The Great Barrier Reef - Day 5

I am so sorry! Life has been busy lately and I can't believe how long it's taken me to post the last 3 days of our trip! I finally did it - I hope you enjoy!!

Our final day in tropical north Queensland was probably the most special to me.  My grandpa used to work in Australia and Papua New Guinea when I was much younger - and while I remember hearing stories about the places he'd been and loving the souvenirs he brought back, I never really could appreciate them the way I would now.  I would give anything to be able to speak to him and hear those stories again.  I have a feeling that he's been following along with my very own Aussie Adventure from heaven and smiling as he watches me explore the country that he spent so much time in.  I told my grandma in an email recently that Tyson and I were going to the Great Barrier Reef and she told me that my grandpa used to fly in and out of Cairns all the time and that his favorite thing of all was the Kuranda Scenic Railway.  Which is quite ironic since I had just read about the railway and wrote it down as a "must do" on our trip.  So on our last day in Cairns, we hopped on the Kuranda Railway for an hour and a half ride up the mountains and through the rainforest.  I couldn't stop thinking of my grandpa and picturing him on the train while he was there.  I can see why he loved it so much.  It was such a neat experience - the train takes you way up into the mountains to this small, quaint, adorable town of Kuranda nestled right in the middle of the rainforest.  The history and building of the railway is SO impressive - and I'm sure my grandpa loved that part too.  I can't tell you how special it was to know that I was riding on the exact train, seeing the same beautiful mountains, staring at the same waterfalls, and loving the entire experience that my grandpa had fallen in love with so many years ago.  After we had lunch in Kuranda we walked around and did some shopping/exploring and then we took a Skyrail back down to the bottom.  I'm not sure if my grandpa rode on the Skyrail or just the train, but the sights from the skyrail were spectacular too!  It was such a special day just knowing that my Grandpa had been there - and had seen and done the exact same things that I was seeing and doing.  Even though he wasn't sitting right next to me, I feel like we experienced it together, and I loved being able to share it with him.