New adventures

Farewell Moon River

We had last stayed in the Moon River, Cairns, in December 2015, leaving Manookatoo here when we went south for Christmas and our European holiday, intending to return in 2018 and continue north...now, nearly 1000 days later, we are ready to continue! We dropped into Yorkeys Knob Yacht Club for a night, enjoying a drink at the bar and a walk to the shops, reminiscing about our earlier visit and reflecting on “what happened next"...and how fortunate we are!

Says it all, really!

After a quiet night we were off again, cruising past Palm Cove and Ellis Beach, dodging around the coastal reefs and entering Dickson Inlet at Port Douglas, tying up at the Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina, amongst all the cruise boats and other fellow travellers. Port Douglas is one of our favourite destinations, not only because we had our honeymoon here, but because it offers so much to see and do! We enjoyed a week at the marina, doing all the iconic walks, visiting the Sunday markets, enjoying a meal at the “Tin Shed”, sundowners at the Surf Club and even going for a Wednesday afternoon sail with members of the Yacht Club. It was lovely to be on the sea hearing only the waves, bobbing up and down in the swell as we sailed along. 

We also hired a car for a day, driving to Cairns for a few supplies and then north to Daintree ferry crossing (where we’d cruised in 2017), then on to Daintree Village, returning to Mossman for lunch under the trees beside the Mossman river and visiting the lovely old stone church, St Mary's, begun in 1912 and finished in 1942. At the moment it is sugar cane cutting time and we encountered a couple of cane trains coming into the sugar mill, crossing the road with their carriages full of harvested cane. 

Enjoying the walks and views

Sunset, Port Douglas

On Tuesday morning we picked up some Mocka’s pies on our morning walk, then returned to Manookatoo for breakfast before fueling up and heading back down the inlet and into the Coral Sea. The destination was the Low Isles, just over 7 nautical miles off the coast. We picked up a mooring then lowered the dinghy into the water, keen to go ashore and check out the island again. With few tourist boats running this time there was only one small group returning to their boat when we arrived, so we had the beach to ourselves! After a walk along the shore we returned to Manookatoo for our delicious pies, then relaxed the afternoon away, enjoying sunset on the flybridge and dinner outside under the clear sky. There was a swell from the 20 knot winds and waves, but nothing that stops us from sleeping. We relaxed the Wednesday away, walking around the island but not swimming as the wind was a bit chilly! After another night on anchor, we headed back to Port Douglas on Thursday morning; wind conditions were strengthening for the next few days and we had no wish to get caught offshore! Yvonne and Andrew came to visit for the day and we enjoyed a long lunch at the Tin Shed. 

Approaching the Low Isles

Low Isles - empty!

With another windy week predicted, we decided to have a “holiday within a holiday”! We rented a small car on Saturday morning and headed northwest, enjoying breakfast at the Mossman markets on the way. We climbed up the Rex Range through rainforests and tight bends, and turned right just north of Mount Molloy, travelling along the Peninsula Development Road, passing through Mount Carbine, Palmer River and Lakeland before turning onto the Mulligan Highway and continuing on to Cooktown. The vegetation surprised us; once we left the Rex range we were in more scrubby countryside, and then suddenly, around Lakeland, there were hundreds of acres of banana trees and mahogany plantations. We didn’t linger along the way as we were keen to see the James Cook Museum, which is currently only open on Fridays and Saturdays. After a quick lunch we spent many hours in the museum, reading excerpts from Cook’s journal and admiring the cannon and anchor from the Endeavour,  studying historical facets of local life: from the aborigines who were displaced when settlers arrived, the chinese and other gold prospectors on their way to Palmer River and Maytown, to the two world wars and even the history of the building itself, a Catholic convent and girls school for almost 100 years. It was fascinating! Later, we checked into our “budget” accommodation, the Seaview Hotel, which is cheap and cheerful with the best views anywhere in town! We went for a walk to investigate dinner options, enjoying a drink while listening to the music at the Top Pub but making a reservation at the RSL club, where the menu appealed more. We were very happy with our choice and enjoyed a feast of locally caught seafood with a glass of wine or two.

Sunset from our room - beautiful!

   

Sunday was a day for local exploration. We walked to the top of Grassy Hill, where Captain Cook had climbed to try and find a passage through the reef. It was a steep climb but the views were spectacular! Later in the morning we drove out to the Lions Den, an iconic pub near the end of the Bloomfield track, the 4WD road from Cape Tribulation. The road is almost all sealed now and, according to a couple we met at the pub, very tame. The pub was very busy but the burgers were delicious! Returning to town we had a lazy afternoon before heading to the boat ramp at 5:00 for a sunset river cruise, where Nick the captain kept us informed and interested as we cruised along the Endeavour River and into the mangroves. We enjoyed cheese and nibbles with our own drinks, meeting fellow travellers and enjoying the ambience before returning to the boat ramp after dark, trying (but failing!) to spot crocodiles as we went. 

On Monday morning the history centre was open, so we spent another hour or two reading about the fascinating history of Cooktown, from busy northern port to sleepy fishing village, cut off from the world except by sea until the 1960s, the road finally sealed in 2006, now welcoming many tourists, especially during the winter. This year marked 250 years since the Endeavour was beached and repaired on the riverbank, and a huge celebration had been planned, unfortunately scuttled by Covid. There is a smaller celebration planned for 2021, but it won’t be the same. Afterwards we bought prawns from the local wholesaler, rolls from the baker and seafood sauce, avocado and leaves from the IGA and headed out on the Hope Vale road, stopping at Endeavour falls, beautiful but no swimming! We continued onto the Battle Camp road, stopping at Isabella Falls, where we enjoyed our prawn rolls beside the water. After here the road becomes a 4WD track so we returned to town. We had planned to have dinner at the local bowling club but were barred from entering because our licenses are from Victoria, so we bought take away fish and chips from the local cafe and enjoyed that, with our salad and some wine, looking out on the view from in front of our hotel room - it was all lovely!

    

On Tuesday it was time to return to Port Douglas and Manookatoo. We took our time, enjoying a drive up Grassy Hill to see the views, stopping at each of the lookouts on the journey home, plotting our cruising course north. The winds have finally eased and we are ready to continue! We stocked up with some last minute supplies, including some more Mockas pies, and enjoyed a reunion drink with our friends Donna and Mike, who just happen to have flown up for a holiday. We are in no hurry, so will make sure we are well prepared before we go, as we will need ample of everything in case we get stuck for a few days somewhere remote - north of Cooktown there is not much available! It’s time for brand new adventures for us.

Drinks with friends