Green Island: Paradise with a twist

Friday, September 6, 2019

This little island paradise off the coast of Cairns is called Green Island. After travelling to almost every state in Australia, Green Island is still one of my favourite places. Let me show you why.

During the ferry ride to the island you can feel the wind in your hair, while you enjoy 45 minutes of gorgeous ocean views with the sun shining. Although of course, it is extremely overcast the whole day like it was the last time I went (but that means less tourists, yay!).Thebest part is,of course,when you get there. Now there are a heap of different tours, even one with glass bottom boats which includethe fish getting fed so they come up incredibly close. But let’s look at the natural wonders of the island.

Green Island is the only one of its kind with a natural rainforest on it. There are relaxing paths to walk, all throughout the rainforest, enabling you to get close and personal with the wildlife, which mainly consists of beautiful birds that call out to you, inviting you to come looking for them. When you manage to leave the rainforest, there are lanky coconut trees next to the beach. I’m not sure how safe it is, but I have witnessed a brave individual climb all the way to the top of the tree, as you can see in the right image below. Are you brave enough or crazy enough to attempt it? If not, there are picturesquebeaches with peaceful views of the ocean for you to simply enjoy. After all, there is nothing quite like relaxing at the beach.

Once you have finished taking in the bluey-green glistening ocean, with lush emerald islands in the background, why not take a dip? This is by far, the best part of the whole experience, and I would greatly recommend either taking or hiring a set of fins and a snorkel. Why? That is simple, Green Island is part of the Great Barrier Reef.The water is beautiful and warm, there are amazing animals; brightly coloured coral, squishy sea cucumbers, playful clownfish (Nemo), and of course gentle turtles! Both Green Turtles and Hawksbill Turtles are commonly spotted in the area, and you can swim with them, they come in fairly close to shore, as they eat the seagrass there! Of course, I wouldn’t recommend touching the turtles — as they are wild— but you can get close enough to do so, and the turtles are so relaxed that they barely notice you there. It is incredible swimming alongside turtles that are muchlarger in person than you would originally expect.

Have you ever noticed that after swimming you have a sudden desire that only hot chips can fill? Luckily, there is a place that sells hot chips and other delicious goodies. But, beware of the Buff-banded Rail. This is a vicious creature that lurks in the bushes or amongst the leaves, that also, happens to quite like eating human food. It will hide until a chip is almost in your mouth, then leap up at your face, makingitself as big as it can and escapingwith your chip. Unfortunately, I am speaking for experience here. It was traumatising, although I am easily frightened, as you might be able to tell by what the Buff-banded Rail looks like in the images below.

Next time you are planning a getaway, consider Green Island, aside from the terrifying bird, it is a lovely, relaxing and peaceful place to go!

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Hope Born