By Dr Rafia Akhter
A few days ago, I took some time off from work to visit Cairns, a city in tropical ‘Far North Queensland’ and considered to be the gateway to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. I went there for a holiday trip with my extended family (group of 10 people!) for a week. I was so amazed by the natural beauty there that I will remember this trip for the rest of my life.
We stayed in a cozy holiday home which was perfect for our large group. We planned our days beforehand so that we didn’t miss the amazing adventures that Cairns could offer us. On day 1, we visited the town of Cairns – including all its activities. The kids enjoyed their time so much around the Esplanade! We also took the ride on the ‘Ferry’s Wheel’ which overviews the Bay. We spent almost half a day alongside the marina/bay/lagoon and enjoyed the sunny day beside the beach. We also walked through the ‘boardwalk’ along the Esplanade which was so much fun!
We all wanted to go out and about the following day.
The Daintree is just over two hours drive from Cairns, it made a long but very worthwhile day trip. Daintree is a very special place, wandering through the oldest living rainforest in the world is an experience you will remember forever.
We visited the National Parks, Mossman Gorge and went all the way down to the Cape Tribulation. We learned so many things about the tropical rainforest and about its habitats. The guided tours inside the rainforest and the walks were amazing! I came to know about the lives and living of so many tropical creatures that I did not know before.
On Day 3, we visited Kuranda, a colourful town sitting on the top of the mountain amongst lush rainforest and national park. On the way to the town, we took the historic ‘Sky Rail Cableway’ to the mountain top. It was a journey to remember. We made so many small stops in between to step off the and enjoy the nature only to get back to the Cable car soon after to be back on track! The town of Kuranda itself was very colourful too.
On the way back to our accommodation, we took the Kuranda scenic railway. The view from the train along the valley and hills was simply breathtaking!
Day 4 was a day in the most spectacular ‘Great Barrier Reef’! We started very early in the morning. There was a cruise ship which took us to the reef where we spent the whole day in the water with many activities including snorkelling, underwater scuba diving, dinner in the restaurant in the middle of the ocean and much more. It was a day full of fun activities.
Overall, this tropical holiday was one of the greatest events of my life that I will remember for a long, long, long time.
Health preparation for travelling in Australia
It is still important to ensure your routine vaccines are up to date – cover for diseases like Tetanus, Whooping Cough, Chickenpox, Influenza and Measles. For older travellers one must check on Shingles and Pneumonia vaccines. For example, readers may be surprised to learn that people born between 1966 and 1983 may need an update on their Measles vaccine. In those years only one dose of Measles vaccine was thought to be sufficient. Now it has been proven that one needs two doses of Measles vaccine to get lifelong cover, and this booster can be given later in life.
Also, although medical care in Australia is excellent, it is still a good idea to pack a small travellers medical kit to deal with cuts and scrapes, along with aches and pains.
TMA Doctors can help look after the health of travellers whether they are staying in Australia or going further afield.
