Waterfalls and Wetlands Down Under Tours Review

Cairns Waterfalls and Wetlands Tour Review

Our day began at 9am with pick-up from the Freshwater Train Station, followed by a short drive to Cattana Wetlands. Along the way, our driver guide Greg provided some local history, including when Cairns was established and the dominate local industries, such as sugar cane and tourism. At the Wetlands, Greg took us on a guided walk pointing out key plants and animals, including orange-footed scrub fowl, paperbark trees, fan palms, staghorn ferns and native hibiscus. The 45 minute walk was mostly shaded by established trees and included a stop at Jabiru Lake. We were back at the bus by 10am and after Greg handed out some very welcome bottles of chilled water, we continued the journey to Kuranda the Village in the Rainforest. On arrival we had a 30 minute break for free time. As we got off the bus, Greg handed out Anzac biscuits for us to snack on, and they were delicious. We went to one of the local cafes and grabbed a coffee for us and milkshake for Ethan. We then wandered down to the Original Rainforest Markets and had a look around. Quirky mural art, random piano and lots of market stalls. Good photo opportunities.

“Down Under Tours delivers a unique tour with Waterfalls and Wetlands. It showcases the diversity of landscapes of our area, from the coastal wetlands and marshes to the rainforest mountains, rivers and waterfalls, and finally, the farms and plantations of Mareeba and surrounds. In addition to their knowledgeable guides, and Greg was excellent, they provide cultural connections with the Traditional Owners, with a representative from the Djabugay Rangers sharing their history, creation stories and plant use, as well as local farmers and producers at Skybury Farms. Lunch is a showcase of local flavours with an emphasis on red papaya grown right there on Skybury Farms, followed by tropical sorbets and ice creams made with local fruits including lime, pineapple, dragonfruit and red elderberry. Then to finish it off, a journey on the historic Kuranda Scenic Railway, showcasing Barron Falls and Stoney Creek Falls. Big day. Relaxed pace. Engaging tour.” – Julie Johnston 

Calling to Country, with Djabugay Rangers

Back on the bus at 11am for a short drive to Jumrum Creek, where we met a Traditional Owner and Djabugay Ranger called Rudy Brim. Rudy welcomed us and took us through a Calling to Country presentation. This differs to a Welcome to Country, in that the focus is on introducing us to the ancestors as visitors, so they would know who we were, making it safe to walk on country. He also talked about the different groups / clans and provided a little of his background and cultural heritage. This took around 10 minutes. We then drove over to Barron Falls, known as Din Din in traditional language, for a guided tour with Rudy in the rainforest. During this time Rudy shared creation stories with us and pointed out key plants, explaining their traditional uses.

The two main plants Rudy talked about on the tour were River Grass and Blue Ginger. The River Grass grows in relatively dense clumps. When it flowers, the Djabugay people knew it was time to go fishing, ‘because the fish would be big and fat’. They used the leaves to carry the fish, taking a long leaf and placing it through the gills in loop-like handle. They also used the leaves to make baskets and the base of the young shoots are edible. The native Blue Ginger had multi-faceted use as well. You could eat the roots, which have a really strong ginger taste, and the berries, which are really bitter and would ‘keep your mouth watering on long walks’. Another traditional use for the Blue Ginger was to wrap food for cooking. Rudy said the Djabugay people had a method of cooking very similar to the Hāngī from New Zealand and Kup Murri from Torres Strait Islands. Dig a hole and fill the bottom with coals. Then put your meat and fish, wrapped in the Blue Ginger leaves on top of that. Cover it with dirt and then more coals on the surface. Let your meal cook in the ground for a few hours and then enjoy a feast. He called it Mungalli (not sure on correct spelling here). Please note that the Djabugay Ranger guide you get changes from tour to tour, and as such the presentation and content will change too. Each Ranger will share stories and information specific to them and their families. The cultural tour was around 40 minutes long.

Mareeba Kangaroos, Red Papaya, Coffee and Ice Cream

The next stage of our Down Under Tours Waterfalls and Wetlands Tour took us to Mareeba, and along the way we left the rainforest behind and entered a landscape that was much drier. To the delight of the international tourists on tour, Greg stopped at the Mareeba Golf Club in search of kangaroos. Of course he found them, because this guide knew what he was doing, and we spent around 10 minutes here getting photos of the Eastern Grey Kangaroos. We then continued the drive to our lunch destination, passing by many different farms and crops, including mango, avocado, citrus and lychee orchards. At 12.45pm we pulled into Skybury Farms, which is Australia’s oldest coffee plantation and also grows red papaya, a central flavour feature on our lunch menu.

Lunch is included in the day tour, with Down Under Tours’ guests having a select menu to choose from. Our options included a Skybury Papaya Super Bowl, Green Papaya Salad, Cape Malay Curry featuring papaya, ham and cheese croissant and or a Cuban Turkish roll with ham, cheese and papaya pickles. Lunch is served on a covered outdoor deck, providing views over the plantation. There was fresh fruit on the table to taste, including red papaya and passionfruit, and complimentary tea, coffee and cold water. After lunch a Skybury representative provided a coffee presentation, which covered the growing, harvesting and roasting process. This was followed by a papaya vodka tasting and coffee liqueur tasting, both delicious creations produced on site at Skybury. Side note: I am not a massive fan of papaya and usually avoid it, but after this tour, I might be a convert for Skybury’s red papaya, it was mild in flavour and pleasant in texture.

We left Skybury Farms at 1.45pm to commence our return journey to Kuranda, via Mt Emerald Ice-Creamery. Greg stopped along the way to look at termite mounds, which was super interesting for the international guests on the tour, who had never seen a termite mound before. At Emerald Creek Ice-Creamery we enjoyed a tasting cup of 2 x sorbets and 2 x ice creams, which is included in the tour price. These too showcased local produce and flavours; we had a Dragon Fruit and Lime Sorbet, Pineapple and Coconut Sorbet, Wattle Seed Ice Cream and Red Elderberry Ice Cream. We bought Ethan a double-chocolate cone, which is his favourite!! We left here around 2.40pm to drive back to Kuranda.

Kuranda Scenic Railway Kuranda to Freshwater

Pulling into Kuranda at 3pm we were ready for the final stage of our Cairns Waterfalls and Wetlands Tour, which was a one-way journey on the historic Kuranda Scenic Railway, back down the mountains of the Barron Gorge National Park. Greg collected everyone’s tickets and we boarded the train for a 3.30pm departure. Highlights of the Kuranda Scenic Railway trip included views into the gorge, with glimpses to the Cairns hinterland and Coral Sea beyond, a stop at Barron Falls Station and passing by the cascading waters of Stoney Creek Falls, just metres from the tracks. Along the way you also pass through 15 hand-carved tunnels, before passing through the leafy suburb of Redlynch and coming to a stop at the Freshwater Train Station at 5pm.