December 2022 – January 2023 – Far North Queensland.

With Karen on forced leave and Cillian’s daycare closed for the week over Christmas it felt like a good idea to get out of Sydney for a little while. We found good flights to Cairns and so plotted a Xmas and New Year trip to Far North Queensland.

Our first stop for the Xmas period was to Palm Cove.

The first recorded visit of the British to this area is no earlier than 1873. Violence against the local Djabugay people. The first road into the settlement was only built after the land was taken over by Albert Veivers. 200 pounds for 200 acres. A bargain by today’s measure!

World War 2 brought the Australian army who setup a training base here and that’s what led to an increase in traffic that led to the first international hotel opening up in the 1980s.

It’s effectively the northernmost suburb of Cairns and located just 25 mins from the airport. We would wait to rent a car until the second part of our trip so we hired a driver to take us to our accommodation. Luckily for us it was only 25 mins drive as Cillian got sick all over the back seat on the way there.

Our apartment was located in the Palm Cove Beach Apartments complex, a large complex with three pools, a spa and plenty of Palm Trees. We spent the best part of three days in the swimming pool. Cillian was in his element, applying his BlueFit swimming lessons to the fullest.

Within a day we had our Coles Online shop delivered and the Christmas decorations and presents all sorted.

We spent Christmas day on the beach and went to the neighbours – The Pullman Resort for their Christmas Lunch. Cillian tucked into grilled fish and chips before washing that all down with multiple scoops of ice-cream!!!!

He also met Santa.

Christmas Lunch Tip: The Pullman Resort do a fantastic Christmas Day lunch experience. You don’t need to be a guest at the hotel to book a spot. They have a drinks package, great lunch and Santa experience for the kids. Kids 4 and under are free as well! Cillian had the best time! Check out all the details here.

 

And so says Conde Nast!

The town is pretty much lined up parallel to a line of Palm Trees with a walking a cycle path all the way up to the jetty. There was even a number of electric barbeques which came in handy one night as the ones in the complex were out of action.

The real hidden gem is beyond those trees is the “Best Beach in the World” according to the Conde Nast Traveller in 2024. Picture this – you look out to the Great Barrier Reef just 30km off the sand, to the north is the Daintree Rainforest and to the south are the peaks within the Trinity Forest Reserve.

We didn’t see any dolphins or whales but then we also did not see any crocodiles walking along so it all balanced out.

It’s rather quite lovely with soft sand and medium sized waves and thanks to some nets we could swim in it without worrying about box jellyfish and other stingers.

Speaking of those Palm Trees, it is they who gave rise to the settlement ultimately being called Palm Cove. This legacy is due to Archdeacon Campbell of the St. John’s Church who planted them. It is he who sold to the Veivers

Road Trip

After a few days of not doing much we were itching to explore. With a car rented in Palm Cove we headed further north, up the Captain Cook Highway.

It’s a very scenic drive, hugging the coastline all the way up and this time we got to enjoy it driving in the morning. The last time we drove this stretch of road was in the pitch black after a late flight into Cairns.

We broke up the journey with a trip to Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures. We had a great morning doing a Jungle Cruise, attending a Crocodile Feeding and Cillian getting to feed some Kangaroos that were just hopping around.

After lunch we drove the rest of the way up to Port Douglas and checked into our accommodation at Pools. It was a little bit out of the town centre but it had a number of swimming pools including one right into the apartment.

The next morning we went further north to visit Mossman Gorge. The winding cliff roads give way to acres of sugar cane as we head slightly north west towards the Daintree National Park. Back in 2011 we just wandered into the area. Now there is a visitor centre and access is strictly maintained via a shuttle bus system down to the gorge itself. It is run by the Kuku Yulangi people.

Once we were in we walked along the pathways, crossing the Rex Creek suspension bridge to explore the rainforest and gorge. Luckily for a three year old there was a gentle sloping pathway to navigate.

Beyond

The next day we went further north, across the Daintree River by ferry and into the heart of the rainforest itself. We measured our progress by how many bites we were getting. In a spot of good fortune the Daintree Rainforest Discovery Centre had a dinosaur exhibit on. Perfect timing for a dino-mad toddler.

A little further up the road we stopped and got some ice cream at the Daintree Ice Cream Company. Most of the flavours are tropical fruits so it was quite different to a visit to Gelatissimo The fruits come from their very own orchard, so flavours vary according to the season. 

We kept it local on New Year’s Eve. Visiting the local market in Port Douglas and having an early dinner in the Tin Shed RSL – on the deck overlooking the rainforest to the north.

And that was our small trip to Far North Queensland. Karen’s parents would be out to visit in a few weeks so we had some time off allocated for that adventure.