Day 361: Old tin shed.

  What would man do without his shed?  His hide away from the world where he can immerse himself in ‘man world’.  Great things happen in man world; hot rods get built, more times than not there is a fridge with refreshing drinks held captive.  Bikes get fixed and if said man is lucky enough has TV and armchair just ‘cause he can.  Yes, great things happen in an old or new shed alike and it can also be a place of refuge.  He can do all the things he wants to do in that shed with no problem of the repercussions because that is ‘man world’ and enter at your own risk!  

Day 360: Industry.

Behind many a barb wire fence lays the industry of Australia.  Be it sugar, coal, electricity, manufacturers etc we rely on industry to contribute to the running of our country and export overseas.  One industry I particularly lean towards, I’d have to say would be the wine industry, would you believe that all started back in 1860s.  I think the wine makers were drinking a little bit too much of the product they made over that time.  The actual industry didn’t really kick in until 100 years later.  The 1960s started to see Australia etch on maps for good wine makers; and the rest they say is history.

Day 359: Rhapsody of the Seas.

Planes, trains and automobiles are one way to get to Cairns, another mode of transport is going back to the days of the grand old ladies of the seas.  Although in our present world, you won’t have to sleep in a hammock, scrub the wooden deck or worry about being keel hauled if you do something really wrong on board.  Today’s ships are refined with the latest luxuries, from movie cinemas, numerous pools, whirlpools, Casino Royale, themed bars, Adventure Ocean for the kids.  I hope that doesn’t mean they tie them to a rock and fling them off the back – modern day keel hauling (joking).  Would you believe this ship even has a rock climbing wall?  Now wouldn’t that be tricky in the high seas, adding to the challenge of it all.   The Rhapsody is truly a modern day lady of the high seas.

Day 358: Cannonball run.

 Well not entirely but this is a flower from the Cannonball tree.  Its flower reaches out from spiky tentacles’ that protrude from the truck, all the way to the top.  Native to South America it grows well in our tropical climate.  Besides the flowers it also has cannonball like fruit growing all the way up too, making it quite an unusual tree and one that certainly stands out.  It has been known to have some medicinal purposes as well.  Containing qualities of antibiotic, antifungal, antiseptic and analgesic, the juices from the fruit used to cure the common cold.  It is one of those trees that beauty may be in the beholder but the true beauty lies underneath.

Day 357: Sign of the tropics.

 A signature of the tropics is the palms and palm trees.  Love them or hate them they are abundant in the tropical landscape.  If you have them in your yard it is great exercise because you are forever picking up the ‘self cleaning’ branches that fall.  The celebrated thing about palms they have long been associated with weekend escapes or holidays.  The gentle breeze rustling in the coconut palms, looking out to the crystal clear waters has been a favourite in the advertising world to entice us to holiday in a sweltering climate.  They happen to be pretty resilient too, which is a good thing, when the gentle sea breezes come in.  Much better to have around instead of a big gum tree, they kind of add to a challenge you could probably do without at that time.  Regardless of how you view them they are going to be a sign of the tropics for a long time to come.

Day 356: Window to Paradise.

  Wow, what an amazing day today was, the sun was shining, crystal clear water to swim/snorkel in.  On a little island just off the coast of Cairns; Fitzroy Island, an amazing little spot just a 50min boat ride away from the mainland.  This is a sneak peak at Nudey Bay, can’t let you see what was around the corner.  Actually just joking; it is a great walk through rainforest to get there.  Yes there are a few ups and downs along the way but when you walk out onto the beach it certainly is worth it.  There are all sorts of hidden treasures on the island and it is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.