Well we drove north to Cooktown and had to come back again because the road ran out (well our kind of road anyhow) and now we have driven north to Cape Tribulation and had the road run out again (the Bloomfield track it's called after all, not the Bloomfield road).

Since leaving our Birdwatcher's paradise (where our highlight was seeing platypus) we have been staying at Newell Beach about 4 km north of Mossman and 60 kms south of Cape Trib. On our first day here we headed up to Daintree Village (this side of the river) and after driving around for a bit while Jude completed his nap we took the plunge and went on an hour long croc cruise on which we managed to see 2 crocs (must be pretty common cos they offer you a second trip for free if you don't see one). The big fella we saw was really huge and was apparently down this end of the river looking for chicks cos its that time of the year. It makes them even more dangerous than usual and the tour guide/boat driver kept reiterating that point re me holding tight to Jude. The woman who sold us our tickets had a baby fruit bat in a sling around her neck that had been orphaned and she was looking after it and it was so cute and even posed perfectly for my photo. The photos I got of the crocs weren't too good but then it is hard to take a good shot whilst hanging on to your 2 year old with one hand.

On the way home we went south and took in Port Douglas which is VERY touristy and busy and not really my cup of tea (tho perfect if you want to shop and stay at high class resorts.) We drove up the steep hill to the lookout ('Felix can do it mum!' As I changed down into 1st) and a great view greeted us but then so did a bus load of tourists (which wasn't a problem for Jude who just pushed his way through.) I laugh at myself as I write that because really it was only a small bus and I didn't have to wait long to get into position to take a good photo and if I compare it to waiting times at somewhere like Dreamworld I should just take it back altogether - but that is what it feels like when you are used to having just about every beauty spot to yourself or only one or two others. Spoilt, that's what I am.

We had a couple of days of doing nothing much, a bit of rain that kept us inside the van in the mornings and Jude edgy as for the rest of the day and then on Friday we made it up to Cape Tribulation, crossing the mighty Daintree River and all its crocodiles with no more effort (if a lot more expense) than we used to use to get to Hindmarsh Island in the days before the bridge. The only downside is that you are not allowed to get out of your car on the way across! A great day snaking our way up the coast on what used to be the start of the Bloomfield Track (I presume) before they laid that bitumen and opened it up to 2wders like me, Jude and Felix. A nice rainforest walk at Jindalba revealed the beauty of the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher (although doesn't the name really say it all) but unfortunately it was too wily for me to get a good shot of so you will have to Google it if you really want to know what it looks like. Just an aside here, may be the paranoid mother in me but Jude is forced to wear a hat whenever we walk in the rainforest as a precautionary measure against paralysis ticks. Do I always wear one? Hmmm, mostly. And yet Jude's hair is still sparse enough that no tick would be able to conceal itself on his head for a minute - some things we do just don't make sense on close examination (will I still make him wear a hat - you betcha!)

On the way up to Cape Trib we stopped at Cow Bay and visited the little Art Gallery/Café that my Mum, Dad and I stopped at (we landed at the airstrip opposite) for Devonshire teas when we did a flight over the Cape when I was 17! At the time the roads were all dirt and this was the only place we saw, now there is a pub round the corner! Cape Tribulation beach was just beautiful and once again there was that little sigh that the water was just too dangerous to swim in. I am actually more concerned with Box Jellyfish in the ocean that I am with crocodiles - they really mean that even a paddle is out of the question because even a stray tentacle could still kill Jude in less than 3 minutes. Not worth a paddle and Jude has now added 'stingers' to the reasons we can't swim in the sea. We kept driving until the bitumen ran out so for the record Jude and I (and Felix!) have driven about 1.2km on the Bloomfield Track because that was how far we had to drive before we could turn around…

On the way back south we called into the Discovery Centre which is where the HUGE spider in the accompanying photos was and where we got to do a bit of a canopy walk and our life was forever enriched with the now precious knowledge of the one-time existence of the DEMON DUCK OF DOOM.

Quick note here to say thank you to Ali for ringing up the caravan park I was staying at (without telling me) and paying for a night's accommodation to see me through to payday. MWAH! And another one to my Dad for always offering to pay for things like my (ultra cover and ultra expensive) RACQ membership and put it on my 'bill' for later. MWAH! for you too.

Another day of mooching around at Newell Beach and this time Jude had Sonny to play with who was visiting with his grandparents. Plus a big shout out to Becky & David & Barbara & Gary & Luke & Ava who invited us over for roast dinner on Saturday night. Becky & David and kids live at Tolga whilst Becky's parents, Barbara & Gary are up here from Townsville. Take a moment here for a 'small world' story - another couple who were at this caravan park for a few days while we were there (Hello Mavis & Bob) are chatting with me and I mention that I am going to catch the train to the Gold Coast for Christmas and Mavis is catching exactly the same train to spend Christmas with her son in Brisbane. Now I even have a friend for the train trip!

On Sunday, our last full day in and around Mossman, we finally visited Mossman Gorge which really is a beautiful spot so perfectly set out with modern raised walkways and a cool suspension bridge complemented by shady, windy paths worn into the dirt and following the river itself. As we leave Newell Beach and head to Cairns (well in my narrative at least) we bid a very fond farewell to our hosts Jenny & Warren and to their 2 gorgeous girls Nikki (5) and Rebecca (20 months and who Jude called Macca Pacca). We will definitely revisit before leaving the area just to say hello.

Monday was a slow and relaxing drive down to Cairns with stunning views at every turn and the continual wonder that there aren't more accidents as drivers get distracted! We have checked into a fairly central caravan park in Cairns for a couple of nights and thus far we have limited our activities to shopping and playgrounds and of course swimming in the park pool to relieve the heat. While in Cairns we look forward to catching up with the 3 local families we have befriended between Karumba and here and also catching up with our mate Shane who as luck would have it is actually on the Gold Coast at the moment (but due back any day he says!) Planning on being pretty low key for the next few weeks til we get on the train as Christmas expenses get prioritised over sightseeing - at least there won't be much fuel requirements for a while and what there is can (finally) be filled with gas instead of petrol.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas………Only 2 days til those trees can go up. (unless of course you follow the shopping centre tradition of putting them up in oh, September is it?)