Platypi and a Pub

We've been in Cairns for about three weeks now and plan to head off tomorrow further north.



View from the Esplanade

Our beautiful new main sail arrived yesterday from Hong Kong and it was a bit like Christmas as the crew gathered round to unwrap the enormous box. The anticipation had been killing us.
There have been a few dubious looks about our Chinese sail. But for us the cost and turnaround time were decisive factors and it seemed worth taking the gamble. So far the sail looks good, arrived when was supposed to, and the company were very easy to communicate with - all big pluses after a few negative experiences with the home grown marine industry. Now we'll just have to see how it sails and how long it lasts . . .

Cairns is pretty much the last port on the east coast, and we were keen to continue up to Lizard Island and the Flinders Group before we have to make the turn back south for cyclone season. The timely arrival of the sail now makes this remotely achievable.

There is plenty to like about Cairns. It's a city which successfully manages to combine touristy tackiness with a vibrant, multicultural buzz. You can't go out for a walk without hearing at least 6 different languages being spoken. Wonderful food smells waft across the marina. There is live music on the streets and in the bars. And a strong sense of how close the city is to South East Asia. But it looks as though we will be turning the bow southwards in a month or two and not continuing on to Indonesia . . . promise.

The World Yacht Rally boats circumnavigating the globe were all in the marina when we arrived and we were berthed amongst boats flying flags from all over the world. They were on a tight schedule and didn't stay long - next stop is Darwin. Were we were tempted to go too? Well maybe just a little bit.



Live music on the Esplanade

Right on the city's doorstep of course are its natural assets - without these tourism drawcards Cairns in its current form would not exist, as the town itself is situated on mudflats. Some of these natural assets have been transformed into enormous tourist traps with huge visitor centres, car parks and boardwalks to deal with the volume of visitors. There are touts and booking offices on every corner trying to entice you onto their particular tour of the reef or rainforest. Despite the sheer number of tourists, and the fact that our family of five could easily blow several thousand dollars touring the "natural wonders", there are still plenty enough uncrowded magical spots that can be visited absolutely free.

However our first stop was a visit to the First Mate's Aunty J and Uncle A's for some wonderful roast lamb and apple crumble.  The crew were in heaven. The Captain consulted Uncle A on local fishing conditions, and a weighty fishing tome was brought out for discussion after dinner. We will keep you posted on whether this new found knowledge translates into any tangible results.

The land assault commenced. We hired a car for a week and headed out on some day trips deep into Bob Katter heartland. We headed up through the rainforest to the Atherton tableland via Kuranda and Barron River Gorge. 



Barron River Gorge

After that we had to stop in Mareeba to have kebabs for lunch at Nina's - the First Mate had spent a bit of time eating kebabs and Turkish pizza in Mareeba back in the 90's and dragged everyone else along for the nostalgia trip. No one seemed to be complaining though - and no trip to Mareeba will ever again be complete without a kebab.


A blue winged kookaburra waits in vain for some leftover kebabs in the park at Mareeba

While we were driving around looking for a park to eat our kebabs in, we noticed a turnoff for Mareeba Wetlands. After the success of the Townsville Wetlands we went out on a limb and headed up the 8km dirt track into the middle of nowhere.

Emus



Endangered Gouldian finches (in captivity) are being bred to try to restock the area.



A curious emu chick wandered up. His parents weren't convinced we were trustworthy.



Termite mounds



Goanna sculpture

 

Mareeba wetlands

The day was pressing on and the itinerary was getting looser by the minute. The First Mate had firm intentions to get to Yungaburra by nightfall in order to see the renowned Yungaburra platypuses and have dinner at the pub. In order to kill a bit of time before nightfall we pulled in to contemplate the curtain fig.



Expecting Legolas to make an appearance anytime now . . .

Then it was off to Yungaburra to walk along Petersen's Creek at dusk. This area was restored over many years by the local volunteer land care group and is an absolute tribute to the power and dedication of volunteers. One of them obviously had a love of engineering and has rebuilt various historical landmarks along the creek including a waterwheel - a huge thumbs up from the Captain and second mate.

Small groups of people were gathered at various vantage points along the muddy pools of the creek. There were obvious burrows in the river banks. However the Captain scoffed at these true believers wasting their time waiting to sight a platypus of all things and tried to herd the crew back into the hire car before they were attacked by the onslaught of mosquitoes. Clearly he is not one of the faithful. (But then this is a man who believes that the sand at Whitehaven Beach is not technically "white" and suggests that the Lucinda sugar jetty may actually be flat).

As the sun disappeared suddenly platypi appeared up and down the creek. They were much tinier creatures than we had expected and extremely busy little bodies. This was the first time in our lives that the Captain and First Mate have ever seen wild platypi, so it was truly a momentous and incredible experience. The crew were  momentarily impressed, but their kebabs were starting to wear off and they needed to eat. Fortunately the Yungaburra Pub was not too far down the road for some victuals before the steep windy drive back down to Cairns.

Yungaburra Pub