The Last Post

Well, here we are having a quick bite to eat in the Melbourne International departure lounge before we board our flight back to NZ! Today was a typical 'last day on holiday' day where we didn't rush out the door and wanted to savour every last bit of the warm tropical temperatures and our last few hours in Australia. Our flight from Cairns to Melbourne was uneventful with the kids enjoying some on-board entertainment, and we arrived 3 1/2 hours later in Melbourne, exiting the plane to a 10 degree blast of a cold southerly (to give us a taste of what's to come!). The last 46 days have been amazing and we have loved sharing it with you all. There are so many great memories and moments that we have had on tour and our blog, diaries and photos will keep these alive for years to come. As they say all good things must come to an end, and as our boarding call comes over the loud speaker I guess this is it. So, this is TREBS on tour signing off!!
Lots of love Tom, Rosa, Ed, Ben (aka Dad) & Sarah (aka Mum)

TREBS last day at Trinity

We woke to a patchy day for our last day on the TREBS tour. Making the most of a run of blue sky, the kids and Mum hit the beach for a walk to the lookout then a play in the waves, while Dad headed to the cable ski set-up for some wakeboarding. Late morning we treated ourselves to an icecream and checked out the playground. After lunch on the balcony, it was back to the beach and the pool to enjoy the sunshine, the kids in the water for almost 3 hours. We then had some quiet time before going for a drive to Kewarra and Clifton Beaches, with a mandatory stop at a playground, and picking up some fish and chips for a last dinner in the warmth on our Spirata balcony! We all had a(nother) game of Monopoly deal before bed. Oh yes, managed to fit in all the packing over the day.....

Snorkelling with Seastar

We checked-in at the Seastar boat in the Cairns marina at 7.30 am and after a quick safety talk were off across the coral sea to another of the outer reefs of the Great Barrier reef system, Michaelmas Cay and Hastings reef. There were 35 of us on board a catamaran and we made fairly good time across the rough seas to our first stop, Michaelmas Cay. It was a nasty trip for anyone who succumbed to sea sickness, which fortunately didn't include any of the Davidsons. This Cay is made up of millions of years of dead coral building up to make a small sand island in the middle of the sea. It is home to thousands of sea birds, many of them only calling in at nesting time, otherwise the rest of the year is spent at sea. The reef was a few metres off the sandy beach and we spent 2 hours here exploring. After seeing some great reef life we headed back to the boat for some lunch then motored off to Hastings Reef which was a bit closer to the open water. Here Dad did a scuba dive while Mum and the kids listened (with Rosa as guest presenter) to a talk on the local reef system. We spent another 2 hours in the water chasing white tip reef sharks, teasing Nemos and seeing hundreds of beautiful fish among the coral gardens. Ed, Rosa and Tom were great at snorkelling and we were pretty exhausted by the time we arrived back in Cairns after a full day in the water.

Cruising in Cairns

We caught the early bus into the middle of Cairns to Rusty's markets. There were heaps of fresh food stalls with a few rock and jewellery offerings which appealed to the kids. After buying some fruit and vege and a rock we picked up our rental car and headed to DFO to see if we could pick up a bargin or 3. It wasn't a patch on the Brisbane set-up but there were a few purchases and then it was back to Trinity Beach to catch some sun. The weather over the day changes quickly from hot sun to clouds and the odd rain shower and back to sun all within the hour. We had a relaxed afternoon at the beach then the pool followed by an early dinner and bed - ready for another day on the reef, a bit of treat!

Tjapukai experience

After another slow morning, and with the day very overcast, we decided to experience some aboriginal culture so hopped on the bus through to the Tjapukai Cultural Park. First up, we headed down to the Cultural Village to the Bush Foods show, where we learnt about plants traditionally used for foods and medicines.It was then down for some boomerang throwing. Everyone had 3 throws, and all the TREBS except Mum did really well at getting their boomerang to return. Dad was especially good and we were pleased we were inside a net cage when his boomerang returned right around and hit the cage! From there we watched a spear throwing demonstration before heading to the Magic Theatre so the kids could get their faces painted. Looking like little aborigines, and feeling pretty proud of their boomerang throwing abilities, we then went to a show in The Creation Theatre, depicting the spiritual and traditional beliefs of the Tjapukai people. This was followed by a dance performance, again very traditional and spiritual, but with some audience participation that had us singing an aboriginal song and had Tom and Rosa up on stage. The show also included a demonstration of lighting fire with two fire sticks. A didgeridoo demonstation was next, although we didn't get to try this out until we hit the Gift Shop and Dad and the kids gave it a whirl. Finally, we went to a show in the History Theatre, which was a film outlining the effects of modern man's impact on the 40,000 year old aboriginal culture. It was a pretty sobering reminder of how badly indigenous cultures were treated during colonisation. Having all really enjoyed the Tjapukai experience, it was then back on the bus to Trinity Beach, and a quiet night for all.

Relaxing at Trinity Beach

Today was a real catch-up day, with a very lazy morning in "Spirata", our Seashells apartment, followed by a session on the beach pre-lunch. The sun had disappeared by late morning and it was thick cloud, so after lunch we were about to head off to do something when, in the space of half an hour, the sky was almost completely blue. So it was back to the beach for the afternoon. The kids enjoyed the waves, and Tom spent nearly 2 hours digging a deep hole and then waiting for the tide to fill it. We topped off the afternoon with a dip in the pool, then enjoyed the view and sound of the sea from our balcony over drinks and dinner. The kids went a little crazy before bed!

Port Douglas to Trinity Beach

After a great week with J and Grumps exploring in and around Port Douglas it was time to say goodbye. J and Grumps headed to Magnetic Island via Undara and TREBS embarked on the final leg of their tour to Trinity Beach, Cairns. After a short 50 minutes drive down the coast we arrived at Trinity Beach, a golden sand beach lined with palm trees and nestled between rocky headlands to the north and south. We dropped our rental off and checked into On the Beach - the last stop in our Australian adventure. We lugged all of our gear up to the 3rd floor and found our apartment, it was very spacious with a balcony overlooking the beach and the ocean. The rest of the day was spent swimming in the pool and enjoying our new surroundings. We were all feeling pretty wiped out after our trip to the reef the day before so we were into bed early, ready to enjoy the beach tomorrow.