Christmas in Cooktown

John and I had a wonderful time up in Cooktown with his family. We went up on his birthday, 22Dec, arriving at 3am QLD time, after a 3hr flight and 4hr drive in his parents’ 4WD.


It was my first Aussie Christmas, and the first time I’ve opened all my presents on Christmas Eve! John’s dad made me a gorgeous wooden jewelry box with my name and a little kiwi inscribed on it.

on Christmas EveCooktown is a pretty little town, quiet and laid back. John took me to a number of the best spots: Trevathan Falls, Alum Beach, Twin Forks, Isabella Falls and a few others.

I really enjoyed getting to know John and Bev (John’s parents) and his eldest brother, Michael. We spent many hours around the table on the veranda, chatting and getting to know each other more. If we weren’t out exploring, we were out there talking! It was so relaxing that I had to be woken up so I didn’t miss the day!

I was disappointed that John’s other brother Robby wasn’t there, but we got to meet him in Brisbane when he came down for a weekend while we were on outreach there.

It was especially nice to spend time with John outside “work”, to have time to really talk about things.