Bungee Jumping in Cairns

Bungee jumping is simply known as an activity where an elastic piece of rope or cord is tied around a person's body down to his ankles. One tip of the rope or cord is then tied to a jump-off point. When everything is set, the person then jumps off the point, which is normally a very high place measuring about several hundred feet in height. As the person makes the jump, the rope gets stretched in the process absorbing energy resulting from the fall. Due to the elastic quality of the rope, an upward and downward movement is produced after the jump, stopping only when the whole of the energy produced has been dissipated.

Bungee, or bungy, jumping has its roots in 1950's in Pentecost Island, Vanuatu where it was customary for young men to jump off high wooden platforms to test their courage. The jump involved vines tied around the ankles of the men and was recorded by David Attenborough along with a film crew of BBC during that year. The documentary gave Englishman Chris Baker the inspiration to make use of elastic ropes to make the jump fit in amidst an urban setting. This became the basis for the first official bungy jump in 1979 made by David Kirke along with three other members of a group called the Dangerous Sports Club.

By 1982, bungy jumping has caught fire, with jumps being made in various locations. AJ Hackett, however, will forever be regarded as the man who made the first commercial jump when he voluntarily "bungeed" off Greenhithe Bridge in Auckland, New Zealand in 1986. It was after him that the AJ Hackett Bungy Tower was consequently built.

Bungee jumping

Located about 15 kilometers north of Cairns in Queensland, the AJ Hackett Bungy Tower is surrounded by the dense Australian tropical rainforest and waterfalls. Below the tower, crystal blue mountain waters remain untouched, serving as a silent witness to courageous jumpers. Above, jumpers are provided breathtaking views of the Green Island in the Great Barrier Reef, as well as the beauteous Coral Sea.

Over a million people are said to have already jumped off the AJ Hackett Bungy Tower, making use of latex rubber ropes, one edge of which has been annexed to the tower top. The ropes were specially chosen because of their capacity to withstand strains approximately five times stronger than what they are originally subjected to.

There are many other bungy jumping areas being operated all across the world. Many, however, have a special preference for the AJ Hackett Bungy Tower because it was purposely built for bungy jumping and has features that no other bungy tower can boast of having.