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We went down at 6.30 a.m to meet our receptionist – the sweetest and kindest Vicki. She’s well aware of the GBR cancellation and she, being a total sweetheart, keep calling all Barrier Reef operators in Cairns to see if anyone is going out – the answer was NO. The tides are too high and the cyclone are quite strong. It was raining since last night. The Australia Met has issued a warning for no sailing/activity on GBR. That’s how serious it was.

Vicki finally find a tour that we can go for which is the Kuranda Scenic Tour where you went up to the Kuranda Highlands by cable car and went down by a traditional steam train. She suggested we go for rainforest trekking but yeah we are not prepared for that. Baju pun taka da sebab bawak baju mandi. We have no choice but to proceed. She took care of everything for the tour and the pickup. We didn’t have to lift a finger. The tour was at 9.30 a.m so we venture out for some breakfast. I had coffee at Gloria Jeans beside our motel. We take a short walk to the boardwalk in front of the hotel to pass our time. This task was not easy since it was raining and stopping and raining again. Kejap angin kuat, hujan lepas tu tetiba panas.

The wind was crazy out here. We finally being picked up by the tour operator and brought to the Smithfield Cable Car Station and everything went smooth. We went up the Kuranda Highland by using cable car via 4 stations. The view was spectacular. We can see the rainforest merge to a sugar cane fields and we see the shorelines all in one view.

I did mentioned there was a cyclone right? We were up in the middle of the station and suddenly a very strong gush of wind passed by. The cable car stopped and rocked in the middle of nowhere. The cable car swung left and right because of the cyclone force. Syima and Feeza are both afraid of heights – I remembered they are pretty scared while riding a cable car back in Malaysia. Not only that, there were very thick fog outside so, basically we cannot see a thing out there – adding terror of not knowing where we are, how high we are, are we moving etc.

Mula mula cable car stop then angin kuat lalu. Apa lagi, memang bergoyanglah cable car tu. Sepanjang perjalanan kitorang kejap hujan kejap berhenti.

We finally going to reach our 1^st Station where we can see various types of trees, ferns and some animals. This is the Red Peak station which offers a boardwalk trail in the rainforest.Then we went to the main attraction which is the Baron Fall station where you can go to 2 trails to gaze on this waterfall. We can see the fall from the cable car but the fog got to us *sigh*.

 One thing that is advantage for us in this raining season is that the water flow at the waterfall are magnificent which is why we go for this tour. The sheer amount of water just makes everything beautiful and majestic! It was like a baby Niagara Falls. The fog makes visibility shift back and forth between good and bad. The good thing was, they provide an umbrella when we walk through the trails to the waterfall. We were pretty wet since we are taking photographs in the rain, hence we chuck aside the umbrella. Thankfully the trees actually act as a natural shade for us.

We finally reached Kuranda Village after 45 minutes of cable car ride. We saw that the Kuranda River was actually overflowing to the riverside due to non-stop rain. Kuranda is a charming village rich with arts from Australia. We take a walk and we buy most of our souvenirs here because it is cheap. Yep, much cheaper than in Gold Coast.

We had lunch – again fish and chips at a charming family café. The rain was still pouring on and off while in Kuranda. They have a flee market there. They sold stuff from handmade jewelries to soaps, glass, carpentry, you name it. We explore with the time that we had before departing to the Kuranda Scenic Rail Station at 2 p.m.. We verified our tickets and board the charming old train. Okay, it has like an old Wild West movie kinda vibe. This train has no air conditioning – all fresh air from the mountains.

This ride was fascinating as we do not have these in Malaysia. Another similar attraction was in Melbourne called the Puffing Billy. We passed through a lot of tunnels and creeks before we stop at the Baron Falls Station. I put my raincoat on and went out despite of a heavy rain and ran back to the train. We are all tired and Syima actually sleep almost the whole of the 2 hours journey.

We then proceed to the famous spot of Kuranda Rail – the amazing Stoney Creek Falls. This waterfall was merely meters away from the train! Thanks to my perseverance and patience, I got the perfect shot for the waterfall. I beat all the tourist inside the train. Hehe!

Our ticket entitled us for the last stop which is the Cairns Station. Most of the tourist disembark at Fresh Water and Kuranda Station. Along the way, we see huge fields of Sugar Cane. Some say that the name Cairns were derived from the word sugar cane. We arrived at the Cairns station and we went into the mall to walk to our hotel. Sitting beside the window of an old train with sugar cane field in sight – that is one unforgettable experience for me. It was like I was in another time.

We did not carry a map so we rely on the harbor’s location and surprisingly we made it. Also, Cairns CBD is not too huge that you risk of getting lost. We passed by several bars, pubs and lots of backpackers on our way back.

That night, we had dinner at the kebab stall next to our Motel. Finally, we ate something other than fish! The price are reasonable for a very big portion. I even kept half of my kebab for breakfast. We then have a delicious gelato from the store next door. The best pistachio ice cream I have ever tasted in my life.

We then walk to the Cairns Night market which is located 1-2 block away from our motel. Here they have a wide variety of food stalls. Asian food mainly but sadly non-halal ones. We spent a lot of time in the night market. I ended up buying a key pouch made of kangaroo skin. Syima and Feeza went wild for their souvenir. Risau jugak bag terlebih berate!

We walk around Cairns that night before going back to the hotel to pack and sleep – we have a 6.00 a.m. flight back to Brisbane! We should have stayed longer in Cairns. Maybe next time. For me, staying at Bellview Motel was a good choice. It is located at the center, conveniently close to everything.

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