Cairns, Australia

We traveled the Coral Sea to Cairns Australia which is on the tropical northeast coast of Far North Queensland. This is a primary landing spot so the diving excursions can go out to the Great Barrier Reef. It is also where the rainforest meets the barrier reef.

We arrived during one of the wettest weeks during their wet season. So the weather feels a little like Houston, but worse. As we didn’t dock until noon, it gave us an opportunity to visit the ship doctor as Tim has been battling some ear pain. Diagnosis: swimmer’s ear. So, unfortunately, he had to cancel his diving trip. As a substitute, we visited the local aquarium.

The Cairns Aquarium is about 8 years old and is the only aquarium in the world to exclusively showcase the aquatic wildlife from Tropical North Queensland’s two World Heritage-listed areas – the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest. The aquarium was started by Daniel Leipnik and Andrew Preston, who wanted to inspire people to protect the Great Barrier Reef. The idea came about after the founders visited the Great Barrier Reef and saw many people who didn't get in the water. They wanted to bring the Great Barrier Reef to people in a way that was accessible.

#findpenguins #australia #MyVikingStory #aquariumRead more