April 28, 2022
The Australian ancient rain forest stretches up and down the coast around Cairns. It is over 150 million years old and the oldest in the world. It has existed unchanged from before the continents broke apart. From Cairns you can take a narrow guage railroad up the steep cliffs and crossing bridges that span deep drop offs. At the top of the mountain is Kuranda, a small picturesque town inhabited by hippies.
We really enjoyed the one and a half hour train ride which stopped at scenic overlooks. In Kuranda Brenda had a lovely lunch of Crocodile curry. Afterwards we saw an old Tarrot card reader who looked like Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings. He gave us some very nice predictions. Brenda will get a contract to write her book and my old spirit will continue to wander the universe in search of enlightenment.
After a bit of shopping we took the gondola back down to the base of the mountain. The gondola kissed the top of the rain forest canopy. It was quite a feeling of flying. Once at the bottom, we drove back up to Port Douglas along the beautiful coastal highway.
