It was six ‘o clock in the morning when we landed in Cairns, still in warm clothes because of the cold weather from the last few days. We still had two hours before we could pick up our Hippi Camper, so we used the time to change our clothes. At around 11am we parked near the beach with our camper and took a nap to relax from the overnight flight. Unfortunately we couldn’t stay at the beach because it was still raining, but warm. When we woke up, the rain was gone and the  inside of the camper was heated up to a sweaty level. Happy about the sun, we drove to palm cove where we found a nice campground at the beach.

The next day started without rain, but on the way to the Daaintree Rainforest we had always some short rainfalls. After you got over the river with the ferry you are inside the forest, what means no contact to the rest of the world. But we knew this before and booked us in advance a rainforest walking tour with a river cruise after it. The first campground we stopped, was already full, because  half of the sides were flodded from the heavy rain the last days. But we found another one close by and close to the meeting point for the tour which started the next morning. Tired of the rain we stayed in our camper until one hour before sunset, when the rain stopps a little bit and we decided to take the van and drive around a little bit. Lucky we did it, because we met our first cassowary.

Early in the morning the next day we started our rainforest walking tour. We were just a small group of 4 people. The rainforest showed us where his name came from. It just didn’t stop raining. So we came back after 4 hours totaly wet and with a lot knowledge about the rainforest.

After the walk we drove to the river where our rivercruise started. In a small boat we drove along the river and saw some crocodiles and birds. After an hour we were back in our van and drove towards north direction Cape Tribulation. We found a nice and cheap campground and had still enough time to enjoy some small walks and beautiful lookouts. The sun tried to push the rainclouds away, which makes an amazing scenery at the beach, with the forest stopps at the beach and the dark clouds over the ocean.

The next day we headed back to Cairns. On the way, wwe stopped at crystal cascades. It is a lovely spot with several little waterfalls where you can go for a swim in the natural pools of the cascades.

Our mothers arrived the following morning. We picked them up at the airport and enjoyed the day at thebeautiful beaches of Cairns and surrounding. Luckily the weather got better. Relaxed from the previous day, we hiked up mount whitfield the next day. From the summit you have an amazing view across Cairns and the rainforest.

The next morning we drove down south to Innisfail via the Atherton tablelands. It is a bit of a detour but it’s definitely worth it! Stunning landscapes and beautiful waterfalls.

We enjoyed wonderful Etty Bay the next morning. It’s a little beach south of Innisfail which is marked by beautiful palms, it’s white sand and crystal clear water. Moreover, it appeared that not many people know this beach as we were nearly alone there. The beautiful landscape was topped by the appearance of a cassowary checking out the beach. Around mid-day we made our way to townsville.