Cooktown is literally the Gateway to Cape York and Australia’s northern most wilderness. It’s a town with a whole lot of history and a whole lot of character.

Marni is your quintessential Cairns chick that has grown up in the Tropical North, embraces the great outdoors and has managed to score herself a job with one of the most popular tourist attractions in Cairns, Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.

As I rummaged around in our First Aid cabinet for the first time in what seemed like decades it suddenly dawned on me – this was the first time my child had been really sick for months…

I’ve been showcasing via my Instagram account, the TOP family-friendly things to do in my corner of Australia, Tropical North Queensland. The Great Barrier Reef, the World Heritage Rainforest AND…

It’s time to share the BEST of the BEST. I’ve been showcasing via my Instagram account, the top 3 family-friendly things to do in my corner of Australia, Tropical North Queensland.

“That’s 14 Mum!!” shouted Josh as he sped past me yet again on his kneeboard. It was his first time ever being towed at the Cable Ski Park and he had already clocked up a HUGE number of laps…

Many years ago (in another lifetime it seems) I met and interviewed a star in the kitesurfing world for a freelance article I was writing. Her name was Bec Nicholson and she was the women’s current World Kitesurfing champion.

We LOVE Cairns ZOOM – so much so that the kids have membership cards and we can pop along and let them ‘swing’ on the high ropes (and dangle over the 4m crocodile) anytime we want.

So here I was ‘cruising’ the Cairns Wake Park, upright, on a wakeboard and feeling like I had finally got the concept – ‘cause no trip to the ‘Lake’ (Tinaroo) had ever got me to this point.

It’s time to introduce Maddie from Cairns Tropical Zoo who has, Charlie (my 9 year old) believes, the Dream Job – working with BIG fluffy animals everyday.

As I watched my daughter fling herself off the Stand Up Paddle (SUP) Board onto a rope swing I gave myself a pat on the back. Brett (our guide) didn’t have much chance, the paddle board they were sharing shot backwards and he was soon jettisoned off

Juz and Dave are just your average Melbourne couple who bought a Troopy back in 2012 and hit the road. On the way they created a Blog called ‘Our Naked Australia‘ and have accrued a massive number of people who are keen to follow their experiences

“It’s a Dengue Mum. A Dengue!!” shouts Josh on occasion when a big mozzie flies past us indoors. I have to give him credit for his sharp observation skills and knowing about this mosquito-borne illness BUT

As I stood at the counter signing away several hundreds of dollars I wondered at the sanity of passing over expensive gear to my children. Fortunately my kids rose to the challenge and took good care of the underwater cameras

Instagrammers from around the world have been snapping away as they vie for a position on the Tropical North Queensland Instamap.

When you’re in the Tropics one thing you learn pretty fast is – “the Wetter the Better” – and on all accounts the Cairns Aqua Park ticks all the boxes in this case.

Often seen spinning around Cairns Trinity Inlet, Captain Pat is in command of the unmistakable (and unmissable) Bad Fishy, Jet Boat company.

As a local living in Tropical North Queensland I’ve always baulked when it comes to forking out $$$ just to walk around the Rainforest – BUT, when I became a mum the scales readjusted a little.

So you’ve been contemplating a day out on the Great Barrier Reef but haven’t found the time or the inclination to get out recently? Well it’s time to change that!!

I love that Cairns is full of families that put lifestyle as their number one objective. This particular mumma loves getting out and about and runs weekly meet-ups with other locals