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Cable car up the mountain
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View from cable car of the coast
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At Cairns the big beautiful sea transitions into a flat plain with lots of creeks and sugar cane. The plain slowly starts rising into a ridge of limestone mountains on which a rainforest grows. There are some of the oldest species of plants in the world here - some dating back to the time of the dinosaurs.
We took a tour of the rainforest - first in a cable car that soared high above canopy, then around a walkway with a ranger, then on an aquatic duck vehicle, and finally on a train back down the mountain. In between the tours we had a buffet lunch that included crocodile soup and kangaroo skewers. We also watched some aboriginal dances (move your knees!) and were taught a bit about playing the didgeridoo, throwing spears and practicing with a boomerang. A very full day!
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Going up!
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About to go on our walk around
with the ranger
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We learned that the competition for light and nutrients is very tough. Some of the trees intentionally acidify the soil around their base to prevent other species from growing. The rattan cane has backwards thorns that help ratchet it up the trees. The stinging tree is so painful that it burns for months and people have died from it. The wait-awhile bush will tangle you tighter and tighter if you struggle so you simply have to relax and wait awhile for it to ease off.
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It's big. Trust me.
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Gorgeous views
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The basket plant is like a hotel for insects and animals and grows huge in the trees. The trees benefit because all the poop gets wet in the rains and drips down the trunk in a lovely thick brown river full of nutrients. So the trees actually grow thicker around the basket plant to support the weight of the plant and it's inhabitants (which
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| Basket plant in a tree |
include frogs, snakes and birds).
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Elkhorn bush- two types of leaves,
one pointing up, the other draping down.
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There are bushes called the stag-horn and the elk-horn which have really neat leaves that are directional. We saw gorgeous butterflies, a turtle, a snake and an eastern bearded dragon. There were also quite a few varieties of fruit plants around, some which we recognized, some which we didn't.
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Fruit tree - do you know it?
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The views were spectacular and the information very well-presented. A beautiful place with interesting facts not only about the biology and ecology of the area but also the engineering of the cable cars and train line as well as the history of the area. So there was something for everyone.
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| Dinosaur time - same plants! |
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| A turtle sunning on the log |
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| Our ride - on land and water |
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Buffet included kangaroo skewers
- yum! |
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Aboriginal dances included the fighting
kangaroos, hunting, and welcome |
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Playing the didgeridoo
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View from the train - with much
squealing of brakes on the way down |
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| Train down the mountain |
