Cairns – tropical North Queensland
We’ve been in Cairns, in beautiful tropical Queensland! This is another spot that has been on our list for years, Great Barrier Reef, tropical rain forest, crocodile infested rivers – this place has it all.
The photos are from two distinct trips, the first up to the Daintree River area to see the forest and river wildlife and the second out to the reef to see Green Island, to take a trip on a glass-bottomed boat (dodgy for photos, the reflections spoil the images) and to walk around the beaches.
The whole area is a magnet for tourists, the combination of good weather (mostly), good beaches (but watch for lethal jellyfish and what are euphemistically called marine stingers), and lots of good quality accommodation makes Cairns a good choice for people who enjoy a combination of beach and wildlife safari holidays, something that is not lost on our Japanese cousins – they represent about half of the visitor total!
All shops and restaurants have information in kanji characters and the larger establishments have Japanese employees and liaison officers to interpret and to sort things out for the visitors, few of whom can speak English.
I confess that I found this a bit surprising, especially given the antipathy that Aussies have traditionally felt towards the Japanese because of WWII atrocities. Time moves on; it now seems clear to the government that the future has an Asian feel and that the economic fortunes of Australia (and New Zealand) are inextricably bound up with the Asia/Pacific countries.
This note is slightly out of sync with our travels – I decided to wait until we were finished with New South Wales before blogging on the Sydney experience, this is mainly because the weather while we there was terrible, cold and wet, just like a November day on Callander Main Street.
Were returning to Sydney tomorrow for another look, lets hope that the weather is better this time around.