Welcome to Cairns!

After 6 days in Sydney we took a 3 hour flight north to sunny and tropical Cairns. We were happy to be able to wear our summer clothes again and get some vitamin D. Once again we booked with Airbnb and our choice of an abode did not disappoint: our bedroom was spacious and sunny with a large door opening up to the yard, only a few steps away from the pool. We shared the house with our friendly hosts (owners), something that is becoming the norm for us. We really enjoy meeting locals because we get to learn more about our surroundings firsthand. Kirk and Emma were especially cool and we even had dinner and wine together on our last night. 

Our plan was to drive down from Cairns to Brisbane in a span of two weeks and from there fly out to New Zealand. This means that by the time we fly out we would have spent an entire month in Australia and trust me, this is not nearly enough to explore this huge country. There is just so much to do here! Australia is bigger than all of Europe. So we had to chose our destinations wisely and put our FOMO aside. 

During our stay in Cairns we spent a lot of time by the pool, went for barefoot runs on the nearby beach, and visited the town of Cairns. One evening we witnessed a full lunar eclipse but there are no photos of it as I unknowingly gave my camera a day off. Aside from that, we did three main activities: searched for crocodiles in the Daintree River, snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef (separate post coming soon) and cuddled koalas at the Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas (also a separate post).

We wanted to see crocodiles in the wild so we headed to Daintree National Park rainforest near Cairns. It is the oldest rainforest in the world and a World Heritage Site. We decided to explore it by taking a Daintree River cruise which focused heavily on crocodile and other wildlife sightings. We actually took two 1 hour river tours; one saltwater and one freshwater. The company we booked our trip with ($25 per person) offer the possibility of taking a second cruise at a different location for another chance of spotting crocs. Sadly we were unlucky and the only crocs we saw was a plastic pair on my feet. However, it was still nice to see the lush vegetation of the rainforest and learn about many birds and plants (some very dangerous plants that can throw tiny spikes if you get too close or some other vines with super sharp teeth). On the way home from Daintree Village we stopped by Port Douglas for lunch and ended the day with a few hours of relaxation at Four Mile Beach. 

Here are few basic facts about Cairns:

Geography: Cairns is located in the northern part of the country, in the state of Queensland.

Population: 150,000 people reside in Cairns.

Best Known for: Due to its tropical climate it is a popular tourist destination in Australia (fourth after Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane), best access to the Great Barrier Reef, easy access to Daintree National Park (Rainforest).

What We Noticed: Lots of beautiful beaches & elevation; hot weather; we've seen more Aboriginal people here than in Sydney or Melbourne; tourists; friendly locals; mosquitoes; warning signs for dangerous animals (crocodiles, jelly fish); lots of trips and tours available to tourists; large casino in the city center; souvenir shops; American chain shops (KFC, McD, Subway etc). 

Flight from Sydney to Cairns was about 3 hours. 

Our bedroom was spacious with large doors we kept open at night for a bit of fresh air. 

Living area we shared with our hosts (owners of the house). 

One of the best aspects of the house - small swimming pool and a cabana area. 

After the cold weather in Melbourne and Sydney we were happy to veg out in the sun. 

Poolside necessities - Mosquito sprays, sunblock and citronella candles.  Crocodile time! 

Saltwater crocodile river cruise - no crocs here.  Australian surroundings.  Instead of crocodiles we saw some pretty birds.  These two birds just had a fight and were not speaking to each other.  Fresh water crocodile tour - no luck here either. But at least we got to see some pretty scenery. And cows grazing in the grass.  They looked pretty happy. Wonder if crocs ever try to get some fresh beef.

After the cruises, we stopped by the nearby town of Port Douglas where we had lunch. 

After lunch we lounged at the Four Mile Beach. 

When in Australia, before you decide to enter any beaches you better read the warning signs! Thankfully jelly fish season is not until November. As for crocs, well we had to take our chances (it is actually not that common to get attacked or eaten by a crock but it certainly is possible).   We were very perplexed when we noticed the beach was covered with tiny sand pellets. 

A quick google search revealed that tiny crabs make these pellets when searching for food. I believe the crab in this photo was of different kind and lot bigger; the ones creating the balls are tiny sand blubber crabs which grow to be only 1cm long. It is amazing how they make these balls - check out this clip to see for yourself. They are super fast!

Another mystery creature spotted on the beach. This lump of rock (or God knows what) had tiny shells stuck to it. It would not be very special except the shells kept opening and sticking out this curled spear! It was so bizarre. Of course after reading about deadly cone shells that can be found in Australia I curbed my curiosity and did not touch it. I asked a few passerbys if they knew what this was but they had no clue. There were about 15 of them on the beach. If I find out what they are I will get back to you!

Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas Despite the unknown creatures and weird crabs which were running around the entire beach, we could not leave this place. It was one of the most beautiful beaches we have seen. It was very serene and not crowded at all. The mountains made for a beautiful backdrop against the sea waters; a combo that ranks really high in our book. This photo was taken by Vlad.  Happy to be at this gorgeous beach.

Cairns has a very nice and long esplenade stretching along the Coral Sea.  The Coral Sea does not look too good during low tide. A few days before, this whole muddy area was covered in sea water.  Cairns has a really awesome and huge public pool. It measures 4800 square meters and is filled of saltwater. 

Kids and adults enjoy it alike. 

Running on the beach during the most beautiful sunset. It is true, the best things in life are free (iPhone photo). Vlad made a friend at the beach (iPhone photo).

Last night with our hosts. It's awesome to make friends with cool locals. 

And that's a wrap for Cairns. Join us in our next stop as we make our way down the east coast of Australia. Cheers! 

As always, we love hearing from you so if you have any questions or comments, drop us a note below. Miss you all!