We emerge into the dry-heat of Cairns sometime in the evening, a little tired and tetchy from the long train ride up from the Whitsundays and eager to locate a bed. Any bed will do. As we trundle along the pavements of Cairns’ streets, I immediately notice how low the city is. It makes sense, [...]
Tags: Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, snorkelling
Whether it’s down to pure bone tiredness or a lingering state of shock, we make our way from the train station via bus to Airlie Beach in relative silence.
Actually, we’re not really in Airlie Beach, but it’s damn close and we’re promised a frequent courtesy bus that’ll whisk us into the nearby hot-spot pretty much at our discretion.
As we disembark the feeder bus, lugging backpacks from the trailer contraption that has followed us all the way from the train station like an obedient dog, the bus driver cocks his head to the sound of bird call and points up into the trees.
“Black Cockatoo,” he says, “really rare bird.” We look up and, no shit, what looks like two large, black parrots are perched on the branches of a near leafless tree welcoming us to the area.
I need an omen, anything that suggests life is going to get a little better after the horrors of the previous night, so I take this wholeheartedly. Two rare black birds. It’ll have to do.
Tags: Airlie Beach, Domino, Whitehaven, Whitsundays, Xpress