The Aussie Expedition: Cairns
By: Hannah Langley, Social Media Scholarship, Summer 2017, ISA Canberra, Australia: The Australian Sporting Industry
I don’t usually like picking favorites because I try to see the best in everything, but Cairns is an exception. This city was warm, sunny, and tropical which was so satisfying after how cold the past cities were. We spent the most time here out of all of the cities we visited and we packed in a lot of activities, most of which involved swimsuits. Here are the highlights from Cairns!
Surf Lifesaving Lesson
We took a bus out to Palm Cove where we met with a surf rescue team who taught us the essentials for rescuing someone in the ocean. We started out by jogging on the beach and then stretching out for 15 minutes to make sure we were warmed up. They taught us the fastest way to move through the water to get to someone and how to use the rescue surf boards. It was a challenge to keep your balance on the boards sometimes but it was fun to learn how to use them out on the water.
Rainforest Tour
A group of us took a bus tour into the Cairns rainforest. We went down a natural waterfall, swam underneath Milla Milla falls, a volcano crater, and a lake that (supposedly) had a single crocodile swimming somewhere in the water. Mind you, we were in the middle of the forest and were swimming in the natural landscape which means that the water was FREEZING. It was totally worth it though. I love being outside and this was the perfect way to see more of what Cairns had to offer.
Tjapukai Cultural Park
This was the most culturally informative and engaging part of my trip. Tjapukai is a cultural center that shares the culture of the Djabugay People, the original people of Cairns. We watched traditional dances, didgeridoo performances, and a short film/reenactment of the Djabugay story of the creation of our world. They taught us how to throw a boomerang and spear, and how they were vital parts of their traditional hunting methods. I loved learning from and about Djabugay culture and I’m so appreciative that a cultural center like this exists where people like me can go and learn.
Cairns Art Gallery
We had a decent amount of free time in Cairns, most of which was spent by the ocean, but I took some time to explore more of the city by myself. I went into the Cairns Art Gallery and was able to wander around for a bit. There were three exhibits displayed at the moment and it was nice to spend time somewhere quiet that didn’t disrupt my reverie.
Whitewater Rafting
To set the scene: Imagine what jurassic park looks like. That’s exactly what the Cairns rainforest looks and feels like. Our entire group went on a whitewater rafting tour through the rainforest and it was totally different than what I was expecting. I’ve been whitewater rafting before on the Snake River while visiting family in Wyoming, but that type of rafting has always been me sitting down in the front holding onto the rope for dear life while my uncle controls the raft with a set of paddles. This type of rafting required me to be self-sufficient and paddle as part of a team. The dangers of rafting that we had to try to avoid were falling out of the boat and keeping a grip on your paddle so you don’t accidentally knock someone’s teeth out. Based on the look of pure terror in most of the photos, both were A LOT HARDER TO AVOID THAN I THOUGHT. According to our group leader, the past two years someone from the study abroad group has lost teeth from being hit in the face with a paddle on accident. Luckily, no one from our group lost teeth. It was tons of fun and loved every second of it even though some of the rapids (and our guide Esther) did their best to flip our raft.
Kuranda Koala Gardens
BEST PART OF MY TRIP HANDS DOWN. Why? I got to hold a koala and fulfill all of my life goals. The Kuranda Koala Gardens care and rehabilitate animals native to Australia, one of those animals being Ivy, the super cute koala who wouldn’t let go of my arm when I held her. We also go to interact with wallabies and kangaroos who were very excited to see that we had some treats for them. Crocodiles, sugar gliders, owls, snakes, Quokka, among other animals were all part of the garden as well.
Cairns was the last stop on this study abroad, which means my time here has come to an end. I still have one more post for the food in Cains, but I’m waiting in the airport to get on my plane to Japan so expect to see another post about my solo travels!
