Mike Yardley: Cairns and the Pacific Coast Way

For a Queensland holiday with a difference, why not savour a slice of the Pacific Coast Way? Spanning 1800km, from Cairns to Coolangatta, this is like the Sunshine State’s answer to Route 66. Rather than crossing a country, this iconic coastal roadie straddles the full length of one of the world’s seven natural wonders: the Great Barrier Reef. The Pacific Coast Way mostly traces the Bruce Highway, with reef-fringed beaches and islands on one side, and lush rainforest, country towns, bountiful farmland and national park on the other. Over the course of a week, I drove two-thirds of the route, starting in the tropical swagger of Cairns and finishing in Rockhampton. 

For a hearty dose of rainforest splendour, I first jaunted north of the city to Kuranda, home to Rainforestation Nature Park, nestled amid World Heritage rainforest. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and still owned and operated by the founding Woodward family, this lush sanctuary distils so many of the tropical north’s finest features into a one stop shop. A signature experience is to board their World War II Army Ducks, an amphibious vehicle that climbs through the rainforest and floats through the tropical waterways. Fully guided and narrated, my driver Ben introduced me to a plethora of fascinating plants and wildlife.  

Army Duck Tour at Rainforestation. Photo / Rainforestation 

But it’s not just the local creatures that can imperil your life. He pointed me out to me the fearsome Gympie Gympie stinging tree – one of the world’s most venomous plants. It is covered with microscopic hollow hairs made of silica (the main component of glass) that act like tiny hypodermic needles injecting powerful neurotoxins into the skin. Come into bodily contact with this nasty plant and you’re likely to land in hospital, enduring months of excruciating pain. 

The wildlife enclosure showcases a wealth of iconic Australian mammals. Highlights including eye-balling docile dingoes, wombats and snoozing koala. But their resident Saltwater Crocodiles really are the stars of the show. There’s Jack the Ripper, a 5 metre-long saltie who has apparently killed 12 of his girlfriends. He was first brought to the park with military assistance, bound up like a serial killer, from Darwin. He’s believed to be 76. 

Feeding Jack the Ripper. Photo / Rainforestation 

A signature Kuranda attraction, the Skyrail rainforest cableway is about to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Coinciding with the milestone, the Skyrail is undergoing a major upgrade, replacing the existing cableway infrastructure and all gondolas – all geared at providing a quieter, smoother, and enhanced rainforest experience, as you glide above the canopy in your glass capsule. The first stage of the project has just been completed.  

I headed back to Cairns aboard the Kuranda Scenic Railway, which is a ride to remember. Exuding a proud history and irresistible scenery, this vintage rail excursion is best enjoyed in Gold Class, with continuous beverages and tasty local snacks heightening the sense of indulgence, within your Victorian-inspired heritage carriage. The railway’s construction was a back-breaking engineering feat in the 1880s, driven by the need to transport gold from the formidable terrain of the mountains to the coast, on this 37 km track.  

Kuranda Scenic Railway. Photo / KSR

After rattling through cultivated farmland and dense plantations of sugar cane, the train winds through lush, thick rainforest and past plunging ravines. The highlight is the tropical finery of Barron Gorge National Park, so ancient, unchanged and imposing. A whistle-stop at Barron Falls is a welcome chance to stretch the legs and soak up the panorama of plunging, serpentine cascades spilling 260 metres into the Barron River. Understandably, it’s a gusher of veils in the wet season, but more like lace webbing in the dry season from May to October.  

After a ravishing day immersed in rainforest wonder, I feasted heartily back in Cairns at Salt House, one of the city’s premium waterfront venues, with mouth-watering views from Marina Point and a gorgeous fairy-lit garden bar. Their mango, guava and lime-based Flying Fox cocktail hit the spot perfectly. As did the cuisine. Salt House are sticklers for staking out local producers to hero on the menu. Don’t go past the half-shell roasted Queensland scallops with curry sauce, pineapple relish and Vietnamese mint. For sharing, their charcuterie board brims with sopressa, bresaola, prosciutto, nduja, peppers, cornichons and flatbread. 

Thankfully it was a short walk from Salt House to Shangri-La The Marina. This five-star property is perfectly poised for sublime vistas of Trinity Bay and Marlin Marina. The Backyard is a relaxed, all-day dining venue, beautifully positioned beside the hotel’s tropical garden and sparkling pool. Service is exceptionally friendly and attentive.  

Shangri-La The Marina. Photo / Tourism Queensland 

After a great night’s sleep in supreme comfort, I was ready to hit the road. But rather than tootling up the well-worn trail to Port Douglas, I pointed the car south to strike out on the Pacific Coast Way. It’s a less-trafficked revelation. The sweeping grandeur of the Wet Tropics rainforest enrobes the western flank of the highway for hundreds of kilometres, interspersed with vast sugar cane and banana plantations, and tropical orchards specialising in mango and papaya. It all conspires to produce a bucolically rich, undulating and diverse landscape.  

Babinda Boulders, located around an hour south of Cairns, features an incredible open swimming hole, picnic area and barbecues and a short scenic walk on the Devil’s Pool trail, where crystal-clear waters tumble over massive smooth granite boulders creating a picturesque chute waterfall and rapids viewable from the lookout point and along the track. 

Babinda Boulders. Photo / Tourism Queensland 

Whatever you do, stick to the trail and the designated swimming spots, because The Chute and Devil’s Pool is as fearsome as it sounds. Steeped in Aboriginal folklore, indigenous people believe this remarkable natural formation was forged out of a tragic love story, ending in the death of a young woman. In recent years, over 20 people have been killed in this waterway, generally sucked under by the strong rapids, which form a deep chamber of churning water beneath the surface of the boulders. It looks like a tranquil, turquoise stream surrounded by rainforest, birdsong and giant granite boulders, polished smooth by the fast-flowing, crystal-clear water. But below the water line, it is anything but tranquil. 

Just half an hour further down the road, turning off at Mirriwinni, another tropical hinterland haven awaits. Nestled in the foothills of Queensland’s highest mountain range, Bartle Frere, Josephine Falls is often referred to as “nature’s playground” with a natural rockslide being the main attraction of the beautiful cascades. It’s an easy 600m walk to the bottom swimming hole with wheelchair access available to the viewing platform at the top pool. While it looks tempting, swimming in the top pool is prohibited but there’s plenty of space at the bottom pool to spread out and soak up the serenity. Aaaaaah... how’s the serenity? 

Josephine Falls. Photo / Tourism Tropical North Queensland 

Escape the everyday on the Pacific Coast Way, flanked by the rainforest and the reef - a one million year old garden and the world’s largest pool. 

Mike Yardley is Newstalk ZB’s resident traveller and can be heard every week on Saturday Mornings with Jack Tame.