05/05/2013
Hi everyone,
FNQ is definitely growing on us. Although Cyclone Kane visited us earlier this week, the weather has been great - sunny throughout the day with occasional drizzle. Our beach is sheltered from extreme winds so it is possible to walk down the beach all day to do my favourite thing – picking up sea glass which I turn into jewellery.
Now that Ducket is well and fitter than he’s ever been. We are making long drives to view the FNQ countryside again. If you get the opportunity this part of Oz is definitely a must for a holiday. We’ll throw an extra prawn on the barbie for you!!!
THE TRADITIONAL SUNDAY DRIVE
As Sunday outings go, Port Douglas is always a good bet. For one thing it hosts a Sunday market, which for our money is probably one of the best we have seen, running first equal with Kota Kinabalu's Gaya Street Sunday market. So with this in mind we set off for our third market visit last Sunday.
For this trip we had decided to go a bit further north and visit Daintree Village as well, as this is the centre for the famous Daintree Rainforest, one of the many attractions of Far North Queensland.
Firstly we browsed the very upmarket Sunday Market. Molly spending most of her time in the many bead shops while I scouted the local coffee suppliers, art vendors and pineapple sellers. The local Mareeba pineapples must be the sweetest and juiciest in the world! Of course there is more to see in Port Douglas than just the market. The town boasts the most attractive main shopping street with shady trees keeping the hot sun off the walkways which are lined with an amazing choice of eateries and pubs, offering local and international cuisine at quite reasonable prices for a tourist town. And then there is the famous four mile beach. During the first few days after our arrival we had looked unsuccessfully for accommodation in Port Douglas and at that time had driven past the beach. However, for a four mile long beach there is a very limited esplanade and long term accommodation is not allowed at all in this short street. We had, as a result, never actually seen the beach. This time we stopped for a look. It certainly is a lovely long beach and would provide an excellent exercise opportunity for those wanting to do the full 'there and back'. But biased I may be but I do prefer my local Trinity Beach!
On to the Daintree! Driving in this part of the country is a sheer delight. The road from Cairns to Port Douglas is particularly beautiful. As they say in the brochures - 'where the rainforest meets the sea' and that it does. One minute you are driving through a green canopied heaven with sunbeams slipping through the trees to dapple the road with gold, next you are stunned by a vista of pristine palm lined beach lapping the blue Coral Sea. One can't help but be grateful to be spending some time in this lovely part of Australia. The road to the Daintree heads slightly inland but the views are still spectacular. To the West the rainforest clad hills form a perfect backdrop to the lush green farmland and the waving fields of sugarcane.
After about an hour’s drive you arrive in Daintree village itself, only to be surprised that such a small place can be the centre of such a famous World Heritage District. There is a pub, a couple of restaurants, a shop, a wood museum and several accommodation options hidden away in the trees. The exception is the Daintree Riverview which is in the centre of the village perfectly perched overlooking the river, as of course the name suggests. This is the only accommodation we checked out and I must say we were tempted to stay the night. The rooms are very pleasant and open onto a communal open sitting area overlooking the wide expanse of the Daintree River. This area has cooking facilities should you wish to be self catering and the reception can arrange a selection of tours through the forest as well as croc spotting eco tours of the river. They also have a camping ground/caravan park with access to showers and toilets.
We hadn't planned to stay long enough to enjoy one of the tours on offer but decided instead to try out one of the restaurants. We had beer battered wild barramundi and to follow, lemon scones with jam and cream. The barra was out of this world and for me, by far the best fish I have ever tasted. Just another advantage of living in this part of the world, locally caught fresh wild barramundi is on most good menus. The scones were also wonderful.
We will definitely return to Daintree but next time we will stay the night, enjoy a couple of the tours, more barramundi and a good night in the pub which I suspect will be a fun time to remember!
love,
Molly & Ducket
