The (very) tropical north

 

The weather on the Cassowary Coast, where we were situated, continued to be much wetter than most "dry" seasons, but that did not stop us enjoying ourselves. We left Bramston Beach on Monday, 6th July for the short trip north, reaching the outskirts of Cairns, and rapidly increasing traffic, in no time, making our way on the western city bypass to Trinity Beach, north of Cairns, where Martin's brother, James, lives. It was great to catch up with him and check out his lovely holiday apartment not too far off the beach. We enjoyed dinner at the local tavern and a night in his apartment while our caravan was parked in the street.

On Tuesday morning, the heavens opened as we farewelled James and turned north onto the Captain Cook Highway. A cyclone at the end of 2023 had temporarily closed the road, which runs between the mountainous rainforest and the sea - a narrow, winding stretch of bitumen where land slips, rock slides and surface subsidence are common. Repairs and reinforcements continue even now, meaning there are several stretches of single lane road with traffic lights directing progress. A journey of just under an hour can take almost two! Add in torrential rain and it was very slow going; we were glad to reach the turnoff to Port Douglas. We were too early to check into our caravan park so we found a carpark near town and went for a wander, checking out what had changed and what was the same as on our last visit in Liberty in 2024. Mockas Pies, a favourite of ours, is still there, so we decided to indulge and bought some for our lunch; seafood - the perennial favourite, and lamb and rosemary - yum! After checking in to Pandanus Caravan Park and setting up between regular showers, we put the oven on and enjoyed our indulgences.

The weather was marginally better on Wednesday so we went for a long walk along Four Mile Beach. Plenty of people were out doing the same thing, or jogging, bike riding or attending a yoga class on the sand. The wind off the water was cool so there weren’t many swimmers! We wandered around the Markets at the Marina, enjoyed coffee at “Choo Choos” and made sure we had supplies for lunch and dinner before spending the afternoon pottering around the caravan. Sometimes, on these trips, you just need some time to make everything “ship shape”…

Pandanus caravan park, where we are staying, is completely full at the moment - lots of tents and mobile homes but mainly Victorian caravanners escaping the cold winter. I’m sure they’re heartily sick of the unseasonal rain up here! Late that afternoon we enjoyed sunset drinks at the Yacht Club, watching the cruises heading up and down Dickson Inlet, before returning to the caravan for steaks that we’d purchased when we were in Hughenden, cooked on the BBQ. Delicious! 

We booked ourselves on a Cultural Tour of Mossman Gorge on Thursday morning. We enjoyed Billy Tea and Damper before a walk through the rainforest with a very knowledgeable local indigenous guide explaining the long history of the area, her people’s connections to the land and how they have used flora and fauna found in the vicinity for tools, food, medicines, weapons and totem, as well as the natural markers they have in the bush that help them communicate and show them where to go.We were absolutely fascinated and it certainly complemented the walks we have done at other natural locations like Murray Falls and Babinda Boulders. Returning to Port Douglas, we bought some Coral Trout to cook for an indulgent meal.

On Friday we undertook the long and challenging walk around the headland. It is only 1.3km from one end to another, but the trail climbs up around the rocky shore past the lighthouse and the lookout, then down the other side. The views are quite spectacular from Snapper Island and the Daintree in the north, out towards the Low Isles and the reef and south towards Cairns. It is the only hill in the locality so, for us at least, it is worth the climb. The surf life saving flags were out on the beach and quite a few people were in the water - the first time all week it was at all appealing.

Later on we walked along the main street of Port Douglas, Macrossan Street, checking out the many shops, with every kind of local product, souvenir or knick knacks available. That afternoon we made our way to our favourite restaurant, the Tin Shed, overlooking Dickson Inlet. We watched boats full of tourists making their way out to sea or back to port and enjoyed a seafood feast worthy of our strenuous morning walk. The weather had improved over the course of the week and plenty of others were also making the most of the sunshine to have lunch on the deck - we had to wait a while for a table but it was worth it!

On Saturday we walked the “other way” on Four Mile Beach, past the many resorts stretching right along behind the coastal bushland. Once again many people were out walking, but today there were lots in the water too. After a leisurely breakfast we did some souvenir shopping of our own and enjoyed coffee overlooking the beach. James rode his motorbike up from Cairns to join us for lunch - the Highway drive along the shoreline is quite beautiful on a sunny day.

Sunday was pack up day again - a much easier task when the weather is good! We returned to Cairns along the Captain Cook Highway, enjoying the views across the water to islands and reefs. We had a lazy afternoon at James’ apartment, sorting out clothes and other supplies before our camping and 4WD adventure to Cape York, but in between we have a flight to Brisbane and a week of festivities to look forward to, so after a drink at the local club and a lovely pizza dinner, it was early to bed and off to the airport on Monday morning!