Cairns pt. 1 - The Rainforest

What, you ask, is the best way to see the rainforest? Why, in a complete downpour of course!

Today we headed off on part 1 of a booked tour, heading to:

1) A lovely lake called Lake Barrine, where we had Devonshire tea (honestly!) and a nice little cruise about the lake. Regrettably the wildlife had had a bit of a rough night out before, and were not up to making an appearance (minus a very sleepy python of a wee 3 metres). This lake apparently formed in the crater of an extinct volcano - at least, they THINK it is extinct...

This location also had 2 massive Kauri pines - more than 1,000 years old. Baby sisters to sequoias, of course, but very cool nonetheless.

2) A full-to-the-brim waterfall named Millaa Millaa falls - which in a local Aboriginal dialect either means "many waterfalls" or "many vines" - tour guide says one thing, website says another... usually the water is a lot clearer, but apparently it was cyclone day?

3)  A quick stop at the Giant Curtain Fig Tree. The fig tree is from the strangler fig species Fichus virens. The curtain effect happened when one tree leaned against the other at a 45-degree angle. The strangler vine then grew along the edge of the leaning tree, dangling 15 metres to the ground to create the curtain. 

4) Paronella Park - absolutely beautiful. Apparently (here's a little for the history buffs), a Spaniard named Jose Paronella was determined to build a castle for his bride-to-be Matilda. He sets off to Australia in 1911 to make his fortune - and does (the place is beautiful). But when he goes back to get her 11 years later, the woman has up and married someone else! But all is well in the end - he married the younger sister and they lived happily ever after in their dream compound that Jose mostly built by himself.

And for the real nerds out there (ahem, engineers) - the place is still powered by the original 1930s hydroelectric dam that Jose built by himself. How's that for quality?

5) The Babinda Boulders - due to the aforementioned cyclone (cheerfully known as Anthony), the waters in these boulders were raging. And I mean raging like,  should you like to hide anything from the world, throw 'er in there and it will never be seen again. Usually it is a nice, relaxing swimming spot. Today, not so much.  I think this really crushed tour guide Brett, who swims in this spot "every day", and probably would've had he not had a busload of tourists to drive home. Brett also gave us puppet shows while driving. Look ma, no hands!

Part 2 next - Green Island and the infamous Reef!