Skyrail/Scenic Train Ride To & From Kuranda

-

Hello everyone, my name is Cat. I’m excited to talk about our first full day in Cairns! Our group left in the morning on the bus that took us to the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. Once we arrived, we got our tickets and got on the Skyrail in small groups. Before getting on, one of the walls had a message called “Our Commitment To Sustainability” where they explained the importance of protecting the environment and keeping sustainable practices while still allowing guests to explore the rainforest. They make sustainability one of their key messages by putting up signs to remind you to be more sustainable and explaining what they are doing on their part. The Skyrail was a gondola overlooking the beautiful trees below. You could also see buildings, mountains, and the sea in the distance. It was only a 15-minute ride to the first stop, Red Peak. This stop allowed you to get off and take a short walk through the rainforest. There were signs throughout the path telling what animals could be spotted there and giving information about the trees. Then I got back on the Skyrail and took a 20-minute ride until the second stop, Barron Falls. This stop allowed you to walk down the path and see the big waterfall. It had signs around explaining how it was created and the significance it had in history. Finally, it was just a 10-minute ride to the last stop, Kuranda. I first walked around through the markets and saw all of the interesting things the locals were making and selling. Then we went to the Koala Gardens where we got to see koalas perched on the trees, quokka, a wombat sleeping in a log, pademelon, and I got to feed and pet a kangaroo. I also walked through the Nocturnal Wonders building and saw Northern Bettongs, Greater Bilby, and a Papuan Frogmouth. After the Koala Gardens, I bought some blue opal earrings because Australia has opal mines. Then I went to Petit Cafe and had a delicious crepe for lunch. It was then time to get on the Scenic Railway to go back to our hotel in Cairns. It was a one-and-a-half-hour ride on the train. We were able to get off to see the waterfall again for a few minutes. It started thundering and raining but the view of the trees was beautiful, we even saw some wild kangaroos on the hill. Throughout the ride, there was a lady over the loudspeaker talking about the history of the train, along with cards on each seat with pictures, history, and the map. Today was really fun and a great way to explore nature, understand the culture better, and learn more about sustainability efforts.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Glow Worm Tour/Flying Fox, O'Reilly's Lamington National Park, Brisbane

-
Image
A Night with the Glow Worms Led by our guide, Nathan, we explored the dark, mysterious rainforest, and learned some surprising things along the way. It was one of those adventures that makes you appreciate nature even more. The Walk to the Glow Worms Our journey started with us all holding red flashlights so our eyes could adjust to the dark. The red light wasn’t just for show—it helps you see without ruining your night vision. We were surprisingly able to see some creatures in the dark forest on our way to the glow worms.  Nathan pointed out some cool (and somewhat intimidating) creatures. One was the  Bark Frog, an endangered species that blends in perfectly with the bark of trees. We had to look closely to  spot it.  Another interesting critter we learned about was the  Lamington Crayfish . These crayfish can live up to 30 years and grow as big as 30 cm. Nathan shared that it’s illegal to catch or harm one of these crayfish, with fines up to $5,000 and jail t...
Read more

Mole Creek Caves & Honey Farm, Tasmania

-
         On Tuesday, January 7th, we had the opportunity to go to two amazing places in Tasmania. The first one was Mole Creek Cave in Mole Creek, TAS. At the beginning, the tour guide did a land acknowledgement. While I came into Australia knowing that this land belonged to the Aboriginal people, I did not know which specific tribes lived in the places that I would be visiting, so I was glad that I was told. If I can find the time, I want to learn more about the Pallittorre tribe that originally inhabited Mole Creek.      Throughout our time in the cave, there was a big emphasis on not touching anything, (the oils on our hands can mess up the mineral formations) which reminded me of the concept of “leaving no trace”. However, there were pieces of limestone as well as other rocks that we were allowed to touch before going into the cave so that we could get an idea of what they feel like. Everyone in the class was very respectful of this, and we ...
Read more

Caroborree, Thunderbird Park, Brisbane

-
Image
  On our last and final day in Brisbane, the class practiced and prepared for a traditional Aboriginal celebration called a Corroboree. Corroborees are a performance of song and dance that represent Aboriginal spirituality. To start the day, the men and women were separated and told that we could not see each other in our clothing or jewelry until the Corroboree celebration in the evening. For the women, we started with traditional gift making, also known as the second law in Aboriginal culture. The goal of this first activity was to take pieces of shaved, wet palm, and weave them into their pieces of jewelry such as bracelets, anklets, and necklaces, to wear during the evening celebration. Lydia, Douglas’s niece who helped teach us song and dance, said that palm is the material used as it’s very abundant and durable. grass can be used but it’s hard to find strong grass. The palm will last for decades after drying and can also be used to weave into other things like baby carriers. ...
Read more