Cairns, Cape Tribulation, and Darwin

We arrived in Cairns in time to celebrate our final Oz Experience, so to speak, at the famous backpacker bar The Woolshed. Lucky for us, we ran into our favorite bus driver, Greg, who happened to have a VIP membership to the bar entitling him to free drinks all night long. He was kind enough to share this privilege with us since our funds were running low against the Aussie dollar. Too keep a long night short; we’ll jump to 3 am. Being the responsible backpacker that Laura is, upon exiting the cab she screamed, “Where are our backpacks?! What happened to them?!” (even though they had been safely locked in our dorm room for several hours). Then, after adamantly denying she had eaten any pizza (in order to get more), Laura found herself thinking the men’s restroom was our hostel room. Needles to say, the night justified a late morning feast at McDonald’s (we’re not proud). We spent the remainder of the day exploring Cairns and its one million tacky souvenir shops and dive/tour operators.

The next day we jumped on board a bus that drove and sounded like a tractor, but nonetheless, took us north to Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation. We had a brief breakfast stop in star-studded Port Douglas, which is well-known for its upscale holiday options and posh dining venues. Further along the windy Captain Cook Highway, we stopped at Mossman Gorge. Our scenic walk around lush rainforest and moss-covered boulders prompted the question, “How do rocks grow?” by a brilliant American study-abroad student. She went to Duke (just kidding). While we wish we could have spent more time here, we were unfortunately whisked away to lunch at Cape Tribulation where we enjoyed a makeshift picnic on the beach. We stayed at the Cape Trib Beach House, which reminded us of summer camp since the bunk bed-filled cabins were surrounded by the rainforest.

North Queensland is home to the most dangerous bird in Australia, the cassowary, which can disembowel a human even though it diets on rainforest fruits. Every time we heard a rustle in the leaves, we feared an attack by this ostrich-sized bird. Caution signs line the roads about every 1km, but we were never graced with their presence. We did, however, see a rare tree kangaroo perched on top of an indigenous circular palm tree (how geeky does that sentence sound?). Cape Tribulation is unique in that it is the only location in the world where two UNESCO World Heritage sights meet: the rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. The second day of our tour included a crocodile safari along the Daintree River. Fortunate to have another eagle-eye guide, our cruise spotted 6 crocs—one measuring over 4 meters long!

The following day we said goodbye to Queensland and flew to Darwin for two reasons: their famous 2 liter stubbie (oversized beer bottle) and our gateway to Southeast Asia. Darwin, however, was a little bit of a letdown compared to the rest of Australia. The sweltering heat and humidity put us inside craving the air-conditioning or a cold shower. The well-known Kakadu National Park is relatively close, but dwindling funds kept us wandering the one-street, 3-block town instead. It was not, however, a distraction from the wonderful time we had exploring the rest of the country. We can’t pinpoint whether or not Oz is an English version of the US or an American version of England, but in its own right, Australia has its own island personality and ambiable character that continues to lure travelers from all over the world.

Farewell meat pies, hello white rice...Goodbye Aussie life and Good Morning Vietnam!