Saturday, 11 July 2015

Cairns

29th June 2015

It was a very early night last night, and after I opened the camper the tiredness set in, I hit the sack around 9:00pm.

I woke early this morning to an overcast day. The temperature was extremely pleasent around 20 degrees, shorts and t-shirt weather. I went to the cafe and had a coffee then decided to go and have a look around Cairns. It wasn't to long before I really got sick of driving around and headed back to the park around 10:00.

The site I was in last night was not the site we would be in for the rest of our stay. I had to move the camper, which is why I didn't completely set up last night.
I took my time setting up, it took me until lunchtime.

I went down to the local IGA and shopped for dinner. There was a fast food section where you can buy dim sims, potato cakes and the like, I'd never seen that at a supermarket before.
I got back to the camper around 12:30 and decided to head for the pool. A quick swim then I got into the spa, it was brilliant, it was raining and the temperature of the water was perfect.
I returned to the camper and dried off then relaxed and read for the rest of the day, stopping to cook and eat dinner.

Throughout the day I called and text Cate and now look forward to them arriving tomorrow.

30 June 2015

To was great. I woke early went to the cafe for a coffee and waited for what seemed an eternity for Cate, Ethan and Aisha to arrive. They arrived spot on time 12:20.

We came straight back to the park and had a look around. Cate was booked for an hour massage at 2:30 so I took the kids to the water play park where they ran got wet and had a great time. Aisha fell over and grazed her knee so wanted to sit on my knee for a while. We then went to the spa where we waited for Cate to finish the massage.

When we got back to the camper we dried off and went for a tour of the park with one of the staff.
Dinner followed, BBQ, then we went to watch to outdoor movie. We only lasted half an hour before Aisha then Ethan wanted to go to bed.

All in all a great day.

1 July 2015

This morning was certainly the most pleasant since I've been here. There was no rain last night and very few clouds in the morning.

We decided to head to the Skyrail and to that trip. When we arrived there were a heap of people waiting and a lady working there suggested we book before we arrive. So we postponed the trip to Kuranda until tomorrow and booked the train and Skyrail until then.

The tablelands was on our itinerary while we were here so we loaded the car and set of for Atherton. We had a terrific drive, stopping off in Kuranda for a quick bit to eat, we'll see it all tomorrow, then a quick stop in Atherton and on to Malanda where we saw a turtle colony and took a quick walk in the bush before checking out a small waterfall.

Ethan was pleased to learn that most of the area had been built up by extinct volcanoes so we went for a drive to a lake. It was very spectacular created from the top crater of an extinct volcano. The water was very clear and the surrounding very green, breathtaking.

Leaving the lake we headed straight to the caravan park. Ethan and Aisha had been looking forward to going to the water park all day so we headed straight there. We spent just over an hour playing in the water before heading to the camper for dinner and the usual nightly routine.

An excellent way to spent the first real day here in the far north coast.

2 July 2015

Waking early this morning, we left the camper just after 7:30 for the Freshwater train station for the trip to Kuranda. We managed to become "geographically challenged" on the way ending up down a no through road surrounded by sugar cane. We did manage to get to the station in plenty of time to catch the train.

It was a terrific train ride. Very picturesque and comfortable. The kids really enjoyed going through the 15 tunnels along the way and I enjoyed hearing about the history of the track from its beginning.
The scenery was spectacular. At certain times the train slowed to allow passengers to take pictures, and we even stopped at the Barron Falls station for about 10 minutes. I think that was so more pictures could be taken.

Arriving at Kuranda we had a bit to eat and then a play on the play ground Ethan had spotted yesterday. That was great for the kids to have a run around because the train trip, although terrific, was about an hour and a half.

After that we walked the many markets and stalls. We told the kids they could choose 1 thing they really wanted to buy. Ethan chose a fridge magnet crocodile, and Aisha chose a ring for her pointer finger. At one point of the day there was a piano in the middle of the market and Ethan wanted to play. He passed me his crocodile, I managed to drop it and the magnet broke off the back. Luckily I'll be able to glue it back on.

We were booked on the 2:30 Skyrail trip back down the mountain. Again another spectacular experience. The views from above the tree line are hard to describe. The kids enjoyed the ride, laughing and giggling all the way. There is a stop along the way and an opportunity to travel a boardwalk. Then back on another Skyrail.

Half way down the second Skyrail Cate noticed that Aisha's new ring had fallen off and was now lost. Aisha handled it reasonably well.

We had a connecting bus ride of 10 minutes back to Freshwater Station and our car. Arriving back at the camper Ethan, Aisha and I headed to the water park where we played until 6:00. Boritos for dinner then bed. Another great day.

3 July 2015

Today we did nothing, literally nothing. It was one of those days where when reflecting nothing much really happened and nothing was achieved, but how perfect. A brilliant way to completely recharge the batteries.

Yesterday I noticed the GoPro waterproof case was cracked so this morning I searched Cairns for a new one and did some food shopping.

The afternoon was spent at the waterpark and the swimming pool. Effectively that was it. Totally relaxing and the kids had a ball all day.

What I haven't mentioned much this time is the weather. The first couple of days I was here there was quite a lot of rain. Although it seemed to be only drizzle, the gutters and grass got very wet very quickly.

The night before and the morning of Cate, Ethan and Aisha arriving there was heaps of rain, I went to Bunnings on the way to the airport and bought 2 large umbrellas, I used one on the way from Bunnings to the car and, ironically, we haven't used either since.

Everyday has been overcast with the sun popping its head through every now and again. When the sun is out it has a distinct sting about it. The temperature has been down to 20 odd at night, quite pleasant, and days a degree or 2 shy of 30.

I'm so glad to be here in July.

4 July 2015

We woke this morning to a relatively cloudless sky, however it wasn't long before the clouds rolled in.

We planned to head to Green Island today and by the time we reached the jetty at 8:00 it was quite overcast and very windy. The 45 minute boat trip to Green Island was very bumpy, the closer we got to the Island the rougher the sea became. The other 3 had different levels of sea sickness from feeling unwell to half filling one of the provided paper bags.

On the jetty at Green Island we were nearly blown right into the sea, it was amazing how the natural surroundings desipated the wind and you could feel no wind at all.

When booking the trip to the island there a choice between snorkel gear or a ride in a glass bottom boat. We decided that I would get the snorkel gear and Cate, Ethan and Aisha would take a glass bottom boat ride. While we were on the boat getting to the island they were placed in the 9:30 boat ride but with all three not feeling well decided to postpone the ride until the afternoon.

I had booked a beginner SCUBA dive which began at 9:30. We found a locker for our gear then I went to begin the "training". It was very short but thorough, several tips on the main things that could go wrong, then off to the pool for around 10 minutes practice before heading a output 1 km off the island to a reef. There was 1 instructor at 2 others on the dive.

Jumping from the boat we slowly descended around 10 meters. It was truely one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The coral was breathtaking, the fish were in many different colours, shapes and sizes and seemed to ignore the divers altogether.

It wasn't long before we came across our first turtle. It glided effortlessly through the water about a meter from us. Had a look and kept drifting. It was about 1 meter in total length and I find it difficult to explain what it's like just watching it swim by.

We saw several turtles in the half hour or so we were diving,coney were certainly a highlight. Being up close and personal with the coral, fish, giant clams and turtles was, again, amazing. I'm sure I'll get another opportunity to dive again.

Considering how rough it was at the surface, I'm guessing half to 1 meter swell, it was incredibly calm under the surface. The were a gentle ebb and flow that moved maybe 25 cm, it was quite rhythmic and soothing. The hardest thing at the beginning of the dive was getting balance and buoyancy right. Air in the vest in or out allowed for the correct buoyancy but I found getting 3 demential balance a challenge for the first 10 minutes or so. Fun and amazing.

When I got back to the island I found Cate and the kids, and we had some early lunch. They had gone for a walk through the island to the other side. By that time that clouds had cleared and the rest of the day was picture perfect with the exception of the wind. The temperature was around 28 and it was cloudless.

After lunch we took the glass bottom boat ride. With a wink from the lady at the information desk she gave me a ticket to ride with the others. The ride was very informative and although brilliant with what we could see I'd had the experience of the dive from the morning. Cate and Aisha sat a couple of turtles, Ethan and I missed them, still an terrific time and we managed to get through without feeling sick.

We then went to the beach on the north side of the island. There the wind was very light. The kids played in the sand building sand castles and rivers. Ethan was quick to realise that when he dug a trench from any part of the beach to the ocean, water immediately began to flow from the top, so he literally carver several rivers leading to the ocean.

I took the snorkel gear out for a while, again amazing what can be seen under the water so close to the beach. Cate then went for a snorkel as well. I haven't mentioned the water temperature, I was told this morning that it is currently around 22-23 degrees and when in the water it is quite warm. The wind when you get out does make it feel slightly cool.

Aisha then has a go at the snorkel gear. Unfortunately her head it still a little small and the goggles filled up with water. She did manage to have 1 breath out of the snorkel before bringing her head up.
Ethan then tried, a little more successfully. He was able to have several breaths and his goggles stayed free of water. He tried twice and then decided he had had enough.

It was getting close to departure time but we had time for a walk around the island, the entire island. It is incredible how small Green Island actually is. Then we headed for the jetty and the ride home.
The wind was still very strong so we were going to wait until out boat arrived before walking out and getting blown away again. I mistakenly took another boat for ours so we were out there earlier than we had wanted. We managed to get to the end of the jetty out of the wind to wait. When the boat arrived we were near the rear of the queue to get on. Unfortunately the boat reached capacity before we could board so we had to wait for the next one, luckily only 10 minutes.

The return trip to Cairns was uneventful, no one was sick and the closer we got the calmer it became.
Arriving at Cairns we put our bags in the car and headed to the Esplanade for dinner, pizza and ice cream. The atmosphere was terrific.

One thing that has shocked me about Cairns is the number of international people here. It is quite unusual to hear and Australian accent and with 1 solitary exception all the staff I encountered on the ride to, at and back from the island were from overseas. Predominantly Asian but certainly quite a number from America and the U.K. Most signs here have Chinese or Japanese writing as well.
That said, there was a sign near the Esplanade advertising fireworks tonight. I pointed it out to Cate and thought perhaps a Saturday night during school holidays, only when we got back did I realise that it is the 4th of July and with many U.S. People here they need to celebrate.

Today was a day I won't forget in a while.

5 July 2015

We woke to the sounds of the alarm this morning to get a head start on a long driving day. We left around 6:45, ate breakfast in the car and began driving to the Daintree Rainforest.

We stopped for a short while in Port Douglas for a snack at the award winning bakery. We crossed the Daintree river on the ferry and finished at the Daintree Discovery Centre. We had trouble paying as their electronic equipment kept failing. Once inside we were treated with audio recordings through individual hand held devices where a number is displayed through the walk and you dial it into a mobile phone type device and it plays a description of what you can see from that displayed number. It was very interesting and informative. Ethan got right into listening intently to the recordings and became frustrated if we wanted to stop for a picture because of his total engagement. It looks from the pictures that everyone is talking on a mobile and just looking at all the people in the Center you can be forgiven for thinking that.

Just before we crossed the river on the ferry we saw several hour trip companies offering crocodile spotting rides on the Daintree. We got to that location in time for a 1:15 trip. We saw 3 crocs, several snakes and and 3 wide mouth owls. It was incredible to see a 2-3 meter croc just sunning itself on the side of the river. Evidently she was relative small and young so I can imagine the size of a large one. An incredible experience seeing such a creature wild in its natural environment.

Next stop was the Daintree Village. On entering the village it's very much like a time warp. The youngest building would be at least 50 years old and nothing about the town gives a hint of being in the 21st century. I grabbed a coffee at the souvenir / general store / cafe / pub. A very interesting room to walk into. The town was quite busy and a small camping ground right in the town was relatively full.

Mossman Gorge was our next stop. We managed to walk all the tracks and have a good look around in a couple of hours. The scenery is spectacular. The forest walk is terrific, a well worn path with very few steps or boardwalks once you reach the main viewing platform. The kids did really well considering it's about a 4 km walk from beginning to end. Cate and I carried the kids for a short distance but the walked the vast majority of the way.

The bus you have to travel in to get to the gorge drives past a koorie mission. It's disappointing to see the community in such disrepair. Doors missing no curtains on any of the windows and several trashed cars in the front and back yards of houses. It really is not a good look for international tourists to the area.

We were all a little hungry by the time we left Mossman and we decided to make it to Palm Cove for dinner. We had Thai. The food was delicious, the service was poor, and for me, way to many vegetables.

It was past 7:00 by the time we left and with some very tired children in tow we headed for the camper, a quick routine and bed.

Again another brilliant day, we are all a little tired but today was well worth the effort. We got to some of the very spectacular parts our country has to offer.

6 July 2015

Woke to an overcast and cool morning today, there was a slight breeze making the 19° feel more like 18°, what a shame!

We really liked the look of Palm Cove last night but we didn't have time to look around due to the late hour we were there so decided to hear back there again today for a daytime look. First impressions are that it is very trendy and very much caters for tourists. The main boulevard along the beach has many restaurants and accommodation units and a vibe very relaxed and chilled.

There was a little rain as we arrived but it cleared to be a very pleasant sunny day. Ethan and Aisha just wanted to play at the park so they played until lunchtime. I wandered to the local caravan park for a look, unfortunately I was disappointed. Compared to the rest of the area it was nothing to really speak of, enough to said.

We ate at a cafe bar, had a delicious lunch then walked along the beach for some distance. The beach is very tranquil. Small waves meet a white sandy beach which meets palm trees, beautiful.

We left Palm Cove around 1:00 and headed back to Cairns stopping briefly at Rays Outdoors to buy a pack for us to take to the beach. The Esplanade beach pool was our next destination. We were very excited to be going there after seeing it on our return from Green Island and we were not disappointed. It is. Dry much like a clear lagoon with soft white sandy beaches leading into a huge pool. The water was excitement clean and had an excellent temperature.

The kids played in the sand had a swim and played in the sand. The sun was out and the 27° felt more like 30. It was a perfect afternoon at the beach and the hours rolled by very quickly.

On returning to the camper, I did the shopping while Cate took the kids to the water park again. We had promised the kids some time at the water park and a BBQ for dinner for 2 days buy with our busy schedule hadn't been able to deliver, tonight we did.

Cate bathed the kids while I cleaned the dishes and right now it is a very balmy evening, again another brilliant day.

There are a couple of observation to make about Cairns. Firstly the traffic. We noted that it is very much a larger country town rather than a small city. Everyone drives slowly and the mood is very relaxed. Secondly there is a definite lack of sunsets. Although it get darker later than at home there are huge mountains on the western side of the city which block the sun at around 4:30-5:00 resulting in no beautiful sunsets. It struck me tonight as I walked out of Coles that the sun had already gone behind the mountains. Thirdly, Cairns is obviously a starting or end point for people travelling to Cape York Peninsula, and this is the season for it. There are a large number of people either leaving for the Cape or on their way back. They stop here for a few days and then head to wherever in the country they reside.

7 July 2015

Another perfect day in paradise. Today was certainly the best weather we have had since this adventure began. It was mostly a cloudless day and the temperature reached 27° although in the direct sunlight it was quite hot. We certainly loaded up on sunscreen and we were seeking shade when not in the water.

A lazy morning followed by a ride on the 4 seater bike was the perfect start. We crused the caravan park and for the first time realised that there are several permanent residents here, I was totally surprised. We took it in turns of stealing the bike, although Ethan and Aisha couldn't peddle while they were stealing and Cate and I were not allowed to sit in the from so we took it in turns of walking while the kids steered.

That worked up enough of a sweet we had a quick bite to eat then headed to the water park. Again the kids really enjoyed the facilities. I think it's a highlight for them.

After some time they wandered over to the jumping pillow for a while and enjoyed playing hide and seek. They really get along so well and genuinely enjoy each other's company. It gives me great pleasure to see and hear them make each other laugh.

After the pillow we went back to the camper for lunch. I did some food shopping and returned just in time to head to one of the pools here.

We spent a good couple of hours swimming. I was throwing the kids in the air and they were standing on my shoulders then jumping off. We also slide down the water slide. The time in the pool was fantastic and is one of the most special times of the holiday so far.

We got back in time for dinner then the normal bedtime routine. It was a brilliant day and I could really get used to living in this type of climate.

8 July 2015

Today is our last full day here in Cairns. In preparation for this trip we had our list of things we wanted to do while we were here and we have done all we wanted. So today was very relaxed and low key.

Again the weather was terrific, the sun was out all day and there was little wind. In fact the sun was quite warm. We began the day with a visit to the water park. The kids have really enjoyed the facilities here and the water park in particular.

On the way back from the water park we stopped off at the playground for a while. Interestingly it was the first time we had been there all week. The kids knew it was there, there were just more interesting things to do.

Back at the camper we ate lunch and then headed to the Esplanade pool in town. It is a terrific facility complete with life guards, although the guy this afternoon was a little to enthusiast with the rules, I saw him tell off a 6 or 7 year old for having a foam kick board. The kids played in the sand and had a swim. It really was a picture perfect afternoon enjoying the sand, water and definitely the sun.
Tonight after dinner and bath and the kids went to bed, I went to the big screen outside and watched the rugby league state of origin decider. It was terrific to watch the game with so many Queenslanders. The atmosphere was amazing and the maroons won by a record margin.

I will be a little sad to pack up and leave here in the morning. It has been an amazing 10 days and the time seems to have flown, although it seems like an eternity ago since I made the drive here. Yet I'm looking forward to the rest of this FNQ trip

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