Tag Archives: Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef (Cairns Day 3)

Today I got to check off another major life bucket list item, visiting the iconic Great Barrier Reef!

Based on square meters, the Great Barrier Reef is the most diverse ecosystem in the world. The reef is located about an hour and a half off of the coastline, and is made up of coral cays, which are essentially semi circles of reef formations, with the more built up areas on the southern side. As the currents push water and sand south, it builds up into these formations. The reef has over 2,900 reef cays, and stretches over 1,400 miles of the Coral Sea. This area is so large that it is the only living thing on planet Earth that can be seen from outer space, and is the world’s largest single structure made by living organisms. It is categorized as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Combined with the Whitsunday Islands, it generates $3 billion of tourism revenue per year.

Unfortunately, human activity on the reefs has drastically impacted the health of the ecosystem. The coast of downtown Cairns is essentially a contaminated mud flat where boats dock, leaving a not so attractive view. However, the reef protects the ocean closer to land, therefore providing a natural barrier, which makes the water relatively calm. Unfortunately the windy and rainy weather the past few days has made the visibility in the water not very good, but there is also a problem with coral bleaching. Tragically, over 50% of the reef has already been killed off, so it is extremely important to make sure products being used are environmentally friendly.

Snorkel Trip One

To explore the reef, we took a 60-person tour with Ocean Freedom. The crew was extremely knowledgeable, very friendly, and helpful. After our boat ride out, we docked and went for a half hour snorkel. Although visibility was low, we still were able to see a lot of wildlife! Our first friend was a barracuda over a meter long that likes to hang out around the back of boat (according to the staff). Although this wasn’t particularly my favorite sighting, it was still a story that I survived to tell! We also saw sea turtles, which are gorgeous and impressive creatures. One of our guides explained to us that most wildlife on the reef gets their name because it literally looks like what it’s named after. For example, brain coral looks like a brain, and boulder coral looks like a boulder. To follow this story, I saw a unique fish that was yellow with black dots, and was shaped sort of like a box. When I later looked it up, it was in fact called a “yellow box fish,” creative! I also saw a humphead wrasse fish, which is basically a large dark-colored fish with a bump-like structure on its head. I didn’t know what it was at the time, but it was massive, probably about three feet long!

Bumphead Parrotfish (picture from http://www.swissnomads.com/2014/09/best-dive-sites-lhaviyani-atoll-maldives/)

Bumphead Wrasse (picture from http://www.swissnomads.com/2014/09/best-dive-sites-lhaviyani-atoll-maldives/)

Parrotfish (picture from https://phishdoc.com/2015/09/14/parrotfish-i/)

Parrotfish (picture from https://phishdoc.com/2015/09/14/parrotfish-i/)

One of my favorite fish was the parrotfish, which males are a rainbow of colors, and females are beige and brown. They are absolutely beautiful, but also contribute to a large portion of bioerosion on the reefs. They consume microscopic organisms that live on an in coral rock by using their beak-like teeth, and in the process destroy the coral. This natural devastation of the reef actually accounts for a large portion of the ecological loss. Parrotfish also do this cool thing at night where they spit out a large cocoon of balloon-like skin, which they swim inside of it and sleep there for the night. The properties of this sticky skin make it so that other sea creatures cannot sense its presence by its electrical impulses. If a predator were to attempt to break this casing, it would be repelled my the thickness and stickiness of it. Our tour guide said he was once on a dive where a friend picked up the bubble with the parrotfish asleep inside, and it didn’t even wake up!

My mom and I before snorkeling

My mom and I before snorkeling

My mom and I post snorkeling

My mom and I post snorkeling

Glass Bottom Boat

Next I took two back to back trips in the glass bottom boat, because you never know what you’re going to find in the big blue sea at any given moment! We saw countless sea cucumbers and blue starfish, and got briefed on many different types of coral and fish. After returning to the boat, we enjoyed a fabulous lunch, then headed to the second snorkeling location. This was just a short distance away, on the other side of the cay. Marine life there was about the same as the previous location, but it was great to see two different areas on the same trip.

Snorkel Trip Two

Since there was more of a current in this area, we took the smaller boat out ahead of the cruise boat, then jumped into the water and followed the current back to the main boat. A staff member swam with us, teaching us about various ocean facts. She also led us to a sort of coral cave where there were often sharks. Lucky for us, they were hiding out there! You had to dive down a little and look under a ledge, but we did get to see a few incredible black-tipped sharks. About the only “big” thing we didn’t see was a manta ray. Small blue-spotted rays are very common in the sandier areas where we were, I just didn’t happen to see any. I also got to see my other favorite fish, nemo’s! Or, “clownfish,” if you want to be technical. They are definitely the other most adorable thing I’ve see in Cairns, in addition to the aforementioned baby crocodiles. Despite the cloudiness of the water and roughness of the waves, we were able to see quite a satisfying amount of ocean life!

Enjoying the Great Barrier Reef

Enjoying the Great Barrier Reef

Tour Advice

Overall, I would say that our tour was extremely successful! If you are looking for what tour to do here, I would recommend Ocean Freedom for several reasons. Their company is one of the few family-owned businesses left, and they truly do act like a family. All staff was very well educated, and everything on the boat was clean and organized. Their was plenty of food throughout the day and it was always good, and staff was quite accommodating. I didn’t bring along any sort of underwater camera, but if you have one, bring it! When the water is clear, the footage is great, especially with a mounted GoPro. However, if the water quality isn’t very clear, you’re honestly better just enjoying the trip and not bothering with trying to get decent photos. If you get seasick or motion sick easily, and find yourself here during rough weather, definitely take something prior to heading on the boat. Additionally, when the weather is more rough, snorkeling in the ocean is also a little more difficult that you may imagine. Pretty much anyone can do it (they even will personally take you out with a life guard ring and guide if you’re elderly etc), but you do need to be aware of strong currents and larger waves. It’s a little different than snorkeling in calm water, but far worth it! If you are nervous about trying it out, there’s a huge scale of beginner to advanced options, so definitely go for it!

Cairns

After docking at the marina, we walked to the lagoon pool and took a few photos in the beautiful infinity pool built right on the beach. Cairns has fun things like giant stinging jellyfish and plankton that don’t hurt you but make your skin tingle, so the lagoon is a great option for when these creatures are in season! We got back around dinnertime, still feeling somewhat like we were on a boat, and had a relaxed evening. Cairns still gives me a slightly weird feeling that I haven’t gotten anywhere else in Australia, I am 100% glad to have come and that I was able to do everything on my Cairns bucket list! However, I think if I come back for this sort of trip, I will try somewhere new, like farther up North (where snorkeling is supposedly even better), the Whitsunday Islands, or Fiji. Tomorrow we will head to the airport in preparation for Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road!

Cairns boardwalk

Cairns boardwalk

Anzac Day Adventures (Cairns Day 1)

My mom has officially joined me from across the pond, and our first big stop is Cairns! The evening of our arrival, we checked into our Airbnb, got a little advice from our host, and headed out to town. After a walk down the Esplanade and a lovely dinner at a café, we headed in for an early night.

Cairns

For location references, Cairns is essentially the main tourism point of Australia where people go to visit the Great Barrier Reef. I was expecting a smaller town with mostly tourism, however this is the first place in Australia I have traveled to that gives me a slightly odd feeling. Although a beautiful area filled with activities to do and places to see, the town and surrounding area is just not what I expected. The main attractions here include the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest, and aboriginal culture. The towns themselves are very old fashioned, looking like the type of area that could easily (and realistically) get swept away overnight by a natural disaster. The streets aren’t designed the best, and the villages are very small, considering most attractions are on the water or in the forests. Although the weather is a bit off from what is normally expected of this time, it has been completely overcast with dark skies and rain. It has been quite an abrupt change from the beautiful beaches and clear skies of Gold Coast, but hopefully Cairns has some wonderful things in store for us!

Aerial view of the Great Barrier Reef from plane

Aerial view of the Great Barrier Reef from plane

Anzac Day

As a perfectly-timed way to start our trip, our first day in Cairns is was also Anzac Day. Essentially, this is an Australian War Memorial holiday that commemorates the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (abbreviation: ANZAC) soldiers who landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey during the first World War. This day reminds Australians of those who served and died in war and on operational service with qualities of courage, mateship, and sacrifice. For celebratory purposes, the best way to describe it is like a combination of America’s Memorial Day and Thanksgiving. For Australia, this holiday is so important that it is known second to Christmas, and even has it’s own official website (https://anzacday.org.au/home). Although our tour that day left too early to see the Cairns Anzac Day Parade or join in on an early morning remembrance ceremony, we still got to spend the day learning about Australia’s natural and historic beauty!

Wooroonuran

This morning we joined a tour through Wooroonuran National Park, one of the wet tropics world heritage areas, which contains some of the oldest surviving rainforests in the world. Just one of the many unique trees of this rainforest, the Blushwood tree, has been found to cure the breakdown of cancer tumors. This has been successful with animal testing, and human trials are in the process. This just goes to show what other undiscovered secrets might be hidden in this ancient paradise. Contrary to common belief, parts of the Australian rainforest are actually older than the Amazon, comparing the Amazon’s mid 50 million year old ecosystem to Australia’s 180 million year old landscape!

Lake Barrine

This freshwater lake was formed when a large volcano erupted over 17,000 years ago, leaving a crater that was formed then filled with rainwater. At 730 meters above sea level, there are no streams or springs that feed into the lake, but one small creek that flows out during the wet season. We also walked through the Lake Barrine Tea House Restaurant, and it looked like a lovely place to enjoy tea.

Lake Barrine

Lake Barrine

Yungaburra

Stopping through Yungaburra village, we learned it is a haven for wildlife, including the platypus, tree-kangaroo, wallabies, and many species of birds. We took a drive around Lake Tinaroo, and headed to the Curtain Fig National Park. With traditional aboriginal owners, this national park is part of their country, so naturally it is a place to be respected. The park protects endangered mabi forest and a large fig tree, in fact one of the largest recorded in the world. Technically known as the species ficus virens of the strangler fig, this tree’s aerial roots drop 15 meters to the forest floor forming a curtain-like appearance, hence the name curtain fig. Esentially they grow by germinating on top of another tree and trying to grow roots into the ground, then grow more, until the hosting tree is killed and it can grow independently. These trees are considered epiphytes, which feed from the ground, as opposed to parasitic plants, which feeds from the sap of host plant. This protected tree in specific has overtaken four other trees in its time.

Curtain Fig Tree

Curtain Fig Tree

Millaa Millaa Falls

This was one of my favorite stops of the day, as I have recently discovered I am slightly obsessed with waterfalls. “Millaa millaa” is an aboriginal phrase meaning “plenty of water or waterfall.” This particular fall is known casually as the most photographed waterfall in Australia, with a suitable swimming pool at it’s base. Unlike most of the rock pools I’ve encountered, this one was quite flat, and although it was a bit too cold to try out, it looked like a lovely place to go for a swim.

Millaa Millaa Falls

Millaa Millaa Falls

Crawfords Lookout

Our next stop took us to Crawfords Lookout in Mamu Valley. It was still a little foggy, but we could still see the view of the North Johnstone River Gorge.

Crawfords Lookout

Crawfords Lookout

Josephine Falls

This tiered cascade waterfall is a natural beauty, and also danger. At 192 meters above sea level, it is impossible to see the top of the waterfall when standing below. It is also impossible to tell what rainfall activity is happening above, and essentially the basin at the top fills and fills with water until it hits a tipping point, then spills of the edge all at once, flash flooding the rock pools below. Although a fantastic swimming area at first glance, it can also become a nightmare in an instant. A great place to visit though!

Josephine Falls

Josephine Falls

Babinda Creek

Our second last stop of the day was the Boulders at Babinda Creek. As compared to above, this lake-like area is perfectly suitable for swimming. The creek is lined with huge boulders, which help to give it its name, but also have aboriginal significance. According to local legend, the boulders are guarded by the spirit of a beautiful girl named Oolana, and you can still hear her calls for her lost lover. 

Babinda Creek

Babinda Creek

Mulgrave River

We ended the day with an hour-long crocodile cruise through the Mulgrave River, although the unfortunate weather made it not super successful. We learned above the lives of crocodiles, and explored an area with beautifully reflective waters. Overall, it was a lot of driving through the countryside, but a great day of sightseeing South of Cairns!

Muray River

Mulgrave River reflections

Semester Break in Cairns

The top two semester break destinations for American students studying in Eastern Australia tends to be Cairns or New Zealand. Cairns, home to the Great Barrier Reef, is located in northern Queensland and is a 3-hour flight from Sydney. While I’m sure New Zealand is beautiful and just as amazing as everyone says it, I was hoping to jam in as many uniquely Australian adventures as I could into my semester so Cairns was my destination of choice. Cairns is extremely popular for its endless amount of activities: snorkeling, rafting, skydiving, bungee jumping, and rainforest trekking, to name a few. I’d say it’s hard to beat just how “Australian” my trip was, and though I’d have a lot of recommendations for someone making a trip to the area (feel free to contact me if you’re reading this and headed to Cairns!), overall I definitely had a memorable and successful trip.

schreyerlionGBR.jpgDay 1: The Lagoon. Cairns does not have a beach, so the city created “The Lagoon” located on The Esplanade (boardwalk) that is a large, shallow pool with a small stretch of makeshift beach and lots of picnic areas. The weather in Cairns was a hot and sunny 85 degrees, perfect pool and sun-baking weather. We also strolled around the shops of Cairns (mostly tourist gift shops) before returning to our hostel for a BBQ dinner.

IMG_3938.JPGDay 2: The Reef. I could not have asked for a more perfect day for snorkeling. The trip out to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns takes about 2 hours and the sea was completely flat. One day later and our trip would have been bumpy seas and partly cloudy skies, factors that would have changed the experience entirely. I could have spent all day lying out on the front of our big catamaran. We were on the Passions of Paradise boat. There are a million different reef tour operators in Cairns, some of which have HUGE boats with elevator lifts that drop you straight into the water (no jumping in or climbing up a ladder required), but this just seemed a little too commercialized for my taste. The first reef we snorkelled was actually surrounding a sandbar that doubled as a bird sanctuary. I was extremely impressed with the health of the reef here and I loved getting to see new reef creatures (like the guitarfish pictured below) as well as some of my Florida Keys favorites like the parrot fish. The second reef we visited was not near as healthy and a little bit deeper. As an ocean lover and lifelong snorkeler, I was disappointed with the lack of care shown by the tour operators for the reef – not once did they tell people to not stand on the reef or inform them of the threats currently jeopardizing the existence of coral reefs. However, with the amount of visitors the Great Barrier Reef sees every year, I suppose the damage to the reefs could be even greater. 

F1000004.JPGDay 3: Driving on the Left & Platypus Spotting. Since Cairns does not have any beaches, my friends and I rented a car to take us to the beaches north of Cairns. You could also take a $5 bus, but I wanted the experience of driving on the “wrong” side of the road, as well as the freedom to travel between beaches. We chose to go to Palm Cove and Trinity Beach, both of which were beautiful and lined with Palm Trees. I’d recommend Palm Cove for anyone taking the bus up to the beaches, but if you’re renting a car, go a little further up the Captain Cook Highway and explore some of the beaches right of the road that have amazing views. They aren’t lifeguarded or protected from jellyfish, so don’t go to these if you want to swim! After spending time at the beaches, we drove an hour to Yungaburra, a tiny town known for its platypuses. At dusk and dawn, you can sometimes see them swimming in the creek. We stopped in the visitor’s center before it closed at 5 to find out where was the best place for a sighting. We then spent an hour sitting in silence, not moving, slightly freezing, waiting to see an elusive platypus. Thankfully, we finally saw one (they’re SO small!) swimming in the creek. Spotting a platypus is not too common, so we definitely got lucky. The drive home was through the windiest and darkest roads I’ve ever driven (definitely frightening when you’re on the wrong side of the road) but halfway home we pulled over to look at the stars and it was truly incredible. Never have I seen so many stars in the sky – you could even see the Milky Way! While renting a car and going to Yungaburra aren’t two things you need to do in Cairns, they were two of the highlights of my trip.

IMG_4024.JPGDay 4: Go Wild! Tour. The Go Wild! jungle tour can be done as a day tour or overnight tour. If you’re interested in snorkeling in Port Douglas (less visited than the reefs off Cairns), horseback riding, or zip lining, look into the overnight tours! This day felt very “Australian” as we started off at the Wildlife Habitat where I got to HOLD A KOALA. It was so soft and cuddly, but boy did it have sharp claws! Koala “cuddling” is only legal in Queensland and will set you back about $16, but it was one of my top 3 Australian experiences. Our bus drove us along the beautiful and scenic Captain Cook Highway (known as one of the best drives in Australia) to the Daintree River. Here we took a river cruise to spot some wild crocodiles. The river reminded me of home in Florida with so many mangroves. Afterwards, we took a stroll through the Daintree Rainforest to see big spiders and poisonous plants, all while trying to avoid getting drenched. The last stop before our drive back to Cairns was Cape Tribulation where Cook first landed in Australia. It was too rainy and cloudy for sun baking which was quite a bummer.

sarakoala.jpgDay 5/6: Just Chillen. The last two days we were in Cairns, we wandered around the town some more, spent what little sunshine time there was at the Lagoon, and ate the best fajitas any of us had ever tasted. A restaurant called Cactus Jacks has a $20 fajita and margarita deal on Thursday nights and if you’re reading this and ever find yourself in Cairns on a Thursday, you MUST go. The fajitas were cooked with a little bit of BBQ sauce which made them so amazingly delicious. It would have been great to add in another day trip or some fun activity, but with the not so great weather, I don’t think rafting/bungee jumping/more snorkelling would have been as enjoyable. 

IMG_7036.jpgCrocodiles, platypus, and koalas… snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef… getting rained on in a rainforest… driving on the left side of the road… sunbaking… Could I have had a more “Aussie” Easter Break experience??

A few recommendations:

  • Njoy is a fine hostel but a little far away from town and with a very unreliable shuttle bus.
  • Gilligan’s is the most popular hostel in the area and a non stop party… seriously people who stay there said the place was never quiet. If you’re looking for no sleep and lots of fun, it’s probably the place for you.
  • Don’t be afraid to wait until you’re in Cairns to book trips – you aren’t going to get amazing last minute deals, but there are a million travel agencies in town with unending tour options.
  • Ask your hostel where the cheapest traveler meals are – it’s possible to have dinner for $5!
  • Look into Port Douglas and other reef towns – many places have shuttles from the airport.
  • Cactus Jack’s on for Thursday night fajitas!!
  • Rent a high quality digital camera in town for $40 (includes all your pictures put on a DVD) instead of buying a $20 disposable camera that only let’s you take 20 pictures and then costs $15 to get developed (and they’re crappy pictures!!)

 


Location: Cairns, Australia