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!

Cairns

On Thursday Matt had taken the day off so we were taken on a guided tour around Cairns, starting at the original bridge that went over the Barron River.  A new bridge has been build to cater for higher river levels.  We kept our eyes peeled for crocodiles but they remained well hidden!

Our next stop was at Palm Cove, aptly named after all the Palms that line the shore. Just a few weeks ago there was a large crocodile seen in the water next to the jetty.  The weather was a bit rough so we were feeling for those who went out to the reef for the day.

We then drove round to Yorkeys Knob to check out the boat ramp. From there we met in Goomboora Park where the kids could swim in the creek and we enjoyed some lunch while listening to the Islanders music.

After everyone had eaten, swam and were ready to go, we headed 'home' for naps and to sort out the boat gear for the weekend at Tinnaroo.

Axel has a new skill which he is far more impressed with than I am!!!

Parked snugly up in front of Matt & Wilmas home.

At night, I headed to the Night Markets with Shania and her friends, had a fantastic massage then was told to evacuate the markets due to a 'bomb threat'.  Nothing eventuated but it was a good time to leave anyway.

Crystal Creek and Babinda

Packing up in the morning went well, although when Karli went to the toilet she let out a big scream when confronted with a friendly green frog on the back of the toilet (that she'd just been sitting on!). No one came running to save her though! Highly amusing!

Our plan was to head to Crystal Creek, a beautiful freshwater swimming hole. On the way we purchased some fruit from a fruit stall on the side of the road. Since none of us had tasted PawPaw we picked up some PawPaw as well as some tropical bananas.

As we got to the Creek it was definitely warm enough to swim.  We got our swimming gear together and made our way down the steps to the swimming hole.

It took us a little while to get used to swimming in the darker water.  Although it was beautiful and clear (and fresh!) you couldn't see what was underneath and that kept us all a bit cautious! A friendly lady offered us the use of some flotation devices which was great!  Then we could swim across to the shallow, sandy part on the other side and sit in the current.

 

Axel is definitely a 'daddies boy'

Chad found a spot where he could jump off the rock into the water and even dared to use the goggles for a while - there was plenty of friendly fish!  We really enjoyed the different swimming experience.

Eventually we packed up and got some lunch together to make in the car on the way. We drove through Innisfail to get to Babinda, our camp about 90 minutes South of Cairns.  It was a massive open area located next to a fast flowing river. 

We set up then walked down to the river, which had a small bank where we could sit with Axel and Rowan while the bigger kids had 'rides' down the river with the current. They walked up the river a bit and then went flowing back down with it.  The water was just above knee deep for Mars so not very deep but definitely had a ripper current. 

After our swim we headed back to the caravan and did some school work, then it was dinner, showers and bed!

The following morning we woke to rain! It wasn't just a drizzle either - the grounds became muddy and the pack up became a lot more frantic than usual!  We jumped in the car and headed off to the Babinda Boulders, where there was a large pool (which fed the Babinda River we were swimming in).  It was still drizzling but warm enough for a quick dip in the freezing waters!

On the warm and sunny day this place would be amazing! But this particular day was a bit dreary, although the water looked beautiful and clear.

We piled back into the car and stopped in the small town of Babinda to have a walk down the main street and have a look for more kids books in the massive Op Shop there.  Success!

After a quick stop at the bakery for some bread to make lunch in the car we continued on our way to Cairns.  By this stage the kids were pretty excitable so even 90 minutes was a long drive for them!

We did a few errands before we made our way to Matt and Wilmas house, then finally arrived there and parked up.  Chad was pretty excited to see Heath and Bryce, then super keen for a swim in the pool.  The change in weather had been remarkable from Babinda to Cairns! No rain in sight in Cairns!

Mars and the kids spent most of the afternoon in the pool, having a blast. Dinner time was spent with the Postmus family, followed by the usual bath and bed routine.  Chad promptly made himself at home in the boys bedroom.

Once the kids were in bed we could chat all night. Shania was doing an airport run to pick up Leah Heys who we met briefly before she headed off to bed. Leah (and about 9 others) had come over for the Easter Weekend at Lake Tinnaroo.