A Sad Goodbye to Cairns

After exactly 4 months in Cairns, we are very sad to be leaving. It is not ideal to have our 2 children and their families living so far apart, we always seem to be saying goodbye to one family, only to then enjoy spending time with the other.

So we got to do some final things before leaving Cairns

A fun day out on the Tablelands picking strawberries

Oh boy we are going to miss these two

Picnic lunch at a Playground in Atherton

Granite Gorge near Mareeba, great time feeding Rock Wallabies and bush walking some of the gorge

Ayla climbed a really big Rock on her own, so pleased with herself….my little Bushwalking Protege


We managed to get in a 6km hike around Lake Barrine before we met up with Craig and family

3/4 of the way around the path was blocked by tree that had fallen overnight…so up the side of the hill we scrambled to get around, we were not turning back

Our last Friday play date with Ayla … at the Pirate Ship on the Esplanade

Some final touches to our gardening project ended in water play

We had a final couple of nice dinners ranging from a Pork Roast to a KFC feast, and a final play afternoon……inc Thomas the Tank Engine

and Pip Petal My Little Pony

We had our final hike through the lower hills behind Bayview Heights..we lived there for 8 years and never did the Ivan Evans Walk Trail

One of my favourite sayings still is “Todays Lunch Room”, great view




Our final Cairns Cane Train

A trip to the other side of Cairns, sparsely populated, no bridge across, Yarrabah is the Aboriginal settlement

We followed a 4WD track as far as we could to the end of the peninsula …. Derek had to saw a huge fallen tree up to clear the road

Beautiful views back to Cairns in the distance, and unspoilt beaches

Interesting what you find

My last Tuesday birding in the Cairns Botanical Gardens, and a reminder of the beautiful Ulysees Butterfly that never fails to delight us on our many walks (also found in Craig’s garden from time to time). Bird Club motto is Latin for “Where’s the bird, There it goes”, by the time we get the binoculars focussed….. There it Goes (Double Eyed Fig Parrot and the Sunbird, both sighted almost weekly).

We spied the Ulysees on our last outing this time to Behana Creek near Gordonvale

Our 2 week house sit at my cousins even came to an end, and as nice as it was being in a home, and exploring a new part of Cairns suburbia in daily walks, we still love our van and the waking up to new scenery that comes with it.  

Moving day, all packed up at my cousins property at Gordonvale and ready for new adventures as we head back to the Sunshine Coast

First stop is a catch up with some extended family we met for the first time and by accident over in WA recently, who are currently travelling in the Cairns region, so it was a big 35km drive to Babinda for a fun day of swimming at the Boulders and a huge chit chat

Good bye Cairns for now ……… Next stop Mackay