Paradise in the Sun

Ellis Beach Campground was an idyllic spot to stop and recharge the batteries. The CP itself was nothing really to write home about (yet I am) however only a line of coconut palms separate the park from the beach itself. As I mentioned before, my Mum and Dad had flown up to be with us for the week and the outlook from their beachfront bungalow was to die for. Our van site was on the road side of the park but who cared when we spent most of our time on M&D’s veranda when we were “home”!

We quickly made ourselves at home, replacing their 4 seater outdoor setting with the 8 seater fold up table and chairs we had from the van – who could have asked for a better place to enjoy happy hour and dinner?

Our first whole day in Ellis Beach was spent frolicking in the calm waters of the beach, building sand castles and watching the pippies (small clam like shellfish) frantically burying themselves back in the sand after being uncovered by the odd large wave.

Having the 7 seats in the car proved its usefulness yet again as we were all able to pile into the Territory to get about and see the sites. Friday we moseyed on up the coast to Mosman Gorge and then onto the Daintree National Park. This was a bit of a trip down memory lane for us as we had done the same thing 8 years ago when we were last up here. Our exploration of Mosman Gorge was a cut short by the fact that half of the walking trails were inaccessible (much to the boys’ relief) as the rope bridge over the gorge was closed due to structural concerns! We decided not to go for a swim; partly because the signs said it was extremely dangerous and that deaths due to flash flooding had occurred in the past, but mainly because it was so busy with all the tourists swimming there wasn’t any room! We settled for a photo of the five of us by the river when Leanne’s hat decided it was too hot and went for a swim on its own! We watched in dismay as it drifted down the river a short way before it decided finally that it couldn’t swim and promptly sank! Lea said “leave it” but I was having none of it – I wasn’t going to be responsible for polluting a world heritage area so off I went to retrieve it! There were cheers all round when I triumphantly returned – soggy hat in hand.

After the Mosman Gorge we continued up the Cook Highway to the Daintree National Park. Crossing the Daintree River by ferry you plunge into dense tropical rainforest and it’s just as the ad says – were the Rainforest meets the Reef. We stopped off at the Daintree Ice-cream factory for ice-creams (naturally) then continued on as far as the road would take us, ending our journey with a refreshing swim at beautiful Cape Tribulation – so named by Captain Cook way back in 1770 following the tribulations he suffered beaching the Endeavour here to repair damage sustained when hitting a nearby reef.

The next morning we took the Kuranda Scenic Railway up into the hills to the market town of Kuranda. The town has become much more commercialised since our last visit 8 years ago but the old charm we liked so much could still be found if you made your way past the newer commercial (read tacky touristy) centre to the original “old markets” on the other side of the town. After buying a few souvenirs and some yummy lollies from the Kuranda Candy Kitchen for the kids (thanks Grandma and Papa), it was back down via the Skyrail cable car.

As we’d travelled nearly 13,000km since leaving Sydney, the car was due for a service. Of course it had to be the major (read expensive) one which was going to take most of the day so we spent the day walking around the Esplanade and shops in Cairns. Queensland sure knows how to build kids parks. There was a fantastic water park with fountains and water jests of all descriptions to keep the kids amused whilst we sat and chatted with Mum and Dad. After the water park, we walked along the Esplanade to the large man made lagoon at the end for a swim.
As they say, all good things must come to an end, and unfortunately our week in tropical paradise with Mum and Dad was no exception. We’d had a fantastic time together and although the temptation to stay longer was great, we said our goodbyes’ to M&D as they boarded the shuttle bus to the airport and it was not long after that we too were heading south – next stop Townsville.