Cairns to Kuranda

Friday night we flew the three hours up to Cairns. When we got to the airport, Phil went to the Avis counter to get our car. Banking on the fact that they never have the tiniest compact car actually there, Phil agreed to the small car. Well...did you ever see Ashton Kutcher driving around Europe in his movie, "Just Married"? The car wasn't really that small but we did fondly name our car: The Rollerskate. Picture us driving to the hotel...Nnnnneeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Saturday morning we walked through the town to the train station to take a ride on the Kuranda Scenic Railway, an hour and 45 minute trip to Kuranda, in the middle of the rainforest. Yep...I didn't know there was a rainforest in Australia either.

The trip was beautiful. I got a flashback to the Von Trapp family, the day they wore the play clothes made from Maria's curtains as they explored Salzburg. Do you remember the scene on the train? Is it just me or do you get that flashback too? Take a look...

The trip took us through Freshwater Station, Redlynch, and Jungara: the site of the largest field hospital in the southern hemisphere during WWII where soliders injured in the Pacific were flown for treatment. We also passed by Stoney Creek Falls. Very pretty.

Ok, now I don't know why that picture came up sideways, and I can't get it to turn, but if you turn your head to the left, it's still a nice picture of the falls. We passed Glacier Rock and Red Bluff, while also going through 15 hand-carved tunnels up the mountain. After tunnell 14 we saw this great view of the Coral Sea with the city of Cairns at the coast.

We also passed by Robb's Monument (and Rob, a fitting monument to you!) and then finally Barron Falls. Another pretty waterfall.

Once we got to Kuranda, we walked through the little town. Lots of shops, restaurants, cafes, and tourist traps. While eating lunch I once again pondered why Australians think that putting beetroot (or beets as we call them) on hamburgers is a good thing. I don't get it. And hamburgers here taste more mealy...like you're eating meatloaf. A sad thing when the best hamburger I can get here is at McDonald's. For the way back instead of taking the train we took the Skyrail. Notice the entrance is calm, even serene one might say.

Calm and serene is not what I'm feeling as I find myself once again, white-knuckling it in a little cable car for 4.7 miles as we flew over the rainforest in Barron Gorge National Park. I hate those things. And serene is not what I'm feeling as Phil is swaying the cable car from side to side. In fact, I believe my exact words were, "Sometimes you make me not like you."

But all was well as we took a bus back to Cairns and walked around the town before eating dinner. Tomorrow...our trip to the Great Barrier Reef.