Final days in Queensland
Cairns
My early morning walk down the esplanade yesterday resulted in fortune smiling on me… or at least $20.00. It’s been years since I have found such a large sum of money on the ground. At 6.00 am the streets were empty save for a few bleary-eyed backpackers on their way to their next stop, a few delivery vans and some council workers. You notice things at this time of the day that you wouldn’t normally see – a crocodile bar – giant crocodile which is normally surrounded by drinkers.
When I reflect on my “back-packing” experience in North Queensland, I find it hard to come up with enough superlatives to describe it. Surprisingly, or maybe not, it wasn’t the things I had come to see with left me speechless – the Great Barrier Reef, the tropical rainforests, the Daintree River or Cape Tribulation, as incredible as they were, have been so exploited as to leave one underwhelmed. The expectations surrounding these icons can’t help but be shattered by the reality of millions of visitors traipsing through them expecting Nirvana. No, for me the highlights were the stunning beauty of Four Mile Beach or the look-out at Port Douglas; meeting incredible people at various hostels or tours, or simply wandering off the beaten track and finding a deserted beach at Airlie Beach or Long Island.
This trip has also made me discover some new traits in myself – my adventurous spirit and determination. How many women my age are brave enough to do the backpacking thing? To rough it in youth hostels and travel with only one small backpack for several weeks? I’ve really enjoyed the challenge – I already knew I could do pretty much anything I set my mind to, but this trip has confirmed it.
Brisbane
After the absolute bliss and serenity of Port Douglas, how could I not be disappointed in Brisbane? The question which is uppermost in my mind after visiting this car-worshipping city is, how on earth did they manage to get it so wrong? How did they build Queensland’s principal city an hour’s drive from the nearest beach? What were they thinking?!!! I find Brisbane to be a badly designed city with poor infrastructure and poor public transport: it is difficult to get around without a car. The city’s attempts at encouraging cyclists with free bike hire is a dismal failure due primarily to the lack of safe bike lanes. The lack of cafes and restaurants around the river banks also leaves me unimpressed. Having been spoiled by Melbourne, Sydney and France I find it difficult to be in a city where café culture is not king.