Leaving On A Jet Plane !

The Skyrail to Kuranda

First of all, here's the link to the pics from Brisbane: http://cadmonkeyphotographic.smugmug.com/gallery/2747307#145990859

Now that's that out of the way, it's week 3 of our adventure so here's the latest.

The weekend began for us this week on Friday. After finishing work at 5pm I met TWS and the kids to do a bit of food shopping in the mall over the road from work.  Not very interesting I know but it had to be done as we had 2 picnics to make.

So, we did the shopping and then moseyed on over to the Esplanade and spent a couple of hours swimming and playing in the Lagoon on the front as it went dark and watched the fruit bats fly out, one of them actually landing in a smallish mango tree near the Lagoon and then proceeding to clamber about in it for a while, throwing the unripe mangoes on the floor in frustration !

As we had planned we then took the Skyrail up the mountain to the village of Kuranda on Saturday. There are a couple of stops on the way up where you can get off and walk in the rainforest and a cool interactive centre. Once up top we went for a walk along the river and came across a swing. Not, I hasten to add like the ones we usually find back home, made of bright blue nylon tow ropes ! This one was a pukka genuine vine ! Just hanging there, waiting to be swung on ! (see pics) Even I had a go. The walk followed the river for a while, then went through the rainforest, then along the Jum Rum Creek where we stopped for out picninc by the creek, sharing our picnic area with lots of different coloured dragonflies (no, I didn't have my macro lens with me !) and emerged back in the village.

Photo link : http://cadmonkeyphotographic.smugmug.com/gallery/2747360#145993603

The village itself is a colourful mix with markets, shops and stalls all selling some very nice aboriginal art, digeridoos, jewellery etc. etc. and has a colourful mix of people too ! Ask anyone in Cairns what the populous of Kuranda is like and they'll all say hippies, dope heads and abo's. Which ones of them can afford the numerous $500k + pole homes I'm not sure.

So, anyways, we had a lovely time up there and I've been trying to persuade TWS that it would be worth all the hassle of living up there but she's still not having it. (yet !)

Again, all the staff on the Skyrail really nice and friendly, stopped to talk to a nice girl just after we got off near the village who I think works up there at the weekends and a nice woman at the ice cream shop who was telling us that she'd had to get the animals in that morning as there had been a Tree Python on the roof of the porch again !

Kids enjoyed themselves, India bought a combined water sprayer and fan that makes mist when you spray it with the fan on, she also left her wide brimmed school hat on the skyrail (we checked on my camera to see if she had been wearing it on the way up) but when we asked on the return trip they had seen it and it was 3 cars in front of us so was duly returned. Which was good for Indie as we were threatening to make her pay for it out of her birthday money ! (rule 'em with an iron fist !). Spotted lots of lizards, caterpillars, butterflies, dragonflies, spiders, ants etc. including the "fridge magnet" souvenir gecko pictured in the gallery !

It's now 22 to 24 degrees in the mornings, rising to 28 to 30 during the day, bright sun, blue skies. Heaven ! It's so good to walk to work in short sleeved shirt, the warm morning sun, the birds etc. and the nice heat aas I leave my air conditioned office, the parrokeets squabbling in the trees adjacent to the mall on the way home. Work is good, busy but people all nice, and they go for a pint and food every friday lunch so did that last friday too. This week I have Wed off as it's ANZAC day and also have Monday 7th May off as it's May Day / Labour Day. Not sure what we're doing yet but plan to go to Harley's Crocodile Adventures next weekend. Playing soccer tonight again, 11 a side !

I haven't done the photos from Sundays trip to Port Douglas yet so will do an update when I've done them.