My first week in Australia began in the beautiful Cairns, Australia located in North Queensland. Queensland happens to be the ‘Sunshine State’ of Australia, which I felt was very fitting for both the weather and having come from school in the Sunshine State of the United States! I was in the city of Cairns for 4 nights and 5 days, so let me tell you all about my itinerary and all of the many, MANY things I was able to pack into this week!
Day One: Arrival and Getting Settled
My first day in Cairns consisted of arriving to the hotel, registering for excursions, and getting settled into my room before a welcome session and dinner with the rest of the students in my program. I stayed at the Crystalbrook Riley– a 5-Star hotel located right in Cairns. I absolutely loved this accommodation and would highly recommend it to anyone who goes to Cairns! It was very central to everything: walking distance to all of the restaurants/downtown venues, the harbor and marina for embarking on ocean excursions, and right across the street from the water with a great walking path! The rooms were very clean and newly renovated, as well as all of the amenities. Additionally, the Crystalbrook chains place a large emphasis on sustainability and eliminating single-use plastic which I really loved. The staff was absolutely lovely and their (included) breakfast buffet was to DIE for! I went every morning and definitely got my money’s worth from it:)
Day Two: Orientation, Wildlife Park, & Aboriginal Culture
My first full day in Cairns started off in full swing. The morning consisted of an orientation session which included safety, cultural, and indigenous knowledge to know in regard to Australia. After this session, we were left to explore the city and get ourselves some lunch before departing to the wildlife park. The bus ride was about an hour away to Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures, and the drive there was incredibly scenic and showcased the most beautiful mountains and rainforests. Upon arrival to the park, we got into some boats to see some crocodiles and watch them being fed, which was both jaw-dropping and extremely exciting. After this, we had the opportunity to walk around and view all the park had to offer- I saw Koala’s, Kangaroos, Wallabies, and more! I couldn’t believe I was having the opportunity to see these animals with my own eyes- I even got to pet a Kangaroo in one of the sanctuaries! After the Wildlife Park we had a demonstration of Aboriginal Culture where we got to learn a little bit about the local tribes and get the chance to learn how to (or attempt to) throw a boomerang and spear type of tool. This was a great introduction into Australian culture and learning about it’s very important past, which still greatly impacts society today.
Day Three: The Great Barrier Reef
My second full day in Cairns was spent entirely on the Great Barrier Reef. We departed the hotel at 8am to catch our boat that took us an hour and a half out to the ocean where we transferred onto a huge pontoon boat stationed on one of the reefs. Once we arrived, we got our stinger suits (wet-suit looking gear that protects you from jelly fish), masks & snorkels, and flippers. It is safe to say that this day was a high-fashion outing. The weather this day was well into the 90’s (32-ish in Celsius) so after our boat ride in the exposed sun and heat, we were all more than ready to jump into the water and start exploring. This snorkeling was unlike anything I had ever seen in my life- as soon as my head went under the water I was transported into another dimension. The bright and vibrant colors of the coral, the fish, and water was absolutely breath-taking. It was just like Finding Nemo but even better! I will never forget my experience here and hope to be able to go back again at some point to further explore all the reef has to offer.
Day Four: Excursions of a Lifetime!
On Wednesday, my study abroad program gave us a free day, allowing us to book additional excursions to further indulge in our Cairns travels before all meeting back up for a farewell dinner later that night. This day for me began at the ripe hour of 4:45 AM, when I woke up for my sunrise skydive! I signed up to skydive the first day I arrived in Cairns, which had been a completely impulsive decision. It did not fully register that I would be jumping out of a plane until I was quite literally sitting halfway out of the aircraft. I have to say I was very proud of myself, because I really never got super scared which was quite opposite of what I was anticipating. After I jumped out of the plane, I immediately felt so peaceful and grateful to be surrounded by such beauty. Being amongst the mountains and lush greenery was an out-of-body experience and something I will truly never forget. Looking back at this moment, I still can’t even believe I had the opportunity to do this! I could not recommend this experience enough, and think that everyone should try to push themselves out of their comfort zone to partake in this activity once in their lifetime.
After my morning adrenaline rush, I headed back to the hotel to stock up on a hearty breakfast at the buffet and get ready for my next activity. I left the hotel again at 10am to walk over to the marina where I embarked on yet another boat to go to Fitzroy Island for the rest of the day. This boat ride was just 45 minutes out to the island which felt considerably short compared to the previous day. Once I got onto the island, I (alongside the group of people I went with) decided to hike up the mountain before doing any water activities. The hike ended up taking us a very long time, as it was in the 90’s again and an extremely steep way up. Once we made it to the top, the view was absolutely breathtaking and immediately worth any of the struggles we had on the way up. I felt immense amounts of gratitude for not only the beauty of the earth, but for being so lucky to end my week in Cairns in such a magical way. After peaking the hike, we headed down and immediately filled up our water bottles while deciding on out next move. Over half of my group ended up leaving on the early boat back, but I decided to stick around for a little while longer and walked to Nudey Beach to lay out and snorkel around. I loved snorkeling here, as the water was shallower so the fish were swimming amongst you, as opposed to snorkeling around the reef where you had an amazing view of down below. It was super cool to have another perspective snorkeling and be in such close proximity to all of the creatures.
After taking the ferry back to the port, I headed back to the hotel and began to get ready for dinner. After my 2 hour hike and another 2 hours at the beach and in the water, I was ready for the shower of a lifetime (and some aloe vera). At 7:15 we all walked over to our farewell dinner, which was back over by the marina. We ate at Ochre, a modern Australian restaurant with some authentic items, such as Kangaroo, Crocodile, and Emu. I tried a couple bites of each of these cuisines, and must admit I enjoyed them more than I thought I would! Overall, the food at this restaurant was delicious and I would also highly recommend eating here. For serving over 30 of us, the staff did an excellent job and was very organized and friendly!
Weekly Recap:
Overall, my first week in Australia was life-changing and truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. My days were extremely jam-packed but I would not have wanted it any other way. I was able to get my bearings into basic Aussie culture, explore the city of Cairns a little bit, adjust to the time zone, and most importantly experience the most amazing things I have yet to experience. My last recommendation during this trip would have to be Cruze Coffee, which I got three times during my stay here. This coffee shop allows you to pick your own roast and has a large selection of coffee beans to choose from. My first day visiting I found out that one of the baristas was from the next town over from me back home, which proved just how small our world really can be! The coffee was outstanding, and I would highly encourage everyone to pay them a visit. This week in Cairns was a dream come true, and I cannot wait to share all that I have been up too in Sydney where I will be settling down shortly for the rest of my stay here in AUS!
