kuranda

Alright, really need to power through these last few Australia posts. It's just so bittersweet, looking back at all the fun things we did and then knowing that to go back and visit those beautiful places and see the wonderful people I miss is just such an ordeal. Oh well. It's a blessing to have found those people and places, and I'm lucky to have found the love I did and have something to miss so intensely, right?
Another Cairns adventure this time. We took a train up the rainforest covered mountains to the little town of Kuranda. Did some exploring there, wandered around a wildlife park and had some adorable encounters, then made our descent in cable cars suspended high above that green wildness. You know by now how in love I am with a verdant landscape, and this was no letdown. Looking below, and out to the horizon and seeing nothing but green. Fantastic.

On the way up we saw gorgeous waterfalls...

scenic vistas...

and impressive monoliths

Then a walk through town, and straight to the wildlife park, where we saw plenty of crocodiles

cuddled with koalas

fed wallabies and kangaroos

(how precious is that face?!)

were dared to step any further by brave lizards

and had some silly times with colorful, cheeky, and assertive birds

and finally made it to the butterfly house. Yes please!

it was beautiful, delicate, fluttery, crazy butterfly chaos!

And then the trip back down. Endless views, and a few stops, including another rainforest boardwalk, and some remarkable flora and fauna. It breaks my heart a little to see wonderful creatures in captivity, so I was beyond thrilled to see amazing spiders and whatnot thriving in their natural environment. 

wonderland

This colorful bird was waiting to greet us as soon as we started walking around. A great start to our exploration

Cairns definitely won my heart in the few days we were there. I'm enamored with tropical landscapes, where everything is covered in green, with wild things growing from every little scrap of dirt they can find, crawling one of top of the other, covering trees, rocks, buildings, everything in sight. So our trip out to the botanic gardens was a highlight for me. With some manicured areas, mostly green chaos, and a fantastic boardwalk through a patch of rainforest. Gorgeous leaves and shapes everywhere, and brilliant splashes of color here and there with fantastic flowers. Really, truly, remarkably overwhelming in natural beauty.

I loved the exceedingly large scale of everything. From palms, to cascading walls of green, to trees both greatly wide and tall, complete with giant leaves

All the different shapes, patterns and textures were fascinating

One of those extra tall trees covered in what looked to be some type of cactus. Wonderful

And those stunning flowers! Of which I'm sure some are not technically blooms, but that amazing color! So gorgeous

The serene feeling of being completely surrounded and immersed in a green universe, with beautiful creatures like proud little kookaburras just hanging out

 And of course that great boardwalk. Shaded by tall ferns and trees that seemed to twist up and away beyond the sky, wild twists and curls of vines all over everything, and crazy tangles of branches. Just: Wow