SUNDAY 14 JUNE     CAIRNS

Today was another drive and explore day, this time to some of the beaches north of the city, along the Cook Highway. It was a warm, sunny day, ideal beach weather.

We had a quick look around Trinity Beach and Palm Cove, which seem to almost be outlying suburbs of Cairns.

Ellis Beach was of interest because there was a caravan park there, right by the beach, but the park seemed very crowded and it was also right by the highway.

The Cook Highway hugs the coast and passes a series of very attractive beaches and coves, separated by rocky outcrops and headlands, large and small. The scenery makes it a wonderful road to drive. Despite the fact that we have come north up much of the Australian east coast, there has been nowhere that the road has been right by the sea, like this.

We drove as far north as Wangetti Beach, about 40kms from Cairns. This was just so beautiful that we stopped to walk on the beach – and didn’t get to go any further. We walked along the beach for a time, then John decided to try fishing. I was happy just to sit and soak in the scenery. It is a taste of things to come, we hope, when we leave Cairns. Had our picnic lunch on the beach. Didn’t catch any fish.

John is coming down with the cold, and was not all that keen on doing much driving. We will come this way again in a few days, anyway.

We headed back to Cairns in the mid afternoon – before any bities may have come in.

Tea was a stir fry, done in the electric frypan, mostly hokkien noodles, beef and some vegies.