We have decided that we don’t need to be on the move each few days as setting up and packing up with a large caravan in tow can become quite draining on both parties. So we generally stay in one place for a week and sometimes more. For example we fell in love with Cairns and it’s surrounding areas and the weather has been very kind to us. It did not take us long to both agree that we are happy to sit here for several weeks and venture out on a variety of day trips to the multitude of interesting ‘local’ areas as we please.
his won’t always be the case but we were able to get in on a great deal at the caravan park that we are staying at and it was too good to pass up. We have found that it is beneficial to be members of several caravan park groups. As members of different caravan groups we often see some great deals coming through our emails, and we can decide which ‘special’ offer we take up, especially if we are headed in that direction. Sometimes an offer is good enough to actually take a directional deviation while we are still travelling to our intended destination.
We already have a list of many special localities to visit on the next round because we by-passed several places thinking we needed to get to a specific destination by a specific time. Generally this has been a result of poor planning and a lack of our local knowledge.
Australia is such a big country and we certainly won’t see it all in one lap. It is no surprise that many doing the “Big Lap” will tell you that the second, or maybe third time around you will experience other special places.
Sorry in advance this is a long post as we have been quite busy 🙂
Atherton Tablelands and Surrounds
Now onto the fun stuff. Over the last couple of weeks we have had a great time going out from Cairns on day trips seeing the sites.
First stop was a drive to the Atherton Tablelands. This drive was a beautiful combination of outstanding drives and walks that took us through agricultural country with a mix of dairy and horticulture and un spoilt wilderness.
Lookout over Cairns from the Kuranda ‘Pass’.
Milla Milla Falls
Port Douglas
On another day we took the very scenic ocean drive from Cairns to Port Douglas along the Captain Cook Highway. Along the way stopped in at Palm Cove and then a fabulous stop situated between Pebbly and Ellis Beach. Here we found rocks piled precariously high which have been formed by people who pass by just for the sheer pleasure of making a rock formation. Graeme had fun making a stack of his own. Apparently they do get bowled over by storms and high tides but it seems then they are stacked all over again.
Port Douglas Marina
Rock Formation Ellis and Pebbly Beach
Rock Formation Ellis and Pebbly Beach
Hartleys Crocodile Adventures
We loved our day at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures and learnt so much about salt water and fresh water crocodiles. I have never seen so many crocs up close and personal. This place had us on the move every half hour with new things to see and experience. It was well worth the visit.
Hartleys Crocodile Adventures
Hartleys Crocoodile Adventures
Make sure you check out our video page to see more of Hartleys Crocodile Adventures.
Kuranda Train and Skyrail
We were very excited to take the train through the tropical rain forest to Kuranda and then later taking the Skyrail back down the hill. In all honesty we were a little disappointed with the train trip. Firstly it was very crowded and we felt squashed all the way. The best part was when the train stopped so that we could step out and take a look at Barron Gorge. Because the beautiful rainforest grows so very quickly it was very hard to see the fantastic views that the commentary was talking about. However, the history of the making of the railway was very interesting and I can only imagine how hard it must have been working in such harsh conditions.
Bus to Train Station from Caravan Park
We arrived in Kuranda which is a very pretty village with loads of market type stores, and lots of cafes and restaurants. If your not into shopping for market trinkets you can enjoy walking through the butterfly enclosure and reptile park or maybe just enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the village. We were happy that we chose to spend only a couple of hours in Kuranda.
We both felt the best part of this whole day trip was the Skyrail. This gives the most outstanding views way above the world heritage tropical rainforest. It allows two stops along the way to view both the Barron Gorge Falls and Red Peak. Both are pretty stunning. Graeme said he would have been happy to take the Skyrail up and down. The bus trip to and from the Caravan Park was also quite enlightening as the drivers gave a great commentary of the areas we were passing through.
Crystal Cascades and Copperlod Dam – Cairns
Crystal Cascades is accessible by self-drive only. After a beautiful cool 1.2 km walk from the car park, we found the secluded freshwater swimming hole which is hidden right at the end of the walk in the tropical rainforest. Along the way we also passed a series of small waterfalls, rapids and runs surrounded by large impressive granite boulders. This is just a short drive out of Cairns and such an absolutely magical place.
Copperload Dam
Crystal Cascades
Babinda Boulders
We can’t begin to tell you how much we are absolutely loving finding these beautiful areas of our wonderful country. So here are some more photos of Babinda Boulders ………I am sorry if the pictures don’t do it justice. There is so very much to see and enjoy in this beautiful part of Oz. We are just loving it.
Babinda Boulders
Babinda Boulders
Swimming Hole at Babinda Boulders
If you have read this far make sure you check out our video page.
Well that’s enough for now.
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Happy Aussie Caravanning Lifestyle
Dixie and Graeme