Cairns Holiday DAY 7

We had a huge day today! Another road trip and this time we headed north! Off to experience the Daintree, Cape Tribulation and surrounding areas. It was such a beautiful day for a drive and the girls certainly were looking forward to it.

It was quite interesting to drive through the banana & sugar cane fields (well, not literally through them!) and see the sugar cane trains all lined up. Rick explained how it all worked to me and I was surprised as to how much he actually knew...I guess all those years of watching Discovery Channel and the like has paid off and he does actually absorb stuff lol.

We went to Daintree Village which was the actual town, and there wasn't much to see at all...just a few shops and a few squished cane toads on the road. So, we went back to the rainforest and crossed the Daintree River on the ferry.

It was so lovely being right in the middle of the rainforest and going to the lookouts. Such spectacular views. We live right next to a mountain range in Melbourne and do the touristy thing and go up the mountains - but I suppose you take it for granted when you live there and appreciate it more when you are on holiday ...LOL.

After stopping at Alexandra Range lookout we went to a place called Cow Bay Beach. It was a nice part of the world that was tucked away and didn't have many people there. We had a picnic lunch and joked about all the crocs in the area. Needless to say I sat on the table the whole time as my back was to the shrubs and wetland! It would have been nice to swim in but we were a bit put off by the signs at the picnic area!! Interesting! The thought of sharing space with crocidiles or stinging marine life didn't do it for me... so we had a paddle instead.
Rick went off on a coconut hunt and Isabella spent a lot of time collecting coral. She particulary wanted to take some home to all her kinder friends and show them a bit of 'Cairns'. We filled her hat up with a big collection and I was sure the customs people would be thrilled to see how much we took! LOL

Before heading off into the forest for a walk we stopped at Daintree Icecream Company. Here they made icecream fresh from the locally grown exotic tropical fruits of the forest - Mango; Soursop; Rasberry; Wattleseed. It was soooo good, and so interesting.

Then we moved on to do a self-guided walk around the rainforest. We came across another welcoming sign that warned us about wild cassowaries and how they can kill you, and what to do if confronted. Gee, yet another sign to make us feel safe!

It was a nice walk but at one stage we all seperated and I found myself all by myself with mum and the kids a hundred metres in front and Rick and Raelene 100 metres behind. My thongs were squeaking away and it occured to me that this sound just might be similar to the mating call of a cassowary! (The things that go through our mind!). Then I became quite paranoid and starting walking faster and faster to catch up but then the noises were getting louder and faster and I kept looking around to make sure no cassowaries were chasing me! !LOL So silly! When I got to Mum and Debbie I was cracking up laughing at myself! I guess you had to be there :)


After our walk we decided to head home back to Cairns. But on the way we stopped off at Port Douglas and had a look around. It was nice - not quite what I expected but still nice nonetheless. It seemed to be filled with a lot of rich older types - might have something to do with the big golf country club. Anyway, it was nice to say we have been there now and see what all the fuss is about.

The trip home was ok, we got home late and had a low key night. All set for another big day tomorrow. All of today's photos can be seen here.