Port Douglas: The Rain forest and Great Barrier Reef

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Port Douglas: The Rain forest and Great Barrier Reef, Wednesday 17th to Sunday 21st

Mum and Dad were heading up to Cairns for a few days and asked us to join them, so with the prospect of visiting the rainforest and Great Barrier Reef I though we’d be mad not to. Doddy and I arrived on Wednesday morning to be met by mum and dad who had travelled up the day before and picked up the hire car etc. The first thing we noticed wad the heat, Sydney was warm, but this was something else, as soon as we stepped off the plane the hit heat us. The surroundings were a lot lusher and we both agreed it was nice to be out of the city again. Cairns had quite an American/Western feel with Blackpool style tourist shops and cafes.

After a spot of lunch we drove to Karunda, a small town north west of Cairns. The drive was very scenic, taking us up into the hills where we took in a few of the views at lookouts along the way. Upon reaching Karunda we went for a 2km walk along a small section of the rainforest, either side of the path as thick with vegetation and the air was damp with humidity. We saw a few big spiders and tried to guess what the animal sounds we could hear were. After checking for leeches (that can drop from the trees onto your skin) we got back in the car and drove to Karunda village. Karunda is home to many Aboriginals and we got the feeling that most of the shops in the village were aimed at tourists and as we were the only tourists there most of the shops were shut, giving it a rather ghost town feel. After another walk along a treetop boardwalk to some waterfalls we headed to Port Douglas stopping on the way to take a few photos of bananas growing in the trees.

We had been told that Port Douglas was a lot nicer than Cairns and it was. A palm tree lined road lead to the resort style town centre with 4 mile beach at one end and marina at the other. Mum and Dad dropped us off at Parrott Fish hostel so we could check in and drop off our bags. Once settled in we headed over to the place they were staying, a very nice self contained apartment (The Cher Du Monge), on the main street. It had a lovely pool and within 5 minutes we were in it cooling off. We spent an enjoyable evening relaxing in the warm night air and planning the next few days.

Thursday the 18th started with another refreshing swim in mum and dad’s pool and breakfast on the patio. It was a little windy due to the cyclone that was due to hit the Queensland coast at the Whitsunday’s, luckily we were further north. We decided that the day would be spent in the rainforest so we caught the Daintree ferry that would take us to the road that would lead us to Cape Tri bullation. It was on the ferry that we saw our first of many warnings that crocodiles inhabit the waters. We were in big crocodile country and warning signs advised you to stay out of the water and keep away from river bank edges. As we drove further on into the rainforest we saw yet more wildlife; an endangered Cassowary, a wild pig and numerous brightly coloured butterflies and birds. The drive took us through really dense rainforest with vines that Tarzan would have had a field day on. Gaps in the vegetation provided us with spectacular views down to the beaches below and the islands dotted along the coastline. We continued driving until we quite literally ran out of road and the road became a gravel track. On the map it showed a water hole in which you could swim, half way down the track. So we thought it would be a nice spot to cool off and have a bit of lunch, so off we set down the gravel track. Eventually we reached a sign saying the rest of the road was only suitable for 4wheel drive, so we knew we’d reached the spot of the water hole. Swim stuff and pic-nic at the ready, off the intrepid trekkers set. After about 5 minutes the path became less clear and we really felt like we were in the thick of the rainforest as we’d pulled back and stamped on branches to make our way through. 5 minutes later and still no sign of the water hole and with a few cut toes and ripped t-shirts and vegetation getting ever thicker we began to wonder if we were on the right path. Doddy volunteered to check ahead but came back a few minutes later still unable to find it, so we made the decision to head back as trekking through an unknown stretch of rainforest in flip-flops was probably not the best idea!

Instead we ate lunch in a civilised manor on a pic-nic table next to Cape Tribulation Beach. The beach was beautiful and we walked along the white sand with the warm water lapping at our feet. Even though it looked so inviting we couldn’t go in the water as it was stinger season so jelly fish (including box jelly fish) were likely to be in the water, plus those pesky crocodiles could be lurking too.

The map showed another water hole in which we could swim and this one looked a lot more accessible so off we set. Twenty minutes later we were swimming in crystal clear waters. The water felt silky on my skin and the sunlight shone onto the water through the tree leaves. It was a stunning little spot; we swam in the water and swung on the rope swing, until we had to tear ourselves away as time was getting on. We caught the ferry back across the Daintree River, stopping to read the local notice board were a ‘humane removal of snakes’ service was being offered, glad we don’t have that problem in England!

That evening was spent in our new apartment. Mum and Dad very kindly offered to upgrade us from our hostel to an apartment in the same place they were staying. It was great, the room didn’t smell of wet towels, we didn’t get woken up at 1am, we had air conditioning and the pool was right on our doorstep (well just off the balcony to be precise!) Thanks Mum and Dad. We had another swim in the pool and then a BBQ, enjoying another warm evening, not a bad life ey?!

Friday the 19th, the wind had definitely dropped but advice from the reef boat operators was to wait as the visibility would only get better so we decided to take a trip to Daintree Village. The village with only a few shops and a café serving Devonshire Teas. To indulge in a bit more wildlife spotting we went on a boat trip up the Daintree River with the Solar Whisper Company. It was great as we saw birds, green tree snakes, spiders and a bright green tree frog. The highlight was the crocodiles that we saw ranging from tiny one month old crocs to their 8 year old mum. There is definitely something special about seeing wild animals in their natural habitat.

Heading back towards Port Douglas we saw a wheelbarrow full of coconuts at the foot of someone’s garden, with donation box. So Doddy immediately jumped out of the car and selected the best two using his superior shake method. We then went to another swimming hole at Mosman Gorge, home to an Aboriginal community. Again it was lovely to be swimming in cool clear waters. Once back in Port Douglas and with the wind still dropping, we decided to book our day on the barrier reef. Doddy and I decided to go with Poseidon out to the Agincourt Reef as we’d be able to visit 3 different reef sites and get more of an outer barrier reef experience, whereas mum and dad decided to go with Quicksilver, a large pontoon also based on the Agincourt Reef. Bookings complete we took a wander round Port Douglas and down onto the beach. Four Mile Beach is a beautiful stretch of white sand and palm trees and with the temperature hovering around 30 degrees it was lovely. The usual evening swim was followed by dinner and a bottle of wine on the patio with discussions of what a ‘normal’ Thursday night in the UK would hold, but those thoughts were quickly pushed aside as talk soon turned to how this really was the good life.

Saturday 20th March

We boarded our boat at around 8.45am, the wind had dropped significantly but we were still warned that the conditions could be a bit rough so were advised to take a couple of sea sickness tablets which we did and they worked brilliantly as we both felt fine all day.

The reef was absolutely beautiful. We were taken aback by the bright and vivid colours of the coral. We must have seen over 100 varieties of fish. Each of the 3 reef sites provided us with a different experience, some sites with sandy bottoms and others where we were less than a metre from the coral. We were both amazed of how big some of the clams were and that we managed to spot a reef shark and turtle. The whole day was spent visiting the different reefs and we could have quite happily stayed much longer, especially as the water was so warm at around 29 degrees! Amazing really, seeing as we were over 10 miles from the coastline. Ooh, just writing about it makes me want to go back there!

We got back onto land at about 4.30pm and met up with mum and dad who had had an equally enjoyable day. That evening we enjoyed the coconut that Doddy had picked up the day before, although it was a tad tricky to get into, as it was complete with outer shell that had to be hammered off before the hairy inner shell was reached, but the end result was very tasty. Our final eve in Port Douglas was spent, yep, relaxing in the pool and chilling out on the balcony.

Port Douglas is known for its Sunday market selling a wide range of exotic fruit, so on Sunday morning we took a visit. It was a really good market selling lots of handmade good and of course lots of exotic fruit. We each had the task of buying one new fruit we’d never had before, so by the end of the market we had tried sugar cane juice, mango steen, dragon fruit and sticky banana rice in a vine leaf. Once full of our fruity flavours we started our journey back towards Cairns. En route we stopped off at Palm Cove, a lovely beach we’d seen on the way up. There was a stinger net in the water so we were safely able to swim. The water was again so warm it was just like being in a big bath! After soaking up a few more rays we managed to pull ourselves away from the beach to enjoy some delicious fish and chips.

We then carried on with the drive towards Cairns, dropping mum and dad off at the airport as they had an earlier flight than Doddy and I. With an hour or so before our own flight we went into Cairns and had a wander. It’s a nice city with a large lagoon pool at the beach front, but we were glad we’d stayed in Port Douglas. The couple of hours soon passed and we were on what was a slightly bumpy flight (due to the cyclone) down to Sydney.

Back at Sydney Airport we were reunited once more, this time with an additional member in our party. Iain, my brother, had flown over and his flight had just landed too. So with everyone present we headed back to Clovelly.

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