Cairns - 24.09.2012 to 05.10.2012

After having gone through and experienced so many places, coming to Cairns was not a new adventure as both of us have been here before, but still nice to pull up in a caravan park for a week. It was here that we met up with Padma and Stephanie (Franz, Padma's husband was in Melbourne for a week) who we met in the caravan park in Melbourne just before we took off for our travels, it was great to catch up with them again and hear stories about their travels and adventures. It looks like Cairns has grown on them and they have decided to stay until April next year (good idea to experience a wet season before they decide to buy a house.)

Cairns has grown quite considerably and sported many a shopping complex and new housing estates but still remains quite an easy city to get around with a relaxed lifestyle quite evident. The beaches are plentiful around Cairns and we indulged in a swim or two whilst here especially as the stingers have not yet turned up. The water is a great temperature and you easily immerse yourself and enjoy the water.

Halloways beach

Whilst wondering the streets of Cairns we came across a music shop, yes bad mistake Crowey for going in cause he came out a little pit poorer, but with a gorgeous little Maton Uke that he just had to have. That night we went to a bar/restaurant called The Harvana Club where a very talented lad called Ryo Montgomery played a couple of songs with Crowey's new uke and made it sing like a bird. Ryo's dad had the perfect car to take a photo as well.

The new purchase

After a taste of music we heard about a folk festival in a place called Wallaby Creek, which is approx. 40 minutes south of Cooktown. So we packed the tent to experience a music festival in FNQ (thats the acronym for Far North Queensland). What an interesting spot, a beautiful little creek running through a 100 acres property with rainforest all around us. Setting up our camp on the Thursday we got a little hungry and as the festival had not as yet commenced decided to indulge in the local pub, The Lions Den. Quite a rustic little pub in the town of Rossville, but boy do they do a mean chicken parma!!

roar

cheers Crowey

The actual festival got started around Friday arvo and true to the Queensland nature was quite a relaxed and sometimes disorganised event, but we saw some really interesting acts just the same. All in all we had a really enjoyable weekend, going to the bush poets breakky in the mornings and meeting a bush poet by the name of Wilga Bill, who's poem about his dog of 13 years bought a tear to your eye. Quite a character Bill was and we soon found ourselves enjoying some tales over damper and a cuppa. Bill also invited us to stay on his property in the Atherton Tablelands just out of Mareeba and promptly drew us a mud map to help us get there. One of our favorite acts of the festival was a girl by the name of Lani, who learnt to play guitar on the internet (hope for me yet) and sings really well, releasing her first album at the festival which we bought. Bill Chambers was also a guest of the festival and we found him playing with lots of different bands throughout the festival so Crowey got his latest album and had Bill sign it. After the initial observation that this festival was by no means anything like the Port Fairy festival in Vic, we did sit back and take it as it was intended, in a relaxed easy going fashion. 

Wallaby Creek Festival here we come

the crowd builds up

Crowey with Wilga Bill the bush poet and his book

no not performers

Bill Chambers enjoying a song and a chat

The Montgomery Bros. Ryo plays the guitar like Tommy Emmanuel, look out for him

Back in Cairns again, where we left our caravan, we decided to do the Scenic Railway from Cairns to Kuranda. Construction of the railway began in 1882. The railway was completed as far as Kuranda in 1891 and passenger services began operations on 25 June 1891.
Many lives were lost as numerous tunnels and bridges were built. 15 hand-made tunnels and 37 bridges were built to climb from sea level to 328 metres up the McAlister Range and three million cubic metres of earth had to be excavated during construction.The first operation of a tourist train from Cairns to Kuranda was in 1936. The ride is very scenic, going through the Baron Gorge up to the lovely little village of Kuranda where we enjoyed lunch, a leisurely stroll and the bird sanctuary where all colours of the rainbow were covered with exotic australian and overseas birds.

Off on the scenic railway

the train on one of the many bridges

Straight up to Crowey to take off the top of his cap

Cheeky

gorgeous little parrot

mutant parrot, a mix of two different parrots

All aboard Crowey

Our love of birds has grown during our travels and one of the most unusual birds we have come across is the Bush Stone Curlew. Coming out at night you can hear them call to each other and the sound is like nothing you have heard before, it is an eerie high pitched wail and is their contact call at nigh, they are mainly nocturnal and ground bound, but can actually fly quite well if required. Their knees go backwards and when you sight them or disturb them they will remain motionless and blend in with the trees, their eyes are quite weird and hypnotic and they are such a funny little bird  to watch, they have become our favorite bird so far.

So Cairns is a great spot to visit with lots to do and amuse yourself, the weather was perfect whilst we were there but time to move on to Port Douglas.

Curlew sitting on the nest

 

a couple, check out the legs on the left

feathers for camoflauge