I figured it was time for a change in pace so I rented a car. I love napping in hammocks and lounging around beach communities just as much as the next guy, but I also wanted to see what else Oz has to offer, so I decided that the best way to cover the most ground was behind the wheel of an automobile. I packed up the Nissan Tilda and headed west.
Just twenty minutes out of Cairns I hit the rainforest. I love the way the rainforest feels. The cool, misty air creates a perfect balance of temperature and humidity while the multitudes of insects, birds, and mammals all chirp and chime. It is always hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that at one time the vast consortium of trees, vines, and plants were all seeds once. I don’t know why I always think that, but it is so impressive how life flourishes in the right environment, much like the coral reef.
Since I am in Australia I am determined to see the local wildlife. For some reason I am really into seeing wildlife in it’s natural habitat. There was a koala farm (I don’t think they called it a farm, but I can’t remember what they called it, a reserve or something, whatever you get the point) that I passed straight by. Anyone can go to the zoo and see a koala, but I wanted to see a wild koala. I told that to an Australian guy at the hostel the other night and he said, “why would you wanta see one ‘a those, the lazy little fucks. They sleep like 18 hours a day.” Dale, the Australian guy, has not had a vacation in 8 years and I think it might be time. I hiked through the rainforest for an hour and drive through the entire drivable area and I didn’t see one damn koala. I’m writing a letter to the minister of tourism. Freaking lazy koalas. I stopped by the forest ranger and she told me that they are nocturnal, so I would have to pretty much climb a tree to see one. The ranger station is also a quasi-educational center and for $16 you can have your picture taken holding a live koala. I thought about it, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I wanted my wild koala.
I left the rain forest and headed for the outback. It is fairly comical how the rainforest ends and the desert begins. It is almost like there is a border, there is no thinning out of the forest, then shrubs, then dirt, kind of easing into the desert. Nope. It’s just trees, then no trees. I was flabbergasted driving and looking in my rear view mirror because once you get far enough out of the dense forest into the wide open outback you can look back at the forest and it looks out of place. It made me laugh, like the forest was on it’s way somewhere else and got lost.
The outback is a completely different world from the forest. I guess that goes without saying, though. While driving through I did get to see wild kangaroos. They are hilarious looking, just jumping around. I ended up driving for about 6 hours. The driving is fun and nerve racking at the same time. The roads are your standard two lane roads and you drive through livestock fields, but the difference is the livestock and wildlife are all on the road because there is no chicken wire or fencing to keep them off of the road. I would be driving then all of a sudden there would be a warthog, or a kangaroo, or a huge cow in the middle of the road.I even got stopped by a two cows and their calf. The calf, in typical child-like fashion, was taking his sweet ass time crossing the road too.
I had taken all of my things and checked out of the hostel, fully intending to find a place to stay in the outback, the only problem was finding a place to stay.Apparently the little towns of 30 and 40 people that dot the outback don’t feel that a bed and breakfast or hotel is a viable business in the undesirable outback. Probably a sound bet since 5 hours away is a beautiful rainforest or beach, but I didn’t care about logic, I just needed a place to stay. I kept driving west, thinking that I would stumble upon a flashing neon sign that said “This Is Just What You’re Looking For” but I didn’t see one, so I turned around. I had noticed a neat looking place in the rainforest so I headed back. I was not looking forward to the drive back, seeing as I was a little tired now and I really didn’t feel like playing another round of “Dodge that Oversize Mammal.” Eventually I made it, and I am glad that I did. This hostel is right in the middle of the rainforest. It’s the next best thing to staying in a tree house. 350 miles, no wild koalas, and too many close calls with cows to count, I am in the Kuranda rainforest. I just hope the screens on the windows don’t have holes because everything in Australia is poisonous. I guess I’ll find out…
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