We arrived in Cairns about 1pm on Christmas Day and were ready to go ashore at 2. In conjunction with Cathi & Bruce (Canadian) and Peter & Jenny (Australian), we formed an English speaking group of former English colonists intent on exploration. Since Peter & Jenny were familiar with the country (and most importantly, driving on the wrong side of the road) they took the lead in renting a car for 6 and driving us around.
On this short afternoon we drove north to Palm Cove, a resort beach area. Not that different than Deerfield Beach close to where we live.
The Regatta docked in Cairns.
Captain Cook is big in this part of the world. He's underappreciated in the US for the worlds he discovered and mapped. And not queueing across the railway is just common sense anywhere.
The land along the highway is planted in sugar cane. Miles and miles of it.
The beach at Palm Cove.
Some of the shops
Unlike Florida, everything in the water off Australia wants to kill you, so swimming is restricted to these net enclosed areas.
Melaleuca trees abound in the area. In Florida these are "trash" trees, but here they grow much larger. Perhaps a different species.
Peter said these were rainbow lorikeets. Not a very good picture, but they were high in the crown of the tree, with the leaves below them, making it hard to get a decent picture. They moved a lot and were very noisy. And VERY colorful.
A fishing pier
Security guard on the dock Christmas evening. Lots of people had to come and work on Christmas for our ship to arrive in Cairns. Thanks.
On this short afternoon we drove north to Palm Cove, a resort beach area. Not that different than Deerfield Beach close to where we live.
The Regatta docked in Cairns.
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