Pete wanted to have breakfast at the Virgin Lounge so we caught a 6 am train to the airport (I would have preferred another hour's sleep). Our flight was scheduled to board at 8 am but was delayed. Sitting around at airports is not my favorite occupation, even in the comfort of the Virgin Lounge, but I had my Kindle and made sure I bought a couple of extra books online so I didn't run out of reading material. Pete amused himself with the paper, Sky News and the internet.
At the gate lounge we met the rest of our party: Steve and Lesley, Des and Jenny, and Jim. We all sat together on the plane. It's about a 3 hour flight to Cairns, and even with the delay taking off we were in Cairns shortly after noon. Cairns airport is being renovated, so we had a long hike from our arrival lounge to the baggage area. Our stretch limo was waiting for us and our driver Robert managed to pack all the luggage in. I've never been in a limo before. The seats are organised in a U shape around the bar, which was stocked with champagne (for the girls) and beer (for the boys). We headed north to Port Douglas which is (I think) about an hour's drive along the coast with spectacular scenery of rainforest on our left and beaches on our right. This is a very civilised way to travel!
We are staying at the Hibiscus Gardens which is only a few blocks away from the main shopping street and the beach. Port Douglas sits on a small headland with 4 mile beach to the south and a marina and bay and more beaches to the north. Pete and Sue and I have a 2 bedroom apartment on the first floor, and Steve, Lesley and Jim are just above us (so we can talk to each other from the balconies). There's a swimming pool just outside where breakfast is served every morning.
We unpack and change from Sydney winter clothes to Queensland tropical clothes. There's a little delay because Pete mislays his wallet but I find it for him in his shorts.
We walk up the street to the main street to look for a place to have lunch. there are lots of cafes, fashion shops, tour booking centres, and various kinds of accommodation. The boys are quick to locate the two main pubs, but by this time it's 3 pm and I'm starving and the pub's are no longer serving lunch, so we end up at a cafe eating burgers. I'm feeling sluggish after all that champagne and food and decide to walk up to the Lookout, and the others head for the Court House Hotel.
The Lookout is on the headland above the town. It's not far away but it's a steep climb. Various historic sites are marked around the town, and I find the site of an old lighthouse with great views north to Snapper Island and east to Low Island. The local map shows several islands off the coast, as well as various reefs. The Lookout looks south across 4 mile beach. It's pretty scenery - there's a band of natural vegetation behind the beach so that the houses are hidden, and the hills form a backdrop for the beaches.
I head down hill back to the Hibiscus (and find some half price swimwear on the way). I baptise my new bathers in the swimming pool outside our room and discover it's cold - but there's another, heated, pool and spa near Reception. It's very pleasant lying on a lounge by the pool reading, but it's cooling down. The minimum temperature is something like 17 degrees overnight.
We meet up at the pub and decide to have take away pizza for dinner. There's a great little pizza place in the main street where we can watch the dough and sauce being cooked and our pizzas being assembled. Sue and I collect our pizzas and head back to the apartment. We demolish one and save the other for Pete. We spend the evening reading, and Pete comes home later.
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