Blogs from Queensland, Australia, Oceania - page 8

Time to leave Townsville and the Coral Sea, and head just over one hour north to the tiny hamlet of Crystal Creek, the region containing some of Queensland’s best waterfalls. First stop was Big Crystal Creek, which features Big Crystal Rock Slides and Paradise Pool. The water is literally crystal clear (and croc free), and after enjoying a swim in the falls and sliding down the rock slides, we drove to Paradise Pool and enjoyed a swim in the deep clear water. There was a high jumping rock that I had to try out, including a dive. Little Crystal Creek was our next stop, where we again swam under the falls, and slid down the rock slides. We took a slight detour on our way back to our caravan park to the Frosty Mango, a tropical ... read more

Owing to the inclement weather in Mission Beach, which lies in the wet tropics, we opted to head for Townsville, which lies in the dry tropics, and thus, enjoyed fine weather for our planned seven day stay, which we stretched out to eleven days. We stayed at the Riverside Convention Centre Caravan Park, which is a church owned park, conveniently located along Townsville’s main river and relatively central in Townsville. Townsville Council has done a great job of creating parks along both sides of virtually the whole length of the river as it winds through Townsville city. On our first full day, we walked 6.7 kms in a loop along both sides of the river from our van park. That night we met up with friends that we were staying next to in Ravenshoe Caravan Park, ... read more

After being spoilt for facilities (and having enjoyed a powered caravan site with an ensuite at Cairns), it was time to stretch our wings and enjoy another farm stay, this time at a little town called Mirriwinni, near Babinda. The farm stay had a crystal clear creek running through it, a spacious camp kitchen, a tropical fruit orchard, and two swimming holes, one with an Aqua Bike (more about that later). There were also two ponies who were always up for a pat, named Caramel and Cisco, and three dogs. We also captured our first image of a wild Ulysses Butterfly. Our first call of duty was to try out the new Italian Café in Babinda, called Francesca’s, and the coffee and cake did not disappoint. A genuine taste of Italy thanks to Francesca. We were ... read more

The drive from Port Douglas to Palm Cove was one of the most spectacular drives I have ever undertaken, and would rival any road trip across Australia, and would even rival some of the great European roads we have travelled. Captain Cook Highway follows the edge of the Far North Queensland coast that looks out to the Great Barrier Reef. Fortunately, the day we travelled it was clear and sunny, and we felt compelled to stop several times for photo opportunities. Palm Cove lies between Port Douglas and Cairns on the sunny Far North Queensland coast. It lacks the championship golf courses and ritzy shops of Port Douglas, but has it’s fair share of exclusive resorts, luxury condominiums and expensive restaurants. The long beach front stretches from Palm Cove through to Clifton Beach, and has two ... read more

Mossman was our next stop, and it was an ideal base from which to explore the Daintree Coast, including having a good range of shops and services. We managed to secure a powered site in the Mossman Shire Council Caravan Park, which was conveniently located adjacent to the Council Swimming Pool, for which caravan park guests had free and unlimited access. I took the opportunity to do laps on several of the days we stayed in Mossman. Mossman lies in the heart of sugar cane country, and hosts the Mossman Central Sugar Mill, which runs as a Co-operative owned by local farmers. Cane train lines criss cross the area, and you need to be mindful as you drive around. The soil is rich and also supports many tropical fruit farms, as well as of course, the ... read more