Our last full day in Cairns began with a leisurely morning walk to check out a different area of downtown Cairns near the convention center. There was not too much to write home about in this area and we soon found our way to McDonalds for our morning internet access, followed up by breakfast at the hotel. It’s amazing how much time you have in the mornings to get prepared for the day when you are waking at 6AM or so (and going to bed by 10PM).
Around 8:30, we regrouped with the family in the lobby to await the arrival of our transport to the SkyRail. The SkyRail is a gondola that takes you from a small town just north of Cairns to the Karunda village, with 2 observation stops along the way. It climbs to the peak of one of the nearby rainforest mountains for the first stop, then transverses the Barren River Gorge with a waterfall view at the second stop. The final destination is an old mining town that is now a nature preserve and village catering to tourists known as Karunda. While en route, we were able to spot a couple local birds and butterflies, but not much else from our perch above the rainforest.
The skyrail 
The roadway below (photo credit: DPH) 
Us in the skyrail (photo credit: Dad)
Upon arrival at Karunda, we caught a shuttle to the main drag of shops and attractions and made our way immediately to Koala Gardens, essentially a very small zoo featuring indigenous Australian animals. It was a required stop for us in Karunda since it gave Susan (and her mom and sister) the opportunity to cuddle a koala bear. They also let us get a family shot with Jaunita, the koala who was cuddled. Other highlights of the gardens were freshwater crocodiles, a walkthrough reptile house, and a kangaroo and wallaby “petting zoo” and feeding pen. They pack a lot into a small area at the Koala Garden, but it’s worth checking out if you’re looking to interact with Australian animals. Below is a compilation of some of the animals we saw and interacted with. Note the joey in the wallaby’s pouch.
After the Koala Gardens, we grabbed some lunch at the Rain Forest View Café, also the only spot we saw with any air conditioning in Karunda. Susan ventured a try of a local cuisine in ordering a meat pie and found it to be quite delicious. Then we commenced wandering the village to check out the small markets and shops. Shopping offered the standard variety of cheesy tourist souvenirs, but also included some local crafts and aboriginal art that was impressive, albeit expensive.
Once satisfied with our shopping experience, we descended the main road back to the train station. To get a different experience on our return trip to Cairns, we grabbed the 2PM Karunda Express train down the mountain. This train takes the same route that was initially established to connect the mining community to the valley below and includes 15 tunnels, a variety of winding track sections and views of the Barren River Gorge from the other side as was seen on the SkyRail. The train cars are all between 60-100 years old and are well kept to maintain their period feel. However, the old train is also slow and quite noisy. The trip all the way into Cairns was nearly a 2 hour journey. I found the leisurely train ride to be a lot of fun in a quaint sort of way, but it definitely wasn’t an efficient means of travel.
Our train back to Cairns (photo credit: Dad)
Our train entering one of the many tunnels along our route
Once back in the lowlands, we returned to the hotel to relax poolside and recharge before cleaning up and heading out to dinner. With the proximity to the Asian continent, Australia has a large selection of Asian inspired dining. So, we chose a Chinese restaurant and enjoyed a quality dinner.
Since we bid adieu to Cairns tomorrow, the rest of the evening was organizing photographs (since we have 3 photographers in tow) and getting our luggage prepared for departure. To be able to continue enjoying leisurely mornings, bedtime was around 10PM again.
Tomorrow we head the the red center of Australia, into the real outback, as we visit Uluru (Ayers Rock).
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