Days 31 to 35 - Cairns

The final stop of our trip is Cairns, three hours north of Sydney.

The downtown area of Cairns is not very big, but Cairns has a great waterfront promenade (Esplanade) with many delicious restaurants, cafes, and bars. Especially in the evening, it's beautiful to end the day at the Esplanade, either in one of the many bars or directly by the water. You can not only watch the sunset but also observe hundreds of bats as they go hunting in the twilight, or rather fly.

We really love the free public swimming pool, which is also located on the Esplanade. It's great to be able to cool off from the tropical heat here, especially because unfortunately you can't swim in the ocean. Apart from having to search for the water due to strong tides, swimming in the sea is unfortunately prohibited due to the danger of crocodiles. (Unfortunately, we didn't see any).

At the end of the Esplanade is the harbor. From here, several boats depart daily to the Great Barrier Reef. The reef is actually the main reason why we flew to Cairns. Diving once through the colorful colors of the Great Barrier Reef has always been a childhood dream.

On Wednesday morning, we start with the Silver Swift to the reef and experience three wonderful dives. The weather is delightful, and we have almost no waves. Underwater, we dive into a colorful world full of colors and fish! And we don't have to search long for Nemo either! Even at a depth of 15m, the water is a pleasant 28°C. Besides fish and corals, we can also observe a turtle feeding.

On Thursday, we're going for the next round, this time with the Reef Quest, back to the reef. We're at a different location than yesterday, but here too, we can hardly get enough. The highlight of this day: a reef shark crosses our path, and an eel sticks its head out of its cave.

Both diving trips were really great and well organized!

But despite all the beauty that the reef has to offer, we can also clearly see the coral bleaching.

Unfortunately, due to circulation problems, we are not able to visit the rainforest near Cairns, so on Saturday it is with a heavy heart 'Bye bye Australia, hopefully, see you soon again!'