A Fond Farewell to Colin

April 10th - 14th - Cairns, Queensland, Australia

So, we had made it to Cairns and were nearly done in Australia! We finally had some sense of just how enormous Australia was, and so how varied the climate. Cairns was proper tropical - hot, sticky, and rainy. As a town, it isn't that exciting, and it was pretty small. But it is what it allows you access to that makes it so great - namely the Daintree Rainforest and The Great Barrier Reef.

We had a few days left with our trusty little campervan. Unfortunately the campsite we decided to spend our precious last few days together in was not one of the best. We were given our plot number and as we drove towards it we got the sense that there were some long-term residents again in the site, and that their crap had overflowed onto our plot. So back we went and were thankfully given an alternative site further away from them! 

We spent a couple of days relaxing and exploring the town. One of the jobs I had to do was to post all my shopping home! But one day we got up really early and headed for the Daintree Rainforest. This had not been something on our list of things to do, but several people had recommended it along the way. Also, another bonus of having your own transport - we didn't need to book a tour or anything, we just packed up our van and set off. It was a couple of hours drive north, alongside a beautiful coastline. When we got to the start of the forest we had to get a tiny, rickety ferry across a river which I can only imagine was heaving with crocs - it felt like we were going to Jurassic Park! Especially as one of the creatures we were hoping to see was pretty prehistoric. We had been lucky enough to see crocs, koalas, kangaroos, emus, wombats and wallabies in the wild, and the last one we wanted to see was the bizarre-looking and ancient Cassowary bird. I posted some pics earlier from when we saw them in the zoo, but Mike and I were discovering that there is nothing quite like seeing animals in the wild!

We started by heading as far north as the road would allow, as after that point it is for 4x4s only. The point where the road ends is called Cape Tribulation and is famous as it is one of the few places on earth where 2 greatly different ecosystems meet - that of the rainforest and the ocean/Great Barrier Reef. We walked up to a lookout point and could more easily see the rainforest coming right up to the beach, then a few metres of sand before meeting the sea. It was pretty cool.

Mike pulling a face

Cape Tribulation

Cape Tribulation

Rainforest reflections

We then headed back down the long road, stopping at certain points to do some of the walks through the mangroves and forest, always on the lookout for Cassowaries! We could actually hear them in the forest and their calls but they are notoriously shy and difficult to spot. However, there was plenty of cool plants and creatures to keep us entertained, including crabs and spiders.

So they were obviously hiding somewhere...

At one point we were driving along, and there I saw it, a Cassowary standing amongst some thick foliage, its head peeking through the leaves. We tried to turn round as quickly as we could and go back, but unfortunately by the time we got back to the spot it had gone! I felt so bad that Mike hadn't managed to see it! There were also signs everywhere about what to do if one of them approaches you - apparently their signature move is a double kick, kung-fu style! Perhaps it was for the best we never tracked one down...

Finally got a Kangaroo sign pic!

A couple of days later we gave back the campervan - it was quite emotional. We weren't overwhelmed by it when we first got it but it hadn't let us down and we had gone so far in it. It was a Toyota Hiace and had something like 300,000 kms on the clock! We ended up calling him Colin the Camel because he had a hump and the ability to just keep on going! It was a fantastic way to see Australia. The driving was pretty simple most of the way and it gave us the freedom do go off and do our own thing without having to rely on tours the whole time. It also gave us the chance to see animals in the wild and to camp in some extraordinary places. The only problem was where to stay in the cities - hostels were expensive and only v few had any parking to leave it, but luckily AirBnB was the perfect solution. It was cheaper than getting a dorm bed in a hostel, could provide parking and was much nice than a hostel - often we had our own bathroom and nice, clean cooking facilities which meant we were more inclined to cook our own food instead of eating out which saved money. We were also able to meet local people and talk to them about the area and the country, and so it was nice not having to make small talk with gap yah students! If you have a bit more money, the Maui campervans looked pretty swish and spacious and seemed a popular choice with other campers. 

Before giving it back we moved our stuff into a hostel in the middle of Cairns, ready for our first day at diving school....