Kuranda

Kuranda, about 30km north-west of Cairns, sells itself as the Village in the Rainforest, a statement that is undeniably true. Beyond that, there isn’t much to say about the place – it’s full of crafty, arty shops reflecting its main industry of tourism.

To get there, we took the Kuranda Scenic Railway. The railway is part of the normal Queensland Railway network and was originally built to provide access to the goldfields on the high table land above Cairns. Nowadays, its main traffic is the twice-daily return trip for tourists.

The contract for the most difficult section of the line was awarded to John Robb in 1887, and the line opened in 1891 - a remarkable feat considering the obstacles that had to be overcome.

The journey, for us, started at Freshwater Station near Cairns.

Once aboard, we settled into comfy arm chairs ready for departure

Quickly, the line begins to rise and wind its way up the mountains - often doubling back on itself

Perhaps the most impressive part of the line is where it crosses Stoney Creek

Just on the other side of the train, the creek forms spectacular waterfalls as it runs down the cliff face

The bridge itself is not the original, which proved not to be up to the local conditions. It's probably the most photographed railway bridge in Australia, though.

The view down the gorge to the sea is also amazing.

The only stop between Freshwater and Kurana is at Baron Falls

Which, as the name suggests, overlooks a waterfall on the River Baron

The falls used to be much more spectacular before a dam was built just upstream to provide hydro-electric power and irrigation water.

From the station, we caught our first glimpse of our homeward transport about half way along the horizon:

Soon we were on our way again and, after an hour and a half or so, we arrived in the beautifully kept station at Kuranda.

After a visit to the (still working) signal box:

We popped across the road to the Kuranda Hotel for a cup of coffee, where we noticed this, not to be missed, offer:

As well as the touristy shops, Kuranda also boasts the Koala Gardens. Now, it's well known that koalas are almost as cute as cats, so this was a must-do stop on the itinerary. As well as koalas, they have other cute creatures, such as wombats:

and wallabies and kangaroos

Of course, this being Australia, there are less cute creatures such as freshwater crocodiles. They're smaller than their saltwater cousins, but still unpleasant

But it was the koalas we'd come to see

As well as just looking at the koalas, there is the opportunity to get up close and personal with one. This is Hogan:

(Hogan is on the right)

After a bite to eat, we made our way back towards the station where it was time to board our return journey - the Kuranda SkyRail:

SkyRail is a 7.5km long gondola ride that takes you through the tree tops of the rainforest, sweeping across rivers and gorges.

On the way, we passed the Baron Falls again - in time to see the train on its way back down to Cairns.

Looking down into the gorge:

Skyrail also have a station in the area and, from there, we could see the dam - near the top of this picture:

At the next stop on the gondola, we joined a ranger-guided walk. It's always more interesting when someone who knows what they're talking about points things out to you. We learned, for example, of the Strangler Fig:

So named because it wraps itself around its host, eventually killing the host tree. If that happens too quickly, it's likely that the fig itself will also die as it won't be strong enough to support itself.

We also saw some Kauri Pine - a great wood for building with which almost led to the extinction of the species. Even now, there are very few mature specimens anywhere in the forest. This one:

was about 1 metre across, but a really good example could be double that. Notice that there aren't any creepers or even any moss growing on the Kauri. It manages this by having flaky bark that peels off if anything tries to stick to it.

Then it was back onto the gondola for the final segment back down to Cairns.

Daintree Rainforest

The Daintree Rainforest in the far north of Queensland is the oldest and most diverse rainforest on Earth – at around 100 million years, it's vastly older than the Amazon basin (around 7 million years). Sadly, human activities have taken their toll and much of the forest has been cleared, especially for growing sugar cane, but there is still much to be seen.

From Port Douglas, we headed north to the Daintree Discovery Centre – a splendid facility where it’s possible to see all levels of the forest from the floor to the high canopy, and have a nice cup of tea and a slice of cake afterwards.

Then we headed a bit further north, to Cape Tribulation – the end of the sealed road.

This is the Daintree River:

One of the animals of the rainforest which is highly endangered is the Cassowary – a large, flightless bird which was once common but is now thought to number only about 1200 individuals. The road through the forest has a low speed limit, enforced by regular speed bumps – all of them signposted, though not all have been adapted like this one:

As you can see, the weather wasn't great when we were there. Although this is the dry season, there was a lot of cloud and occasional torrential downpours. Once again, the Scottish rain gods have done their magic...

The Great Barrier Reef

Formed over 600,000 years, around half the coral on the Great Barrier Reef has been lost in the last 20 years. It seemed, therefore, incumbent upon me to see it whilst it’s still there to be seen.

From Port Douglas, you take any one of several boats out to the reef – it is, as you might imagine, a popular local attraction. These boats range from private hire to vast commercial enterprises. The prices range in the opposite direction. We opted for Wavelength tours where there are no more than 30 per trip.

The day starts with a long (getting on for 2 hours) trip out to the reef itself. On the way out, we passed the restaurant where we’d eaten the night before:

And one of those enormous tour vessels:

Further out, we were lucky enough to come across a pair of humpback whales:

During the trip, the crew gave us lots of information about the reef and what we’d see when we got there. We were fitted out with wetsuits – the sea was surprisingly cold after you’d been in a while without moving much – masks, snorkels and flippers.

Finally, we arrived at Opal Reef:

and it was time to get in the water (I'm the one at the far end):

It has to be said that the experience was really amazing. I’m no great photographer, but here are a few of the pictures I took:

We saw thousands of fish from the tiny to the huge:

And a few giant clams:

As well as letting us see the reef, the crew told us something about how it developed – tiny animals, related to jellyfish, exude calcium carbonate (limestone) to form the basic structure of the coral. The colours come from algae that cover the limestone and provide nutrients to it by photosynthesis. In return, the coral provides a solid platform for the algae.

Corals only grow in a small range of water temperatures and depths. They also like water which is very poor in nutrients. Since their algal population requires sunlight, they also need clear water. All of these factors are changing and are part of the reason why the reef is disappearing fast.

50% of the coral on the reef has gone in the last 20 years – something which is truly concerning. What is downright astounding is the fact that the Australian government is keen for more to go.

One of the main crops in northern Queensland is sugar cane – you pass mile after mile of it as you drive along. Sugar cane is harvested just before the wet season which means that, during torrential rain, there is nothing to stop the soil being washed straight into the sea. The silt blocks the sunlight which the coral algae depend on. In addition, the fertilizers used on the cane are washed into the sea, making the water too nutrient rich for the coral to survive.

The increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is making the sea water slightly acidic which, of course, dissolves the calcium carbonate. As global temperatures increase (whether that’s caused by human activity or not) the sea temperatures also increase, away from the range liked by the coral.

Australia is, as is well known, extremely rich in minerals which are being shipped out in enormous quantities. The mining companies want to construct new ports along the east coast to facilitate the shipping of the minerals. It is astonishing to me that any company could even have the cheek to ask for permission to dredge a channel through the reef, but what is downright incredible is that the government is all in favour.

Minerals can wait in the ground quite happily, or be shipped by rail to existing ports. Sugar cane can be grown in many places. There is only one Great Barrier Reef. At the current rate, there will be nothing for the next generation to see apart from the small pockets maintained by the tour companies. It is unbelievable that the Australian government is so short sighted. This is not a disaster that might or might not happen, or which will take centuries to have its effect. This is happening right now and it will destroy a world heritage site in a few decades. Even British politicians aren’t that short-sighted.

On a happier note. As well as my little camera which did its best, Wavelength have their own camera. Here are a few, rather better shots.

Finally, it was time to turn round and head back into the Port Douglas Inlet: