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Green Island is a tiny heart shaped island close to Cairns and the easiest of the Barrier reefs coral cays. The best offering of the island is the underwater observatory or see the coral in a glass water boat if you are not iun the mood of getting wet. It is also where the more wealthy choose to lodge for a number of days. Fitzroy Island is a reaonably large continental island, formed at the end of the Ice Age when peaks of mountain ranges were submerged by the rising waters of the melting ice, that affords excellent treks through the thick central forest and highland greenery. It is an ideal escape from the sun worshipping visitors. The Cairns Historical Museum presents the best of the regions heritage including all that the original aborigines mixed with the settling cultures of dutch and English origin. The museum uses photos to represent the maritime history including what is recorded of Capt. Cook and the Chinese who were used in the developemtn of the area during the gold mining period. The Tjapukai and Bama aborigine groups that hark from the tablelands are also well represented. Along Cook Highway when the main road disintegrates you come across the jungles of Daintree and the outpost of Cooktown, an interesting entrance into the wild savannah of the Cape York peninsula. Cooktown was the outpost where profits from the gold mines were channelled. About ten kilometres north of Cairns, Smithfield marks the climb to the tablelands. There is a delightful cable car ride and the Tjupukai Aboriginal Centre that boasts displays of what is rich in aboriginal culture, stories and dances including boomerang and didgeridoo shows and a good museum. |