Cairns Tropical Rainforest

Lucky for Karl they were able to tender directly from Serenade to the reef platform where he was going to dive.  The other tender boats that came from Yorkey's Knob, where the ship was anchored, struggled to tie up and match their ramps to enable us to load and unload.  It took over two hours to make a trip that should have taken 20 minutes, most of that was just spent waiting, but eventually we gratefully made it to shore.

After a late start my tour bus headed straight for the Skyrail so I could enjoy the view above the oldest tropical rainforest in the world. 

We could fit four people comfortably in each car,

which worked well for Chuck (he really is having a good time!), LeaAnn,

Cecliia and I.  

 We made our way above the forest canopy, enjoying the views and the variety of flora below us.  The only way to see the actual ground was to go over a spot where there was a road or space cleared for power lines.

Off in the distance beyond Yorkey's Knob we caught a glimpse of Serenade.

With massive trees, ferns and vines the forest has a prehistoric look, like something out of Jurassic Park, which makes sense since this Unesco World Heritage site has looked much the same for 130 million years.

We hopped off the Skyrail's first stop to take a look around and were just in time for a short ranger talk by Luke.  Here he's pointing out a Strangulation Fig Tree which wraps itself around a host tree.  Those fringes he's holding are the actual roots of the Stranguation tree which can get the nutrients it needs from the air until they can make their way to the ground and then strangle the life out of the host tree.  Just another of the scary nature in Australia.

We made our way around the walkway, checking out the botany.

I couldn't get a decent photo of this Rattan Palm.  I had no idea that rattan was a fast-growing climbing vine that can grow two to three inches per week.  What looks like fuzz around the vine are actually little needle-like spines that protect it until the vines mature and the bark goes smooth. 

These smooth vines can grow to hundreds of feet and are what is used for rattan furniture.   The aboriginal people also knew that the vines could be a good source of water. as they retain it inside.

These Kauri Pines don't get as big around as those in New Zealand but can live to be 1000 years old.  They are the oldest type of tree in this rainforest and haven't had to change or adapt in 220 million years.

I just liked all the twists and turns of the vines,

and the trees, so many plants growing on plants growing on plants.

Here you can get an idea of the vastness of the forest.  This protected area covers 12,000 square kilometers, almost 7500 square miles.

High up in the trees we noticed what turned out to be Basket Ferns, something called an Epiphyte, another part of the ancient forest.  The word "epiphyte" means "upon plants", which is how these ferns form, taking up residence in taller host plants to get closer to the sunlight.  They aren't like other parasites because they don't kill their host.  

The Basket Ferns capture leaf litter and water within to "create their own mini ecosytems that feed and support not only the fern, but the large communities of insects and animals that often live within them."  They were all over in this area and pretty impressive.

The Daintree Forest timeline.

We saw some of these St. Andrew's Cross Spiders out in the forest on their webs but it was hard to get a clear photo there, easier to spot one on a girder at the tram station.  This one was about 2" in diameter, a pretty big spider.  They spin seven different kinds of silk to create their webs which are some of the strongest spider webs in the world, very intricate and beautiful.

Time to get on the Skyrail again and make our way to the next stop.

We knew the Barron Falls were ahead and this was one of my first views.

I hung my camera out the window just a little on my selfie stick for this shot of the falls.

Remember that St. Andrew's spider?  Can you spot one in this photo?

Some closer views of the falls, the one on the right a "long exposure" to give it that silky look.  The aboriginals called this spot "din din" and it was a place of great significance to them, the Djabuganydji Bama.  They believed that this was the spot where the Rainbow Serpent (Gudju-gudju) created all the creeks, rivers and waters from Crystal Cascades to Kuranda.

Obligatory selfie.

The dirty brown Barron River usually runs smoothly through the forest, all the way to the coastal plains of Cairns.

I quickly grabbed a magnet to turn into a Christmas ornament in the gift shop at the end of our beautiful ride.  I had really hoped to glimpse a cassowary in the wild below us but no such luck, I did however see this Cassowary Poo in the snack section of the store.  :)

It was farewell to the Skyrail and back onto the bus for a quick ride to Kuranda.

Due to our late getaway most of Kuranda was closed or closing as we arrived for a brief visit.  The name means "place of the platypus" but I can't find a reason why that is.  There is a railway that runs from Kuranda back to Cairns which winds through the rainforest but rails had been damaged in recent storms so it wasn't running.  The town was originally built as a railway hub for the logging industry but during the 1970's became a haven for what our guide termed "hippies" and is still a pretty laid back place, which is why they like to close down by four o'clock.  I didn't really take any photos in town as nothing impressed me much.

The ride back down the mountain was filled with twists and turns.  Parts of it had also been washed out during the December storm so in places there was only one lane available to drive on, each lane taking a turn for a few vehicles.  This picture is of a termite nest that was attached an old stump.

Sugar cane was growing throughout the lowlands.  It does well here once the plants have taken hold since they can adapt to periods of lots of rainfall.  I noticed several signs as we were driving about having your yard checked for "electric ants".  I immediately wondered if they were the same as fire ants and sure enough they are!  Apparently the electric ants are trying to get a foothold in Australia via Cairns, the only place on the continent that you find them.  Sure hope they can find a way to eradicate them.

Okay, I know this is going to be flower and plant overload but I can't help it.  Our next to last stop was the Flecker Botanical Gardens in Cairns.  There were so many unique and beautiful plants that I was taking photos right and left for the 30 minutes we were there.  I'll identify the plants I can but I wasn't able to find names for all of them.  The pretty red on the left is a type of ginger plant with lots of different names, two are Pineapple Ginger and Giant Spiral Ginger.  The plant on the left is a False Bird of Paradise.

This unique beauty is something called a Bat Flower.  They reminded both LeaAnn and I of orchids.

On the left is another False Bird of Paradise, not sure about the one on the right.

This lovely is called a Rose-grape.  There were several colors of these.

More colorful False Bird of Paradise and a type of Red Ginger.

It was a pretty place to wander and I would have loved more time there.

It was amazing how far up the tree this vine climbed.

This plant on the left is aptly named a Blushing Bromeliad and the one on the right is part of a Chinese Evergreen.

Can you tell that I love Red Ginger?   The pretty purple one is a Silver-leafed Princess Flower.

I couldn't find names for either of these, but look how gigantic those leaves on the right are.

This plant that looks like Medusa's hair is actually called a snake cactus.

Yes, one more False Bird of Paradise, and what I think is a blossoming Rose-grape.

One last Red Ginger and a colorful plant I couldn't identify.

This one was one of my favorites and I was completely surprised when I found out that it is Tumeric.  The spice is made from the roots.

A tall Teak Tree was a centerpiece in the garden.  It had been planted in 1946.

Another tangled plant, this one's called a Tassel Fern.

One of the few plants I could recognize was this Anthurium on the left.  Another unique plant was the one called Gold Fingers on the right.  And that ends the plant overload, so while Karl had fish eye candy, I enjoyed my flower eye candy.

Before heading back to Yorkey's Knob we made a circuit through Cairns itself.  When the guide offered to let us off to look at "the lagoon" I jumped off the bus on my own to hustle over to what I had hoped would be a beach to get a little sand for my collection for Heidi.  Unfortunately all there was was this mud flat.  Apparently the tide was out.

I took this picture of Cairns but since its into the sun you can't pick out much of the city.  I wasn't terribly impressed with it to tell the truth.  I did find it interesting that it began as a depot for miners who took part in the Palmer River Gold Rush of 1873.  Minerals were brought here by the railroad and then shipped from the port.  

Today the wealth comes more from the tourists that come here to see the Great Barrier Reef out there in the distance than from any mining activities.  And of course, as the northernmost cruise port in Queensland.  These photos ended up being an odd way to end a colorful and nature filled day, one that Karl and I both enjoyed.