DAY 14 – CAIRNS, HERE WE COME

We got up at sunrise and went for a magical walk along Mission beach. It’s been some time since we had felt the sand under our feet and just treasured the walk whilst watching the sun come up.

Before we hit the road, we decided to head up the coastline to Bingle Bay. We headed for Garner Beach where crocs & stingers are abundant and the warning signs are everywhere. We didn’t realize that nudists don’t take notice of these warming signs and unfortunately we got an eyeful of a German backpacker’s gross bratwurst in all its glory!

After our experience with the German sausage, we decided to get going on to Cairns. When we reached the Bruce Highway we made a last minute decision to jump off it and take the scenic route into Cairns. We stumbled across a very quaint winery, “Murdering Point Winery” selling exotic tropical wines and walked out with a few bottles. www.murderingpointwinery.com.au

Taking the scenic route paid off and we made our way through some alluring old towns. We saw the regeneration of the area following the carnage from Cyclone Larry in March this year. Cyclone Larry was actually bigger than Hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans last year. All the big trees that still stood were starting to recover and every second house was in disrepair or sported new roofs.

We were very excited to arrive into Cairns as we are staying at Neil’s parents’ apartment which is conveniently located on the Cairns Esplanade near downtown. We unpacked the car and did some well needed washing before relaxing with a Vino. Cairns will be home for a couple of weeks before the assault on the Cape York.