Day 164
Saturday
10 June 2017 –
Archer Creek – Lake Placid - Cairns
After a cool and quiet night, we woke ready to move on and
eager to get in to Cairns. We had picked out a caravan park last night, so its
co-ordinates were plugged in and we began the journey, two hours of driving
ahead.
We passed through the small RV friendly town of Ravenshoe
not long into our drive and then turned in the direction of Herberton. This
drive took us into the heart of the Atherton Tablelands and the fun driving
began, winding our way through lush green forest. Suddenly we weren’t looking
out for kangaroos and koalas, but cassowary and tree kangaroo.
Not far from Atherton, Paul noticed an issue with the box on
the back of the van. We pulled over to find the welds on the brackets had
snapped and the box was now leaning against the bike. Damn it. Between the two
of us, we had to try to lift the full and heavy box back upright, undo all the
latches, padlocks etc and then throw everything out of the box to the road
side, so that we were able to lift the empty box from the stand.
With that finally done, everything had to be placed into the
car and then the empty box had to be manoeuvred inside the van, a delicate
operation after it only just squeezed in the door and placed on the floor. We
could then return to the front seats and continue on, our journey time slowed
by 30min.
We continued on through Atherton and then Mareeba, seeing
lots of places we would like to come back and visit during our time in Cairns.
There were lots of farm lots with tropical fruits and wineries and the like to
try as well. I think we will enjoy our time around these parts.
While making the drive we worked out that Merida and Seamus
were also in town, so I messaged them in an attempt to catch up. They were off
to check out the Millaa Millaa area and wouldn’t be back in Cairns until late
in the arvo and then they were flying home but we said we would make it work
and organised to meet them and take them to the airport.
We soon began our descent through the mountains. Paul had to
work hard and the van even harder. It was at this point that we both realised
how lucky we were that the box came off where it did, because here would have
been so much worse. The road twisted and
turned lifted and dived but eventually we found our way to the relative flat
area of the coastal plain and our park was only 10min away.
We eventually made it at 11.45am, booked in and made our
selves at home. The usual set up routine was somewhat elongated with the car
needing to be emptied of all of its contents and then we had to make way within
the overhead bed storage area, where we put the box. A bit of a hassle but
necessary all the same.
We could finally enjoy lunch and begin to take a breath,
enjoying the lush surrounds.
We both had showers before gathering our gear and making our
way into the heart of Cairns to do some exploring. Our first stop, was
groceries and beer, which we returned to the car and then it was on to tourist
info, where we grabbed all the brochures and maps and chatted to the volunteer.
We then legged it out on the streets taking in the sights.
We made our way to the waterfront and walked along the
esplanade, checking out the lagoon pool and all the stalls for fitness freaks.
The Cairns Iron Man is on tomorrow, so all the fitness buffs are out in force
and making us feel bad.
We wandered up and down the front. The tide was out and made
the bay look unappealing.
We stopped in at Rattle n Hum bar and had a drink, before
deciding we should grab a bite, so we ordered squid and a pizza and happily sat
eating while watching the footy. The Dockers weren’t looking good. Paul spoke
to Ballsy, who just happens to be in Port Douglas and leaves from Cairns on
Wednesday, so Paul hopes to catch up with him before he does jet home.
We then hit the paths again walking down many roads, taking
in the view, memorising places of interest and then we returned to the lagoon.
The sun was just starting to set and was setting the clouds alight with reds
and pinks. We stopped to watch the colours dance across the sky as night
finally made an appearance.
We walked along the jetty of the marina, watching the locals
fish. You could tell the locals from the tourists as they were dressed in
hoodies and long pants. It was cool out, but we were still comfortable in our
shorts and short sleeves.
We bundled the luggage and them in the back and then drove
to the Cairns airport, chatting about our respective holidays. Once at the
airport, they checked in and we all went through to departures, where we sat
and continued to chat. It was great to see them.
We watched them head through the gate, after the rush had
died off and then we returned to the car and made our way back to the van for
just after 8pm. We were both exhausted after such an eventful day and glad to
finally head for bed.
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