The Uluru airport was small and quaint. If you panned from right to left, one wall was full of rental car agencies, straight ahead was a single baggage claim carousel, and to the left were two airline counters for check-in. This means you get only two choices for flying in and flying out. We flew in on Virgin Blue. We flew out on Qantas. The difference was noticeable. Then again, the price difference was noticeable, too.
Virgin Blue is definitely "no frills". No drinks. No peanuts. But I did get a kick out of watching the perky flight attendant Madelene describe the emergency procedures to the non-English-speaking couple sitting in the exit row. "You're going to push the door out and RUN," punctuating the actions with hand gestures.
Qantas, made famous by the movie "Rain Man", had a full meal service and a couple drink services on our brief flight. The tortellini was pretty good. Unfortunately, I was sitting next to Mr. Body Odor so I couldn't really enjoy myself.
We shared a taxi at the Cairns airport with three backpacking guys. One of them had been in front of us on the plane. He appreciated the way I pronounced the word "six" when I explained Sudoku to Ma.
We stayed at the Bay Village. It was a nice hotel but a little far from downtown. The location had its good and bad points. It was far enough not to be bothered by the nightly concerts on the pier, but it took about 30 minutes to walk there.
Here's a shot over the rail of Cairns' pedestrian walkway, known as the Esplanade. (Actually, the Esplanade refers to the walkway, and it's also the name of the street.) It's not exactly a white sandy beach below. In fact, they had signs that warned about crocodiles. We didn't see any.
If you follow the left fork of the Esplanade walkway, you'll run smack into the saltwater swimming lagoon.Traveler's Tip: Looking for the Reef Fleet Terminal? That's where you'll catch the boat for your Great Barrier Reef adventure. And you absolutely must have a Great Barrier Reef adventure when you come to Cairns! Walk south on the sidewalk on the east side (seaside) of the Esplanade. Keep going until you cross its one and only crosswalk, then turn left (Spence Street). The Reef Fleet Terminal will be on your right.
