Cairns, Tablelands and the Great Barrier Reef

December 25

We were pretty sleepy after arriving in Cairns at around 9:30 AM from our super early morning flight from Darwin. But landing in Cairns is definitely worth a look as you fly past the beautiful coastline with the tropical mountain ranges in the background.

We got lucky and our room was ready already, so we set out to explore Cairns without much of a plan. It was Christmas Day so we didn't expect too many things to be open but hoped to find one of those backpacker tours agencies that are all over the place so we could figure out what to do the next day. I had forgotten to book something in advance for that day and our lack of a rental car meant we'd be stuck in Cairns otherwise.

As you can see here, you cannot even swim in the water at the beaches in Cairns because of the crocs.
We were lucky and got a tour for the next morning. Originally we really wanted to go to the Daintree Rainforest up north and Cape Tribulation but all tours were already sold out. So we decided to book the Active Tablelands Adventure Tour instead.

December 26

Bright and early at 7:30, our bus picked us up for the tour and our first stop was the Babinda Boulders and Devil's Pool. The place has seen many drownings so we couldn't go in due to the dangerous nature of the currents.

Next stop was our first of several swimming opportunities that day - the Josephine Falls, where we slid down a natural water slide.

Our next stop was the Milla Milla Falls where we were also able to get in the ice cold water and swim under an 18 meter waterfall.

After Dinner Falls, we then headed to the Curtain Fig Tree, which has been around for hundreds of years.

and from there on to Lake Eacham, where we went for another swim.

December 27

Today was our big reef day that we'd been looking forward to. We set out on a giant catamaran boat on a 2h ride out to the reef. It was a perfect day with no cloud in the sky and very calm waters.

Once we got to the reef - the Passions reef that is exclusive toured by Passions of Paradise - you could already see a ton of colorful fish around the boat, getting us excited for our snorkel dive.

I rented a stinger suit as the Eastern and Northern Australian coast lines are known for their dangerous jellyfish. One sting from a Boxed Jellyfish or an Irukandji can kill you, but will at least put you in the hospital for a few days and weeks. Not with me. Matt was wearing a shirt and long board shorts, so he was already pretty well protected. On the upside, the suit also protects against sunburn.

Later we also stopped by Michaelmas Cay, which is a famous bird and sea turtle sanctuary, before heading back home to Cairns.

It was a wonderful day out on the reef and we saw the most beautiful underwater scenery I've ever seen, plus a small shark and a turtle.