Today we transferred from Silky Oaks to the Kewarra Beach Resort, about fifteen miles north of Cairns. The drive down the Captain Cook Highway is excellent – perhaps not quite as scenic as the Great Ocean Road, but not far behind.
The fields on either side are full of sugar cane – and yesterday was the day that it was started to be harvested. It should have been about three weeks ago, but unseasonally they had a huge downpour that made the cane too wet to harvest. Even though Silky Oaks is fairly elevated – all the rooms are on stilts – the river runs right next to the resort. There is a couple of tables and chairs by the river, and when it rained last it was so unexpected it caught everyone by surprise. A couple of the staff had to wade into the river to retrieve the furniture from the rising water level. In the wet season, they are partially cut off from the road, and have to use a boat for customers and supplies for the last part of the journey.
There were several eagles, kites and falcons soaring above the sugar cane. As soon as it is started to be harvested, they lurk. There are so many little animals that live in the cane, that all have to run out into the open when it is cut, it is breakfast, lunch and dinner. The most poisonous snake in Australia, the Taipan, also lives in the sugar cane, so I wouldn’t want to get out of the harvester for a smoke or a cup of tea! They have a really neat system of taking it to the factory – all of the fields are connected by train tracks, and little carriages are taken round, filled and transported without any lorries on the road.
The journey south takes around two hours – we used the shuttle bus again, which means we share with other people and have to collect and drop off at various hotels on the way. We had two pick ups, and we were the first to be dropped off, so no problem. The Kewarra Beach Resort is a beach resort, and we are here for two nights before taking the Sunlander Train from Cairns to Brisbane on Thursday. It has a lovely open plan reception, with another lovely restaurant. We are given a cold fruit tea drink on arrival – somehow don’t think that that will take the place of campari in my heart! We are then shown to our lovely little bungalow – I do like these rooms that aren’t just a little box off a long corridor. We can walk out of the balcony doors and straight onto the beach. As we were being shown to the room, we were told that there are two kangaroos that live here, and one has just had a baby. There is also a huge monitor called George. Let’s hope they aren’t so elusive as the nocturnal creatures we didn’t see last night. We walked around the resort to get our bearings, and saw hardly another soul. Either the place is empty, or everyone is out on tours. I saw a sunlounger with my name on it down on the beach. So with kindle in hand – I have had to pay to download a “proper” book, the free ones were getting on my wick they were so awful, perhaps I have just chosen badly – I plonked my bottom down for the afternoon. The first time on this holiday, I think, that we have had an extended period of doing nothing. The only problem was the wind – it wasn’t blowing a gale, but it was blowing. And if you didn’t sit directly in the sun it was cold – yes, cold! I had goosebumps on my arms. Paul decided to sit by the pool until a young family upset his quiet (wonder how many people we have done that to in our past?) then he walked to the end of the beach and back. It is a really long beach – and for the first time I have actually seen people taking their dogs for a walk. I stuck it out though, even though it was really too cold and windy to sit on the beach, and I was the only one left – I am British!
Dinner was an event – the restaurant was a bit like Fawlty Towers. There seemed to be a bit of friction between the few staff that were working – they all seemed to be very busy, but not doing much. We seemed to get ignored as we were sitting by the bar. We ordered menus, and after thirty minutes they still hadn’t arrived. The German lady behind the bar just smiled, and was typically German. The restaurant lady just didn’t want to look at us. It took a little bit of sarcasm to remind them that we paid their wages. That sorted it! Apart from that, dinner was excellent. And German Eva came over and apologised and gave us a complimentary coffee. I thought perhaps she was just having a bad day – on our way out she said her husband was having a heart operation tomorrow, that explained it. Not sure about the others though!
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