Campervan Last and final trip 7, Cairns 1

Moved off early to Cairns so that we could visit Mission beach on the way especially as we had expected stormy weather on the way north. However We were pleasantly surprised that the weather remained fine and as we moved further up the coast the weather became hotter/more humid, the vegetation more lush and the creeks and riverbeds appeared much fuller. Even the cattle look healthier with their far more luxuriant fodder.

Stopped at Mission Beach, really quite cute in a bohemian way and has a lovely long beach; 14k of golden sands fringed with palm trees. Had it all to ourselves as no-one on the beach especially as the stinger nets had been removed in anticipation of the cyclone. Stayed to have brunch on the beach, lovely but very humid here in the 'wet tropics' of Queensland. Seems that everything grows in abundance in this climate including the ants which were absolutely huge!

Easy journey to Cairns through Tully, the hub of the sugar industry and kept our eyes peeled for Cassowary's; an endangered, emu-like flightless bird standing at around 5ft and indigenous to this area. They are very important to the Eco structure as they are the largest animals in the rain forest and relied upon to feed on the vegetation and thus help to continue the pollination of native plants. Unfortunately we didn't get to spy one.

Dropped off the campervan and bid a sad farewell - we had such great fun!

The hotel in Cairns is on the esplanade close to all the main restaurants and the lagoon. There is no real beach in Cairns but the shore line is well accessed by great sidewalks and there are some lovely beaches a short distance away - we particularly liked Palm Cove which is about 15 mins north of Cairns.

The following day we decided to go take the sky Rail to a village in the rainforest, Karunda. The sky Rail is a cable car system that travels for 7km (45mins) directly over the rainforest canopy to the village, 350 ft above sea level. The journey was truly amazing with 2 stops to explore the rainforest walkways and the information centre at your own time. At the first stop we latched onto a tour and the guide was extremely knowledgeable and interesting. The second stop provided spectacular views over Barron Gorge, its waterfall and down to the shore where the rainforest meets the coast.

Kuranda, once a hippy commune still has some echoes of this past but of course is now geared towards tourism. Following advice from the guy who picked us from the hotel we opted for the Butterfly sanctuary and arrived just in time to join a fascinating tour and walk-through where we possibly got to see the rarest and most beautiful of butterfly species.

For our return to Cairns we went via railway and as we entered the mountain railway station it felt like walking back in time to the Victorian era. The railway was completed in 1888 and the station has kept its authenticity. The train carriages are over 100 years old, so quaint although refurbished we hoped! Once generated by steam the train is now pulled by 2 diesel locomotives due to the gradients (Steve, you would love it!). Over 2 hours we travelled through 11 tunnels, over 15 viaducts and were afforded stunning views of waterfalls and wonderful vistas out to the coastline.

Back in Cairns we had a welcome swim in the lagoon and early dinner before returning to the hotel. Unfortunately we then realised that Trailfinders couldn't find any suitable accommodation in Sydney as our dates clash with the Australia vs India cricket semi-final! So decided on Plan C, (didn't have one until then) that is to stay in Cairns another night and fly to Bangkok via Sydney on Tuesday to give us more time in Bangkok.