Cairns

 2 - 10 November 2025

We packed up at Kurrimine Beach and headed back to Cairns for what we hoped would be our last week in the camper trailer. We didn't book this time as we knew the caravan park wouldn't be full as all the southern tourists had retreated from the hot and wet conditions. Once again we scored a spot near the creek  - and once again we spent plenty of time in the pool.

While we were in Cairns, our daughter Jo let us know that she would be stopping in Yorkeys Knob for the day so we arranged to go and meet the catamaran "Eviota" when she arrived. This was a research trip for Reef Life Survey that would take them from Airlie Beach to Darwin and back to Thursday Island. Quite an adventure for someone who had only ever been out on day trips.

As they made their way up the coast Jo kept in touch and we arrived at the marina at the same time as the boat and her small crew. Jo had been tasked with doing some shopping while the others refuelled the boat and carried out other essential tasks. We drove her back to the big shopping centre at Smithfield so she could get groceries. Dropping her back, Jo gave us a tour of her temporary home. She certainly seemed to be loving the experience and was learning a lot about sailing.

Jo has really taken to live on the high seas

For the rest of our time in Cairns we continued our regular visits to the library to work and also did some more birding - of course.  While we were on the Esplanade one day we also went to the Art Gallery. 

We were starting to get a bit anxious about returning to the Tablelands and continuing to camp in the camper trailer as the wet season approached. There had been further delays to our new home and it was doubtful that we would be in before early December. We felt it was time to consider our options and look for alternative accommodation. As luck would have it we saw an ad for short term accommodation at Lake Barrine that might suit us so we made contact and arranged to meet once we had met all our commitments on the coast. We had already booked to go to Port Douglas for a couple of nights so wouldn't be back on the Tablelands until mid-week.

Cairns

 22 - 30 October 2025

We decided to return to Cairns in the hope of getting out on a reef trip to Michaelmas Cay - to photograph birds - but first we had to detour via the Atherton Tablelands. Mick had been without a laptop since the end of July when his had been returned for a full refund. This presented us with a dilemma as the specs he requires mean that we could only purchase online, and we needed a physical address for delivery. Not knowing exactly where we would be created a challenge but we ended up placing an order to be delivered to friend Bill's place in Mareeba. We hoped it would be delivered in time for Bill to bring it with him to Mission Beach but it arrived the day after he left.

Leaving Mission Beach we drove up the Palmerston Highway and stopped for a cuppa at Millaa Millaa before going over to friends, Rob and Cheryl's, at Ravenshoe to drop off a couple of things and pick up some more. They were travelling too but their current housesitters were home. We had a quick stop for lunch and some shopping then drove on to Mareeba and collected the new laptop, then continued back "down the hill" to Cairns. 

Once again we checked in to our favourite Cairns caravan park and scored a lovely spot by the creek, with lots of shade. The caravan park was starting to get a lot quieter as the weather warmed up and tourist season started to wind down. 

We checked the weather forecast and saw that the seas would be very calm over the next few days so booked a trip to Michaelmas Cay and Hastings Reef. Mick would get to do some birding and I could do some snorkelling so we were both happy with the plan. The next day we had lunch with Bill and Kerry who had come down from Mareeba on one of their regular shopping and business days in Cairns. 

On Friday morning we were up early to be at the marina ready for boarding at 7:30am. We chose Seastar Cruises as Mick had heard good things about the birding aspect of their trips. They advertise that they are the first boat to arrive at Michealmas Cay each day so there would be fewer other people around. The downside is that it looked like it would be a bright sunny day so not great for photography.

On the way out we were kitted out with snorkelling gear and Mick talked to one of the guides about his desire to get onto the cay to photograph the birds. When we arrived we were taken straight to the beach and dropped off. We were the only ones there for an hour or so, while everyone else snorkelled or toured in the glass bottomed boat. It was very hot and we were glad we had bought new sunshirts and were carrying plenty of water with us. 

Because the cay is a marine sanctuary there are strict rules to be observed when visiting including staying outside the exclusion zone. This made it a bit difficult for photography but Mick had a fabulous time anyway and did get some great shots. Once the first group were dropped off from the glass bottomed boat, I left and joined them for a snorkel back to the Seastar. 

Snorkelling back was great - the sea was calm and the gear provided was good quality so I didn't have any trouble with water getting into the mask. The corals weren't as bright as I had hoped but there was still lots of variety and some interesting fish to see along the way.

Meanwhile, Mick was still on the cay with a couple of staff. Once everyone else was either back on the boat, or on their way, Mick was picked up by the glass bottomed boat and taken for a circumnavigation of the cay with only a couple of other passengers who hadn't wanted to snorkel. What a treat to get such an exclusive tour.

Snorkelling was lots of fun

From Michaelmas Cay the Seastar continued on to Hastings Reef where we both snorkelled but the strong current at this location made it hard going so I didn't stay in for too long. Mick enjoyed a bit more time in the water before returning ready for the delicious lunch which was provided. After a very energetic day there were lots of sleepy passengers on the trip back to Cairns! We were so tired we shouted ourselves dinner of pizza that night from a food truck which visited the caravan park every Friday.

We spent some more time looking for furniture for our new house but also found time to visit the turf farm at Edmonton for some more birding. Now that Mick had a new laptop he was keen to get back into some serious photo editing. With the weather heating up, spending time inside the camper trailer wasn't pleasant - even with the new fan we had just bought - so we added a visit to the library at Manunda to our daily routine. The library is conveniently located in the shopping centre so we were able to pick up supplies while we were there. 

We thought about staying on in Cairns but decided to go somewhere different for a few days, We decided to head south to Googarra Beach because we had never been there before. We didn't book, just headed off to see what it was like.

Cairns

 14 - 19 October 2025

We returned to Cairns so that we could do some furniture shopping, with a spot of birding also in the mix. We stayed at what has become our favourite Cairns caravan park which was very busy even this late in the tourist season.

Most of our days were spent touring the furniture shops, making a few purchases for our new home. We had some household items in storage but needed some new things as well. In between shopping we took the time to visit the Esplanade a number of times and had lunch one day at a favourite spot. 

The best time for birding is on the incoming tide

The weather was certainly starting to warm up and there was more rain so we spent a bit of time in the pool and seeking shade in the middle of the day. We hoped that we wouldn't have much longer in the camper trailer - we didn't want to be camping during a wet season.

Our next journey would be to Mission Beach where Mick had organised a couple of nights with his mates Mick and Bill, so we left Cairns, and headed south.

Cairns

14 - 18 June 2025

We left Etty Bay and decided to make our first stop Eubenangee Swamp just north of Innisfail. There is a walking track that meanders along the river before climbing to the top of a grassy hill for a view of the swamp - one of the most important wetlands in the Wet Tropics of Queensland. 

Fabulous views of the swamp after a bit of a climb

After our walk we decided that Bramston Beach would be a good spot for lunch as we were already half way there. We found a nice park where we had a picnic and then went for a short walk on the beach. 

We arrived in Cairns and set up at a caravan park that we have stayed at several times before. Although it is about 20 minutes from the Esplanade the grounds and adjacent creek have lured us back a number of times. Unfortunately the weather forecast had changed to include a day of very heavy rain.

On Sunday we drove to Catanna Wetlands and walked along many of the tracks. This is always a good spot for birding, and a lovely place to go for a stroll. There are a number of bird hides, as well as tracks around the lakes and through the grasslands. 

You know you're in Far North Queensland

We had chosen Cairns as our destination so I could attend a medical appointment which took up all of Monday morning, then it rained in the afternoon. On Tuesday, when some very heavy rainfall was forecast we decided to take a chance and go into town to visit the spot where an owl was likely to be seen, as well as to go to the Esplanade. We met up with a couple of local birders who were more than happy to share their knowledge of the owl's habits, including exactly where it would most likely be seen. It wasn't in residence that morning, but Mick was hopeful he might be able to spot it on a future visit.

As it was morning tea time, we drove down to the Esplanade for ice-creams at our favourity gellateria. From there we went for a bit of a walk and spotted a couple of Nankeen night-herons. Mick didn't have his camera so we had to walk back to the car to get it. Fortunately one of the birds was still there and happily obliged by posing to have it's photo taken.

The rain had held out and we were able to get out again in the afternoon to pick up some more supplies for our journey into western Queensland. We set off on Wednesday morning, which was Mick's birthday, with a plan to stay somewhere with a pub where we could have dinner and a couple of drinks to celebrate. 

We left the caravan park and before heading "up the hill" towards Kuranda, drove down to have a look for the owl again - and there it was, just waiting to have it's photo taken. Mick figured that was a good birthday present. From there we finally left Cairns, on our way to stop off in Ravenshoe.

Cairns

 21 - 23 March 2025

North Queensland has had much more rain than is usual for a wet season and Townsville and Ingham seem to have received most of it. We waited anxiously for the Bruce Highway north of Ingham to reopen and set off as soon as we could. We were aware that with even a small amount of extra rain the road could be closed again.

We decided to scrap our plans to stay at Mission Beach as they were in for a heap of rain too, and instead headed straight for Cairns. We made it through Ingham and could see that the water was only just below the level of the road when we passed the Seymour River which flows into the Hinchinbrook Channel from the Herbert River. There was so much water around!

We stopped in Cardwell for lunch as has become our tradition and then continued on to Cairns. This time we chose a caravan park quite close to The Esplanade so Mick could get down to do some birding. Although we thought about heading to his favourite birding spot as soon as we were set up, it was getting quite late, and we were both exhausted after a long and busy day.

Blue skies at last - for a short while anyway

We did managed to get to a few spots for some bird photography the following day, including the Cairns Cemetery, which was only a block away, as well as the Botanic Gardens and, of course, The Esplanade. We revisited The Esplanade on Sunday morning before returning to the Caravan Park to pack up and finally make our way to the Atherton Tablelands.

Cairns – Lake Placid

24 July – 4 August 2024

Finally it was time to get serious about finding a builder to build our new home in Atherton so we headed to Cairns for at least a week – and ended up extending when we realised we needed more time that we had thought.

In addition to visiting display homes and talking to builders, we made a number of visits to The Esplanade for its wonderful birding, as well as Catanna Wetlands and a few other favourite birding spots. We also enjoyed a visit from a friend who lives in Mossman.

We always have to visit The Esplanade

Who would have thought the old cemetery
would be such a good spot for birding

The weather wasn’t in our favour and the drizzling rain had started to have us thinking about moving on, even though we were still a long way from being able to select a builder. We decided that a move to the dry part of the Atherton Tablelands was in order so we headed “up the hill” to Granite Gorge, just out of Mareeba.

Cairns

30 September – 4 October 2023

It’s a relatively short drive from Yungaburra to Cairns so we stopped in Kuranda for a look around and a coffee. Towing the trailer makes parking a challenge but there are a number of long vehicle parking bays one street back from the main street. We were early so found one easily. Disappointingly, when we returned later, every other spot was taken by a single vehicle.

We drove down the Kuranda Range and arrived at the caravan park in time to set up and have lunch. This park allows check-ins for powered sites from 11:00 am – very convenient and helpful. We had stayed at this one before and chose it again as it is on a creek, has lots of shady trees and a lovely pool.

Mick had a number of things on his Cairns wish list so we had a fairly full schedule planned, most of it involving photographs of birds. We started with a drive to the mouth of the Barron River at Machan’s Beach. The tide was out quite a long way so Mick had a bit of a walk to get close to the birds there.

On Sunday morning we headed into The Esplanade – always a favourite spot and usually a great place to photograph birds, if the tide is right. It wasn’t, but we had a good morning visiting Rusty’s Market, walking along The Esplanade and having an ice cream. We also did some grocery shopping while we were in town. Later in the afternoon we walked along the creek out of the caravan park and into Goomboora Park. This lovely, “rainforesty” park was being well used by locals to fish, walk, exercise dogs, cycle and play.

On Monday morning we set off early to Catanna Wetlands. Once part of a cane farm, and sand quarry, this environmental park has been rehabilitated into a fabulous network of walking tracks and wetlands, with a number of viewing platforms, bird hides, seats and BBQ areas. We spent a few hours spotting birds and enjoying the surroundings. Later in the day we visited the Cairns Botanical Gardens but the sandflies were biting so we didn’t stay long. After the Botanic Gardens we returned to the Esplanade where Mick met up with some fellow birders – including one he had met on a Pelagic out of Eaglehawk Neck. As always the locals were very generous with their information and shared photos of a rare sighting – a laughing gull. Despite everyone’s best efforts it wasn’t seen again – but they did have lots of photos to prove it had been there.

On Tuesday morning we made another early start – this time to the Mangrove Boardwalk near the airport. We knew from past experience to expect sandflies there so we were well prepared with long pants and shirts, as well as heavy duty insect repellent. Even so they managed to find those exposed parts of the body that hadn’t been smothered in spray. It was still a great walk along the boardwalks above the mangroves. Late in the day, we went back to the Esplanade – again – just in case the Laughing Gull returned. It hadn’t, but it was a nice afternoon there anyway.

We had one more night before returning to Townsville so decided Kurrimine Beach would do us nicely, so that’s where we headed when we left Cairns.

Tropical North Queensland - again!

A winter trip north is always a favourite and this year we decided to travel to Cairns and Lake Eacham on the Atherton Tablelands, without the camper trailer. A last minute decision also added a couple of nights at Daintree Village. As usual, the main motivation for this trip was to do some serious bird photography in some lovely spots.

Daintree Village

14 – 16 June 2017

A reported sighting of spotted whistling ducks on the Daintree River had us heading there first. An early start and a very leisurely drive up the highway and we still had time to go out to The Boulders just out of Babinda, for a picnic lunch. This is a very popular spot and there were lots of people enjoying the surrounds even though it was mid-week.

After enjoying the beautiful coastal drive north of Cairns we arrived at Daintree and checked into the lodge at the caravan park. Our room was perhaps the best on offer – the last one in the row, with uninterrupted views of the river. The lodge consists of a number of ensuite guest rooms and a communal cooking/dining/lounge area on the expansive deck. The views are fabulous too!

The spacious deck of the lodge.

The view from our verandah.

 We spent the afternoon in and around the village and then ventured across the road to the pub for dinner.

From our balcony we saw a native White-tailed Rat gnawing coconuts.

We saw a couple of White-lipped Tree Frogs around the lodge building.

Nutmeg Manikin near our room.

We were booked onto a wildlife cruise in the afternoon so spent the next morning looking for birds along the roads “up river”. We drove along Stewart’s Creek and Upper Daintree Roads, with only moderate success. Back at the lodge I spotted the whistling ducks paddling down the river towards us.  Out with the camera and Mick was well pleased. Later in the day we met out guide, Ian, for the 4:00pm wildlife cruise. Some boat tours are designed specifically for those wanting to spot crocodiles and others are more suited to bird watchers and those interested in other wildlife. Some leave from the boat ramp at the village and others from a tour centre a few kilometres down the road.

A favourite thing to do here is to drive along Upper Daintree Road and see what birds are about. There is usually plenty of Rainbow Bee Eaters and Forest Kingfishers around but you never know what might turn up. Mick.

It was overcast for most of our visit.

Cattle Egrets

Rainbow Bee Eater

Willy Wagtail

Like a bird on a wire... exactly. Tree Martin.

Once out on the river we saw lots of birds, some snakes and a few crocs as well. We spotted the ducks and Mick was able to get a few good photos although they wouldn’t turn their heads and smile for the camera.

We didn't spend much time with the Spotted Whistling Duck but I ended up with a record shot.

Seven of the eight ducklings the pair were raising in this dangerous place.

This is what most visitors to the Daintree want to see. We saw four or five individuals on this trip.

Forest Kingfisher

Forest Kingfisher

Christie takes a photo of a female croc on the bank.

The cruise took us a fair way up Barratt Creek looking for kingfishers and big crocodiles.

The sun begins to set, signaling time to head back to the jetty.

Cairns

16 - 19 June 2017

We left Daintree in the morning for the drive south to Cairns. We had plenty of time so we took our time packing up and called in to Port Douglas for morning tea. We stopped for lunch on the Esplanade in Cairns before making our way to our accommodation – an apartment further down the Esplanade.

Not a great view but an excellent location.

We spent the next few days doing some of our favourite things – a couple of long walks along the Esplanade, a drive out to Centenary Lakes and a walk around and a visit to the Mangrove Boardwalk. Each of these places have the potential for good bird photography.

Pacific Black Duck

A Striated Heron grabs a snack.

At Centenary Lakes we found Radjah Shelduck.

Radjah Shelduck

Grey-tailed Tattlers all in a row.

Some of the usual birds seen along the Esplanade. Gull-billed Tern

Eastern Curlew

The Whimbrel is similar to the Eastern Curlew though smaller and with a shorter beak.

Terek Sandpiper. This bird's broken bill probably prevents it from gaining enough condition for the annual northern migration.

Cairns waterfront.

Cairns waterfront.

We were entertained by a talented busker as we walked the Cairns Esplanade.

One of the many tourist boats comes in.

After three lovely days in Cairns it was time to set off for our next destination – Lake Eacham on the Atherton Tablelands. We used our superpower for this one – the ability to take all day to get a short distance. The trip via Kuranda is about 115 kilometres and should take approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. With our superpower we took over 5 hours! Well, we did stop at the Mangrove Boardwalk and spent a good bit of time walking around looking for birds (and being bitten by sandflies despite the insect repellent). We also stopped for morning tea and a look at the op-shop in Kuranda, and for a picnic lunch and a look at the op-shops in Mareeba, and for groceries and a look at the op-shops in Atherton.

Female Shining Flycatcher.

Lake Eacham

19 - 22 June

We have stayed in many different places on the Atherton Tablelands over the last 35 years, and I think we have found our new favourite. Crater Lakes Rainforest Cottages at Lake Eacham suited us perfectly. The owners John and Jenny are welcoming and knowledgeable about the local wildlife, which is abundant. Mick had hoped to see the Victoria's Riflebird - displaying if possible, so we were allocated the cottage with the best chance for a photo.

The back deck of our cabin.

No sooner had we settled in than the birds appeared, looking for the mealworms which are provided so visitors can feed them with something appropriate. We were also provided with pellets to feed the other creatures which included pademelons and Musky rat-kangaroos.

Rufous Fantail

The light was very low but I managed to get some reasonable shots of the Victoria's Riflebird.

Male Victoria's Riflebird displaying. Getting far enough back from the action was problem with the 500mm lens.

A female riflebird mistakes Christie for a tree.

Bridled Honeyeater

Lewin's Honeyeater

Spotted Catbird

Musky Rat-kangaroo

Musky Rat-kangaroo

The weather wasn't great, but the location was perfect so apart from a quick trip into Malanda one day, and Yungaburra the next, we spent most of the time just enjoying the surroundings.

At night the cabin was snug and warm despite the cold and rain.

After a relaxing short trip away we headed home  and back to Townsville's warmer weather. No need for the fire at home!