Cape Tribulation & Far North Queensland

Cape Tribulation is as far north as we go in Queensland. This is one of the very few places on the planet where tropical rainforest and ocean collide. Lush, dense and verdant vegetation meets the Great Barrier Reef, with just a tiny strand of sand and a few metres of turquoise sea separating them.
It is quite simply a magical place. To get there we must cross the forbidding crocodile-infested muddy brown waters of the Daintree River by a cable-winched car ferry which runs every 15 minutes. It takes just a couple of minutes to cross the river (no croc sightings today), but when you land on the other side you enter another world - an almost primitive, jungle-like one.
It is 34km to the Cape and we continue on our way on a narrow twisty road snaking north, with deep and dark forest either side of us. We cross numerous rickety wooden bridges over rivers, creeks and swamps - the haunt of our croc friends.
The foliage is thick, the heat and humidity intense. The sky feels heavy too and, although we know the sea is close, there are few sightings of it along the way. We feel a little claustrophobic - a sense of being hemmed in by nature at its most powerful.
This is 'I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here' country, but we don't intend to eat any tiny creatures of the forest just yet - and nor do we intend getting eaten by the bigger ones out there either.
We start to climb upwards and pull over at the Cape Kimberley Beach lookout - one of the few spots affording a view of the ocean. It looks out towards the mouth of the Daintree River, with the ominously-named Snapper Island offshore and views back out across the Coral Sea south towards Port Douglas and, further south again in the far distance, the Northern Beaches beyond Cairns.
For the first time on our travels we feel a little uneasy and a long way from civilisation. The beauty of this remote, sparsley-populated region is undeniably breath-taking, but its very isolation gives it a palpable edge too.
The nearest town north is Cooktown - 104km away on a coastal dirt-track road known as the Bloomfield Track which only 4WDs can traverse and which often becomes totally impassable even to them after heavy rain. Torrential rain can cut off some sections at a drop of a hat, so our little rental car would not stand the ghost of a chance.
We decide to treat ourselves and book into the Ferntree Rainforest Lodge deep in the heart of the forest - there is little accommodation along the shore - and make our base there for the next couple of nights. We have a nice room and there's a lovely swimming pool and an attractive Balinese-style restaurant alongside.
The next morning we head out to The Cape itself - one of the most gorgeous spots either of us has ever clapped eyes on. Named by Captain James Cook after his ship the Endeavour ran aground on the reef here back in 1770, Cape Tribulation (the great man obviously saw it as a place of trouble and despair, rather than of beauty - well his ship did get holed here) is a lovely yet lonely arc of white-sand, palm-fringed beach backed by mangrove swamps, ferns and eucalyptus trees.
It is a World Heritage listed area - and no wonder. It scores 10 out of 10 on the wow factor scale. We are so lucky. Normally The Wet (tropical and torrential rain) has arrived by now, but we view it on a perfect day.
Spend the evening at the restaurant at Ferntree and meet up with mother and daughter Tracey and Charlotte, who hail from the Swindon area. They ask us if we have spotted the Golden Orb spider nestled in its web near an outdoor table at which we had sat earlier. No, we say, but when they show it to us we feel an overwhelming sense of relief that we decided to opt for a table inside instead. Venomous it may not be, but its size and appearance gives it a menacing aura. Back in our room that night we check bed (pillows, sheets and underneath it), bath, toilet and shower for any creepy-crawlies that may be lurking in or around. What lies beneath? Has paranoia set in? Probably. But we aren't taking any chances. This is a world away to what we are used to, and we are playing it safe. Coast appears clear. Time then for a decent night's sleep - Golden Orbs and pals permitting.

Crocodile spotting on the Daintree
Decide to take boat ride on the Daintree River in the hope of spotting a 'saltie' (a saltwater crocodile which can live in both fresh and salt water, and the world's largest living reptile). Our 'Crocodile Dundee' on the Bruce Belcher Daintree River cruise is boatman Freddie.
With just one other couple from Holland on board our motor boat off we go and it's not long before Freddie spots a female croc on the riverbank. She's around two metres long - males can grow up to an astonishing six metres - and is happily sunning herself among the mangrove trees, quite oblivious to our camera clicking from the safety of our vessel. That's quite close enough, Freddie. We can see fine from here.
We head out into deeper water and a little later catch sight of her again. She has stirred from her slumbers and is snaking gracefully along one of the waterway's many channels. We get right up close now. There's a good view of her head and torso as she drifts along the swollen brown river.
Mission accomplished. We have spotted a croc. We feel as pleased as punch, and also like adventurers on The African Queen.

Port Douglas
Known as Port Dougie this is the smaller equivalent of Cairns. Low-rise development sits on a four-mile golden beach. It's a lively, cosmopolitan seaside town as far removed from Cape Tribulation as it is possible to be. It's all very safe and genteel here, with palm trees fringing the shore and waves lapping the shore.
Cafes, bars and upmarket restaurants make up the main street. Prices pretty steep here too - this is a glam, glitzy kind of place after our 'hideaway' Cape Trib experience, but we manage to slake our thirst and not dig too deep into our pockets at Port Douglas Yacht Club, which also offers great marina views from its large decking area.

Mossman Gorge
A day trip from Port Douglas or Cairns takes you to this jewel of a gorge where the towering Mount Demi lords it over all. It's a tranquil get-away-from-it-all kind of a place, with a fabulous walking trail taking you deep into the heart of the forest. At the foot of the gorge lie some swimming holes, which can be treacherous after heavy rain.
It had rained hard and heavy the night before our visit and the normally crystal-clear pools were a torrent of muddy brown swirling water. Swimming the holes was a definite no no.
However the deeper you went into the forest there were some shallow little creeks and inviting rock pools in which to dip our toes and cool off. That would do us nicely, thank you.

Atherton Tablelands
At the heart of the Tablelands, which lie inland from the coast between Cairns in the north and Innisfall in the south, are the Millaa Millaa Falls, which must rate as among the most scenic in the world (if you saw our Christmas greetings. we are the ugly mugs spoiling the view of it).
It is part of a 16km circuit of waterfalls in the Tableands, a silver sheet of water dropping dramtically into a fern-fringed pool. You can walk behind it or swim in the natural pool at its bottom.
We did neither (hadn't packed our swimmers), so just enjoyed its splendour, as we did that of the nearby Zillie and Ellinjaa Falls, both very different but equally beautiful in their own way.
From there we head over the Tablelands, taking in two volcanic crater lakes Barrine and Eacham. At Barrine we stop at a lakeside cafe/restaurant specialising in Devonshire teas. How very British. Naturally we must try it (sadly no Welsh cakes to be seen) - and delicious too were the scones, clotted cream and jam - very much a case of naughty but nice.
Fortified (well a bit stuffed actually), we carry on to the pretty little village of Yungaburra where Chris, with The Far East in mind, treats herself to some new summer dresses at a quaint little boutique (and lovely you looked in them too, Mrs W).
Shopping done and dusted, we take in a beguiling and bewitching sight - a giant 500-year-old Curtain Fig Tree. It has aerial roots that hang down over it creating a curtain-like effect, akin to a waterfall. It's like something out of a sci-fi, or fantasy movie - weird, but very wonderful and totally majestic.

Trinity Beach and return to Cairns
Our stay in Queensland is coming to an end - next stop Ayers Rock - but we have a few days left. Decide to chill out at Trinity Beach, one of the Northern Beaches - and one of the prettiest in our book.
Manage to find a nice suite at low cost (this Wet season is working well for us). Lovely beach to laze around on with plenty of shade from trees fringing it.
Spend the last two days back where we started in Cairns - at the Floriana guesthouse and the same self-contained flat where we stayed a week earlier. It is like 'going home.' Tomorrow, though, it will be goodbye to the Floriana, Cairns and Queensland and hello to The Rock.