Cairns and Northern Queensland
We left a slightly damp and dull Sydney (only Ricky Ponting would be stupid enough to bat first on a green pitch on such a day) to fly to tropical Cairns in Queensland.
The contrast was immediate and stark, obviously it was much warmer but the noticeable difference was how quiet and deserted the city was compared to Sydney. It was a refreshing change.
Although Cairns is on the coast it doesn't have a proper beach instead there is a boardwalk and beneath this swampy mud/sand that leads gently to the sea. This area looks quite appealing for a stroll but the signs warning of the potential presence of crocodiles soon puts a stop to any such thoughts.
Along the boardwalk there is a community pool which provided a brilliant place to relax and cool off when necessary and provided us with a good opportunity to recharge the batteries.
From Cairns, after collecting our hired Hyundai Getz, we headed north along the coast to Port Douglas. This town markets itself as an upmarket holiday resort and it certainly delivered, it is a fine looking town with a great feel about it. One of its many attractions is its close proximity to the Great Barrier Reef which was the main reason for our visit.
Our snorkelling tour to the reef was absolutely fantastic. The trip on the boat out to the reef was ninety minutes where we stopped at three separate sites having lengthy periods to snorkel at each. The coral and the fish were fantastic, the only downside was having to wear stinger suits (someone was seriously ill having been stung along the coast the previous day) which were not particularly attractive but a better bet than being stung.
Up until this point our self imposed alcohol ban for one week was holding firm, but an unfortunate twist was about to occur. I went down with a bit of a cold which made me feel pretty rotten but it had the benefit of putting me off alcohol so it was pretty easy for me. Unfortunately for Jenny having to spend time with me moaning, coughing and spluttering made her need for alcohol essential so she didn't even reach the half way mark before she reached for the beer (Jenny: and I make absolutely no apologies for it either)
Despite my cold (you get the idea of what Jenny had to put up with), we continued north along the coast to Cape Tribulation so named by Captain Cook due to the dangerous coast. It is a stunning spot where tropical rain forest meets the sea/reef - you literally walk from the rainforest national park to the reef national park. Between the sea and rainforest is a sublime and mostly deserted beach. The only problem is again that the sea is out of bounds due to stingers (and crocodiles). It really is an amazing spot.
We headed inland and down from Cape Tribulation into the Atherton Tablelands. The landscape changed firstly to field after field of sugar cane and rolling hills then, as we went into the mountains, we were treated to more forest and numerous waterfalls.
We stayed the night in a fairly sleepy town called Mareeba in a motel which we commented on when we arrived looked like the dodgy places you see on numerous US TV shows. We were not to be disappointed as during the night we were disturbed by door banging on the room next door with allegations of adultery and threats of violence, it would seem that Bernard had been a naughty man.
We arrived back in Cairns to take a day trip to Kuranda which is an old mining, and later hippie, town back out in the mountains surrounded by tropical rain forest. We travelled to the village on a cable car which is one of the longest in the world, it takes about 90 minutes in all. The views were amazing.
The actual town itself is very touristy but stayed on the right side of tacky with some great cafes and galleries and it provided a great place to spend a few hours. For the return journey back to Cairns we travelled in style on the old railway that was built over 100 years ago in a great piece of engineering. We treated ourselves as a Christmas present to gold class which provided free drinks and nibbles which flowed pretty freely, 46 dollars well spent.
Next we begin our 2,500km journey down to Brisbane to arrive on 19th January…