From Cairns to Cooktown

After picking up the hire car we “hit the road” and were soon at Port Douglas. This is a place that has blossomed so much since we first visited in the 1980s – so much so that we can hardly find anything that is the same – but we did! The little Church has not been moved or changed and we came across it just as the morning Sunday Service was starting.

 We could here the congregation singing one of the old, old hymns I remember from my childhood! “There is a green hill far away without a city wall” Remember it?

Only inches away from the little church the Sunday market was in full swing and I enjoyed our wander through the stalls and was quite tempted by one of the paintings by one of the artists – until I saw several others EXACTLY the same in different sizes! That put me off! If I am to buy an oil painting I want it to be unique!

The drive to Cooktown had me worried – we seemed to be heading South when I thought we should be going North. It is a horrible feeling not knowing if you are on the right road or not and there are no road signs to help and reassure! Fortunately there was a map in the glovebox and Colin told me that we were heading in the right direction and to stop worrying! I wasn’t happy until we reached Lakeland. Our son, Steven had told us to drive off the highway and find the coffee house.

 It is a place you wouldn’t find unless someone had told you where to look. We bought a coffee  there – locally grown and prepared and enjoyed it while sitting under the shade of the veranda.

Refreshed and alert again we continued on our long trek to Cooktown. The sight of a heap of black stones made us pull up to see what this was all about! 

 We had come across “Black Mountain” and the black stones are the solidified magma from a small volcano that had pushed up into a cone, the weather had caused the cooled material to crack and decompose between the cracks so forming lots of boulders. The black is a layer of lichen that has adhered to the rocks over hundreds of years.

From there it was only a few more minutes before we were in the famous landing place of the Explorer James Cook and the motel in which were are to stay for the next two nights. What a view we have from our window!

 Feeling as though we had been sitting down all day (well we had!) we walked the length of Charlotte Street taking photographs as we went – there are many old buildings and interesting things to see on that one street! 

 Now we shall take the car and drive to where we shall have a meal. I think I have made Colin walk far enough for one day!

AJ

By the way - If you click on any one of the pictures you can see all of them much larger and clearer - there will be an arrow that will allow you to scroll through them. Should you need to comment and find the process too difficult, drop me a line - joanren AT gmail.com (written that way so the address is not "clickable!")