Our 7 Month Travel Blog

From the hostel in Cairns, we made our way to pick up our accom on wheels for the next 10 days, a JUCY Campervan.

The Campervan was really versatile, having a table and chairs in the day, which turned into a bed to sleep in the evening.

It also had a sink and fridge in the back, which runs on a separate battery, with charging ports and camping cooking equipment.

It did look like it had been through some action though….

From Cairns we made our way further up Far North Queensland, on the Captain Cook highway, passing through Ellis Beach and Palm Cove up to Port Douglas.

Port Douglas is the main town about an hour from Cairns. It has a nice long beach called Four Mile Beach and a hub with lots of shops and restaurants.

The road up the coast used to stop at Port Douglas but now goes further to the Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation.

We stayed at a great campsite just before the Daintree, which had direct beach access.

We were slightly envious of these other campers who had got the more luxurious JUCY option with a pop top roof for sleeping in!

From the site the next morning, we travelled the very short distance to the Solar Whisper Wildlife and Crocodile Cruise (almost concerningly close to where we were camping!).

The cruise started on the banks of the Daintree river…we were hoping for a slightly bigger boat.

We headed up stream to where crocodiles were sunbathing on the river banks.

We had a really passionate guide, who explained about the crocodiles, their lifespan, habitat and how they were nearly hunted to extinction in the 1980s but their numbers have now regrown. The crocodiles are now identified and monitored, estimated to be around 70 adults in the river.

He also explained the few high profile incidents with people in the last 10 years and the calls for them to be culled, so there are more safe swimming areas on the beaches nearby.

He had a fair point though that there are already safe swimming areas for humans…..called swimming pools…and it was their habitat first, not ours!

From the crocodile tour, we then went across the Daintree River on the vehicle ferry into the Daintree Rainforest. The rainforest was really cool, with loads of walking areas and places to explore.

We were staying in Cape Tribulation which is famous for its dramatic landscapes, where two UNESCO World Heritage sites meet: the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.

From here we did a number of walks along designated walking tracks and visited the Daintree Discovery Centre.

We also made lots of tasty camp meals.

The Daintree Rainforest is also famous for the Cassowary bird. A large flightless bird which is native to the rainforest. They can grow up to 2m tall and weigh 70kg. The bird has powerful legs and claws and it’s often called the ‘world’s most dangerous bird’ but they are actually pretty shy and solitary.

We were very lucky to see some up close (but behind the car fortunately!).

From the Daintree we then went back south through to the Atherton Tablelands which is an area further inland.

We had a great time exploring waterfalls!

On my Birthday we also visited Cascade falls for a birthday swim, before making our way back down to Cairns.

At the end of the trip, we headed back to Cairns and had a great waterside meal for birthday celebrations.

After a great 10 days in the Campervan, it was time to drop it back (with its friends!) and leave Cairns.