Day 3 at Daintree Rainforest

After a good lunch we continued north to a ferry river crossing and the start of the UNESCO world heritage listed Daintree Rainforest. It's the oldest rainforest in the world and is unique in that it reaches all the way down to the sea. We took a few short walks there and visited a great lookout. We also made a quick trip to Cow Bay beach which was absolutely pristine. On the way back we stopped in for some fresh locally made ice cream where SV made an appearance as a cassowary. It was a pretty busy day and on the way back everyone in the back seat was out for the count.

Day 3 at Mossman Gorge

We decided to give ourselves a break from the water and head into the jungle. We stopped in at Mossman Gorge for a short hike and to see what there is to see. Turned out that there were a number of things to do including swimming in a swim hole on the river, good views of the jungle and the river, and a fun suspension bridge. We enjoyed the walk , although we didn't go swimming. It was surprisingly cool in the shade of the jungle which made it that much more pleasant.

Then while we waited for the bus MV surprised us again. She first went into a crouch with intent. Then all of a sudden she popped up into an unassisted standing position. Luckily KT had her camera right there and captured the moment. Not bad for 9.5 months, not long before her first steps.

Day 2 at Port Douglas

In the morning we headed out to the beach before the sun got too strong and it got too hot. The water was really warm, 30 C, which was great for splashing around in. MV and SV both learned to like the little waves and had fun playing in them. Of course the sand was a popular thing as well, leading to all sorts of construction projects.

In the afternoon a short story led to all three ladies having a nap in the big bed. On waking up, MV and SV rolled around and played on top of KT like a pair of kittens. Although after dinner all the activity caught up to us, as demonstrated by SV in 'stare-bear mode'.

First day in Port Douglas

When we checked into our hotel room we couldn't help but get drawn to the fantastic pool.This time the pool was actually quite warm and inviting. All four of us really enjoyed the relief it offered from the heat. Both the girls really got into being in the water and floating about. Afterwards they played very nicely before we all sat down to dinner in our room. It was a great way to start the holiday.

Heading to Port Douglas

We took advantage of a free flight we had which included access to the Virgin Lounge at Sydney. We really enjoyed the experience before flying up to Cairns. We stopped for lunch and had a bit of fun with a ninja turtles toy that SV got. We then headed up to Port Douglas enjoying the sights and great weather along the way.

Picking up some travellers

SV and TV found a great spot to watch the planes land. They made sure to be there to see MV and KT's Qantas 747 come in for a landing. It was pretty exciting as the planes were within a couple of hundred metres and very loud.

After getting home some of us had a hard time staying awake. It ended up being ok as it really got MV on to a good sleeping pattern.

Going visiting

MV and KT went to visit Grandpa Eric and Grandma Cheryl again. This time Grandma Cheryl decided to give MV drum lessons to our chagrin. Now MV wants to play drums on pretty much everything. MV and KT also got to see Auntie Mara when she stopped by for a cuddle. MV gave her a reluctant cuddle as she was being kept away from drumming.