July 4, 2024 to July 9, 2024
Cairns
Thursday the 4th of July 2024
It rained overnight and so the tent was packed away wet once again. It started drizzling again soon after we set out for Cairns but it was light enough and warm enough for us not to worry about hauling out our rain gear. The most impressive feature of the route between Gordonvale and Cairns is that much of it is on a cycle path for cyclists use only, the first we have encountered so far in Australia. All others have been shared with pedestrians or motorised traffic.
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We're spending tonight in the comfort of a tiny cabin at a caravan park on the northern outskirts of Cairns. The carport attached to the cabin has provided a place for us to dry the tent, useful because it has rained on and off all day. After months of almost no rain we can't complain just because our last couple of weeks have been rather wet.
Tomorrow we head a few kilometers further north before heading back down to Cairns itself.
Friday the 5th of July 2024
We enjoyed a good supper cooked in the tiny kitchenette of the tiny cabin. We have had a far more varied diet on this trip thanks to the availability of decent ingredients.
A break in the weather meant that the ride to the campground further north was dry and we could set the tent up for the last time without risking being rained upon.
However, the dry weather didn't last and our last day camping was mostly pretty wet and miserable. Our last four nights are to be in a hotel in Cairns to allow us to procure boxes for the bicycles and get them packed for the flights back home.
Saturday the 6th to Tuesday the 9th of July 2024
We had initially only intended to spend the last two nights in a hotel in Cairns but the need to watch the first of the two rugby tests between the Springboks and Ireland had us bringing our hotel booking forward and extending it by a couple of days. With the match starting at one o'clock in the morning it means the the day after the match is a bit of a right off.
Once again we enjoyed some good cycle paths riding southwards into Cairns. Cairns itself seems to be the most cyclist friendly city we have encountered in Australia so far. Apart from lots of cycle paths, there are also more bicycle shops than I would have expected in a small city. I visited two of them that were close to our hotel and had no real problem finding boxes, although I had to wait a few hours for small enough ones. With so many new bicycles being ebikes that are packaged in oversized boxes it means that smaller road bike boxes are less easy to find.
In between sorting out the packing, we have dodged the rain and walked the length esplanade and the harbour in the hope of seeing salt water crocodiles but without success. However, Cairns once again bucked the Australian trend and delivered good numbers of wading birds, something that has been in short supply on this trip. We had considered taking a longer tour of the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns but the poor weather has put a damper on things. Ultimately, we might regret not just doing one despite the weather.
Today's ride: 69 km (43 miles)
Total: 4,766 km (2,960 miles)
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All the best for packing and trip home.
5 months ago