Daintree to Port Douglas to Cairns

We started packing up after breakfast and it began bucketing down with rain!  It was constant!  We put the kids in the car and Mars finished packing the outside while I finished inside the van.

It took us about an hour to drive from the Daintree to Port Douglas.  Thankfully the weather also cleared in that time so when we arrived in Port Douglas it was beautiful!  We walked out onto the wharf/jetty that overlooked the Marina and the river. The boys were tempted to try some fishing when they saw someone else drop a line but we were able to convince them otherwise.

We then spent some time at the playground so the kids could use up some energy.  About 20 metres away the kids stood with a warning sign for crocodiles.  The signs are everywhere around water in Far North Queensland.

From Port Douglas we took the Captain Cook Highway back to Cairns, apparently it's usually a beautiful view to the ocean but it was very cloudy and grey while we drove it.  We arrived in Cairns and parked the van on the verge opposite Matt & Wilmas house. Bit of a dodgy spot but it allowed us to stay close by!

Daintree

The following morning we packed up and left the caravan park to drive South to the Daintree. 

We stopped for lunch along the way where the kids could throw stones/rocks into the creek and burn off some energy.  The trip took us about 4.5 hours.

We arrived in the Daintree JUST in time to make the next croc spotting cruise (4pm) along the Daintree River.  Armed with binoculars, beer/wine & peanuts for the adults, soft drink & lollies for the kids we enjoyed the hour long cruise with the crocs being pointed out to us by the guide.  In Queensland the boats are required to allow 10metres distance between the boat and the crocodile.

The guide informed us that at high tide the river is salt water but at low tide the river is fresh water. We enjoyed seeing the crocodiles in their natural environment and admired the beautiful Daintree Forest too. 

After the cruise we had to find somewhere to camp for the night.  We headed up the road for about 15 minutes and booked in at the caravan park. We hurried to set up and get dinner sorted.

When the kids were in bed Mars headed down to the river for a quick fishing fix. Mars was unsuccessful but he did get chatting to one of the other fishermen who had caught some fish. 

Cooktown

Tuesday morning we packed up and headed out to Cooktown.  There was plenty of wildlife to watch out for on the roads, massive Brahman cows grazing next to the road and a dead boar sunbaking on the verge kept us alert!

We stopped for lunch after about 2.5 hours then continued driving for another 90 minutes. When we arrived in Cooktown we did a quick tour of the town then found the IGA for some groceries, then found a caravan park to camp in.  As it was just after the Easter long weekend the park was very empty and quiet. 

We set up camp then headed off to the pool for a break from the heat!  It was very refreshing and we spent a few hours enjoying it.

After dinner and showers we were all off to bed to try and catch up on some sleep after the busy weekend.

The following day we headed back into town to see the James Cook Museum.  Cooktown was named after Captain James Cook ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef in the Endeavour.  The anchor was lost on the reef as well as a cannon, which were retrieved 200 years later. He limped the boat to shore and when the tide went down he and his men were able to start fixing the hole in the hull. He and his crew spent 74 days at Cooktown and had some interesting dealings with the aborigines there.

 The anchor which was retrieved from the reef 200 years after the shipwreck

We spent a few hours wandering through the museum which hosted a lot of information on Captain Cook as well as the history of the gold rush days, the immigrants and the aborigines that were living in the area.

The kids loved the poem on the wall...

'Captain Cook chased a chook, all around Australia,

Lost his pants in the middle of France

and found them in Tasmania'

From there we walked down to the park and had some lunch while the kids played.  It was pretty warm! We strolled along the foreshore and had a look at the musical boat where the kids (and adults) could play tunes with the thongs on the pipes.  There were a number of different statues remembering different people who were involved in building the community at Cooktown.

Captain Cook statue

We headed back to the car and drove up to the lookout, overlooking Cooktown and the Endeavour River.  Afterwards we drove out to Trevathan Falls which was a bit of a 4WD track and a bit tricky to find.  We were all keen for a swim when we got there but it turned out to be not a great spot for the kids to access the water.  So Mars and the three oldest had a hike up and took some photos then we headed back out again.

Back at the caravan park we had a swim and cooled off there - it was a stinking hot day!

Tinaroo

On Monday we spent the morning packing up and cleaning the hall and dorms, then packed up the caravan.

We made our way down to the Lake again for a few hours enjoying the Tube rides behind the boat and socialising some more!

Around 2pm we finally headed back to our caravan and hooked up and drove off to our camp, about 30 minutes away. By the time we got there we had a number of 'sleepers'... must've been a BIG weekend!

But this little 'Angry Ant' wasn't keen on sleeping!

We set up and had some dinner and tried to get everyone into bed on time! As we were checking the WA news online we had the terrible news of the shark attack in Esperance, taking the life of Laeticia Brouwer.  Our hearts ache for the Brouwer family and the extended families. We keep them in our prayers.

Lake Tinaroo

Good Friday morning we packed up the camper and got ourselves ready to head out to Lake Tinaroo, a 90ish minute drive out of Cairns and into the Tablelands.

We arrived at camp, did a quick set up then joined the church group there for lunch.  After lunch was the first of the discussions 'A light that shines brightly - reaching my neighbour and my community' - followed by some time spent in groups discussing various points of this topic.

After the discussions we had some free time followed by dinner.  It was so nice not to have to cook! There was lots of socialising during meal times plus juggling the kids eating their dinner meant that we were often the last ones to leave the table.

After getting Axel and Rowan to bed I stayed in the van to keep the kids company while Mars enjoyed the fun and games with Chad, Karli and Brenton.  There was plenty of laughter going on!  Eventually we managed to send the kids to bed - in the boys / girls dorms. They LOVED sleeping in dorms.

The following morning we started with a COLD shower due to no hot water in the Ladies bathroom. I was definitely awake after that! We had a communal breakfast about 8am, after which we had another Speech followed by discussion.  It was enjoyable to be involved.

After some lunch, Matt and Matt P got the boats out and we headed down to the Lake to do some swimming and tubing behind the boat.  The water level was very low this year (apparently) so it wasn't delightful to swim in - but it was nice just to cool off.

Nap time came around for Axel so I took Rowan and Axel back to the camper. Axel had a sleep while Rowan found lots of people to play soccer with him! He was stoked! And I even got to spend time reading a book! First time for everything!

Later in the afternoon everyone had finished their rides behind the boat and made their way back to the lawn area for some soccer or just chilling and chatting.  It was very enjoyable!

Dinner was wonderful in the communal hall, followed by some singing.  We got Rowan and Axel into bed and joined in the games and activities.  There's was lots of frivolity and evidence of some competitive spirits!

Easter Sunday morning at 7am Mars joined the gathering to get a 'feeling' for what Mary would've felt as she walked to Jesus tomb early in the morning.

Around 8am we enjoyed some breakfast, followed later by church at 10am.  I was able to babysit while Mars went to church with the kids to hear the Easter Sunday message.

After the service was time for some fellowship and coffee. The kids loved these times to have fun together. After lunch was church again. 

We could then enjoy a long afternoon of socialising and enjoying the beautiful campgrounds at Tinaroo.  There was soccer being played, new friends to meet, trees to climb and competition photos to be taken. Never a dull moment.

After dinner there were some presentations for the photo competition and some personal awards handed out.

The group then headed out to the fire and sat around and enjoyed the guitar playing and singing.  A very enjoyable night!