Etty Bay

9 July 2015

This morning was pack up day. We woke early and began packing bags and sleeping bags then went to breakfast by the pool, pancakes. The Coconut Resort really do things well. The was a large number of people wanting pancakes, yet the wait was not really that long. There were 3 guys attending 3 large BBQs, 3 people at the door of the pool gate writing names and where people live on stick name tags and another 2 guys mixing the pancake batter with cordless drills. They have been doing pancake breakfasts for a long time and they certainly have the procedure down pat.

The weather turned just after breaky and there were a few light showers as we were packing the camper. Around 10:30 we said good bye to the Coconut Resort and Cairns and headed the short 100 km drive to Etty Bay.

The drive was quite pleasant we didn't have that far to go so time was never a factor. We arrived in Etty Bay around noon, half set up camp then headed for some water falls. The beach here is terrific and we are only 40-50 meters from the beach, we considered staying here for the afternoon but it really wasn't beach weather. It wasn't cold but it had been raining on and off all the way here and the rain was threatening. We changed our minds several times as to exactly where we were going and then stumbled across the Mamu Tropical Skywalk so we stopped and walked the 2.5 kms through and across some of the most beautiful National park. There is a Cantilever which is 20 meters high, an elevated walkway 350 m long and just has high as the Cantilever and a tower which is 37 m high. The views across the tree tops is wonderful and the serenity was only broken by 2 kids that wanted to follow us around all day. We really did have a ball.

Upon arriving back at our camp site we discovered a cassowary roaming through the park and it wandered right beside our site. It was amazing to see a wild, endangered creature just looking around. They are really huge and it just disappeared into the bush. The rest of the day was the standard getting dinner and ready for bed.

Around 5:30 the rain became quite heavy and consistent. Still it's not cold, just a little annoying.
Interestingly the sound of the freeway near the Coconut Resort resembled the sound of the waves at the beach, and now that we are so close to the beach I'm amazed how close the two sounds are.
This is a very different park from the Coconut, there are few facilities but the beach is terrific, we now hope for beach weather while we are here.

10 July 2015

The rain was persistent and consistent throughout the night last night and continued through the morning. We had planned to go to Parenella Park today and we headed off as soon as we had had breakfast.

The people of Queensland have certainly been friendly. We were one of the first people at the park and we were treated by a lady named Jo who came out to the car park with umbrellas for us so we didn't have to walk in the rain. She pointed us in the right direction. We found out that we should have got a pass for the Skywalk and the Parenella Park together, still they didn't charge for the kids today and gave Cate and I a discount so I think we were better off.

We decided not to go on the 9:30 tour and join to 10:00 one instead. This gave us time to relax enjoy a hot chocolate and a coffee and have a look at the shop. Jo was also willing to have a good chat with Cate and the kids, talking mostly about Jo's experiences with the local crocs.

Parenella park was terrific. The tour went for around an hour and we were told the history of the place and how it had developed and changed over the last century. After the tour we had the opportunity to wander the park ourselves. The highlight for the kids was feeding the fish and the turtles. We were given some fish food at the beginning of the tour to feed them when we got to them.
There were 2 spectacular weaker falls in the park and some terrific buildings. We walked the many paths surrounded by some amazing trees and some well directed views of the waterfall. We enjoyed the park for a couple of hours before heading to the Mena Creek pub for lunch. The pub had a room with some toys and a TV, ironically Play School was on followed by some of the kids favourite ABC programs. We ate till we could eat no more then headed to the sugar museum near Etty Bay.
Aisha had fallen asleep so Cate waited with her while Ethan and I went in for a look. It was quite educational on the process of producing sugar and the local / Australian Cain industry. The museum is only small and we weren't too long, then back to the camper.

Throughout the day the rain has been on and off. At the camper Cate, Ethan and Aisha played some games in the camper while I sat under the awning and read. It was a very relaxing afternoon, it was a shame it was no where near beach weather, I think Etty Bay would be terrific if we could utilise the beach, it's very close and very clean and not very busy.

We had toasty sandwiches for dinner and decided to go back to Parenella Park for the night tour, we had enjoyed the tour during the night and they were heavily emphasising the night tour. It was included in the price of our daytime admission. We were a little disappointed with the night tour. There were some flood lights of the 2 waterfalls, the main waterfall was well lit up but I was really expecting more, the "grand finale" was little more than a poorly lit castle with some mood music.
It was just after 7:00 when we left there so straight back to Etty Bay for bed.

One thing Cate and I discussed today was how Ethan and Aisha have developed over the last 6-12 months. Ethan has really taken an interest in using the GoPro and the still camera and he is quite good at using both. Aisha is a lot more independent and wants to walk more than the last time we camped.

It's a shame we haven't been able to have a day at the beach here but the 2 tours we did were well worth it. Tomorrow we pack for Townsville. I'm really hoping the rain stays away while we are packing in the morning.