The Star: June 09, 2016

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32 follow us on facebook.com/riseupchristchurch Thursday June 9 2016 Incentivising Travel The Star IT’S FAIR to say that my kids aren’t the most adventurous eaters. Although they are pretty good with the stock standard meat-and-three-vege option, they’re not so keen when I add some spice into their culinary life. Suffice to say, dinner time is not the most satisfying time of my day – especially when I present something new. When 5pm rolls around, I usually have four tired and scratchy girls. If dinner is something that they love, then it goes quite well. When I try introduce something new, however, it’s met with rolling eyes and sudden declarations of not feeling hungry (quickly followed up with a request for something else). But, as I refuse to short-order cook, I impose one of either two strategies. First, I turn it into a competition: “I bet the twins are the first to take a bite,” which inevitably spurs on the big sisters to get their forks into it and take out the title. “Hooray!’’ Lots of positive praise and excitement pitched towards the first taster, which in turn motivates the rest of them. For the most part, once they have tried the first few mouthfuls, they usually respond well and find it tastier than they imagined. However, if the first attempt doesn’t bode well, I move on to plan B – dessert. Although some might say using food as a ‘reward’ sends the wrong messages to our children, my experience shows that the incentive of a sweet treat post dinner is enough to encourage a few bites of a new dish (which is half of the battle won when introducing new foods). With my six-year old now beginning to Melissa McDonnell value and understand the consequence of her choices (as well as learning the importance and benefit of having a healthy, balanced diet), she often shows enthusiasm for a new meal and therefore the first to have dessert. And when her little sisters see her tucking into her pudding, it’s just the incentive they need to pique their interest. However, I don’t insist they finish it if they genuinely don’t like the first bite. All I ask is that they make a good attempt, and then move on to the other foods on their plate (which I know they will like and eat). Studies have shown it takes (on average) a dozen tastes of a new food before taste buds adjust to appreciate a new culinary delight, so I know that good things take time. Although it’s hard, I am conscious not to make the dinner table a battleground. I try to avoid making a fuss if they pick at their plate and if they are simply not hungry, they then get down and head to the bath. The choice is theirs (although they know that once their plate is cleared, that’s it for the night). As I am sure most parents appreciate, it’s a hard task ensuring your kids are consistently eating substantial and nutritious meals. So, in our family, the offer of a little ice cream has proved a good way to get past those first few hesitant mouthfuls, develop the taste buds, and has slowly (but surely) led to having once questionable meals turn into firm favourites – which makes dinner time a much less stressful experience. Amen to that! Tickets please, • By Mike Yardley THERE’S A ride to remember simply to reach Kuranda, and that is aboard the Kuranda Scenic Railway from Cairns. Exuding a proud history and irresistible scenery, this vintage rail excursion is a venerable journey back in time. I quietly raised a toast to those courageous, nuggety pioneers who toiled for five years constructing this back-breaking engineering feat back in the 1880s. The terrain was formidable, the heat sapping and the rainfall drenching. Driven by a pressing need to get their gold from the mountains to the coast, this 37km track was created by 1500 men and their picks, shovels and dyna- QUAINT: The historic Kuranda Railway Station disguises the rugged nature of the terrain in which it is located. mite. Over 2 million metres of earth was removed, while 15 tunnels, 37 bridges and 93 curves were all hewn by hand. Christchurch - Brisbane direct has returned. Permanently * . You can now fly Christchurch - Brisbane direct all year round. Book now at qantas.com *Scheduling is subject to change.
The Star follow us on facebook.com/riseupchristchurch Thursday June 9 2016 33 all aboard for Kuranda After rattling through cultivated farmland and dense plantations of sugar cane, the train winds through lush, thick rainforest and past plunging ravines. As you approach the tunnels, the forest mysteriously seems to wrap itself around you. I marvelled at the engineering, as the train steadily climbed 328m above sea level. Cameras and smartphones clicked frenetically from my carriage, as we tootled through the ravishing tropical finery of Barron Gorge National Park, so ancient, unchanged and imposing. As the train meandered around the track’s 93 curves, I became rather OCD about capturing the perfect shot of the train’s arc. Try but try again! A major punctuation point is the whistle-stop at Barron Falls, a welcome chance to stretch the legs and soak up the panorama of plunging, serpentine cascades spilling 260m into the Barron River. Alighting from the train, the Kuranda Railway Station is the sort of storybook setting you’d half expect to see Thomas and friends saunter into. Quaintly old-fashioned and swaddled in impeccably tended, tropically-vivid flowers and plants, the gardens alone scoop multiple awards for their unbridled beauty. It’s a five minute walk up to the mountain village of Kuranda, a tourist hotbed of inviting eateries, local art and craft designers and boutique producers. There’s also a variety of wildlife enclosures – Birdworld, Koala Gardens and the Butterfly Sanctuary. The latter is the largest of its kind in Australia, a fluttering wonderland of over 1500 hand reared tropical butterflies. Many visitors to the North Queensland rainforest dream of glimpsing the local fluttering superstar, Ulysses, famed for its iridescent electric blue wings. You’re guaranteed to see Ulysses up-close, in the Butterfly Sanctuary. A five minute walk from the village brings you to the Kuranda Skyrail terminal. James Cameron’s epic creation, Avatar, was top of mind as I leapt aboard this aerial wonder. The story goes that his design team were so enthralled by the sensation of delicately drifting over the rainforest canopy, on-board this gondola system, that it single-handedly inspired the opening sequence to the movie blockbuster – complete with Ulysses. PANORAMA: Barron Falls cascades 260m into the Barron River. A cableway spans 7.5km across the rain forest, take a gondala ride and enjoy the scenery. Strung above the vivid canopy and spanning 7.5km, the cableway provides a spectacular birdseye perspective on the verdant abundance of the Barron Gorge National Park, with two stops enroute. At Red Peak I took a walk around the boardwalks, which do include regular complimentary guided by passionate park rangers. Stand in awe at the base of the mighty 400-year-old kauri pine, and learn why a certain vine is called ‘wait-a-while’. Also nicknamed “Lawyer’s Vine”, it’s a rascally plant, studded with a series of barbs used for climbing up other vegetation as well as snaring unsuspecting passers-by. You literally have to wait a while for it to disengage from you – clever plant. Back in my floating panoramic glass capsule, the next stage of this aerial wonder glided me over the famous basket ferns that have made themselves at home in the branches of many trees, including the spectacular banyans. Other eye-catching specimens include the king ferns, cycads and fan palms, rising and posing proudly from the forest floor. Next stop is Barron Falls Station which features stupendous lookouts of the waterfalls (from the other side of the train) and an interactive learning centre. One of the feature exhibits focuses on the highly endangered southern cassowary bird, a rather strange looking bird – a bit like an emu in drag. On the final sector of the cableway, the rainforest gives way to the sprawling expanse of Cairns and the Coral Sea, as the SkyRail glides you down to its southern terminal at Smithfield. What a day, what a ride, what a rainforest. TROPICAL: Basket fern and kauri pine grow abundantly in the rain forest. FAST FACTS •You can take the train and skyrail in either direction. AAT Kings bundled the experience together for me, with trusty transfers to and from my hotel in Cairns, effortlessly creating a seamless day of indelible encounters, as part of their Port Douglas & Reef Retreat Short Break. www. aatkings.com
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The Star: June 09, 2016

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