15 days in Paradise

We stayed at the Ramada in Port Douglas. The Ramada has the most gorgeous pool adjacent to its restaurant and bar that made you feel like you were sitting right in the middle of the Daintree.

Mossman Gorge

Mossman Gorge was only a short drive away. About 15-20 minutes from Port Douglas. Mossman Gorge is found in the Daintree Forest and is home to the Eastern Kuku Yalanji, the Traditional Owners of Daintree National Park. The river bank is lined with granite boulders that the kids loved climbing over. The water is crystal clear and very inviting however the current of the water can be very strong for littles.

Wildlife Habitat

We spent a day in the town of Port Douglas and had a visit of their little local zoo. It was a great day. Not overly crowded and the kangaroo's were very friendly.

Lady Douglas River Cruise

We jumped aboard the historic Lady Douglas and cruised the river to spot wild crocodiles and bird life. we didnt see any that afternoon but it was still a beautiful cruise as we enjoyed the sunset.

QuickSilver - Ribbon Reef

Its not as simple as 1 2 3 go jump in the water here in the North. There are things that can kill you. Quite literally. The beaches are crocodile zones and if they are around, there are deadly jelly fish int the water waiting. Out on the reef you dont have to worry about crocs however you have to wear lycra suits. My 8 year old enjoys snorkelling but never went out in the deep sea before. So with the idea that there are crocodiles, sharks and jellyfish in the water kind of amplified her anxiety. She clung to me like velcro haha. So we wore life jackets and just bobbed around. We had giant Travelly fish swimming around us, saw reef sharks and sea turtles. It was kind of amazing.

Fitzroy Island - Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre

I organised a trip for Abby to visit some local sea turtles who are currently in rehabilitation due to plastic waste entering our Great Barrier Reef. Barb was so kind to show us around and explain to Abby how the sea turtles became ill. Abby was so excited and had her list of questions to interview Barb with. Sea turtles consume plastics in the ocean and have air bubbles trapped in their digestive system. This prevents them from diving and being able to source food for themselves. eventually they get weak and starve to death. We scratched and brushed the turtle's shells. Which we discovered they loved! To Abby's delight she was allowed to feed them some prawns.

It was a fantastic day.

Quicksilver Cruise - Lowe Isles

what a little island paradise! Spent the day on our own little piece of paradise. What a dream. We were surrounded by baby black tip reef sharks. Watching them dart and swirl for bait fish. We saw sea turtles cruising around. Be prepared for a bit of wind though! it gets quite windy for 6 - 8 months of the year.

Hartley's Crocodile Adventure

This was an awesome day and a little adventure the kids will surely love. I have never seen so many crocodiles! The croc feeding show was amazing. and we enjoyed cruising up the lagoon to see all of the crocs sun baking. These creatures are so magnificent and really are living dinosaurs.

Tjapukai

A fun fact about our family heritage. My mums side involves Welsh and Irish blood. My dad, has German, Maltese and Aboriginal decent. My husband is Spanish. Our kids have a wonderful mix of ancestry and I have been striving to culturally enrich my children childhood as much as possible.

While we were in Tropical North Queensland I saw that there was an Indigenous cultural centre call Tjapukai, after the local mob that traditionally owned the land. My daughter has shown key interest in Indiginous culture and art so I thought it was a good time to explore it. She is very proud to know that a piece of her come from this culture and makes me so proud.

We had an AMAZING time at Tjapukai. We painted boomerangs and weaved beads. We explored our strength and skill at spear and boomerang throwing. Johl caught his boomerang! We discovered some local native food, the restaurant meals were also delicious and we enjoyed the traditional dances and fire starting.