Mom's visit - Sydney and Palm Cove

Candice was beside herself when she picked up her mom, and friend Arlene,  from the airport. After a tearful reunion she took them straight to the Icebergs Bar overlooking Bondi beach. They seemed to overcome their jetlag really well so the next day Ed and I set the pace, showing them Sydney's sights and sounds. Arlene was particularly impressed with the bats in the Botanical Garden. She took us all out to Billy Kwongs, celebrity chefs Bill Granger and Kylie Kwong's famous Chinese restaurant in Surry Hills, somewhere we'd both been dying to try for some time. It was well worth the wait.

Early Friday morning we were back at Sydney airport off to the northern part of Queensland, home of the Great Barrier Reef and tropical rainforest. This was the part of the holiday where I expected glorious weather, but sadly, over the next five days this was not to be. It absolutely chucked it down the entire time. Such a shame. However, we made sure we didn't let the weather dampen our spirits. The apartment we stayed in was lovely - in Palm Cove the northern most beach in Cairns. Quiet, and overrun with the ubiquitous palm trees, it was a lovely tropical place to call home for a few days.

It's a weird feeling seeing all these postcard-perfect beaches knowing you can't swim for fear of death by stingers or crocs!

On one day, we took the Sky train up through the rain forest to Kuranda, where Mom and I spent most of our time trying to keep the shopaholic Arlene away from the tourist tat on sale everywhere. We had a lovely hour or so walking through the butterfly sanctuary, drank several flat whites, then meandered over the misty rain forest canopy via the Skyrail cable cars back to Cairns below.

Another day, we devoted to Cairns Tropical Zoo where all three of us hugged a koala bear (it smelt of wee but was very cute) but only Arlene was brave enough to hold a baby croc and have an enormous snake wrapped around her neck. Eeeeuuu. Mom and Arlene had to be dragged away from feeding the kangaroos by the zookeeper. "Um, sorry, but we're closing now," we were told!

We had a really memorable road trip up to beautiful Cape Tribulation. Crossing the ferry to the peninsula we kept a sharp eye out for crocs in the river, but nought were to be seen. It's a weird feeling seeing all these incredible beaches, postcard-perfect with white sands, turquise seas and palm trees flapping in the breeze, but know that you can't swim for fear of death by stingers or crocs!

The best day for Candice and Arlene was the dive trip from Port Douglas to Agincourt reef, the famous spot where two divers went missing a while back. Luckily, we had Mom on board the pontoon, keeping a beedy eye out for our safe return. Unfortunately, though, we waited for the last day in the optimistic hope that the weather would clear, but it was resoundingly the worst day we had weather-wise. This meant the vis underwater wasn't nearly what it should be, but we still saw loads, giant rases, an enormous turtle, tiger fish etc. Arlene fulfilled a lifelong dream and Candice vowed to bring Ed back here once he'd done his PADI, and perhaps when the sunshine would do the reef's colours more justice. Mom went on the semisub and probably saw as much as us wet ones, while keeping dry, clever thing. We rounded the day off with a few beers in Port Dougy.

On the morning of our departure, we drove to the tiny post office in Palm Cove and got to see the beach in the sunshine at last - typical! But I'm glad we were able to witness the heat and colours of the tropical Far North, albeit on the way to the airport.

Next stop, Alice Springs where we meet Ed for the next leg of the adventure.