Penelope's blog: The Land of Oz- a trip to Cairns

The pool on the Cairns Esplanade a few days before Christmas!

Cains Esplanade

One of many beautiful flowers, plants and trees at the Botanical Gardens

Cairns is in northern Queensland, a two hour flight from Brisbane. I decided to visit my friend Sarah who I had not seen for many years (neither of us could remember exactly how long!) and who had moved to Carns from Tasmania earlier this year. As soon as I got off the plane I could feel the heat and humidity, Cairns has a much more tropical climate and is firmly established as one of Astralia top travel destinations. It is famous as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and is surrounded by mountains and mangroves, making it very picturesque. Whilst there are no beaches in Cairns itself (mainly mudflats) you only need to go a few miles ot of the city to find long stretches of white sandy beach.

Sarah lives about 15 minutes out of Cairns in a small coastal town called Yorkeys Knob with its own Boat Club and Marina. A beautiful spot, I couldn't help be envious of her lifestyle living so close to the beach. Over the weekend we caught up over a long walk (on the beach, where else!) and did a trip to the Great Barrier Reef on the Sunday. It was pretty choppy but I managed to avoid being too sea sick. However, the snorkelling from the pontoon (fixed platfom from where you could dive, snorkel or just relax) was unlike any I have ever done as you were being battered by swell and waves constantly. Apart from some amazingly colourful coral we saw blue rasp fish and even a reef shark. Sarah also cooked me dinner using fish she had caught herself. Sea fishing is very popular in this area.

I enjoyed relaxing in Cairns and did a long walk each morning. One day I went up the Knob (hill) which gave stunning views of the area (see picture) and otherwise was happy to enjoy the local beach which seemed deserted most of the time although at the end of the day was busy with people dog walking and exercising. Swimming was restricted to a safe area surrounded by nets as jelly fish are in the waters at this time of year. Yorkeys Knob is an area very popular with kite surfers too due to the windy conditions.
On my final day I went into Cairns and spent a few hours enjoying the plants at the beautiful botanical gardens before walking along the esplanade into the City. On our final evening we went to the Boat Club for dinner which was a fantastic spot overlooking the marina. I had a super time with Sarah in Cairns and look forward to returning the favour when she comes over to the UK next year.