And yesterday I very much lost! I lost the two cups of coffee and brunch bar I’d had for breakast while on the boat to the Great Barrier Reef. I’ve never experienced a boat journey like that!

I lost my dignity getting in and out of a wetsuit.I lost my nerve in open water and I pretty much lost the $300 spent on the trip but hey, the GBR was never on my bucket list as it were so to speak so I can live with it. I’d try snorkeling again, just maybe in really calm water. Like a swimming pool!!

However, despite losing yesterday, Wednesday felt very much like a win!

I’ve been on quite a few tours so far on this trip and goodness me does a good tour guide, and tour company make all the difference!

I’d booked a full day tour to the Atherton Tablelands through Get Your Guide, but the tour company was actually called Kuranda & Outback tours. If you are in the Cairns area I really would not go past booking with these guys.

Home

communication from them before the tour was excellent, checking on my accommodation seeing as I’d booked a hostel. I don’t think they usually (if ever) get bookings from the ‘party hostel’!

Chris the driver and guide for the day was phenomenal, ok,maybe a few too many stories about his life, but he was still a really interesting guy, very friendly and personable and did a great job and helping everyone getting to know each other.  Once my tour group knew my surname, they were fabulous pointing out all the signs with ‘Atherton’ on them and yes, that is a sack of Atherton Tablelands potatoes!

The very cloudy picture is of the town of Atherton. I would say you can make it out if you look hard, but you really can’t!

I’d looked at so many tours that were to the waterfalls and swimming holes of the tablelands, but those tours really are not for me so I was delighted to find this one visiting lots of excellent places showcasing the food and drinks from Far North Queensland (FNQ).

We met tge fabulous Stuart from Winter & Mann.

Winter & Mann | Curated Boutique of North QLD & Beyond | Winter and Mann Pty Ltd https://share.google/h4SzOMy8k54oz2DRy

They showcase so many amazing products. All Australian made with the majority from FNQ. He was so passionate about his country, the local suppliers and the exciting products being made pretty much on his doorstep.
We actually went to his house to do a tasting, it honestly felt like we were there as friends before heading to the store to have a look around. What I really liked with this tour was that there was absolutely no pressure to buy anything at any of the stops. Mind you, I do like to support the local economy of where I am, so I did buy one or five things! Better go visit Australia Post again at some point!

This could have been a really difficult day for me and I’ll admit to shedding a few tears thinking that Keith should have been there exploring “his” tablelands with me. However, the excellent group  guides and places visited certainly kept my mind busy enough that it wasn’t as difficult as it could have been!

This morning I packed up and headed out of Cairns, off to Melbourne for the weekend! Writing this on the flight but, as Jetstar don’t have internet (free or otherwise), this will no doubt be posted from Melbourne a little later on!