Palm Cove, Far North Queensland

[jackruss]

Begging the advice of the friendly Banana Benders, ( are they that far North ?)

I am planning a break with the little woman and the two little ones ( 2 and 6 ), in Palm Cove and am after any opinions on the place.

Am looking for somewhere the kids can plan on the sand, maybe head out to the reef and go into some botanical stuff like the rain forest ( is that wood work related).

Am Planning to use my mountain of reward points for accommodation, but can't seem to find any true info on the town, is it just a surfers paradise a way north?

thanks

JR

[DanP]

Had my honeymoon there last year. Eat at the Reef House (Sebel), It's fantastic. It is nothing like Surfers. There's a lot less gimmicky touristy rubbish there. If you've got a car with you I highly recommend Palm Cove. If not, it's a bit out of Cairns and there's not that much in PC for the kids (unless you and yours like sitting on the beach or round the pool).

Quicksilver does reef trips from PC but is very expensive. You will find cheaper, but you'll have to get to them (Cairns or Port Douglas).

Dan

[jackruss]

woops forgot to mention. :-)

Flying to cairns, getting big hire car WITH aircond.

Aiming for around end of september, Just miss queensland school holidays.

So good restaurants, now thats my idea of a holiday :-)

[DanP]

We loved the restaurants in PC. Pigged out every night. Most of the restaurants were exceptional.

[namtrak]

Palm Cove is a northern suburb of Cairns. It's a nice spot but you wont be able to swim at that time of year (I dont think). You (less the kids) can fish of the end of the wharf.

If you head into town (about 10 min drive)The kids and swmbo will love the Esplanade pool and as a surprise take the kids for a walk along the boardwalk to a great playground setup about 500m along the boardwalk.

Definitely give Skyrail a go - maybe a bit beyond the 2 yo but the rest will love it. Kuranda is a better place to visit when the markets aren't on - but that can be a bit hard to manage.

For the swmbo the best markets up North are the monthly ones at Yungaburra (4th Saturday of the Month - I believe)

And rather than going onto the reef you might be better served heading out to Green Island - it's a bit dated but it's cheap and you can still snorkel and stuff. Take the sunscreen and a shade umbrella if its especially hot.

The drive up to Port Douglas along the Rex Highway is superb.

There are also heaps of free things to do up on the Tablelands - there was some stuff posted here a couple of months ago about things to do in FNQ which should give you a good summary.

Also Paronella Park down near Innisfail (about an hour south of Cairns) isn't so bad either

Have fun

[TassieKiwi]

Go up to Port Douglas on Sunday - brilliant market. If you don't want a car I'm sure the hotel would organise bus trips to and from - there are heaps to transfer people to the reef boats.

[jackruss]

thanks for the heads up.

Its so much better than the marketing crap on the web.

One question, why can't we swim at the beach? Is it the box jelly fish? Do they have warning signs to tell you when they are in, probably just wet the feet of the kids and enjoy the wave splashing , not planning any ironman swims!!

JR

[Rocker]

The season for box jellyfish is October to May. You should be OK in September.

Rocker

[Gingermick]

The season for box jellyfish is October to May. You should be OK in September.

Rocker
The weather is pretty good at that time of year too

[namtrak]

The season for box jellyfish is October to May. You should be OK in September.

Rocker

Yeh, I wasnt sure - but you would want to heed local advice on this one!!

[journeyman Mick]

Rule of thumb for box jellyfish is that you're safe to swim in any month without an "R" in it (May, June, July & August). Palm Cove is a patrolled beach and if there are stingers around there will be a stinger proof enclosure in the water.

Namtrak, don't know when you were last on Green Island, but I helped build a $55M resort there 11 years ago, I guess it might be a little dated now. If you have a car then a drive around the waterfall circuit on the tablelands is worthwhile. Also Port Douglas is a nice drive, if you want a really romantic drive, book a dinner in PD and drive there in the afternoon and catch the sunset on the drive. Closer by, you can check out Lake Morris (just behind Cairns) only 20 mins drive from Cairns Central, shopping mecca for SWMBO's plus movies for kids.

Mick

[Cliff Rogers]

G'day.

If you are into fishing, you can't do that off the PC jetty any more either, the buga's banned it.

I live in Cairns during the week & up on the southern end of the Tablelands on the weekend. I picked up 1.5kgs of tourist balist & sent it to Ian Hockings last month, I can do the same for you or you can wait for Hocko to come home at the end of the month & ask him what he reckons. He lives in Sydney too.

Reef, yes. If you have little kids, try Low Isles.

Skyrail & Karanda Railway, go up by Skyrail & come back on the train.
The Train leaves early to go up so you have to be up early. There's a Skyrail car leaving every couple of minutes all day. It's less than a half hour from Palm Cove to Smithfield where the Skyrail leaves from & there's a shuttle bus from the Train station back to where you leave your car. The shopping in Karanda has improved, it's more than cheap chinese crap markets, you can now buy some expensive Australian crap too. :D Nah, joking, it has improved.
There's an animal park of some sort & a butterfly santuary (gaol).

Cape Trib, the Daintree & the tablelands are the places to go to see the rainforest & wildlife. (and timber ;) ) These would all have to be a day trip.
If you are looking for wildlife at the Daintree & north to Cape Trib, you will see more if you do one of the guided tours rather than drive yourself.

Rainforest Habitat wild life sanctury. (At Port Douglas, you can do breakfast with the birds there.) About 45 mins away.

Hartley’s Crocodile Farm. (on the way to Port Douglas) about 30 mins away.

There's also a Zoo between Palm Cove & Clifton Beach. About 10 mins away.

There is now a good big shopping centre at Clifton Beach so you don't have to go broke paying tourists prices at PC the whole time, also about 10 mins away.

There is a Timber Galery in Daintree villiage. A bit over an hour north.
There is a Timber Galery at Tolga on the tablelands. A bit over an hour southwest.

The Sebel Reef House does have a very good restaraunt BUT.... I'm not sure that it would suit a 2 & 6 year old. Cockies is very good for breakfast.

How long are you staying?

BTW, the bananas up here grow with bends in them, it is the southern ones that have to be bent so the shoppers think that they are the good ones from up here. ;)

[namtrak]

.........Namtrak, don't know when you were last on Green Island, but I helped build a $55M resort there 11 years ago, .......

I had forgotten about that
:o - it was very unobtrusive though - and I guess I was more thinking of the crocodile farm!



If you are into fishing, you can't do that off the PC jetty any more either, the buga's banned it.


Bastards!! I used enjoy heading out there when swmbo had things to do in town - then I just had take the wobbly boot back to the car and sleep all the way home



The shopping in Karanda has improved, it's more than cheap chinese crap markets, you can now buy some expensive Australian crap too. Nah, joking, it has improved.


Thats good to hear - that was one trip we never went on guests with - we would just gave them directions



Rainforest Habitat wild life sanctury. (At Port Douglas, you can do breakfast with the birds there.) About 45 mins away.

Hartley’s Crocodile Farm. (on the way to Port Douglas) about 30 mins away.

We took the kids to the Habitat when we last up there and they went spare - bit of a pity that they got rid of the butterfly house though.

[jackruss]

thanks for the info.

Nothing like local knowledge.

Am planning for a week, have been doing the websurf on things to do, and Green Island gets the nod.

Seems like I need to pack abit more cash, everything seems about the $250 - 400, skyrail, boat trip.

Buggar about the fishing, was planning on escaping for a while.

Ah well, all good plans ...

JR

[DanP]

Rule of thumb for box jellyfish is that you're safe to swim in any month without an "R" in it (May, June, July & August).

Beach was closed when I was there (in late april), something to do with a 4m croc sighted at the beach...

[RETIRED]

Can highly recommend Hartleys. Spent all day there watching the shows.

[flea1607]

If you are into fishing, you can't do that off the PC jetty any more either, the buga's banned it.


NOW that really upsets me. I caught my first fish off that jetty. Got about 14 that day with the biggest being about 6 inchs in length. HWMBO just kept telling ppl (because I was yah hooing every time) "New to fishing - first time"

I had lots of fun though. :( :( :( :(

[Wallace]

Jackruss

Great to see that this forum is good for stuff other than woody things. As a local in Cairns I might as well toss in my cents worth.

If you are going to Green Island (GI) I suggest you pack a picnic - kids are always hungry and the resort charges an arm and leg for basic food eg burgers and stuff.

Have a great time folks - if the crocs don't get ya the stingers will - just jocking.:D

There is a roped off area for swimming at GI so that should suit the wee ones. Take a trip through Marine Land Melansia if you get the chance - a bit tacky but the kids might love it. There is now a fair amount of boardwalk to get you into the small rainforest National Park on the island.

The coral is not great - been loved to death - but outer reef trips probably wouldn't suit the kids - the tourist brochures don't show how sloppy it can get out there - I've seen a lot of rather green looking tourists getting off the ferries!!


Anyway have a good one folks and welcome to FNQ



Walalce

[jackruss]

thankyou everyone.


have confirmed my flights and accomodation at Palm Cove.

Have worked out a rough plan for what to do when we are there, the skyrail and train, and sail trip out to Green Island are top of the list.

Last question, is the beach a surf beach, like say Manly or is it more a gentle waves like a beach inside a cove? Not surf if the reef smooths out the swell?

thanks all again

JR
who can't wait till September!!!

[namtrak]

Not a lot of surf anywhere North of BrisVegas - the Great Barrier Reef is a bit of an inhibitor!

[Cliff Rogers]

Agnes Waters near the Town of 1770 South of Rockhampton is the last good surf beach coming north.

We get chop & chunder if there's a cyclone but you most likely won't see that in Sept.

[womble]

surf? :confused: I hear southerners talking about it...must the those big waves I see on TV sometimes with blokes wearing gstrings rowing out into the middle of them and getting smashed :D Silly southerners...Anyway, as mentioned before there's muddies for the kids at the esplanade which they wont want to leave if you make the mistake of going there...you have been warned...and the lagoon is pretty good too for grown ups. Stroll along the jetty in Cairns too, chances are you'll see some mega rich buggers yacht/plaything parked there (reg grundys 'bodeacia' was there this week...a cool 100 million worth!!!)


If its trees you'd like to see then go to the tablelands (I'm from there so a bit biased) Lake Eacham has a good walk around it with signs up naming some of the trees and you can swim there safely without fear of crocs, stingers or sharks (I've never seen the mythical freshie thats supposed to inhabit it) Not far from there is a bloody great big red cedar tree to have a look at, pretty impressive but sad in a way when you consider the tablelands were covered in similar trees once. As mentioned before the waterfall circuit is worth seeing as well.

[echnidna]

surf? :
If its trees you'd like to see then go to the tablelands ..... signs up naming some of the trees
:eek: :eek: Thars Fred Gumtree 'n' Phyllis Figtree 'n' Malcom Mangrove 'n' ......

[Cliff Rogers]

.... 'n' Malcom Mangrove 'n' ......
Ya won't find him on the tablelands. :rolleyes:

[womble]

:eek: :eek: Thars Fred Gumtree 'n' Phyllis Figtree 'n' Malcom Mangrove 'n' ......
actually more like 'new table', 'new cupboard', 'new sideboard' etc etc :D the rangers will never notice they're gone..

[powderpost]

There is also a good market in Mareeba on the tablelands, (45 minutes from Cairns), second Saturday of the month, where I have a stall. A legal spirit maker at Mt Uncle, a mango winery and a few fruit wine makers to visit. There are two local coffee factories with shops. Plenty to do up here...
Jim

[Cliff Rogers]

Hey Jim, I'm a weekend tablelander....


....I have a stall. A legal spirit maker at .....
Ummm... what is that you sell at that there stall boy? :rolleyes: