5 (screenless!) Things To Do with Kids When It's Raining in Mission Beach
”Aargh, I’m going insane - just give me the list!” Okay, we hear you…:)
Walking in a Rainforest (Lacey Creek Forest Circuit)
Driving through a Beautiful Place (Tully Gorge)
Bingil Bay Cafe/Castaways Resort
Mission Arts Centre
Games, Puzzles, Craft, etc. at TreeTops
BONUS: Chocolate Tour and Baking At Home
Continue reading on for the good stuff…
A former motto of Queensland Tourism Was, “Beautiful one day, Perfect the next.” But let's face it: the weather in the wet tropics can be all over the place. The common understanding of seasons being summer, autumn, winter, and spring just doesn't hold up in this part of the world.
Instead, there are wet and dry seasons which are pretty general terms for describing different times of the year when it rains either more or less. But overall, the ‘wet’ in ‘wet tropics’ is there for a reason, and of course, there would be no rainforest without rain!
And there can be lots of it—long-term average rainfall in Mission Beach totals over 3100 mm per year. Only 20 minutes down the road is Australia's wettest place, the town of Tully with over 4000 mm of rainfall annually, with the majority of this falling between January and April.
The driest (and busiest) months are July through to October… (although some of the locals will tell you that the rain won't reliably disappear until after the Tully Show held in the last week of July!)
So what to do when your week-long family getaway happens to coincide with a monsoonal trough? Luckily we've compiled a few suggestions to help!
Top Tip: Planning your getaway for the correct season will make a significant difference to your experience! Mission Beach is at its best from July through to November.
Our first suggestion is to plan ahead, and by this, we simply mean that there are better times of the year to go on holiday to Mission Beach than others. Generally, January through to June is the ‘wet’ season, with particularly wet weather in February, March and even April. Try to plan your getaway during the second half of the year when the weather will generally be better.
However, not everybody will read this blog before booking a trip, and sometimes timing is just what it is. So in the spirit of trying to be helpful, here’s our list (in no particular order) of the Top 5 Things to Do with Kids when it's Raining in Mission Beach!
Number 1: Walking In a Rainforest
Walking in the rain? Don't write it off; this suggestion isn't necessarily as silly as it sounds. Most kids aren't afraid of a little bit of water, especially when it's also warm :) And to be honest, there's nothing quite like walking through a rainforest when it's raining. The sounds, smells, and sights can really bring it alive. Suddenly there are small streams, splash pools, waterfalls, and natural umbrellas formed that simply don't exist when it's dry. Sure, this idea won't work for everybody but don't totally discount it as an option either. Given the nature of tropical rain, there are often breaks between storms and with just a little flexibility and some nimble timing you can usually dodge the worst of the downpours. Our Suggestion: Lacey Creek Forest Circuit, Free,1.5 hours return from TreeTops… (and take the provided umbrella!)
Number 2. Driving through a Beautiful Place
The Tully Gorge is a spectacular drive at the best of times. And if it's also a bit of a rainy day, all the more so. The road begins by winding through some banana farms on the coastal plain before following the Tully River Valley up to the Hydro Power Station at the bottom of the Great Dividing Range. Along the way, there are lots of opportunities to spot the river itself - there’s a good chance you’ll also see some white water rafting or kayaking groups. Our Suggestion: Tully Gorge Drive, free, 2-3+ hours return… (and stop off and climb the Golden Gumboot on the way!)
Raging Thunder hosts white-water rafting tours down the Tully River!
Number 3. Hanging Out/Chill (Spoiler Alert: includes snacks!)
There are a number of places around Mission Beach where you can go and grab something casual to eat or drink with the kids - no need to make a whole mission of it!
FIRST STOP: Bingil Bay Cafe. Very relaxed, take some books and colouring-ins, order a snack or drink, and settle in.
NEXT: Castaways Resort. Castaways is famous for having a very cruisy open pool deck next to the restaurant and bar which is open to the public. They often have drinks and pizza specials and the relaxed atmosphere means it's pretty easy to while away an hour or two. Between rain breaks, the resort is right on the beach for a quick run around. 1-3 hours return.
Number 4. Creative and Inspiring?
For something a bit different, the Mission Arts Centre contains a gallery and a shop and is open daily between 10 and 2. It's not huge but the right children will find it fascinating and inspiring. Perhaps they might just pick up an idea or two to bring home and start working on their own creation, and there are some times workshops for kids during school holidays. The Centre also has a small art book library and very friendly staff. The Mission Arts Centre is located at MARCS Park next to the Mission Beach swimming pool, on the corner of the Tully to Mission Beach and El Arish to Mission Beach Roads. You might also like to try the Mission Beach public library, a little further down the road towards Wongaling Beach. Free, 1.5 hours return
Number 5. Relax… Time Out!
We have setup TreeTops with many activities for younger and older kids, including a DVD player and movies, Xbox console, various arts and crafts supplies, and lots of books, puzzles and games!
Or, some kids won't mind jumping into the swimming pool even when it's raining - hey they're wet anyway!
Number 6 (yes, a Bonus!). Eating and Cooking Up a Storm
Kids seem to love eating anytime. For something a bit different, consider Charley’s Chocolate Tour which runs every Thursday and Sunday (watch out - tours often get booked out in peak season and school holidays). For something simpler, try making a fruit salad using local fruits collected from one of the many roadside stalls, or Lenny's the local fruit shop in the north Mission Beach Village?
Try opening a coconut - grab a green, freshly fallen coconut from under a coconut tree at Bingil Bay and see if you can open it using only your hands (big kids)? Bet it's harder than you think! The milk is refreshing, healthy and delicious and the coconut flesh itself will keep kids busy for ages chewing through it.
If the weather is really terrible and you just want to hunker down at home, perhaps baking something is also an option? The oven at Treetops is excellent and we've provided the basic equipment for baking cakes, biscuits, cupcakes, muffins, pancakes, etcetera - just grab some ingredients or even a simple cake mix from Woolies.
Hopefully, this post has given you a few ideas to do with kids when it’s raining in Mission Beach! If you have any additional ideas or activities you’ve done, please feel free to add a comment below :)