Now this is what Im talkin' about! Port Douglas is a playground for the flashy and sophisticated. There are many swanky holiday resorts here all boasting swimming pools and golf courses. We are lucky enough to get the best of both worlds as Toms Uncle Dave actually owns one of these swanky villas. His living room overlooks the third tee and has 4 mile beach on his doorstep. Its the perfect luxury retreat before we slum it up down the East Coast.

Port Douglas town itself is very relaxed and friendly, there are many posh bars to choose from where dining on oysters and champagne is always on the menu. However we opt for a clearly more delicious soggy cheese and tomato sandwhich which we eat in the park which is bordered by palm trees overlooking the Coral sea.

Four mile beach is the main beach here with squeeky white sand and palm trees stretching as far as the eye can see. From Flagstaff Hill lookout we get a lovely view of four mile beach, surrounding coves and what not.

Our second day here is spent trying to cram in all the surrounding areas with help from Uncle dave and his 4WD. Our first stop of the day is Mossman Gorge. This was beautiful, the water was clear and fresh and it tumbles over the boulders dotted around the river creating some rather dangerous rapids. The ancient rocks that lie here are covered in a thick green moss making the gorge look so pretty and tropical. We go for a walk and again its not long before Im making excuses as to why we should turn back. We both hear a noise which can only be described as a cluck ( the one you make when flicking your tongue agsinst the roof of your mouth) and Im adament Ive heard a Carraway.

Next on the list was Daintree National Park. We spent a few hours here visiting the various lookouts and stopping for a cup of tea and cake. The Daintree can be added to our list of National heritage sites and its easy to see why. With a mix of river, rainforest, reef and village places like this need to be protected. We watch the Daintree river and surrounding creeks with anticipation as we wait for a croc to pop his head above the water from the safety of the car. When im on foot its a totally different matter. You may have a picture of me in your head as a wuss, and you're not wrong. Im afriad of practically everything here, especially the crocs and pesky Cassowaries. As you can imagine I don't exactly jump for joy as we pull into another walking track in the Daintree Rainforest. Im a nervous wreck as we walk alone through the rainforest, we're the only tourists around and I just don't feel safe. I try my best to enjoy myself and look around at the.... but my heart is thumping and Im twitching at every crunch of leaf as I wonder whats watching me. This isn't fun for me but I try my hardest to appreciate my surroundings. A brisk walk with my eyes peeled and I finally reach the car park where I breathe a sigh of relief. I tell Tom to feel my heart just to prove I was actually scared (his patience is wearing thin by this point) and he soon forgives me as my heart is beating a million beats per minute. I jump straight in the car ready to visit our final spot of the day; Cape Tribulation. Ive never seen beach meets rainforest, and the area deserves the speechless reaction it recieves. The thick misty clouds that tower over the rugged moutains finally meet the rainforest canopy and slowly lower onto the golden sands, ive never been anywhere like this before. The Cassowary and crocodile warnings signs make the beach stroll a little less relaxing as I would of prefered but everything is so peaceful I soon calm down. We drive as far as the road can take us before returning to civilisation. I feel very lucky to of been able to see such an amazing pocket of biodiversity but its safe to say I have ticked the box and won't be coming back here in a hurry. Not until the crocs and Cassowaries have packed up and left anyway.

Tom is off on his Great Barrier Reef dive today. He has chosen to dive from Port Douglas as it is closer to the outer reef and his preferred dive spot of Agincourt. I can't believe I have come all this way to the othher side of the globe and I'm not visiting the great barrier reef. Psh.

Whilst Tom is galavanting off under the sea exploring one of the wonders of the world I am spending the day in Port Douglas in which to get to I brave the elements and cycle down 4 mile beach. This is actually 4 miles long and nobody told me sand was actually quite hard to peddle on. I was well and truely knackered but it felt good to get some exercise under my belt after a week of chowing down on multiple pies and pastries. I spend the day with Duke and Widdow and we wander around the shops and visit Marina Mirage. Meanwhile in one metre swell and high winds Tom is spueing up over the side of his dive boat, 4 times in total and to the fishes delight who got to feast on his evening meal. Whilst Tom is floating amongth the multi coloured corals of the great barrier reef he is lucky enough to survive swimming next to a sea snake (which he at first thought was a eel). This snake is the deadliest snake of its kind! Another highlight was two white tipped reef sharks among many other brightly coloured sea creatures of all shapes and sizes.

Its our last night of home comforts as tomorrow we hit the road and head down south for Mission beach. Its back to slumming it, backpacker style!