Turning point

Our night time drive to Cairns turned out to be just a little more complicated than we had hoped. As I tried to find motels at a reasonable price on the tiny iphone screen, with reception dropping in and out, Eli was finding sleep difficult and getting very restless, while Ben was becoming more and more concerned at the rate of fuel consumption by our overburdened car.
We had to drive past a large grass fire, then wait for what seemed to be the world's longest cane train (especially when you're tired, hungry and in a hurry to get somewhere). We drove through kilometre after kilometre of the destruction caused by cyclone Yasi, lit by an eerie full moon and wondered at the feelings of locals that day in February this year.
When we finally reached Cairns and pulled into the nearest petrol station, having only managed 390 kilometres on a full tank, it became apparent that we had probably driven most of the trip on a rear flat tyre. Ben filled up the car with fuel and tried in vain to inflate the tyre. As we went to drive off, we were flagged down by the over-zealous service station attendant who noticed that the right tail light on the trailer wasn't working (but failed to notice the flat tyre). He insisted on locking the shop (much to the dismay of other customers) while he checked all the other lights and, still oblivious to the fact that it was 10.30pm at night and we had two crying children in the back, then insisted we buy a globe because he had them in the shop. Ben's terse response soon had him and his belt-load of keys jangling all the way back to the counter... "MATE! We just need to get to the f@#*ing motel alright!" and drove off as fast as a heavily laden car, with a flat tyre, towing a trailer, kayak and countless useless bits of camping paraphernalia can go.
We found our motel in the dark and trudged up the stairs with just the bare essentials. In the past, I probably would've been quite excited about the big plasma screen, modern decor, en suite and crisp white sheets, but after so many nights camping it all seemed a bit clinical and I found myself opening the balcony doors faster than the girls could find the TV remote.
We all appreciated a hot shower and just a bit of Friday night AFL before climbing into bed and falling asleep (some faster than others) to the sounds of the city below.
Ben changed the tyre in the morning and we did a bit of research on tyre prices before soaking up the sights, smells and fresh food at Rusty's markets. We settled on the Bob Jane price ($96 less than the first quote) but needed to wait a few days for the tyre to arrive.
In the afternoon, we drove to Kuranda (our base for the next two nights), set up camp surrounded by dense rainforest and booked our Skyrail and Tjapukai experience for the next day.
Possibly the most exciting thing we had done since setting off on our trip six weeks earlier, the Skyrail ride was well worth the expense and we all loved the time spent at the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural centre, learning about traditional foods, hunting techniques, language and dance in the Cairns area prior to European settlement. The girls were particularly inquisitive and Matilda relished the opportunity to get up on stage and join in the dance ceremony!
The next day we found a caravan park at Lake Placid and Ben took the girls to the Lagoon at Cairns, while I shopped around for prices on a Great Barrier Reef cruise and snorkel package (there can be quite significant differences on the same thing!).
Tuesday ended up being quite a momentous day, as we set off on a day trip to our most northerly destination of Cape Tribulation (a bit of a calculated risk, considering we had no spare tyre). While the Daintree rainforest walks were well worth the effort to get there, the Cape itself was far less isolated than we had imagined. As we pulled into the already busy carpark, so did several enormous tour buses, with their passengers of all ages and nationalities.
Tourism is clearly a huge industry in far north Queensland and it's easy to see why now that we've spent a bit of time here. Mountains, beaches, rainforest, coral reefs, trademark Australian wildlife, tablelands and savannah areas are all within a few hours drive and with a great climate at this time of year!
Wednesday was tyre changing day, so we spent the day in the city and at the Lagoon (again) while we waited and purchased some new thongs for everybody (they wear out when you wear them all the time).
The highlight of an already amazing week was definitely our trip to the Great Barrier Reef to do some snorkeling (which none of us had ever done before) and exploring the reef on a glass bottomed boat.
Elouise was first into the water and, with her goggles on, bobbed her head under the water to see hundreds of fish. Ben and I both commented on the marked change in her attitude to new experiences since the beginning of the trip and laughed with her as she giggled each time she surfaced.
We all would've like to spend many more hours in the water - there was something new to see everywhere you looked, but pruny fingers and shivering bodies told us it was time to get out.
The boat trip back was just as spectacular as the trip out, past Fitzroy Island (another on our list of must-do adults only holiday destinations), arriving at the marina to a beautiful sunset, balmy evening and hundreds of birdwing butterflies in the air.
Friday meant it was time to pack up again and begin the long trip south-westish. We had experienced a real affinity for the vibrant, multicultural city of Cairns and as we drove off in the car, Ben saidd he'd be very happy to live there. Elouise quickly responded with "Now, Dad! I want to live there now!".
As we drove south that day, for the first time we had to try hard to contain the feeling of urgency we had at getting back home, even though we still had just under half the trip to go.