Port Douglas

Just back from a week in the sun with Ma & Pa Hawkins up in Port Douglas, Queensland. We flew into Cairns last Monday to blue skies, blue seas and palm trees shading you from the 35 degree heat. Bliss.

Port Douglas is pretty much as far north as you can go in Australia for civilization. After that you need a 4 wheel drive and a shotgun for the crocs ! We baked by the pool at the hotel for a few days but also managed to complete another first and go walking in our first real tropical rainforest at Mossman Gorge. Very wet, very foresty - talk about humid. You could almost drink the air never mind breathe it. The forest included a wobbly bridge across the gorge like something you'd see in an Indiana Jones movie!

We took the kids to a tropical zoo, usual suspects of deadly Aussie animals were there including crocs, snakes and spiders but there were also the tropical birds and kangaroos, koalas etc. I think we've done the pics with those now!

We also went out to the barrier reef ... I (Martin) did another 'first' in that I went scuba diving on two different parts the reef. Utterly amazing experience and something I'll keep going back to. We saw barracuda, dolphins and even a Minke whale on the way back to port. There were hundreds of fish of all shapes, colours & sizes down there. If you ever come to Austrlia, you must go - its just one of those things you need to see.

The pictures from the holiday are on the Port Douglas link here.

Happy fireworks day to all in the UK !!!