Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

CAIRNS 275
Tips Wildlife-Viewing Tip
Many people on rainforest tours end up asking “Where are all the animals?”
If you want to spot wildlife, be careful which tour you pick. To
avoid contact with humans, animals are increasingly retreating to higher
altitudes; but many tour operators to the Daintree and Cape Tribulation
National Parks stick to the lowlands. Make sure you ask.
Rainforestation Nature Park Finds At this 40-hectare (99-acre) nature
and cultural complex, you can take a 45-minute ride into the rainforest in a
World War II amphibious Army Duck. You’ll hear commentary on orchids and
other rainforest wildlife along the way. You can also see a performance by Aboriginal
dancers; learn about Aboriginal legends and throw a boomerang on the
Dreamtime Walk; or have your photo taken cuddling a koala in the wildlife
park. You can do any of these activities separately, or do them all (except cuddle
a koala) in a package that costs A$34 (US$22) for adults, A$17 (US$11) for kids
ages 4 to 14, or A$84 (US$55) for a family of four. Koala photos are A$12
(US$7.80). The Army Duck runs on the hour beginning at 10am; the Aboriginal
dancers perform at 10:30am, noon, and 2pm; and the 30-minute Dreamtime
Walk leaves at 10, 11, and 11:30am, noon, and 12:30, 1:30, and 2:30pm.
On the Kennedy Hwy., a 5-min. drive from the center of Kuranda. & 07/4093 9033. Fax 07/4093 7578.
www.rainforest.com.au. Shuttle from Thongon St., Kuranda, (opposite the Post Office) every 30 min. from
10:45am–2:45pm costs A$6 (US$3.90) adults, A$3 (US$1.95) children 4–14, A$15 (US$8.95) family, roundtrip.
AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 9am–4pm. Closed Christmas. Ample parking.
EXPLORING THE WET TROPICS
The 110-million-year-old World Heritage–listed Daintree Rainforest, 2 hours
north of Cairns, gets most of the attention (and is covered later in this chapter),
but tracts of rainforest closer to Cairns are just as pristine. These are all part of
the Wet Tropics that stretch from Cape Tribulation to Townsville. This dense,
lush environment has remained unchanged by ice ages and other geological
events, and the plants and animals here retain primitive characteristics. Within
the tract’s mangroves, eucalyptus, and tropical rainforest are 65% of Australia’s
bird species, 60% of its butterfly species, and many of its frogs, reptiles, bats,
marsupials, and orchids.
Because so much rainforest wildlife is nocturnal and often difficult to spot,
consider joining Wait-a-while Rainforest Tours (& 07/4098 7500; www.
waitawhile.com), which offers afternoon-into-night trips into the Daintree and
the Atherton Tableland designed to maximize your encounters with the wild
things. Naturalist guides take you into the forest to spot a range of wildlife:
musky-rat kangaroos, platypus, ringtail possums, cassowaries, amethystine
pythons, birds, and tree frogs. They use only low-watt bulbs and quiet 4WD or
off-road vehicles. Tours depart Cairns at 2pm and return around midnight or
1am. The best for wildlife spotting is the Atherton Tableland trip, which costs
A$165 (US$107) for adults and A$154 (US$100) for children under 15, and
includes binoculars, flashlights, reference books, National Park permits, dinner
in a country restaurant or a picnic dinner, and candlelit supper in the rainforest.
Tour groups include no more than 10 people. The Daintree trip is more expensive
and more about getting back to a true wilderness.