TRIP TO CAIRNS AND PORT DOUGLAS
THE DECISION
Covid literally changed the world in so many unexpected ways. Lives lost, freedom to meet and travel anywhere got restricted. Most of the times people literally got stuck within their own homes and communication to the external world became a virtual reality. With Christmas, fast approaching we thought of different and possible ways to break the shackles. We were so desperate to get out of our homes and enjoy some freedom. Having said that Covid risks were always in our minds. Though the state borders re-opened during December we decided to limit the travel within Queensland (safety first). The decision to embark on a road trip from Brisbane to Cairns was unanimous.
Once the destination was finalised, we started working backwards to confirm the stop over points, accommodation, transport mode etc. Brisbane, Bowen, Cairns, Port Douglas, Mackay & Bundaberg….. that’s our route.
Once the destination was finalised, we started working backwards to confirm the stop over points, accommodation, transport mode etc. Brisbane, Bowen, Cairns, Port Douglas, Mackay & Bundaberg….. that’s our route.
THE CREW
There were 17 folks in total (4 families). We had 2 SUV’s and 2 Sedan’s. The only thing that was common among all of us was the deep passion to experience the journey and create memories that can be cherished for the rest of our lives.
THE PLANNING PHASE
The critical factor to make the road trip memorable was to make sure everyone enjoys the journey to the core. I think the full credit for the entire planning should go to my buddy Vasanth. There was enormous effort to make sure everything was detailed out in the best possible way. Following were the key planning factors.
- Focus on the journey and not simply on the destination
- Build more rapport among the 4 families
- Understand and appreciate the cross culture
- Fun for Kids
THE JOURNEY
Logistics
We carried almost all the essentials for the trip. This includes food for the first leg to Bowen. Red meat marinated in hot spice were stored in Eskies with Ice. All spices for cooking were bought from Indian grocery shops. Costco was the one stop shop for getting all the non-food related items. Dan Murphy was our go to place for alcohol and spirits.
As we were travelling to the tropical fruit bowl area of Australia, we ordered 6 metres tree pole pruner to get coconuts and jack fruits along the way.
We carried almost all the essentials for the trip. This includes food for the first leg to Bowen. Red meat marinated in hot spice were stored in Eskies with Ice. All spices for cooking were bought from Indian grocery shops. Costco was the one stop shop for getting all the non-food related items. Dan Murphy was our go to place for alcohol and spirits.
As we were travelling to the tropical fruit bowl area of Australia, we ordered 6 metres tree pole pruner to get coconuts and jack fruits along the way.
Starting Point
We kickstarted our journey from Brisbane, Queensland’s capital known for its youthful zeal, charming vibe, and 280 days of sun a year. All 17 folks spread across 2 SUV’s and 2 Sedan’s. We started around midnight on 24th December 2021.
We kickstarted our journey from Brisbane, Queensland’s capital known for its youthful zeal, charming vibe, and 280 days of sun a year. All 17 folks spread across 2 SUV’s and 2 Sedan’s. We started around midnight on 24th December 2021.
BOWEN- THE LAND OF MANGOES
The first leg of the journey was the longest. We covered nearly 1200 kms and reached Bowen around 8:20 PM on 25th December and stayed at the Bowen Arrow Motel. We took coffee breaks every 3-4 hours to manage the travel fatigue. Driving at night was challenging and exciting. There was less traffic however we had to be conscious of kangaroos and wallabies. Common hazard of hitting a kangaroo that jumped its way into your car is both terrifying and potentially fatal. Fortunately, there were no incidents to report during the first leg. We stopped at Gin Gin nicknamed Wild Scotsman Country due to the capture of one of Queensland’s few bushrangers for a break. As we crossed Rockhampton, we saw heaps of coconut trees and mango farms.
The long tree pruner was handy, and we managed to get heaps of tender coconuts along the way. Having fresh tender coconut water and coconut meat (packed with electrolytes and micronutrients) was an absolute delight.
There were plenty of Jack fruit trees and we couldn’t stop ourselves from trying a few. Fresh ripe Jack Fruits tasted a lot better and nicer compared to the ones from the Supermarket. The trees were quite tall, and it was quite challenging the get the fruits down. It was worth the effort, and everyone enjoyed fresh fruits. The thought that I am eating fresh jack fruits after migrating to Australia in 2010 for the first time made the fruit taste a lot more sweeter.
It was time for showcasing our cooking skills. Marinated goat meat combined with few veggies was the menu for dinner. We spent 2 days at Bowen.
HORSESHOE BAY
Trip to Bowen would have been incomplete without visiting the most iconic Bowen Beach. We spent evening at the Horseshoe Bay, and it was lovely to see the sunset. The beach is framed by two granite outcrops which provide a haven for a wonderful range of fish and coral. We tried fishing but unfortunately no luck at the bay.
CAIRNS- GATEWAY TO THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
Trip from Bowen to Cairns was around 600 kms. We left Bowen on 27th morning and reached Cairns around 7 PM. We stayed at an Airbnb at Tropical Oasis. It’s a 4 BHK apartment with a lovely, heated pool. Kids spent a lot of time on the pool during our stay at Cairns. We celebrated our friend’s birthday as well as New Year. We tried different kinds of spirits and it was exciting to make our own cocktails and mocktails. One of our friends baked a Christmas cake. We organised games to keep our kids entertained and distributed Christmas gifts. Few challenges happened during this leg of the trip. One of our buddies got sick and wasn’t fit for driving. We switched the drivers and made sure the trip continues as per the plan. There was always a Plan B. One of the vehicles infront of us hit a kangaroo. Luckily, we missed hitting couple of rabbits along the way.
It was exciting to visit the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary at Kuranda. It’s the largest butterfly aviary and exhibit in the Southern Hemisphere and home to over 1500 butterflies from a variety of species. The tour was reasonably priced. All the butterflies were bred in their own breeding laboratory.
It was exciting to visit the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary at Kuranda. It’s the largest butterfly aviary and exhibit in the Southern Hemisphere and home to over 1500 butterflies from a variety of species. The tour was reasonably priced. All the butterflies were bred in their own breeding laboratory.
Fishing from a nearby river was quite exciting. We managed to catch some tiger prawns for dinner. We got warning from a local fisherman to stay out of water due to large crocodile population.
TRIP TO PORT DOUGLAS- TROPICAL PARADISE
Port Douglas is well known for its Great Barrier Reef and Daintree rainforest. It took nearly 1.5 hours to reach Port Douglas from Cairns via Captain Cook Highway. It was quite exciting cruising through the long windy roads. There were few lookout points along the way. Thick green forest covering one side and deep blue ocean on the other side made the drive worthwhile and we tried to capture the spectacular beauty as much as possible. Upon reaching Port Douglas there was light shower, and we were bit concerned about the trip to the reef.
Everyone was excited to onboard Quicksilver cruise to explore the great barrier reef (Day tour). She took us to Agincourt Reef, outer edge of the great barrier reef. Adjacent to the Coral Sea trench, there were ribbon reefs, and they are recognised as the most pristine eco-systems in the reefs environment. It was interesting to wear the snorkelling gear and explore the incredible underwater world. Submerged platform was available and that provided easy access to the water. We spent nearly an hour in the water. Wind was strong, and rain started pouring down. It’s time to exit the water we head towards exploring the stunning reef from the comfort of a Quicksilver Semi-Submersible. The reef looked spectacular with its enormous coral formations. It was indeed a joy to watch heaps of multi coloured fishes and turtles. The semi-submersible coral reef viewing tour was around 30 mins and included an informed commentary on the marine life observed during the journey and an overview of the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef.
Visiting Cairns City & Night Markets were the other attractions during our stay at Cairns.
Everyone was excited to onboard Quicksilver cruise to explore the great barrier reef (Day tour). She took us to Agincourt Reef, outer edge of the great barrier reef. Adjacent to the Coral Sea trench, there were ribbon reefs, and they are recognised as the most pristine eco-systems in the reefs environment. It was interesting to wear the snorkelling gear and explore the incredible underwater world. Submerged platform was available and that provided easy access to the water. We spent nearly an hour in the water. Wind was strong, and rain started pouring down. It’s time to exit the water we head towards exploring the stunning reef from the comfort of a Quicksilver Semi-Submersible. The reef looked spectacular with its enormous coral formations. It was indeed a joy to watch heaps of multi coloured fishes and turtles. The semi-submersible coral reef viewing tour was around 30 mins and included an informed commentary on the marine life observed during the journey and an overview of the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef.
Visiting Cairns City & Night Markets were the other attractions during our stay at Cairns.
MACKAY- SUGAR CAPITAL OF AUSTRALIA
Trip from Cairns to Mackay was around 800 kms. We reached Mackay around 9.30 PM on 2nd January. Along the way we saw heaps of Sugar Cane farms and no wonder it’s known as the Sugar Capital of Australia. We saw a drop bear on the Sugar Cane farm.
We were quite fortunate to meet some lovely local folks. One woman was very generous and gave permission for us to take coconuts from her front yard. She even handed us few coconut seedlings to take back home.
We were quite fortunate to meet some lovely local folks. One woman was very generous and gave permission for us to take coconuts from her front yard. She even handed us few coconut seedlings to take back home.
BUNDABERG- SIGNATURE RUM
We started our journey to Bundaberg well known for its Signature Rum early morning on 3rd January 2022. Distance between Mackay to Bundaberg was around 650 kms via Bruce Highway. We stopped at Rockhampton – The Beef Capital for lunch. We were very grateful for getting a lunch invitation from One Srilankan family who runs a local catering business. Tired and hungry, we reached their home and received a very hearty welcome. Plenty of typical Srilankan food (Chicken, Goat, Veg curries etc). It was indeed a heavy meal for all of us. They were even generous to pack food for all of us for dinner as well. The host family took us to a nearby farm to explore some tropical fruits. Seeing the mango and Lychee farms was a delight.
After bidding farewell to the lovely family, we continued our trip …. another 300 kms approx. to reach the destination. We stopped at couple of farms in between to collect mangoes and lychees. Unfortunately, we did not book in advance the iconic Rum Distillery site tour. It would have been disappointing if we missed the Distillery tour. We took a chance and fortunately managed to get the tickets at the site only for the Rum Distillery experience, but we missed out on premium blend your own Rum experience. It was interesting to understand the rums origin and it seems more than 60,000 visitors head to the distillery every year. We packed our bags with Bundaberg Non-Alcoholic drinks and continued our return trip back to Brisbane.
After bidding farewell to the lovely family, we continued our trip …. another 300 kms approx. to reach the destination. We stopped at couple of farms in between to collect mangoes and lychees. Unfortunately, we did not book in advance the iconic Rum Distillery site tour. It would have been disappointing if we missed the Distillery tour. We took a chance and fortunately managed to get the tickets at the site only for the Rum Distillery experience, but we missed out on premium blend your own Rum experience. It was interesting to understand the rums origin and it seems more than 60,000 visitors head to the distillery every year. We packed our bags with Bundaberg Non-Alcoholic drinks and continued our return trip back to Brisbane.
We reached Brisbane on January 4th evening covering more than 4150 kms. I think this trip brought us a lot closer to one another. We all had a fantastic time together and I am really looking forward for the next adventure.
It was awesome to see kids having a blast and lots of smiling faces
“Because the greatest part of a road trip isn’t arriving at your destination. It’s all the wild stuff that happens along the way.” – Emma Chase