First of all (for the Swede in me), the weather in Cairns and surroundings was just fantastic at this time of year! It is their winter, which equals pretty low humidity, warming sun, nice breeze and around 27C (81F) during the day and a nice cool 17C (63F) at night. It was just lovely! It didn't rain until the day we left. Okay, it was a tad too cold to get in the water, but still, no heat strokes for me at all during these two weeks!!
Cairns
When we read about Cairns in the travel books they say it is a hub for visiting the Great Barrier Reef and other surrounding areas. However, there are still plenty to do, like the night market, some excellent restaurants, a beautiful board walk along the ocean and a man-made beach called "The Lagoon" right by the busy Esplanade. Cairns is built around tourism and that is visible everywhere. Hostels offer some great deals for travels and diving, cheap food and party all night long, for those who prefer. For the more mature traveler there are plenty of hotels to choose from, both very nice hotels with ocean views, or less expensive motels a few streets away from the water. Although it is walking distance within the city center, both Honey and I were surprised how long it took to walk one block. It always took longer than expected to get to wherever we were going. But since the weather was so nice, walking was a delight.
Port Douglas
We rented a car and drove up north along the shoreline to Port Douglas, which I wanted to visit since last time I was in Australia (2002). Port Douglas is generally lots of very VERY nice hotels and resorts; yeah, a bit posh. The main street is filled with restaurants and boutiques. Apparently the Prime Minister of Australia was in Port Douglas while we were there.
Considering the fairly expensive restaurants we were very grateful to receive some 2-for-1 main dish coupons at selected restaurants from my sister. Our first night we ate at one of those places. Toby ordered a lovely saffron seafood pasta and I ordered a delicious grilled barramundi. Thanks to the 2-for-1 main dish deal we could indulge in a chocolate dream cake for dessert and still not go bankrupt. It was just perfect.
Cape Tribulation
Northern Queensland do have many beautiful beaches. Port Douglas for example is the home of the four-mile beach; all white sand and perfect waves. It was sure beautiful, however far from as breathtaking as the Cape Tribulation beach! That is the most amazing, astonishing and beautiful beach I have ever seen!
We drove from Port Douglas further up north along the shoreline. We weren't really sure what to expect so we went with clear minds. After crossing the Daintree River on a tiny car ferry we ended up deep in the tropical rain forest. We drove on a narrow and very winding road with trees and vegetation all the way up to the side of the road. After driving for what seemed like a looong time the road ended in a t-section with a dirt road to the left, and parking lot to the right. Since we were driving a tiny Hyundai Getz, the dirt road was out of the question (only 4WD allowed), and we parked the car. We walked up to an entrance through the thick rain forest and discovered heaven... My goodness, nature can surely be absolutely astonishing! The white beach, blue waves that softly caresses the sand, thick green rain forest surrounding and protecting this breathtaking beauty! Once stepping out on the beach you saw big green hills looking down at the white sand, like they were keeping an eye on the beach, to make sure it stays as beautiful as it possibly can. The beach was nearly deserted, just a few more tourists, us, and wildlife. I couldn't find a picture that shows its beauty. I guess you have to be there to understand...
It was quite the drive to get to Cape Tribulation, but worth every second of it. Just travelling up to Cape Tribulation was special, with nature so close by and present at all times. As much as I appreciate nature (usually from a distance) I was happy to come back to Port Douglas, with people, street lights, grocery stores and restaurants. For me Cape Tribulation was a perfect day trip, but I can see why others may decide to stay there. It feels like being alone in the world when you are up there. I read that the population is around 100 people, so if you like to live secluded, Cape Tribulation is surely a place to consider. I kept thinking about how far people who live there have to go to buy groceries, or if they made pancakes and forgot to buy milk, or felt like some chips a Friday night and didn't have any at home. Are they even able to leave their homes during big storms? It's not just to get up and drive a few minutes to the closest store. Living in Cape Trib takes planning... and I admire those who can live that way, it is just not for me...
To sum it up, Cape Tribulation was obviously the place that made the most impression on me during our trip to Australia this time. I think partly because it is so far from what I prefer. I am happy to have been there and seen it, but I am still a city girl, yep, totally :).
PS. Dingding was home alone while we were gone. Honey's friend Cheung Cheung stopped by faithfully every day to make sure Ding had food, water and some company. I was so grateful!! And of course I missed my wittle baby while we were gone. The only time I didn't think about her was when we stayed at Green Island to snorkle. That was so much fun!!
