Hello everybody!

We feel like we have been gone for so long now, we cant believe that this time 2 weeks ago we were at work! The flight to Cairns was really good and almost like a sightseeing trip. We flew from Perth to Cairns via Ayres Rock. We didn't actually leave the airport there but we still got a great view of the rock as the pilot took the plane around it so we could all see. Landing in Cairns was pretty special as we flew in over the ocean and could make out the Great Barrier Reef below.

Cairns is quite a beautiful place. It is surrounded on 3 sides by rainforest covered mountains, with the ocean on the fourth side. It's not a very big city and seems mainly to cater for tourists and activities/day trips but there was a really nice atmosphere, helped by the beautiful weather. Our accomodation was really nice too, with a cool BBQ Restaurant: you went to a counter, chose your raw meat, then went and cooked it yourself on the BBQ! We came pros after doing this for all 3 nights!

On our first day in the city we just explored, walking up to the botanical gardens where we had breakfast and walked through the rainforest, then we went down to the city centre. We did a bit of shopping for camping gear for Mission Beach, had lunch and a jug of beer, then spent the afternoon lying beside the man-made lagoon on the foreshore promenade which is really cool and a popular spot.

The next day we went on a day trip up to Cape Tribulation, via many other places. Firstly we went on a crocodile spotting cruise on the Daintree River and saw a couple of big ones! Then onto a rainforest walk- the Marrdja Boardwalk, before stopping off for lunch at Cape Trib, which had a beautiful beach. We then started making our way back via Mossman Gorge which was stunning, and a quick pint in Port Douglas, a nice and fancy little town that apparently movie stars have started frequenting! The rest of the drive back provided some beautiful views as the sun went down over the mountains and the moon rose over the sea.

We kind of wish we could stay longer in Cairns with more money as there is a lot to do, such as Reef trips etc, but we will come back for a holiday one day we hope.

We have travelled down to Mission Beach today where we will be camping for the next 5 nights, we'll let you know how we get on. We're really enjoying Australia so far, we have seen some funny things, such as a drive-through bottle-shop or two, crazy road signs everywhere, and amazign chocolate! The only downside to it is that it is quite expensive...at least 1quid for a chocolate bar and 3.50+ for a pint. However, we have found a few bargains, such as a pitcher of lager for only 3 pounds! :-) Thanks for everyones messages and emails, we really enjoy getting them.

Hope you are all well, lots of love, Joanne and Dave xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx