Cairns to Sydney (Part 1)

After enjoying two relaxing days in our mountain retreat we had begun to miss the cramped, awkward confines of our Jucy camper. Fortunately Mark's Mum, Helen was due to arrive into Cairns airport that morning and had invited us to join her in driving her Jucy camper 1700 miles to Sydney. It sounded like a challenge and one that we were up for.

The new van was worryingly the exact same size as the afore-mentioned Rubik's Cube, but with a granny box sleeping compartment on the roof which made popping to the toilet for a midnight pee fairly precarious! Our first three destinations were Ellis Beach where we sensibly had a few glasses of wine before trying to climb into our 'penthouse' suite; followed by the Atherton Tablelands stopping to feed kangaroos en route; and finally Mission Beach where Mark climbed a palm tree to grab a fresh coconut for lunch.

We then spent two nights at Airlie Beach which gave us the opportunity to experience the Whitsunday Islands. Our tour boat was a former racing yacht from the 1980s which took us out to Blue Pearl Bay for some spectacular snorkelling. Mark took advantage of the low-season numbers by snapping up a bargain 45 minute private scuba-diving session. Helen has always had a total fear of water so we were delighted when she tried snorkelling for the first time and loved it. Meg of course was a seasoned snorkelling pro by now and promptly set about finding Nemo.

On the journey home the captain decided to show us why the yacht had been the winner of several prestigious races in its day and we clung on as the speeding vessel cut through the water, all the time keeling over at an impossible angle.