Cairns, BABY!

Tuesday 27th August

After a minimal amount of faffage (due to aquiring a creepy old neighbour who was weird and wouldnt leave us alone) we headed back down to Atherton and then out east to explore the Tablelands. First stop was the Curtain Fig Tree, an immense strangler fig that over the period of 1000 had eaten three trees and now has the footprint of a large house. Next stop was Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine, which we walked about 5.5km around. They both were surroundedby jungle, and I nearly soiled myself after a near miss with a snake on the path. We also saw a Drake Eel while we had afternoon tea - it was the size of a small child. After the Lakes we drove by The Cathedral Fig, another enourmous tree that looked like something out of lord of the rings. This one we could even go inside it a bit and hang off the roots. We drove on through some mountains on the twistiest and hilliest road I have ever driven to get to the coast again, and stopped for the night at a free campspot 20mins down the road from Cairns, which we will probably stay at all week instead of paying through the nose forthe privilege of parking outside a hostel in the City centre. It looks like quite a few other people are doing the same.

Wednesday 28th August

Drove into Cairns for the first time, checked out the Esplanade and Lagoon (free showers! Yay!) Theres no beach here so the city council provide this huge out door swimming area and park thats free to use. Currently the Cairns Festival is on as well so theres loads of entertainment going on here as well. Theres also night markets (where babs FINALLY found the pirate earrings she has been looking for for months) and I found a bush hat that I cant afford and barbara thinks makes me look ridiculous.
On the lookout for jobs we found a possibility for work at the next big eventhere so we called up the agency and got a job interview for tomorrow.

Thursday 29th

Faffed all morning, got into town with just enought time to get a shower, our CVs printed at the library, and get to the interveiw. We got taken on for Hospitality work at hotels so we need to practise our hospital corners.
Also booked a trip to go snorkelling on the outer reef for the next day! Very exciting!

Friday 30th
We left the campsite far far too late. Needed to be on the boat by 8, and ONLY JUST made it... I made the schoolboy error of forgetting that most people have to work for a living and there would be a considerable amount of traffic. Who knew?
We went out to two reef locations, Saxon reefand Hastings Reef. The trip out was super choppy and quite a few people were sick, the first of which was a german girl in the middle of the 'what to do if you feel seasick' briefing. Perri also vomited a lot. No one was fine, but baba and I managed not to chunder.

The actual snorkeling was brilliant. Also went on a glass bottomed boat and saw some 1000yo giant clams. They were big. And pretty. Google it.
I managed not to drown, which was nice, and Babs went into the water without complaining about the cold which was even nicer. Admittedly, we both hit the reef a couple of times, but im pretty sure that was just in dead bits.

All in all it was a great day. Except the sunburn. When we got back to Cairns we saw some fire spinning, a really good band, some silent films accompanied by live music and some Aboriginal-y singing group that was really really good.

Saturday 31st Aug
We are all pretty tired. Loads of markets are on in Cairns and we walkedaround a bit but now sitting at the lagoon in the shade, watching a number of pale English backpackers get more and more sunburnt. Ahhhh.