Travelling through inland Australia: Day 19 Cairns

Today we spent the day in Cairns. We went to Mass at St Monica's Cathedral. The cathedral is a relatively modern church of modest proportions. However, it contains a very impressive collection of stained glass windows depicting the themes of the creation. Also impressive was the quality of the choir. What a difference a trained and talented female cantor makes.

We then toured many of the sites that we first visited when we came to Cairns three years ago.

As many of you will know, Cairns is a coastal city but it does not have a beach. Instead, wide mudflats stretch out to the harbour's shipping channel. So, the the city authorities have constructed a very attractive esplanade and artificial beach and wading pool that has proved very popular with the tourists that flock here.

The city itself both very laid back, in a country Australia manner, and very cosmopolitan. Sitting at at any one of the many outdoor cafes that line the main streets, you will see local residents meeting for coffee and a chat about everyday things while at the same time other diners will also be chatting away but in a marvelous variety of languages other than english. Food is another good indicator of the cosmopolitan nature of city life in Cairns. A short stroll along the Esplanade and neighbouring streets reveals a wide variety of cuisines.

One other thing that strikes you about Cairns is the enormous number of hotels that have been built in the city. This, of course, reflects Cairns' role as a major tourist destination. During the tourist season people flock here in their thousands every week from Asia and Europe and use the city as a jumping off point for the Great Barrier Reef, the northern beaches and rainforests and the Atherton Tableland.

One of the enduring memories of our last visit here was the little cafe we discovered on the Esplanade. Its name was Driftin'. We kept going back there because of the great salad lunches they provided and because it was a great place from which to watch the world go by. In the lead-up to this visit we fantasised about going back there. However, when we got to Cairns we began to have second thoughts. How often have places turned out to be disappointments when visited for the second time? In the end we decided to take the plunge and go back regardless of the risk. And what a great decision that turned out to be. The ambiance and the character of the place was just as we remembered it, the wine was just as well chilled and the salads were even better than the last time.

Tomorrow, we are going to take things easy prior to our visit to Cooktown on Tuesday and Wednesday.