Cairns and cousin Alice

We were greeted in Cairns by an amazing BBQ meal fit for several kings put on by our host, Margaret, and a visit by Ceri and Freddy. We were soon pooped and ready for bed at Margaret’s house – wow a real bed!

Next morning up early and off for a walk up Saddle Mountain for a great view of the Cairns district. We then had to rush straight to the airport to pick up Rich’s cousin Alice – phew made it, then off to Kuranda markets and down / up the Skyrail.  It was now we discovered that Alice was afraid of heights.  The kids helped out by voicing her fears - “wow, look how high we are” and “mummy, what happens if the cable breaks?”

We then ventured into Cairns for a walk along the esplanade, a quick drink in a lovely bar, and dinner. After getting up at 4:30am to catch the flight to Cairns Alice was done by then. The kids were high on sugar after a late ice cream, but then the low hit, and all were asleep heading up the hill back to Kuranda.

Next morning, we decided to hit the road again and head up Port Douglas way. We took the country way and a leisurely drive through the northern Tablelands on the way to Port Douglas. After popping in to check out the cheap campsite, we quickly retreated to the more expensive one a few kms up the road at Wonga Beach. We were all happy we did – dodged a bullet on that one! At the Pinnacle camp site, we had room, clean amenities, peacocks, shade, a beautiful pool, playground and the beach. After dropping the van, we headed back out on the road for a walk around the Mossman Gorge – hoping to tack on a swim in the gorge as it was quite warm. After a great walk, we bravely ventured inch by inch into the freezing cold water – but even Rich and all his bravado could not summon enough courage to get in any further than the top of his knees.

Next day we drove to the Daintree and headed out on a great Croc spotting boat ride. The guide found us pretty much every croc in his territory, at the same time giving us the Croc ‘Sopranos’ story, and introducing us to Scarface (the alpha croc) and his harem. 

Scarface looking unimpressed

Wife 3

On a more intimate return trip, we also heard a grisly tale about a local boy and his unlucky fate.  Imagine having to factor risk of crocodile attack into your play date decisions!  A quick drive into Cape Tribulation, an awesome lookout and another enjoyable walk in the rainforest (but unfortunately no cassowaries or tree kangaroos). Ended the day with a semi-relaxed dusk campfire on the beach – with a few sweeps of the torch in case any errant saltwater crocs were creeping up on us.

We had a day of rest around the beautiful campsite, swimming and chilling out in preparation for the following day on the reef. Had another campfire on the beach along with some satellite spotting and then off to bed.

Woke up early and zoomed off to Port Douglas to get on the Wavedancer and head out to the Low Isles. Wow- what a beautiful day with perfect weather. The ride out was fun, the reef and island were great, and the kids and Alice enjoyed swimming around checking out the coral and sealife.

The boat ride back was also relaxing. We stuck around in Port Douglas to find Kel some new thongs to replace the ones she’d left on the Low Isles and a tasty meal at the pub. Followed up with a laser show in the park opposite.

Next day, took the scenic coast drive back to Cairns, and on the way saw an old guy trying his hand at paragliding and trying to take off backwards. Caught up with Margaret’s daughter, Dani, her partner Mark, and Margaret’s granddaughter Carmen at Muddy’s playground where our kids went ballistic spraying each other and passers-by with water. From there, dropped Alice off at the airport so she could continue her own Aussie adventure.

In the morning Kel and the kids went to the Butterfly sanctuary and Birdworld whilst Rich went on a wild goosechase across Cairns but did succeed in snapping a shot of the Big Captain Cook.

In the afternoon we were back on the road after saying goodbye to Margaret and her lovely house. We headed south down through the Atherton Tablelands and on to Lake Tinaroo.