October 2021
Following the departure of our guests we spent the next couple of weeks in Cairns taking things a little easy while working out our next plans. We had been going non-stop for nearly a month by now and so were ready for some quiet time. However while in Cairns we did do a bit of exploring, the first of which was to visit the Daintree rainforest. We were actually very lucky to get this opportunity as the Daintree is about 120km north of Cairns which is normally a distance that is well out of our travel range. However I have a friend that lives in the area and she was keen for some company on an out of town adventure.
The day we drove to the Daintree we had a miserable forecast of rain and cloudy skies. However considering we were going to a ‘rain’ forest we didn’t think this would be much of an issue and started the long drive a little after eight in the morning. Since it was such a long drive we decided to break up the journey by stopping in Port Douglas for a morning tea and coffee and a quick look at the pretty town. Port Douglas seemed like a quaint little touristy town and had we more time it would have been a nice place to stop and spend more time to explore. However we were barely halfway to our actual destination of the Daintree and if we wanted to reach the rainforest with enough time to explore it we couldn’t dawdle. So after a delicious morning tea of coffee and cakes at a local bakery we all piled back into the car and resumed our drive north.
Our next stop that morning was at the Daintree River ferry crossing. The only way for us to reach the famous rainforest was to use this cable ferry to cross the 300m wide section of river for a small fee. Crossing the ferry was a relatively easy thing and once that was behind us we were officially in the Daintree Rainforest. From here we had no real destination and so proceeded to meander our way through the rainforest, stopping at a lookout point and tea plantation along the way.
In the end we drove as far as we could to Emmagen Creek. This was actually the beginning of the 4WD road to Cooktown and was a creek crossing. However the car we were in was not equipped for such adventures but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the pretty little spot. Pulling over on the side of the road beside the creak we decided this was the perfect spot to get out and follow a short trail along the river. The track wound its way through a luscious rainforest to a spot in the creek that was a little deeper then the crossing where some brave people were swimming and ignoring the croc warning signs.
Following our short walk we retreated back to the car and headed back to Cape Tribulation where we decided to enjoy the picnic lunch that I had packed for us that morning. Cape Tribulation was the place where the rainforest quite literally met the reef as the forest bordered the beach. While at the cape we enjoyed our lunch, a short wander on the beach and a walk to the lookout point.
Following our lunch stop at Cape Tribulation we decided on one last stop, which was to complete a short walk along the Dubuji Boardwalk. This was set to be our last activity for the day before heading back to Cairns as it was getting late and we still had a long drive ahead. This walking track as the name suggests was entirely made up of a boardwalk so it was a very easy walk through a stunning rainforest. The entire track was only 1.2km long with a beach stop along the way however for the most part we walked under the canopy of the Daintree. Everywhere we looked were different species of trees, vines and plants which grew off other trees, it was hard to take it all in as there was just so much going on.
By the time we completed this walk it was approaching three in the afternoon and although there was other things to do in the Daintree we had run out of time. So following our walk along the Dubuji board walk we began our journey back to Cairns, stopping only once more to buy ice cream from one of the local Daintree ice creameries. The trip back to Cairns took use about two hours with a couple of brief stops at lookout points along the way to enjoy the sun set over the coast and a late afternoon tea as the last of the sunlight disappeared.
Following our little out of town adventure we spent just over a week in Cairns while we finished a few town jobs. But while getting things done we also found time to take Allagai on a short river cruise further up Trinity Inlet to do some sight seeing. The cruise up the river felt like we had left Cairns all together as the lights and noise of the city disappeared. However our stay up the river was short lived as the midges and mosquitoes ran rampant and enjoyed the taste of me way to much. So after a few nights we decided to bail and headed back to the main river where the mangroves were a little further from the boat and thus the bug life less. Back in Carin’s we started to get ready for our departure re-supplying Allagai and stowing her for sea.
However while in this process we also stumbled across the local aquarium and as it was my birthday while in town we decided to us this as an excuse to visit. We spent the entire day at the aquarium admiring the fish and awed by the size of the tanks as we were circled by sharks, stingrays and giant cods, not to mention the aircon was a welcome respite from the constant heat and humidity. The aquarium was well worth the little side track in getting ready to leave Cairns as it allowed us to see marine life the we wouldn’t see without dive gear. This aquarium was also unique in the way it took its visitors for a journey right from the mangroves all the way to the outer reef, meaning we also had the opportunity to see a few fresh water river monsters up close not just ocean fish. Following this we made tracks to leave Cairns heading south as cyclone and stinger season were fast approaching, aiming for Townsville during the next northerly wind window.