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Published: March 7th 2011
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A Week inCairns!!
After what could have been a nightmare, for all sorts of reasons, including a new hip and a three month stay! (requiring big immigration issues), our extended stay in Cairns has worked out really well. The only problem is it has rained, and rained and rained, well it is the rainy season in the Jungle!!
However, after leaving Hospital, the only instructions from the Doctor were to take it easy for a few weeks, but to walk, “To the Moon if necessary” he said!! So after the first couple of days and I was confident that I could still walk off we went!
Cairns Base Hospital, my short stay here was a real eye opener, it is the only Hospital to serve an area the size of England! With the back up of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, (more on this later) and the Queensland Helicopter Service. As the place is continually bed-logged, I was lucky enough to be found a space in a surgical ward, where 47 people had passed in and out in one day! The operations were carried out all through the night to keep up with the demand, and it was
very busy and noisy. The Aneathetist who I had was a lad called Rob from Exeter, the nurse Lyndsey from Stoke on Trent, and one of the young House Doctors is coming to Spain this summer to walk the Camino from Seville to Santiago de Compostilla!! what a small world!
Fortunately, we were not here 3 weeks ago, when a huge cyclone was due to hit this area, and in fact they expected it to take out the entire second floor of the Hospital. The whole of Cairns was boarded up, and sandbagged in readiness, and the entire Hospital was evacuated to Brisbane 2000kms away! All the very serious patients were taken by the Flying Doctor Service, and the walking wounded by Air Force planes. At the last minute the storm changed directions and missed the direct hit on Cairns although the debris from it is still widely apparent everywhere.
Away from Hospital, and after 24 hours and the realisation that we are not going to meet the MS Amsterdam for another week, let us make the most of Cairns even in the torrential rain.
Sunday a day for a trip out, we took a bus to Kuranda a
small Aboriginal town in the rainforest, this was quaint, and after a couple of hours wandering around, we caught the Sky Train back, this is a gondola that covers 8kms across the canopy of the rain forest, with a couple of stops to see the steamy wet interior, and some fantastic falls, where the River Barron is in full flood, just a shame that the weather was misty and along with the massive spray from the falls, the pics will not be too good, but the noise of the river thundering over the rocks was fantastic.
Monday, we set off for a day out to visit more falls, this time by car. Richard by now is getting very bored with gardens and waterfalls, but fortunately for me, he realises that it is better to “toe the line” and keep me sweet than have me complaining about being an invalid and not able to do anything! En route, we passed the airfield and the hanger for the Royal Flying Doctors, so stopped to take a photograph, when the Admin Manager came out and asked if he could help. We explained that we were just being curious, and he then invited
us in, and gave us a full tour of their operation, and planes! It was fascinating, and again a huge eye opener into how this works, and the wonderful service that they give over such an enormous area!! We had a really interesting time, and it has now made me even more determined to do the Charity Bush Trek before I get to old, so Ian Maudsley if you are reading this I will start planning when I get home!!!
We arrived back in Cairns quite early, so I set off to walk the Esplanade, (it is not raining!!) What a fabulous place this is, a very long boardwalk the length of the seashore, with a wonderful infinity pool where the locals were all doing aerobics etc, wonderful gardens where all the families were jogging with babes in pushchairs! And my favourite the amazing Ozzie BBQ set up! Wonderful smells everywhere!
Tuesday we decided to leave Cairns and go north to Port Douglas for a few days, this is a funny little “gold rush town” supposedly very chic, well not in the rainy season, and having spent an hour looking for a nice hotel without success, they were either
naff or isolated, we decided to head back to Cairns, and this time checked in at the Hilton right on the water front by the harbour and the Esplanade, good choice Richard!!
Wednesday, off on a Croc Hunt! Not perhaps the most sensible thing to do when you have limited walking let alone running capacity, but seeing as we are dicing with fate rather a lot at the moment why not, who knows when we will be here again! 20 kms down the road, I suddenly shouted “ look there is a kangaroo” we stopped and rightly enough, there were dozens of wild kangaroos feeding in the fields to the side of the road! Yes we also found the Crocs along with koala bears and had yet a gain a great day out.
Thursday, today is our last day in Australia, and I am up at 06.00 writing this, the sun is rising!! first time we have seen it for days, the parrots and cockatiels are screeching outside the window, the boats are all starting up their throbbing engines, and we are off to “Find Nemo” Yes, today, we are going to the Great Barrier Reef!!! and the
weather looks as though it is going to be glorious. Only disadvantage for me is no swimming, but for sure there will be loads of photos watch this space!
After a bad start in Cairns, all has turned out really well, thank you all for your “virtual flowers and grapes” they worked wonders, and now Dora is back Exploring and making the most of a wonderful trip!
Much love and loads more to follow!
Elaine & Richard
xx
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