Daintree Dreaming Day 6
This morning we were up before dawn, intending to drive back past the city of Cairns to visit a little known waterfall known as Fairy Falls.
We stopped to watch the sunrise across Mt Alexandra Lookout, where the sun kissed the horizon amid the prehistoric rainforest.
Crossing the ferry back at this time of the morning was most advantageous, as there were very few cars queued and the crossing in total took less than 5 minutes. An hour later and we stopped back in at my new favourite bakery, Grantstreet Kitchen, for a brownie and the best almond croissant I’ve eaten in my life.
By 9 am, we arrived at the Crystal Cascades, about 30 minutes southwest of Cairns proper. The first hike took us about half an hour, and thankfully at this time of the morning, there were very few people on the tracks. We had the luxury of spending time on the main cascade that falls uninterrupted, without another soul in sight!
The Fairy falls were another story, however. The walk we followed was a guide from Arthur and Julia’s Hiker’s Movement. After following directions fairly easily, we came across a section where we were unsure (see my guide page for more information). Nevertheless, we persevered and found the beautiful falls, once again with the luxury of enjoying the peace and taking photographs undisturbed.
Our drive back into Cairns was pleasant, with one minor road work hiccup which waylaid our car hire return ever so slightly.
Deciding to take a chance, we walked to our final hotel - Crystalbrook Bailey, to see if we could leave our bags at reception, or on the off chance our room might be available to check-in. It was only 11am so we weren’t holding our breath.
Luckily, our room was ready and we were checked into the top floor within minutes of our arrival. By midday, we were back pounding the pavement, searching for the Hemmingway’s Brewery on the boardwalk. On the way, we passed our dinner destination, the delightful Prawn Star trawler.
At Hemmingway’s, we ordered a Gin Tasters (Wolf Lane) and a Beer (Hemmingway’s) Paddle, enjoying some local flavours, including the well utilised Davidson Plum.
We spent the afternoon by the pool at Bailey before getting dressed up for our last evening of the trip. The night began to cool as we walked the short distance back to the Marina once again in search of the Prawn Star restaurant. The restaurant is spread across three fishing trawlers (Prawn Star, Prawn Star Too, Prawn Star 3), and the evening was perfect. Large platters of fresh Moreton Bay Bugs, Tiger Prawns and freshly shucked oysters, I could not fault the food or the service. One of the most incredible dining experiences I can recall, and all reasonably priced. Our evening aboard the Prawn Star capped off a most incredible week in the Far North of Queensland.
Reference List:
Mt Alexandra Lookout
Note: All reference links in this post are unsponsored