Kuranda

As far as I can see, the only reasons that Kuranda exists are so that people can go to the arts and crafts markets, so that they can go to the tourist and souvenir shops, and so that people have somewhere to go in the Atherton Tablelands close to Cairns.  It's a nice little place but that is pretty much all there is to do there.

It is possible to get there by car but unless your sole aim is to go for lunch that seems to be quite a boring way of getting there.

A much more interesting way would be to go by steam train. I have not done this but I know people who have. It takes about an hour and a half, I believe.

Or - you can go by Skyrail. Which is what we did. And very magnificent it is too. The cable cars soar high above the rain forest, sometimes even above the clouds, and sometimes very close to the tree tops. There are a couple of places where you can get off and wander around, admiring waterfalls and magnificent views. It takes a little over half and hour in each direction if you don't get off. If you have no fear of heights, for a little extra you can take a glass bottomed gondola. We didn't bother. The view is spectacular just through the windows

You could not say that the kitchenette in our room is particularly well appointed but it is certainly adequately appointed. There isn't an oven but there are hot plates and a microwave and there is a barbecue outside. So we grabbed the makings of a salad on our way home from the Skyrail and we bought some snapper fillets. And despite the rain, we sat outside under the canopy by the barbecue and we "grilled" the fish and we ate the salad and we had rather tasty bread rolls, washed down with some chilled white wine.  Lindsey and I had a swim before dinner, when it wasn't raining. It was all rather pleasant.  

While I was prepping the salad, I heard the sound of a ship's hooter. Then I hear it again. And again. We knew there was a cruise ship in town because several times in the course of the day people had asked me if I was on the ship. We assume because I wear my camera on a lanyard and passengers ashore often do have ship's lanyards on. So we hot footed it to the bay to see if we could see it (abandoning the salad only half made)