Lake Tinaroo, Innot Hot Springs and Georgetown QLD (June – 5 days)

We began our westward journey with a stop off at the Australian Coffee Centre just out of Mareeba. We had a much longed for good coffee and the kids enjoyed their various treats while we looked over the gorgeous valleys from the centre set high on a hill. We spent two nights just out of Atherton at Lake Tinaroo. Apparently Barramundi heaven but following our success so far we caught nothing but reeds! We did a day drive around the lake which was just beautiful!

On route to the springs we drove the ‘waterfall circuit’ around Millaa Millaa, Queensland’s dairyland in the tropics. The views at every turn of this trip were just breathtaking with vivid green pastures, on perfect hillsides and plump, happy cattle. The waterfalls were gorgeous, one of which has apparently been used in films. We visited the massive Hypipamee crater with sheer 80m walls, which was filled with water covered in fluorescent green duck weed (mind blowing!!). The children had great fun tossing stones over the safety rail and watching their descent and disturbance of the thick weed. The crater is apparently twice as deep underground as it is above!! We also marvelled at amazingly old figs (Curtain and Cathedral). We stopped and listened to the whirr of enormous turbines at Windy Hill (power plant).

We finally arrived at the Innot Hot Springs after a lot of sight seeing. The caravan park didn’t look much but we were so glad that we stopped. We enjoyed many dips over our two days there in 6 mineral thermal pools ranging from cold to bitingly hot (where Tim and Kate competed with who could stand the heat the longest). Children were not allowed in the very hottest pools but certainly enjoyed the warm ones and more so at night when the steam rose from them into the chilly night air. The best part of the springs was probably the creek that ran adjacent to the park in which flowed varying temperatures of water, some hotter than the pools at the park! We had to leap into the centre of the creek as the edges were often so hot that you would flinch automatically. You could even dig new little pools in the creek bank or widen sections with a shovel, creating new spots to lay and soak up the warmth. The sandy creek banks were warm just to walk and sit on.

To give our water soaked pruny skin a break, we thought we would try our luck at fossicking. The children took to this with great enthusiasm and didn’t want to leave our dig site. We drove along our most hairy 4WD track (to date) to find the ‘Glittering Star’ dig site. Here we all sieved copious amounts of dirt while Tim dug an impressively big hole and Kate kept one eye out for snakes! The kids delighted in their finds of small topaz crystals and quartz and have since set up ‘gem shops’ in the ensuite tent selling and trading their finds. We had such fun altogether here at Innot….it was just such a unique and unforgettable experience!

On our way west we stopped off at the Undara Volcanic National Park and took a tour of the lava tubes. This was again another amazing experience walking through some of these tubes which go for great distances underground, of which you can see very little evidence of on the surface. We were dwarfed by the magnitude of these tubes and were impressed by their colourful and varying formations. The ground above is mostly pink grantite which is covered by vast savannah grasslands. By stark contrast there are some pockets of rainforest where the tube ceilings have collapsed.

We drove through a couple of small towns before we could press on no further and have stopped tonight at Georgetown. Which brings you, our dear family and friends, up to date after a long ‘blog free’ period due to very minimal phone and internet reception in these parts.

We are all on a steep learning curve now as we are heading through some more remote territory. We now know what red dirt is, what road trains are, what single lane highway passing is like, what ‘small town’ means, and what its like to be told “sorry we have no bread”. We are becoming wiser and now know that in some places we need to pre-order our loaf or milk.

Cairns QLD (June - 9 days)

We spent 9 days in Cairns to catch our breath before heading west. We stayed about 15 minutes out of the city at the foot of the rainforest and misty mountains that sit behind Cairns. The outlook was beautiful and the walks we did at nearby Crystal Cascades were just spectacular. We enjoyed swimming in one of several waterholes at the cascades and Georgie was delighted with her nudie dip! We had a great day going to and from Kuranda (very touristy) on the Skyrail. Viewing the forest canopy, river, falls etc. from the heights of our suspended cable car was the highlight of the day. We enjoyed some beautiful boardwalks, looking at the Barron Falls etc. We were very excited to revisit Trinity Beach some 11 years on (almost to the day), where we spent most of our honeymoon! It certainly brought back some special memories for the two of us.

Port Douglas,The Daintree and Cape Tribulation QLD (June - 7 days)

From Mission Beach we ended up driving straight through to Port Douglas with the plan to head south to Cairns before we head west. We enjoyed a few quiet days in Port Douglas going to markets, for drives and walks etc. From here we visited beautiful Mossman Gorge where we all swam between the boulders in crystal clear (freezing) water, navigating the faster flowing sections! The kids loved the suspension bridge over the gorge and took great delight in swinging it as Kate squealed and decided it was “far too dangerous!”

We took a day trip to Cape Tribulation and The Daintree and loved it so much on this visit that we took the van up for a further two days. This was just such a unique environment where the ‘rainforest meets the reef’. We had such a great time going on (sometimes lengthy) walks, discovering very secluded swimming holes, fishing and shell collecting on gorgeous beaches fringed with coconut palms. We also went on a cruise on the Daintree River and spotted five crocs which was quite thrilling. One of these was only very little – one of the newest additions to the river’s population apparently. After seeing croc warning signs at most inland waterways that we pass up here it was great to finally lay eyes on some crocs in their natural habitat. We all marvelled at the lush rainforest which was truly spectacular in places. The climbing vines, strangling figs and fan (umbrella) palms were amongst our favourites. Just driving along this section of the coast is divine, catching glimpses of the blue, blue ocean through breaks in the forest.

From Cape Tribulation we drove straight through to Cairns where we are now staying for 10 days. We are actually staying approx 15 minutes west of the city itself in a great van park nestled at the base of the tablelands in a rainforest setting. We are very close to the picturesque Crystal Cascades (series of waterfalls and swimming holes). The backdrop is truly spectacular and no sandflies or mozzies which is a treat! The only adjustment has been the heat (only 27-28 degrees, but the humidity factor has made it feel much, much hotter! (nappy-only weather for little Georgia).




One disappointment this week was that the shutter seized up on our camera and will need to go in for repair. In the first 7 weeks Kate managed to click away 1400 times, which will total something like 7,000 pics for the whole trip if this trend continues! Kate is obviously having withdrawals and Annabelle has been very gracious in sharing her new camera with her Mum!

It seems to be that we encounter some new creature or living thing to ‘beware of’ on each new leg of the journey…..stingers, sandflies, crocs, cassowaries (which can apparently pose some danger to humans) and the stinging tree, so far. There will undoubtedly be more to come. We feel very blessed to live in Port Macquarie with beautiful beaches and koalas (which pretty much keep to themselves!)

Georgie continues to delight us all and brings much laughter to the family! She never misses out on a little ice cream treat and now unzips herself out of her camp cot with ease. Tonight doing so and proceeding to make herself comfy on the couch for a DVD with the ‘big kids’.

Townsville & Mission Beach QLD (May - 2 & 3 days)

Townsville was a bit of a mixed bag in all. We stayed in a very average caravan park as the ‘recommended’ one was booked out until September! We ended up alongside a series of permanent residents at the ‘shady’ end of the park. One grumpy old man came and told us to pipe it down at 6.30pm as he was trying to sleep! The children were being fantastic at the time and Annabelle was simply having a not-so-loud tap on the bongos.

The highlights of Townsville did include a great water playground for the kids, the amazing ‘Castle Hill’ (massive rock formation) that boasts spectacular views of the town and a visit to Reef HQ – national education centre for the Great Barrier Reef. This is a specialist aquarium really, but is was great to see and learn more about the reef and the kids really enjoyed it.

Our unplanned lunch stop on route to Mission Beach found us at a beautiful spot (Jourama Falls) where the children fed turtles in the water and Tim trekked in to an impressive boulder-lined creek and waterfall. This experience reminded us that this is what this trip is all about – experiencing these delights of nature as a family and discovering these magical spots along the way. It is so thrilling to be enjoying these wonders on an almost daily basis. Places that we may not otherwise ever visit. This trip truly is a once in a lifetime!

Mission Beach was quite beautiful and quiet. It was unfortunately rather wet, but this turned out to be quite good for walking through spectacular rainforest areas. We went on some lovely rainforest walks in search of the elusive Cassowary, a large flightless bird native to north-east Queensland. (Mission Beach happens to host a fair number of them). We searched by foot and car, sure that we would see one with ease, as signs to take care of Cassowaries on the roads were posted every kilometre or so! The closest we came was a pile of Cassowary poo! It turns out that they really are a protected species and there is only approx 50 adults dwelling in the Mission Beach area. After reasonable efforts hunting for a glimpse of one we felt quite cheesed when the grey nomads across from us (who had barely set foot off their annex pad), reported sighting one from the comfort of their RV, on the side of the road as they arrived in town!

We certainly noticed the change from the dry tropics of Townville to the arrival of the wet tropics in Mission Beach. Its quite lush up here, more humid and the rainforests are much denser and truly tropical in feel.

Kate has been doing remarkably well on the bug front, coping exceptionally with leeches in the rainforest, flying insects in the van, frogs in the shower etc. Tim has developed quite a fetish for maps of every kind and he now loves visiting the Tourist Information Centres to stock up! Georgie is talking a little more and looks slightly closer towards taking her first steps. Hannah keeps asking "When are we going around Australia?" Harrison recently bought some binnoculars that remain glued to his head wanting to look at everything up close. Annabelle continues to be very helpful with Georgia and is capturing many special moments with her interest in photography. The kids continue to soak up the experience and are getting on very well.

Heading north tomorrow. Destination still undecided! (How unplanned, lovely and free!)

Bowen QLD (May - 3 days)

Bowen has been beautiful and we are thrilled we decided to stop off here! It certainly is a gem on the tropical Queensland coastline. The water conditions haven’t been the best for snorkelling, but the natural beauty of the place has more than made up for that. It has been nice to have a reprieve from the mangroves and mudflats as the beaches here are sandy and framed by a gorgeous landscape of spectacular boulders.

It has been a treat for all having a great site right on the waters edge, looking out to islands on the Pacific. The kids have had a great big play area in front of the van and have been able to run around and down onto the beach. We’ve had some lovely walks and plays at the beach with our wonderful travelling friends. The kids are having such a ball together and it’s going to be hard to say goodbye in a few days time.

We’re off to Townsville tomorrow.

Airlie Beach QLD (May - 7 days)

We have really enjoyed our time at Airlie Beach. We will be here another two or three days, (7-8 days in total). We are staying alongside our travelling friends from Melbourne and are striking up quite a friendship with them. The children are having a ball together. It is going to be quite sad to farewell them at Townsville where they turn around.

The colour of the water here is quite beautiful and there is a great public foreshore area in town. Although the ocean is unswimmable, due to the dreaded marine stingers, we have not missed our ocean dips too much because of the magnificent public lagoon on the foreshore. The council here have very tastefully built an amazing lagoon (several Olympic swimming pools worth in total) with beach areas, beautifully landscaped surrounds and depths to suit everyone. Photos just can’t do it justice, but it has been a fabulous place to swim with the kids while looking out to the Whitsunday islands.

We ventured out to the islands yesterday on a cruise to get a small taste of the Whitsundays. Kate, Annabelle and Harrison snorkelled off Hook Island donned in ‘stinger suits’ (lots of good laughs for all!). Although the snorkelling was all too brief, we did see some gorgeous fish and coral, especially when the fish were being fed - they were close enough to touch. It certainly gave the kids a taste for snorkelling and we are looking forward to more as we head up the reef. We also went on an underwater viewing boat and saw some amazing coral (it was good to see that there are still colourful parts of the reef left). We then went to pristine Whitehaven Beach and enjoyed some swimming and playing (the kids were keen to run around after being on the boat). The cruise ended with a short stop at Daydream Island which was definitely the low point of the trip. A great day in all, lots of laughs and lovely just cruising by the various islands.

Moving on to Bowen (for more snorkelling) in a few days time, then to Townsville.

Mackay to Airlie Beach QLD (May - 6 days)

Our highlight of Mackay was a gorgeous day trip to Eungella and Finch Hatton Gorge on Mother’s Day. This area is approximately one hour west of Mackay. Eungella set high in the ranges reminded us very much of Comboyne (inland from Port Macq). The gorgeous view from the top of the range showed a beautiful array of sugar cane fields. We also went in search of platypus in their natural habitat in ‘Broken River’, but were outside their best viewing times. We did however spot many little turtles swimming happily about. At Finch Hatton Gorge (at the base of this range), we walked in through lush rainforest to a magical gorge and swimming hole. The water was freezing, but as we had the place all to ourselves and had built up a sweat walking in, all but Georgie braved a dip. Harrison adored climbing over the smooth boulders.



Today we arrived in Airlie Beach. The water off the coast is beautiful and we look forward to exploring the area a little more this week. We are hoping to meet up with our first travelling companions (a young family with two girls 4 and 6, also travelling – from Melbourne). We have so far crossed paths at Byron, Mackay and now probably here in Airlie.

Everyone is well and happy. We are getting used to our little space. Our travelling companions even remarked how quiet our four were as they had not heard much from them. This amazed Tim and myself who often have ringing ears from the din!

As a side note, we feel we are becoming more seasoned aussie travellers as we have adopted the 'RV (recreational vehicle) wave'. First noticed around Byron Bay we now laugh and reciprocate the wave with each passing caravan.