Being In Australia With No Trouble

Written By: Jerry Carpos on October 2, 2010 No Comment

Considering the four wheel drive carry all, it burst out of the cool, dark forest after rocking down the rotted jungle track emerging into the bright coastal sunlight. We were faced by another one in the Great Barrier Reef just 10 miles offshore after leaving behind one of the great natural wonders of the world which is the Daintree rain forest. Located side by side in northern Queensland, one of the least developed regions along Australia’s tropical northeast coast, are these two wonders of the world.

Here is where one of the oldest rain forests in the world can be found. The reef that stretches north and south along 1,250 miles of shore swings closest to land in this part of the northern coast. Both rainforest and reef are easily accessible to visitors. From a submersible raft with glass sides or an underwater observatory is where you can see 1,200 species of tropical reef fish or the 350 types of spectacularly colorful living coral that make up the reef if you are not into diving.

Jumping off was done in Cairns which was the gateway to Australia’s Marlin Coast, it has the charm of a British colonial outpost and is a small tropical city of 85,000. Twisting 21 miles up and through mountains, gorges, and rain forests to the village of Kuranda, we rode the 100 year old Cairns Kuranda Railway during our out of town trip. Following our return to Cairns was a drive north along the Marlin Coast and inland toward the rain forest lasting 90 minutes.

It is possible to see 13 of the 19 families of ancient plant life still found on Earth in the nearby rain forest. When it comes to these, some date back to 130 million years. Four wheel drive vehicles will help you pass by the old rutted dirt tracks that line the forest as these were built for logging. Because of pull offs, one that opens on to an hour’s easy stroll along a well marked trail, you can look at the rain forest more leisurely.

From one tour service comes about environmentally sensitive trips into the rain forest starting from Silky Oaks and leading to a boat ride down the Daintree River. In terms of the old gold rush village of Port Douglas, the drive from Silky Oaks to one of the major gateways to the Great Barrier Reef was short. Several charter boats were fitted for scuba divers, skimmers were provided with sailboats, and ferrying groups of people to permanent platforms atop the reef was a fleet of twin hulled jet catamarans.

For those who want a good look at the beauty of the coral reef and its multicolored fish without getting wet, two glass-sided semi submersibles glide out from the platform for a 30 minute trip alongside the coral. Guided by trained marine biologists are the snorkeling trips. There are private grottoes, one behind a waterfall, near the swimming pool and local frequented the open air coffee shop in the local hotel where we stayed. The famous Four Mile Beach is located outside downtown Port Douglas and it is where you will see beautiful stretches of palm fringed white sand curving along the ocean.

With regard to a jump off point away from sea, this is what Port Douglas is and it provides a different view of the northern Queensland environment. It was during the past century when a tableland high above the coast became a prime cattle raising area and you will still see some of the original homesteads on the old cattle ranches today. You have Wetherby which is the site of a 1870s homestead and still a working cattle station. After the family proprietors opened it for tourists, Australia in its entirety can be seen.

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