So we packed up an left our villa in Cairns, and went to the airport, arriving a bit later than intended but still in enough time to get on the plane. It was a 3 hour flight from Cairns to Alice Springs. We got some good views of the reef as we took off and circled over the sea. Then inland over a very empty country with dry river beds and other things visible. Then we came into land at what looked like a vaguely fenced cattle ranch, but turned out to be the airport. Its also about 17 km outside [View Full Entry]

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We went on a cable car above yet another rain forest to a village and came back. OK. Cath here now. Methinks Julian has now seen enough rain forest! :-) To be fair, we are all a bit tired today after our long day yesterday. Jolly miffed to have got sunburnt, but at least it shows I managed to do some snorkelling! Although still surprising as it seemed pretty overcast most of the day - except when it went dark and threw it down! And the sea was VERY rough on the way back! Bit choppy, I ask you??! Today is [View Full Entry]

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Today starts early as we have to drive to Cairns to catch the boat to Green Island and the Great Barrier Reef - well some of it anyway! We were well stocked with water, crisps, sun lotion and swimming kit. We boarded the catameran that was to take us out to Green Island, about an hours journey. It was smooth sailing most of the way until we got clear of the headland and then it got a bit choppy, but most of us had taken sea sickness pills and we were all fine. On the journey out you can book various [View Full Entry]

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Wet started the day early with a quick trip out to the beach. Then some breakfast and a swim in the pool. Rachel taught mum how to use a snorkel. Then we had a snack and went out to a crocodile farm and park. There they raise crocodiles a little like we raise cows or pigs for the leather and meat trade. We arrived just in time for a tour of the farm part and so saw the various ponds where they raise the crocodiles, from eggs to about 3 years old. We learnt all about the ins and outs of [View Full Entry]

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Out of the jungle and back into the more developed world. Well that's where we headed today. After another full breakfast, which was nearly, but not quite great (there were a load of ants in the sugar bowl, and the cooked breakfast was nearly there), we packed up and headed back south. We stopped just before the ferry to visit the Daintree forest discovery centre. Here you could walk through the jungle on high up walkways, and climb a tower right the way up to the top of the canopy. There was a guide book and audio guide to show you [View Full Entry]

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We got up and headed down to the breakfast provided, it was raining on the way which is apparently unusual at this time of year. After Simon had tried everything and we were all pretty full, we went out onto the beach using the umbrellas provided. There were a few breaks in the clouds and the rain came in short sharp bursts. It was still t-shirt weather though, despite the rain. We booked in for an exotic fruit tasting session in the afternooon, but went to cape tribulation beach first. There we managed to sculpt a rather good looking crocodile out [View Full Entry]

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We packed up all our things at Port Douglas and drove round to find an ATM as we were down to our last $10 of Australian money. We were going to have to use a ferry as part of the next stage of the journey so we needed some cash. We drove north towards the Daintree river, where we were hoping to get a cruise. On the way we passed field after field of sugar cane. Then we came to the Daintree river cruising spot, which was like sort of a dusty car park with about 5 or 6 tented places [View Full Entry]

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A full day in Port Douglas, and its time to hit the beach. We walked across the road and explored the local suburbs as the beach was very near, we just weren't quite sure exactly where it was. Eventually we found the beach path and came out onto a tropical beach, complete with coconuts. The braver amongst us ventured out for a swim, it was pretty hot and the forecast was for 29C. Certainly things dried very quickly once we came out. After that we went into the town and had some lunch and stocked up with drink and essentials. We [View Full Entry]

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So here we are - back in Australia. It was an early start to get to Auckland airport for 7am, but we made it ok. Then a 5 hour flight to Cairns. We arrived and admitted to the immigration that we'd stayed on a farm, and after a few questions they took our shoes away and cleaned them for us! We also had to wait a while for the hire car to arrive, but it was upgraded to a van. At least the luggage was easy to fit in! Our last two cars it was a bit of a jigsaw to [View Full Entry]

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Tomorrow we leave for Cairns and the great barrier reef, so today we went around some local places. After breakfast we headed out to New Zealand guide dogs breeding and training centre where Cath had made contact and they agreed to show us around. There were a lot of similarities to how puppy walking is done in the UK. We got to see 10 6 week old puppies, and even a couple of 11 day old ones. Then back to the farm for a little more horse riding, and a quick lunch. In the afternoon we toured around the eastern seaboard, [View Full Entry]

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