NARRATIVE ONLY … PICS TO FOLLOW …

Cairns … Cape Tribulation & Atherton Tableland …

Sun, 10th Feb: Backpackers: Dreamtime Travellers Rest, Cairns
We are up nice and early for our 7.10am flight from Auckland today. Everything goes smoothly and the five hour flight goes very quickly. We arrive at a very hot and tropical Cairns and the humidity hits us straight away. By the time we get to the backpackers we are tired and hot and are grateful that our room is ready so we just dump the bags and hit the sack for a couple of hours. Dreamtime Travellers is just a walk away from the Town Centre and is a very laid back establishment.

Partially revived, we walk ‘over the road’ – literally! to check out Cairns. Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and the oldest rainforest in the world. There are Volcanic Tablelands with unbelievable waterfalls, cultural experiences and adrenalin pumping activities all here for you to experience should you wish! If you still have energy at the end of the day there is always the nightly activities. You can shop till you drop, enjoy the night markets, have a spin at the Casino, sample some fine cafe, restaurants and bars, or just kick back, chill-out and get ready for your next tour or activity.

Boasting an infectious energy and a lush tropical setting, Cairns is unashamedly a tourist town, and its popularity is global. But mostly crowds come to visit the Great Barrier Reef, which sits offshore and shapes the city’s character. It’s one of the world’s most popular diving sites and the number of tour/dive/snorkel/cruise operators operating here is mind-boggling.

We call into Visitor Information and, after an hour with Tracie, leave armed with many leaflets and information. At lunch we read through the leaflets to decide what to do over the next 10 days. After much deliberation we decide on a relaxing day tomorrow and will head off to Kuranda. On Monday we will dive on The Great Barrier Reef (YAY!). This will leave us the rest of the week to tour, at our leisure, North of Cairns into Palm Cove, Port Douglas and up to Cape Tribulation and the Atherton Tablelands. We will then make our way down back to Cairns to catch our flight to Singapore on 20th February.

Happy that we now have a plan, we return to Visitor Information to book Kuranda and the diving trips. We call in for a quick drink or two at PJ O’Briens before heading off for a refreshing shower and an early night 🙂

Mon, 11th Feb: Backpackers: Dreamtime Travellers Rest, Cairns
Our day is spent on the Scenic Train to Kuranda and the SkyRail return over the rainforest. Jam packed with amazing views, this world famous railway experience is a must-do when visiting Cairns and Tropical North Queensland, Australia.

We discover the pioneering history of the tropical north from way back in the late 1800’s and are astounded by a magnificent engineering feat. In the prolonged North Queensland wet season of 1882, desperate tin miners on the Wild River near Herberton were unable to obtain supplies and were on the verge of famine. The boggy road leading inland from Port Douglas was proving impossible. As a result, the settlers at Herberton raised loud and angry voices and began agitation for a railway to the coast. In March 1884, a surveyor named Monk submitted reports from investigations carried out on all the routes marked for the railway. This culminated in a decision that would shape the future of North Queensland. The Barron Valley gorge route was chosen.

Constructed purely by hand, the Cairns-Kuranda Railway was, and still is, an engineering feat of tremendous magnitude. This enthralling chapter in the history of North Queensland, stands as testimony to the splendid ambitions, fortitude and suffering of the hundreds of men engaged in its construction. It also stands as a monument to the many men who lost their lives on this amazing project.

Construction was by three separate contracts for lengths of 13.2km, 24.5 km, and 37.4km. The line was to total 75.1km and surmounts the vast Atherton Tablelands leading to Mareeba. Sections One and Three were relatively easy to locate and construct. But the ascent of Section Two was extremely arduous and dangerous due to steep grades, dense jungle and aboriginals defending their territory. The climb began near Redlynch 5.5m above sea level, and continued to the summit at Myola with an altitude of 327.1m. In all, this section included 15 tunnels, 93 curves and dozens of difficult bridges mounted many meters above ravines and waterfalls. Earthworks proved particularly difficult. The deep cuttings and extensive embankments that were removed totalled a volume of just over 2.3 million cubic metres of earthworks. The Barron Valley earth was especially treacherous. Slopes averaged 45 degrees and the entire surface was covered with a 4.6 m – 7.60m layer of disjointed rock, rotting vegetation, mould and soil.

During construction, navvies’ camps mushroomed at every tunnel and cutting. Even comparatively narrow ledges supported stores – some even catering for the men’s need for groceries and clothes! Small townships were thriving at Number 3 Tunnel, Stoney Creek, Glacier Rock, Camp Oven Creek and Rainbow Creek. Kamerunga, at the foot of the range, boasted no fewer than five hotels. At one stage, 1500 men, mainly Irish and Italian, were involved in the project.

By May 13th 1891, rail was laid to the end of the second section at Myola. On June 15th 1891, Mr Johnstone, one of three Railway Commissioners at that time opened the line for goods traffic only. Just ten days later, the Cairns- Kuranda Railway line was opened to passenger travel.

As a result of the construction of the railway, trade at Port Douglas died off rapidly and the town became a quiet little retreat. However, today it is a popular holiday destination and Cairns was destined to become the modern, international tourist centre it is today, still expanding in leaps and bounds.

Our excursion today is the Kuranda Train and Skyrail combo – the scenic train through the rainforest up to Kuranda and the Skyrail back down over the top of the rainforest.
The Kuranda Scenic Train takes approximately 1½ hours from boarding in Cairns until arriving at the Kuranda Station in Kuranda Village. The village is a quaint little township in the rainforest famous for arts and crafts and indigenous artefacts and the excellent attractions of the Butterfly Sanctuary, Koala Gardens, Birdworld and the Aviary. The Original Kuranda Markets are still held Wednesdays, Thursdays, Friday and Sunday and Heritage Markets open daily.

Once in Kuranda Village, we have a leisurely few hours exploring this very relaxed and laid back village above the clouds!

The Skyrail to the disembarkation point at Caravonica Skyrail Station also takes approximately 1½ hours. This includes plenty of free time along the route, to enjoy two stops at the Skyrail Rainforest Mid-Stations / Boardwalks as we make our way down. This is a totally awesome experience in itself and one which Neil says was better than the railway trip! We literally floated above the rainforest all the way to its edge where we met the coach back to Cairns.

Tue, 12th Feb: Backpackers: Dreamtime Travellers Rest, Cairns
Today, we do what we came back to Oz for!!!! We dive the Great Barrier Reef in the superb style and comfort of the Silverswift. Silverswift whisks us away for a day of fun and adventure on the Great Barrier Reef – a dive adventure of a lifetime!

On boarding, we depart from Cairns Reef Fleet Terminal with a scrumptious morning tea including focaccias and muffin cakes. On the outward journey, certified and introductory dive briefings begin. Our three dives will take place at sites around Flynn Reef:-

Rating: Novice – Intermediate
Currents: Mild Currents
Visibility: 15 to 20 metres
Depth: 5 to 30 metres

Flynn reef is one of Silverswift’s most popular reefs to dive and offers the novice to the very experienced diver plenty of memorable dives. They have moorings at a number of the well known dive sites at Flynn Reef such as Tracey’s Bommie, Gordon’s Mooring, Tennis Court and the Coral Gardens. We take 3 dives at different sites on Flynn Reef all guided to improve our confidence in diving and maximise our experience.

On arrival at our first reef location (one hour and twenty minutes from Cairns) we gear up – firstly by stepping into a lovely lycrasuit which is a must as it is stinger season(!) and receive our reef interpretation. Then we are ready to finally view the beauty of this natural wonder!

DIVE 1 took us to Tracy’s Bommie on Flynn Reef. On this wall dive our bottom time was 44mins at max depth of 17.2m. Initially, I struggled going down to the block as my goggles filled up with water and I panicked. I returned to the surface and Paul waited patiently as I composed myself before dropping down to join the other divers and commencing our dive. We have our pics taken with Nemo – the Clown Fish! and see an array of fish and coral and, amongst many things, we see a free swimming Moray Eel.

We are barely back on board 5mins before Silverswift departs for the second reef location and it’s straight back in the water for dive number 2!!!!!

DIVE 2 took us to Gordons where our bottom time was 45mins at max depth of 13m. We dive a couple of swim throughs – a first for us! and see the colour changing coral as well as a maori wrasse (aptly named for the tattoos on his face!) and a jelly fish which appeared to be eaten by some fish. Paul, our guide, said he had not witnessed this before.

Back on board our hunger is satisfied by a hot and cold tropical buffet lunch before Silverswift departs for the third and final reef location.

DIVE 3 took us to Coral Gardens where our bottom time was 45mins at max depth of 14.1m. Paul tells us that this area of coral has recently been storm hit and therefore experienced some damage. However, gaining in confidence, it was a very relaxing dive and we saw an abundance of life including white tip reef sharks, the menacing trigger fish and some absolutely stunning lettuce coral. On our return to the boat, we have to swim through the Red Bass which have surrounded it.

Back on board we tuck into tea cakes, cheese & biscuits swilled down with a nice cup of tea. Whilst we view the photos, Silverswift commences the return journey to Cairns.

We have had a great day and on our walk ‘home” we sit in the bar outside Global Backpackers on The Lagoon Esplanade – Rustle n Hum – and enjoy reminiscing about the day over a couple of beverages. We decide that this backpackers is in a great location and decide it would be a good place to stay on the night before our flight out of Cairns. The Esplanade is a fantastic location in which to base ourselves where we can swim in the beautiful lagoon, laze on the lush grasses, or relax and listen to the live entertainment in the park. We make enquiries and book the $40 double room for our last night in Australia.

Wed, 13th Feb: Cape Trib Camping, Cape Tribulation
Travelling along the Captain Cook Highway it is a beautiful journey from Cairns to Cape Tribulation today with views of the amazing heritage rainforest all the way. The beautiful coastal road between Cairns’ northern beaches and Port Douglas follows the undulating coastline and is one the world’s top scenic drives. This provides many photographic opportunities one of which we stop at is Rex Lookout. The view from here is one of the many highlights on the Reef to Rainforest road between Cairns and Port Douglas and offers an unforgettably stunning vista across the Coral Sea and coastal landscape, a chance to see the full splendour of the Great Barrier Reef.

Just one hour’s drive north of Cairns via a spectacular coastal road that is surrounded by forest and the Coral Sea we call in to Port Douglas. It is the only place on Earth where two World Heritage listed jewels exist; the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest of Daintree and Cape Tribulation. In Port Douglas we enter a laid back tropical oasis in a small friendly village atmosphere and think we would like to come back through here and maybe stay for the night.

Before leaving, we take a walk around the park and drive up to Flagstaff Hill Lookout (15050km from London!) – more great photo opportunities and breathtaking views down to the palm fringed golden sands of Four Mile Beach and out to the Coral Sea!

A few minutes north of Port Douglas the road continues to Mossman, perfect for our stop at the must-see Mossman Gorge, one of the region’s natural wonders and a special place for the local Aboriginal population. We take a refreshing swim in the Mossman River along with the Jungle Perch who just swam around us. Whilst there we spotted the brilliant blue and black Ulysses butterfly – these spectacular members of the swallowtail family are often seen fluttering about the river and the rainforest. A good time was had – it was so refreshing in this tropical climate which, if I am honest, I am struggling with.

We join the road again and it is yet another outstanding car ride alongside the South Pacific Ocean and the immense World Heritage Rainforest. Now in Daintree National Park we have wonderful views of the Coral Ocean on one side of us and, as we progress further into Cape Tribulation, dense tropical rainforest on the other. As the road narrows – ‘where the rainforest meets the reef’ – we join the ferry which takes us over the River Daintree (where crocs can be found!)

Another stop is the order of the day at Alexandra Range Lookout – a World Heritage Area – where we can see the mountain range on this clear day and the mouth of the Daintree River. Simply stunning!

We find our campsite @ $30 for the night 🙂 check in and set up the tent. Well, pop it up really lol. The site is an absolute beachfront camp with beach accesses to Myall Beach although we will not be swimming in the ocean today as it is Marine Stinger Season during Dec-Apr as well as signs warning of crocs!

I am feeling slightly out of my comfort zone here as it’s so remote and wild – aaarrggh. I finally settle down and decide to go to the toilet before meeting Neil over at the Sand Bar. BIG mistake; I walk straight into a cubicle with a Rhinoceros Beetle OMG! Not nice 😦 I didn’t like it at all!!!

I finally join Neil at the Sand Bar for an oven fired pizza and beverages. Chilling there, a huge locust type bug decides to land on the table which freaks me out and then a Barking Gekko thuds on the floor beside me – he just fell off the roof, pmsl. I think nature has it in for me tonight!!!! Before we know it, it’s time for bed. It’s pitch black here and it’s a good job Neil gets the torch at 7pm so we can make our way back to our tent safely!

Once back at the tent, we see a ‘visitor’ perched on top of it – our first praying mantis; yuk! Anyway, it is so so so dark that we just get into the tent as we are and go straight to bed lol.

Thu, 14th Feb: Backpackers: Global, Port Douglas
After an interrupted hot and rainy nights sleep, we awake at 7am! lol. We spot another praying mantis on the car and an orange foot shrub fowl coming out of the forest. We take it easy and chat with some fellow travellers over breakfast before showering and visiting the the beach. By 11am we are back on the road again and head off in the direction of Cape Tribulation and go as far as we can before the track becomes a 4wd only. It’s a beautiful landscape here and we pull up for a walk along the beach which is so peaceful. We are not surprised that it is so quiet as there are signs up warning of crocodiles and marine stinger rays which are prevalent at this time of the year!!! Also, we discover that as the school holiday season is over, a lot of businesses in this remote area take the month of February off as their holiday. As a result, it does seem quite desolate in places.

We decide to spend some time in the holiday hub of Port Douglas and make our way there today. En route we call into Lync Haven Rainforest Retreat Motel just 20 mins north of the Daintree River in Cape Tribulation. This was a recommended stop by some people we met last night. As well as being a motel, it is an inviting bar, cafe and restaurant with a most unique wildlife experience – all for the cost of a coffee!

The wildlife experience gave us the opportunity to get up close and personal with snakes, frogs and lizards endemic to the area. There are also birds kept here including Biron a beautiful 23 year old cockatoo! He was a very interesting character who kept saying ‘Hello Biron’, ‘What’s your name’ and ‘Watch the road’.

We also call into Flovella Ice Cream in Daintree, again recommended to us. It boasts a true biodynamic organic ice cream. Using organically grown tropical fruit, the ice cream is made on the premises with absolutely no preservatives, artificial colours or flavours used. Unfortunately, it was desolate and a very very old Bill and Betty have the property up for sale as they wish to retire. However, we did sample two ice creams – choc, rum and raisin for me and a strawberry for Neil – which were very nice indeed.

It really is so quiet up here and Daintree is no different as we make a detour to the little town. The only action here was a crocodile sightseeing boat on the jetty with two people on it – very dead indeed! We turn the car around and decide to drive straight on to Port Douglas – a bigger town with just enough going on – and book into a backpackers for the night, yay! By 3pm we are settled in and take a much more in depth walk around the town, soaking up the quaintness and the sunshine.

Fri, 15th Feb: Discovery Holiday Park, Lake Tinaroo
I have a much needed appointment at Salon Z today to sort out the three colours of my hair. I left the UK one colour, have been colouring my roots regularly in another colour and now have grey roots in abundance. So I have decided to take bull by the horns and, after a consultation, have decided to have the current colour bleached out and a new colour put on instead – as light as they can go so that my roots in the future are not soooo visible!!!!!!

After a lovely relaxing morning we head off to Lake Tinaroo in the Lakes District of the Tropical Atherton Tableland with its wonderful temperate climate, We have decided we will stay there for the next two nights for some much needed ‘catch up time’. Being at the top of the Tableland, our route via the Rex Range Road is mainly flatland and takes us through some lovely views and the small towns of Mareeba and Atherton. Mareeba boasting 300 sunny days a year was a ‘blink or you will miss it’ tiny town! In the middle of nowhere it is known for its horticulture industries and numerous crops are grown here.

It’s a teeny bit livelier in the bigger town of Atherton where we stock up on groceries for the next few days. Atherton is the ‘capital’ of the lovely Tropical Tablelands, a land of beautiful lakes, waterfalls, rich red soil and tropical rainforest. Here the temperature is cooler, the pace is slower and there is a feeling of relaxation in the air.

We call into Golden Drop Winery, a family owned and operated boutique winery situated on one of the largest mango plantations in the heart of Australia’s tropical far North Queensland for wine tasting. Established in 1999 and using Australia’s variety of the Mango, the Kensington Red Mango, this was the first commercial Mango Winery in Far North Queensland to produce Mango Wines, Mango Port, Sparkling Mango Wine and fortified style Cellos. The tasting goes very well indeed and we leave with a bottle of their sparkling wine … perfect.

Finally arriving at Lake Tinaroo we check in and prepare to shut ourselves away from the world for a couple of nights … heaven. Wine beer and a spag bog later we hit the sack.

Sat, 16th Feb: Discovery Holiday Park, Lake Tinaroo
A lie in today before we take a gorgeous walk around Lake Tinaroo up to Tinaroo Dam. Steeped in dam-building history and natural beauty Lake Tinaroo and the surrounding area offer a wealth of activities. As it’s Saturday there are families under gazebos at the edge of the lake with their boats, picnics, jet bikes and water toys galore! What a way to spend a Saturday – they really look as though they are having so much fun.

On our walk around, we come across Cockatiels, Hawks, much bird and butterfly life as well as a couple of Plovers!!!! These birds squawk loudly and begin to attack us! Really! They fly at us and swoop extremely close to us obviously trying to deter us from the area. They are very keen to stop us from passing; so much so that we arm ourselves with sticks to stop them flying into us. We discover that these birds are nesting and are protecting this area from invaders, lol. We also find out that they are very aggressive with small hooks on their wings which can really hurt if they catch you.

The walk around the lake is stunning especially in the area up to the Dam where it is outlined with some amazing lakeside properties. It’s a beautiful hot day and on our return to the cabin we have a nap before a very relaxing evening 🙂

We laze about and watch tv – a real duvet evening! Bondi Vet comes on and we only see Bucky on there from the Marina in Coffs Harbour where Neil, Lauren and I had that amazing day. Three years ago Bucky had throat cancer and Greg, his trainer of 42 years is worried the cancer has returned. They have formed a close strong bond since Bucky was found on the beach lacerated and sunburnt at 6 months old. It was Greg and his friends that rescued him and took him to the Marine Park at Coffs Harbour. This type of dolphin usually has a 20 years average life expectancy and Bucky is already 42! It turns out that the cancer has returned but a scan of his lymph nodes show that it hasn’t spread … the lumps in his mouth are frozen and removed and Bucky goes on to perform for a while longer!

Sun, 17th Feb: August Moon Caravan Park, Innisfail
Our first port of call today is Lake Eacham, a 10 acre country park on Crater Lakes National Park set in the heart of the Atherton Tableland. It boasts excellent bird watching and animal experiences and is just a walk away from the world-heritage rainforest where rainforest walks and swimming is aplenty 😀 It is a super place and many families are out on the lake today making the most of this beautiful weather. The Lake Eacham Park is a great place to base yourself if you are interested in bird-watching and we can hear many many birds calling. Australia has over 860 bird species, of which more than 430 are found in this region, making it one of the richest bird watching sites in Australia.

After a short walk around, we drive on to the small town of Yungaburra where we get to see a duck billed platypus in its own environment. These little creatures are so unusual, endearing in their oddness. The only mammals to lay eggs, the platypus has a large, flat tail, webbed feet, cheek pouches, and the duck bill. Add to the picture a venomous spur on the males, these animals dare to be different. Once hunted for their fur, they are now protected.

We walk down to the lake where we are guaranteed a sighting! After a while, the ‘bubbles’ appear on the surface of the water which means the platypus is foraging for food. Shortly afterwards it appears on the top of the water and from our vantage point, we watched her continue to swim about, diving here and there to look for food. We were surprised how small these animals were, about the size of a mallard duck. The Manager informs us that we had just seen the second most rarely sighted animal in the world – the first being the Kiwi. It begins to rain and we take our leave and head off in search of food.

We arrive in the quiet, peaceful village of Millaa Millaa, the home of the world famous Waterfall Circuit which includes the beautiful Millaa Millaa Falls and the centre of the 130km network of walks that form the Misty Mountains Trails. We choose to eat at Millaa Millaa Hotel Motel a place with atmosphere and most definitely the hub of this small community – a real proper old pub! Built in 1921, 10 years after the founding of the town, the original hotel – a grand, imposing, graceful two-storey wooden building – burned down in 1998 due to an electrical fault. The hotel was rebuilt in its present form, a single storey structure with a motel at the back. We are very pleased with our pie,chips n gravy. NOM NOM! and tuck in whilst regulars are engaged in a round of good-natured banter, baiting and teasing.

With full bellies, we head down Theresa Creek Road to Millaa Millaa Waterfall – a most gorgeous waterfall where there are people swimming at its base.

Our final onward journey sees us arrive at Innisfail ‘The Gateway to the Atherton Tableland’ and the manicured August Moon Caravan Park. This peaceful friendly park is set in 10 acres of Tropical Oasis. Nowadays you wouldn’t know that it almost suffered a total loss by Cyclone Larry on the 20 March 2006! Our cabin is fab and we spend the afternoon chilling and the evening catching up with loved ones on facetime 😀

Mon, 18th Feb: August Moon Caravan Park, Innisfail
What an amazing time we had today at Paronella Park! It is really difficult to explain our experience or what it was all about. The remains of this castle, set in this idyllic location in the rainforest, was magnificent and romantic. You felt like you went back in time for a few hours 😀

The narrative on the literature says: Everyone has a dream but not everyone’s dreams are fulfilled. José Paronella’s dream was to build a castle and his story in achieving his wish is a great one. He chose a special part of Australia and created Paronella Park. On 5 Hectares beside Mena Creek Falls he built his castle, a picnic area by the falls, built tennis courts from crushed termite mounds, a pavilion with turret-topped balconies, refreshment rooms and changing cubicles for swimmers, bridges, and a ‘lover’s tunnel’. It opened to the public in 1935.

José Paronella arrived in Innisfail in 1913 having sailed from Catalonia in Spain to plan a splendid life for himself and his fiancee Matilda. Jose worked hard for 11 years creating his wealth by buying, improving and selling cane farms. While travelling through the beautiful countryside he discovered a virgin forest alongside spectacular Mena Creek Falls – perfect for his dream.

Upon returning to Spain, José discovered that his fiancee had married another ! Determined to sail back to Australia with a bride, Jose proposed to Margarita, Matilda’s younger sister. One year later the happy newlyweds were ship bound for Australia and by 1929 had purchased the land of Jose’s dreams. He first built the grand 47 step staircase to shift building materials between the lower and upper level. Here the fun-loving couple had their cottage hand built of stone and moved in on Christmas Eve. Inspired by childhood memories of Catalonian castles Jose and his work crew set to work designing an entertainment area. A movie theatre transformed on weekends into a huge ballroom with live bands who entertained while a massive ball of mirrors spun from the ceiling to reflect a dazzle of pink and blue lights. Surrounding their home and castle is an amazing range of 7,500 tropical plants and trees (now a lush rainforest!) including an avenue of Kauris that tower above the rainforest with a view of the Mena Creek Falls at the end of them. Ahead of his time, he also built North Queensland’s first hydro-electric plant in 1933 to power the 5 hectare park.

After the deaths of José (1948) and Margarita (1967) the park was managed by their son but after his death in 1972, it was eventually sold out of the family in 1977. It suffered a fire and cyclones and fell into disrepair. Eventually, Mark and Judy Evans, the current owner/operators, purchased the Park in 1993 and formulated a plan to put the Park back on the map. They see the Park as a work of art, and work on maintaining and preserving, rather than rebuilding. Small restoration projects have been undertaken, pathways uncovered and improved, and the Museum, an ongoing project, is continuously being enhanced. Paronella Park’s life as a pleasure gardens continues as José intended, for visitors, and with social gatherings, particularly weddings, continuing to make use of this unique location.

Paronella Park has received multiple Queensland tourism awards, is State and National Heritage listed and is a National Trust listed property. It is privately owned and operated and Eco accredited.

We were really taken with this place – it’s not something that can easily be described, nor could we do it justice, it is something you would have to experience yourselves. We took part in two guided tours – one in the day and one at night – both very different but both telling this beautiful story 😀 and informing us about the wildlife here. As we left we were handed a gift – a piece of José Paronella’s Castle with a note to inform us that it was hand mixed by José in 1930 and came down in Cyclone Larry in 2006. The final statement says “We hope that this piece of Castle reminds you to follow your dreams just like José did” … if only he knew we were living ours … and that’s how we came about being at Paronella Park in the first place!!!!

Tomorrow we return to Cairns to prepare to leave Australia. This last week in the area of Cape Tribulation and the Atherton Tableland has been new and exciting. The climate is seductive where balmy days dissolve into tropical evenings with velvet starry skies. Our first real experience of the tropics certainly have been a feast for the senses; the sights and the sounds have been different but brilliant.

Tue, 19th Feb: Backpackers: Global, Cairns Waterfront
As indicated previously, this location on the Lagoon Esplanade was great for our last day in Oz. Chilling in the lagoon, drinking in the bar and dining al fresco.