Cairns, Australia
February 19, 2007
Rain greeted us as we sailed into Cairns (pronounced “Canns”) a northern city in Queensland, Australia. Known as the “gateway to the Great Barrier Reef” Cairns is a small place (population about 125,000) that obviously caters to divers and nature lovers.
Because there are more than 170 days of rain a year this area of Australia is also known for its majestic rain forests. And it was these rainforests that were to dominate my time in this special place in the world.
One of the “perks” of this trip is that my travel agent, Judy Brannon of Century travel, is a “Virtuosi” Agent. That means that on six of our ports I am treated to special events…and Cairns was one of these ports.
After an hour….maybe an hour and a half…we were deposited on the streets of Port Douglas….a resort spot north of the city. Traveling through the acres and acres of sugar cane we learned how important this crop is to the local economy. Shopping the streets of Port Douglas proved a bit uneventful for me as I don’t need another T-Shirt or tourist trinket. I must admit that I was a bit put off by the idea that here I was “shopping” while many of my fellow passengers had booked themselves on excursions to explore the reef. As it turned out I was much the better off. Because of the weather the poor souls that ventured out to the reef were, almost to a person, sick sick sick! The seas were rough and in the small dive boats every wave was exaggerated. Too, because the water was so murky the snorkeling was not good….apparently it was a miserable day for most. .But for us….the shoppers…it turned out to be a memorable day.
After forty-five minutes we left Port Douglas to travel another 30 to 45 minutes up into the mountains deep into the rain forest. Eventually we arrived at “The Botanical Ark”…a privately owned “garden” of some 20 acres. Alan and Susan Carle, Americans immigrates who are now Australian citizens, purchased what was then cleared barren pasture land and in some 23 years have transformed the place into a virtual Garden of Eden…lush, fragrant, and beautiful. Traveling the world, they have collected specimen after specimen of exotic plants. Working with governmental quarantine officials they have created the most amazing laboratory to study rain forest vegetation. Specializing in fruits and ginger plants, they have divided the land into four sections: Australian, South American, African and Exotic. As we sipped on juice from the Guanabana Fruit, Alan told us story after story about how he collected his various specimens. We walked with him through the gardens, dodging an occasional quick downburst of warm rain, where he plucked an annatoo, a thorny-husked fruit from the Amazon. He explained how the seeds are used in over 500 products we use everyday from make-up to food coloring. He told of the medicinal properties of many different plants. He explained how some plants were being rapidly extinguished because of the rampant burning and slashing of the rainforests over the world….more than an acre a second vanished forever! We eventually made our way to the Carle home…a Robinson-Caruso (sp?) inspired home with huge porches and “swimming pools” surrounded by lush fragrant blooms. There Susan served us the most delicious luncheon from the garden which incorporated many of the exotic fruits and plants they harvested that morning. Leaving with a signed copy of their beautiful book that documents their experiences, we all felt most privileged to have been able to share in this special garden….and we didn’t get sea sick!!!!
February 19, 2007
Rain greeted us as we sailed into Cairns (pronounced “Canns”) a northern city in Queensland, Australia. Known as the “gateway to the Great Barrier Reef” Cairns is a small place (population about 125,000) that obviously caters to divers and nature lovers.
Because there are more than 170 days of rain a year this area of Australia is also known for its majestic rain forests. And it was these rainforests that were to dominate my time in this special place in the world.
One of the “perks” of this trip is that my travel agent, Judy Brannon of Century travel, is a “Virtuosi” Agent. That means that on six of our ports I am treated to special events…and Cairns was one of these ports.
After an hour….maybe an hour and a half…we were deposited on the streets of Port Douglas….a resort spot north of the city. Traveling through the acres and acres of sugar cane we learned how important this crop is to the local economy. Shopping the streets of Port Douglas proved a bit uneventful for me as I don’t need another T-Shirt or tourist trinket. I must admit that I was a bit put off by the idea that here I was “shopping” while many of my fellow passengers had booked themselves on excursions to explore the reef. As it turned out I was much the better off. Because of the weather the poor souls that ventured out to the reef were, almost to a person, sick sick sick! The seas were rough and in the small dive boats every wave was exaggerated. Too, because the water was so murky the snorkeling was not good….apparently it was a miserable day for most. .But for us….the shoppers…it turned out to be a memorable day.
After forty-five minutes we left Port Douglas to travel another 30 to 45 minutes up into the mountains deep into the rain forest. Eventually we arrived at “The Botanical Ark”…a privately owned “garden” of some 20 acres. Alan and Susan Carle, Americans immigrates who are now Australian citizens, purchased what was then cleared barren pasture land and in some 23 years have transformed the place into a virtual Garden of Eden…lush, fragrant, and beautiful. Traveling the world, they have collected specimen after specimen of exotic plants. Working with governmental quarantine officials they have created the most amazing laboratory to study rain forest vegetation. Specializing in fruits and ginger plants, they have divided the land into four sections: Australian, South American, African and Exotic. As we sipped on juice from the Guanabana Fruit, Alan told us story after story about how he collected his various specimens. We walked with him through the gardens, dodging an occasional quick downburst of warm rain, where he plucked an annatoo, a thorny-husked fruit from the Amazon. He explained how the seeds are used in over 500 products we use everyday from make-up to food coloring. He told of the medicinal properties of many different plants. He explained how some plants were being rapidly extinguished because of the rampant burning and slashing of the rainforests over the world….more than an acre a second vanished forever! We eventually made our way to the Carle home…a Robinson-Caruso (sp?) inspired home with huge porches and “swimming pools” surrounded by lush fragrant blooms. There Susan served us the most delicious luncheon from the garden which incorporated many of the exotic fruits and plants they harvested that morning. Leaving with a signed copy of their beautiful book that documents their experiences, we all felt most privileged to have been able to share in this special garden….and we didn’t get sea sick!!!!
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