We came to the conclusion that the location of our van park in Cairns was the reason we were receiving so many showers. Cool Waters Holiday Park sits right at the base of the tablelands, which caused the prevailing wind, a strong, moist flow coming off the sea, to rise. As soon as we went any distance from Cool Waters it was dry. Cloudy and windy, but dry.
Sunday we decided to take a drive to Port Douglas. We went down to The Esplanade in Cairns first to get our morning coffees. It was a balmy 25 degrees and there was plenty of activity on the waterfront. We parked in the vicinity of the harbour and walked through the lovely lagoon area. It is a large endless pool situated in green, landscaped parkland with fine white sand along one edge so as to resemble a beach. Cairns city doesn't have a beach - only mudflats at low tide, so the lagoon provides a swimming and sunbaking haven. Plus it allows for stinger-free swimming all year round.
Cairns Waterfront
Port Douglas is an upmarket resort town 60 odd kilometers North of Cairns. It is a very picturesque drive, for the most part with rainforest-covered ranges on one side of the windy, rather narrow road and ocean on the other. It was close to midday when we arrived and the Sunday Markets on the harbour-side waterfront were in full swing. We wandered through with James on a short lead, as usual getting lots of attention from by-passers, browsing the huge array of merchandise. PD is a bit of an arty place, so it was no surprise that many of the stalls were full of hand-made local art, craft and food. With masses of people strolling along James tucked in tightly beside me, constantly checking that Brian was close by. Any time he lost sight of 'his dad' he stopped dead, refusing to budge until he spotted him.
After the market we crossed the road to walk up the main street which was full of people enjoying lunch in the dozens of al-fresco cafes, bars and restaurants. The long street runs from the parkland beside the harbour to the open ocean and surf beach on the opposite side of a hilly headland. Aside from a huge variety of places to eat, drink and be entertained, there are heaps of boutiques selling everything from massages, beautiful dresses and shoes to fine art, jewelry and Port Douglas mementos.
By the time we got back to the Beast, James was in need of some lead-free time. We let him loose in the park adjacent to the market to do the things dogs need to do. It was another pretty spot in PD, overlooking the water at the entrance to the harbour, to mist-covered mountain ranges. We drove a few hundred meters back to the marina and parked in the shade leaving James to rest up in the Beast while we had a delicious lunch on the deck looking out over the beautiful yachts and boats owned, no doubt, by the rich and famous. Port Douglas is a bit like that!
James got rewarded for his stint in the Beast by a run along the surf beach. He bounded in and out of the waves as we walked along with a smile as big as a crocodile.
Woohoo!
Monday we had a couple of jobs to do. First, of course, our morning cappuccino on The Esplanade. The airport is not far out of the city and with a semi-circle of mountain ranges on the inland side, aircraft do a max rate climb after take-off, then a steep turn out to sea. We were getting a great view of this from the coffee shop and most mornings were there when all the commercial airliners had a busy period. As Aviation Tragics, that entertained us immensely.
Our first job was to exchange one of our gas bottles. We always try to do it at Bunnings where it costs $21. At some places on our travels we have paid $45 for either a re-fill or exchange. That really hurts. After Bunnings we headed South to check out a couple of kennels and pop into Jayco. Our flight to Melbourne on Thursday was due to leave at 10.35am. Before that we needed to drop the van off for a service and drop James off at a boarding kennel, hopefully nearby. The airport is North of the city, Jayco quite a long way South, there were massive roadworks going on and we would be in peak hour traffic.
We passed Jayco continuing South to investigate a couple of options for James. They were both miles further out of town which was a problem. There was not much to choose from by way of private boarding in Cairns and we were left with only choice, and one that I was not really happy with, the RSPCA near the airport. My investigations had confirmed that while he would be cared for it was more of a two star resort than a five star. Poor baby! I gave them a call and booked him in for a week, commencing Thursday. It was their very last spot....lucky eh!
Given we were so far South of Cairns at this point, we continued in that direction for another 30 km through Babinda to The Boulders, a fast-flowing creek lined with huge rounded rocks. The area around Babinda is one of the wettest places in Australia with an average of over 4000 mm of rain per annum. The Boulders are just 5 minutes drive from Babinda, through incredibly dense, lush rainforest. The Babinda Creek originates at Mount Bartle Frere, Queensland's highest mountain, and flows down through The Boulders where there are fantastic walking tracks, viewing platforms, picnic areas and swimming holes. It is a stunning spot. The crystal clear water was flowing very fast over and around the smooth boulders even though we viewed it in The Dry. There are warnings about walking on the rocks - apparently 'The Devil's Pool' has claimed 15 lives since 1959. The currents can get incredibly strong.
On the way back to Cairns we called into Jayco. We wanted to make sure that they could complete the service and all the repair items on our list so as to have the van ready for us to pick up Thursday 19th. They reckoned they could. The only problem we had was they didn't open till 8.30. With our flight at 10.35, it would be cutting it too fine to get through roadworks and peak hour as well as drop James off, park the Beast in long term etc. Not a problem, we could leave the van out front of their yard as early as we liked. We gave them a set of keys, including the one to the tow-bar lock and decided we'd aim to get it there before 8.
It was mid-afternoon when we arrived back at the van. We had a cuppa, a bit of a read, took James for a walk, got a little dressed up and headed into the Cairns Reef Casino. It is considered one of Australia's finest boutique casinos. We loved it. Not only that but we won $60 and had a good couple of hours of entertainment. We took our winnings and wandered along The Esplanade, deciding to dine Turkish, outdoors in the beautiful balmy tropical evening. What a lovely life we have!
Sunday we decided to take a drive to Port Douglas. We went down to The Esplanade in Cairns first to get our morning coffees. It was a balmy 25 degrees and there was plenty of activity on the waterfront. We parked in the vicinity of the harbour and walked through the lovely lagoon area. It is a large endless pool situated in green, landscaped parkland with fine white sand along one edge so as to resemble a beach. Cairns city doesn't have a beach - only mudflats at low tide, so the lagoon provides a swimming and sunbaking haven. Plus it allows for stinger-free swimming all year round.
Cairns Waterfront
Port Douglas is an upmarket resort town 60 odd kilometers North of Cairns. It is a very picturesque drive, for the most part with rainforest-covered ranges on one side of the windy, rather narrow road and ocean on the other. It was close to midday when we arrived and the Sunday Markets on the harbour-side waterfront were in full swing. We wandered through with James on a short lead, as usual getting lots of attention from by-passers, browsing the huge array of merchandise. PD is a bit of an arty place, so it was no surprise that many of the stalls were full of hand-made local art, craft and food. With masses of people strolling along James tucked in tightly beside me, constantly checking that Brian was close by. Any time he lost sight of 'his dad' he stopped dead, refusing to budge until he spotted him.
After the market we crossed the road to walk up the main street which was full of people enjoying lunch in the dozens of al-fresco cafes, bars and restaurants. The long street runs from the parkland beside the harbour to the open ocean and surf beach on the opposite side of a hilly headland. Aside from a huge variety of places to eat, drink and be entertained, there are heaps of boutiques selling everything from massages, beautiful dresses and shoes to fine art, jewelry and Port Douglas mementos.
By the time we got back to the Beast, James was in need of some lead-free time. We let him loose in the park adjacent to the market to do the things dogs need to do. It was another pretty spot in PD, overlooking the water at the entrance to the harbour, to mist-covered mountain ranges. We drove a few hundred meters back to the marina and parked in the shade leaving James to rest up in the Beast while we had a delicious lunch on the deck looking out over the beautiful yachts and boats owned, no doubt, by the rich and famous. Port Douglas is a bit like that!
James got rewarded for his stint in the Beast by a run along the surf beach. He bounded in and out of the waves as we walked along with a smile as big as a crocodile.
Woohoo!
Monday we had a couple of jobs to do. First, of course, our morning cappuccino on The Esplanade. The airport is not far out of the city and with a semi-circle of mountain ranges on the inland side, aircraft do a max rate climb after take-off, then a steep turn out to sea. We were getting a great view of this from the coffee shop and most mornings were there when all the commercial airliners had a busy period. As Aviation Tragics, that entertained us immensely.
Our first job was to exchange one of our gas bottles. We always try to do it at Bunnings where it costs $21. At some places on our travels we have paid $45 for either a re-fill or exchange. That really hurts. After Bunnings we headed South to check out a couple of kennels and pop into Jayco. Our flight to Melbourne on Thursday was due to leave at 10.35am. Before that we needed to drop the van off for a service and drop James off at a boarding kennel, hopefully nearby. The airport is North of the city, Jayco quite a long way South, there were massive roadworks going on and we would be in peak hour traffic.
We passed Jayco continuing South to investigate a couple of options for James. They were both miles further out of town which was a problem. There was not much to choose from by way of private boarding in Cairns and we were left with only choice, and one that I was not really happy with, the RSPCA near the airport. My investigations had confirmed that while he would be cared for it was more of a two star resort than a five star. Poor baby! I gave them a call and booked him in for a week, commencing Thursday. It was their very last spot....lucky eh!
Given we were so far South of Cairns at this point, we continued in that direction for another 30 km through Babinda to The Boulders, a fast-flowing creek lined with huge rounded rocks. The area around Babinda is one of the wettest places in Australia with an average of over 4000 mm of rain per annum. The Boulders are just 5 minutes drive from Babinda, through incredibly dense, lush rainforest. The Babinda Creek originates at Mount Bartle Frere, Queensland's highest mountain, and flows down through The Boulders where there are fantastic walking tracks, viewing platforms, picnic areas and swimming holes. It is a stunning spot. The crystal clear water was flowing very fast over and around the smooth boulders even though we viewed it in The Dry. There are warnings about walking on the rocks - apparently 'The Devil's Pool' has claimed 15 lives since 1959. The currents can get incredibly strong.
On the way back to Cairns we called into Jayco. We wanted to make sure that they could complete the service and all the repair items on our list so as to have the van ready for us to pick up Thursday 19th. They reckoned they could. The only problem we had was they didn't open till 8.30. With our flight at 10.35, it would be cutting it too fine to get through roadworks and peak hour as well as drop James off, park the Beast in long term etc. Not a problem, we could leave the van out front of their yard as early as we liked. We gave them a set of keys, including the one to the tow-bar lock and decided we'd aim to get it there before 8.
It was mid-afternoon when we arrived back at the van. We had a cuppa, a bit of a read, took James for a walk, got a little dressed up and headed into the Cairns Reef Casino. It is considered one of Australia's finest boutique casinos. We loved it. Not only that but we won $60 and had a good couple of hours of entertainment. We took our winnings and wandered along The Esplanade, deciding to dine Turkish, outdoors in the beautiful balmy tropical evening. What a lovely life we have!
Tuesday we drove up to Copperlode Dam. Set in the midst of the Lamb Ranges 20 km West of the CBD, it is Cairns primary water supply. The narrow access road which winds its way through dense rainforest provides spectacular views over the city and suburbs. There are elevated picnic areas and viewing platforms adjacent to the spillway which lookout over the tranquil water and surrounding ranges. James was very relieved to jump out of the Beast when we arrived at the end of the 430 meter ascent. So was I. The trip up was pretty hairy.
Just checkin' out the dam
In the afternoon we pulled the bikes off their rack on the back of the van to clean them up and give them a run. The last time we had ridden them was along the beach at Balgal where they had been blasted with the salty spray carried on the gales that blew. They were also covered in red dirt that had turned to mud in the rain we'd had over the previous few days. We wondered whether the electronic controls would still work given what they'd been through. We really should have had the cover on them. Brian got to with some lubricant and a cleaning cloth, then we slid the freshly charged batteries into place and tested them. They both worked on each of their 3 speeds and in both pedal-assist and auto mode. Excellent! We went for a ride around the neighbouring streets and park. Brian has decided he will put protective bags over the electronics on the handlebars. The black dog poo bags are just the right size! He'll also put the cover back on before the van goes in for service on Thursday.
With the weather warming and James sporting a bit of a winter coat I got to with the clippers and gave him a haircut. He didn't mind at all. I left the long hair around his face, ears and legs, just shaving his body. I thought he looked pretty good. To get the residual bits of cut hair off he had a lovely long swim in the creek beside the van. Twenty minutes of swimming out to retrieve a ball in the fast-flowing crystal clear water, followed by a good roll on his supa-dupa soak-it-up dog mat had him looking fantastic.
By the time we had done all that it was after five. Time to sit out by the stream with drink and a book. How the days just disappear!
Most of our time Wednesday was spent preparing for Thursday. The van needed to be readied for delivery to Jayco, we needed to pack for our flight to Melbourne and I wanted to take James for a visit to the kennel so he would be a bit familiar with it when we dropped him off.
After doing three loads of washing and getting them on the line early, we headed off for coffee on The Esplanade. Then we popped in, unannounced, to the RSPCA. James was quite happy to go in with me, but as we waited to be shown around his enthusiasm dwindled. By the time we were lead into the small dog enclosure and walked past the 8 or so frantically barking dogs he was desperate to be picked up. My initial rating of two star boarding was rapidly revised......to zero stars. There was no way I could leave him there. It was shabby, grubby and the enclosures were tiny. He could not get out the gate quickly enough. Time to re-plan. I phoned Mandy from 'Paws Outdoors'. Her business looks after dogs in a home environment and I had made enquiries with her a few weeks prior. I had at that time discounted it as an option as it was expensive and I figured there was a risk of James escaping a back yard or being hurt by one of the other dogs. But I was out of options. She said she could take him and would call in and visit us at the van in the afternoon.
On the way back to Cool Waters we detoured to visit Lake Placid and the lower reaches of Barron Gorge. The rugged gorge was pretty dry, but there was a small waterfall that looked lovely. I have no doubt it would be pretty spekky after rains.
At the van we got busy. We had to pack light for our week in Melbourne as we were taking carry-on baggage only. The forecast for our visit was showers, rain and temperatures ranging from 7 - 16 degrees. Yuk! That meant warm clothes. I squeezed as much as I could fit into my bag - and would no doubt have to borrow a warm coat while down there.
After packing we gave the van a bit of a Spring Clean; the flywire screens brushed down, bathroom & toilet scrubbed, linen changed, fridge completely emptied, turned off and wiped out, storage tubs re-packed etc. Brian raised the stabilisers, attached the Beast, lifted and stowed the mats and all the other outside stuff. We were just about done by the time Mandy arrived. She was lovely and James took to her immediately. We sorted out all the details and agreed to drop him off at her place around 8am Thursday morning. I felt much happier with the new plan.
The city of Cairns
We were up before first light Thursday, leaving Cool Waters on the dot of seven. Cairns southbound traffic was light, so we had the van parked and locked up outside Jayco by 7.30. The trip back into town to drop James off only took half an hour and we walked him into Mandy's house a bit earlier than planned. He had no idea what was going on, so was his normal happy self. But not for long. He twigged pretty quickly.
He greeted Mandy enthusiastically, presumably thinking the three of us were just visiting. Then I said "James, you're going to stay here and be a good boy. We'll be back soon". He looked devastated. Brian and I felt really bad. Poor James...he's had us with him 24/7 for six months and we were leaving him with a strange person in a strange place. Mandy was lovely and picked him up, but he struggled to get away. We left.
Shortly before our flight departed I received an SMS from Mandy. She said that after we left he just sat at the front door crying, but he settled down with lots of attention and cuddles. Thank goodness! Later in the day she sent a photo of him getting walked along The Esplanade. He was much happier. It's only for a week anyway!
Melbourne was quite warm and sunny when we arrived in the afternoon and it was lovely to catch up with family and meet our new arrival, tiny Thomas Darcy. It was also great to go to our regular coffee shop at Seaford Pier Friday morning and share our traveling tales with staff and patrons that we knew.
Back home for a week......Seaford Pier
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