Aussie Delights: Cairns

As many of you that have read my blog before will know, Australia is a place that I have travelled and have many stories to tell on, so I have decided to call this series of stories Aussie Delights.

This stunning (and somewhat always sunny) country really is a beautiful place that if you are lucky enough to visit do and if not I recommend saving up to go. However Oz is never really a place I would consider going to live. I do enjoy being a 'pom' and believe it or not I do enjoy the English seasons. 

So here is the part you are all reading for... Cairns. 

The Someone Colourful and Confident Town of Cairns

So after a stop of in Darwin Airport from Singapore, Cairns was the first place that me and the Travelling Bear stayed in Oz. Many of our friends had people that we had met whilst travelling had said how much they loved Cairns...from it's beautiful diving trips to it's crazy wild night life - we were told that Cairns would not disappoint and to be quite honest it did not.

After a very long trip we checked into a popular hostel within Cairns and checked into our room and slept. This was day one. Day two however was slightly more eventful. 

So after walking around the town of Cairns, we discovered three huge US Navy ships that were docked in the harbour of Cairns, these were incredible and the sailors were so polite (and of course horny, no women was safe from their charms) but also the Cairns harbour was a beautiful site. 

Cairns is renowned for its trips onto the Great Barrier Reef (and let's just put it this way... the more you do pay the better reef you get, also get yourself and underwater camera or camera case. Trust me it's worth it! We left ours till last minute and paid $70 for the cheapest case).

The Great Barrier Reef

We booked this day trip for $80 which included a full day out of a traditional wooden ship (not for the faint hearted or those that may suffer from sea sickness, trust me I have done the leg work for you, there are however more sturdy boats out there to choose from) . The food was include and the tour kicked off at 6am in the Cairns Harbour. The Captain and his crew introduced themselves and told us about all the fish we would see on the reef (and also the somewhat scary memory of one female crew member saying to me "so if you see a shark don't panic, just swim back to the boat" ... sure like that was going to happen).

After a few hours out at sea (and many times of throwing up) I jumped off the boat and into the sea (best thing when you feel sick) where I swam about looking through the reef. The fish were stunning from big white fish to clown (Nemo style) fish I just didn't want to leave the water. We then got back onto the boat and made our way over to a sand bar in the middle of the reef (I was so happy to be on land) I just sat basking in the hot sunshine, whilst admiring my deserted surroundings.

From this island we swam/snorkelled back to the ship when we set sale for home. I have to say despite being extremely seasick, it had to be one of the best days of my life so far and I would advise anyone to do it!

So the majority of things to do their is dive or sunbathe at the local lagoon area (really nice and clean with big outdoor BBQ's for all the families) 

Cairns is also full of really nice bars and restaurants to eat at, some on a budget and some if you are wanting to splash your cash, wither way it's safe to say that there is something for everyone. Now to the night-life.

Cairns has a series of nightclubs to visit, all within a close distance to each other, however the most popular one to visit has to be The Wool Shed.  Now like my previous blog pots on Bangkok, this can only be described as a place to witness yourself. A crazy night full of lots of alcohol, goon and dancing. A must have.

Enjoy.