Cairns, Queensland - September 2026

We got to our Cairns hotel, Crystalbrook Flynn about 1030 and left our bags. We went for a walk along the esplanade... 

There's no beach in Cairns but they have this large man-made beach/pool next to the sea...

We came back and couldn't get into our room, so we sat by the pool. There are two at this hotel and they have glass sides...

This is the view from the pool deck...

We got into our room about 1pm and went and found lunch. In the afternoon, I found this bar near the marina...

The next morning we had an early start for our flight back to Sydney.

Palm Cove, Queensland - September 2026

Decided to go somewhere warm for a week and chose Palm Cove. I have never been here before.

Got a points flight on Qantas and flew at 0925 on a Sunday morning. Booked an Uber for 8am and were in the terminal by 8:30. Breakfast in the Business Lounge then boarded for our 0925 flight. We were in the first row of economy and had a spare seat between us. It's a three hour flight.

Got another Uber from Cairns Airport to Palm Cove, which is about a 30 minute drive.

We are staying at Drift Apartments which is on the main street, although our apartment looks over the pool...

We went for a walk and had a late pub-style lunch at Rattle & Hum on the beachfront. It is very windy.

After lunch we walked to the jetty at the end of the beach, and then back to the apartment for a nap.

It's very lush and green and the beach looks nice. It would be nicer if the wind wasn't so strong.

After my nap, I found a nice wine bar. Then we tried to have dinner at about 8:15 but all the restaurants were closing so we got Thai takeaway and had it on our balcony.

The next day I walked to about 2km to Coles for some groceries. Halfway there it rained so I got wet. I waited for it to stop raining and headed back. And it rained again!

This is the path along the main street...

This was the best meal I had while I was here. At a beachfront restaurant called Vivo. We went back the next day for lunch...

This is the resort pool. It's big and shaded. The water is pretty cold...

One night I tried caramel and gingerbread ice cream. Not bad...

On the last day, the weather was much better so I went for a walk along the beach...

On the last day I got up and went for a walk, before getting an Uber to our hotel in Cairns. 

Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation, Queensland - September 2026

One day we hired a car and headed to Daintree. It's a couple of hours drive and we were slowed by a lot of roadwork. 

There's only one road in and you have to cross the river by car ferry. We waited about an hour in the queue.

First stop was the Daintree Discovery Centre. It has a range of elevated boardwalks and costs about $40. I probably wouldn't do that again as there are other boardwalks that are free.

We then drove on to Madja Boardwalk which I enjoyed more and it was free...

 

Then we drove a bit further to Cape Tribulation...

It's a lovely beach...

We walked along it...

Looking back...

This place is famous as it's the only place in the world where two UNESCO World Heritage sites meet.

We walked up the short walk to a viewing area...

After that we drove a short distance to Mason's Waterhole. It is croc proof but we didn't swim, We did have a crocodile burger though...

We then headed back. I was a bit worried about the queue for the ferry but we were lucky and drove straight on. We stopped at Port Douglas on the way home as I wanted to have a look at the town. It's a lot bigger than Palm Cove.

I went for a walk around the clifftop to the beach.

Then we drove back to Palm Cove and refilled the car on the way.

Bouddi Coastal Walk - September 2026

One day Alex and I went for a bushwalk through Bouddi National Park. We started at Putty Beach which is one end of Killcare Beach.

There's a nice walkway overlooking the ocean...

We got to a point and then turned and came back the same way. We could have gone further and taken a circular route.