Townsville

Our second port of call was Townsville, another slow tender port for most but for us we were the first Cat off the ship as we had booked a tour.

We did the Paluma Rainforest and waterfall tour. Once off the boat we were ushered onto a mini bus for the 1.5 hour drive up to the rainforest. Ross our tour guide and Bus driver was very informative about Townsville and its people. Our first stop was at the Paluma Inn where they had morning tea ready for us. We then went for a short walk into and out of the rainforest where Ross told us about the fauna and flora.

We jumped back onto the bus for a half hour drive to the Hidden Valley Resort. This resort is run by Ross’s parents and is totally self sufficient. There we had a yummy BBQ lunch and then taken on a tour of how their solar energy system works.

Back into the bus and back down the hill stopping at Little Crystal creek where the road crosses over an old stone bridge with a back drop of these spectacular falls... We were able to walk down the stairway to the base of the falls and if there was time and warmer weather we could have had a swim..... Though I have been told that the water is really icy.

On the way back to the port Ross took us for a quick drive around the town and down by the marina where plans are in place to build a brand new Cruise Terminal....