A note on architecture

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We have been staying at the hostel in Kuranda for 2 days, about to head back to our original hostel in Cairns. This hostel was built in 1906 by the owner of the local sawmill chain for his daughter, and it is amazing (though in a somewhat faded and moldy way).

Like most homes around here, the main living area is on the second floor. The "basement" is at ground level and consists of a concrete slab, several courses of brick, then unfinished wood for walls and ceiling. The ceiling joists are about 4 by 12 by 20 feet each -- I think that whole building is about 60 feet long and 30 wide. The ground level is a huge open space, and the walls are about 50% window -- they all open out, and they are mostly kept open day and night, to let the breezes through. The concrete and brick is to keep the termites from getting into the walls!

Upstairs there is a wrap-around porch wide enough to fit lots of bunk beds, some desks, and a library. It has stained-glass windows -- mostly clear with flowers and birds and the like in color. Inside of that are the main rooms, with 12 foot ceilings, and doors with elaborately carved transoms (I think that's the right word...) The open passage between the two main rooms is done as a hige circular arch, and everything is wood. The inside rooms also have windows -- about 3 feet wide and 6 feet high. They are divided into sections of different colored glass -- yellow, red, green...

If I ever find a faster connection, I'll post some photos.

We spent one day looking at the shops in Kuranda, and then a day hiking. We tried to get to the top of Barron Falls, which would have been really beautiful, but we didn't quite make it and ended up on the rainforest boardwalk instead, viewing the falls from a distance.

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