True to the motto 'The early bird...' - although our children are not necessarily friends of this bird species... - we left the campground at 8 a.m. On a road paved with seemingly typical warning signs for Australian roads (here warning mainly about hilltops, curves, driving for too long - just not about the sometimes enormous potholes ('Rough road')), we headed to the lookout point 'The Crater'. On the 'Crater-Road'
The Mt. Hypipamee National Park is a cylindrical volcano crater with a diameter of about 60m and a depth of 58m, the crater lake extends another 85m into the ground.
Volcano craterWe then continued through hilly landscape to the Curtain Fig Tree. On a short boardwalk, you can walk around the huge strangler fig tree. We then continued through the hilly landscape. However, the lush green meadows became increasingly dry and yellow. After about an hour, we arrived at the Granite Gorge Nature Park. The last stretch of the road was again on an uneven washboard track. After paying the entrance fee and receiving a short briefing, we headed to Wallaby Rock. There, many of the small rock wallabies were hopping around and enjoying the food. The little ones peeking curiously out of their mother's pouch were particularly cute.
After a round of feeding the wallabies, we walked along the marked path through the rocky landscape. At one point, the stream trickling through the rocks created a small pond where turtles were swimming.
When we returned to the starting point, the wallabies received the remaining food. Back at the motorhome, it was time for a lunch break including ice cream.
Then we continued to Kuranda to visit Barron Falls. Here too, there was a short trail through the rainforest to two viewpoints of the waterfall. View towards CairnsThe road from Kuranda to Cairns meandered down the mountain in many tight curves (with even more warning signs). But somehow we had to overcome the nearly 1000 meters in elevation to the coast. Since we had some time left, we made a detour to the beach. Unfortunately, the water was a bit cloudy, probably due to the mud just behind the water's edge. The warning signs also didn't directly invite us to swim. But it was enough for a refreshing dip.
Around 4:30 p.m., we arrived at the campground in Cairns. Just in time for an afternoon ice cream, after all, we still have to empty the freezer. The children then enjoyed the Wi-Fi at the campground while my husband and I walked to the beach promenade. However, it was not particularly inviting. For the statistics: Overnight stay: Cairns Holiday ParkDriving: 190 kmWalking: 10 kmWeather: Sunshine, about 26°C
