Sunday was to be our last day in Cairns. Pete and I passed on the half-day city tour – we’d been up this way for a week just a few weeks before and we thought we’d like to check out the city for ourselves. The half-day city tour had included the Cairns Botanical garden – it’s reported to be a lovely place, and the markets were on there, and that’s something I’m sorry we missed. But anyway, we had a lovely wander around on our own. There’s some lovely colonial architecture in the streets beyond the esplanade along the foreshore, and lots of restaurants and shops selling anything from massage to T shirts to local arts and crafts. We ventured as far as the shopping centre next to the railway station, then meandered back, soaking up the relaxed sub-tropical atmosphere.
We went into one arts and crafts shop, attracted by a magnificent bronze sculpture of two humpback whales. Out of our price range, and we really don’t need any more dust-gatherers. However, it was fun chatting to the lady at the counter. She had a very positive feeling about the outlook for Cairns. This time of year was the lull before the busy times, when the Japanese and the Chinese have holiday breaks. Here’s a bit of info about Cairns. With pictures. We didn’t take any this day.
Although Cairns is built next to the sea, the bay itself is pretty uninspiring, especially at low tide. They’ve built a great beach pool which is popular with adults and kids alike. It was nice to see families enjoying the surroundings.
We walked up to the ferry terminal, where we’d gone for our boat trip the previous evening. The Pier shopping centre surrounds a hotel and right around the wide veranda restaurants offered a variety of cuisines. It was one option for tonight’s dinner. We’d decided to forego the tour’s dinner, preferring to do what we were doing now – getting a feel for the city.
Later that evening, after a drink at the Rattle and Hum pub, we went to pick a restaurant. One we’d had in mind, up at the Pier complex, was by now a jumpin’ venue for the junior dance crowd. Pass. None of the other restaurants appealed, so we headed into the back streets to look at a few of the places we’d passed earlier in the day. We picked one and sat outside on the pavement with a burger, fish ‘n chips, and a glass of wine/beer. Perfect.
The following morning we were back on the train. That 20kg limit for a bag is strictly adhered to; one woman was turned away to take 1.3kg out of her suitcase. She would have put the items in her carry-on. Um…
At least this time we got to see some scenery. Rainforest at first, then cane fields, pasture, wetlands in between stops. After dinner Pete and I elected not to turn our beds down. We hadn’t slept last time, and this time we were getting off at 4:57. Needless to say, we woke up at every stop to check the time, and a couple of hours before arriving we didn’t even bother trying to go back to sleep. We rolled into the station about half an hour late, and were home by 6:30 (approximately). Huge thanks to our mate and neighbour, Bruce, for hauling himself out of bed well before sparrow fart to come and pick us up.
Thanks for coming with us. I hope you enjoyed the trip as much as we did.
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