Welcome to North East Australia! Cairns (sounds like “cannes”), is a mid size community of about 140,000 people with additional inhabitants such as birds, kangaroos, spiders, snakes, dolphins, sting rays, sharks, and my all time favourite, the croc. As I am not at the apex of the food chain here, I am thinking my place in the local ecosystem might dictate where I may roam solo.
Coastal Highway heading north of Cairns
My first introduction to Cairns is by my lovely host Julie. She quickly noticed my inexperience and took me under her wing. I did some of the touristy stuff (how does one say no to snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef on their birthday) to participating in a small ecotour of the Daintree National Park with an Aborigine guide.
Both trips were fabulous! And of course sprinkled with a dose of reality. To Aussies, personal safety is second natured, as it is for those of us who hike the woods in North America.
There are no words to describe the beauty of the reef, and we were fortunate to dive at two sites. The first was a small sandy area on a island preserved as a bird sanctuary. Divers are permitted to land and swim from the beach to the reef, a distance of about 200 metres. In addition I saw live coral, numerous fish including Nemo’s relatives, a sting ray, and my favourite, the local green turtle. Currently there are only eight that reside here. The second diving site is open ocean where long columns of coral reach upward from the ocean floor to about a metre under the ocean surface. Some of the divers saw a shark but I was not one of them! My first time snorkelling involve learning to breath air mixed with salt water. This experience was one of being humbled (one is aware how minuscule your role is in the natural world), appreciation for the natural beauty of the reef, and of course being terrified that I might be someone’s next meal.
Traditional bowls and pots.
The day at Daintree/Mossman Gorge was also a fascinating introduction to Australia’s nature, as well as the history and culture of the local peoples. I heard stories, learned about the local ceremonies and languages, and how people were part of the land. Daintree is protected as a world heritage rainforest site and demonstrates the interesting dynamics between humans, wildlife and fauna. These relationships change with time and yet there is an understanding and dependency of each part with the others. For example, I saw a fig strangle tree that literally wraps itself around its host until the host dies which could take over a hundred years. Another tree is called ‘wait awhile’ because the moment you touch it, your hand is pierced with sharp, thin spines that are not easily removed. Believe me, I would take the spines of my local blackberry bush over that one! At the start of the walk I was provided with a walking stick and it sure was necessary between letting snakes know someone is in the area and staying out of harms way because of the wait awhile tree!
A traditional pot making process.
There are many lessons from nature that one could learn, and for me, it is to appreciate the beauty in all that can be experienced. Fear is a part of this experience, and the lesson seems to be one of acknowledging the fear. With the fear also came awe, excitement, joy and gratitude.