CAIT AROUND THE WORLD

April 20, 2023 — We started the next morning even brighter and earlier than the day before, waking at 5:45am for breakfast at 6:00am, in order for us to be on the bus at 7:00am. We did quite a bit of driving the morning, but that didn’t mean that we didn’t make several awesome stops along the way.

Our first stop came after about an hour of driving. We stopped to feed rock wallabies! They are the cutest things. Now, normally feeding wild animals is a big no-no and this would be no exception except we were at a rock wallaby reserve area where they specifically control the number of times a day the rock wallabies can be fed and you are expressly allowed to do so. We had a great time and it was an amazing way to start the morning.

Our next stop along the way was for morning tea at an incredibly scenic lookout. Seriously, just check out this view.

The road up this way was also incredibly windy and while we sat, enjoying coffee and biscuits, I couldn’t help but think that this must be where they shoot those commercials that show a vehicle winding through roads sandwiched between forests. The road looked like it could have been manufactured for that exact purpose.

We continued on from this point toward Cape Tribulation, which meets the Great Barrier Reef off its coast. This is the only places in the world where two UNESCO-recognized Natural World Heritage sites meet and it is also one of the most biodiverse places in the world.

In order to cross into Cape Tribulation, you must take a ferry or, as we did, a alligator-spotting cruise up the river. We went with Bruce Belcher’s Daintree River Cruises, a company that is part of the honourably Uncle Brian’s family. They were fantastic, and we saw three gators even though it wasn’t the best conditions for spotting, nor were they particularly active. It was so surreal and so cool to see them in the wild, just hanging out, and although you can definitely mistake a stick for an alligator, it’s hard to mistake an alligator for a stick, especially when you’re really watching for them.

Once we got off the boat at the ferry dock, where the bus had crossed, we made our way into Cape Tribulation and the thick of the rainforest. We were on a close lookout for cassowaries, which have often been referred to as “the world’s most dangerous bird” because of the damage they can inflict if provoked. They are also one of the largest birds in the world by height and weight. Although we looked for a very long time, we didn’t actually get to see any until we were on our way back to cross the river on the ferry.

We had a scenic lookout stop and impromptu “family” picture on our way to lunch. Our lunch spot was at Mason’s Cafe, a little family-owned spot that works with Uncle Brian’s tours. We enjoyed various burgers (beef, chicken, or veggie options) and fries, then we made our way to a private swimming hole on the family’s property — there is a public swimming hole on the property as well, but this private one is for exclusive use of the Masons and of the Uncle Brian’s family. It was really nice — though very cold — and had a rope swing! (Which I didn’t try because I’m incapable of jumping in water without holding my nose.)

We got back on the bus after cooling off and took off to the beach. The sand and the sea and the sky…I have no words. It’s so beautiful. And I loved seeing all the palm trees lining the edge of the sand. It was really giving off Pirates of the Caribbean vibes. Which is actually really funny because even though the producers of POTC decided to film at Whitehaven Beach, they had to bring in palm trees to create the set, then dig them back up and remove them. If they’d been able to film at Cape Trib, they probably could have avoided a lot of the work!

While we were at the beach, we also got to try fresh coconut water (or is it called milk?) and the meat from the coconut. It’s really hard to get at but it’s quite delicious! Husking a coconut is such an interesting thing to watch as well — check out this video of Cousin Kurt doing the hard work for us!

Eventually, we had to leave the beach and start winding our way back to Cairns. However, because we were all quite low on energy at this point, Cousin Kurt pulled off and made one last, unscheduled stop: at the Daintree Ice Cream Company. (Fun fact: apparently he got into trouble with the shop’s management the first time he did this because he wasn’t supposed to pull in without having a permit/schedule or something like that since it was a tour group. But now it’s all okay.) This company manufactures its own ice cream, flavoured exclusively by the fruit it grows on the property and some of which can only be found here. The special (four flavours in a cup) changes every day and, on Cousin Kurt’s recommendation, it’s what I got! The flavours of the day were coconut, passion fruit, jackfruit, and wattleseed. I’m pretty sure that my favourite flavour was the passion fruit. But it was all delicious.

Ice cream is seriously incredible in its ability to revive a person: I felt like a new woman. After crossing the river on the ferry, we wound our way down to Port Douglas (which sits north of Cairns) and played Guess the Show/Movie by the theme song, which was really fun even if I didn’t know a lot of them (in my defence, it was mostly TV shows and I’m a movie girl).

At Port Douglas, we did a small tour of the town’s main street on the bus and then got off to climb to a scenic lookout, have one more bathroom break, and stretch our legs. Then we got back on the road and enjoyed Australia’s second most beautiful drive (behind the Great Ocean Road) along Captain Cook Highway. Miles of coast flew by us as we had an awesome, epic singalong, and then finally hit Cairns. We drove through the city and made about three stops before getting back to Gilligan’s. I got checked in before some of my roommates — who also happened to be girls from the tour!

It was a Thursday the night we got back which meant it was Ladies’ Night at Gilligan’s. So many of the people on the tour had been planning to head out for Ladies’ Night the day we got back and I actually joined in on it! My seat mate throughout the tour was one of my roommates and two more of the girls we met on the tour joined in on the whole deal. We pregamed in the room that one of the guys on the tour was staying in and we went through a couple games — Paranoia and Medusa. Medusa was definitely my favourite. How to play: You close your eyes (or look down) and someone counts down. When they hit the end, you look up at a person and if you’re looking at each other then you have to drink, but if you’re looking at someone who is not looking at you then you’re safe. It’s a good one to play when you don’t know anyone.

Around ten, we went downstairs to get into the club area and get our free drink passes for that night, but the line is so long and free drinks only lasts for an hour, so I didn’t make it through the line before they stopped serving. It was really sad, but then we went and talked to Cousin Kurt who’d turned up to hang out and some other people. I was buzzing off the wine from pregaming anyway (it’s amazing how little it takes when it’s been a while since it’s so freaking expensive over here) and then we went and danced for quite a while. Which was so fun!

Around one thirty in the morning, one of the girls I was hanging out with decided to leave and I decided to head out with her. We went to McDonalds and even though I’d gone there for dinner, I still got an extra four McNuggets and we had a really nice talk and exchanged Instagrams and when we made it back to the hostel we parted ways as she was staying on the first floor and I was on the second.

I was so tired but had had such a good night. I wasn’t going to but I wound up rinsing off again in the shower really quickly (I’d had a shower earlier) and dropped straight into bed, thankful that I didn’t have to get up in the morning. (Ha. Ha. You’ll have to read the next post to find out why this is so funny.)

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to leave a like, comment, and share with your friends and family. Enjoy following along? Hit subscribe and receive updates when I post! If you’re looking for more frequent updates, follow me on Instagram @cait_around_the_world.