Our Favourite Place For a Short Break

Even though we are fortunate enough to call a part of Australia that truly is paradise, we do like to get away to another part of paradise, a couple of hours south of our home. 

Back in late September, my friend Sam contacted me during the school holidays, inviting the girls and I down to join her and her two children to their holiday house at Mission Beach.  With MrL being away at the time (& Sam's was too at the time), I immediately agreed.  Any excuse. 

Sam's house had been brought down from Cairns and they've slowly been renovating the old Queenslander.  It makes a perfect beach shack.  Located a street back from North Mission Beach, we spent most of our time there, at the beach...

To say the girls had a great time is a bit of an understatement.  As the water was warming up (along with the weather), September really is a great time to visit Mission Beach.  As the stingers hadn't arrived yet (they invade North Queensland waters from November onwards) and this beach is sandy, inviting and the water is rather shallow and deepens the more you walk out, it makes an ideal holiday or relaxation destination.

Sam's holiday house helps too.  It is sooo relaxing, with three bedrooms, bathroom, open plan kitchen - dining and sitting area and NO television.  The house from the outside is nothing to talk about but the plans they have for the future sound fab.  (Open bi-fold doors onto a big balcony from the dining/kitchen.)

I'm looking forward to getting away down there again soon….once those stingers have exited so I can get back in the water along with these two….

…and MrL.  It's not really a holiday or a getaway without my best friend.

A Smokin' Sunday...

With it bound to be a beautiful day we took a drive up to Port Douglas, a 40 minute drive up the picturesque Captain Cook Highway from our place.  It was rather busy (which I expected) with loads of tourists, wandering the market and the streets.  

Our girls just love the Frozen Fruit Salad Icy Poles from a stall, which always keep them both quiet for at least 10 minutes....

After lunch and a Lily meltdown, we headed back in the car for the drive home.  I pointed out to MrL the sky in the distance so we knew we were bound to cross the path of smoke on the way home. Unsure where it was exactly coming from, we figured that it was the forest which was smouldering.  (As we drove up we noticed that it looked like quite a bit of back burning had been happening since our last visit, but there was no smoke nor fire then.)

We did pass some small flames which made Monet all scared in the back seat, but it was nothing to worry about.  We couldn't figure out if it had been deliberately lit again (by authorities) or if it had flared up because of the warm weather.

MrL stopped at the (busy) lookout so I could snap a few photos of the view.  It is a gorgeous view on an equally gorgeous day.

Just down from the lookout, is a tiny hamlet of Wangetti.  We've always talked about stopping at the beach there (not that you can see it from the road, there is only a small road sign pointing the way).  MrL drove the car down the road which was surprisingly (or maybe not surprisingly, considering the weather) busy.

It was a lovely beach and one where I could see more smoke where we would have to pass...

The girls had a great time.

One of the girls (the one who previously had a meltdown) did not want to leave.  She's very much a beach gal that one!

Back on the way home, we did pass more smoke and more little fires....

...but we did make it home in one piece.

Up the Range on the Train

For a while now we've been wanting the girls to go on the Kuranda Scenic Railway, but have never done it.  MrL, Monet and I had been on the train when we initially moved to Cairns in 2006, so Lily had   never been on the train, which curves around the Ranges from Cairns to Kuranda.  MrL wasn't keen on going again (not really his thing) so he dropped the girls and I off at Freshwater Station (there are only two stations on the route) with the plan on him meeting us up at Kuranda, some 90 minutes later.  (A 25 minute drive as compared to a 90 minute train journey!)

Both girls were especially looking forward to going on the train....until Monet realised how long it took and Lily was constantly wanting to eat to pass the time.  *heehee*

As the train hauls out of Freshwater it passes through some cane fields, which look rather lovely at a height.  So lush and green...

You catch glimpses of the urban sprawl on the way up the range.  The city of Cairns is nestled behind that first hill in the photo below.

There are some 22 bridges on the rail way track and you pass through 15 tunnels, the longest being some 450 metres long, which Miss Lily quite enjoyed!  

The train makes a stop at Barron Falls Station, for 10 minutes, about 5 minutes away from the final destination of Kuranda.  I quickly stepped off as the girls stayed put.  The Falls were a trickle but when 'the wet' hits I will be sure to come up and visit.

True to his word, of course, MrL met us at the top of the stairs which lead to Kuranda's main drag.  With a quick scourer of the strip we headed to the Kuranda Pub, a traditional, old, rickety, touristy Queensland Pub for (a rather ordinary) lunch and a pint of beer.

And we caught up on the Cricket scores from our table whilst the girls amused themselves for a little in the playroom.

Luckily for us, being locals, we get a pretty good discount on the train and children aged three and under travel for free in allocated seating.  It is actually rather pricey to travel up and down (looking at around $250 for a family of four - one child travels for free) on the train but it is dedicated to tourists and I guess they think tourists have cash to splash.  It is the oldest Scenic Railway in Australia and it is good to go on.  At least once anyway.  I'm glad we did it.

Our mission to Mission

MrL and I like to organise a trip for a night or two on spur of the moment.  My latest example was Friday evening.  Before we knew it we had booked a two night getaway to Mission Beach, a 170 kilometer trek down the Bruce Highway.  We have visited that part of the Cassowary Coast on numerous occasions but have never stayed there.  

We left early on Saturday morning with MrL's car loaded with suitcases.  As you do with two young children.  

You know when you are nearing Mission beach when the signs below are scattered along the road leading into the area....

It was hot there.  Really hot.  A different heat from that of Cairns when we say it is hot and humid.  A different heat from that of the UAE and once again, a different heat from a hot day in Melbourne.  We had parked the car in the main drag of Mission Beach and headed to the beach for a stroll.  By the time we got back from our walk we were all dripping with sweat and the cold water from the local little supermarket went down a treat.

After lunch at a local 'resort' we headed to 'Woolies' and got a few supplies before checking into our cottage along Wongaling Beach.  A reasonable sized two bedroom cottage.

The girls had a swim in the (shared) pool after a play and a relax.  Our dinner was at a bar and grill down the road.

The girls before heading out for dinner

Sunday morning I headed out for a early lone walk along the beach.  The sunrise was beautiful and it was lovely to walk along the beach, sharing with a few other walkers.  The length of Mission Beach runs some 12 kilometres or so, with views over to islands, the main being Dunk which was ravaged in 2011's Cyclone Yasi, which destroyed the beautiful resort we had stayed on about six years previously.

After a lazy morning of driving around and a swim in the pool we headed off for lunch.  We couldn't complain about the view.

Monet took this photo of Lily and I

 The afternoon was spent back in the pool (as you do), a few Sunday arvo sippers (Coronas were of choice), we headed back to the Bar and Grill we had visited the night previously.  (There are not a lot of choices close by at Wongaling Beach.)  It was two Coronas for the price of one so that was nice.  (*heehee*)

And because the meal we had there the night before was delicious and the view was picturesque, we ate there again.

I had the same meal two nights in a row!  Red Emperor on top of a potato croquette, roast pumpkin, spinach, pesto and some lovely sauce.

We left yesterday morning, at around 8:30, which was absolutely perfect timing, as the rains set in from across the sea.  The rain home was unbelievably heavy and slow going, but we got home safe and sound and in one piece.

Barron Falls...more like a Trickle

During the week I took my parents up to Kuranda.  It's a good 25 minute drive from our house on the Northern Beaches, through the Kuranda range (a 13 kilometre windy road at 60ks/hr).  I detoured to the Barron Falls.  Lily and I had visited there a while back and knew my parents would like the walk and views.  I was correct in thinking so...

The initial view you get after a 50 metre walk is this...

I am positive that during 'Wet Season' that view would definitely take your breath away.  The Falls are quite famous for how powerful it is and how much water passes down the river.  But during the 'Dry Season' it trickles.

Along the boardwalk through the tree tops, you're never quite sure what you'll come across.  A Rhinoceros Beetle for example...

The trail you follow leads itself across a pedestrian bridge to 'Barron Falls' train station.  The railway is a pretty famous one in the tourist industry, due to it leading through rainforest (only accessible by the train - which there are two only) and past waterfalls and the like.

Well, we could not have timed our venture up to Kuranda and the walk we were on any better.   I said to Lily "Oh, I think I can hear the train coming"....and sure enough, two minutes later what do we see coming along...

I'm not sure who was more excited - Lily, Grandma, Grandad or myself! *heehee*

"Wave to the train Lily!"  She did and the train driver waved a big wave back and tooted the train horn.  Pretty special.

The train is really long, I can't tell you how many carriages (seems like at least two dozen).  The train stopped at the station and the tourists piled out for a photographic opportunity.

We stood at a lookout and took some photos ourselves.

That was before we were bombarded with a handful of the train's travellers on our viewing station...

We knew then, it was time to walk the trail back to the car park.  =)