After rafting a few of us decided to take a trip up to Cape tribulation where the scenery was supposed to be amazing. The weather reports didnt look that great but we thought "hey, why not".

Tuan and I went out the day after we got back from rafting and tried to find some car rental places. At this point it was pouring down with rain but we didnt care, it was warm rain! Everyone had doubts about going but to me it was all part of the adventure and just going with the flow.

We started the trip of early morning heading up the Captin Cook Highway. We decided to make a stop off at Karunda where there was supposed to be a cable car and a big waterfall. We drove up a windy road for a while getting higher and higher untill we reached a small settlement at the top, Karunda. It was a funky place and looked like a nice place to have breakfast so we got some goodies and went looking for the waterfall.

We spotted a sign post to Barron Falls and drove for a further 10 mins until we got to a cliff edge car park. We then entered a bush board walk which was pretty high up and took us through part of the rain forest at Barron Gorge Nation Park. We could hear a rubble in the distance which was getting louder and louder untill we came to a viewing platform and stood infront of the biggest waterfall ive ever seen. this thing was huge, check the pictures, it was pretty amazing!

After taking photos and checkout out the mountain railway and cable cart, which we couldnt go on as it took you all the way back down the mountain and our car was at the top, we headed back on the road towards Cape Trib.

The drive was really nice, all along the ocean with rain forest the other side. Our next stop off was Port Douglas, the place where the rich and famous go! To be honest it wasnt that great, but i was used to the beaches of Thiland! The nicest bit was the view point and the wetaher had hit us a bit now so we couldnt actually see that much but if you used your imagination you could see what it could look like.

Back on the road again and the weather was really bad now, hard core rain and lots of it. We got to the river crossing where Gemma, our friend that we departed with in Malaysia had just come back from called to let us know that a few days earlie the crossing was shut as the river was so strong it snapped the ferry cable that pulls it across the river!...hmmm nice. We arrived and the boat was still running which was cool so we boarded and got across safely, no drama! (which you'll hear a lot in aus)

It was my turn to drive now and it was the worst weather at this point. We headed up and down steep roads through the forest untill we came to part of the road that had been engulfed by an overflowing creek. It looked pretty strong but we had come so far to turn back now, the car wasnt 4 wheel drive so I decided to go at it at a steady speed keeping the car moving. Me and tuan jumped out to check the depth and it didnt seem to bad, maybe a foot but in a normal family car thats a lot! I started the push through and straight away we could feel the power of the water, the car slid slightly to the side, something we really didnt want to happen as if we hit the edge of the road the car was going to tip over! (dont worry mum, its all over now!)

We got through and gave a little cheer that we were still alive and carried on towards our accommodation. We hadnt booked anything and just hoped there would be a room somewhere. We finally got to Cape Trib and found a hostel that looked half decent. It was still pouring hard core but we decided to go and make a picnic under a shelter near the beach. It was a good dinner, roast chicken baguettes mmm. We also noticed a few pretty big spiders who decided to join us also. We threw some chicken in the web and the spider looked liked he enjoyed it a lot! At least it kept him away from us hey. In the evening we hit the hostel bar and decided we would do the sight seeing the next day.

The morning after and it was time for the long drive back but before we left we took a drive to some of the local beaches around Cape Trib. It was still a bit cloudy but it wasnt raining and was pretty warm. The beaches were really nice but again, i was used to Thailand so it was nothing special. Tuan at this point told me that i needed to see the beaches at Wilsons Promatory, the most southern part of Australia. I didnt think i was going to make it there but noted what he said and told him its gonna be hard to beat the Thailand Beaches.

Before we got back on the road we found a creek that apparently had a rope swing and YES it did, awesome, i needed to have a wash anyway ;) As you can see fom the title pic of this blog i proceeded to swing from the rocks and backflip into the nice cool pool below. It was so refreshing and im pretty sure there wre no crocs near by ;) (i did do a quick check before you ask)

After my "shower" we hit the road and headed back to Cairns but took valley route inland which we were told gives us some amazing scenery and they were right! The drive back was the best bit of goign to Cape Trib. The views were just incredible. We had to go through a few more flooded roads but the current wasnt as bad so it was ok. I put the car on cruise control for most of the journey back cruising thorugh wetlands and small towns. It was one of the best drives ive ever done.

We finally got back to Cairns and returned the car and chilled out while we waited for our night Coach to take us south and begin our decent down the east coast. Next stop, The Whitsundays, Airlie Beach