundred years, and has become the home to lots of big and unique marine life. The reef is kilometers away, so all the fish and sharks make the old wreck their new home. During our dives we saw the deadly olive sea snakes, a nurse shark, a guitar shark, a few majestic turtles, marble rays, many big and beautiful fish, and a Queensland groper the size of a mini-van! It was beautiful to see a man-made structure overgrown with nature and become the habitat for marine life. Our road trip was well worth the 900 kilometers round trip, and it was a bonus to have a stop off in Mission Beach for a swim!

While Dave and I have been away from the reef, wakeboarding has also become a hobby of ours. We began going to a cable ski park just outside of town where you can knee board as well as wakeboard being pulled around a lake on a cable line. After going a few times and we mastered the loop, we upgraded by trying it out behind a boat on a lake in the Tablelands. Damo is a local that owns his own boat and started his own business taking people out to Lake Tinaroo  for a day in the sun wakeboarding, wakesurfing, paddleboarding, and tubing! Somehow relaxing in the sun around a lake reminded me of being in Ontario cottage country, however slightly more tropical. Dave and I have been out a few times each now with different friends, and even spent our second last day in town on the lake celebrating with everyone!

I have also been lucky enough to have had my parents visit me while living in Cairns. They had a few days in Fiji on their way over to Australia, and ended up renting a campervan to drive it North from Brisbane to Cairns up the East Coast like a couple of backpackers. They saw many of the same sights that I saw on my journey North, and got to catch up on it all when they arrived. It had been ten months since I had seen them in Canada, so it was an emotional reunion with lots to catch up on. 

I was able to get lots of time off of work to spend with them and explore far Northern Queensland. Dave, myself and my parents rented a four person campervan and went North to see the rainforest. We hiked the beautiful Mossman Gorge in the Daintree, and went further North to Cape Tribulation. We hiked a few trails, and spent time on the beach hoping to see some giant crocodiles at a safe distance, but they were well hidden from us. Following our time in the wilderness, we headed to Port Douglas for a day on the outer reef. My friend Barney came to join us for the day on the boat Silver Sonic. My mom tried an introductory dive that day practicing breathing under water for the first time! Afterwards she and joined my dad and Barney for a snorkel, while Dave and I went diving. We all enjoyed the beautiful sunny day out on the boat together looking at the gorgeous coral and big fish on the Agincourt Ribbon Reef. 

After one more night of camping, we returned to Cairns to return the campervan and enjoy day trips out of the city. Francesca, myself, and my parents boarded Gus the bus for the day and went to explore the tablelands on the day trip at Uncle Brian’s. Our guide was named Cousin Paul and gave us a fantastic and outgoing tour around many lakes and waterfalls. We visited the Babinda Boulders and jumped off of rocks, we slid down the very cold Josephine Falls, swam underneath the freezing yet picturesque Millaa Millaa falls, and jumped into peaceful Lake Eacham. 

After a day visiting  lakes, we set back out to sea on a ferry to Fitzroy Island. We were lucky enough to see whales on the way over to the island, popping up above the sea to say hello to us. We arrived at a beautiful island far away from the mainland ready to hike. We climbed the to the summit for a beautiful lookout, followed by a nap on the beach, snorkel off of the beach, and later take a small trail through the rainforest to Nudey Beach. Being in Australia I sometimes take for granted that I live in a tropical paradise, but coming to Nudey Beach made me realize that I am on vacation every day, and how gorgeous this country really is. The white sand beaches with washed up coral, boulders with crystal clear water splashing up on them, surrounded by turquoise sea and green tropical trees really made me smile. We finished the day with a nice cold cider before heading back to Cairns. 

For my parents last day, we went to the reef once again to see the coral and fish, and spend the day together once again. It was great to have them here to share my life travel experiences with them. It was a highlight of my time in Cairns, and I was able to explore so much more of Queensland because of them, and will never forget it.

The time had come, and it was our last week in Cairns. We weren’t going to leave without having one last great week! For my last ‘Sunday session’, I joined Dot, Nicole, Danni, Mike, and Toby at their house for a day of mojitos in the sun. Not just any regular mojitos, but one giant eskie of mojitos, party hats, and sparklers! Every day I had spent up there had been a highlight to my year in Australia. For our last day in the city, Dave and I had big plans. We started our day by going on another epic skydive over the cane train, with view of the reef, with Francesca, Dot, and Tom. After we had our adrenaline pumping, we went to the lagoon for the last time with friends. While we were there we sipped on cold beer and ciders, swam in the lagoon for the first time (I don’t know why we didn’t before?!), and ‘auctioned’ off all of the clothes Dave and I were not bringing with us to Asia. The lagoon party’s after party was at Dave’s co-worker Joe’s apartment, as we sat by the pool, drank, chatted, and barbecued. It seemed like a good idea to prolong our departure, and therefore went out for a night on the town in Cairns. As usual, my waterworks were turned on high, as I slowly had to say goodbye to my friends as they went home. The whole day had been perfect, and it was a great way to spend my last day in Cairns, seeing each and ever person that we love in that town. It was a rough wake up call the next morning after the late night, many drinks, and early alarm to catch the plane to Darwin. 

 It is sad to think that my time in Cairns has come to an end,  and only one last journey to come in Australia! I have made friends here that I will never forget and it broke my heart to leave. I know it is never a good-bye, and will always travel to keep in touch with the good people I know. Cairns has made me fall in love with Australia all over again, and enjoy new hobbies I have become passionate about out in the sun. The adventure never ends tough! Dave and I successfully caught the plane to Darwin for our last week in Australia to explore Kakadu and Litchfield National Park, followed by the beginning of a new journey through South East Asia.

East Coast Australia Part 3

June 19th:
    I woke up on the morning of the 19th cramped all over on a crowded bus, but happy as could be watching the sunrise out of the window over the mountains, with Dave sleeping on my shoulder. We celebrated our arrival to Airlie Beach with a 7am breakfast from McDonalds in the sunshine. After a quick check into our hostel, we set straight off to the lagoon in the center of town, and spent our day laying in the sun. We shared some fish, calamari and chips, and enjoyed the extreme tropical heat of Queensland. To prepare for our three day two night boat trip, we all bought souvenir hats and soon looked like the captain of the ship! Our evening was spent in relaxation, as we went to a pub for a quick dinner, and watched the dramatic finale of Game of Thrones together.

June 20th:
    Another early morning start to the day, but we all woke up excited for the boat journey that we were about to begin! After packing our bags, we purchased enough goon to last a lifetime, put on our captain’s hats, and set off to the marina to board our boat Avatar! We soon met all of the other 22 passengers, made ourselves at home in our tiny cabins, and cracked a beer to enjoy our smooth sailing across the Whitsundays. We cooled off by jumping off the boat and snorkeling with the giant Mauri Wrasse. The passengers of Avatar instantly bonded as we passed another sail boat and proved we had more fun than them as 22 out of the 26 of us all mooned them together. Our evening was spent bonding with new friends from the boat and playing international drinking games on the front of the boat.


June 21st:
    It was a great feeling to wake up on a moving boat, feel the fresh air as I came out of my hatch, and experience having a serious case of sea legs mixed with a hang over. We had a very early start to the morning, but it was worth it as we were headed to get one of the most beautiful beaches in Australia, Whitehaven Beach. We were tendered over to a small beautiful island, went through a walk in the rainforest, tried licking the bum of lime-ants (taste like lime!), and arrived to a beautiful lookout over the mystical swirls of white sand and turquoise water. We all spotted a group of sting rays, and followed them into the water and experienced them swimming around our legs. Despite the fact that it was 7am and a bit cloudy, the girls, Dave, myself, and some new friends decided it was a good idea to skinny dip around the beautiful landscape, and make it a moment to remember!
   When we made it back to the boat, we had a full day planned ahead of us. We went snorkeling, snorkeling, and more snorkeling! My favorite spot was Manta Ray Bay, where we swam with huge fish and sea cucumbers. It was great experience sailing to different bays, jumping off the boat, and hanging off the hammock on the boat while sipping a beer. That day we also fed a sea eagle that was flying along side of the boat, throwing pieces of meat in the air and watching him swoop down to catch it! That night we warmed up with a delicious roast dinner and cheesy potatoes, and yet again stayed up enjoying each others company with the help of the flowing goon. We all learned new drinking games that night thanks to our deckhand Sammy, and ended up all hugging each other like koala bears, discussing what the dirty rabbit did that night, and smacking a can of beer on our foreheads yelling “danger can”! You may have needed to be there to understand the fun we had that night, drinking on the catamaran.



June 22nd:
    The next morning we woke up at sea yet again, sailing back through the sunshine to the mainland. We were sad to get off of the boat, but made some amazing friends along the way. I had no complaints about the trip as the crew were amazing, food was great, and we had so much fun living on a boat. We all headed back to our hostel, then the lagoon to relax so we could save our energy for the after party that night. Some new friends of ours including Felix, Tim, John and Esben joined us in our room to share some drinks and later that night drink a few too many Jager-bombs at a local bar.

June 23rd:
    Another early morning, and yet another Greyhound. Our journey to Townsville only took a few short hours, which led us to our ferry to take us to Magnetic Island. This was a sad day for our crew, as for the first time on our trip our group was going to split up! Francesca, Hannah, and Helen took the local bus to the Base hostel on the beach to relax, as Dave and I took a bus to the opposite side of the island to check into a run down tropical getaway to prepare for our PADI Open Water three day course. After having a little bit of separation anxiety, Dave and I settled in and met our new flatmate Karl. Karl the Kiwi was taking the same

PADI course with us, and we were all excited to breathe under water and see some fishies!
    Dave and I had a relaxing night, borrowing Karl’s ‘ute’ to pick up some dinner, and we lounged on the beach watching the super moon rise that night. It was such a surreal view seeing the giant moon pop up over the mountains and ocean, lighting up the sky.

June 24th:
    We woke up bright and early for PADI day number one! I was quite nervous at the thought of breathing under water and all the potential things that could go wrong, but pushed through my nerves and arrived to meet our instructor Paden. The morning was filled with boring and poorly made PADI videos and on our lunch break Dave and I took a quick bus ride into town to do our dive physical. It was lucky for us that we missed the bus back to our class, as we ran into Francesca and the girls who had rented a Barbie car for the day, and gave us a thrilling lift around the island and back to Paden. Our afternoon was spent learning how to breathe under water in the pool, practicing some new skills. To relax that evening Dave and I and our new friend Karl took the bus to the Base hostel on the beach the girls were staying at, and enjoyed a few beers on the beach together.

June 25th:
    PADI day number two had begun, and was filled with more boring videos and quizzes, followed by more skills in the cold pool, and our first ocean dive! The visibility was not great, but the experience of being on the ocean floor and breathing was amazing. To celebrate our first under the sea experience, Dave and I headed to the pier to see the rock wallabies at sunset. As we were petting them and taking photos, we turn around and saw our good friend Clem who we had seen lots traveling up the coast. We chatted and caught up on our travels, and made plans to jump out of a plane together that weekend (More on that later)! To finish off the night, Dave and I visited a small restaurant on the beach and drank a jug of margaritas, listening to the curlies whine and the waves crash.

June 26th:
    Yet another sunny and beautiful day for diving! Our day was busy and filled with three more ocean dives and our final exam. Karl rushed us over to the ferry terminal in his ute and we were heading back to Townsville to meet up with the girls again! As we relaxed on the ferry, we witnessed one of the most beautiful and colourful sunsets I have ever seen. Arriving back on mainland and still smelling like the ocean and fish, Dave and I made our way to our wonderful host’s condo for the evening, Wally, a good family friend of Francesca’s.
 
   It was an important night in Queensland, as it was the second game of State of Origin. To celebrate the true Aussie way, we had a delicious barbecue on the patio overlooking the water, drank lots, and cheered on Queensland’s win! For once we didn’t feel like backpackers, but we felt like spoiled house guests thanks to our wonderful host Wally!

June 27th:
    To nurse our hangovers we enjoyed a delicious breakfast including coffee and jaffles in a local restaurant, The Sweat Shop. After satisfying our appetites, we got on yet again another bus ride past all the sugar cane fields on the way to Mission Beach. I kept my eyes peeled for the mystical bird the cassowary which is common to find here, but was unsuccessful in spotting one. Our evening was spent very relaxed with a couple bottles of red wine and a delicious home made vegetarian curry, preparing ourselves for what tomorrow would bring...

June 28th:
    As my alarm went off at the crack of dawn, but I had hardly slept that night. I was filled with nerves and excitement because I was going to jump out of a plane at 14 000 feet that morning (with a parachute, of corse)! My first skydive was such an amazing experience, and I still get an adrenaline rush thinking about that day. We soon arrived at the skydive center, signed our lives away, and became suited in a harness. I met Dawson, my tandem skydive instructor, who also happened to be friends with Francesca. We traveled to the airstrip past all the sugarcane fields and cassowary warning signs. Our plane was filled with familiar faces such as our friend Clem, a girl from his hostel Hazel, as well as Hannah, Dave, and myself! The flight up to 14 000 feet was beautiful, as we passed the Tully River, fields of sugarcane and bananas, view of Dunk Island, going above the cloud line with the gorgeous sun reflecting off of the ocean, with shadows of the reef in the water, and had a perfect image of the long white sand beach landing strip below us. I was nervous yet excited, and didn’t have enough time to think before the hatch opened. Clem was out the plane right before me, reaching for my harness to hold on the anything in the plane before he spiraled out of it. I was next, and as my legs dangled out of the plane looking at the ground, I didn’t have time to think, and before I knew it I was gone. The free fall is a blur in my memory, but so exhilarating. After a 60 second free fall our chute was pulled, allowing us to enjoy the slow and beautiful ride down. We landed on the beautiful white sand beach and were on an adrenaline high for the rest of the day.
    For the rest of the day, you could find us on the beach soaking in the sun, playing in the waves, and creating the ‘coconut olympics’ (a series of coconut related games, throwing, balancing, cracking into the centre of delicious coconuts). To top the whole day off, we went to the local bar Zenbah, to enjoy a few gin and tonics, followed by a beach campfire.

June 29th:
    The next morning we were supposed to check out and head to Cairns, however none of us were ready to end our vacation quite yet. We checked in for one more night and spent the day yet again at the beach relaxing, going out for a delicious lunch, happy hour drinks at Zenbah, and yet again a campfire on the beach under the moonlight.

June 30th:
    We packed all of our gear up for the last time, enjoyed a morning on the beach with our toes in the sand, went out for lunch at a pig roast, all before we went to the Greyhound station. A couple of short hours later we arrived in Cairns, our new home for the last leg of our time in Australia. After checking into our hostel, we met up with a good friend of Francesca, Helen, and Hannah’s from home, Ms. Dorothy (Dot) who currently lives in Cairns with her partner Nicole. We enjoyed a few Coronas at The Salt House, before turning in for an early night.

July 1st:
    Even though our vacation was technically over, we decided to celebrate our new city and have some fun, all in the name of Canada! Dave and I woke up early to make a large Canadian breakfast of french toast, bacon, maple syrup, and of corse some morning beers. To celebrate Canada Day with our honorary Canadians, went went to the lagoon in town to continue sipping on beers in the sunshine, before making a home made poutine for dinner.
    The 29 days I spent traveling up the East coast of Australia I will remember forever. Every single day was filled with new experiences and great friends. The fun hasn’t stopped there yet though, as Dave and I have been treating Cairns like our playground with many new hobbies and fun times.