Cairns_Cape_York_2022

Today we'd be flying back to Sydney via Brisbane. I set the alarm for 7am and we went downstairs to the hotel restaurant for breakfast at 8am. We needed to move tables several times to find a place that was out of the cold wind. It was another bright sunny day and so the final table was in the sun. Back in our room, we were packed for a pickup by our driver at 10:15 to take us to the airport but he arrived early at 10am. Just as well we were ready. At the airport, there were long queues for Jetstar etc but there was only one couple in front of us at Qantas business class checkin. We'd settled into the business class lounge by about 10:40 and at that time it wasn't crowded but by the time we left most seats were taken. Although, the flight was due to leave at 12:15pm, it was a full flight and so it was more like 12:30 before we departed. We were in row 1 - which I thought be ideal - but not so because there was nowhere to store bags in front of us - it all had to go in the o...

Today we had no commitments and so we were able to sleep in. Once again, we had breakfast in the hotel restaurant on the deck near the bay. When we'd arrived at the hotel a day or two ago, there was a note say they'd be cleaning the cladding on the outside of the building. They were right. When we got back to our room, there was a man in a fluoro vest with a high-pressure spray gun outside our room spraying next to our room. In the middle of the day, we set off along the bay to visit the Cairns Aquarium. It lived up to its reputation with very impressive displays of fish, turtles, snakes, frogs, sharks, gropers, rays, eels - you name it. They were visible behind glass panels that made it easy to take photos. Luckily it wasn't too crowded and so it was easy to see the exhibits. In some places, there were benches where you could stop and admire the various fish. There are two levels to the aquarium and just when you think you are finished, you go back down to the lower level ...

Today we'd be going to Kuranda - a town in the rain forest near Cairns. So I set my alarm for 7am and we went downstairs for the hotel restaurant breakfast at 8am. It was cold (13C) on the open air deck in the restaurant and so I went back up to our room to get my puffer jacket. The shuttle bus picked us up at 9:40am and drove us to Smithfield which is the lower terminal for the cable car to Kuranda. It was very busy with long queues but we were lucky because the person boarding people called out for a couple of just two people and brought us to the head of the queue - much to the annoyance of a few others who were waiting in the queue. The cable car took off slowly out of the terminal and then accelerated to a cruising pace high above the trees heading up across the mountains. This gave us a good view back to Cairns and out to sea. The first stop was at Red Peak where we got off and went for a walk along the timber boardwalks in the rain forest. There were information signs along ...

Our tour was over and so there was no need for us to get up early. We slept in and went down to the hotel breakfast at about 9am. There were several other people from our tour group enjoying their breakfast at the same time. Although it was a bright sunny day with a clear blue sky, the temperature was only 15C - cool for Cairns. The hotel restaurant is on a timber deck overlooking the bay with some awnings that could be pulled down to protect the customers from the weather. It was a good breakfast with a choice of fruit, bread, croissants, cereal, pastries and hot food. There was also a counter where you could order special hot food and so I ordered an omelette. You had a choice of coffee from a machine or barista coffee (for an extra cost). One of the purposes of coming to Cairns was to catch up with John and Margaret who live in Cairns. When I rang John to finalise our catchup tonight, there was a complication. John had tested positive to Covid seven days ago and was coming out of is...

It was a hot breakfast in the hotel restaurant at 7am. Today it wasn't necessary to take our bags to the bus because there were no bags and no bus. Instead we would be catching a ferry to Horn Island which is a nearby island in the Torres Strait. At 7:45, we left the hotel and walked down to the wharf to catch the 8am ferry. This ferry (surprisingly called "Queenslander") was old and battered but at least it was only a short trip to Horn Island. It was a warm sunny day but quite windy. Once again, the sea was a beautiful turquoise colour. When we landed, there was a small bus waiting to take us on a guided tour of the island. The first stop was to drop our bags at a nearby restaurant (where would later have lunch). It was good to get rid of our heavy backpacks which we had packed for our overnight stay on Thursday Island. Our guide's name was Liberty and he was of Chinese extraction. During the tour, we would learn more about Liberty and his family. For example, when ...

It was an earlier start than usual today because breakfast was at 6:30 and the bus would leave the hotel at Bamaga at 7:00 to take us to the ferry for the trip to Thursday Island. However, there was a significant change for our bags because tomorrow we would be flying back to Cairns from Horn Island and there was no capacity on the flight for our luggage. Mandy would be driving back to Cairns in the APT bus and taking our bags with her. This also meant that we needed to take everything we needed for tonight and tomorrow in our backpacks. The ferry, the Torres Magic, arrived soon after 7:30 and departed at 8am. It was a case of the quick and the dead because those who got on board first grabbed the best seats - outside the cabin at the front of the vessel. We got seats inside. The Outback Spirit group that seems to be doing much the same trip as us were the ones who got the outside seats. There were plenty of other passengers apart from our two groups. It was cloudy with some sunshine. ...

I'd set my alarm for 6am because breakfast was due at 7am. I tried the internet again and found that it was better than last night. It was a good breakfast with a choice of fruit and hot food. The bus left at 7:50. Here we were navigating a narrow gravel road though the rain forest. Although this was challenging enough, it became more so when we reached a puddle at the bottom a dip. Mandy stopped and changed into 4WD mode and started edging the bus slowly forward. As we progressed through the water, the bus rocked wildly from side to side. It felt as though we were going to tip over to the left or the right. Things fells off the overhead racks and crashed on the floor. Luckily nobody was hit by the flying objects. It was a tribute to Mandy's driving skill that we made it through OK. There were a few more challenges for Mandy. For example, it was sometimes difficult to fit the bus between the trees and branches on each side of the road. We reached Frangipani Beach just before 9a...

Breakfast was at 7am and the bus left at 7:45. It was sunny with very few clouds. We stopped at Bramwell Junction at 8am. One of the reasons for stopping here was to get photos standing next to a very tall termite mound. Next to the shop, there was a tree decorated with discarded car number plates. On the other side of the shop, there was the start of the original track for the telegraph line. Apparently this track is too difficult for almost any vehicle - especially for our bus. So we would be using other safer longer gravel roads. It had become cloudy and the road seemed to be wet because it was shiny as we headed towards the sunshine. We reached Fruitbat Falls at about 10:30am. The first task was to walk down the track to the change rooms to change into our swimming costumes and then we walked further down the track to reach the falls. It's a popular spot. There were plenty of people swimming in the water below the falls or sitting under the falls or walking around in the water ...

Breakfast was a little later than normal at 7:30am and the bus left Weipa at 8:15. The first event for the day was a river cruise on the nearby river which started at 8:30. It was a small vessel with a canopy roof - just big enough for our group. Once again, it was an entertaining safety talk from our guide, Mal. He joked about being taken by crocodiles etc. On the cruise, we saw a few birds but no crocodiles. Our guide gave us a commentary including the history of bauxite mining in the area. It was a bright sunny day with very few clouds. There was no need to be wearing a spray jacket but I was wearing a light jumper while out on the cruise. Apparently the weather in Weipa is normally warmer. The cruise finished at about 10:15 and the bus then drove us to the shopping centre at Weipa where we went to the pharmacy and the supermarket. We left there at 11:15 and headed to the nearby recreation area at Lake Patricia for lunch. Once again it was lunch on tables provided from the bus. We s...

This morning it was cloudy, cold and it was raining again but only light rain. The bus departed at 7:45am for the 400km drive to Weipa. Most of the time, we were on gravel roads. Sometimes we would come across puddles at the bottom of a dip and the bus might rock from side to side as we drove through. Some roads were well graded and therefore a smoother ride. At about 8:25, we stopped at Musgrave telegraph station for a break and to refuel. There are still remnants of the original telegraph line. Morning tea was at Coen Town Hall at 10:30. This was the most basic town hall I've ever seen. It was not much more than a tin shed. A concrete slab with a corrugated iron roof and open at the sides. Nicola had set up the tables in the shed for our morning tea. According to an electronic sign near the entrance, it was only 19C. Not very warm for this part of the world. We left there at about 11:10 and arrived at the Archer River Roadhouse at about 12:10. This place is famous for its hamburg...