​Arriving in our luxurious paradise appartment in Palm Cove we were happy to spend the first day lounging around the pool and exploring the main drag. Unfortunately the heater in the jacuzzi didn’t work and not even the warm tropics made it bearable to sit in in the evening! We used this cruisy day to have a group discussion and plan our day trip activities.
Day Trip 1 – Port Douglas & Mossman Gorge
After hearing numerous comments about Port Douglas we made way toward the town. We could not believe the vast quantity of resorts along the main street into the busy shopping district. Seeming to be a very up market tourist location we had a leasuirely stroll and even stopped for some brunch!
Making it up to Mossman Gorge we were stung with a bus fair along an exclusive road to the entrance ($9 return trip). The gorge itself had rushing waterfalls flowing into a great swimming hole where we had some lunch. Beyond this, was a fantastic rainforest walk with a bit of everything. After checking out some more impressive figs we found another crystal clear swimming hole and mucked around with little fish. Returning out from the rainforest we had a dip in the gorge and made our way back to paradise.
Day Trip 2 – Kuranda Railway & Skyrail
Highly recommended by several sources we went to check out the old historic town of Kuranda. At Freshwater Station at 8:30am we were greeted by an old fashion diesel train with an antique interior. The ride in was amazing with informative announcements over the P.A every few minutes describing how hard it was for the pioneers of this track. Before arriving at Kuranda there was a quick stop over at Barron Falls where a well positioned lookout had stunning views – pity there wasn’t more water!
There were plenty of markets to browse through and fell in love with a local fudge store (had heaps of tastings!) While here, we went to the Butterfly Museum which was a giant enclosure filled with hundreds of tropical butterflies. Unfortunately the Ulysses wasn’t on display in the hot house, although later that day we spotted one at the skyrail which was being mobbed by asian tourists! It was a great experience just having them flutter around and in some cases landing on us. We even had a glimpse of the Hercules Moth (largest in the world) that sadly only lives for 48 hrs but can grow to a whopping size of 300mm.
The time flew by and before we knew it we were on the Skyrail home, after waiting an hour while repairs were made. This was a total adventure compared to the train in. Soaring above the Daintree we had magnificant views and this time we coasted over Barron Falls. A couple of small stops and sights on the way back and we found ourselves on solid ground again.
Day Trip 3 – Indulgences of Mareeba
The following day Mark’s mum arrived, a welcomed addition to the crew! Upon arrival, we had another lazy day catching up around Palm Cove. Well rested, we followed Nay’s research into a small town 30 mins west of Cairns, Mareeba. They are famous for their icecreamery, winery, brewery, coffee farms and chocolate – what a day we were in for!
Checking out the tourist information centre it wasn’t long until we were at Coffee Works, where a small fee of $15 each gave us free coffee tastings. This included a variety of coffees, iced coffees, teas, chocolate and even coffee liquors! After a small tour of how coffee was roasted and a visit to the coffee museum it was time for lunch at the distillery. We devoured unbelievable gourmet style pizzas, followed by tastings of their house spirits, including their specialty marshmellow vodka for dessert – we were living like kings and queens!
A final stop at the winery included a variety of tastings but not from your everyday grape wines. An array of different fruits and flavours lit up the taste buds. From mango to melon, passionfruit and even others unheard of, it left us buzzing by the end. Overall it was a day we spent eating our way through, as challenging as it sounds, we successfully came out the other end smiling.
Day Trip 4 – Snorkelling On The Reef
The final day was spent stragetically (calm weather conditions) on the Calypso boat snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef. Starting the day a little rough as the seas were choppy, we were lucky to see a couple of Hump Back Whales and have them swim directly under the boat!
Spending over 4 hours in the water it was magical. Stopping at 3 different sites on the Opal Reef, each stop gave us coral and wildlife more impressive than the last. It was absolutely picturesque to say the least. As you’d see in a documentary, some spots were similar to an underwater stadium made of vibrant coral and too many fish to count. The colours (especially at the last stop) were breathtaking.
After a buffet lunch, we all found ourselves napping on the top deck of the boat on the banana lounges. Before we knew it we opened our eyes and were back at the port. Just to top the day off seeing so many fish, we chowed down on fish & chips by the beach.
Time had sadly come to an end with Eileen, Derek and Ron having to depart. Their stay seemed to fly by so quickly even though we crammed in so many adventures and explored so much around Cairns. We had a blast! As we left the appartment behind we were back in the car. Going down south again, we played a little waiting game until the reef called us back for the next adventure…