A coastal drive from Cairns to Port Douglas is a good way of experiencing the best of what the region has to offer. From the UK it is possible to fly directly to Brisbane. From there it is easy to take a connecting flight to Cairns, the main hub in northern Queensland.
Car hire in Australia need not be expensive and although there is a train connection up to the Kuranda Nature Reserve the car affords greater freedom to explore. Cairns itself is a likeable place and there is enough here to justify at least an overnight stop. The lively Esplanade is packed with restaurants and bars and is thronged with revellers in the evenings. Otherwise there is a regional gallery exhibiting Australian art and, more unusually, there is a museum on the history of the flying doctors (the medical service, not the daytime soap). Cairns is also something of a Mecca for bungee jumpers. Those who enjoy the sensation of falling secured only by a piece of elastic are well served here: there are several operators peddling these thrills from purpose built platforms.
Once the car hire has been sorted out it is only an hour’s drive (60 miles) up the coast to Port Douglas. On the way, the Kuranda Reserve protects swathes of rain forest. There are campsites here with basic amenities. Rangers offer guided tours through the forest with good chances of seeing fresh water crocodiles,”freshies”, and turtles.
Port Douglas is an idyllic small community framed between forested slopes, endless beaches and the Great Barrier Reef. The four mile beach is a real draw of course but many come here to check out the reef either on a day cruise or through a supervised scuba dive. Most of the reef is a designated marine reserve, unique in the scale of its coral growths and richness of its sea life (innumerable species of fish, numerous sea snakes). So called “wonky holes” feed these reefs with nutrient rich fresh water which fosters the growth of the coral although pollution from agricultural run-off is a constant and growing threat.
Cheap car hire in Australia allows a certain flexibility in terms of shaping an itinerary. If time allowed, it would be quite possible to deposit a vehicle hired in Cairns back in Brisbane for those ready for a 1400 mile stretch. Spread over a few days this would convey the real vastness of Australia.
20.3.2008