Saturday 21st August 2021
Well, last night was the worst night sleep I have had in a little while. No fan, no air con and no king size bed eeekkk!! So, some of the first words of wisdom from my beautiful husband this morning were:- “I feel like I have been beaten up” followed by “You suck!” Ooppsss, looks like he didn’t get much sleep either, maybe we will need a Nanna nap this afternoon.

We were awake a lot earlier sleeping in the rooftop tent and booked our tours of the 3 caves for tomorrow and Monday. So we headed off for a walk to Balancing Rock and an 8km return walk in the Chillagoe Mungana Caves National Park. The weather was a lot hotter than we are used to (32°C) and the shade of the rainforest was missing but it was an enjoyable walk all the same. Our first stop was a little loop trail of the Balancing Rock (which I now know is caused by erosion), it is so amazing how these rocks balance. Then to the Wullumba Rock Art site, this was not too exciting as there are only a few drawings. Then the 2.8km hike to the start of the Royal Arch Cave tour. This was a mostly flat pleasant walk then winds past several striking limestone outcrops called tower karsts—features of world scientific interest. As you cross Chillagoe Creek, the huge paperbark trees line its banks. The track continues through open woodland featuring bloodwoods, Cooktown ironwoods, tea-trees and grevilleas. At the Royal Arch bluff—an imposing jagged limestone outcrop rising abruptly from the surrounding woodland—the vegetation changes again. Here there are scrubby deciduous plants such as native bauhinias and helicopter trees. We the walked back, when we crossed the creek we walked further along it to a lovely billabong.

After our hike we went to the freebie caves and did our own tours.

Bauhinia Cave is accessed via a dark, narrow crevice requiring a steep scramble down large boulders. In this small cave, there are interesting cave decorations such as cave coral.

Pompeii Cave can be accessed via a well-formed track with many steps through deciduous vine forest to the entrance—a cleft in the rock filled with large boulders, the remnants of a previous collapse. Inside this small cave, there are bats sleeping high in dark crevices and rock-wallabies hopping from boulder to boulder (I saw a rock wallaby on the outer section, it hopped quickly on the steep sharp cliff edges). A short but steep climb to the bottom reveals a dark passage and some attractive formations.

The Archways is a semi-open cave. The rock walls are sheer and amazingly beautiful.

Mungana Rock Art was an amazing piece of Aboriginal Art.

We then headed to the Chillagoe Smelters which is an excellent demonstration of the technology of mineral (copper, silver, lead and gold) smelting at the turn of the 20th century. An up-to-date plant was assembled and then modified repeatedly between 1901 and 1911 to meet local conditions. The physical remains at the Chillagoe Smelters preserve important evidence of historic smelting processes that are rare today.

A little bit of information about Chillagoe
“Limestone has been weathered, dissolved and re-formed by water to create spectacular caverns and passages, decorated by stalactites, stalagmites and flowstones.
Scientists believe the landscape around Chillagoe began to form about 400 million years ago, when limestone was deposited as calcareous mud and coral reefs on the bed of a shallow sea where Chillagoe is today. Subsequent tilting, folding and erosion exposed and weathered the limestone that today towers over the surrounding plains. Fluctuating groundwater levels slowly dissolved some of the limestone, creating caverns and passages, some of which have since been decorated by calcite stalactites, stalagmites and flowstones, deposited by surface waters penetrating through the rock.
Several bat species roost and breed in the dark caves. Chillagoe is one of five known nesting sites for the white-rumped swiftlet Aerodramus terraereginae. The caves are also home to spotted pythons Antaresia maculosa and a variety of insects and spiders. Fossilised bones of many animals, including those of the extinct giant kangaroo, have been found in the caves.
Aboriginal paintings are protected in the park. The Chillagoe Smelters site preserves relics of the State’s mining and industrial heritage dating back to the 1890s.”

Friday 20th August 2021
Well we are finally on our way from Port Douglas after 18 days of living in a luxury resort or two. It has been a lovely change and very restful. I am very happy that David has had his first Covid 19 jab and am looking forward to his second one when we might spend a few more days in luxury. Not sure where yet but I am sure we can find somewhere nice.

After a lovely swim session at the Mirage Country Club, some groceries, lunch and an ice cream, we are on our way.

Next stop Chillagoe. We drove through some lovely countryside, along the same winding road we have travelled a few times, passed the windfarm, many sugar cane fields, some cotton fields, mango and lemon farms; and then finished on a dirt road to Chillagoe.

We arrived at the Chiilagoe Observatory and Eco Park at about 5.30pm, just in time for a quick dinner in daylight and then a lovely sunset, followed by a beautiful night under the stars.

Boy are we lucky!!

Saturday 14th August – Thursday 19th August 2021
Well, if you told me we would still be in Port Douglas after 17 days, I wouldn’t have believed you. We have been doing the very unusual holiday style for us.  We have walked, rested, sat by the pool, read books, rested, walked and basically just been taking it easy, oh and DB has done a little bit of work.

On Monday 16th August we checked out of the Oaks, enjoyed an exercise swim at the Mirage Country Club, did some groceries, had some lunch in the park and at about 2pm we were on our way west to Chillagoe. About an hour into the drive we received a call from the Mossman Medical Centre asking if we would like to take up a last minute late cancellation call for David’s Covid injection this afternoon. They were happy for it to take an hour to get there, so we turned around and headed back. After David’s 1st Covid jab we checked back in to The Oaks for 4 nights ($450) to give David time to rest and take it easy.

So we are here in Port Douglas for our 17th day, we are just enjoying the relaxation, David had his birthday on Tuesday with lots of messages from family and friends, and a lovely video call from all the kids and their families. It was lovely to see everyone and great to have a chat with them all.

Today is Arlo’s 7th birthday and we have had a lovely video call with him this morning. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG BOY!! We went for a drive this afternoon to the Stewart Creek Valley along the Daintree River. It was a lovely scenic drive through the valley and farmlands. No crocs today either.

We are planning to head on our way from Port Douglas to Chillagoe for a few days tomorrow. Then who knows where we will go. David has his 2nd Covid jab booked here at Mossman on Saturday 11th September, so if we can’t get an appointment where we are heading, when we work that out, we will be back here for the 11th.

We are thinking of you all in your current extended lockdown and hoping you take care and stay safe. We are feeling very lucky to still have relative freedom here in Queensland.

Big hugs and love to you all. Love Fiona and David. xxx

Tuesday 10th to Friday 13th August, 2021
We are having a big rest here in Port Douglas due to the Covid situation in Cairns.

On Tuesday we went for a lovely drive through the countryside on a very winding road to Mowbray National Park. We had a lovely hike through the rainforest to Big Mowbray Falls, which was one of the biggest falls we have been to, it was quite spectacular.

We have had many walks along the beach, a couple of pool swims, ice creams, smoothies and the occasional dinner out. I have even managed one afternoon relaxing in the sunshine by the pool. Unfortunately the weather has been a little sketchy so managing a walk each day has also been challenging.

Yesterday we moved house from the Ramada ($729 for 7 nights in a king room) to The Oaks Resort ($225 for 2 nights in a 1 BR apartment), these are being obtained at the most ridiculous prices due to the lack of people here, I think they are happy to get some income rather than none.

We are missing you all. Please take care and stay safe. xxx

Saturday 7th to Monday 9th August 2021
Well, sorry for the lack of posts over the last couple of days but really there as been nothing to report. We have walked a little around Port Douglas (some days more than others), rested a lot and watched the Olympics more.

With the lockdown starting in Cairns yesterday, we decided we didn’t want to take off and find that somewhere we had been in the last few days has become a hotspot, so we have stayed put and extended our stay here in Port Douglas until Thursday. We will then decide where we will head next. The weather is also a little ordinary, showers for the next few days as well.

Hope everyone is going as well as can be expected in lockdown. Big hugs to you all. xx

One of our friends decided David needed to see a croc so he put one in a photo

Friday 6th August, 2021
Today is my choice for activities, so off on a Crocodile Cruise on the Daintree River ($30 each for 1 hour), pretty good value if you ask me. David wasn’t that keen which surprises me as he has been on the croc lookout since we arrived in croc country. Having them served to you on a platter is not his idea of seeing a croc. He wants to see one whilst we are walking along the banks. Not me, I am happy to be in a boat.

We started our cruise at 9.30am. They are really struggling for numbers, there was only us and another couple on the cruise which can take 24. It is very sad what Covid has done to the tour businesses. Our boat driver was very information. A little information for you.

• There are about 90 crocs in 90km of the Daintree River
• There is one dominant male in an area, who fights off the other males in breeding season
• The females lay about 50 eggs but only about 2 make it to adults
• It takes about 5-6 years before they are safe from predators
• They don’t name them until after this time as they can be here one day, gone the next

* Crocodiles are nocturnal

We were lucky to see three adult crocs and four 2020 babies. The babies were only about 25-30cm long. The adults were about 3-4.5 metres long. The tour guy showed us two adults and one baby, and smarty pants animal man David spotted one adult hiding under the mangroves and three babies. I think the tour guy was surprised at eagle eye’s ability to find them and I am sure the other couple on the tour were grateful as otherwise they would have only seen three instead of seven.

We also saw a blue heron, blue kingfisher, some egrets, some unusual ducks and black kites. Unfortunately there were no snakes today.

After our cruise we went for a drive along the Daintree River, it was very beautiful countryside. Then we went on a loop drive from Mossman to Mareeba via Mt Molloy, then via Kuranda (Barron Falls) to Palm Cove and then along the coast road back to Port Douglas. The coast road is right on the water’s edge but unfortunately the winds seem to dirty the water and hopefully we will see it looking better next time we drive this way.

We had a lovely day!

Thursday 5th August 2021
Well if you had told me at the start of our trip that I would still be away in August, I wouldn’t have believed you. But here we are, avoiding NSW and Covid as best we can.

Today we had a lazy day, Olympics, rest, a little walk and a lovely pizza/pasta dinner at Chilly’s Pizzeria inPort Douglas.

It was just what the doctor ordered. A very enjoyable day.

Wednesday 4th August 2021
Things are changing up here a little with 1 Covid case in Cairns which is only 70 km from Port Douglas. There were a few masks around yesterday, the day before a couple of masks and people giving you a wide berth.

Today we are hiking Mt Sorrow which is 680m elevation over 3.5km. Ouchey! We left at about 8am and arrived at the Daintree Ferry with awesome timing, just in time to pay our $39 for the return trip. The hike was challenging but my fitness must be improving as I handled it pretty well today. In the last 1500m of distance we had to climb 500m in elevation. It was a tough gig but the technicality took the edge off the pain. We met 2 germans, an Englishman, an Estonian and 6 Aussies. All under 30. We sat up the top and enjoyed the view for about 90 mins, we even watched Riley from Avoca in his heat of the double Kayak 1000m at the Olympics. Then back down we go. It was also a little tricky going down the steeps sections but overall it was a great hike.

On the drive back we called in to Thornton Beach and Struck Island, then stopped at the Daintree Ice Creamery and fruit orchard. They grow all their own fruit for the ice cream. The a quick stop at Alexandra lookout and another walk along the Jindalba boardwalk through some more rainforest, as if we haven’t walked enough already today. Lucky us we managed to see another Cassowary and his chicks in the bush at close range from the car. Then on to Cape Kimberley, then back to the ferry, cooked some dinner in the park, then home to the Ramada for some more Olympics.

What a big day. Rest day tomorrow!