A Stack of Freeways...

On a visit to LA a few years ago I was impressed with the freeways and the engineering marvels that were the freeway interchanges. I recall one that was stacked 9 levels high.

Our own freeways are pretty ordinary by comparison. The spider-web of roads over Darling Harbour is about the best we have. But, the new interchange at Walgrove Road, at the intersection of the M4 and the new M7, is a marvel.

Very soon this mess will be the most impressive interchange in the country and I believe, the only one where you can exit one freeway and immediately enter another one.



Some smart guys working on this.

Build it and they will come!

More like... "Install a tank and it will bucket down!"

It may seem like pretty mundane stuff but when you are on the business end of a 100-year drought any rain is a blessing. The 1000 litre tank has been up just 5 days and this morning the water was gushing out of the overflow pipe. We haven't had heavy drenching rain like this for many months.

God knows how many litres of precious water are just going down the drain though! We could have filled our tank many times over and we know that before long it will be dry again and we'll be praying for rain.

But maybe the drought is over. Lismore is being evacuated and all the northern rivers are at flood levels. They are getting drought-breaking rain west of the Great Divide. Not before time! We'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Wonderful Foresight!

Ten years ago local councils in Australia would have fined you for having a water tank in a suburban garden. Yes, even though you were only going to use the water for the garden and not for drinking, those morons with such wonderful foresight would hound you to hell for having the common sense to store rainwater.

Well, enter the worst drought in 100 years and now it is not a heinous offence. Those same idiots are falling all over themselves to encourage backyard watertanks. They will even pay you an incentive to buy one (Queensland gives you more and for smaller tanks... NSW is tight as usual).

Now that we have given tha back yard a makeover and are now "gardeneing types", we've installed a 1000 litre water tank.



No sooner was it installed than the clouds rolled in and it started raining ... the first good rain in many many months. Here's hoping the luck continues.

Back to Reality

After the casual lifestyle of the last 5 days we awake knowing that it must all end todays as we head back home and to the daily grind. We're going to miss Nick and Wendy and our carefree days which have been such a hoot. We've done a lot, seen a lot of wonderful scenery and enjoyed the stress-free days that only a good holiday can bring but the thing we'll miss the most is the company of Wendy and Nick. They are great to be with and we wish we could somehow join up with them for the rest of their trip around Australia.

Before we know it, it's time to go and we drive down to the Cairns airport to catch the Virgin Blue flight home. Right on cue the fun begins in the terminal as Wendy's bag sets off all the security alarms and she is pulled aside for a full check. The nail clippers and file will have to go so Wendy takes it all back to the Pajero. Meanwhile Nick is almost stripped naked as they check him and I am given the once over with watch, walet and belt removed until they say I am no longer a security risk.

Finally we get the boarding call and say our goodbyes. See you both in a few months and take care!

Our flight back to Sydney takes a little over two hours and we get the same great service on this flight. Virgin Blue leave Qantas for dead. For most of the flight we cruise at 30,000 feet on top of a thick layer of cloud which makes for a nice window shot.



Sydney airport comes into view and we really know that our holiday is over as we touch down and are back in the thick of Sydney traffic with all the crazy drivers, road rage and big city care-less attitudes.



Meanwhile ... the Princess Tour continues ...

Far Horizons

We're pretty disappointed with Green Island and head back to Cairns about midday. As this is our last night with Wendy and Nick we decide to take them to dinner somewhere smart and it's Liz's choice. She decides on one of the Palm Cove eateries and we swing by there on the way back to Ellis Beach.

The rest of the afternoon is "at leisure" and it's nice to have a nap and listen to the sound of the sea. It's a slap up dinner so the girls get scrubbed up (Nick and I are always suitably attired for any occasion) and we head off for Palm Cove. Liz has chosen the Far Horizons restaurant which is part of the Angsana Resort. Unbeknownst to us it is a six-star restaurant and has won a swag of awards here and overseas. Liz and I agree that it is a venue worthy of our travel mates Nick and Wendy after all they have done for us and we look forward to a great evening to finish off our wonderful trip.


Liz has chosen well. The atmosphere, setting and service are world class and we enjoy a wonderful meal just metres from the ocean. I am sure we will all remember this night... good wine, good food, good location and good company.



We don't think about tomorrow when we will have to head back home and our wonderful holiday will come to an end.

Green Island

I am not a morning person but to wake up in the tropics with the sound of the waves gently crashing on the beach is a delight to enjoy. We decide to have breakfast in Cairns and arrive at the port of Cairns to find tourist busses unloading what seems like hundreds of day-trippers. The marina is a hive of activity with half a dozen big catamarans getting ready for the 20 mile trip out to Green Island. We are surprised to see a US Navy ship in port and while we are waiting to board another one is arriving.


We board one of the smaller catamarans and are soon heading out into the Coral Sea at a nice clip of about 20 knots. The last time I did this trip I spent the whole time in the head (toilet) throwing up. It was an old tub of a boat which rocked and rolled on the 2 hour trip.

This trip would take only 45 minutes and there was so much to see, with other cats heading out, the US Navy in town and even seaplanes taking off from the bay. The girls and Nick head for the foredeck and spend the trip getting thouroughly blown about and covered in sea spray. I take some footage with the video and before long the island comes into view on the horizon.

The underwater viewing thingy (what the hell do you call it!) is still there after 42 years but as we walk along the jetty it is apparent that a lot has changed since we were here as kids. Instead of soft white sand under the canopy of trees it is a sea of wooden paths and where there used to be one or two wooden buildings of the old resort there is a chain of souvenier shops and the entrance to a slick resort with signs advising day-trippers to stay out. We are not impressed but Nick heads off for a swim and Wendy, Liz and I go for a ride in the glass-bottom boat.


If you want to see brightly coloured coral then you'll be disappointed. When we were kids we used to swim out from the beach and you could see coloured coral everywhere. These days it is all a dirty green colour and it's very sad to see the reef has degenerated to this. We do see lots of fish though which is a highlight of the trip to the island. Otherwise, lots of tourists, lots of souvenier shops and not much else.

Palm Cove

We decide to check out the evening sights at Palm Cove and see if the silvertails are doing as well as we are. Lots of vacancy signs and if you turn up at one of the chic places you can get a room for $60 a night. Book on the net and the same room is $260. There are a pair of Rollers parked conspicuously outside one resort like a couple of watchdogs. Definitely not our speed. We decide it's a nice place but we like our digs at Ellis Beach just a few kilometres away. Liz makes a mental note of one of the restaurants for future reference.

Back at Ellis Beach we decide to have a quiet evening, just the usual pre-dinner drinks and snacks followed by one of Wendy's sensational culinary delights. I think it was Spag Bol a la Princess. Nick and I terrorise the neighbourhood with our headlamps. We've a big day tomorrow, up early for an 8:30am departure from Cairns out to Green Island. Wendy and I were last there 42 years ago so it will be interesting to see the changes. We've been told it will be an unpleasant shock... not like the old Green Island.

Liz and I at Port Duglas with 4 Mile Beach in the background.
Click for larger image.

The Ironbar pub in Port Douglas.
Click for larger image.

Port Dougles

We arrive in Port Douglas and it is very changed since we were here last. It's a busy coastal tourist village and the main street is chock-a-block with people shopping and just hanging out at the many restaurants and eateries. We grab some brunch and decide to head off and check out the scene on our own. Of course the two professional shoppers, Wendy and Liz team up to "Do Port Douglas" while Nick heads off to find a swimming hole (I am sure he would strip down to his Speedos if he found a bucket in Alice Springs!) and I am happy to just meander along the main street and check out the passing parade.

Once again there are hundreds of didgeridoos and boomerangs for sale. I don't know how they all make a buck. In one shop there are aboriginal paintings for sale. One large "painting", which looks to me like it was done by a tribe of rugby players who must have walked in paint and then gone into a scrum over a piece of canvas, has a price tag of $29,500! These people must be kidding themselves.

Anyway, Port Douglas turns out to be a quaint but very touristy town much like Kuranda and I wondered if it closed down at 3pm when the Japanese tourist busses headed back to Cairns.

North to Port Douglas

The Captain Cook highway north to Port Douglas is narrow and dangerous but the scenery is spectacular. Along the way we come across hang-gliders working the sea breezes. It's a popular spot and there is a car park and viewing area. The QLD government know how to provide facilities... unlike some others we can mention (Bob the Builder!)

Spectacular scenery north of Cairns.
Click for larger image.

Hang glider between Cairns and Port Douglas.
Click for larger image.

Breakfast and daily planning.
Click for larger image.

Mother's Day

Sunday Mother's Day is bright and not a cloud in the sky. We meet at the Princess for our usual breakfast and plan for the day. Port Douglas is about 50 clicks north of Ellis Beach and we've not been there in 41 years so it will be interesting to see the changes. We call Mim and Wendy and Liz get calls from the kids which makes them happy. They are even more happy that the kids are a thousand miles away!

A funny evening.

We devour the seafood and find that we have no paper napkins. By this time we are all a little jolly, the wine flowing freely, and I have discovered Nicks caving headlamp which he uses to read in bed. We substitute toilet paper for paper towels and howls of laughter are forthcoming as we joke and act up for the video camera which I am holding rather unsteadily. We plan to go to Port Douglas tomorrow and we decide that this is the way to enjoy a holiday... plenty of seafood, plenty of laughter and good company.

Sunset on our beach.
Click for larger image.

A Polynesian Wedding

As we prepare for our extravagent dinner on the deck of our cabin we decide to call home and tell the boys how much we are enjoying our holiday, Just on dusk while we are on the phone we see a Polynesian wedding party of about 20 people dressed in
traditional dress walking along the beach. Absolutely stunning and a wonderful backdrop to the tropical scene. As we watch them move further along the beach we can hear the sound of drums and island music. Apparently the wedding will be held nearby
and the whole scene adds a touch of romance to the tropical scene as night falls.

Happy hour is held on our cabin deck and I think all the excitement has overtaken Wendy. As she is mixing one of her famous cocktails the top comes off the shaker and Nick and the snacks are covered in marguerita! Fortunately the seafood platter is safe and soon enough we are hoeing into fresh crab, mussells, prawns and oysters. The food is delicious and the laughter infectious as we enjoy a sensational meal beside the gently washing waves just 20 feet away and the sound of Polynesian music in the distance.

Saturday markets in Cairns.
Click for larger image.

A day in Cairns and a near miss!

A sumptuous breakfast greets us at the Princess and we organise for our day in Cairns. Cairns is just 20 minutes south of Ellis Beach and we pull in and check out the other resorts like Palm Cove along the way. All very slick with manicured resorts but we're happy with out set up at Ellis Beach.

Cairns on a Saturday morning is busy and it's changed a bit since I was there in 1999 but is certainly much bigger than when we were there as kids in 1964 when it was little kore than a frontier town. In those days there was even a Chinese Joss House
in the back streets. I remember peeking in and seeing a couple of old Chinese men smoking opium pipes. How things have changed... now the teens smoke dope down along the Esplanade.

Wendy is driving and, as usual, chatting like a parrot when she suddenly stops and turns into a parking space. A loud muffled voice is heard behind the Pajero as a motorcyclist displays his knowledge of Australian swear words! Sorry mate. It could
have been serious but we fall about laughing as we discuss Wendy's "talking-while-driving" abilities!

Wendy and I need to hit the internet cafe and catch up on emails so we all decide to go our own way and explore Cairns and meet later. Nick will go for his daily swim somewhere down near the pier so we head off and "Do Cairns". It's all very geared to the tourist trade with literally hundreds of shops selling didgeridoos, koalas and boomerangs.

We meet up again and have lunch and decide that tonight a seafood dinner would be nice so on the way back to Ellis Beach we stop at a Co-Op and grab a selection of fresh seafood.

Wendy's "talking-while-driving" skills have not increased as she drifts across 2 lanes at a round-about and ends up having to go around twice, while the other drivers exercise their horns and practice their swearing. We're like a bunch of kids as we dismiss the seriousness of it and laugh ourselves silly. (Sorry Woozie, I just had to put those 2 funny incidents in.. ).

End of a great day

It's still raining but humid and quite pleasant as we arrive back at the "Princess" and before long it's time for happy hour and we sit and chat with the sound of the pounding Coral Sea in the background. Wendy has prepared a delicious meal which we enjoy out in the annex. I don't know how she manages to do all the stuff she does... truly multi-skilled.

We decide to hit Cairns the next day and visit the Saturday markets. Liz and Wendy, both experienced Bali shoppers will give them the once over and if there are any bargains to be had they will sniff them out.

We hit the sack early and look forward to another day in paradise.

Ghost town.

The girls want to go shopping (what else!) so Nick and I scout around the nooks and cranies of Kuranda until 3pm when suddenly the town seems like a ghost town. The last train full of day-trippers has left for Cairns. The local aboriginal kids... and there are lots of them... play football in the main street where just minutes before you couldn't move for traffic and tourists. The shops close and it's just like anoother small Australian country town on a Saturday afternoon. The local punters are at the pub, the radio screeches out the latest call for the races somewhere in Australia and life moves slowly. The butterfly has become a moth. Nick and I pass on the beer and have scones and coffee in the "other" pub in town... Billies... where the real locals hang out.

Lunch at O'Reilly's pub Kuranda.
Click for larger image.

Kuranda

The old WWII US Navy R&R hospital has been turned into a busy pub so we decide to have lunch here and the passing parade of tourists (mostly Japanese honeymooners) provides us with a colourful afternoon at leisure. We visit the railway station with its jungle of tropical plants (nothing has changed there except the outrageous prices of the souveniers and the $80 return trip from Cairns) and colourful travellers.

This group of ants is on the railing near the Barron Falls railway station. The large ant is about 1 inch long and we watch as he supervises the workers as they dismantle a piece of bush tucker. Fascinating!
Click for larger image.

Liz, Nick and Wendy at Barron Falls.
Click for larger image.

Kuranda and Barron Falls

It's decided to venture up into the mountains behind Cairns and visit Kuranda and the Barron Falls. We'd been there about 40 years ago as kids and wondered if much had changed. So we pile into the Pajero (which means wanker in Spanish by the way!) and head off up the narrow and winding road to the rainforest village of Juranda. It's still raining but we manage to arrive safely and end up in a busy tourist town overflowing with day-tripper who have come up on the scenic railway. We decide to visit the Barron Falls first and trek the mile down to the viewing platform at the small railway station on the side of a mountain. Not much water flowing but it is still an impressive sight. Even I managed to walk the two miles with the help of a walking stick and many pit stops!

Planning for Day One.
Click for larger image.

Day One

Nick and Wendy have their "on-the-road" daily routine down pat so it's breakfast at 9 under the annex and discuss the plans for the day. Nick drags out the maps and we all pour over then and try and figure out what to do for the day.

Liz and our cabin at Ellis Beach.
Click for larger image.

The view from our cabin.
Click for larger image.

Unbelieveable!

Next morning we are up early to see where we are and are totally stunned at the scene outside our cabin. We are literally 20 feet from the Coral Sea and right amongst the swaying palm trees. Wendy and Nick couldn't have chosen a better place for our stay. Thank's so much for a wonderful 50th present for Liz and for both of us.

Greeted in style.
Click for larger image.

I wonder what the rich people are doing?
Click for larger image.

The Adventure Begins

The lights of Cairns twinkle outside the window as we approach the airport along the northern coastline and soon enough we are tumbling out into the terminal to be greeted by Wendy and Nick. Cairns is humid, hot and raining as usual but a pleasant
change from the coolness of Sydney.

Wendy and Nick are in great spirits and glad to see us after the lead up to the surprise 50th. We grab out bags and head north from ther airport. Wendy has refused to tell us where we will be staying... another surprise... but we trust her good
judgement and sense of the exotic. Twenty mintes later we turn off the narrow Captain Cook Highway at Ellis Beach and soon see the "Princess" hidden in amongst the rainforest. We've arrived at the Ellis Beach Caravan Park but it's pitch black and
we can't see anything... but we can hear the rumbling of the surf and it sounds close by!

Wendy and Nick then lead us towards the pounding surf and a row of cabins which see to be right on the waters edge. Sure enough, we are led to a cabin right on the beach front. Liz is blown away! And to top it off, the staff at the caravan park have left a bottle of bubbly in the 'fridge along with a fruit platter which Wendy made up. What a way to start a holiday!

Wendy has dinner all ready so we sit under the annex at the "Princess" and enjoy a wonderful meal and lots of laughs. Meanwhile the rain falls steadily on the canvas roof and we catch up on two months of news.

On top at 41,000 feet.
Click for larger image.

Adventures in Paradise

It's been quite a while since either Liz or I have flown commercially, at least not since September 11, so I was interested in the new security measures at the airport. Tip dropped us off at T2 terminal at Sydney and we checked in. My leg is giving me curry so I casually ask if we can have a seat with some extra leg room if possible and the helpful lass at the Virgin Blue counter says she'll give us somewhere up the front of the aircraft. Oh well, 3 hours in a cramped seat will have to be endured I guess. Security is tight and I have to remove my belt and practically my jocks before they are satisfied.

A quick snack and then the boarding call so we join the queue and end up in second row back from the front. No window seat but them's the breaks. Soon after take-off though, one of the bright cabin attendants comes up and suggests we move to the seats over the wing where there is plenty of leg room! We didn't ask onboard and there was no indication that my request at checkin was even acknowledged. A BIG plus for Virgin Blue! The cabin crew were great, bright, friendly and none of the bullshit theatrics of Qantas crew as I remember them.

A wonderful flight too.. watching the sunset above the clouds at 41,000 feet was magical. I'm sold on Virgin Blue... as if I needed any convincing that Qantas had gone sour years ago.