Expensive fun (and otherwise) in Cairns!

Waiting for the train at Freshwater Station

I am spending an inordinate amount of time in amenity blocks. Not in a George Michael way, you understand (sorry Gerry!), but because Ella has to go with someone, and that someone has to be me. However, occasionally it is worth it. On Saturday night, Ella spied a huge preying mantis above her on the ceiling of the loo. After an earsplitting shriek (for effect in the echoing block - she isn't scared of that much!) she said "Hey, Mum, that preying mantis is eyeing me down". I must admit I am also enjoying showering with her, as we wear our towels as "Cloaks of Invisibility" back to the van, and absolutely no-one can see us! Ella is also handy when I absent mindedly take a wrong turn and she says "MUM! That one is the Blokes!"

Our first foray into Cash Haemorrhage Territory was on Sunday morning as we drove to the Skyrail terminal, took a shuttle bus to the beautiful Freshwater Station and waited for the Kuranda Scenic Railway to arrive. We had a quick squizz through the little museum there, where the kids were amazed to learn that the men built the whole railway by hand. (With the assistance of some dynamite, which was not always judiciously used judging from the death toll.) And they had to supply their own picks and shovels to get the job! Construction of this ambitious railway project started in 1886. Up to 1500 men at a time endured terrible conditions as they perched on the edge of cliffs, swung from ropes hacking into the cliff face, toiled away in tunnels and bridged steep ravines. Some of the camps were precariously sited on cliff edges - and here whole families lived (or maybe existed is more apt) in the jungle! The 37 km of track ascends 327 metres and included 15 tunnels, 55 bridges and 98 curves! The budding engineer in the family thought all this tremendous and we now understand why Dave's dad Geoff enjoyed KSR so much when he visited. The train stopped at a veiwing platform so we all trooped out and duly admired Barron Falls. 

Barron Falls

We were also thankful we hadn't tried to walk there the afternoon before! The train then coasted along flat track to Kuranda, where we spent a lovely day wandering around the markets, listening to buskers and finding the rock and fossil museum to view the coprolites, recommended by Gonz. And yep, all the kids wanted to buy some fossilised dino poo! We also found the Kuranda Candy Kitchen, so of course had to watch them make their wares, tried some and bought some. We headed for home via the Skyrail, which is a 7.5 km cableway journey through World Heritage Listed Rainforest. The kids assured us it was spectacular - both Dave and I had our eyes closed a few times! We stopped twice on the way down, and met an ex-NZer at Red Peak Station who was our Ranger on a guided walk. He was incredibly enthusiastic and although it was raining we stayed with him for the whole 20 minutes. Got back to camp and the kids had a swim in the pool, practising their snorkelling for our Reef Trip on Wednesday.



 We booked in to get new car tyres on Monday, something we were expecting with the Blunderbuss for a change. Last week the kids were crying "Suckers" as we passed schools, but now this has faded to a more empathetic "Poor kids" as we passed by on our way to Beaurepaires! We were going to walk around the city, but the mechanics assured us the tyres would only take 45 minutes, and when they invited the kids to have hot chocolates, biscuits and sit in the airconditioned viewing bay, the deal was sealed. We proceeded to eat into their profits (literally) while the kids had a lesson in tyre changing and wheel alignment. It never ceases to amaze me how interested they are in things they have never seen before!  True to their word (or perhaps more than a little alarmed at the rapid rate of biscuit disappearance) we got moving in 45 minutes and went swimming at the Lagoon in town. It was 27 degrees, so all of us were glad to cool off. We got MORE groceries and Marcus was thrilled to spend his book voucher on a compendium of Gimlet books at QBD Books. (He won it in the Innovators of the Future challenge he attended just before we left.) We drove out to have a BBQ dinner at Trinity Beach where we shared the BBQ area with 2 cheeky Bush Stone-curlews, which Ella renamed the High Heel Birds. Marcus was reading his new book by torchlight all the way back to camp and thinks W.E. Johns is now his favourite author. Along with Jeff Kinney, and Jackie French, and J K Rowling and ...

No caption needed on this one!

Maths in the outdoor classroom!

Lachie & Marcus were on Tuesday morning dishes as punishment, as the accompanying photo will attest! Alas, another day misspent on the Blunderbuss. I took the bus in to get the front brakes machined which was only supposed to take a couple of hours, but it seems that Cairns Time and Turangi Time are rather similar! I ended up exploring Cairns by bus when I got sick of walking in the heat and got home late in the afternoon. At least the brakes worked and didn't shudder on the drive back to the van park. In camp fun included a couple of swims, some maths (Ella did 34 pages!), music lessons and reading. And more dishes, of course!

Franklin Island

Today, Wednesday, we took a shuttle bus to the Mulgrave River south of town to board a catamaran for a Reef Tour to Franklin Island. I'd like to report that we all had an absolutely fantastic time, as it has been one of the anticipated highlights of our journey, but that didn't quite pan out for all of us. The trouble started when our bus driver got lost looking for a late change of address with the last pickup. There were some wild U turns and lots of zooming through the winding and narrow streets which didn't make me feel all that chipper. Puddling down the Mulgrave River on the catamaran was fine and I started to feel better, enjoying all the prehistoric looking Tropical Rainforest, which we all agreed we should not be surprised to see a dinosaur poke his head through. Then we hit the open water. Dave and the kids really enjoyed the ride, but I found my way down to the back of the boat where movement was minimised. I made it to the island, but the swell of the boat as people unloaded into the runabout to get to the shore started making me seriously sick. I must have looked awful, as I got taken to the front of the queue for the second shore landing. After some water and a bit of ice, I felt up to snorkelling as that was first on the programme. We all listened to the Marine Biologist, then headed out to view the reef. Ella was a little scared, so Dave swam with her, but the boys were like ducks diving down to see as much as possible. I saw 2 fish and a clump of coral before the gentle swell of the water started to do me in, so I headed back to shore. Not fast enough. I don't know if anyone else has chundered into a snorkel, but I can tell you it is an experience I NEVER want to repeat. Dave wants to know if it came out the top of the snorkel. I am not sure, but I do know that I nearly drowned while struggling with a mask, snorkel, ill-fitting fins, deep water and puking all the while. I spent the rest of the day becoming intimately acquainted with 30 square centimetres of sand, face down in the hot sun, willing myself to die.



Slightly upright, feeling utterly awful
and dreading the return journey



They assure me that lunch was excellent. They tell me that the snorkelling was fantastic and the fish and coral lovely. Dave and the kids all had a wonderful time at Franklin Island. But all I could think about was the trip home. For the record, I threw up on the beach. I threw up on the runabout getting back to the catamaran. I threw up on the catamaran. Several times. I threw up all the ginger travelcalm tablets I was given. One of the crew helpfully told me that on rough crossings, everyone on board threw up. He hadn't seen anyone throw up on such a calm, beautiful day as this one, though. Made me feel heaps better!



Recently Mum and Dad took a flight from Brisbane to Birdsville and then on to see Lake Eyre filled for only the second time since the 1970s. Mum vomited her way around Qld and SA. I can sympathise even more now Mum!



Tomorrow we head out of Cash Haemorrhage Territory for a while (we hope!) to the Daintree and Cape Tribulation, where we have booked another beachfront site for a couple of nights. The kids left our hammer wherever they last cracked a coconut on Mission Beach, so perhaps the snack menu at Cape Tribulation will not include fresh coconut !

Stay tuned ...

PS I will edit this page and add some more photos when I am in more reliable Broadband territory. It is taking me 10 minutes to upload photos at the moment, and I REALLY need to lie down!