Cairns Australia isn’t just about the Scuba Diving. There are lots of other things to do. We rented a car and discovered some of the less known sights.

The Babinda Boulders are, as the name says, big rocks near to the small town Babinda. They are positioned within a streem in the rainforest, so this is an amazing sight and somewhat beautiful. I could just stand there for ever just looking at it.
In the language of the Yidinji “Babinda” means “water flowing over rocks”. The Yidinji tell a rather depressing legend about this place: The young girl Oolana was destined to marry the young man her clan had arranged for her, when a neighbouring clan came along for trade in the area. Unfortunarely, Oolana fell in love with one of the other young, clan~foreign men}, and as he loved her as well, they eloped soon after. But they were discovered, and according to the tribal law, the young man was punished. As Oolana was very highstanding in her clan, she was not punished, but she sat down beside the water and cried. The creek engulfed her and put all the boulders on top of her – but she is eternally calling for her loved one, and this is why you should not swim in the creek: If someone ventures into the water, she believes her lover has finally returned, and grabs the swimmer. When she sees that it is not the one she waited for, she is so upset that she lets him drown.

There is {an excellent pathway going to the Boulders, it is approximately a ten minute walk though the peaceful and green rainforest. It is a magical spot and I just loved it. If you don’t have a vehicle, there are many bus tours that feature Babinda Boulders.~In fact, within the last 20 years, 21 people disappeared when swimming in Babinda Creek. Of course from a western way of looking at things this is because the currents are so strong, and some people just don’t follow the warning signs that advise against swimming. But I find it very interesting how the Aboriginal story tells you important things in different ways: For example marriage law, as the story depicts how unhappy you become if you do not follow it. Also that you must not swim in the creek. And finally it is a story of how the Babinda Boulders were born. This is typical for Aboriginal legends: You can read them in different ways, they are not only simple tales, but have a very important message for the community.}

ranked as Queensland’s most popular tourist attraction – even if I don’t agree with that, as I think that places such as Fraser Island or  the Daintree rainforest are much more attractive, it is still a very interesting and inspiring place. With only a few helpers, José Paronella constructed the buildings after catalan models, as well as a pond and a dancehall. He planted more than 1000 trees, built tunnels and a cottage.  He also built Queenslands first hydroelectric power generator to harvest the power of the Mena Creek Falls, and this also gave power to the town of Mena Creek. In 1938 he opened the gardens to the public, he screened movies and gave parties in the ball room. ~The MaMu Canopy Treetop walk is located within Wooroonooran National Park. This park is part of UNESCO world heritage, but it’s not very famous and not many tourists tend to visit. It lies south of Cairns, near Innisfail. Wooroonooran’s rainforest is one of the oldest of the world.

The canopy walks takes you through the forest on three different levels: On the ground, above the canopy, and through the canopy. When constructing the walk, they made use of destruction that cyclone Larry had left: They placed the pillars right there where trees had stood before. Using this method they did not have to change anything about the forest.

I find rainforest very interesting and thus the MaMu Treetop Walk was just amazing to me: To see the huge trees from the ground, then to be on the same level with them, and then to see them even from above… Just incredible! And there is no reason to be scared, as the walk could even bear an adult hippo. It was called MaMu after the Aboriginal people of this area.
The highest platform is about 39m high and the view is just awe inspiring… I felt like being in a BBC documentary.}

Mungalli Falls is a {stunning waterfall on the Atherton Tablelands. Unfortunately I did not have time to go to the bottom and only saw it from above. Mungalli is an Aboriginal name for meeting place, which is apt because  three waterfalls actually meet here. With a fall of 90m, it’s the highest waterfall of the vicinity. It is surrounded by wonderful rainforest.~ The Curtain Fig Tree is another attraction close to Yungabarra. It is the best known tree in northern Queensland or maybe even in Australia and it was much more interesting than I expected.

The Curtain Fig Tree was formed because a strangler fig tree strangled it’s host tree. This is not unheard of, BUT:  the fig fell on  a neighbour tree and strangled that one as well, making a huge curtain. Now it is all one big tree that is  really impressive.

From the road, it is only a 2 minute walk on a boardwalk through the old growth rainforest to get to the tree.}