Australia: The Jungle Book

Nestled between the Coral Sea and the Great Dividing Range of mountains on a long narrow coastal strip is the city of Cairns, the gateway to two UNESCO World Heritage sites - the Great Barrier Reef and the oldest continually surviving tropical rainforest on earth.

This cosmopolitan city's close proximity to Asia has made it an international tourist hub, worthy of a stopover either on the way in or out of Australia. The city centre - lined with mangroves and mudflats - and the Esplanade, stretching along the city's foreshore, offer plenty for young and old, from children's playgrounds to designated exercise and barbeque areas. The Esplanade Lagoon is a good place to cool off from the steamy heat of the tropics. From here, tours to the reef and the rainforest abound. You can choose from the many itineraries on offer or custom-make a tour to suit your needs. Most operators pick up and drop off from major hotels.

Exploring the Rain forestation Nature Park
To avoid prolonged sea sickness, we decide on a half-day tour to Green Island on an air-conditioned high speed catamaran with 12 other passengers. The island, a 45-minute boat ride from Cairns, provides only a glimpse of the reef, one of the seven natural wonders of the world containing 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish, 4,000 types of molluscs, about 240 species of birds, several sponges, anemones, marine worms, crustaceans and the threatened dugongs.
The sea is a bit rough and every now and then a huge splash drenches the deck as we try to balance ourselves, peering through binoculars with the hope of spotting Humpback whales on their summer migration from the warmer waters of the north to Antarctica. We spot a school of gambolling Snubfin dolphins, instead. At the Island, draped in the rainforest flora and sandy beaches, you can choose to swim, snorkel or view the kaleidoscopic reefs from a semi-submarine or a glass-bottom boat, or take a seaplane or helicopter tour.
The semi-submarine has a few steep steps with windows on either side, and feels a bit cramped. Fish and corals of all sizes and colours swim past us. Below on the white sandy seabed, I spot a resting giant turtle, which makes one marvel at nature's bounty! Next, on the glass-bottom boat, the tour operators throw fish feed, attracting hundreds of fish leaping up to catch a bite as seagulls overhead descend low, competing for the food. Up in the tree fork, two newly hatched osprey chicks in the nest are probably wondering what the fuss is about.
From the depths of the reef to the heights of the rainforest canopy, the following day we leave early to board the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway from the Smithfield Terminal, a 15-minute drive from the city centre. Every few minutes, one of the 114 gondolas that can accommodate 5-6 passengers, slows for passengers to hop in and out. You can also choose from one of 11 glass-floor Diamond View Gondolas, which provide a unique vantage point looking directly down from the treetops to the forest floor, or the open-air Canopy Glider Gondola with a ranger to soak up the breathtaking 360 degree panoramic vistas. The gondolas are disabled-friendly and can accommodate most standard wheelchairs.
As we glide just metres above the canopy, the sounds and smells of the rainforest come alive. It is a complex ecosystem with plants like tree ferns that date back over 150 million years. I am astonished at the interdependence of plant species like the basket ferns or oakleaf ferns, which grow as epiphytes high in trees and catch the falling debris.
As we descend through the closed canopy layers into the heart of the rainforest at the Red Peak Station, a ranger takes us on a guided boardwalk tour, providing a deeper insight into the rainforest flora and fauna. The cacophonic chorus of flocks of cheeky rainbow lorikeets, galahs and cockatoos muffles the laughing sounds of the iconic kookaburra. A white pigeon, meanwhile, is nibbling on the small red fruits hanging from under the crown shaft of the Alexandra Palm (Archontophoenix Alexandrae). The rainforest is also home to the flightless endangered Cassowary, the threatened Boyd's forest dragon and the musky rat-kangaroo.
We get off at the Barron Falls Station and make our way through the boardwalks to the three lookout points. While the falls are at their best from December-March, the view of the gorge, a deep chasm lined with dense rainforest vegetation, is awe-inspiring. We continued on through the mountains over the mighty Barron river, arriving at the scenic Kuranda village terminal located on the Atherton tablelands. The 7.5km non-stop Skyrail journey to the village takes just 40 minutes. Once known for its alternative lifestyle, this sleepy village has an array of distinct shops, cafes and art galleries. The local market has interesting curios and aboriginal artefacts, homemade fudge and pies, mango and coconut ice-creams, pineapple and sugarcane juices.
Next to the markets is the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, home to over 1,500 tropical species from the strikingly attractive electric blue ulysses to the fluoro-green and yellow Cairns birdwing that are hand-reared on the premises. A walk through the sanctuary finds us amidst hundreds of butterflies, displaying their skilled aerial dynamics, unafraid to rest on our hands, clothes and even cheek.
The Rainforestation Nature Park nearby is set on 100 acres of the rainforest. A good way to explore this attraction is aboard an amphibious World War II Army Duck (DUKW). Our driver/guide explains the ferns, orchids, strangler figs and stinging trees. There are black wattle/acacia hardwood trees used by the aborigines to make spears and clubs; the Pandanus, eaten by the aborigines and used for weaving; and the Melaleuca used by aborigines to make baskets and water containers. We discover scrub turkey nests in the rotting vegetation and a tawny frogmouth sitting camouflaged in the branches. In the water, fish, turtles and eels swim up close as we spot a blue tongued skink basking in the sun on exposed rocks.
From the natural to a cultural experience, we head to the Rainforest Amphitheatre. The indigenous aboriginal people have been the custodians of these rainforests for generations. The local indigenous Pamagirri dance depicts aspects of indigenous culture including animals, food gathering and hunting. Pamagirri, meaning "silent snake", is symbolic of the mythical Rainbow Serpent, responsible for the creation of the mountains and rivers in aboriginal bedtime stories. We then try our hand at boomerang and spear throwing and playing the didgeridoo from our Pamagirri guides.
On the return, we take the Kuranda scenic railway meandering through rugged mountain ranges, steep ravines and gorges, streams and waterfalls offering a whole new perspective of the rainforest.