Kurrumine Beach

Monday morning we packed up and made our way South to Kurrumine Beach.  We planned to spend the week exploring the area.

We set up camp and spent the afternoon catching up on some school work / blogging.  It was a beautiful camping spot but swimming was not an option at the beach as there was a river/inlet next to the camp area which was home to a number of large / small salt water crocs.  The weather was a bit humid but the breeze helped to keep the temps down.

 

Rowan and Axel were happy to have some space again to play their own games without the other one bothering them!

Despite the concerns with crocodiles, the boys still insisted on going fishing - and who could blame them! Given the big tides, they had to walk out a fair way to find the water. They didn't have any success though.

The next day we walked up the road a bit and accidentally stumbled into an Anzac Day Remembrance ceremony! We had forgotten the date but were happy to attend. It was well attended for a small town!

After the ceremony we spent some time in the park before heading back to the caravan.  The boys were keen to try fishing again! First they had to do some more school work then they were allowed to go fishing.  Chad caught a small stingray but not much else. I was never very relaxed about them running around in croc territory...

 

In the afternoon we drove around the small town and found the boat ramp. Mars was keen to go for a fish there but I wasn't keen on the idea, particularly after he spoke to a local who confirmed that there was definitely crocs in the river - they keep an eye on them while they're out fishing!

Weekend in Cairns

We organised with Matt & Wilma to head to the Yungaburra Farmers Markets.

To get to the Markets we had to take the drive up the Gillies Range - famous for its 263 hairpin corners, 800m elevation over just 19kms! The cliffs / drop-offs looking down as we drove up were pretty hairy and not worth considering what could happen if you didn't take the corner!

We spent the morning browsing and enjoying the local produce, as well as some yummy poffertjes!

From there we drove out to Lake Eacham, a large Crater Lake. Lots of people were enjoying the freshwater swim but we weren't as keen! A lonely freshwater crocodile lives in the lake but would be well fed - the lake has lots of fish!

We took the Gillies Range back down into Cairns, so glad it wasn't raining - the road would be awful!

We headed back to Matt & Wilmas where the kids had a swim in the pool and then headed out for a belated celebratory dinner for Heath's birthday at Hogs Breath.  After a yummy dinner we headed up the street towards the shopping district and enjoyed some dessert.  Chad scored a soccerball from a backpacker tourist (which made his day)! 

After an enjoyable evening we made our way back to Matt & Wilmas where the kids amused themselves by inhaling the helium balloons!

The following day was Sunday so we made our way to church, with Rev vanGarderen preaching. After the service is coffee and cake followed by a communal lunch. It was very enjoyable! Once lunch was tidied up, the second church service could start.

Once church was finished everyone helped pack up and clean up the hall then we headed back to our base where the kids spent ages in the pool stuffing around with Vernon - which they just loved!

We were invited to Matt & Claire Byls for dinner so we spent a very fun evening there and Karli enjoyed some girl company!

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.