Harris's Version of His Visit: Part 3

The next day we woke up at 7:30 where I found to my astonishment that some people (I will let the reader guess as to who) actually need longer than 25 minutes to wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast and prepare for a day of touring.  Luckily we had better luck with the 10 am lava tube tour.   As our bus drove out to the tubes we passed several groups of Grey Kangaroos, and our guide described the geologic history of Undara and the formation of the tubes.  When we got to the first tube we found a small little patch of forest growing in rocks near the tubes collapsed ceiling and a boardwalk that descended into the tube.  It was an impressive sight, and the three of us were all very happy to be partaking in activity that would make all the GEO majors in Miami jealous.   We continued to tour the various tubes and archways in the park, including one that had been flooded due to an abnormally rainy wet season last year, and that was only accessible after taking off our shoes and wading down the submerged boardwalk.

The caves. And cold water.

After getting back from the lava tube tour we packed up the car, filled up with over priced gas and were on our way. Kelley drove from Undara and to her credit despite driving over the white line a few times, and going very slowly she did not kill any of us. Our destination was the small rainforest town of Kuranda located in the mountains just outside of Cairns.  We ended up staying at the Cassowary House where our accommodations consisted of a small cottage in the middle of the rainforest.  If you have never heard of them Cassowaries are essentially the closest living thing to Velociraptors. These giant birds can reach 6 ft. when standing straight up, can weigh near to 150 lbs. run 30 mph, and to top it off they know no fear. Sue, the ornithologist proprietor of the Cassowary house explained that two of these birds regularly walked about the property, where they would eat unsuspecting visitors.

Anyway, after putting our stuff away we went into Cairns for dinner. Unlike Townsville, Cairns actually has shops and restaurants open after 5 pm, and we had no shortage of dinning choices. Before choosing I warned Maria and Kelley that one should never order Italian food in a country devoid of Italians. Needless to say they ignored me completely, ordered a pasta dish and the Chicken Parmesan and then seemed surprised when said food arrived and was terrible (FYI my meal was fine).  Since Kelley’s birthday was coming up we went over to the baskin and robins next door, got an entire ice cream cake, and set off to finish it.  It was touch and go for awhile but with Maria anchoring the team, and the experience we had gained from tackling the Wall in Miami we finally finished, just in time for a 20 km drive through the bumpy, winding mountain roads up to the Cassowary House.

The next morning I woke up at 6:30 am.  Sue had told me that there was a Platypus that lived in the stream below our cottage and that would swim around in the early morning. After spending 45 minutes staring at an empty stream I finally gave up and went back to sleep, grateful that I had not risked life and limb to wake Kelley up for that.  But at around nine I decided it actually was time to wake up Kelley, and discovered that this was easier said than done, and required Maria’s assistance.  By 10 the car was packed and we were ready to go when we heard Sue yell “Cassowaries!” in a tone that would normally be used to announce that lunch was ready, rather then to announce the presence of two giant killer birds. Sure enough, 20 ft away and right under the house were two of these giant birds of terror, happily eating the fruit that Sue was throwing to them. 

Birds of Terror

After about 10 minutes of us taking photos and the birds eating their fill they finally walked off. From there it was off to view the spectacular Barron falls. 

Barron Falls

After that it was off to Cairns for a quick lunch and a round of goodbyes as Maria and Kelley dropped me off at the airport, before heading back to Townsville.

All in all I had a fantastic time in Australia with Maria and Kelley. They were both wonderful hosts, even if I found their sense of humor perplexing at times, and I am happy that I got to do a little bit of touring with them. Anyway thanks for reading these post. Now back to Kelley and Maria, who I am sure will regale you all with their version of events.

Friendsssssss :D