Day Thirty Six - August 11th, 2013
Cairns to Mossman via Port Douglas
When the alarm went off this morning and we were greeted by grey skies, it felt surreal and alien to be in anything but bright sunshine. It wasn't cold however, and Elliot and I, Megan and Ben, set about packing up our lives and putting what we could into the free storage space the campground had been generous enough to let us use until we return. After the boys had worked their magic, the Landy had just enough space for the four of us to squeeze into for the 60 kilometres up to Port Douglas. We used up the rest of our eggs with some toast, and hit the road. I had a different perspective from the back seat, and let Ben navigate.
We climbed a hill and found a lookout stop at the top. We pulled over and crossed the road for a better view. Several other people obviously had the same idea, including Tanya and Chris (who we'd met at in Carins) on their way south from Cape Tribulation! They let us know of a campsite in Port Douglas (at $36 a night for an unpowered site we were doubtful if we'd use it), and about the markets that were on in Port until 3pm today. We said our farewells and headed off in opposite directions.
We pulled into Port and found the markets. They were set against a spectacular background of mountains and ocean, and once we'd claimed a parking space in the packed out car park, we stopped for a photo opportunity. The ambiance was dampened slightly by the numerous signs warning of dangerous animals in the area. We saw a small boy playing on the shore in the distance, seemingly unsupervised, splashing around in the shallows. I ha a case of morbid fascination; I just couldn't take my eyes off the situation fearing the worst scenario: a croc attack. Clearly Aussie kids are more robust than I am, and he was fine.
The markets were extensive an kept us entertained all morning and into the afternoon. Elly and I shared a coconut, which after we had drained of milk, could take back to be cut open and shredded for free. We also tried free samples of 100% cacao from the Daintree rainforest. A unique flavour; I think I'll stick to Cadbury's, despite the health benefits of the raw product. We did buy a cacao and goji berry ball to share which was delicious. The boys messed around with some circus toys, and Ben bought some really cool aboriginal art for a good price. The area seems to produce great food (especially fruit) and good quality coffee. We even found a stall selling leather goods - from crocodile belts to kangaroo wallets, and cane toad purses which were seriously ugly! It brought back memories of my childhood holidays spent in Queensland with our good friends the Allisons, when Cody taught me and Bex to drop large rocks onto the toads from a great height. A messy game.
We meandered along the Main Street, and had a look in all the lively bars, restaurants and pubs lining the road. I love the vibe here, and much prefer it to Cairns.
Megan and Ben have a friend, Martin (from France) who they lived with in Queenstown, and is now head chef at Nautilus, a lovely up market restaurant on the high street. We took the little rainforest path leading up to it and said hello. Maybe we will meet up with him later in the week.
Feeling a bit peckish, we headed to Coles and stocked up. It's much cheaper shopping as a four! We decided on stir-fry (with steak for the others) for tonight. Ben and Megan also scoped out some diving/snorkelling trips out on the reef, but we have decided our experience in the Whitsundays cannot be topped and we will not be spending another $200+ each to try. Back in the car, we had a look in our campsite book, and online for a good spot for tonight. Megan and I were both very worried about free camping, seeing as their are rivers and creeks everywhere, and therefore the possibility of crocs, and we can't all sleep in the car! We therefore chose to forgo the expensive sites in town (as it is such a beautiful place, there are many gorgeous resorts - none of which are in our $30 a night price range), and headed north. We were so glad we did - we found Mossman River Park who gave us one site for the four of us, powered, for $53 a night. That works out at $26.50 - a bargain! The huge 50m pool just behind the check in desk looked too good to be true, and we put the tents up as quickly as we could and dove in to cool off from the hot, sticky day. Elly and I bashed out a kilometre each, showered and enjoyed an evening chilling with a book. The end of the one I had been reading was extremely disappointing, but even that couldn't dampen the lovely relaxed atmosphere. After a massive meal cooked by Ben, we all traipsed over to the camp kitchen to wash up. There is a little love bird living in a cage there who chatters away. Unfortunately, his female companion recently died and he is lonely. Who knew I could love a bird so much? I think I'll like being here for a few days.