Cairns

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August 19th 2006

Published: August 23rd 2006

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RTW2006

Great Barrier Reef

Great weather here in Cairns lends to the tropical feel, with palmtrees and beaches. Holiday town, full of saliva-inducing restaurants along the Esplanade, bikini-clad ladies sunning themselves on the waterfront in the town centre, and multitudes of travel agents all eager to take your money.

After the hard work at Ayers Rock, we relaxed a little by the swimming pool in our hostel, caught up on the essentials like laundry, and trawled through the mountain of literature and glossy brochures which was so overwhelming.

Booked the obligatory tour of the Barrier Reef with two dives, and while trying to organise our Fraser Island/Whitsunday tours in advance (this is busy season in Queensland.. of course it would be when we were visiting), ended up booking on a whitewater rafting tour as well - some impulse purchase!.

The diving on the reef was better than expected, out on Michaelmas Cay and Hastings Reef, we saw more turtles, and even bigger fish than in Malaysia, with Cod and Tuna glaring at us from underneath the dive boat. My right ear is still a little deaf after the experience, but I've been told a bit of Vicks Vaporub on the eardrum will

Cairns Scenery

sort things out......hrmmm..

The whitewater rafting was brilliant too - we were in 2-man rafts so there was no pointing the finger at the instructor when we fell into the rapids again...and again....and again in my case. My lower torso is a mosaic of bruises at the minute! - although with rapids called "B@st@rd" and "Kiss Your Arse Corner" not really surprising!

Caught the Mayo match replay against Laois in PJ O'Briens, conveniently located directly across from the Woolshed, (with a sister joint in Shennanigans) an establishment like Coppers with scenes of drunken debauchery worthy of the Romans. Unsurprisingly the place was full of Irish, mostly on their working visas taking a timeout.

The replay produced not-quite champagne football, with a few moments to stop the heart, but a gutsy display...and to be honest, I was more perturbed at times about Joe Brolly's shiny Bond-style shirt than the brutality visited upon Mayo by a growing desperate Laois outfit! My next concern is to make sure I get to see the semi-final against the Blues, as we'll be just coming off our Pro-Sail Maxi sailing effort at the Whitsundays this Sunday coming, so I'm hoping Airlie Beach will