East Coast Trip - Part 4

Good news, I survived the 16-hour bus ride. After that, I spent 3 days and 2 nights on a sailboat to the Whitsundays. 25 people on a 24-meter long boat - interesting and very little space, but we were very well taken care of and could admire the beauty of the islands from the boat. We anchored in between and went on smaller hikes to viewpoints.

After getting back on solid ground, we took a 10-hour bus ride to our last stop on the group tour - Cairns. The 10 hours weren't so bad, I downloaded series and alternated between sleeping and watching series.

In Cairns, there was something different every day. On my first day off, I spontaneously decided to go on a 6-kilometer hike in new flip flops through the rainforest. We had to walk through slippery rocks, roots, and mud, saw amazing plants, and could listen to the sounds of loud chirping and birds. In the end, we got caught in a heavy rain shower, soaking wet, we took a taxi back because my feet needed some relief from the new flip flops 😉

On Sunday, I went on a tour to various waterfalls with the group. My highlight was on Monday - snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. There, we could discover the beautiful underwater world of the reef. Breathtaking 😍

In the evening, a few of the girls and I had a great and fun farewell dinner. I really grew fond of some of the girls in the end.

On Tuesday, I met my seat neighbor from the bus and we took an old train to Kuranda. On the way, we could admire the Barron River Waterfall - very impressive. Once in Kuranda, we first visited a bird rescue station and then went on a short hike through the rainforest.

On my last day in Cairns, I went on a 10-hour tour to Daintree. This rainforest is listed as a World Heritage site. First, we participated in a ceremony with an Aboriginal person, where we were cleansed of all negativity by the smoke of a fire and prepared for the rainforest. We also learned some things about the culture. After that, we went on a river cruise to see crocodiles, but unfortunately, the big ones didn't show up, but we could admire two 8-month-old crocodiles.

After lunch, we headed to Cape Tribulation - where the rainforest meets the sea. On the way back, we could admire the famous Cassowary. We were lucky to see three adult birds with their young. Cassowaries are the only living birds that resemble dinosaurs the most and are mainly seen in the Australian rainforest.