Showing posts with label Kuranda. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kuranda. Show all posts

Monday, July 26, 2010

It's Magic!


A bit of mood lighting, change the setting on the camera, voilĂ !  It's magic!  This is why one shouldn't believe everything one sees in print.

Musty room or not, it was just as well we booked a room last night because the rain pelted down and the wind blew gales all night.
The set-up where we stayed was pretty clever. It's actually backpackers' accommodation which is housed in shipping containers arranged in a u-shape and the whole lot covered over with a steel roof. Perhaps the mustiness is part of the rainforest influence and a negative aspect of living in the rainforest!
The ablution and community kitchen block still left a lot to be desired and rainforest or not, cleanliness is not hard to be achieved if carried out on a regular basis.
A television was set up at the end of the dining area but this was commandeered by a Spanish national in his late fifties and we heard the news being broadcast in every language but English.
This was how we learned about the tragic incident at the Love Parade in Germany. It seems so hard to believe that such incidents can happen in this day and age of what sometimes appear to be excessive OH&S regulations. Not excessive enough perhaps?
The Spanish gentleman became quite animated when news of Spain's Rafael Nadal's Wimbledon win was broadcast. And so he should, haven't the Spanish also won the Tour De France, the German Grand Prix and the World Cup? I guess he had every reason to want to hog the television!


Above: Views of Kuranda.

Kuranda Village contains a mixture of galleries, churches, nature attractions, gardens, parks, markets and eateries (among other things!) (It sort of reminds me of Byron Bay – in the hills!)
Once again, the weather left a lot to be desired but we did manage to see quite a bit of the town. We contemplated visiting the Butterfly Sanctuary but decided to leave that until our granddaughter arrives in Cairns next month, for the impending wedding.
Honey Pie has already decided that the wet tropics/rainforest is not his cup of tea. Nice place to visit but the constant dampness is really getting to him.
But he doesn't have to wait for long before we're out of the wet.
Our plan is to visit Mount Mulligan and Chillagoe-Mungana National Park.
We drive through Mareeba, (stopping for great coffee at Jacques Coffee), on to Dimbulah where we have trouble finding a place to have lunch, and where we turn off onto the Mount Mulligan Road. The sky is now a brilliant blue, the sun shining and the weather dry.
We left the Mount Mulligan Road to investigate the area around Kingsborough and come across Tyrconnell Historic Gold Mine where we discover a great camp at the mine itself. We're quite impressed with what we've found and decide to stay the night.
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Sunday, July 25, 2010

Play Misty For Me


Barron Falls in the mist.
We left Cairns this morning in the mist, rain and cold.

First stop was Smithfield Shopping Centre to pick up a pair of casual shoes I'd ordered the day before from Earlville. I also spent some time searching for a top to wear to the wedding. The best I could do was to put one on hold at Noni B and order another in a larger size. The store promised to call me on my mobile once the larger size had arrived and then I could chose from the two. So fingers crossed.
After a quick lunch at the shopping centre we pointed the car towards Kuranda.
Muddy, wet and misty Kuranda.
By the time we arrived there most of the shops were closed so we made our way to Barron Falls Lookout to view the falls in the mist. Also did a short walk to the Railway Station (very expensive to travel on this line!) and up the street. 
We Found ourselves a caravan park on the other side of town and decided to stay in a cabin after a bit of a debate. The cabin was affordable but the room was very musty. The receptionist suggested we spray the room with freshener (I had my own anyway) but I knew that would only be a short term solution. In the end I left Andrew to make the decision and guess what ?  We stayed in the cabin.
 Camping would have been near impossible anyway because the camp ground was boggy, saturated from two weeks of constant rain. One camper van had already become bogged so in some ways we had no other choice.
I sprayed the room but in a short time I had to do it again....


A little Irish Pub in Kuranda.

Pitcher Plants or Dutchman's Pipes growing on Kuranda Station.


Tools and various implements embedded into the footpath at Kuranda.
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