Wednesday, 22 August 2012

Contrasts...

‘Rip it and Roll It’ – our first advertising board we read as we came over the dividing range from the Atherton Tablelands into Cairns. Perhaps we have been too long away from cities – maybe this advertisement has been around for a awhile. (advertising safe sex)
 No ‘Welcome to Cairns’ – but what a city – so diverse – so green and clean-many world famous hotel chains – we haven’t explored the esplanade yet.
Such contrasts on our trip from Undara, through to Ravenshoe (pronounced Ravens-hoe), we left the Savannah Way grasses and climbed the dividing range reaching Ravenshoe – just as the mist decended. This is the highest town in Queensland at 902 metres above sea level. So cold and windy, we decided not to free camp and made our way to a free camp outside Tolga.

The Atherton Tablelands remind us so much of NZ and the Bombay Hills – red soil – market gardens-and many sugar cane plantations, mango orchards, banana plantations, new potatoes. We passed Mr Peanut, chocolate and coffee plantations – places to visit in the next day or so.
We are staying in Cairns at a caravan park. Our first experience of the FNQ culture-we were queued at Dan Murphy’s yesterday – and lo and behold no boxed port/wine/sherry sales until 4pm. We only had to wait 5 minutes! Apparently this is only in FNQ.
It is very humid and showery – 27 degs during the day and only dropping to 20 degs at night. Haven’t seen the sun yet.
Today we have visited the Cairns Tropical Zoo – loved the bird life until we saw the snake – off chicken now.

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