Centenary Lakes

THURSDAY, 28 JULY 2016

Marina

The Pier

Young Endeavour

Bambo

Frangipani

Moon Gate

Looking through the Moon Gate

Red flowers

Twitching

Turtle with an itch

Freshwater Lake

Guard dogs

Looks vaguely familiar

Another view of the lake

Hibiscus

Pavilion

Pandani swamp

The days just seem to slip by without any effort.  Last Sunday we enjoyed a stroll around the marina and along the boardwalk – the man at Movenpick recognises us now!  The weather was superb and we spent some time looking at the large “yachts,” the Young Endeavour was in port and a young man spent a considerable amount of time trying to stand up on jet boots in the water, without much success.

Tuesday night was time for bowls, and our next door neighbours asked to come with us.  The temperature was just perfect after dark for playing and my triples team showed great skill (not to mention the skipping!) to win the night’s competition.  The $30 meat voucher from a local butcher will come in very handy.

The weather has remained consistently hot every day, with the temperatures between 28-30 degrees.  As Himself has been feeling the heat somewhat, we ordered a fan over the internet (winter up here, so only heaters available in the shops) and collected it from Officeworks.  Unfortunately, after unpacking it, he discovered a large crack in the plastic casing but as the fan worked perfectly, decided it wasn’t worth the effort of returning to Officeworks and waiting another week for a replacement.  Life under the awning is much more tolerable now.

Today we enjoyed a long walk through the Botanic Gardens and the Centenary Lakes Park – it was very pleasant walking under the trees and around the lake.  A new addition since last year has been the Chinese Friendship Garden, with a pavilion extending into the lake.  This is a very popular area for tourists and locals alike, although the walk through the pandanis swamp and paperbark forest was a bit on the humid side.

Tropical Downpours

SATURDAY, 23 JULY 2016

The tide is in!

Egrets enjoying a paddle

Posing

Posing also

No water in the Lagoon

Bullock Whip

Fire Whips

We have experienced a very wet and soggy week, with solid, tropical downpours from Sunday night to Thursday night.  In such weather, with a permanent moat around our concrete slab and mildew growing on some of the curtains, there is little one can do except stay dry in a shopping centre.  We spent one morning at the DFO, where someone managed to add another three “necessary” shirts to his collection!  We then joined James and Maureen at Cazaly’s for lunch and managed to bring some $1 coins home for the washing machine piggy bank.

On Friday, the skies cleared and the washing Olympics commenced – I made the mad dash shortly before 7.00 am, coming in a close second.  How nice to see the sun and have the washing dry by lunchtime.  We did set out for a longed for walk along the creek, however the path was too slippery with water, mud and leaves for safety, so we headed to the boardwalk at the Esplanade instead.  With the heat and humidity rising rapidly, the long walk very quickly became a long, slow walk; a stop for an ice cream was an absolute necessity.  We also had a look at the Lagoon, which was closed this week for three weeks’ maintenance – the middle of the tourist season but the locals don’t use it in winter, evidently.  It was even necessary to turn the air conditioner on this afternoon and order a desk fan for the awning – Cat has really been suffering this week.

Last night, we were treated to another sausage sizzle, complete with all the trimming, by the park’s owners, and then enjoyed a whip cracking show by Nathan Griggs.  This Territorian kept us entertained with his commentary and whip cracking exploits for nearly an hour, concluding his show with fire whips.

Saturday dawned with much chillier temperatures (18 degrees) and clear skies.  It doesn’t take long for the temperature to rise …

Cattana Wetlands and a Birthday

MONDAY, 18 JULY 2016

On Sunday, with the sun shining and the temperature hovering about the 28 degree mark, we decided to add to our morning walk along the creek with a walk around the Cattana Wetlands.  As we turned off the main road towards the wetlands, I noticed a large snake on the side of the road – his very flat head probably meant this was one snake we didn’t need to worry about.  We walked right around both lakes (keeping a very wary eye out, of course!), enjoying the tranquillity, the small water lilies, the melaleucas, a tree literally covered in a spider web (complete with hundreds of spiders) and the scenery in general.

About 330 am on Monday morning, it started to rain and by 7.00 am we were experiencing a tropical downpour, more typical of February weather.  The rain continued until nearly lunch time; very hot and humid as well.  It was a good morning to spend inside taking birthday calls.  James and Maureen arrived, chasing the rain away and increasing the humidity even more, and we headed to Barnacle Bill’s to celebrate my birthday.  After lunch, it was off to Smithfield to collect my new glasses, necessary because the transition lenses were no longer transitioning!  All good now.  James and Maureen joined us for a late afternoon tea and to help eat the lemon drizzle cake made this morning.

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair

SATURDAY, 16 JULY 2016

We had a change in the weather patterns on Wednesday, and the mizzle appeared and hung around for a couple of days – a bit of rain overnight and a bit cooler during the day, which meant finding a shirt with a longer sleeve.  Friday was overcast and today the sun has made a welcome return.

We have had a couple of quiet days, catching up on some reading and cooking, as well as a trip south to Jayco at Edmonton for a new light bulb.  On Friday, we visited the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair and agreed that the exhibits were as good as previous years.  There were some fantastic dot paintings, linocuts and weavings highlighting the talent and culture of the local indigenous people.  Many of the works had many zeroes in their price tags!

Cairns Holiday

TUESDAY, 12 JULY 2016

At last !!!

Sunset from the caravan park

Happy Hour

Walking the beach

What crocodiles?

Family at Palm Cove

Rafting

Barron Falls

Portrait time

Looks just like Emma

Final ice cream

Visitor to the caravan (outside, thank goodness)

Last Friday was a rest day for some while the visitors spent the day on the reef – getting sunburnt!  From all accounts, and the many photos, a good day was had by all, with no-one succumbing to seasickness.

Saturday was time for a girls’ day out, with some foot pampering before hitting the markets and a much anticipated stop at Movenpick!  Diane actually seemed to enjoy her shopping experience, loading quite a few shopping bags into the back of the car.

Sunday, along with half the population of Cairns, we visited Palm Cove for an early morning stroll along the beach.  The weather was warm and there were a number of well-buffed lifesavers around to keep a smile on Kathryn’s face.  During the afternoon, the three visitors took to a rubber raft for some white water rafting.  Whilst all three returned unharmed, the same couldn’t be said for one member of their raft who suffered a broken nose and facial injuries after stopping suddenly on the back of her daughter’s helmet and needing to be immediately landed for medical treatment.

Monday, four of us headed to Kuranda for another tourist experience, with a stop at the Barron Falls on the way – quite a bit of water coming down the falls, too.  Unfortunately, all the people who had gone to Palm Cove on Sunday also came to Kuranda on Monday and each brought four friends with them!!!  The butterfly house was so packed with people that there was very little room for the butterflies, apart from close to the roof.  Thank goodness that Queensland schools resumed on Monday and we only had New South Wales and Tasmania visitors.  We returned to Cairns for a final ice cream, collected Himself and enjoyed a farewell dinner.

Today, after a quick hike to Crystal Cascades, we said goodbye at the airport and life returned to “normal.”