Trains, Gondalas, Bikes and Buggies: Helloooooo Cairns!

On our way to Cairns, we made an unscheduled stop at the Babinda Boulders and what a magical place it was that we stumbled upon! It's still so sticky and hot up this way and the cool, fresh waters of Babinda Creek were so inviting as we followed the other caravaners from the carpark to the river's edge. The rocky outcrops that poke their stoney heads out through the clear, pale green water are beautiful and diving into the water brings instant refreshment and a feeling of invigoration. Arley and Sage grabbed their body boards and they were set. The best bit was that unlike lots of river swimming holes, this one was so clear, the water a bit like glass, you could see to the bottom which was covered in soft river sand and not mud! A salad sambo at the pretty picnic area and we were set to jump back in the car for the final stretch of the day's drive.

Our time at the Big 4 at Airlie Beach a few weeks back convinced our children that life living in a caravan couldn't get much better - in short, they never wanted to leave. Well, a few nights at The Cairns Coconut Resort Caravan Park cemented the fact that van park permies really do have it made... The kids were in heaven and it all started with the personal tour of the caravan park on board the Nemo golf cart...

And then went from good to "unbelievably amazing" for the kids when they saw all the swimming pools and waterslides and mini-golf and indoor playground. And then there was the outdoor playground and bike track and outdoor movie screen and spas and blah blah, fun and more fun blah! The look on Arley's face as the office lady explained that tomorrow morning was free pancake brekkie morning and that Friday they had free snorkelling lessons in the pool was priceless. It was like he'd woken up on Christmas morning and Santa had bought him a personally wrapped fun factory! 

But kids are funny and despite all of the amazing activities and facilities that this Big 4 beauty had on offer, the thing they loved the most? A family bathroom where they could have a bath!! After weeks and weeks of showing in thongs and mostly quickly, one after the other or altogether, the simple luxury of being able to sit and relax and play in the bath was what they had missed from home most. So complete with bubbles, these three soaked in tub and were happy as soapy peas in a pod.

Exploring Cairns and we found ourselves cooling off with the crowds of mostly backpackers at the Lagoon on the foreshore -  it's the city's apology to its residents and visitors for them not being able to swim in the ocean on which the town is built. But with crocodiles and stingers hanging out in the natural beach bathing option, and it looking more like a big muddy bank than an inviting ocean, this pool was just fine and the kids loved that it even had real sand to play in on the sides.

 

And our other Cairns highlight was of course, the Kuranda Skyrail and Scenic Railway. Luke and I have done this day out before and we did toy with the idea of skipping it on this trip, but despite it being a bit on the pricey side, the kids have raved about it since... and we're so glad we did it. All three of the kids were a bit nervy about jumping aboard the Skyrail but once flying up in the sky, looking back over Cairns and below to the thick rainforest, they forgot about the few bumps and dips and really enjoyed the ride. 

The Skyrail trip is broken up with two stops along the way where at each you can get out and take a short bush walk and enjoy wandering through the rainforest that you've been floating over. There are also lookout spots where you can appreciate Barron Gorge and the Falls.

 

The final destination for the Skyrail is Kuranda, which is described as 'The Village in the Rainforest.' It's a funny little place, very touristy with a mix of food places and gift and souvenir shops - some interesting and intriguing, others are on the grotty side and look like they are in need of a serious revamp! But we had lunch in the park where there's a little playground for the kids to play and the kids loved watching some of the buskers at work and sampling the ice cream! Some of the Aboriginal artwork was outstanding also and well worth checking out in one of the many galleries. 

    

But the standout for us all was the incredible train ride back down the mountain side on the Kuranda Scenic Railway. Jumping on board this historic train, is like taking a step back in time. Everything from the beautifully restored carriages to the commentary gives passengers a peek into what train travel was like back in 1891 when the train first took people up and down the 37km of track which incorporates 15 hand-made tunnels and 37 bridges. 

The kids loved counting the tunnels and looking out the windows at the beautiful waterfalls and the sweeping green stretches of rainforest below. 

 

  Bastian even fell asleep thanks to the gentle rumble of the train on the tracks. A terrific day out for us all!

Arley's Video Blog #6

Another busy few weeks for Arley and despite not having as many waterslides at his disposal compared to what he's become accustomed to, I think he's having a pretty okay time...

The Dream Continues: Paronella Park

Throughout our trip up north, fellow travellers kept mentioning a magical place just inland from Innisfail that we just had to add to our travel plans - Paronella Park. As we drove further north along the Bruce Highway, we saw signs advertising this place and picked up a brochure that said it was voted the #1 Must Do in QLD by the RACQ. How had we not heard of Paronella Park before?

We were told to phone ahead to book a spot at the on-site caravan park, and with just 20 places, we were lucky to get the last slab the night we were heading past. A bonus is that your powered site is free with entry into the gardens, and it makes it so much easier to do the night tours (especially with little ones) when you're staying right next door!

The story behind this place is beautiful and inspiring. The dream of Jose Paronella, who arrived in Australia in 1913 from Spain and made his fortune working hard in the sugar cane industry. In 1929, he bought 13 acres of scrub along Mena Creek because of its beautiful waterfall and started to hand-build his amazing gardens, complete with ballroom, movie theatre, cafes and his own family home. He planted over 7,000 trees, built bridges, tunnels and created the first Hydro electricity station in Queensland right there next to his waterfall. It's all quite amazing considering he did all of this by hand and with little help and also with a background not in landscaping, building, engineering or construction, but his training in Spain was as a pastry chef.

The park ran as a successful business with visitors coming from near and far to enjoy Jose's amazing creation, but sadly he died in 1948 of cancer, leaving his wife Margarita, son Joe and daughter Teresa to carry on his dream. The park was badly damaged in floods in 1967, '72 and '74 and after both Margarita and Joe died, the park was sold out of the family in 1977 and then in 1979, a fire swept through the Castle causing irreparable damage and closing the park to visitors for the first time. There were even more setbacks with three cyclones further damaging the gardens, but when Mark and Judy Evans, Victorians looking for a challenge, bought the park in 1993, they devised a plan to put the once beautiful park and one man's amazing vision back on the map. And they have done just that, restoring the old ruins and gardens and creating a museum and cafe/information centre on site.

 

We spent two terrific days exploring and marvelling at the amazing rainforest gardens, the Castles, the steep staircases, all made by hand. We also were lucky enough to see the amazing Mena Creek Falls in full flow, thanks to all the rain the area had seen in the past few days. 

A highlight for us was the nighttime tour. The terrific guides kitted us out with umbrellas and torches and we took off into the dark to experience the beautiful gardens at night! We saw cane toads and thankfully no snakes, but Sage was amazed to see real life fairies flying amongst the rainforest canopy (Not Tinkerbell but fire flies our guide explained and they were truly magical to see) and Bastian was bewildered by a variety of glowing mushrooms that created tiny lights amongst the forest floor. 

But by far the highlight for Arley in particular was being given a little container of fish food and directions to the turtle nesting area. Oh my goodness! We had never seen such a frenzy of fish, eels and turtles, all piling on top of each other, scampering for a taste of the food! 

I also think Luke found the cascading waterfalls and tropical surrounds quite relaxing while he worked from the rainforest deck....  It still astounds me that he manages to balance his commitment to his business and his commitment to our holiday with incredible ease. If there's one thing this guy can do well, its multitask....!! If only his customers knew!!

Driving away from Paronella Park, I felt so inspired by Jose, one man with a dream to create something beautiful for everyone to share. It's terrific that his legacy has been restored by the current owners of the park and that the word is getting out about this wonderful place to visit in far north Queensland. It's made me a tad eager to get back home to my own garden and get my hands in the dirt!