Harry has a fascination for all things guns and tanks. Feel free to pass on the contact details for any good psychologists you know. He begged and pleaded to visit the Australian Artillery Museum which was only a few kilometres from where we were staying. So that’s where we found ourselves on a drizzly Monday morning in Cairns.

Happy Harry

And John thought this would be a good family vehicle for our next adventure. But I disagreed, and I am always right. Right?

Never.

Well, last night it rained. Then it rained some more. Then it continued. Most of the night. We applied some waterproofing solution to the canvas of the tent a few months ago, and this was the first time we tested it out. Albeit involuntarily. Well, I’m happy to report that it works. Not a drip. Just wish we’d brought all the towels in last night.

But onto the Tourism. It seems that no trip to Cairns is complete unless you go on the historic train to Kuranda up in the hills above Cairns and visit the Bird Park. So we did. There’s also a cable car ride that goes there too. One would expect that these two options might connect in Cairns so you can go up in the train and down on the cable car. Wrong. Too easy. Why would that happen when you can purchase the optional extra of a bus connection between the two stations?

Lucky we have JJ on our team. We left a bike at the bottom of the cable car (I think it has another name like Sky Rail to entice the punters) and then left the car at the bottom of the train. Everyone knows about this train. You’d never see a brochure or a tourism promotion about Cairns without a photo like this one….

The famous Kuranda Historic Railway

You can spend as long as you like at the top in Kuranda where you really have to hand it to the locals. There is the usual array of markets selling the standard items you find at markets right across this wide brown land: dreadful art, hand made clothes, smelly candles, wind chimes, crappy jewellery, cheesy souvenir Tshirts, hippy soap, belts with disgusting buckles, tarot card readers (yep), tie dye anything and the latest addition to every tourism outlet – selfie sticks.

But aside from the markets, there’s the Bird park, butterfly display, Venom Museum, wild creatures zoo, and many, many cafes, restaurants, burger joints – blah, blah etc. We contributed to the local economy by visiting the Bird Park ……

Blue Macaw

Cute ducks, no idea what they’re called.

and the butterfly place…..

The Cairns Birdwing butterfly

We did a lovely walk back through the rainforest and along the Barron River back to the cable car. By now the weather had deteriorated somewhat and the wind was blowing rather more than I was pleased about. I was starting to wish we were going back on the train. A lot.

A lofty ride down to sea level.

It was a stunning bird’s eye view down on the dense forest below and despite the windy conditions, it was well worthwhile. Needless to say, I was pleased when we got to the bottom.

After that, John rode off on the bike to collect the car while we walked almost all the way home. We decided to have a dinner out to celebrate some rather good school report results that Fergus achieved this term. We will celebrate Harry’s good results separately. That way, I get two nights off camp cooking. But it’s not all about me. Really.

A quick change after the white water paddling escapade and it was off on the bikes to fish with The Dude. Finally, success. Harry couldn’t be happier.

An enormous something or other. Can’t remember what they said it was.

Our camping ground is right beside the Barron River where we met the Fishing Dude. But John has been investigating further afield, or should I say further upstream. We are below the dam, so there’s not a whole lot of water flowing over the rocks and boulders. But…John has heard that they are letting water out of the dam about 3pm each day for the rafting companies to run some trips. So…..you guessed it. John and the boys go on one of the rafting trips? No. John takes the plastic sit-on-top kayak down the white water? Yes. Do I think this is a low risk activity? Nah.

So off we go to the dam wall at 2.45pm. There are about seven rafts from two different companies heading down the river. John and the boys lob in the middle of the pack. It provides the punters with some entertainment as they negotiate  the first rapid – successfully. I drove alongside the river to another vantage point where I found a huge set of rapids that they had to portage around. Then to another section, where they nearly pulled off a clean run, as the following photos tell the story.

Looks good

Still good

Can’t tell…

A bit sketchy

Gone.

Done.

Time to scramble.

All safe.

Very entertaining.

They had a fun time and I was pretty happy that they got the support of many rafting guides, safety backup and the use of the commercial safety guy in a downriver boat.

It feels so good to get up whenever we want. I really have no idea if it’s dark at 6.30am here in Cairns, like it is at home, or still dark at 7am when the boys head off to catch the bus – like it is at home. And I have no intention of finding out. But it was light by the time I decided to make a perfect coffee under the palm trees with the bush turkeys keeping me company.

I have only been to Cairns once, way back in 1997. John was doing an expedition race over five or six days in the region. I don’t think much has changed really. There are new suburbs still being unpacked – just like in our own region. But they have more ostentatious entry gates to the New Estates up here in FNQ. We just have iron sculptures of pelicans. Not sure which is less desirable. But Cairns is a city of all that the tourist needs. It’s all set up for the backpacker culture. There are multiple yards filled with Wicked Campers ready for the hoards. The “adventure activities” abound: bungy jumping, cable water skiing, scuba diving, white water rafting, kayaking and more. It’s pretty exhausting just reading the brochures. I feel SO over 50.

We drive to town and do the family thing, starting with the Visitor Information Centre. One of the weird things going on here in Queensland (but not the only one) is that Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service or QPWS have decreed that all their camping grounds must be pre-booked online. Well pardon me, but which outback traveller can plan exactly which nights they wish to camp on their journey to Cape York along rough roads with unpredictable weather and unknown conditions? Not this family. If you don’t pre-book online, you can phone them. Which is pretty difficult round these parts with phone reception generously described as patchy – at best. The man at the Info Centre has identified the problem. Last State Government funding cuts. Isn’t that always the answer?

I have always wondered how Cairns came to be the huge regional centre that it is plus the major tourism mecca when the beach is, well, just mud.

Cairns Beach. No problems with sand between your toes here

We head out of town to find Crystal Cascades. It’s a little known waterfall high above Cairns. But Google Maps has sabotaged the side trip and we end up 90 minutes’ walk from where we want to be. Nice view of Lake Morris though.

Lake Morris bathed in the brilliant sunshine of Far North Queensland. Not.

We did, however, find the Queensland version of the fig leaf. When there’s so much rain up here it’s no wonder the plants grow so big.

Harry’s big fig leaf.