Page 8 - The Shores of Jupiter - May '22

Page 8, The Shores
Cairns: Gateway To The Great Barrier Reef

By Don Kiselewski, MCC, Island, or head north to
D.S., Palm Beach Gardens one of the six wonderful
Travel Leaders beaches just north of the
Fi rst t hi ngs fi rst : city on the Marlin Coast.
The residents of Cairns, The city has created a man-
Australia, are very proud made lagoon with sand
of their name, and get beaches for visitors to save
somewhat perturbed when the trip north. Touching
foreigners try to pronounce the ground isn’t important
the name of their beautiful to most who visit the area.
city using all of the letters The excitement they seek
in the spelling. Quite comes 35 miles offshore,
simply, it’s “Cans,” like at small islands or floating
cans of beans (or beer). platforms that hover over
Located in Queensland the Great Barrier Reef.
on the northeast coast of Stretching along People keep cool at the Cairns Esplanade’s public swimming lagoon
Australia, Cairns serves as Queensland’s coas t,
the transportation hub for Australia’s Great Barrier
visitors to the Great Barrier Reef is the largest, most
Reef, with an international beautiful and complex
airport and deepwater port. single reef system in the
While it is true that Cairns world. It covers an area
is the gateway to some of 217,526 square miles,
of the world’s greatest which makes it half the
natural wonders – a tropical size of Texas. The reef
rainforest and the Great harbors an incredible array
Barrier Reef – it’s also of marine life, with more
true that Cairns has its own A dugong feeds on sea grass than 400 types of hard and
special charm. soft coral, and more than
The city has colonial-style homes, broad avenues 1,500 species of fish. Green Island, located on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
lined with palms, fig trees and giant bougainvilleas, and Coral reproduces by
a pretty esplanade that leads to an active downtown area. spawning annually. The
The buzz in the downtown area centers around the casino eggs are released in polyps
being built in the center of the main complex of hotels. varying in color from bright
This, coupled with a convention center, brings the city pinks and reds to blues and
into an urban setting. greens. The coral spawning
Although an oceanfront community, Cairns does not is synchronized over
have any beaches, so for those looking for that white several nights following
sand experience, you’ll have to go offshore to Green a full moon in October or
November. The reef is also
a breeding ground for such
endangered species as the
humpback whale and the The Kuranda Scenic Railway overlooking Barron Gorge National Park in tropical Queensland
dugong, an herbivorous
marine mammal. A few miles west of Cairns lies the Great Dividing
Visiting and enjoying the reef has become a special Range, which separates the subtropical coastal area from
tourist adventure that can be experienced from many of the lush beauty of the hinterland with its national parks
the towns that stretch along the 1,200 miles of reef, but and unique birds, animals and plant life. The indigenous
none is quite like Quicksilver. The 2,000-horsepower Aborigines have lived in these elevated areas for thousands
catamarans of the Quicksilver fleet are aluminum-hulled of years. Their culture has continued for millennia by
vessels that skim the water with over 300 passengers “Dreamtime,” the oral history that is passed daily from
aboard. There are numerous destinations that these sleek the elders to the youth of the tribe. The Aboriginal culture
A green turtle floats above the coral on the Great Barrier Reef crafts visit; the most popular is the floating aluminum has been dated back some 50,000 years.
oasis of the sea. The floating platform, anchored above Kuranda, 16 miles northwest of Cairns, is a picturesque
the reef, is self-contained and allows for the docking of village set in the lush area on the edge of the Atherton
the Quicksilver. All snorkeling and diving equipment is Tableland, which is served by both the Kuranda Scenic
on hand, kept in top-notch condition. The platform also Railway and the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. The
provides dockage for semisubmergible vessels that take railroad was built to supply goods to the miners of the
viewers below the water to capture views of the reef area who were often trapped atop the plateau because
without getting wet. of the rain and mud. The steep walls of the gorge that it
A special scuba training dive platform and snorkel climbs give passengers spectacular views of the tropical
platform with easy access to the water are all part of this scenery and waterfalls.
great facility. Scuba instructions are given to the novice In 1995, the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway started
on the 90-minute trip out, which, when coupled with the making the journey from the valley at the plane of the
dive platform practical training, qualifies them for the Coral Sea to the mountaintop at Kuranda. The trip is made
two dives on the Great Barrier Reef that they will make
that very same day. Cairns: Gateway To The Great Barrier Reef on page 9

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