2 August 2011 - Cairns Sunland Leisure Park, Queensland

Flying fish above the artificial lagoon

Today, the third full day here in Cairns, we spent just being tourists. Well almost. The first stop of the day was at the Cairns Central Shopping Centre where we found a barber (or rather a barberette) to cut Chris’s hair. To kill time, I popped downstairs to browse about the women’s fashions in Target and lo and behold, a shirt leapt off the rack and said, “Buy me!” I did need it, really I did. We have both shrunk and some of our clothes have stretched, I am sure. Shirts I have had for five years or so do look like rather large and would be happier stored away, and this morning before we set out, Chris had a hard time finding a pair of trousers that looked half decent for the opera. As a result, we have elected for the casual look for tomorrow night rather than our normal very formal approach. And it really was Chris who should have been buying new pants, not me buying yet another top! But then a woman has to do what comes naturally.

Posing beside seaside sculptures

Perfectly coiffed, Chris drove us down to the waterfront where we found a park and spot to sit and eat our lunch and watch all the bathing beauties and not-so-beautiful bathers lounging about the grasslands adjacent to the artificial lagoon. This is one positive feature arising from an otherwise negative situation: because of stingers, sharks, crocodiles and all manner of other nasties,  many of the towns up this north Queensland coast have been graced with artificial lagoons of one sort or another, as well as areas in the sea being “fenced off” during the summer months with stinger nets. And the lagoon at Cairns is just lovely! Today most of the tourists aged between eighteen and thirty were lounging about in various stages of undress around this lagoon, and it was a feast for sore eyes. We love to people watch! But then don’t we all!

The promenade along the long shallow beach

Once the eski was stowed away, we spent a couple of hours wandering out to the marina and back along the boarded promenade which runs for several kilometres along the seafront. The tidal mud flats stretch out a long way, bounded by mangroves and do nothing to enhance the waterfront. There are patches of sand below the walkway, but the "Actung - Crocodile" signs deter those who would normally prefer to feel the sand between their toes. As we had set out, the warm wind had continued to blow in from the sea and dark clouds were gathered about the high mountains behind the city. I had discarded my hat, preferring to feel the wind in my hair, but soon regretted it when the sun reappeared and offered more Vitamin A and UV rays than necessary.

We were both charmed by the city and the waterfront, enjoying our leisurely exploration in contrast to our rushed assault when we first arrived and were seeking the Information Centre.

Cairns announces itself as Australia’s premier regional city and the international gateway to Tropical North Queensland, a vibrant cosmopolitan city with warm, sunny tropical days tempered by cooling onshore breezes. We would endorse that spiel.

A modern attractive city

 It has a population of just over 150,000, smaller than Townsville, or at least was when the last census was taken. It does however have much more of a city feel than Townsville does. The more southern city seems like a couple of big country towns that have amalgamated and grown, which is exactly what it is. Cairns, on the other hand, seems more vibrant, more modern, and is just full of tourists and very busy people catering for their needs and the needs of the community. It is also a very neat and tidy place.

By the time our parking ticket came to its expiry, we were ready to return to camp, to rest and recuperate in preparation for another day which I am sure will be awesome.