Cairns is an industrial town that is also very popular with tourists. The main attraction for most tourists is the reef. I’m not good in the water. We took an excursion that showed us the rain forest and the aborigines.

We started with a small zoo that had a few popular Australian animals.

Then we got into a WW II Duck boat and rode a path through the rain forest. This is reputed to be the oldest rain forest in the world. Our guide pointed out several species of plant that has been hanging around more or less unchanged for the last 350 million years. Along the way he pointed out plenty of plants that can be extremely painful if you brush up against them. The star was dendrocnide moroides, also known as the suicide plant, stinging tree, stinging bush, or gympie-gympie. In addition to the “usual” clinging and cutting, this plant dispenses a neurotoxin which causes extreme pain for about three months. We could have easily reached out and touched it. Everybody was being very good about keeping their hands in the boat.

The final part of the day was about the aborigines. They demonstrated dances, instruments, and weapons. Everybody got the chance to throw a boomerang. A couple of men did a credible job.

We will spend four days at sea, going through the barrier reef at Torres Strait. We are using a reef pilot to get us through safely. One gets the idea that Australia has lots of ways to kill us. If we make it through, our next dock is Darwin.

I hope this finds everybody doing well.