I arrived in Cairns ten days after I started my journey. In Cairns I had two free days to explore the area and a day of diving and snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef again!. I took advantage of my free days to catch up with the sleep i’ve lost with two previous night buses. Once recovered, I went to explore the city.
Cairns from the marina
Cairns botanic gardens
Waterfront in Cairns during low tide
A banyan tree in the middle of the city
Cairns is primarily a hub for tourists (Great Barrier Reef on one side, rainforests and waterfalls of the other ), and with the many inscriptions in Chinese and Japanese in most stores, I trust that many of these tourists come from Asia. Information points for tourists and travel agencies for backpackers were abundant in the city center. And like any good Australian city, Cairns has its lagoon to cool off during these hot days of winter (between 20 and 25°C).
Cairns Lagoon
Third day in Cairns, I had to get up early to board the Passion of Paradise, a giant catamaran that would take us to the Great Barrier Reef. That morning we stop around a tiny island called Michaelmas Cay. I started with 30 minutes of diving with the group of beginners (so 5 meters maximum depth), we saw several large turtles (one I could touch) and a huge sea cucumber. I also get to see clown fishes, much smaller (1 cm) than I thought. After diving, I took a snorkel and joined the rest of the people floating around the island.
Passions of Paradise
In the afternoon, we stopped for diving for certain people, and only snorkeling for me this time. I saw pretty much the same thing. And because we were in the open sea, waves made me and the fishes move back several meters every time, not really easy for swimming.
In comparison, I’d say there are more things to see underwater in Cairns in the Whitsunday Islands.
Fish circling the boat at Michaelmas Cay
Tour: http://www.peterpans.com.au/backpacking-holidays-australia/1-day-great-barrier-reef
Backpacker: Nomads Esplanade