Cairns to Kuranda to Brisbane

After 2 days in Cairns I visited Kuranda dubbed the 'village in the rainforest', nestled in the mountains behind Cairns on the edge of the World Heritage listed Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia. Market day is every day in Kuranda. It was here that I stayed with a SERVAS host. SERVAS is an organisation where hosts open their homes to travelers usually for a couple of nights and who enjoy the cross-cultural exchange. I stayed with a lovely couple, Graham and Terrie, for 3 nights and enjoyed some great home comforts that I missed while on the sailing expedition - a room to myself, comfy spacious bed, hot water and a shower etc, etc, etc. It is only when you don't have them that you appreciate the basic things in life. I was shown around the village, saw some koalas and taken up to Port Douglas.

Now I am in Brisbane staying with some friends, Tom and Carina, who I met at the last 20 day school of healing and discipleship that I attended last year, not far from Sydney. Brisbane's city heartland is a unique district with the river as it's central focus reflecting the city's reputation for a relaxed subtropical lifestyle. Grand colonial architecture stands side by side with modern office towers and hotels. Here in Brisbane it was not long before I was once again on the water!! I took a trip on the City Cat - a catamaran which caters for the travel needs of recreational passengers and commuters. With the river being the heart of Brisbane it is a great way to travel around the city. Temperatures have dropped from 30 degrees centigrade and humid in Cairns to 16 degrees here in Brisbane.

My work assignment in Stanthorpe fell through as the HelpX workers who were already there decided they wanted to stay on so they did not need me. That was a bit of a disappointment as I was really looking forward to working in an attractive highland town most famous for being cold. It sits at an altitude of 915m and is one of the few places in the state that gets cold. It was minus 1 degree centigrade this morning.
With a change of plans I am now heading off from Brisbane on Thursday 9th July to a small village called Coolangata for a night at the YHA and then on to Kingscliff to stay 2-3 nights with a SERVAS host, on the coast further south.