Westcourt

Sunday morning, and we had a bit of a sleep-in and a lazy morning, went to the Crystal Cascades with Kim and family and the kids paddled in the river in the rockpools of Freshwater Creek. Walked past (quite close) to a sleeping amethystine python on the riverbank, which we didn’t see until Theo brought it to our attention.
The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing, before meeting up with the Burrows family, Nathan, Jane, Barry, Bec, Kim, Josh and kids for dinner and drinks in Cairns, as some of the families were heading back to Melbourne the next day.
During dinner we received a message from Emma that they were at Mareeba Hospital with Billie who had fallen off the motorbike and had possibly broken her arm. As some of the group were going to Fitzroy Island on the ferry the next day, we were not sure if they would be able to come with us.
Monday 22nd May, we met down by the ferry, and were surprised to learn that Jason and Emma would be coming to Fitzroy Island, but they were waiting on Billie to be picked up as she had indeed broken her arm, and had a slab cast on it and would not be coming with us. Unfortunately, Billie’s lift did not arrive in time, and they had to catch the later 1.30pm ferry to the island, meeting us there. The ferry ride to the Island was very rough, and several people were seasick including poor Taleah.
The beach on Fitzroy Island is made up predominately broken coral, with small sections of sand, and is difficult to walk on as it is so rough. Thongs or water shoes are recommended. The rough seas had stirred up the water, making visibility very poor for snorkeling but this did not stop most of the group venturing out. Hayden loved snorkeling and Theo had seen a turtle so took him out further where the visibility was a bit better, however the turtle had gone by the time they got back there. As usual, Theo was the first one in and the last one to leave the water, as he thoroughly enjoys snorkeling. We caught the 5pm ferry home completely exhausted after a big couple of days and had an early night.
Tuesday 23rd had a quiet day, driving to Kuranda (up the windy Kuranda Range again), and spent some time at the Butterfly House, then walked around the shops but were disappointed to find most shops and markets were closed. We found out later that Mondays and Tuesdays are not a good time to visit Kuranda. Twelve years ago, was the last time we visited Kuranda, and we remember a vibrant, alternative hippy feel to the town. Nothing like that today.

Wednesday 24th. We woke to rain in the morning, (it had been raining all night), and then went into Cairns and met up with Peter and Christine for lunch. Theo used to work with Peter until he moved to Cairns about 18 months ago.
After lunch we had a quiet afternoon. Kim and Josh and the kids had booked an excursion to go ‘Tubing’ at Gordonvale, then went to Paronella Park for the day. When they got back, Hayden was very excited to tell us all about his day, including a detailed description of Paronella Park and its history, which was very impressive.

Thursday 25th. We all headed to Port Douglas for the day. Kim had arranged to have dinner at Chilli’s Bar at 5pm and meet up with Emma-Jean and Jason, and the kids were excited to see the cane toad racing. We saw the cane toad racing at the old venue at the Iron Bar in the main street about 15 years ago, and it was unique and fun, and we had a good time. Seeing it for the second time, the jokes were old, and the venue was not as good. The new venue is a couple of blocks back and the only cover is some shade sails, as it was an outdoor venue. It was drizzling when we got there, so did get a bit wet at first. However, Hayden loved it and was enthralled by the toads and the atmosphere.
When we arrived at Port Douglas, it was lunchtime, we were hungry and sat at a bar and had a bowl of prawns (memories of previous visits to Port Douglas), walked past St Mary’s By The Sea, the little church by the inlet, and the Sugar Wharf, and we then walked out to the Point, where we used to sit and watch the returning boats, but today was quiet and there were no boats coming in. The weather was nice and warm, but the sea was choppy, as it was the end of the wet season. The best time to visit Port Douglas is July/August /September when water visibility is much better for trips to the islands or reef for snorkeling etc.Read more