There was so much to do here in Australia! My free time when I wasn’t working was filled with shopping, eating, and exploring Cairns and the surrounding rainforests.

The first weekend here we went snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef and we took the Cape Tribulation tour. Snorkeling was quite the adventure. The reef is beautiful to explore with plenty of fish and coral to see. We went to two different sections of the Great Barrier Reef. The Cape Tribulation tour was amazing!! We started out leaving Cairns and making a stop in Port Douglas where we shopped the markets that were set up. Then we headed up to the Daintree Rainforest where we were able to hike through the rainforest and take in its beauty. On our way out of the rainforest we stopped for ice cream at the Daintree Ice Cream Company. The flavor a were made from scratch using different fruits grown right there on the farm. I was able to try the 4 flavors of the day and they were so delicious. After ice cream we went on a guided boat on the river. We saw baby crocodiles and our guide even pulled a snake right out of the trees lining the river to give us an even closer view of the wildlife! To end our tour we stopped at Mossman Gorge for a swim in the freezing cold mountain water.

Our last weekend here we spent Saturday shopping the market of the Esplanade right in Cairns and Sunday in Karunda. The Esplanade is the strip that lines the ocean in Cairns. There is a lagoon pool here as well as all kinds of restaurants and shops. Every Saturday a market is set up along the ocean. Karunda is just outside Cairns in the mountains. They have a small zoo where you can feed birds, koalas, and wallabies as well as many more markets and shops to explore.

While on the island, after working with the sea turtles, we had some time before embarking on the 45 minute ferry ride back to Cairns. During this time I was able to snorkel the reef surrounding the island and I made the 2.3km trek to the lighthouse and to the summit (literally the tallest point of the island). While snorkeling I was able to spot two sea turtles as well as an abundance of fish and coral. The trek to the summit was brutal, filled with climbing rock stairs all the way to the top and all the way back down. The view was completely worth it though. You could see every part of the island as well as the ocean on all sides and the mountains of the mainland in the distance. Absolutely stunning.

We took one day during the week to visit Hartley’s Crocodile Farm. This place was great! We were able to cuddle a koala bear, learn about the crocodile farm (where they raise and breed crocs for product), feed wallabies and kangaroos, and watch crocodiles being fed right off the side of a boat.

The adventures that I was able to go on were absolutely incredible! The memories will last a lifetime!