A perfect one day itinerary - Crystal Cascades, Kuranda and the magnificent drive on the coastal Captain Cook Highway to Port Douglas
After visiting my family in Melbourne, husband, son and I flew northward on a three hour flight to Cairns for a one week vacation. I have been before but it was the first time for hubby and son! They were in for a big surprise!!!
We landed in Cairns in the evening and decided to stay the night in Cairns rather than drive the coastal highway to Port Douglas in the dark. We were not impressed with Cairns but were leaving the following morning anyway!
We woke up bright and early to start our first fully planned day in Australia's tropical paradise. Our first stop was only 20 minutes outside of Cairns, Crystal Cascades. I actually didn't plan to visit this site but a friend in Melbourne told me that I MUST go..... and it was a fabulous recommendation!!
It seems that Crystal Cascades is one of the secrets of this area, because it is accessible only by car. It is made up of a series of small waterfalls that flow into large pools surrounded by large impressive granite boulders and leafy giant trees, completely hidden by the rain forest. The waters are freezing cold and only our son braved the waters!! We spent about two hours here but you can easily spend the whole day, swimming in the different pools. The surroundings are gorgeous!
Our next stop was Kuranda village . We drove about 40 minutes to the cable car station (called the Skyrail) and parked our car in the massive free car park. The cable car ride up the mountain is spectacular but very scary for people who are scared of heights (me!!!). There are special cable cars called the diamond view gondola with glass floors for an extra fee. We didn't take it as my fear of heights was bad enough in the regular cable car!!! But for those dare devils, this would be an amazing experience as you would get incredible views just looking below!! Again, not for the faint-hearted!!
The cable car ride offers two station stops en route to Kuranda. I definitely recommend that you get off at both stops.
The first stop is at Red Peak Station and we were given a fantastic free walking tour by a qualified ranger, sharing her knowledge of this ancient rain forest, the fauna and the animals. It was fascinating and a great introduction to the area. It was here that we heard all about the
Cassowary bird (which became our obsession during our entire trip). The cassowary is the third largest bird in the world and is an endangered species. Our mission during this trip was to spot one, although it is rare to actually see one in nature... but more about that in another post...
The next stop was Barron Falls Station which, after a very short walk, takes you to a great lookout for viewing the spectacular Barron waterfall.
Finally the last stop is Kuranda. Kuranda is packed with tourists and offers lots of touristy things to do. We just enjoyed walking around, browsing the market stalls and eating a delicious, fresh meal in one of the cafes (and with the local lizards watching!!)
Our highlight in Kuranda was the 3km Jum Rum Creek Jungle walk. It is an easy walk and a wonderful escape from the touristy crowds of Kuranda.... Strangely not many people seem to do this walk!! We had the entire path to ourselves.... we just enjoyed listening to the chirping birds and the trickling waters of the creek, viewing the awe-inspiring massive ancient trees and just surrendering ourselves to this incredible place! Breathtaking... this was our favorite part of Kuranda!!
Our plan was to take the scenic train back down but all the tickets were sold out so we booked a taxi for only $40 and returned to the car park... (Tip - book the cable car and scenic train in advance...).
Once back in the car, we on our way to Port Douglas, where we would base ourselves for the next six nights. The over 40 km drive to Port Douglas is spectacular. The Captain Cook Highway connecting Cairns to Port Douglas is flanked by the gorgeous blue sea on one side and the dense green and lush rain forest on the other. It is a challenging road as parts of the journey are windy and narrow.... (not a drive you would want to do in the dark). Since we wanted to reach Port Douglas before dark, we did not stop.... but we did this drive in the opposite direction on our last day and made lots of stops on the way to explore the many beaches and lookouts!!
We finally made it to pretty, small town Port Douglas in the early evening and settled into our new home..... stay tuned for more of our adventures in tropical paradise!