The Wet Tropics

Sadly we are leaving today. I’ve loved it here and I think Simon has been very surprised how much I have warmed to the camping lifestyle. (The wine helped) We say our goodbyes, buy a few postcards and set off once more. We drive back to Daintree River and across on the ferry. On the way we pass lots of creeks including Devil Devil Creek.

The kids love this type of travelling and are so happy sat in the back of the Vee Dub chatting away, listening to music, playing their PSP’s and staring out of the window. The landscape is quite flat and very green and the mountains in the distance are constantly being engulfed by thick clouds. Although it’s not really isolated you can drive for miles without seeing much traffic and the “towns” are very spaced out.

We get to Mount Malloy and head for the pie shop. The pies have been recommended by a number of people and we’re keen to try them. They go down well but that’s more to with our hunger than the pie quality I think. Mount Malloy is a tiny place and the pie shop lady although friendly looks slightly on the scary side. The kids’ start singing the banjo song from Deliverance and Simon wonders out loud if the pies are made from lone travellers who get lost in this area. Whatever, I’m glad to get some fuel and be on our way!

We follow signs for a winery. The wine is made from mangos that are grown locally and we have to have a bottle. We have a taste first and settle on the dry version Yum! before setting off again. It so cool in the combi and we listen to The Dixie Chicks and Fleetwood Mac on the way. We are heading for Atherton and Lake Tinaroo and haven’t got much further to go now. On the way we pass huge termite mounds standing around 3-4 feet high and the same again in width. I’m tempted to get out and poke them with a stick to see what happens.

Its 6.30 now and we’re in the VW preparing dinner. We stopped at a butcher on the way and got some BBQ food. For 28 dollars we have got enough lamb, sausages, fresh homemade burgers and steaks to last us about 6 days. The campsite is lovely, right on the edge of Lake Tinaroo and we have a quiet and secluded spot. Simon and Ali cook the meat and me and Maisie make some packet pasta thing to go with it. When they come back Ali tells me he has given up wearing shoes. I can remember one of the doctors I used to work with telling me the kids would go feral on this trip and it seems like they’re almost there.

We have decided to spend a couple of nights here and tomorrow will be exploring the area a bit more.

Cairns

G’ Day Sports.

Woke up around 8.30 this morning and feeling a lot brighter. The kids are still fast asleep though and in the end I have to wake them both up. Despite our early night last night Ali in particular still seems tired and we plan a slow day to ease us gently into the Aussie way of life.

The sky is still ominously grey but it’s very warm and optimistically I point out small patches of blue to Maisie. Simon goes and gets some breakfast cereal and bananas. Although Australia is very expensive in comparison to our recent living costs, many hostels including this one have kitchens and we are hoping to prepare some food ourselves in order to keep our expenses down. We take the opportunity to have a good look around, do some laundry and sit listening to Ali playing his guitar for a while.

At 12 o ‘clock we set of for The Esplanade. We have arranged to meet Justin, a friend from Plymouth who has been living here in Cairns with his family for the past few years. We sit in the sunshine at Coast Roast waiting for him to arrive, when he does its great to see him and we have a quick coffee before he has to go back to work. We plan to meet up tomorrow and catch up with him and his family properly and to our delight he offers to cook us a roast dinner in the evening- hurray!

We call off at the cinema on the way back to the hostel and book tickets to see Pirates of the Caribbean at 5pm. We then go shopping for food. It seems quite strange to be walking around a supermarket as if I was at home. We get stuff to make sandwiches (Brown bread -yum) and everything we need for Spaghetti Bolognese for dinner. Although we have eaten some pasta since we’ve been away we’re all looking forward to some home cooked meals.

After lunch we settle down to some schoolwork. There are lots of colourful information posters on the walls of the hostel about wildlife in the wet tropics of Australia and we use this as a basis for literacy. Ali researches insects and ground mammals and Maisie researches tree mammals and birds. They make notes and plan a 10 minute, 2 part presentation each on their findings. This takes nearly an hour and we decide they will refresh their memories and present their topics tomorrow when we have more time.

We rush off to the cinema, but are unfortunately only up the road when it starts to pour down. I’m fumbling with my umbrella I share with Maisie when this kind fella runs up his drive and gives me another brolly. How lovely of him, I tell him we will drop it in later but he just says “no worries it’s spare!”

Just got back from the cinema and Simon has cooked dinner for us all. The kids nearly died of shock when I said they had to do the washing up, dry the plates and put them away. How funny and how lazy are they? I think it was on the tip of Maisie’s tongue to ask where the dish washer was. She actually even said it wasn’t fair! We have always made them help clear up and load the washer at home but it obviously was a bit of a surprise! Hehe!

I’m sat on my bunk now. This room is very small and cramped for 4 of us and not that cheap at 64 dollars a night. Justin suggested we move nearer to his home and we might .It would be nice to be nearer the beach. Haven’t really made any plans for the next few days, we’re still tired and as our trip out to The Great Barrier Reef will be fairly costly we want to check out a few operators first to make sure we get a good deal.

Off to bed now. Hopefully it will be sunny tomorrow and we gat get out there and explore a bit.

Roast Beef Dinner

We woke up fairly late this morning and spent the morning fairly quietly, chatting to other travellers. Its interesting talking to them and I spend a long time discussing the UK as a budget travel destination with a fella from South Africa. He spent 2 months in England, Scotland and Ireland and I was pleased to hear he loved it and can’t wait to go back.

Ali is busy hustling at pool with an Aussie who has spent the past 6 months living in Papua New Guinea. He regales us with stories of his time spent there and I wonder if we should go there as it’s close to the northern tip of Australia. When he tells me how dangerous it is there and that some of the locals still practice cannibalism I soon change my mind though!

Alister has also been teaching an Aussie guy how to play the guitar and they have a nice little jammin session for a couple of hours with another fella. It keeps him out of mischief and it’s good to see him teaching someone else for a change.

Around 5pm Justin comes and picks us up. He lives about 15 mins away from where we are staying and we call off on the way to pick up some wine and beers. We haven’t met his family before and as his wife is expecting a baby any day soon, I think she is very brave inviting us over for dinner and to stay the night. Their house is great, Justin described it as being small but it seemed pretty spacious to us and had the added bonus of no windows just shutters and a pool. How great!

We have a lovely evening. Gill cooks a fantastic roast beef dinner with all the trimmings and we provided the puddings. Maisie and Tara (their 8 year old daughter) have a lovely time giggling away and playing in Tara’s room. Their 2 year old son Davy makes us laugh when he sits talking to the TV which we move to the floor in order to use the table.
(Hello movies! Bless!) It’s great for Simon and Justin to catch up on some of the rugby news from home and we quiz them on their life here and some of the local customs. They tell us political correctness is virtually unheard of and how much the Australians love to get a rise out of us whingeing poms!

We have taken loads of information leaflets with us and they tell us the best places to visit. Then best of all they make us a fantastic offer of borrowing their 1970′s original VW camper van to tour around the Northern region and Tablelands in. Oh my god how cool is that! It must be one of the ultimate back packer dreams and I can’t believe we’re so lucky that they have made us such a generous offer. Apparently it needs a service on Friday and then will be good to go. Awesome!

We get off to bed and Simon and I lie there excitedly imagining life on the road in a Scooby Do mobile. Tomorrow we are going to sort out our trip to the reef. Very excited about this also. Travelling really is the best.

Sunrise in Oz

We woke up this morning around 6.30 to the most amazing racket. The cockatoos all sit in the surrounding trees for the dawn chorus and it sounds as if we are in the jungle. We get up and stand looking at the sunrise. Simon takes the most beautiful photograph and I’m sold on Australia with that one picture.

Everyone is rushing around, Justin getting ready for work and Tara getting ready for school. Although it also seems so familiar, getting the kids breakfast, making sandwiches, I don’t miss any of it and can only think that I’m glad I won’t be doing any of that for a while. We sit having a coffee then Justin drops us off at the hostel.

We all have a quick shower before packing up our stuff and moving rooms. We were in ’2 Kangaroos’, now moving to ’3 Turtles’. This room is better, a bit bigger with a double bed (Simon and I have been sharing a single). Our old room only had 2 bunk beds and was really tiny so we were all starting to get on each others nerves a bit!

We then head off for The Esplanade, basically a seafront promenade it’s lovely along here and as it has finally stopped raining we can hopefully start to appreciate Australia’s famous sunshine coast a bit more. There is a huge, manmade saltwater lagoon surrounded by grassy areas. There are lots of people lazing around in the sun, having a swim and cooking food on the free BBQ stand. (What a great idea that is)

We wander around a bit, have a go in the arcade where Maisie and I whip Simon and Ali at air hockey and enjoy a cappuccino over looking the boats before heading to the tourist information centre to book our reef trip. In the end after much debate we decide on a day long trip to a slightly quieter area of the reef. The total cost is 160 pounds which is loads and we are a bit shell shocked at having to cough up so much money. Still, can’t come to Cairns without visiting The Great Barrier Reef so pay up happily enough. I’m sure it will be a fantastic day and there seems to be quite a lot included in the price.

We go shopping on the way home at the supermarket and get enough food to last us the next few days. When we get back the kids continue their literacy lesson on the wildlife of the wet tropics of Australia. We all learn a bit and I’m very pleased with their presentations. Maisie especially has worked hard and seems very confident. Simon spends some time chatting with the Aussie fellas who are staying here. It seems to be a magnet for lots of blokes working in the area as it’s cheap and despite their rough and ready exterior they are very friendly and seem to enjoy a good chat. One fella who knows the area really well tells us we have picked a good trip tomorrow on a good boat and not been skinned too much on price so I’m pleased with that.

Its 9pm now and just getting ready for bed. Didn’t sleep too well last night and feeling tired so figured an early nights in order before our day out tomorrow. I hadn’t given Australia any consideration until I arrived and therefore hadn’t thought about the reef. But now we’re going there I’m feeling very excited. Can’t wait for the morning.

The Great Barrier Reef

What a fantastic day we’ve had today. Woke up early – 6.30 and got a taxi down to the jetty. The boat we are going out on is a big catamaran called Passions of Paradise. We’re welcomed aboard and offered coffee and muffins which go down at treat and once the crew have introduced themselves we’re off.

The Great Barrier Reef, stretching along the length of the Queensland coast is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. The coral polyps are made up of tiny animals. They excrete a small amount of limestone in order to protect and support their soft bodies and as old ones die, their skeletons bind together building an ever growing reef. The sheer size of the reef makes sit difficult to understand how this amazing ecosystem could be in danger but threats from land based pollution, global warming and over fishing are damaging to the reefs future. I have read that the Australian government have taken steps to try and combat this.

An hour and a half later and we arrive at Michaelmas Cay. This is a small reef island in the middle of the ocean and the sand is pristine white. One of the crew Emma explains that it is a protected part of the national marine park due to the bird population and the boat we are on is the only boat of the 71 that sail out of Cairns allowed to moor there. Maisie and I are ferried across to the reef island and having struggled into our wetsuits, fins and snorkel masks put our heads under the water for the first time.

It’s so cool. Just 10 feet from the shoreline the seabed falls away and an amazing, strange and colourful world is revealed. There seems to be so many different types of coral. We see soft brown stringy coral and purple and yellow hard coral. The fish are amazing, huge parrot fish are all around. We have seen them before when we visited the Red Sea Coast in Egypt. (Another of the worlds top dive sites) but there are lots of them here. I ‘m lucky enough to see a big stingray, right by the waters edge and best of all are the giant clams. Absolutely massive, Maisie could have sat in them. You could see their clammy mouths sucking in and out and their huge curved shells covered in little barnacles. Really amazing!

We have half an hour swimming around which is enough. The water temperature is around 25 degrees but despite our wetsuits it feels quite cold and I’m glad to get into the boat. Simon and Ali are diving but Maisie is too young and we have decided to have a ride in a glass bottomed boat instead. It’s really good; Nicky gives us an interesting and informative tour of some of her favourite spots. We see Nemo and learn all about life on the reef.

We get back to the catamaran and catch up with Simon and Ali who have both dived for the first time today. They loved it and what a fantastic place for your maiden dive. Simon swam with a green turtle; he said it was around 3 feet long. How cool is that. There are some great underwater photos taken as proof! Lunch is served at 1ish and what a feast. Lots of different types of salads, cold meats and huge fresh prawns with a selection of fresh fruit for pudding and a nice cold Corona. Yeh!

We motor on after lunch to Paradise Reef. By now the sun is lovely and I lie on the front of the boat on the bow net in my bikini. Emma takes Ali and Maisie out snorkelling, with floats and a ring. It’s really great, as she shows them a giant clam closing, squids changing colour and shoals of fish all around them. The sea is very rough but they’re well looked after and I’m really glad that we splashed out and went with a more expensive company. When everyone gets back on the boat cheese, crackers, salamis and pickles are offered and despite our large lunch we dig in.
For me one of the best things was on our way back. The Captain shut the engine off and we sailed back. It was fantastic, pretty rough and bouncy. Most people stayed inside but me and the kids stood outside clinging onto the rail and occasionally getting a drenching. It was exhilarating and a perfect end to a wonderful day trip. At last we can see Cairns in the distance and the kids have a time for a quick cup of tea and biscuits. Emma shows them some card tricks which have us all flummoxed and we look at the photo’s taken by the crew throughout the day.

We chat to a couple of lads from Holland; they are at the end of their RTW trip and as they are due to fly home in 3 days, ask them if they have any camping equipment they want to sell. As luck would have it they are after 40 dollars for their tent but Simon offers them 20 and it’s a done deal. One of the fellas from the hostel has given us a really good sleeping bag which we’ve laundered and we’re almost ready to go at the weekend.

Back at the hostel, Simon cooks us Thai red curry for dinner. My friend Nicky emailed and asked if I had missed doing any cooking. What a laugh, as she well knows I never did any at home anyway. Eating out for breakfast, lunch and dinner had been for me one long, happy menu choice and I don’t think I would ever get tired of it. We have a few beers, swap reef stories and Bruce our new Aussie mate lends me his sweater. Lovely way to end a really special day.

The Esplanade and Lagoon

We get up a bit later today as we’re all a bit tired with our recent late nights and early mornings. We have our breakfast; Ali goes to the supermarket and buys some jam for his crumpets and we have cereal and fruit.

We have decided today to walk into town and have a good look around Cairns seafront. Cairns is a small city set in tropical surroundings, with the close proximity to the reef, some of Australia’s best beaches and the northern tablelands I can see why people would want to live here. We stop off on the way and look in the estate agents windows, for 140 thousand pounds we could buy a 3 bed roomed place with a pool. Sounds tempting!

We get some BBQ food, chicken kebabs and a Caesar salad and make our way to The Esplanade and Lagoon area. It’s lovely here. Crowded with backpackers, everyone cooks up their lunch on the free BBQ stands and then lazes around on the grass by the waters edge. The salt water lagoon is man made and fairly cold today. The kids brave it and have a bit of a splash around but I just read my book and generally relax.

We spend a few hours there before heading back to the hostel for some schoolwork. I do some maths with the kids which is fairly painless and learn something myself. Although what is the point to learning about congruence and symmetry I do not know. I hope that didn’t come across to them! Simon takes our laptop to the computer menders, it remains critically sick and we know now needs a new hard drive. The fella in the shop gets onto Dell and they agree to supply a new one for free. They keep the laptop for a few hours and transfer all the data onto a temporary drive, the plan being that when we return to Cairns in a few days the new drive will have arrived from Dell and the data will be transferred then. This is costing us around 150 quid so I’m hoping it cures the problem.

In the evening Ali cooks dinner. I’m pleased his is going to have the opportunity to do this in Australia. He has always been the most independent of people and I worry sometimes that if he leaves home at 16 (His plan!) he will have to live on take outs. He does really well with minimal supervision from Simon and serves us chilli beef with nachos, sour cream, salsa, grated cheese and guacamole. He has made a bit of a mess around the cooker as the chilli beef and is so pleased when Simon, Maisie and I clean up and wash and dry the dishes.

Tomorrow we are going to Davey Daley’s 2nd birthday party and then off in the VW. How exciting.

Vee-Dub

Once again it’s up early and packing up our gear. We sit waiting for Justin to collect us outside the hostel and are surprised to see Tracey the girl we met in Guilin in China walk past. We have a quick chat, tell her we took her advice and stayed in Kowloon in Hong Kong and listen to her story of her adventures in Melbourne over the past week. We say our goodbyes again, promise to email and hope to catch up further down the coast maybe for dinner one night.

We set off in the VW for The Esplanade. Justin and Gill explain that they have invited a few close friends (“Their Australian family”) and it’s lovely to meet them, have a good chat and feel part of a group of friends. We explain to them that although we have met lots of really cool people during our trip making any real connections with anyone is hard. Although we have had some great conversations with people in the back of your mind you always think you probably won’t ever see them again.

Davy’s birthday party goes well, the sun doesn’t quite shine but it doesn’t rain either and the little birthday boy seems to have a great time splashing around in the fountains, opening his presents ( We got him some play dough and cutters) and getting covered in chocolate from his cake! Gill and Justin have bought a few snacks along and then buy fish and chips for everyone – yum! We spend a few hours before deciding its time to leave and set off in Anastasia.

It is so cool! In great condition and obviously well loved, Anastasia is a peach and Simon gets the hang of driving her in no time. We stop on the way and stock up on a few beers and a bottle of wine. I love it! We tune into some old radio station that plays “the tunes you haven’t heard in a long time” and the sun comes out! What a fantastic experience all I need are some flowers in my hair.

The road between Cairns and Port Douglas is beautiful. It hugs the coastline and we stop off at a view point to take some pictures. The kids are very happy and we potter along, taking in the scenery. Less than an hour and we reach Port Douglas, we have been warned its very expensive but find a campsite for 40 dollars and pull up for the night.

First job is to put up the tent we have bought for Ali to sleep in. he has been so desperate for his “own space” and it seemed like a good idea. The tent is up in no time and we sit having a few beers before heading off up the road for dinner. It is quite costly and nothing special but I console myself with the thought that we will be cooking some food ourselves over the next few days and saving a bit of cash.

We get back to the site and having given Ali lots of warnings about snakes, dingoes, poisonous spiders, scorpions and the Australian strangler etc he decides he perhaps doesn’t want his own space that much after all! In the end they decide they will both sleep in the tent, a better idea I think! Off to bed now looking forward to tomorrow very much.

Cape Tribulation & Crocodiles

Considering the restricted space in Anastasia we slept well and didn’t wake up until about 8am. Simon has a streaming cold and we decide that we probably won’t go too far today. There are some beautiful beaches along this coast so the plan is to drive along and stop when we get to somewhere pretty.

It’s so hot already which is great. We have had lots of fun camping in Cornwall with our friends Alli and Adrian around this time of year for mine and Maisie’s birthday, but we usually freeze at night despite large amounts of gin, wine and beer. It’s so good to be walking around in shorts and t shirt late at night and I would love them to be here also.

Simon and Ali walk to the shop and get some bacon. Anastasia is well equipped with a fridge, grill and gas rings so we decide bacon sandwiches are in order. After breakfast we take the tent down, pack up our stuff and set off. Just up the road (The Captain Cook Highway) we stop at Four Mile Beach for a walk. Oh wow so beautiful, the beach stretches out in front of us and although not deserted the huge expanse of space makes it seem almost that way. We wander along and stand and watch a group of people having life guard instruction and watch children swimming within the confines of the stinger nets.

Back in the combi, we motor on for another hour or so. We stop off on the way at a few lookout spots. This part of Australia is really interesting and one of the only places in the world where the tropical rain forest meets the ocean. We drive through the rainforest and past miles of sugar plantations and mangroves. We see signs for Cassowary birds and to our amazement one suddenly steps out in front of us and ambles across the road. It’s massive, nearly as tall as Maisie and I can hardly believe my eyes. We have read that there are only 1200 left and they are endangered so we were really lucky. Increasingly we start to see more and more swamps and when I read that a few more miles up the road and it is unsealed (Not tarmaced) I realised how close to the wilderness we are.

We cross the river at Daintree on a car ferry and carry on towards our destination Cape Tribulation. It is supposed to be one of Australia’s premier attractions due to its remote location and diverse flora and fauna. When we arrive I’m a bit surprised to see exactly how small it is, just a couple of shops and around 4 campsites to choose from. We try a couple before settling on Cape Tribulation Camping Ground. It costs 40 dollars for the night which is slightly less than 20 quid, not too bad for a powered site with hot water showers, kitchen, BBQ’s etc. Also only 30 metres from the beach and fairly close to a shop.

We take a path through the trees towards the beach and follow the signs to the shop. We pass a swampy looking creek and as Simon wanders towards the water to take a photo I call him back telling him he may get eaten by a crocodile. I was joking and it comes as a complete shock when we stop and chat to some people riding horses, they point to a huge crocodile lying on the other side of the creek in the sun! Oh my god! What a shock I don’t think I actually comprehended for one minute that we might see real crocodiles in the wild here and I feel really awed by it and a bit creeped out.

We get some supplies from the shop and head back to the campsite. In the evening we cook steaks and sausages for dinner before making our way back to the VW for the evening. We sit having a few drinks, telling jokes and stories. The kids love it here and when it pours with rain strip off and have a water fight with water balloons. We see a possum wander past and I realise that despite having seen all sorts in Asia, Australia is really different and is definitely rocking our world. From what I have seen so far here I can sum up Australia best by saying it makes you feel good. The combination of the good weather, clean air, friendly people and varied landscape is intoxicating. Really feel like I’m getting the bug for it now and can’t wait to see a bit more.

Camping

Simon woke me up rustling around this morning and although its only 7.30 I am soon up and about. I have been reading a great book, a trashy 1800′s cowboy bodice ripper and lie outside on the grass in the warm sun. It�s a lovely campsite, the sites are all arranged in a circle and it’s very peaceful. Our site is flanked by big banana trees and there are lots of passion flowers everywhere.

We spend the morning quietly and have a tasty fry up courtesy of Ali and Simon around midday. We settle down then to some schoolwork. Maisie has almost completed the science curriculum and we revise electricity and “understanding experiments”. Ali has a bit more on his hands with the elements of the periodic table but it seems to go smoothly enough.

We decide to have a walk along the beach and set off around 3pm. It’s fantastic, so beautiful, very wild and empty and backed by swamplands. We stay close to the sea and have a paddle. The lady at the campsite told us the water is safe from jellyfish but I still feel a bit anxious about swimming here. There are signs warning against marine stingers in the summer months and we see a large bottle of vinegar waiting for those unfortunate enough to get stung.

We wander along for about an hour before setting back and decide to cut through the swamps on a boardwalk to PK’s campsite. (We know there is an ATM here) Unfortunately it’s out of service but we buy some food on our card and set off along the road. I’m so pleased when the fella who owns our site stops in his ute and picks us up. The kids bounce around in the back and he entertains us with stories of wild pigs running around the roads!

When we get back we sit on the grass. Ali plays his guitar and I have a few wines. Its so cool listening to him singing away and a little boy from the site opposite comes over and joins in. In the evening we make our way up to the kitchen area and make Taco’s for dinner. Again the kids cook most of it and it’s good to see how much they enjoy themselves. I had unfortunately had a few too many glasses of wino and dropped the chicken on the path on the way but hey. A quick swill under the tap and it seemed ok. Tasted alright anyway.

Tomorrow we are leaving this lovely place for The Atherton Tablelands, we are planning to stay at Lake Tinaroo Simon tells me. Well off to bed now, feeling tired and slightly pissed.

Millaa Millaa Falls and The Curtain Fig Tree

Oh my god, I had such a bad nights sleep and could have happily throttled Ali when we woke me up this morning early by yanking my foot! Anyway, I did go back to sleep and felt better when I woke around 9. The birds here are so noisy and Simon tells me he has been down to Lake Tinaroo bird watching. He has some good photographs of the squawking cockatoos that seem to live here in their hundreds, a pelican sat on the lake and a kookaburra in the tree behind our tent.

We have our showers and set off for a days sightseeing. Actually Ali isn’t feeling too well so it’s probably a good thing that the first place is about an hour away. We pass the tiny villages of Kairi and Yungaburra on the way and see a sign for Bones Knob Lookout (Not sure whether you are supposed to lookout for bones or knobs). Eventually we reach Millaa Millaa Falls, the holiday brochure we have picked up describes fall watching as a rejuvenating experience- Hmm! Not too sure about that but the waterfall is quite impressive and very pretty anyway.

We get back on the road and stop for lunch in the small town of Malanda. We get the chance to check a few emails and shop for a bit of food at the local Spar Shop. I buy the kids a toffee apple each, some Ribena and some lemon tarts which Simon points out later doesn’t really help towards a healthy balanced diet! (I guess not!)

The Tablelands area is very beautiful and has a diverse landscape. Not only are we on the top of the mountains at an altitude of around 1000m but there are also lots of lava formations left over from ancient volcanoes. We pass a range of lava hillocks called The Seven Sisters and see basalt boulders on the road side thrown there by volcanic eruptions.

Next we go to see The Curtain Fig Tree. This news is greeted with howls of sarcastic disapproval from the kids when we tell them we are going to see a tree. Especially as it is now pissing down with rain. The Curtain Fig Tree is a massive parasitic plant and is actually really cool but in the end we only spend a couple of minutes there grabbing a few photos.

We get back to the campsite, by now it is raining a lot and the kids decide to take the pedal car they have hired for racing around the camp pathways back and hire it again in the morning. It’s a shame it’s so rainy, as it’s a lovely campsite with a pool, bouncing pillow which is a bit like a big bouncy castle with no sides and park area. Still when Maisie goes off to the toilet and shrieks “kangaroo” at the top of voice it makes up for being stuck in the van. Guess the roos don’t worry about a bit of water! We race across to where she is stood completely spellbound and all gaze at the small figure only 10 feet away. Nibbling at the grass it is only around 3 feet high but a real kangaroo nether the less!