Kuranda

Last night we went to bed early as we wanted to get an earlish start this morning. I woke up about 7.30. I was looking through a brochure to try and find a money off coupon but I couldn’t find one. This annoyed Dan so I had to read my book for a little while until 8.15. I got up to make breakfast so Dan could wake up properly. We got ready, and after Thomas had checked the car, we set off. We were heading for the sky rail which I’d seen sign posted about 15km from Cairns.

We found our way to the terminal and bought our tickets. We booked the sky rail up to Kuranda and then train back down. We also had to pay for a bus transfer back to the sky rail after. We got into the pod and enjoyed the trip up. It was a clear day so we could see a lot. We took lots of photos but after a while it was all pretty much the same. After 10 minutes we stopped at the red station for a boardwalk through some of the rainforest. There was a sign that there was going to be a tour so we waited about 5 minutes but no one turned up so everyone gave up. It turned out we didn’t need the tour guide as there were information boards which told us lots of facts about the rainforest. We got back on the next sky rail. This time we had to share our pod with a couple of ladies from New Zealand. We chatted to them about our trip. After about 10 minutes of just trees, trees and more trees we finally saw something worth looking at...The Barron River waterfall. It was spectacular. We took a few photos but they didn’t do it justice. Luckily we stopped at the blue station and could take some better photos. We walked around with our new friends, including going into an interactive centre. It was more for children though. We got back on the cable car, this time on our own.

We finally arrived at Kuranda village. We got the free bus to the markets but it wasn’t worth it as it was well within walking distance. We decided we should ring the garage about Pepina as we hadn’t heard back from them. It wasn’t good news. The mechanic said he had found the oil leak but to repair it he’d have to take something off which would then have to be replaced so the cost would be a lot more than he told us. He wouldn’t do anything until we’d seen him and agreed to the extra costs. We didn’t know what to do so we had a brief look around the shops and thought we’d ring him back to talk some more. He said he’d ask someone if they thought the costs could be kept within $1500 and then he’d ring us back to get the go ahead to start work today.

We were ok with that so we relaxed a bit more. We found a cafe to have lunch in. I had pancakes with fruit (berries, melon, pineapple and banana) while Dan had fried eggs and tomato on toast. While we were eating we looked at the map to find the market so when we finished we headed to find it. We were disappointed with what we found. We found a few nice stalls but it wasn’t as good as we thought it woul d be. I think the rise of tourism there has ruined the tradational way of life. Maybe we weren’t looking in the right places but we weren’t all that impressed. We had an hour and a half to burn before the train back so we found a walking trail. Half way along we thought we’d ring the garage again because Dan was worried that they’d tried to ring us but couldn’t get through. They then changed the story again and wanted us to come in before anything was done. I was annoyed but there was nothing we could do so we just set about enjoying the rest of the trip. We finished the trail and again this was ok but once we finished the trail we had to walk back on the main road. It was hot and not the best time to be walking about. We got back to the station and had an ice cream. I tried to ring Damelza but we had no credit.

We walked along to the train station at about 1.10pm. The train wasn’t leaving until 2pm but we sat on the platform for a little while. Other people were already on the train so we found our carraige and got to our seats. We sat and read for a little while. Just before we left the other people got on. We had some more New Zealand people near us. They had a son who lived in England, in Blackheath. I told them I have a friend who lives there. They really liked us and gave us their business card so when we go to Auckland we can stay with them. It’s strange how nice some people can be. I’m not sure we’ll take up the offer but it was nice of them all the same. Also on our carriage were our other New Zealand friends.

The train stopped at Barron falls but this time giving us a view of the water fall from the opposite side to the sky rail. We took some photos and talked about the van. I think by the end everyone in the carriage knew about Pepina! The train journey was good but it wasn’t as amazing as I thought it would be as the trees blocked a lot of the view. We still saw some nice views. Best of all was a waterfall which was really close and the train went passed really slowly. The train journey was about an hour and a half long. We went through about 15 tunnels as it was easier to tunnel through the rock than go over it. We got to Fresh water station and got off to find our bus back to the sky rail. We were anxious to get a move on as we thought we’d be able to get to the garage before 5.

While we were on the coach we realised the date was the 27th. Dan and I have been together 6 months today. It was a nice way to spend the day even if we thought it was the 26th for most of the day!!! LOL.

We got back to the sky rail and said goodbye to our friends. We rushed to the car and got going. We took the wrong turning off the roundabout, that always happens when we’re in a hurry. The traffic was ok though and we hoped to make the garage before 5. Thomas needed us to pick them up from his parents so Dan had to drop me off first. I told him to drop me on the main road and I’d walk home. I went into the supermarket and got a drink and some snacks and then walked home. It was a pleasant walk but when I had to walk by the creek I sped up a bit as there have been crocodiles sighted there.

Dan got home with Thomas, Jackie and Hannah. He'd got to the garage in time. The mechanic said he'd ring us with a price in the morning for everything but it still wouldn't be ready until the middle of next week. As Auntie Lina and Uncle Joe are coming are Monday we are going to look for somewhere else to stay as it will be too crowded here. We'll look tomorrow. There are plenty of places to stay so it wont be a problem.