Day 10: Cairns, Australia

Daybreak from the hot air balloon.

It was our LAST DAY!  I don't want to leave!  If I could get away with staying here forever, I would.  

Sunrise Hot Air Balloon

But what's better than watching your last Aussie sunrise from a hot air balloon?  We woke up at 3 a.m. to get ready to head to Kuranda, just north of Cairns for a hot air balloon ride through Hot Air Cairns.  I was a bit nervous about going up in the air after diving yesterday (even though I was past the 12 hour restriction window).  Fortunately, nothing exploded.

Watching the balloons fill up with heat.

Finally up!

In the basket and ready to go.

Looking out towards the rain forest.

The sun rising with all the balloons in the distance.

The flames keeping us afloat.

We watched a beautiful sunrise come over the jungle as our basket floated its way towards Mareeba.  When we were coming in to land, the sound of the propane into the balloon spooked a horse.  The farmer leading the horse had quite a bit of colorful commentary for us all after getting the horse back under control.  I felt bad the poor thing got scared, but I also didn’t feel like dropping out of the sky into the power lines... Priorities.

I had never been in a hot air balloon before or even seen one that close up.  I was surprised by how large the baskets were!  There were six of us in each of the four compartments, plus the pilot.  It's also incredibly hot in the basket when the flames are shooting into the balloon.  I was prepared to freeze in the early morning winter hours, but I ended up sweating instead!

Second breaky.

After the balloon ride, we headed back on a 2 hour bus ride from where we landed in Mareeba back to our hotel in Cairns.  It was only 9:30 a.m. when we arrived back, so it was time for second breakfast!  And coffee.  Lots of coffee.

Exploring Cairns

Scarlett and I decided to explore the city of Cairns, so first we headed off to the Cairns ZOOM & Wildlife Dome which is located on top of a casino.  It’s like a miniature zoo and aviary that also includes zip lines and rope obstacles.  We both got to hold koalas and Scarlett even held a young freshwater crocodile and carpet python.  You can't go to Australia without at least seeing a koala!

●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

Fun Fact: It is illegal to hold a koala in Australia except for Queensland and South Australia.  Restrictions on handling koalas include a limit of 8 seconds per person, no more than 30 mins/day of handling (180 mins/week max), and they cannot be handled for more than 3 days per week. All koalas are handled by trained wildlife caretakers only.

●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

Nellie the koala.

The koala we held was named Nellie, a female born at Rainforestation Kuranda in 2013.  She was so incredibly sweet and petite!  She'd fit right in with all my cats at home.

The carpet python Scarlett held was named Mori born at Harley's Creek Crocodile Adventures in 2012.  The freshwater crocodile was Normandy born at Rainforestation Kuranda in 2014.  Don't let Normandy's size fool you.  Freshwater crocodiles are smaller and less aggressive than saltwater, but don't let that fool you!  They can do just as much damage!

Mori the carpet python.

Nellie the koala.

Normandy the freshwater crocodile.

The beach and mudflats along the Esplanade.

We spent the rest of our afternoon enjoying the gorgeous weather at the Cairns Esplanade Lagoon, a free community saltwater pool.  There are free toilet and shower amenities, lifeguards, WiFi, and even sand along one side for building sand castles!  The design of the lagoon is to give the illusion that the water runs right into Trinity Inlet.  It provides a safe place to swim year round since there is little beach area near the city center.  The esplanade runs along the tidal mudflats, so when the tide is out there is only muddy areas where sometimes crocodiles like to hang out.  

Pelicans gathered on the mudflats.

The Cairns Esplanade Lagoon.

Heading to the bathrooms to change.

Some of the handcrafted didgeridoos.

It started getting pretty hot after a while, so Scarlett and I left the lagoon to grab some gelato and headed towards the Night Market.  The Night Market is a multi-vendor marketplace packed with different shops and services.  On one side, closest to the Esplanade, are food vendors and on the other side is mostly shops.  Many of the vendors offer touristy type products, but there are quite a few hidden gems inside.

One stall in particular was specifically for aboriginal art - Cairns Digeridoos.  I had spoken with Rob, an artist, last night about a custom didgeridoo for Scarlett, so we stopped by for her to collaborate on creating a design.  He was absolutely fabulous at incorporating her ideas and providing suggestions.  It’ll be shipped home in few weeks, I can’t wait to see it!

Mouthwatering gelato at the Vito Gelato.

Right before I got run over by bats.

On our way back to the hotel I almost got hit by a fast-moving black cloud that turned out to be fruit bats.  The sun was starting to set, so tons of them were flying around.  They were so quick I could barely get a video of them, let alone a picture.  You don't just have to look for cars at the crosswalks, apparently you have to look for bats too!

Shout out to our amazing guide, Claudine, for all her knowledge and help in our final days on this journey.  It has been such an amazing experience for both of us.  Both New Zealand and Australia are such unique places with insanely exotic and diverse geography.

This world is such a beautiful place. 💕