Traveling to Cairns

During the mid-tri break, some friends and I went to Cairns with the main intention of exploring the Great Barrier Reef. The flight from Brisbane to Cairns and hostels in the area were pretty cheap. While planning the trip, we realized just how much there was to do in Cairns. Because it was still in Queensland, the bus system was the same used in Brisbane so getting around the city was easy, but renting a car was also an option because my friends were over 21.

The Great Barrier Reef was the main attraction. The second I was in the water I was surrounded by marine life. Even though it's bleaching, there is still so much life and beauty there. I loved it, but I also hope we can stop and reverse the effects of bleaching so future generations can experience the abundance of life the reef holds. There were other beaches nearby including Palm Cove and Port Douglas that were good for relaxing, swimming, and tide pooling. 

My friends and I decided to rent a car for two days to drive to Daintree rainforest, the oldest rainforest in the world. In Kuranda, the part near Cairns, we hiked Baron Gorge and admired the amazing views from the skyliner. Deeper into the rainforest, we took a river cruise and spotted wild crocodiles. My favorite part was walking along Myall Beach at Cape Tribulation. It was so surreal to walk along the only place in the world where two UNESCO world heritage sites meet: the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree rainforest. Cairns was a beautiful place with incredible wildlife, and I hope to one day go back and look at it from a more scientific point of view.