Green Island. (Where we got married in 2000).

Green Island is located 15 nautical miles of the coast of Cairns and is on the Great Barrier Reef.  This Island is made of lush tropical rain forest surrounded by sandy white beaches and is an ideal place to snorkel the day away.  Since we were last here (10 years ago) it has changed a lot,  two boats came into this Island, now they come and go all day, the corals (GBR) are getting spoiled, there are more buildings & a swimming pool now as well.  Still it's called progress and gets the mass markets in.  We had a fantastic day, relaxing not really, we spend all morning snorkelling, lunch, a glass bottom boat trip, swimming and checking out the log where we got married 13 years ago.  More snorkelling and an afternoon beer on the Big Cat!!  The snorkelling was extremely good particularly under the jetty and around the boats.  On our return journey we had the same skipper "Neil" we had 13 &10 years ago, we spend the entire return journey on the bridge, chatting away to the skipper, a truly lovely way to finish off the day, before heading to the night markets for dinner!!!

The Big Cat.

 

We leave Cairns behind us for the day.

 

Steve on the beach, where we got married.

 

Us on Green Island & a very special beach.

 

Green Island.

 

Us where we got married!!

 

A large shoal of Fish.

 

A Great-Billed Heron.  

 

Fish through the glass bottom boat.

 

A Turtle came for a look.

 

A Shark came for a visit. (Black tip Reef).

 

A couple of Rays.

 

A parrot fish, near the jetty.

 

Lots of fish.

 

Us have a quick cuddle, whilst we are snorkelling.

 

The Big Cat from the water.

 

Fish every where.

 

Soooooo Cute!!

  

Pretty.

 

The Jetty.

 

Steve found another Turtle.

 

Turtle.

 

Steve on the bridge of the Big Cat.

 

Notice the helicopter on the top deck!!

 

 

Who owns a boat like this??

 

 

Vava II

 

Well, I will tell you, thanks to our good friend Andy for finding out.

This was a present form Husband to wife (I must have got the wrong Husband. lol).

The husband is a pharmaceutical Tycoon from Switzerland and he brought this for a surprise gift for his wife, who was formally Miss Uk (Kirsty Bertarelli) and now is the richest woman in the Uk.  It cost 100 million pounds, is 314 foot long, it has a fold down beach club at the rear of the vessel, a helicopter, 6 decks, an adjustable depth swimming pool.  It cost's 250,000 pound to fill the fuel tanks!!! 

 

Steve by the lagoon in Cairns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kuranda Scenic Railway.

We did this trip 13 years ago, however we felt it was certainly worth a second go!!
1886- Construction started on the Railway.  1891- Taking 5 years to complete, the first work train steamed into Kuranda on the 12th April.  The railway had 1500 men working on it with picks, shovels & dynamite!!! Almost three million cubic metres of earth were removed from the landscape to build 37 klm of track. Officially opened in 1891 to serve the gold fields.  The railway includes 15 hand made tunnels, 55 bridges & 98 curves.  An engineering feat for its day!!
We had a great trip up & down, went to the butterfly park and had a fantastic day!!

Steve thinks he can drive the train!!

 

Our locomotive coming into Freshwater station.

 

Our first tunnel approaching.

 

Stony Creek Falls.

 

Us on our trip up the track.

 

Amazing landscape.

 

The Barron River.

 

Stunning.

 

Barron Falls.

 

Barron Falls.

 

Steve re-boarding the train.

 

Next the Butterfly park.......

 

Orange Lacewing.

 

 

These two are having coitus, which will be a minimum of 14 hours!!!

 

The Cruiser.

 

 

Ulysses.

 

See Below.

 

Now you can see how big it is.

 

Here's our ride home.

 

Me.

 

Stony Creek Falls.

 

Stony Creek Falls & Bridge.

 

Stony Creek Bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Port Douglas to Cairns.

On we go towards Cairns and it's ten years since we were last here!!! It is still full of back packers!! It is soooo pretty a round here!!! We have actually got the trailer brakes fixed, so after not having any on the most difficult tracks (OTT & Bloomfield), Steve can now relax.  Our GPS (Gob in the Passenger Seat) also packed up when we were returning from the Tip, so now I can relax, as we have a new Garmin.(although Steve now has 2 women telling him which way to go!).  We took the Cook Highway from Port Douglas to Cairns.  We are staying in the Cascades Caravan Park (9klm form Cairns) it is the most fantastic Caravan Park we have ever stayed in and well worth a mention, surrounded by stunning hills.

A stunning Beach.

 

Steve taking a break from the road.

 

Cairns city Centre, not sure which I dislike the most these or the back packers!!

 

Flying Fox Bat

 

Part of the Cascade falls.

 

Another part of the Cascades.

 

Cascades & Falls.

 

Cascade & Falls.

 

Steve at the Cannon Ball tree. Now there are only two Cannon Ball trees in Australia (Planted by the Chinese settlers) and we have seen them both!!

 

Another walk looking for Duck billed Platypuses.

 

Look at this little Birdie!!

 

On this last walk we also startle a Lizard about 3ft long, unfortunately I couldn't get the camera on quick enough. I sent Steve in the Rain Forest to look for it....we think it was hiding in his hole.