Cairns

Once we were checked into our hotel we had a quick look round the shops and stopped for a beer at the Rattle & Hum on the Esplanade.

Cairns felt like a holiday resort: on the Esplanade was a huge, free, public swimming pool. There were also several public barbecues along the seafront.

Later on we did some shopping in the night market and then went for a meal at the Raw Prawn restaurant on the Esplanade.

Thur 10 May

As soon as we reached the floating platform stationed near the ribbon-type reef we went snorkelling for an hour with a marine biologist. The sea was a bit rough, but as soon as you put your head down, it was quiet and peaceful.

The shapes and colours of the coral were striking.

As were the colours of the many fish.

Before entering the beach we were then told that if we see a crocodile then we must stare it in the eye, and whatever happens, we must not run away as this will trigger its attack instinct.

We then moved into the mangrove swamp to gather periwinkles from the mangrove roots and mussels from the mud. The swamp was full of mosquitoes, so we covered our legs in mud to prevent being bitten. Turned out later Karin should have put mud on her back. She was bitten over 20 times.

Walking through the swamp was akin to an obstacle course and, on occasion, we sank knee-deep into the mud. After emerging from the swamp, with a bucket now full of crabs, periwinkles and mussels, we were shown some of the vegetation along the edge of the beach and told about their medicinal uses.

We returned to camp and cooked all the food we had caught on an open fire. This was consumed along with freshly baked bread, recently fallen almond-like nuts, and coconut flesh.

We were shown the so-called 'Burnie Bean', a type of tough nut that becomes very hot when rubbed rapidly but briefly on stone or concrete. They are used by these people to cauterise wounds; or in the case of children, to burn each other as a prank.

We left the Kubirri Warra family and drove to the Janbal Gallery to meet Binna an Aboriginal artist. He explained a little about Aboriginal art and how each work tells a story. Then, using a stick and three paint colours (white, yellow and red), we set about creating our own work of art, painted onto a burnie bean.

Next we drove to Silky Oaks Lodge, a 5 star resort in the Daintree National Park, where we had lunch.

After lunch we walked through Mossman Gorge in the Daintree National Park. The Daintree rainforest is a World Heritage site and contains species of trees that date back over 100 million years.

Finally we went swimming in the Mossman river. The water was cool and refreshing, and with a bit of effort you could catch the current and move downstream at relatively high speed. This was a great way to end an amazing day.