Kuranda

May 11
Cairns
Cloudy, then rainy and cooler.

Today was our day to head up to Kuranda via Sky Rail, and then pay a visit to Rainforest Station.

Sky Rail is an interesting enterprise. The system consists of a series of stanchions supporting a cable car system that has occupants glide over the rainforest, probably about 50 feet or so above the canopy. There are two stops along the way: one that lets out to a boardwalk permitting a short walk through the rain forest, the other with an education center and a second walk along the Barron River gorge, a major hydroelectric works. From this second stop, one can see the Kuranda Scenic Railway on the other side of the gorge as it brings its load of tourists to the top.
We do not have time for a walk through Kuranda itself, but our driver did drive us through for a quick look. Kuranda is very much a tourist village, with many craft shops alongside souvenir stores and eateries. There are a few interesting attractions: a butterfly garden, and sanctuaries for koalas and birds.

Our tour guide, David, is a native of the area, and told me a little bit about the history of Rainforest Station. It started off in the late 1800s as a coffee plantation, and one can still find coffee plants growing in the surrounding forest. During David's childhood in the 1970s, he remembers it as a citrus fruit orchard. The theme park started in the late 1980s, with the wildlife exhibits, the Army DUKW("Ducks") tours, and the restaurant. The Pamagirri Aboriginal Dance troupe was added in 1993, and the Dreamtime Tour in 1995.

We first took a tour of the wildlife park. Much of it repeats things that we have seen elsewhere. We then walked over to the Pamagirri Aboriginal Dance theatre for the noon show. The dancers have a very good sense of humor, and entertain the tourists very well. I was the butt of one joke; they do a snake dance in which they go into the audience, behaving like snakes, waiting to strike a victim. I was watching one of the dancer on the far side while, unknown to me -- and in full view of most of the audience behind me -- another dancer had positioned himself directly behind me and ready to strike. All the other dancers were a distraction; the surprise attack on me was the whole point, I guess. It was a very good laugh all around. The dance ended with some audience participation, and I am happy to report that two of our students got up right away to volunteer. The dance consisted of two steps and a pose, all of which look simple enough, though as the father of two dancers, I am very certain that what the Aboriginal dancers are doing is quite difficult to do well.

During the performance, the rains came. (We are in the wet tropics, and there's a reason it's called the rain forest.) Most of the areas for the tourists are under corrugated tin roofs for this reason. There have been times when we've visited Rainforest Station and it's been dry and sunny, but this day was not at all untypical. The rain continued as we we guided along the Dreamtime Walk, during which an Aboriginal guide shows us how to throw spears and boomerangs and how to play a didgeridoo. I did feel a little sorry for the guide, as he had to stand out in the rain during all of this. My boomerang throw was shameful, though my colleague and many of the students did quite well.

Lunch was a little disorganized; this is probably the weak link in the setup. In the past, our Aboriginal guide would lead us to our lunch spot, but not this time. So, when we arrived at the buffet area, no one told us what to do. Since there were many tour groups being seated or already eating, we felt a little at sea, though once I got a staff member's attention we got it all sorted out. Their buffet lunch is very good: many choices, all of it fresh and well-prepared. They feature a pumpkin soup that is particularly good.

The DUKW is a WWII vehicle brought over by the USA for use as an amphibious troop transport vehicle. The 'Duck' has six-wheels on the ground, all of which are driven (6WD). It also has a propeller, and so can scoot around in the water when need be. The DUKWs were just abandoned by the US after the war's end, and so many Aussies took them over and put them to use in various ways. Rainforest Station has six, I believe, and spare parts from many others. They have more or less the same appearance they had back in WWII, though they probably did not have the name 'Rainforest Station' stenciled on. They have all been converted to run on propane, too.

The rains returned for our Army Duck tour of the rainforest, but our driver passed around ponchos, so we were all fine. And seeing the rain forest while it's raining makes a point, too, as one can watch what the water does on its way down. The tour is a short one in terms of distance covered -- they run these Ducks in low gears and make a lot of stops. But it is informative; the guides always seem to be knowledgeable about the plants, and there is a lot to see. We were probably the only non-Asian tourists at Rainforest Station in the afternoon. Cairns has become a popular destination for large tour groups from Japan, China, and Korea. David estimates that about 75% of the tourist business he sees comes from those three countries. The rest are mostly Europeans, with a very few Canadians and even fewer Americans.

The students took their third quiz after we returned to the hotel; they did quite well, by and large. After that, we all got involved in our evening activities and got a good night's rest for tomorrow's tour of the Daintree.