Cairns is a really long way away!

Cairns is a major destination for us, but it seems that everytime we look at the map we are surprised all over again at how darn far away it is!  Next stop Airlie Beach, the drive to was pretty uneventful.  We met up with Kel's long lost brother Adam, who works on Hamilton Island.  The kids enjoyed getting to know their uncle.  Owing to a missed ferry (is this becoming a theme?), he spent an impromptu night at Chateau Williams.

Looking whistfully at the Whitsunday Islands next day, we decided to press on.  Hello juicy Big Mango (complete with foreign tourists and a random dude surveying the scene from his balcony)!

Spent an entirely forgettable night at Townsville.  The town probably earned this reputation unfairly, having more to do with some serious map reading errors and booked out campsites than its attractions (or lack of).  Set off again next morning.

Took the scenic route through the many cane fields.  The kids were interested in the harvesting that was underway and the network of train lines to move it.  Stopped in for lunch at beautiful Mission Beach.  We gazed at Dunk Island while the kids cracked fresh coconuts to get to the milk inside. 

There are cassowary signs everywhere here.  Apparently there is a resident population, but they did not grace us with their presence :(  Had to content ourselves with this one instead...

The other signs that are starting to make a regular appearance are the crocodile ones.  We spent some time googling statistics that might explain why the signs are written in English and German but no other languages??!!  So here we are in paradise fearing for our lives!  Why stop at one deadly creature when you can have four!  From Airlie up there are stingers (two for the price of one, we learnt there were two deadly ones when we only knew of one), there are sharks and stonefish and now crocodiles as well. 

Stopped for the night at a tiny free camp at Bramstons Beach.  Did a not so subtle u-turn in the front garden of a caravan park that was far dodgier than the internet had us believe.  It's a bit like walking out of a restaurant after sitting down and being given the menu.  The camp we ended up in was lovely, in a wooded parkland (+ playground - big marks for that) next to the beach (don't be fooled - it was still full!). 

The caretaker made light of the crocodile signs, joking that the croc was full today.  Later we found out he had only been running the place for two weeks, so not sure how reliable a source he was!  We surely looked like scared tourists staring at the water from the safety of the sand.  Fortunately (or unfortunately) it is unseasonably cool in QLD at the moment (only just cracking the twenties - ripped off!).

Had a lazy start next morning, where we were treated to a feeding display by a pod of dolphins just off the coast.  En route to Cairns, took a side-track to a crystal clear swimming hole called Babinda Boulders. Oooh chilly...! There is an Aboriginal Romeo & Juliet story about how this place came to be. 

 

After a brief respite, climbed back in and kept on, until finally arriving in Cairns.