Last day in Cairns

Do I really have to go back to work soon? Can't I just keep traveling around? Oh, I guess there is that money thing...

For my last full day in Cairns I decided to just do some walking around. I started off with this beautiful park area that is right next to my hotel complex. The thing that I loved most about it was that the air just smelled so good! Luckily, they had the trees labeled so I was able to figure out what it was -- rosewood, with pretty orange flowers. There were also tons of birds (Mom, you really should think about coming here) and a couple little lakes.

Then I got to a hilly area and a hike through the Mt. Whitfield Conservation Park, which wound up the hill through the rainforest. There was lots of bamboo and also many sightings of brush turkeys and scrub hens (both about the size of a chicken) scratching in the leaves. The lookout spots gave nice views of the airport and across Cairns out to the ocean.

It actually rained a little bit while I was hiking up the hill, which felt pretty nice! Once again I was thankful for the shade of the forest because it is HOT under the sun!

After my hike (and reapplying sunscreen) I took the hotel shuttle bus into Cairns. I was really hungry by this time, and thankfully I was able to find something I've been craving for the past week -- a good salad!! I ate at a place recommended by my guide book called Perrotta's at the Gallery which is right next to the Cairns Regional Gallery. I had a delicious salad with spinach, grilled chicken, onions, grapes, hazelnuts and blue cheese and also some bruschetta with ricotta, basil and tomatoes.

I ended up staying there quite a while because I was getting close to the end of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and I had to finish it. (Very good book!) Plus, it was really pleasant -- a patio right on one of the main streets, and out of the sun!

After lunch I decided to check out the Cairns Regional Gallery, which had interesting exhibitions of ceramics and "tapa," which is beaten bark cloth from the Pacific Islands. (Side note -- I think I need to add Fiji to my upcoming travel destinations.)

Then I walked around a little bit, got some mango cheesecake at Beethoven's Cafe (also recommended by the guide book) and ended up at the Lagoon, which is a big saltwater swimming pool. Cairns really doesn't have beaches because the coastline is all muddy and swampy, so they built this great pool, which was pretty crowded. Given my lingering sunburn on my back from snorkeling, I generally avoided direct sunlight and didn't spend any time on my stomach! I started reading "What the Dog Saw" by Malcolm Gladwell. LOVE the Kindle!

So now I'm back in my apartment, doing a couple loads of laundry and packing. Several times today I thought, "I'm really going to need to come back to Australia." I'd like to visit the Reef again, and I'd like to go into the country, to the outback and the desert. Have I mentioned that I just really love traveling and seeing new places????