Everything is packed and we are ready to depart Cairns for the last time. Time for a little bit of reflection on Anne’s and my time here in Cairns. Situated between the Great Barrier Reef and the tropical rainforest we did not spend every weekend snorkelling or walking amongst the ferns, so what else do we do with our  time in Cairns?  Well, Anne keeps pretty busy with that work stuff. As project manager, I think, Anne is like a conductor of an orchestra trying to keep all musicians on track and in tune. Not an easy task.

Food, now there is a good place to start.  With all the tourism, Cairns has an amazing array of eating places, everything from excellent seafood, a variety of Asian cuisines and even a French restaurant.  We have our favourites.   “Tha Fish”on the waterfront with great views over the harbour and Trinity Inlet.  Rendezvous du Vietnam and “Little Sister” are close to Anne’s apartment and both have excellent food. 

Anne is even a social member at the local Cairns Returned Services League (RSL) club. The Club overlooks the Cairns War Memorial and at 6pm each day, the “Last Post” sounds and the chatter of voices stops instantly and everyone stands in silence, taking a moment perhaps to think about what wars cost.  A memorable moment.

Now you are right in thinking this blog started with motorcycles, so where do they fit into Cairns?  We had decided that we wanted to explore the region during the winter and so in June the “Bird” and the “Bee” needed to move to Cairns.  I did consider riding each motorbike one at a time up, but it is not the same as riding together.  So shipping by road we will go.  Ironhorse Motorcycle Transport did a great job  and in a couple of days we were riding in Cairns.

Our first trip was up the Gillies Highway, this road that starts at Gordonvale is known for a section that is 19km./ 12 ml. long that climbed 800m. / 2600ft. And has 263 corners.  What a great motorcycling road! Upwards and onwards we twist and turn to the top and onto the Atherton Tableland. This is an area of undulating scenery and some great roads to ride, cafes to stop for lunch and even strawberry farms for that sundae on Sunday.

We have also ventured to Port Douglas, the Daintree River, Innisfail and Kuranda on the motorbikes.  While the landfalls from Cyclone Jasper have not all been repaired on the various routes to the north and west of Cairns, we are still able to have some great riding experiences including up the coast on the Captain Cook Highway which gives spectacular views out over the Coral Sea.  A stop at Thala Beach Nature Reserve Resort for coffee overlooking the spectacular coast is well worth a very short detour.  

Anne running? “I would like to see that” especially as Anne has a titanium plate in her right foot making running impossible.  Anne coined the phrase “Night Walkers” for those in a local walking group who worked and could not walk during the day. So how come Anne signed up for the Cairns Half Marathon? Not quite sure but  Anne walked with a work colleague, or rather limped in the later stages for 21 kilometres.  Well done Anne and what a great medal to remember the experience by. 

Cairns is home to the Australian Armour Museum, the museum contains an impressive collection on armoured vehicles some dating back over 80 years.  All exhibits are housed undercover in a massive building all of which is privately funded.  What makes the museum even more interesting is that many of the exhibits have been restored to running, not firing order I hasten to add.  Once a year many are run on the outdoor grass circuit. It probably takes the next 12 months to repair the damage to the grass made by literally dozens of tracked armoured vehicles.  Surprisingly, all this is privately funded by a local, I was told. Quite an investment in the community as a number of people are employed to restore the various vehicles.

“Shadows of the Past” is a theatre experience held annually in the McLeod Street Pioneer Cemetery. A local theatre company performs in the cemetery at night bringing alive some of the stories of those buried there who were the early European pioneers in the Cairns region. We were able to attend the preview night courtesy of a friend of Anne’s. I was fascinated to hear their stories, all well presented, as we navigated our way around the cemetery from “stage” to “stage” with tiny nights on the ground to guide us.  Each actor wrote their own story from their research, making their delivery very natural.  What was  surprising to me was the deaths from tetanus, diabetes, and other aliments that are easily treated today but were death sentences 150 years ago.  I did feel sorry for one inhabitant who, while passing the winning post in a horse race, had his saddle slip and hit his head of said post making a quick trip to the cemetery.  

Much has been made of cost of living pressures and the power exerted by the big supermarket chains.  We are no different to many others taking convenience over choice when we shop of vegetables.  Walking through Cairns early one morning after seeing Anne to work, I passed the Cairns market.  Alive with activity as stallholders laid our their produce and customers with shopping trollies walked the isles looking for the freshest fruit and vegetables.  The choice is impressive both traditional western and asian fare on display many stating  “Locally Grown”.  I am certain that the route from farm to stall is a lot more direct than the big chains warehouses where I wonder how long items sit in storage before distribution.  It really is up to us individually to make the change and support local stallholders and farmers if we want them to survive.  This market is a large contributor to OzHarvest, a charity that rescues food from markets, stores and supermarkets and delivers to various organisations to assist those in need.  

Cairns also seems to be blessed with an impressive number of festivals, all themed and just a few paces from Anne’s apartment. Fireworks always seem to light the night sky at such events and even if I cannot eat the pizza or pasta at the Italian festival we still enjoy seeing how well supported the each festival is by visitors and locals alike.

Waterfront walks, rides for coffee at Kuranda or Palm Cove, trips to Fitzroy Island we have enjoyed them all, but still have not been snorkelling, visited all the towns on the Atherton Tableland, attended a Theatre performance or visited the Aquarium. Much more for us to do and we have realised that we will not see it all in Anne’s remaining time in Cairns.  So much variety in such a compact area well work a visit if you are looking for a break from the big cities down south.

Anne’s work was tough at times, working very long hours, but her work colleagues, local friends and our exploring made it all worthwhile and enjoyable. Thank you Cairns – we’ll be back!

– Anthony