A Cherished Reunion

Starting on Easter Monday we had a wonderful 9 day visit from Jessima and the 4 grand kiddies, Jenna, Jordan, Jacey and Jayde.  Not only did they all get to meet Blake, but Jayde got to meet Ayla, and we had a lovely family reunion with Craig and Sara, after 5 years.

Perfect weather allowed for many day trips to scenic lookouts, waterfalls, rainforests, beaches, night markets, skating, and to see rock wallabies and butterflies.

The highlight had to be our day out to Normanby Island in the Frankland Island group. We all snorkeled off the beach and also 200 metres off the shore in open waters with large turtles and tons of tropical fish, huge clams and pretty coral. Jacey and Jayde were excellent first time snorkelers. Mt Bartle Frere and the Pyramid along the Qld coast made a beautiful back drop as we sailed out of the Russell River to the reef. 

Some other great family moments we will treasure

Rex Lookout Captain Cook Highway

Jayde has now officially built the biggest cairn (with a little help from Pa)

Ayla loved hanging out with her cousins

Sugar World adventure park


Meeting baby Blake


Mossman Gorge




Granite Gorge Rock Wallabies


Josephine Falls 


It was one big sleep over

So sad to see them leave, and with our time in Cairns coming to an end we may not see them again until Christmas.

Cooktown

Four hours north of Cairns on the other side of the Daintree NP is Cooktown. We took a couple of nights midweek to revisit this historic region.

We stayed in very secluded Milkwood Lodge just 1km before Cooktown centre. Plenty of birdlife, Cairns Birdwing butterflies and a resident peahen on our roof.

Cooktown ...visited by Capt Cook in June 1788 for a month, named the Endeavour River where he did repairs to the Endeavour  after hitting the reef. 

We had a lovely visit to the museum to see the Endeavour’s anchor which was retrieved in 1979 and also a canon. The museum is housed in a convent c1888.  The streetscape is very historic, as Cooks Town became the thriving frontier town for the Palmer River Goldrush in the 1870s some 100km further east.

Hand carved curbing  lines all the streets

We drove up to the lookout on Grassy Hill

Walked through the Botanical Gardens to Finch Beach, 

explored Archer Point, and revisited Black Mountain NP 

and Endeavour Falls on the upper reaches of the Endeavour River.

A lovely lunch at the historic Palmer River Roadhouse and a scenic drive back home over the mountains via Julatten and Port Douglas finished off a great mini break.