6 August 2011 – Cairns Sunland Leisure Park, Queensland

We spent last night tormenting or tantalizing ourselves (I am not quite sure which) with film clips of travel to the top of Cape York. Obviously sensationalism sells, and so there are scenes of 4WDs lurching over rocks on three wheels and bridges constructed of thin rotting tree trunks, but we were alerted to the fact that these intrepid routes are up the Telegraph Road, not the Developmental Road we are planning to take. My concerns and anxieties about this fast approaching adventure have nothing to do with the physical state of the roads, but more to do with the fact that we will have to do without cheese and yoghurt since they will not travel well in our basic eski, and the fact that I will have to walk back and forward to the camp amenities at least once during each night rather than have the convenience of our excellent ensuite! I have simply been too spoilt!

More rain fell during the night and the morning did not look much better than yesterday. Again we chose not to give in and continued with our plan to see the northern beaches. Lunch and umbrellas packed, and we were off.

Views of Ellis Beach

We headed up the Captain Cook Highway which runs north up the coast all the way to Mossman, but stopping today’s journey at Ellis Beach, the most northern of the beaches considered to be part of Cairns. Ellis Beach has little but a caravan park right along the beach frontage and a store. The road hugs the coastline beneath the tropical rainforest so there is not much room for the extras the more southern beaches boast. We parked and walked barefoot along the golden sands of this very pretty palm lined open beach, dabbling our toes into the edge of the waves and found the water surprisingly tepid, but not enough for us to venture further in.

From there we returned south just a few kilometres to Palm Cove which is apparently very famous, in the same way Mission Beach is. I have obviously led a sheltered existence, because had it not been for the fact that Danielle (who must be about to deliver just any day now) having married her Aaron there at Mission Beach, I would never have heard of the more southern spot. We have never traveled resort style and therefore are absolutely ignorant of these tourist meccas.

Palm Cove; below the sign uninviting to swimmers

 
Palm Cove is just beautiful, a small settlement of tasteful apartments and hotels, a few shops and several cafes and restaurants which are discretely tucked under palm trees and tropical ferns. A gravel path and roadway have been designed to incorporate the 500 year old Melaleuca trees. At one end of the beach there is a council caravan park which we know to be fairly priced and a jetty which attracts fisher folk. As we neared the end of the jetty, we saw an osprey swoop down to take a small fish held high for such action. The “falconer” was a tourist who had been given the opportunity by the fisherman who has made a habit of feeding this great bird of prey here on the wharf. He had just purchased new gloves to replace those now worn out, and was quite dismayed when the osprey took the fish and the glove from the woman. Alas the osprey will have to wait for its next takeaway meal until the fisherman has been able to replace the glove. 

This same fisherman subsequently pulled in a large puffer fish, or at least was in the process of doing so when a squall came over , and Chris and I made a mad dash for shelter. It passed soon enough, and when it did, we donned jackets in anticipation of a repeat performance and walked further along the beach.

Further south toward Cairns lie the beach settlements of Clifton Beach, and Kewarra where we pulled in for lunch. The facilities for visitors to this beach are very limited so we enjoyed a quiet lunch before we headed back through this lovely residential area to the main highway to travel further south again, past Trinity Beach, Yorkey’s Knob, Holloway’s Beach and Machan’s Beach. From there the road passes through sugar cane fields before reaching the edge of the city and the airport.

We called in to the Tanks Art Centre, the innovative rejuvenation of three huge old fuel tanks on the side of the Mt Whitfield Conservation Park. Two are being used as intimate concert venues and one, an art gallery. We enjoyed much of the art works on display, however did have lively debate about appreciation of traditional Aboriginal art, and I decided that neither of us understood much about it.

The Tanks Art Centre

 We walked less than a kilometre along the road to the Botanic Gardens, much of which are undergoing upgrade, but that open for view, was most impressive. There were some amazing tropical flowers that we had never seen before.

Across the road we entered the Rainforest Boardwalk which traverses a small remnant of coastal lowland swamp rainforest, most on a boardwalk. This was also greatly enjoyed, however we cut it short so we could return to camp and get organized to watch the Bledisloe Cup rugby match between the Wallabies and the All Blacks being played live at 5.30. We were duly rewarded by good television reception and an excellent result; a sound beating of the Wallabies. It was just as well we were in the privacy of our own caravan while I cheered each try wildly.

Treasures found in the Botanical Gardens