Sun, reflections, mist, hills — what more do you need?
This was taken early morning in April in Cairns a couple of years ago. I love the drama of this shot: the mist hanging in the hollows among the hills of the Great Dividing Range, the sun backlighting the clouds, and the reflections in those shiny metal louvres.
Two of the five fish in the fish fountain at the swimming lagoon, Cairns.
The Swimming Lagoon in Cairns (Queensland, Australia) measures an amazing 4800 sq m, and has five woven steel fish fountains by artist Brian Robinson. (If you’re having trouble seeing any water “founting”, look at the lower left and you’ll see thin streams of water against the trees.)
June’s Fountain Series theme is “unusual“.
Mist in the hills around Cairns.
For someone who insists she is not an early bird, I have a remarkable number of photographs taken very early in the morning! I haven’t inflicted them all on you, but there are quite a few, from various travels. They are in no particular order other than alphabetical by place name.
A man on the beach, Durban.
The pier, Eastbourne.
Boats in Galle harbour, Sri Lanka.
The grounds of the Park Hyatt, Goa.
Great Barrier Reef.
On lookout during the 4am-8am watch, ‘Lord Nelson’, Indian Ocean.
‘Sudarshini’ and ‘Tarangini’ of the Indian Navy, off Kochi.
Fishing boats near Mauritius.
Sailboats at Opua, New Zealand.
Mt Fishtail seen from Pokhara, Nepal.
San Luis de Potosi, Mexico.
Sunrise over Sydney harbour (from my bed at the Shangri La hotel).
Rising sun captured in a gum tree, Sydney.
This bench made from old railway tracks and wheels is a reminder of the important role played by the railway in the existence of Kuranda, a village northwest of Cairns, in Queensland, Australia.
(click any image to view the gallery of larger images)
The site of the village was first surveyed by Europeans in 1888. Completion of a railway from Cairns on the coast led to trade and people moving over the Macalister Range. Coffee was grown until severe frosts in the early 1900s wiped out the harvest. After a significant military presence in the area during World War II, tourism became the primary money earner.
A popular way to visit Kuranda from Cairns on a day trip is to take the skyrail one way and the train the other.
Construction of the railway began in 1882 and was completed to Kuranda in 1891. Fifteen tunnels were dug by hand through stone and 37 bridges were erected over ravines to allow the railway to climb from sea level to Kuranda’s elevation of 328 metres (1,076 feet). Passenger services began on 25 June 1891. The first dedicated tourist train from Cairns to Kuranda ran in 1936.
Known now as The Kuranda Scenic Railway, today’s train takes 90 minutes to cover the 34 km (21 miles), passing spectacular waterfalls and providing stunning views of the lush rainforest. The KSR uses carriages that hearken back to an earlier era of train travel, with wooden panelling and windows you can open. It is indeed a relic of an almost forgotten time.
And finally, this photo has nothing to do with history or relics — it’s one of those spectacular waterfalls I mentioned. I shot this from the train as we passed.
Information about Kuranda and the Scenic Railway taken from:
http://www.kuranda.org/history/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuranda_Scenic_Railway
