Port Douglas – Cairns

24 January – 29 January

Monday

We love Port Douglas.  The high season is in Australian winter, so we’re slap bang in the middle of low season.  Lastminute.com has got us an amazing deal.  We’ve got a lovely studio apartment with it’s own private patio overlooking a tropical garden, just steps from the beach for far less than we’d be paying for a cabin on a campsite.   We keep wondering what’s going to be wrong with it, but it’s perfect.  There’s everything we could possible need to hand: beach chairs, towels, dvds, books, eskies etc.  We’re already forgetting about sight-seeing: all we want to do is curl up in our lovely apartment.

Tuesday

It wasn’t just the setting sun painting Port Douglas in a magical light – it really is gorgeous, although it takes us a while to discover this.  Getting out of bed is difficult when you have movies on demand.    Eventually though we do make it as far as late breakfast on the patio.  Then we head to 4 mile beach:  long, palm lined with lapping turquoise seas.  We even have a stinger net right near us, so we can have a swim. 

After a lazy (you’re getting the idea) late lunch we set out to explore the town a bit and end up in a bar watching the boats coming in from their trips to the great barrier reef.  Then it’s a slow stroll home.

Wednesday

After our slow-paced day yesterday we’re up early today and ready to explore.  We’re heading north to Cape Tribulation.  First stop is the cable ferry crossing the Daintree River.  This is high adjective country: ancient rainforest cascading onto white sand beaches with brilliant blue water. 

We stop for a walk through the Daintree rain forest.  We’re no more than a couple of hundred meters in when I spot a snake.  We stop for a look but it soon slithers off.  We take a walk along cow beach (no idea where the name comes from) then continue up the road.  We pull in for some ice cream and share a tasting cup of 4 tropical flavours (wattle seed, mango, coconut, and some kind of sapote (mamsey?)).

We’re constantly warned that this is cassowary country.  I’ve kind of become immune to the signs, but then I see one picking it’s way through the trees.  It’s a beautiful sight, but there’s traffic behind us and we can’t stop.

Then it’s on to Cape Tribulation.  Another gorgeous beach and a boardwalk through the forest to a lookout: where rainforest meets reef. 

Oh, and this guy:

It’s not disappointing by any means, but it’s also not the full stop at the end of the sentence that we were expecting.  If anything, we just want to keep going. 

But, this is where the (sealed) road ends, so it’s back south for us, via another rainforest walk.  Back over the Daintree river we decide to stop off at Mossman gorge.  It’s a shady spot and with the temperature dipping to 27 degrees we’re not quite sure if it’s warm enough for a swim J but venture in anyway.  The water is cold but delicious.  Suitably refreshed we head for home. 

Thursday

We’d planned 3 nights in Port Douglas, but this has somehow stretched to 5.  Oops.  The morning is spent starting to sort through the huge pile of stuff we’ve accumulated over the past 3 months.  We give our tent a clean, hang a few things out to air and then take a stroll through town to the lookout point at the top of the hill. 

In the late afternoon I head to the beach with a book and some postcards.  In an hour or so Nick joins me, with an esky of chilled beer.  This is the life.

Janet adds: I think we’re both a bit in love with Port Douglas and are wondering if the immigration authorities will notice if we don’t leave on Sunday…

Friday

I’d like to say we were up early this morning and out for a big adventure, but the reality is it was another slow start.  The rest of the morning was spent doing some more sorting out and getting rid of all the stuff we can’t take with us.  We don’t have much time in Cairns, so we’re trying to get all packed up now. 

After a 3 months of cramming everything in it’s really nice to take things slow and just potter about reading books and watching films.

The afternoon is spent on the beach and by the pool. 

We could both definitely get used to this tropical life-style.  And when 6 o’clock comes it’s time to throw some beers in the esky, grab some deck chairs and head down to the beach. 

Janet adds: not looking forward to getting reacquainted with my jeans and warm tops.  Hot days and balmy nights suit me just fine.

Nick adds: I’m no longer satisfied with just starting drinking at six, I need to be sat on a beach drinking at six.

Saturday:

We check out of our apartment and drive the hour or so down to Cairns.  Although we’re not flying until tomorrow morning, we’re all packed and ready to go.  We park the car and spend a couple of hours taking a stroll through town and getting some lunch.  There’s not much to see in Cairns itself, so it’s not a bad thing we’ve only got a day here. 

By early afternoon the rainclouds have pulled in and we head for our motel to get checked in. 

After a chilled out afternoon we head back into town for a few happy hour drinks and a pizza, then it’s time for bed.

Janet adds: excited for New Zealand, but sad to be leaving Australia.  After 3 months it feels a bit like home, and I could definitely have longer here. 

Nick adds: don't want to leave Australia.