A long walk in Cairns

First posted on May 11, 2013

My second day in Cairns was not on the Kuranda train, as originally planned. Instead, I got a bus to Edge Hill to go to a cafe recommended by Piers’s aunt. It was pretty good without being outstanding. Walking from there to the Gardens I spotted another that looked worth a try too.

The Gardens were, firstly, the Flecker Gardens. Relatively small. Very much in the laid out style that botanic gardens have. Different (for me) in that the plants were all tropical – and not in a hot house!! They didn’t seem to encourage picnicking on the lawns though.

Flecker Botanic Gardens

Next stop was The Tanks, a gallery/exhibition/performance space created out of three WWII fuel supply tanks – they were HUGE! I don’t know at what stage they were converted to this use but much more could be done with it. Really, really interesting to see.

The Tanks

After The Tanks I went to the Botanical Gardens proper via the Info Centre, an interesting building of glass, mirrors and artwork. I bought some blank greeting cards here for future user because they were cute and pretty.

Botanical Gardens Info Centre

The Botanical Gardens are unlike any other I’ve been to. This was almost entirely virgin rainforest with a boardwalk superimposed for people to walk amongst the trees, palms, over the creek and swampy areas. Nothing “pretty” here in the way of flowers, as at the Flecker. But no less interesting, beautiful, fascinating for that.

Walled creek

Boardwalk

Rainforest

Freshwater lake with turtles and ducks

Water bird

On leaving the gardens I continued walking back to the main road because the bus sign at the edge of the gardens indicated an hourly service. I stopped at the first stop, looked at the timetable, and thought I was in luck, several routes converging at this point so a pretty frequent service. A local joined me – and she wasn’t best pleased when the next bus sailed right by. She said it wasn’t supposed to – all buses on all routes were meant to stop there. Not wanting to wait forever and chance my luck, Shanks Pony trotted off, heading for the Esplanade and views of water (quite distant, the tide was out) on the way back into town.

At the edge of the city centre I stopped in at St Monica’s, the Catholic Cathedral. From the bus to the brunch cafe I’d spotted the sign (a bit tacky), something about stained glass.

St Monica's Cathedral

Yes – wonderful – a huge series of windows depicting creation, and a smaller number depicting war and peace. There were also some other artworks around the walls – more gallery-style than church style, although all of suitable religious content. Some were by a Dutch artist, died 1944. A victim of WWII?

Alpha

Omega

I don’t know what the artist calls the panels above, but they’re towards the beginning and towards the end of the series, both with a still small spot in the middle – that’s what reminds me of Alpha and Omega.

Back to the Esplanade, I walked as far as the swimming lagoon. This was fabulous. A man-made pool, huge, with artificial ‘beach’ along one of its many edges. No fencing around it so quite free to use. I asked a patrolling lifeguard as she passed, did people go there at night. She said no, and that security would buzz off anyone who was spotted there. Seems amazing that it wasn’t fenced. But definitely a facility like that is needed in Cairns – there’s nowhere to swim in the sea, right along the city foreshore there’s nowhere suitable for swimming. Those places are all further north or south.

Cairns swimming lagoon

If my first attempt at using Flickr works, there are more photos from the long walk here.

Canberra 1

First posted on January 5, 2013

A low-key day, this one, and all the driving was easy. I found a servo to re-fill the car then went back into town for the sole reason of departing Corowa via the old plank bridge!

First stop was at the outskirts of Grenfell where the remnants of a mine still exist, the main ones being two mine shafts. It’s old gold mining territory. You would have to be insane to go down there. No wonder the miners’ wives didn’t like what their husbands did.

In the town itself, breakfast – always the must do first thing at the first new town each day. From the advertising in the tourist brochures and the look of the place, “The Loaded Dog” would not be out of place in Brunswick, Clifton Hill and the like. I looked in the window and there were quite a few people there so I headed over to the bakery. It looked too old-fashioned and the craft things in the window made me wonder how serious a bakery it was, so I went back to the Loaded Dog. On going inside I was hit by a blast of noise… all the customers were talking – loudly! So back to the bakery where they produced yet another lovely fresh salad sandwich. To start with I was alone but then some older (older than me!) locals arrived. I could hear their conversation too but it was no cacophony and the content was fascinating, not that I caught it all.

– It would be 109 (deg) and you wouldn’t think twice about going shearing
– These (?town) people don’t know to wet your hat before putting it on your head too cool you down
– It was a dry heat, you could still do anything
– I wouldn’t want to be shearing now, with the way the heat has changed

That last comment interested me most of all. With so much about climate change, the scientists and the sceptics, I wonder if anyone has talked to the people on the land?

Still on the lookout for a bag for book-group, I called into the Grenfell craft shop, in a bendy main street as in Canowindra, but on a bigger scale.

The woman there didn’t have what I wanted, we talked about this’n’that, I told her about the craft shop in Temora where I went on a similar quest but came away with my coloured necklace and earrings. She knew the place exactly. She said she’d done a workshop there and came home with jewellery too!

Leaving Grenfell, on the outskirts of that side of town there was an arrow to Henry Lawson’s birthplace. Well, why not. I turned left and almost entered a farm that definitely wasn’t right. No, the “birthplace” is an obelisk marking the vaguely “round about here” location. It looked more like a death-type monument and not a comfortable shape to remind you of birth!!

Next stop Young. For once, the convenience of the info centre being on the side of town I entered by. This one was in the old railway station buildings. It housed paintings by local artists – priced considerably higher than those in Forbes. Not as good either so no temptation to buy on either count.

Young, NSW - tourist info centre in the old railway station

What I was interested in buying was fudge! I love it and already had picked up a leaflet about the local specialty shop where fudge is made on the premises. I asked the girl (about 20, max!) where it was: just up the street. She asked where I was from, as they do for their records. When I said from Melbourne she was really impressed! Personally, I think it’s a great place to live, but I’m not so sure about it being a fabulous tourist destination.

In the town proper, once again streets with beautiful street plantings at corners and roundabouts.

It wasn’t all that long since my breakfast sandwich so wasn’t all that hungry. But when I saw a really big bakery with signs it had been voted the best in NSW or some such, I had to go in. Their offerings were pretty extensive but I settled on fruit salad, the first I’d seen anywhere. It was so refreshing in the heat of the day. Not as many preserved building facades here but one is of note: the Town Hall Building with tower and memorial. It reminded me very much of the ferry building in San Francisco, a miniature version thereof. (And will probably be very different when I get to look at my SF photos again!!)

Finally, on to my real destination, Canberra. On one map I’d seen a glass place noted in Harden. An older woman at the Young TIC said No, at the next town. I drove through both without anything jumping out at me but didn’t stop the car, figuring I was meant to save money! I did however stop at the entrance to Harden. From some distance off as you approached, you could see an impressive looking church on the skyline.

Catholic Church, Harden, NSW

Recently, friend John from Brisbane commented in an email: I have three ‘rules’ about visiting somewhere new – use public transport, go to the local church, and do some walking. Well, there are taxis in a few of the places I’ve been! And I’ve done a bit of walking where I absolutely had to get out of the car into the heat. But the churches, and there have been quite a few – closed, locked, well and truly – apart from Sunday services …. and in many, most, towns these only happen on a rotating basis. I did go to Mass in Culcairn. So it was a real surprise to see an open door at this church at Harden – had to go in. Without being spectacular, it was a lovely old country church that had been re-ordered but not vandalistically for post-Vatican II liturgy. No one else was there: a precious few moments of quiet contemplation.

Very last stop – Yass. A coffee while I studied the map and committed to memory directions to Alison’s place. Happy memories of spending time with Joseph and his family in Yass itself and out at the family farm, where I’ve stayed on a few occasions, a while ago now. On the approach to Yass, in the distance I saw a Melbourne-Sydney train snaking through the countryside, just about where it passes the farm. Happy memories too of travelling to the farm by train. Love trains!

I got to Alison’s in Canberra about 20 minutes after my guessed arrival time of 5pm. So good to be with friends again, eat a delicious home-cooked meal again, relax in a lounge-room before going to bed for a long sound sleep!

And the novelty and pleasure of writing this at the National Library in Canberra! Not to mention the bliss of a fast upload speed for adding photos to the blog. Heaven!!!!