Sight Seeing

27/12/2011

Today was our first opportunity to show Barry some of the countryside behind the Cairns and the northern beaches part of Queensland, we have been too busy socialising. We went for a drive up over the range to the tablelands visiting first of all, the town of Mareeba which was shut. We had completely forgotten about the extra days holiday due to the Christmas period falling at the week end. We did find  a roadside café or ice creamery, as they called it, open where I tried a ice coffee for the first time ever….. Very nice! After Mareeba we carried on through the fertile tablelands to Atherton with heavy rain clouds threatening then to Lake Eatcham where we had lunch and a swim. On the way there we were forced to pull over to the side of the road during a very heavy downpour. It was impossible to see the road so heavy the rain, but it passed over in 15 minutes. Lake Eacham picnic area was full of day trippers with lots more swimming in the lake, never seen so many people there. On to the nice little town of Yungaburra and a favourite pub of ours Barry having to buy the pub T shirt. From Yungaburra  to Gordonvale over and down the range along the steep 20k  snaking road requiring a good deal of concentration. A quick beer in Apres at Palm Cove before lamb chops on the Barbie back here at Clifton, everyone knackered.

 28/12/2011

 A wet day with little sunshine but we coped cos we’re British.
 Took Barry up the coast to Cape Tribulation and Daintree, two places we never tire of visiting, being true rainforest. It rained mostly whilst we were driving and cleared up enough for us to have a picnic lunch by the beach at Cape Trib.
 The forest is beginning to take on a new look now the wet has arrived, it appears more green and the dry riverbeds are starting to run, the downside is the ocean doesn’t always have it’s beautiful turquoise colour because of the cloud cover.  The beaches sometimes look a little darker when they are damp, not the pure white they really are. We thought about a croc trip on the Daintree River but we reckoned we had left it too late in the day as it’s an hours trip back to Clifton. It was gone 5 o’clock by the time we got back, well past beer o’clock!

  29/12/2011
  We are in to a spell of very wet weather which looks like lasting for a couple of days. We can’t see the top of the range for low rain clouds. The wet is part of living in the tropics and doesn’t interfere too much with our way of life. Phil and myself managed to mow the lawns in the pouring rain but we had to drain excess water from the pool as it overflows when there is heavy rain.
  Barrys blisters are healing nicely but his ankle is swollen and we can’t get it down so he has an appointment at the Vets tomorrow.
 We had a boys only early evening drinks at Palm Cove Surf Club which went on longer than usual as we had to wait for taxi’s. They were late because of torrential rain  40 mm in a couple of hours. Barry won the meat raffle----chicken, mince, steak and snags, then multiplied it by 2 by winning second prize as well! We were very popular Poms!! Jane had made a spag bol for tea, not the easiest meal to deal with after several schooners!