Dentist Sydney  

A Vacation in Cairns isn’t just about the Scuba Diving. There are heaps of other things to do. We hired a car and explored some of the less known sights.

The Babinda Boulders are, as the name states, big boulders located near the small town Babinda. They are positioned next to a streem in the rainforest, so this is an amazing place and somewhat beautiful. I could have stood there for hours just looking at it.
In the language of the Yidinji “Babinda” means “water flowing over rocks”. The Locals tell a rather depressing story about this place: The girl Oolana was about to marry the young man her clan had arranged for her, when another clan came along for trade in the area. Unfortunarely, Oolana fell madly in love with one of the other young, foreign men, and as he loved her as well, they eloped the next night. Soon they were found, and according to the law, the young man was banished. As Oolana was very important to her clan, she was not punished, but she sat down beside the water and sobbed. The water engulfed her and put all the boulders on top on her – but she is eternally calling for her lover, and this is the reason you should not swim in the creek: If someone ventures into the water, she believes her lover has finally come, and grabs the swimmer. If she sees that it is not the one she wants, she is so upset that she lets him drown.

In fact, within the last 18 years, twenty one people died from swimming in Babinda Creek. Of course from a modern point of view this is because the current is so strong, and some people just won’t follow the signs that advise against swimming. But I find it very interesting how the Aboriginal legend explains important things in different ways: For example marriage law, as the story shows how unhappy you become if you do not follow it. Also that you must not swim at the Babinda Boulders. And then of course it is a story of how the Babinda Boulders were made. This is typical for Aboriginal legends: You can read them on different levels, they are not just simple stories, but have a very important function for the community.

The MaMu Canopy Walk is located within Wooroonooran National Park. This park is part of UNESCO world heritage, but it’s not very famous and not many tourists tend to visit. It lies south of Cairns, near Innisfail. Wooroonooran’s old growth rainforest is some of the oldest of the world.

The canopy walks takes you through the forest on three different levels: On the ground, above the canopy, and half way. When constructing the walk, they made use of destruction that cyclone Larry had left: They put the pillars right there where trees had previously stood. Using this method they did not have to remove any trees.

I find rainforest incredibly interesting and thus the MaMu Canopy Walk was so incredible to me: To see the giant trees from the ground, then to be on the same level with them, and then to see them even from above… Just awesome! And there is no need to be afraid, as the walkway could even bear an fully grown whale. It was called MaMu after the Aboriginal people of this area.
The tallest platform is about 36m high and the view is just amazing… I felt like being in a discovery channel.

Mungalli Falls is a beautiful waterfall situated on the Atherton Tablelands. Unluckily I did not have the opportunity to walk to the bottom and only saw it from the top. Mungalli is an Aboriginal word for meeting place, which is fitting because three waterfalls actually join here. With a plunge of 90m, it’s the highest waterfall in the vicinity. It is surrounded by wonderful rainforest.