Cairns & Port Douglas
Marita3
Mark & Helen Syrett
Tue 25 Sep 2012 00:46
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We spent a week at Cairns where there was a good
marina and a pleasant town.
  The area was very shallow and had been dredged and
therefore there was no beach. Instead they had built a lagoon, freshwater with
chlorine and salt added, which served as a large meeting, sunbathing and
swimming place.
 We went on the Karunda train up the hill to the
village
 and spent a day wandering around before catching
the train back. The railway was built in about 1890 to serve as a link to the
Tablelands. 15 hand made tunnels and 37 bridges so quite a feat of engineering
and construction--by hand!
A car rally which was going around Australia came
through the village whilst we there.
 a pretty church
 and en route Barron Gorge, a 260 metre granite
faced waterfall, was a spectacular sight although probably even better in
the wet season. There were even some tombstoners in the distance!
 There were some great views from the top and on the
way back down
 and we passed some sugar cane fields
 One afternoon we went to the botanical gardens
followed by a jazz evening in the grounds.
   We left Cairns and sailed to Port Douglas but not
before a quick detour up river to the docks
 and then a 50 mile sail to Port
Douglas
 which is developed honey pot for
tourists-----shops, restaurants and boat trips galore and a rather run down
marina! It did have a very pretty old church---St Mary's by the
Sea.
 We then sailed for Cooktown via Low Islets, a very
pretty island with a small lighthouse and large fish who came for tea---- and
cake!
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