A Quiet New Year's Eve

The day started quite cloudy again so we decided another beach walk was in order...this time along the nearby "eastern beaches". We drove first to Sunshine Beach to find it a hive of activity around its shops and the car parks full. Being "exploring mode" still, we didn't bother stopping and drove a kilometre down the road to Sunrise Beach.

There are no shops at Sunrise Beach so, in comparison to Sunshine Beach, the place was deserted and had no difficulty parking. We walked down to the beach and set off on our walk...heading south until we had had enough. We retraced our steps until we found our way back to our car and then continued our drive. We kept on driving south through Castaways Beach and Marcus Beach to Peregian Beach. Here we turned inland to pick up the Sunshine Motorway to head back to Noosa and the Resort. 

After lunch we simply lazed the day away around the pool before heading into Noosa Central for some more supplies (it's a small fridge and so you can't buy too much at a time...). We saw the New Year in quietly...one hour later than back home.

Finding Our Way Around

We set off this morning to do a little exploring...starting with Noosa Heads. We made our way to Hastings Street, the main shopping street along the foreshore. Although it was still rather early, everyone seemed to be there already with the overflow parking filling rapidly.

Crawling down Hastings Street, we didn't try to stop and kept on going until we reached the end of the road at Noosa Spit at the mouth of the Noosa River. Here we left our car and went for a walk on the beach. Although the day was cloudy and grey, it was quite warm and the sea was pleasant to walk in.

After our beach walk we set off to take a drive along the Noosa River. The first challenge was getting back out along Hastings Street as it is the only way in and out...clearly the only sensible way of visiting here at this time of year is using the RACV Resort's courtesy bus.

From Noosa Heads we passed through Noosaville before ending up in Tewantin. We stopped here to buy what we thought would be lunch before returning through "peak period traffic" to the Resort. Although the cloud had still not burnt off, the day was now quite hot so a visit before lunch to the pool was in order.

Sitting around the pool was very relaxing...so much so that we decided to order lunch there. Oh well, the "lunch" we had bought would do for dinner instead. 

Lunch by the pool

We spent a big chunk of the afternoon at the pool before retreating from the sun to the cool of our apartment for the rest of the day.

Sunshine Coast - Here We Come

Up early to finish packing and tidy up the house so we can leave it for a couple of weeks. Then it was into a taxi for a trip out to Tullamarine Airport to catch our flight up to the Sunshine Coast. We had a 9:35 flight direct to Maroochydore, flying Business Class courtesy of points I had amassed over several years.

After an uneventual flight, we stepped off the plane into a hot and humid day. I had a hire car booked and, as usually happens, I received an "upgrade"...this time a Hyundai ix35 SUV...somewhat larger than the MX-5 I usually drive.

Coming out of the airport, I took a wrong turn and found myself heading south instead of north. With 3 hours to kill before check-in time and only a 30 minute drive to get there, it didn't really matter so we kept on going. Eventually I found my way out to Yandina and from there we went via Eumundi before turning back to the coast.

We followed the signs to Noosa and arrived there to find the traffic was bedlam...not that I expected anything else at this time of year. We escaped Hastings Street before getting trapped in it and found our way around to the Noosa Central  shops for a little lunch.

Still a little early, we then set out for the RACV Noosa Resort where we would be staying. Our room wasn't ready so we lounged around in the foyer until it was. We have a first-floor, one bedroom apartment overlooking the pool. It is quite modern with plenty of space and everything you need for a long stay.

The view from the balcony

The lounge area - excuse the mess...it didn't take us long

A well appointed kitchen space

The bedroom

After unpacking and a bit of a rest, we finished the day by going back to Noosa Central for some food supplies.

The End is Nigh

Today was our last day in Port Douglas for tomorrow we return to cold, old Melbourne. The weather has been slowly getting better here but it is still not as great as it was last week.

This morning it was time for Anita to have a little "retail therapy" in Port Douglas. I entertained myself by chasing out the last of the Geocaches that were there to find.

Lunch was another marvellous Mocka's pie followed by an ice cream from the 42 Flavours Ice Cream Shop. Later in the afternoon we went for our last beach walk for the holiday along 4 Mile Beach.

Wet Day Timetable

Unfortunately the weather has gone downhill a little...overcast, windy and showers. Not the best for the beach but in the mid 20's so it is still shorts and t-shirts weather. We went out for a drive this morning, back up towards Mossman. The drive was nice but we had two disappointments. 

The first was Mossman Gorge. Last time we were here, you simply drove up the road to the gorge, got out and wandered around. Now they have a visitors centre with cafes and souvenirs...and it is no where near the gorge. You now have to get one of their mini-buses up the road and, no surprise, you have to pay. Of course, you can walk if you like but it is a couple of kilometres so it's not an attractive option.

The place was really crowded, probably due to the weather. The queue for the bus was ridiculous considering they expect you to use it so we didn't stay. We went back into Mossman and around to the Sugar Mill. The last time we were here we just missed out on doing a Mill Tour. This time, no more tours! Even the little Visitors Centre is closed.

From Mossman we drove out to Newell Beach just to the north. A quaint seaside village but not really a tourist destination. From there we headed back to Cooya Beach and then to Port Douglas for lunch. As it wasn't too warm, it was perfect weather for a famous Mocka's Pie. After lunch it was time for a stroll around the shops. We went down to the Marina and found that almost all the shops there had closed. Port Douglas itself seems to be doing OK but it is struggling around the edges. We lazed the rest of the afternoon away, hoping the weather will be a bit better tomorrow.

Farewell to the Cassowary Coast

We have had a really great and relaxing time on the Cassowary Coast but today it was time to pack up and leave. Our first stop on the way south was the Marrdja Boardwalk where we had the good fortune to catch a glimpse of a cassowary.

Second stop for the morning was at the Daintree Ice Cream Company. Here we enjoyed a wonderful combination of pineapple, mango, wattle seed and black sapote ice creams for morning tea. After that it was back in the X-Trail and off to the ferry back to civilisation.

By early afternoon we were in Port Douglas and checking in to the Paradise Links Resort. We have a spacious ground floor apartment overlooking a nice garden and the pool. It also has a washing machine which we put to necessary use instead getting out and about...plenty of time for that tomorrow.

A Rather Lazy Day

Started the day with a typical Exotic Fruit Farm breakfast - blood red Dragonfruit, Custard Apple, Pineapple and other things we don't know the name of, followed by French Toast with bacon and Maple Syrup.

After breakfast we went for a walk through the farm and down to Myall Beach. We had a long stroll along the beach where I lucked on the Telstra network for a while.

In the afternoon we drove up to Emmagen Beach, the limit of the 2WD road. We had a lovely stroll along the beach and a sit on the rocks paddling our feet. While we were at the end of the beach, I grabbed one of the two Geocaches north of the Daintree River.

On our way back to the B&B we stopped off at Cape Tribulation beach and went for another walk. For dinner we drove to the Cassowary Cafe where we enjoyed really nicely done Scotch Fillets and yummy desserts.

Across the Daintree

Today it was farewell to Palm Cove as we headed north to Cape Tribulation. Palm Cove was great but our stay was really too short.

When we started planning this holiday, we grabbed an opportunity to go back to the Cape Trib Exotic Fruit Farm B&B where we had stayed briefly three years ago. There was only one block of nights left so we ended up with two short periods either side and that is how we ended up at Palm Cove for a few nights. Next time we will definitely stay longer.

As Cape Trib is only a couple of hours up the coast, we had plenty of time to get there. So instead of going straight there, we drove up the range to Kuranda. First stop was the Barron Falls before going into town for lunch. Kuranda was crazy with tourists which I think is the only way it ever is.

With lunch out of the way it was time to set off. Instead of going straight back down the way we came up, we headed off on a slightly longer way via Mareeba and Mount Molloy. From there it was down the range to Mossman and on to the Daintree River ferry.

Once we were across the river, it was a twisty drive up through the rain forest to Cape Trib and our B&B. We are all settled in and looking forward to the next few days relaxing in amongst the World Heritage listed rain forest.

An Upgrade to our Upgrade

The hire car I booked was a VW Golf. When I picked up the car, Europcar proudly announced that we had been upgraded to a VW Jetta. A nice car it was until the people at the resort told us it was dropping oil. 

Yesterday I arranged to return it so this morning it was back to Cairns Airport...fortunately still just down the road. By the time we got there the Jetta was turning into quite a mess. Oil was starting to come out of the bonnet! The bloke in the yard for Europcar mubbled something about not being the one with this problem so I wonder if VW has more problems...after all the car had only done 15,000 km.

Anyway, the changeover went quite smoothly and away we drove in a brand new Nissan X-Trail. Oh what fun it would be up in the Daintree except for the fact that it only has road tyres and isn't allowed "off the bitumen". 

From the airport we went for a bit of a drive. We have done most of the "tourist spots" on previous visits so this was just a bit of a wander around. As we drove into Redlynch I saw a sign to Crystal Cascades so we went to check it out. Very pleasant it was. A nice stroll along side the Freshwater Creek where it had cut it's way into the rocks over millions of years. 

After Crystal Cascades we went in search of lunch and found ourselves at the Stratty Deli in Stratford. Very nice freshly made sandwiches and some equally nice pie to take with us for afternoon tea. From there we went for a short drive up the Barron River Gorge before returning to our apartment for some mundane stuff like washing clothes.

As we leave Palm Cove tomorrow, we went for a late afternoon last stroll along the beach. We went out for dinner, starting out for the Surf Life Saving Club. It was rather busy when we got there so we wandered back and finished up next door to where we are staying...in The Rising Sun. It might sound Japanese but it wasn't. What is was though was really nice food with pretty good service considering they had a party of 30+ for a birthday. 

Our stay in Palm Cove has been really great. It is a nice little place, busy without being overdeveloped. The Melaleuca Resort has been a nice place to stay at as well. Tomorrow, we head off for Cape Tribulation. We have been there before and are looking forward to going back.

Another Lazy Day in Paradise

It was another lazy day here in Palm Cove...well for Anita at least. While Anita had a relaxing morning reading, I went geocaching in the hills behind Clifton Beach. They were a couple of physically challenging caches requiring a climb of nearly 500 metres in around 2 kilometres. Neither cache had been looked for or found in a year and three quarters so I was pleased to find them both.

Our first floor room at Melaleuca Resort...behind the palm tree

We went for a stroll through "down town" Palm Cove to buy lunch which we followed with a stroll on the beach. The day ended on a slightly sour note when I found out that our hire car has an oil leak. Everything is under control though as I have arranged to take it back tomorrow.

and Perfect the Next!

Where we are staying

We woke to a beautiful day out there. After breakfast we went for a walk on the beach. Going south, we ended up down at Clifton Beach. It wasn't the first time we had been here. Thirty-three years ago we camped here while we were on a road trip that took us all the way to Cooktown. 

 Anita paddling in the sea

 Clifton Beach

We had come a long way down the beach so we slowly made our way back to Palm Cove. By the time we got there it was time for a very late morning ice cream. Having got more than enough exercise in the morning, we lazed away the afternoon around the pool.

Palm Cove, Beautiful One Day...

After getting spoiled in Business Class all the way up, we landed in Cairns in beautiful weather...sunny, light breeze and mid 20's. All the reasons why we have left Melbourne in winter.

 Coming in to land at Cairns - Double Island at Palm Cove is in the foreground

We picked up our hire car from Europcar. It took forever because everyone seemed to have chosen them. Most of the other agencies were sitting around twiddling their thumbs. We have a very nice VW Jetta, an upgrade from the Golf we had booked.

From Cairns Airport it was a short drive up the coast to Palm Cove where we are staying for a few days at the Melaleuca Resort. It a very nice, little bit older but well looked after resort of 20+ apartments overlooking the beach. Even though it was still quite early, our room was ready so we were able to move in.

We didn't waste much time unpacking though, we had more important things to do...like getting changed out of our winter clothes and going for a walk along the beach eating an ice cream. Yes, this is the way to spend winter!

Looking back on Palm Cove from the end of the jetty

After a pleasant stroll, it was time to jump in the car and pop back to Clifton Beach to buy supplies. With our crazy shopping hours in Melbourne, it is easy to get caught out in other places...Coles closes at 5.30 here on the weekends.

I finished off a really beautiful day by indulging in my hobby of geocaching by going out and finding my first Queensland geocache (if you want to find out what geocaching is, have a look at this website).

FNQ - Here We Come

Bags checked and sitting in the Virgin Lounge having breakfast while we are waiting for our flight to Cairns. Looking forward to a holiday in the sun.