We head up Grassy Hill for some great views over the Endeavour River estuary. Nearby at Finch Bay we try unsuccessfully to stone a coconut down from a beachside palm. After lunch we make good use of the Queen's Steps as a fishing base and catch a couple of silver trevally for dinner.

We leave Atherton and stop in at the woodworking/craft gallery in Tolga. The local art and craft works were great, the coffee good and Mum wants that whiskey date cake recipe! We continue on for lunch at Mt Carbine (yummy home made pies) and then pass the Black Mountains before arriving in Cooktown. A quick walk into town has us passing all sorts of plaques, monuments and statues to you know who.

Not used since Exmouth we finally found a safe spot to kayak - Lake Eacham. Mum, Fraser and I enjoyed the paddle around the lake while Dad walked the perimeter trail through the rainforest. We even tried out our paddleboarding skills on the calm waters.

A day catching up on some school work and Fraser had a haircut in town. Dad went for a hike up the Widow Maker which provided good views over the Atherton Tablelands - a patchwork of rainforest and mixed farming. For the boys Atherton has been a birdwatching hotspot with the tally now at 276.

Its a nice morning so we headed off to Mareeba Coffee Works to see if they could make Mum and Dad a good brew,. Fraser and I enjoyed tasting the chocolates they had on offer. Lake Tinaroo was nice and we had a look at the water they were pumping out through the dam wall. All the places there offered "dam" good food or "dam" good accomodation etc etc. Then the rain started, something we had not seen for many many months. The last time it was like this was in ...