The Only Place in the World Where Two Natural World Heritage Sites Meet

Diving with sharks and dodging crocodiles, Jasmine’s first visit to Cairns saw her facing fears and experiencing the wonder of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest – the only two natural World Heritage sites that meet!

 

We Are Explorers acknowledges that this adventure is located on the traditional Country of the Gimuy-walubarra yidi people who have occupied and cared for the lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them as the Traditional Custodians and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

The Water

I recently fulfilled a bucket list dream and visited Cairns in Queensland, Australia.

As a Perth local, I’ve spent my whole life fearing sharks as bloodthirsty hunters. This made it all the more comical when I found myself surrounded by a dozen or more of them while ten metres below the surface of the water, on the Great Barrier Reef.

Beautiful blue in every direction

In my mind, the Great Barrier Reef was only a place for colourful coral and schools of fish. 

I was wrong.

Far too late, the tour guide warned that this part of the outer reef was heavily populated with reef sharks.

The intimidating glide of their fusiform bodies presented them as almost ethereal, and for a minute, my fear subsided as I stared, transfixed by the majesty of their being. Bright rainbows of fish weaved between the sharks, swimming a familiar dance that has been danced for aeons. 

Wonder battled with instinctual fear as I realised, altogether far too slowly, that I was diving with sharks!

Hooked arm-in-arm with the dive master, I was pulled closer to the shiver of sharks. Yep, the collective noun is ‘shiver’. Definitely appropriate! Their numbers seemed to increase by the minute until there were too many to count. 

I’ll never forget the moment I looked forward and locked eyes with the largest of the lot, a massive Whitetip reef shark.

This may just haunt me forever | Photo by Bernard Dupont via Flickr | License

The creature was looking straight at me, and swimming directly to me, until, when I thought I might die from fear, it made an abrupt turn and disappeared into the blue. 

The rest of the dive continued smoothly as I witnessed the ethereal glide of massive Manta rays, magnificent schools of fish, and an especially friendly turtle. 

Cute, curious fish like this were everywhere | Photo by Paul Toogood via Flickr | License

It was a painful goodbye when the time came to leave the water and board the boat to return to shore. I went directly to the bow, hanging my feet through the railing, and staring down at the infinite depth below me. 

As the boat headed back to the port, I watched in wonder as the water darkened with the sunset, feeling wonderment at the experience I’d had beneath the surface.

The Land

The Daintree Rainforest, about 105km from the beaches of Cairns, felt like an entirely different world.

When the bus pulled to a stop and we entered the stifling Queensland humidity, I had a moment of confusion, wondering how a place like this – the world’s oldest tropical lowland rainforest – could exist in Australia.

There were more than a few pinch-worthy moments

Looming, ancient Ribbonwood trees dating back over 110 million years framed our entrance to the winding path and stunning, luscious greenery extended as far as the eye could see.

We walked for a while, observing the natural fauna, and taking photos of native and endangered animals. Warned about crocodiles, I made sure to keep to the path, wary of ruining my success in surviving sharks yesterday only to be taken out by their predecessor today. 

The whole group went silent when we broke through a canopy of trees, revealing a stunning shoreline extending apparently endlessly into the distance. Cape Tribulation’s pristine white sand and tranquil waters felt like a dream. 

It was breathtaking. 

Instinctually venturing closer to the shore, its inviting blue tranquillity too compelling to ignore, I paused half a metre from the waves, afraid of the prehistoric predators we’d been warned to avoid.

The courageous handful of tourists who had strayed into the enticing blue, suddenly ran from the water, frantically pointing behind them as they yelled ‘Crocodile! Crocodile!’.

I vaguely spotted the menacing green eyes stalking us from a few metres out and my stomach dropped. The tour guide began ushering us back toward the path and, not needing to be told twice, we rushed after him, looking over our shoulders frequently to make sure it wasn’t following.

Read more: How To Stay Safe in Croc Country

Leaving the beach we headed instead to Mount Alexandra Lookout, and just like my experience at the reef, I marvelled at the view of the sand I’d just walked on. 

I got to experience the best of both worlds – Cairns by land and Cairns by sea

The crystal-clear sky perfectly combined with the water to form an endless blue in the distance, looking like the end of the world. 

Continuing to drink it all in, I looked closer to where I had been standing, considering the sand, and remembering the world beneath the rolling waves. Witnessing the magnificent ocean meeting the tranquillity of the forest – connecting two World Heritage sites was an experience I’ll never forget.

And all of this nestled within the amazing Australia that I call home.

Want more adventures in Cairns?

• A Guide to Cairns During the Wet Season
• The 10 Best Swimming Holes in Cairns
• Top 8 Hikes Around Cairns
• 8 of the Best Bike Trails Around Cairns