This is a
typical tourist town… pretty small. Surprisingly there is no beach in this town,
the shore was a swampy muddy area. Better beaches could be found out of
town.
I came here
solely for the sake of diving in the renowned Great Barrier Reef, as most
tourists did. My high expectation turned out disappointing. Large area of corals
of the 3 dive spots were dead, the grayish and whitish underwater world was
really ordinary. Probably the influx of scuba divers to the same area had ruined
the eco-system. The global warming was blamed. The plus: we saw a couple of
sharks and feeding turtle underwater.
This was the
only place I had seen a small crowd of aborigines. Sorry to say… no hard
feeling… their body hygiene should be slightly better taken care of.
I planned to
visit the Tjapukai Cultural Center (indigenous culture and show biz), but the
center was closed for special occasion… no luck… worse, I lost my favourite
Adidas cap in the art gallery later.
We bought
kangaroo steaks for dinner. Friends were reluctant to savour this Aussie
specialty. The meat was OK… later I learned from a tour guide that a kind of
parasite could be found in kangaroo meat, it should be well cooked.
A clean tidy Esplanade.
Pier.
Weather forecast of the day.
The climate is complete different to Sydney, it is more sunny here.
Lagoon at Esplanade, free public pool to cool the heat.
The beach is a spread of mud and soil...
Esplanade is built right next to the dirty beach.
Tropical feel.
YHA Cairns Central. The town is quite small and this YHA is strategically located.
This entertainment is not for backpackers generally.
Reef fleet terminal, we registered here before boarding speedboat.
Plenty of speedboats and cruises.
We boarded this one, looks new and solid.
Diving equipment, all divers assembled themselves the vest and O2 tank.
The staff briefed the rules and safety for those signed up for fun dive.
Deck.
Photos for sale, the staff forbade me to snap my own photos :)
Signboards in town. It is so small and organized, no chance to get lost.
David was frying Kangaroo steaks, we were all too cautious to try it.
Crime stoppers.
Kangaroo jerky, not special.
Tjapukai Cultural Centre was close during my visit.
I left my faourite Adidas cap in this art gallery.
