Summer time in Far North Queensland is one of my favorite times to be at home. And we're famous for a couple of things:

Crocodile season - Crocs start to move a lot more as males try to find a mate and move out of each other's territories, so croc sightings become more common;

Jellyfish season - Box jellyfish and Irukandji are some of our biggest potential killers in Far North Queensland . Box jellyfish breed in our rivers and creeks so after a big rain is when they are washed out into the ocean and humans will get stung if they are swimming around without protection;

Wet season - When the wet really kicks in, that can mean day after day after day of torrential rain, cloud filled skies of darkness and gloom. The sun doesn't shine and everything goes mouldy! And the image of sunny blue sky days of perfection are shattered.......

Being the wet season in Cairns, it is often hot and humid for the Summer months, and gets even hotter as it builds up for a big rain. The temperature gauge reads in the mid 30's but it feels like mid 40's. Humidity is near 100% and you sweat while sitting still. At this time, the best activity to do is to find a local swimming hole to cool off, relax and chill. There are many places to go near Cairns - Crystal Cascades, Behana Gorge, Josephine Falls, Mossman Gorge (some others I don't want to reveal on here) and today we are going to the Tully River .

Now, the Tully River is not exactly a place you go to for a quick dip. It's actually a 2-ish hour drive south of Cairns, and is most famous for white water rafting. We are not actually heading there for a relaxing cool swim, we have picked it as our destination for some adrenalin action! White water SUPing!!! SUP = Stand Up Paddling. So, when on the white water, instead of rigid fibreglass boards we use soft inflatable boards. Here in Cairns, we have a social group of SUPers and we organise paddles together during the week. We've coordinated several paddles on different rivers now, and our fearless leader Mr Adventure picks the rivers depending on rainfall and his sense of adventure. Mr Adventure has had his fair share of crazy adventures in the past and with his experiences and guidance, if he says "give this a go", I trust in his judgement entirely and will do it without fear.

Now, I don't own my own inflatable SUP, but not wanting to miss an adventure, I find an old inner tube from a truck (sourced from a local tyre changing workshop!) and this inner tube becomes my water craft for the day . Mr Adventure had organised a bunch of kayakers to join us SUPers for the day's paddle down the river too, which was super fun to have such a big group of us together - safety in numbers :) And, with the inherent dangers of such an extreme sport - hitting your head on rocks, drowning, getting your foot stuck amongst the rocks, etc - Mr Adventure ensures we are all properly equipped with safety gear and he's even organised a helmet and life jacket for me - well prepared!!

We start by launching ourselves at "Number 10" and the goal is to reach Cardstone Weir. Alongside us we have the kayakers helping us pick our lines and be our safety boats if we capsize. I manage most of the rapids in my tube, running Rock Garden and Pipeline, with Lava Flow giving me the most grief, tumbling out of my tube - some of my agile acrobatics caught on camera :) To have this camaraderie and to know that I was "safe" gave me the extra reassurance to give every rapid a go and to have no fear. The cool water, flitting butterflies and dragonflies and tall rock faces rising to the blue skies above all add to the unique atmosphere of our small patch of paradise in the Tully Gorge National Park . After an eventful yet relaxing few hours, we finish off by running the shoot at the weir, called Slippery Dip, something we watched the white water rafters do as they catch up with us on the river. White water rafting on the Tully is a daily event as even with no rain fall, the Tully is a Hydro release river, which means everyday water is released around 10am. The amount can vary so hard core paddlers will check the levels online to ensure they have adequate water for their run.

We head back up to the top and have lunch by Pony Tail Falls. Great way to end the day with some awesome fun company and cool down in the flowing waters of the Tully. We have a final play under the waterfall on the boards (and in my tube) before hitting the road for the long drive back to Cairns. Despite the hours of driving, this trip was well worth it for some new adventures and making new friends, surrounded by the natural beauty we are so blessed to live so close to. Can't wait to experience more of our local rivers over this coming wet season!