Stop #10 - Cairns

Cairns was always on our list of places to visit during our trip around Oz, as it is a favored destination of ours, and Emma had specifically requested we be at the Cairns Lagoon for her birthday.  Not wishing to disappoint our little princess, we obliged and booked 7 nights accommodation at Cairns Coconut Holiday Resort.

The kids were very much looking forward to our stay at this caravan park, as we'd read about it and seen so many pictures of it.  It was like there were going to Disneyland.

Well the resort certainly lived up to it's reputation, it is a massive organisation.  From the introduction to the "resort", the personalised buggy tour, daily activities and night movies, the resort hummed along like a large corporation.

The place has a Gym;

Outdoor Chess board; Basketball courts;

Two jumping pillows, the second being one of the biggest in Australia (if not the..);

Putt Putt golf;

Numerous swimming pools, spas and lagoons; and of course the water park.

With the family having been to Cairns and the surrounds many a times, we had not planned to do much in Cairns, more spend the time relaxing and partaking in activities within the resort.

Particularly popular were the free pancakes on Thursday mornings, and the snorkeling lesson.

On Emma's birthday, we grant her wish and visit the Lagoon in the centre of town.

Kids can't have all the fun !!

How old is Emma turning?

One of the joys of staying at Caravan parks is meeting and chatting with other travelers and meeting the "residents" of the park, as well as watching the kids make new friends.  Older travelers and residents are more than willing to impart their experiences and provide insider tips on must sees in the the area.

On this particular occasion, an elderly European resident across the path befriended Jackie and accosted her a number of times; telling her life story and providing a personal tour of her art collections in their permanent caravan.  Her husband was also a wealth of knowledge about the area, and he provided a must see tip of a watering hole in Aloomba and the best pie shop, in Gordonvale.

So one afternoon we set out on an outing, hoping the tips are worth their while.  After driving half an hour, following directions scribbled on notes and getting directions from the local kids, we arrive at the watering hole.  The water was fresh, and creek bed serene.

Emma gives the place her seal of approval.

The flow of mountain cooled water through the bridge pipes created a natural Jet pool.

We head off to Gordonvale (home town of Nate Myles - QLDer !!) in search of the pie shop, arriving at 4:40pm.  Much to our dismay, the shop was closed by 4:30pm on weekdays, earlier on weekends. They must be doing well...

We also venture up to Kuranda one afternoon to check out the markets, do a bushwalk and sample some of the home made sorbet ice creams.

We had a great time in Cairns, as always, and look forward to re-visiting again.

On our way to Cooktown, we stop off at the markets in Mareeba.  Thirsty, we line up to sample the sugar cane juice, and I snap a photo of the kids.  Unbeknownst to me at the time, in front of us was Bob "Mad" Katter doing the rounds at the local markets.  He wasn't quite kissing babies, but he was certainly mixing it with the locals and having a pleasant chat with Jackie and the kids.