Farewells are not our strong point, especially when it involves facing a long separation from our son Tom, Aisling and baby Lorcan, but this time it was also a farewell to Jed with whom we have a special bond. The time on his property has been wonderful, but all things come to an end. Jed, all the best and huge thanks for the past 10 days, Tom, you and the family travel safe.
Since Julatten sits above Mossman and Port Douglas we opt for taking the van down the steep twisting road and joining the Route 44 that runs along the seaside from Port Douglas to Cairns, a really picturesque drive and we take the time to pull over often to admire the sandy beaches, rocky headlands and many islands just off the coast. Along here the mountains dip their knees into the crystal blue waters, so settlements are sparse and the mountain slopes are dressed in tropical rainforest attire.
Cairns, been there done that, so we pass through while we reminisce of previous stays there at Trinity Beach, Yorkeys Knob and of Roscoe’s time there on business (we had a wholesale warehouse outlet there). Sorry Cairns, not even a coffee or fuel stop was in order this journey.
With our days destination predetermined we make a couple of stops on the southward drive, firstly at Babinda, a truly pretty rural community based around the sugar industry, yes, people still eat sugar! Like all small rural towns there is a wide, shop lined main street flanked by early 20th century buildings lending a casual and genteel charm not found in our cities. Two supermarkets, from memory three pubs dominate the street front with barbers, butchers, cafes, clothing and hairdressers filling in the gaps. On a corner sits a bakery boasting excellent pies, a bakery we have been told of and TripAdvisor rates highly….. they are bloody beautiful we can assure you!
Next detour is to Silkwood as we had a business colleague there many years back. Silkwood is just west of the Bruce Highway, a long drawn out township, a community for rural enterprise but not really a tourist attraction. We drive in, then we drive out.
Mission Beach, now that’s a name that features large in the touring community, very popular with our southern cousins from cooler climes during the winter. It’s a long, narrow drawn out community with North Mission Beach being separated by several newer communities from South Mission Beach about 11klm along the coast. We stayed in the North community, deciding on two nights to give us time for a walk along the beach, and a drive to explore the other satellite suburbs. Many Southerners spend 2-3 months here during winter, playing bowls, golf, walking and fishing. The small main street has a nice mix of Pub, restaurants, cafes and fishing tackle shops. The place has a rustic charm to it, but we are very pleased to be here after the main groups have departed. Touristic places are not our thing, but we could fill in a week here on some other journey.
Australia. Dust, Fire, Flood & Pandemic 