Cairns and North Queensland, Australia

December 1st – December 10th 2011

We arrived in Darwin and had a bit of a wait due to a delayed flight before we could get our connection to Cairns. We were very tired as it was a night time flight and as usual we didn’t manage to get very much sleep. Once we landed safely in Cairns we went through customs and immigration with no hiccups and proceeded with our bags to the shuttle bus which for $9 took us to Travellers Autobarn. After going through all the formalities, noting down scratches and signing contracts we were off! We were very tired and also very hungry so the first port of call was a supermarket. We found two and after price comparing Woolworths with Coles we found Coles to be slightly cheaper and had a bit more choice. We stocked up on eight jars of pasta sauce which was on offer, beans, spaghetti and the cheapest bread!

Campervan!

We drove to Barron Gorge National Park but the road ended up being a dead end, the views of the river and gorge were lovely though so we stopped to take some photos before going to Lake Placid campsite where the really friendly guy gave us a couple nights stay at a discounted rate. Craig tried to haggle some more off the price but he wasn’t having any of it! It’ll be strange not having to haggle everyday like you have to in Asia! We made pasta for dinner which was a nice change from what we have been eating in Asia for the past three months and we get an early night to recover from our lack of sleep.

Barron Gorge National Park

We woke up after a good night’s sleep and after breakfast strolled to the local shop to get bits and pieces and got chatting to the lady behind the counter. Our first impressions are that it’s very hot and humid (even the locals’ say it’s unusually hot!) and very friendly which is how I remember it from my trip to Cairns five years ago. The rest of the day was chilled out, we read magazines and got to grips with our campervan, ‘home’ for the next two months. It’s only little, a high top campervan with space at the top to put our big rucksacks and a little fridge, microwave, sink, two cupboards and two gas ring stoves. It’ll take some getting used to but it’s great to have the freedom to drive anywhere anytime and to be out of dorms too.

We decided to drive to the little town of Kuranda, somewhere that I have been before and loved. The roads were twisty and winding. We were also going uphill which the campervan struggled with a little bit; Craig’s taken to driving it very well though with no trouble at all. The views on the way up were great so we stopped for photos. We got some accommodation and chatted with the bloke behind the counter before walking along a railway line ‘shortcut’ to get to Kuranda. We had a look around the famous markets and went to the Fossil and Gemstone Museum which was free. The whole place was lovely and familiar and I found the stall that sold me my unique and beautiful didgeridoo five years ago which I have at home. After buying some banana flavoured vegan candy we went down to the Kuranda railway and did the river walk. We tried walking to the Barron Falls waterfall but got lost then got caught in a downpour. On our way back to town and absolutely drenched a lovely couple pulled over and gave us a lift saving us 15 minutes of walking in the rain, brilliant people.

Barron Falls

Craig and I at Barron Falls

The next morning we drove to Barron Falls and admired the breathtaking valley scenery and the cascading water. After watching the steam train come and go we left Barron Falls and drove to Palm Cove which is north of Kuranda. We found a campsite and strolled along the beautiful beach with the sun beating down on us. We had a relaxing following day in Palm Cove and enjoyed reading and being right by the beach.
After our laid back day at Palm Cove we drove back down south to Cairns where we popped in at the office to get a few things looked at on the campervan. We’ve only been in it for six days but already things seem to be falling apart! We parked up in town and had a walk around the harbour and lagoon and along the Esplanade. We booked a snorkelling tour of the Great Barrier Reef for in a few days time which was $129, our budget for each day in Australia is $40 so already we know we’ll need to pick our tours and activities wisely. We manage to pick up a brand new edition of Lonely Planet’s Australia guide for $45, way more than you’d pay in the U.K but hopefully it’ll be a good investment.

Palm Cove

After doing lots of reading and scouring the guidebook for free activities and places to go we went to Fleckers Botanical Gardens and wandered around all the pretty tropical plants and flowers. We crossed the road and did the rainforest boardwalk to Centenary Lakes and soaked up the very hot sunshine. After lunch we went to Crystal Cascades which was a half an hour’s drive away. We did the 1.5 km walk to the waterfall and back and watched as all the locals swam in the rivers many pools. After visiting the waterfall we had to go back to Travellers Autobarn yet again to get things fixed, not a good start to our two month road trip! Afterwards we went to the free Cairns lagoon and had a swim in the warm waters before having a look around the souvenirs in the night market.

Just over a week into our trip and it was time to do our snorkelling tour of the Great Barrier Reef which we had been really looking forward to. We got up early and parked up in the centre of town. After walking to the harbour we boarded our boat for the day and met the captain who was a British expat. We sailed out to the snorkelling spot and got suited up. It was a perfect day for snorkelling, blue skies and calm waters. We snorkelled with the guide who pointed to specific corals and fish and told us what they were, he also picked up a slimy sea cucumber and passed it to us. We were then left to swim around looking at all the varying types of fish which were a myriad of colours. We had a lovely buffet lunch and were out on the water again, this time in search of colourful clown fish which we managed to spot. We swam to the reefs edge where there was an eerie drop off point; it felt like a sea monster could rise up from the deep as the waters became so dark. At the end of the trip we were given complimentary cheeses, biscuits, fresh fruits and wine which was a lovely end to a really great day. The tour itself comprised of only 20 people and the three crew members so it felt really personal as we got to chat to each crew member and learn all about life on the reef throughout the trip.

Flippers up!

The day after our unforgettable Reef trip we decided to leave Cairns behind and drive the Millaa Millaa waterfall circuit. I had heard about Millaa Millaa from my friend Sarah who visited the waterfall and surrounding area on an organised tour but as we had our own wheels we decided to drive there and do it ourselves. The Lonely Planet guidebook also had a good bit of information on it so we set off using our rented sat nav to help us find the way. The views along the Gillies Highway were stunning so we stopped for a banana while we took in the fabulous views. Once at the Millaa Millaa waterfall we had lunch then got into our swimmers to go for a swim, We dipped our toe in and it was absolutely freezing! Craig was much braver than me and managed to get in with relatively no trouble but I was stood at the edge for ages while some Aussie’s spurred me on. Eventually we were both in; it took my breath away getting my whole body under as it was so cold! We did the obligatory Timotei hair flick as this is where the adverts had been filmed.

Craig's hair flick!

My hair flick!

We then swam to the waterfall itself and went under the water to the other side where it was surprisingly a bit warmer. We swam back to shore and dried off and then drove on to Zillie Falls the next waterfall in the circuit. This one was a view from the top and was slightly less impressive as we couldn’t really see it all in its entirety. The last fall was Ellinjaa Falls which we had to do a short walk through the forest to get to. It was very pretty and we passed a wild dingo on our way to it as well. After the pretty scenery of the waterfall circuit we decided to drive a couple of hours south to Mission Beach. The landscape went from rolling hills, rainforests and mountains to flat lands dominated by crops with railway lines seemingly unused running between fields.

Views from the road

Mission Beach was a pretty and quiet place with a massive beach. We stayed on a council run campsite which wasn’t as nice as what we had experienced but wasn’t too expensive either. While in Mission Beach we walked along the isolated beach and watched the little crabs scuttle into their holes in the golden sand.