The next morning we are off on our Australian Pacific Tour bus very early. It is a 2 hour ride to the Mission Beach and Clump Point Ferry. During the ride we saw sugar cane, mango and banana plantations. Then we had a 30-minute ride on the MV Quickcat to a gorgeous tropical resort. Dunk Island is the largest of the Family Group islands. The Eastern side is mostly national park, with dense rain forest, and secluded beaches accessible only by boat. The resort overlooks the waters of Brammo Bay, and is set among coconut palms, flowering hibiscus and frangeipani. This is a very wet climate. Since most of all activities offered are free, my husband made plans to golf on the 6-hole course. They also have snorkeling, sailing, windsurfing, tennis and squash available. We actually have a rather lazy day just catching up, and enjoying the solitude of the island.

The next morning it turned windy. We took the same boat out to the Barrier Reef. However the waves make a few seasick. After a lovely buffet lunch we are ready for snorkeling, etc. However with the wind and waves, it makes it very difficult to get into the semi-submersibles, and the glass bottom boat and eventually both are cancelled. My husband did get some snorkeling in. The Great Barrier Reef is 2000km in length and is formed by about 400 different types of coral. It also has 1500 species of fish, 4000 types of mollusk (clams, snails etc) 350 echinoderms (see urchins, starfish, sea cucumbers etc) and countless thousands of species of sponges, worms and crustacean (crabs, shrimps etc). But because of the waves, the fish don’t seem to be around. We did have the opportunity to see a feeding though, they certainly are use to the boat and all the goodies that have been left from lunch. Tonight again is free, and is enjoyed!

Of course the wind has calmed down by the next morning and the ocean is like glass. However with the still air, it has become very hot (about 100 degrees) and muggy. We are heading towards the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway at Kuranda. This seems to be a major attraction and we can certainly understand why. We had some fantastic views from the cableway which is just above the canopy of tropical North Queensland’s World Heritage Rainforest. This is the world’s longest gondola cableway and stretches 7-½ km between Cairns and Kuranda. When we reach Kuranda, we stopped for lunch and some shopping at the local markets. Because of the heat, I don’t think most did a whole lot. There are some other attractions here as well with a butterfly sanctuary and wildlife noctarium. This afternoon we return to Cairns via the historic Kuranda Scenic Railway train. Again we see some wonderful views of the rain forest. The ride lasts about an hour and we are served orange juice and champagne!

This evening we are having our "farewell" dinner, since this is our last night in Australia. Tomorrow we leave for home! It’s certainly been a wonderful trip. We’ve met new folks and made some good friends. To see our group picture: Click Here

For more information on our tour etc, please see the links below.

Skyrail Rainforest Cableway -http://www.skyrail.com.au/contacts.htm

Questions or comments?