We picked a glorious day to go 60km off Port Douglas to the edge of the Great Barrier Reef and snorkled off a pontoon in a controlled environment at Agincourt Reef. The hours drive to Port Douglas was lovely and the 1 1/2 hour fast cat ride with Quicksilver was calm.
The water looked promising for perfect snorkelling conditions
It was my first time to the outer reef, and Jenna and Jordan had not snorkled before. Visibility was clear, the sun shone the whole time catching the pretty colours of the coral and fish, we even saw a few turtles. We went out on the submersible, had lunch, then geared up.
Jenna and Jordan were awesome, and loved it.
Jordan especially was sad when we headed back to Port Douglas where it had been raining over the coast.
We had a short dash around Port Douglas before heading home. Our classic Palm Tree pose, they look so relaxed whilst getting eaten alive by mozzies 😂
Our next big adventure was kayaking for 9 kms down Babinda Creek, 1 hour south of Cairns.
After recent rains the water level was high enough to cover most rocks and broken tree logs, and flowed very fast in parts. We all managed to stay upright, good job!
Plenty of action
We had plenty of opportunities to rest on sandy beaches, have lunch, and take refuge for 1/2 an hour from a heavy downpour under the Bruce Highway bridge at the 5km mark.
Again, Jenna and Jordan’s first time, and we all were quite tired after our 3 hour adventure. The creek is crocodile free but does eventually flow into the Russell River which is known for crocs.
10 km from Craig’s place is Crystal Cascades in the Redlynch Valley. The waterfall is 1.2km walk from the car park, but there are many swimming opportunities along the way. Great spot to cool off and have hot chicken rolls for lunch, and is Crocodile free.
We saw this beautiful dragonfly
and quite a few sightings of the beautiful iridescent Ulysses butterfly whilst in the gorge
We picked a not so good day to go up Skyrail on the 1 1/2 hour rainforest adventure to Kuranda
The Barron Gorge and power station
The Barron River
The Barron Falls
Finally got drenched
We visited the Aquarium, their mums old high school, our old home, did more roller skating, a second visit to the Night Markets, a stroll around the marina and city end of the esplanade. Spotted a shark just 20 metres off shore on the esplanade..and lots of visits with their newest cousin.
Always time to be thankful for our many blessings, and gratitude for this beautiful country we are able to enjoy
Plenty of cousin time too
Sad to see them leave, thanks kids for a fabulous 2 weeks, enjoyed having you stay with us in our Apartment.
Awesome sunrise by Jordan, as they were on the 6am flight back to Brisbane
