5 Days in Cairns

Day 6 - Cairns, North Queensland

- We arrived Cairns airport at 16:25 hours. It is a very small airport just like Langkawi.

- We took a public taxi that sent us to our resort - Cairns Discovery Resort.

- After checked in and got refreshed, we adjourned to Esplanade (near beachside) for a walk and then dinner.

- I had fishball noodles at one of their largest foodcourt - "Night Markets".

- There are plenty of the stores nearby as well as 2 massage parlours. Of course, I won't missed it...

Day 7 - Passions of Paradise

- Passions of Paradise II is the newest sail boat launched in Cairns and is an awesome 25 metre sailing vessel that cruises to the Inner and Outer Barrier Reef. We checked in to Reef Fleet Terminal at 8am. The boat started sailing at 9am.

- Michaelmas Cay is the first stop (after 2.5 hours of sailing). This is a gorgeous little speck of pure coral sand, surrounded by reef and warm shallow water (actually, it is cold water). There are many different species of marine life that inhabit these waters and the cay is also a haven for a variety of marine birds. We spent about 45 minutes snorkelling here.

- A team of snorkel specialists will assist first time snorkellers and divers and make them feel comfortable.

- Lunch was held at the big boat e.g. salad, pasta, spaghetti, fruits and drinks.

- Paradise Reef is the second destination. Another 45 minutes of snorkelling over brilliant staghorn corals, huge plate corals of many different colours, and anemones that sway with the oceans currents.

- After all the swimming and diving a huge tropical smorgasbord, there's also plenty of time to relax. On the way home with the sails up, relax, chill out, and soak up the atmosphere. This is the favourite time for those who like to get themselves sun-tank.

- We arrived the Reef Fleet Terminal at 5'ish and returned to resort and get changed.

- We had dinner at one of the Japanese restaurant nearby Night Markets.

Day 8 - Cape Trib Day Trip!

- The Cape Trib van (a lady) came to pick us up from our accommodation at 7'ish in the morning.

- We headed north for the drive to the Daintree on the scenic coastal road. This highway snakes along the shoreline past secluded beaches and rainforest clad mountains with views out over the Coral Sea to the Great Barrier Reef. One of the highway is Captain Cook Highway.

- The lady coach explained to us that not many people likes to swim in this shoreline. There are plenty of jellyfishes and the only jellyfish we must look out for -> is the "box jellyfish", it is the most poisonous and toxicity jellyfish amongst the rest we have seen normally.

- Along the highway, we saw huge hectares & hectares of sugarcane plants. Cairns started with many other businesses but failed. However, sugarcane business has prospered, about 80% of sugarcanes were produced in Mossman and exported to overseas. It is now the major income generator for Cairns.

- Our first stop was at the Daintree Mangroves Animal Sanctuary. It was a brief stop for morning tea and the chance to view Cassowary birds and other native animals up close. From here the tour have crossed the Daintree River by ferry and stop at the Alexandra Range Lookout for stunning photo opportunities and a bird's eye view of the coast, followed by a guided walk through the rainforest on the Mardja Boardwalk.

- Our lunch was at the Beach House, where we can walk onto Cape Tribulation beach.

- The tour proceeded to the Daintree River Cruise Centre where afternoon tea is available before the 1 hour river cruise. This interesting and informative boat cruise takes you through the domain of the large estuarine crocodile. Egrets wade near mangroves in the murky water of the river where crocodiles wait patiently for a meal. We saw 2 crocodiles during this trip.

- During the cruise, we were told that several peoples had been attacked and eaten by the 'head' crocodile of this river.....

- After the cruise, we headed south towards Cairns for a stop at Mossman Gorge, where we are able to swim or go for a walk. The clear mountain river cuts through thick rainforest and tumbles over boulders on its journey to the sea (according to the tour guide, this is the oldest rainforest in the world, their trees & plants are quite poisonous!). On the way home the tour will visit the picturesque tourist town of Port Douglas for a quick stop.

- Other than seeing the animals, I have got mosquitoes bites around my body which is still recovering when I am back to Singapore.....heeee!

Day 9 - Scenic Reef Flights

- Woke up at 8'ish in the morning & prepared myself for a reef scenic pick up at 9 am.

- Cairns Sea Planes has specialised in scenic flights for the past 15 years. It offer flights to island and cay destinations to enjoy view of the World Heritage listed (1 of it is Port Douglas), Great Barrier Reef. Each flight has a small number guests, about 8-9 seaters. Each flight will last about 60 minutes. The pilot took off from the Aviation Aero Centre near the airport and also drop us off at the same place. It was truly a different experience!

- My other friend has gone for Hot Air Balloon thinggy so when we met at hotel room it was already 12'ish. We adjourned to Cairns Shopping Centre and shopped 1/2 day there. I managed to buy some clothes and souvenirs over there.

- We had dinner slightly early, about 6'ish. It's the western food.

Day 10 - Kuranda Train/Skyrail

- We woke up at 7 am to get ready for a pick up at 7.40 am to send us to the Kuranda Scenic Railway.

- It is a spectacular journey offering views of World Heritage Listed rainforest, steep ravines and picturesque waterfalls within the Barron Gorge National Park.

- This famous railway winds its way from Cairns to Kuranda. Kuranda Village is a quaint little township in the rainforest, situation where both Skyrail and the Kuranda Scenic Train journeys terminate.

- Kuranda Village is famous for arts and crafts and indigenous artifacts and the excellent attractions of the Butterfly Sanctuary, Koala Gardens, Birdworld and the Aviary.

- Our return journey is via the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway which spans 7.5kms over pristine rainforest. Gliding just metres above the rainforest canopy in comfortable 6 person gondola cabins. We explored 2 mid-stations - Red Peak and Barron Falls during the ride. We enjoyed the stunning rainforest scenery, panoramic views of the Cairns' tropical region and the glittering waters of the Coral Sea.

- This tour ends at 3'ish and when we returned to our resort, we started to pack our clothes and sent our dirty clothes to wash. This resort has got 2 washing machines and 2 dryers for the guests to self-help if required.

- We had japanese food at Sushi Train that night.

Day 11 - Return home

- We woke up at 7'ish and catch a resort shuttle to airport. Our flight got delayed by 2 hours. When we arrived Singapore it was already 9 pm.

The whole trip is quite a different experience & a memorable one :D