If you have never been up to far North Queensland, then you need to add it to your list of places to visit. I don’t know why we had never really heard how beautiful it is until moving to Mackay! It truly is a stunning part of our country, and one worth driving the long distances for…
After a few great days on Magnetic Island, it was time to head further north and explore new territory. We had heard how pretty it was up around Cairns, however we didn’t know just how pretty it would be! Here are some of our highlights between Townsville and Cooktown.
Once we got off the ferry at Townsville, we did the short 2 hour drive up to Cardwell. We stayed at the Cardwell Van Park which we just about had to ourselves. The park was nice and clean with decent sized grassy camping spots, and the owners were lovely and friendly. We only stayed one night but were nice and close to the Cardwell Spa pool, which was at the top of our list of places to visit. It was an overcast morning with light showers, but that didn’t stop most of our crew from jumping in! The colour of the water was absolutely amazing, and due to all the rain they’d recently had, the spa pool was flowing well. The water was freezing, but the kids had a blast splashing around while the adults enjoyed a nice massage in the rapids.
Our next stop was Paronella Park, and wow, what an unexpected hidden gem! When you buy tickets into the park, they give you one free night stay, but due to it being low season in April, they gave us 2 nights. The passes are also valid for 2 years which is great for those that live fairly locally.
The history of this park is a true fairy tale. Make sure you take the guided tour to learn all about the love story and what it was like in its’ heyday. We enjoyed strolling through the tropical rainforest with picture perfect shots around each corner. Hanging around to do the night tour is a must! The park has such a different feel with all the castles and water fountains lit up at night. You honestly feel like you are in another country! Having views of the castle tower from our campsite was pretty amazing to. There aren’t a great deal of camping spots, so make sure you book ahead in peak season.
Due to our time frame, we just drove through Cairns and headed straight for Cape Tribulation. We had booked in 6 nights at Cape Trib Caravan Park which is right where the rainforest meets the beach. What an awesome place to set up with big grassy areas and lovely clean amenities. Again, we had our end of the park all to ourselves! In the mornings and evenings, we enjoyed walks along the beach collecting shells and all sorts of seed pods. We made several attempts to find the resident croc, but were unsuccessful, much to Dale’s disappointment.
On one of our days, we caught a tour boat up the Daintree River, and managed to spot a couple of small crocs along with some beautiful bird life. The older kids even had a chance of driving the boat which was an absolute highlight for them.
Another highlight was ziplining through the rainforest with Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours. I personally am afraid of heights, so was thankful I had the excuse of looking after the younger kids, but Dale and our big girls had a blast with the family. It was truly incredible and gave them a different perspective of the rainforest. My mother-in-law who also hates heights said she actually felt really safe and secure; still not sure if that convinced me though!
On another overcast, drizzly day, we did the scenic drive along the Bloomfield Track up to Cook Town, our most northerly point. We would have loved to make the trip all the way up to Cape York, however a lot of the roads were still closed due to several cyclones that had previously gone through. We enjoyed a tasty meal at the quirky Lion’s Den Hotel, and then made our way up to the Cook Town lookout before turning around and doing the 2-hour drive back to camp. The big boys loved all the river crossings along the track, and the scenery was beautiful with all the big trees.
There are multiple rainforest walks that you can do around Cape Tribulation. We did the Daintree Discovery Centre walk which we highly recommend. The track is quite easy and not too strenuous, which was perfect for us with young kids. We were so keen to find some cassowary along the way but, were out of luck. We definitely saw evidence that they were around though. The trees in the rainforest were amazing with incredible root systems which were a lot of fun for the kids to swing on and play around. There were crystal clear streams running through the moss-covered rocks and roots, and butterflies of all sizes and colours. Although we had 6 days exploring around Cape Tribulation, we feel we only brushed the surface of what is on offer. We got a taste of the variety and true beauty around, and definitely want to come back again to explore some more!
