Palm Cove

September 13th 2022

A lot has happened in the last two weeks of our stay since Kylie, the grandchildren Krystal and Tyson together with partners Ken and Bronni with little Lincoln all arrived.

Kylie is team leader with an organised itinerary, first off, the must do historic railway trip up to the rainforest tourist town of Kuranda. Gold Class tickets give us morning tea and a more luxurious railcar, enough morning tea that we are able to miss lunch altogether. The train ride takes us along winding tracks through thick rainforest and through numerous tunnels. We pass by the Baron falls a spectacular waterfall that drops 150 meters (350 feet) into the Baron River below. All the while a warm tropical rain has fallen from the low mountain cloud above and around us, making a declaration that we are after all here in the rainforest realm. Once in Kuranda we split up to walk the streets laden with tourist shops and cafes for some, others take the direct route to view the butterfly farm. The Butterfly farm is a famous sanctuary and breeding place for Birdwing, Cruiser, Lacewing, luminous electric blue Ulysses butterfly’s and other tropical species. Inside their enclosure they fill the air, amazing visitors with a colourful fluttering display. If you standstill long enough you are sure to be subject of a nectar search, especially if you are wearing colourful clothing. The rain pauses for awhile allowing us a couple of hours to wander around, spending some tourist time in the streets of Kuranda before we need to start our journey back to the coast. Kuranda is also connected to Cairns by a cable car system named Skyrail, supports and cables takes us across 7.5 Kilometres of rainforest treetops, where if you are game you can look down into the rainforest eco system spotting babbling brooks, tropical birds and butterfly’s. Our journey this time is hampered by continuous rain, raindrops ball on the cable car windows creating little lenses of reflected rainforest making viewing difficult on our way back down to the plains.

Another busy day sees early nights for the visitors, they will have a day off the following day enjoying Palm Cove until we meet up again on Sunday.

Meanwhile we take a trip to Cairns Botanic Gardens.

Sunday is Fathers Day in Australia, the day starts with a drive to Port Douglas about 45 minutes north of Palm Cove along some of the most beautiful Coral Coast coastline.

The town of Port Douglas has a fascinating history, established in 1877 after the discovery of gold nearby, the Port Douglas Post Office opening on 1st September 1877. The Town quickly grew and at its peak Port Douglas had a population of 12,000 with 27 hotels. A state school opened in 1879, but when the Kuranda Railway opened from Cairns to Kuranda the town’s significance dwindled along with its inhabitants, a cyclone in 1911 further added to the towns woes wiping out most of the town’s buildings save a few sturdily built ones. Significant ones such as the main wharf, courthouse and Catholic church had to be rebuilt, the Chinese population never saw their temple rebuilt though. By 1962 Port Douglas had become a sleepy fishing village with a population of 100.

Today the town is a thriving holiday-retirement destination sporting world class hotels and restaurants. The population of 3500 hasn’t reached the heady days of the gold rush but during the dry season May to September the towns population easily doubles. For us the famous market beckons, every Sunday a large market springs up on a beach front park, hundreds of visitors wonder through inspecting the mainly arts, crafts and hand made products on offer. Amanda is by now well known by one skilled jewellery designer who has manned a stall at the markets for many years, we make a bee line in that direction so that now other members of the family can try her wares.

Back in Palm Cove we enjoy a very special, for me Father’s Day dinner, having daughter Kylie, Grandson Tyson, himself having his first Fathers Day, with Bronni, Granddaughter Krystal and Partner Ken and Great Grandson Lincoln all together is a rare treat.

The next time we come together we are off to the Cairns Aquarium. The aquarium is situated in the heart of downtown Cairns. In another tale of Gold Rush times, it wasn’t until the discovery of gold by the early explorers that the development of Cairns began. Officially founded in 1876 as a frontier town to support the gold rush. The city took its name from the State Governor of the day, Sir William Cairns. The original site for Cairns laid on a sandy bank lined with dense rainforest and mangroves. Cairns looked like it would never be raised out of the ground until the Queensland government chose the site as a starting point for a railway line that would service the flourishing Atherton tablelands. The line would provide a transport route for tin and timber to be shipped to southern ports. The gold rush ultimately began to die out and the people of North Queensland began to look for other ways to make a living. The flat coastal lands became major sugar cane plantations. Cairns continued to thrive with fishing and pearling becoming large industries along the way. Now a fast growing city with a distinctively tropical flavour and an international airport. Cairns has become a destination for lovers of the tropics from all over the world. Usually very evident by the huge number of young backpackers that flock here to sight see and boost the local workforce in the dry tourist season. Sadly those backpackers are missing, save a few, that either stayed on and made it through the pandemic or are newly arrived as Australia gradually opens up.

The Aquarium doesn’t disappoint with both freshwater and Coral sea exhibits, amazing living corals and sea anemones as well as rainforest water loving snakes, frogs, fish and lizards. One feature of the aquarium’s tanks is a walk through glass tunnel where tropical fish, Manta rays, sharks and other sea creatures swim all around and above you. So clear is the glass that you need to reach out and touch it to allay any fears of shark attack. We all meet for lunch at the restaurant where a huge tank forms one wall, it’s a seafood restaurant, is this a visual menu? Once seated at our table we have a constant view of the antics of a colourful array of tropical fish. One Trigger fish repeatedly shows off his skills as a limited chameleon, changing colour from black to white, while resting from short sharp dashes around the tank in a volcanic rocky hollow. Meanwhile a diver clad in a full wetsuit, goggles and mask, tethered by an air hose vacuums up any fish waste from the crystal clear waters. Oh, and the food is good too! I decide to have squid as I don’t see any of their kind gazing accusingly at me.

The next adventure for the visitors is Green Island, Green Island is one of the most popular destinations on the Great Barrier Reef. This 12ha island is a true coral cay formed over thousands of years by the build-up of sand and coral rubble deposited on the calm side of a platform reef. The ferry ride is just 45 minutes making Green Island a relatively close option for first visitors to the reef. From the beach, there one can snorkel swim or catch a glass bottomed boat to view the coral and tropical fish without entering the water oneself. Ideal for little Lincoln. As we have had various visits to the outer reef we decide not to go with the kids on this visit. Instead deciding to spend the morning in Cairns checking out the new city works along the esplanade that have taken place since our last visit pre Covid in 2019. The local government haven’t wasted anytime, the entire length of the esplanade has had a make over enabling the area to be more people friendly and less attainable to vehicle traffic. The restaurants that line the esplanade, once the hang out of backpackers look decidedly more sophisticated. A few outlets remain where a visitor on a budget can pickup a cheap meal, but like every facet of the consumer market in Australia prices have skyrocketed.

Away from the esplanade, alongside the Marina a large building housing a hotel once operated as a tourist mall with art Galleries, various shops and a mini clothing market. At one end the hotel still operates but the mall space, although surrounded by busy restaurants overlooking the Marina is now practically empty. One remaining occupied shop draws our interest, not a shop at all but a display area for a wonderful array of model buildings, in fact it is a replica of historic Cairns from the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s the amount of work on the exterior of the building models is phenomenal, with some having internal detail as well. The model builder switches off, the overhead light and switches on the internal model buildings lights and the town comes alive. Not only are there the usual major civic buildings but also Chinese temples and shanties from gold prospecting times. A Chinese visitor is taking a deep interest, seems an ancestor once lived in Cairns during the depicted era.

Some expansion of the Marina area has occurred since ur last visit, with a floating heliport, sitting on the mudflat’s that are a feature of the Cairns harbour. When the tide is out the muddy sand is in constant movement as mud crabs scurry about their muddy business. A seafood restaurant we visited in 2019 still remains floating along side a wharf in the Marina, the floating restaurant only sells fresh seafood, that is, it is uncooked sashimi style or simply plunged into boiling hot water for seconds, placed on ice to cool and served, the restaurant is unique. Fresh Oysters from the shell, king prawns, scallops and lobster are among the crustaceous fare. Situated on series of small fishing boats moored together, aptly named Prawn Star 1, 2 & 3 etc., as the restaurant grows they just add another boat. That slightly rocking motion makes an interesting walk to your rudimentary table with the possibility of walking the plank across several boats before finally being seated, but all very worth the visit. Definitely good to see them flourishing, a testament to the experience, on this occasion however we pass them by.

Instead finding a coffee shop over looking the mudflats between the Marina and Cairns with the rain-forested hills beyond. Amanda and I enjoy a coffee as we watch aircraft disappear into and emerge from the lush mangroves that surround the Airport further north along the coast.

Time to move on we walk back along the esplanade, alongside the man made lagoon where children play in the cool waters and young adults tan themselves on the surrounding lawns.

A new feature on the esplanade is a large Ferris wheel with lantern shaped gondolas, lights flicker as it wheels around, but today their are not too many riders at this early part of the afternoon.

We wander back to the car through the city seen through new eyes, thanks to our miniature model maker we can now identify several of the original historic buildings on the way.

The evening brings dinner with some old friends from Melbourne that we met through our involvement with a development on Kangaroo Island. Like us Palm Cove holds a special place in their hearts but unlike us they purchased a property here and now live here during the dry season returning to Melbourne only for the the southern summer. Each year on our visits we always catch-up with them for dinner and tonight they have chosen a restaurant in Cairns. A chance for us to see a little of Cairns by night. We enjoy a wonderful tropical night, with great food and conversation. Ron and Lorna are an amazing couple in their 80’s and still enjoying life to the full. Inspiring indeed.

Tyson, Bronni and Lincoln are frequent visitors to Trivia street, Lincoln enjoys the privacy of his own pool.

Kylie & Co. take in Mossman Gorge a 56,000 hectare area within the World Heritage Listed Daintree National Park. About a 50 minute drive north is best known for its spellbinding beauty. Tree-clad mountains rise sharply from the riverbanks of the Mossman Gorge and set the scene at the spectacular entrance to Daintree National Park. This is the spot where crystal-clear waters tumble over ancient granite boulders and the Kuku Yalanji people happily share their culture, stories and legends through Dreamtime walks and tours. This is beautiful area one that we have visited numerous times with family and friends over the years, Tyson and Krystal have childhood memories of visiting there in 2005 and are interested in renewing their acquaintance with the area. Meanwhile grandpa and grandma relax back in Palm Cove as the weather becomes decidedly warmer. Everywhere we look the Hawaiian influence is pervasive, Hawaiian shirts for sale, a Tommy Bahama store even our morning juice is an Aloha blend.

Kylie and company’s time in Palm Cove came to an end too quickly, we meet them on the beach the night before they leave to watch a fireworks display, but not before visiting our favourite ice cream kiosk. The display is to be put on by a private wedding party, but since a public warning notice is required to be displayed around the village holidaymakers turn out in numbers. The night is perfectly still, the full moon rises out of the sea reflecting glittering moonlight across the ocean, the tide laps at our toes as we watch the fireworks start up down the beach about 50 metres from where we are standing. Starting slowly the colourful explosions gradually climb higher and higher into the velvet night sky. Filling the air with smoke tinted colour. Until the last largest, loudest firework explodes raining down shards of white fire that is extinguished before it reaches the moon rippled sea. A fitting farewell to Kylie & Co. The next day sees them flying out with grandpa and grandpa giving a hand with the luggage before we drive back to Palm Cove to enjoy the last few days of our time here and prepare for our ten day adventurous journey home.

Farewell to Palm Cove for us also comes too quickly, tomorrow we drive the 167 kilometres to Mission Beach stopping along the way to trek the Skywalk boardwalk just outside of Innisfail……..to be continued.