After having been in Cairns for about a week, we thought it was about time we did some more exploring, so Justin, Chris and I decided to head up north. We packed up in Chris's campervan and off we went. First of all though, I had to make a quick stop to buy a new camera (after the one I had decided to break) so I could record our adventures. We had booked at a hostel right in centre of Cape Tribulation for two nights to start with, but on the way we made a stop at a place called Kurunda which was right up in the hills outside Cairns. It took a while to get up there, and the van struggled, but we made it there eventually and stopped at a few lookouts to get some nice views of the hills and sea. Before we went around Kuranda itself we drove to Barron Gorge to look at the waterfall; Barron Falls. It was a good sight and quite impressive compared to other ones we had seen on our travels, but because it was the dry season it wasn't anywhere near as big as it could get. Anyway there was a nice walk around there too which filled some time. We went back to Kuranda Village where we stopped for lunch, and then we just had a bit of a wander around as it was a nice place. It was quite cold though and you could definetly tell we were high up. We couldn't stay too long because we had a look around the market, and there was so much nice stuff there I had to leave before I spent too much money, which I could easily have done! After that we headed straight for Cape Trib. The drive there was very nice and scenic, especially the part from Cairns to Port Douglas as the highway was right on the cliffs and the sea. We drove for a couple of hours and then we saw signs for Cape Trib, however Chris and I got very confused because we didn't realise you had to cross a car ferry to get there. We turned around a couple of times before we realised that was the only way there and gave in (Justin was asleep in the back by this point and didn't have a clue.) Luckily the ferry was fairly cheap and quick, but then we had another 45 minute drive along a windy, bumpy road in the middle of the rainforest before we reached the hostel. We were there at last! The hostel was nice but a bit basic, and we stayed in some bunglows. It was right in the rainforest though and also right on the beach. That night we ate in the bar for dinner, and met up with some of Chris's friend that were there who he knew from home. We had a few drinks and a surprisingly good night considering we were in the middle of nowhere.

The next morning we got up for breakfast and tried to recover from the night before, then set off on an excursion in the van so the other two girls could have a go riding in it. We drove almost all the way back down the road to the ferry to visit a place called Cow Bay. I knew it was supposed to be nice because all the guided trips go there, and it was very pretty. It was a small bay with lovely sand and some nice views. It did take us 45 mintues to get there though, so I'm not sure it lived up to the hype, but was nice all the same. We stayed there for a bit and had a walk around, and then went back to the hostel. From there we went on a walk along a more northern beach called Myall Beach until we got to the Cape Tribulation headland. That beach was good too although much bigger, and had lots of crabs on it that seemd to entertain the boys endlessly. Once we had reached Mason creek, that came along into the sea, we followed a track that led right across the top of the cape to another beach the other side; Cape Tribulation Beach. The walk through the rainforest was nice, but a bit scary as the track was small and we thought we would stand on a snake at any moment. It was like a proper rainforest though, with loads of vines everywhere that you just wanted to swing on like Tarzan. Once we had reached the other beach, we walked up the Kulki Boardwalk up to the Lookout over the beach. This time we felt much safer! We walked back to the hostel along the main road as it was quicker, but it still took us a good 45 mintues. Surprisingly after all this walking we still weren't fed up, and as we still had time before it got dark we drove back down the road a bit to walk around the Mardja Botanical walk. This was quite nice and filled some time, and we got to see some Mangroves and a creeper tree that had grown up another oneand then killed it, so you could see right up through it. We went back to the hostel after that to rest for a bit before dinner. Although we ate in the bar again, we had a quieter night that time and went to bed early because we were so tired after an active day! The next morning we got up early to check out, and then we off on our way again. We drove out of Cape Tribulation and back over the ferry, stopping off on the way at another lookout, and continued our adventures!