It's Raining Iron Men at Palm Cove

On the way to our final park, we stop off at Kuranda, that is located in a rainforest some 100 feet above sea level. It is also home to the Djabugay people and it was interesting to see how the town had interwoven their ancient history with the more modern hippy movement that arrived in the 1960's. This was particularly noticeable in the market, that was a collection of old wooden huts through which tiny lanes were thread, where you could get your palm read, buy some beads, take home a didgeridoo and have a herbal tea. We dropped down to the railway station, that was opened in 1891 and has been maintained in the same condition to this day. There is also a cable car station and the journey for this goes over the rainforests that surround the town. We consider taking both journeys when Alex arrives in Australia in a few days. Nearby, is Barron Falls and we decide to see yet another waterfall. It's a short walk into the rainforest and along a boardwalk, before we see the gorge and the waterfall, although the flow of water is not at it's peak, so the sight is not as impressive as it could be.

We reach Palm Cove and stay at the NRMA Palm Cove Holiday Park. It's a bit confusing trying to find our way in, as there are hundereds of metal railings lining the roads, hosts of tents and various signs, all signifying an Iron Man event. Upon check-in, the office manager explained that the holiday park is the starting point for an international triathlon competition (there are also women and children races), where they expect over a 1000 contestants. Unfortunately, The Brownlee brothers aren't competing, so we lose a bit of interest in what's going on, although we saw plenty of the athletes training, especially in the sea. That was really fascinating, as the water was very choppy and as we walked along the sea front, we kept on seeing boards warning of the dangers of swimming, as there may be crocodiles and box jellyfish (called stingers) about! We both decide that doing a triathlon in Australian waters is not our cup of tea. Instead, we have a relaxing massage at The Spa Palm Cove.

We have lunch at Reef House, then stroll back to our motorhome. By now it is raining and when we dipped into the Tourist Information shop, the lady told us that there had been rain pretty much every day for the past 7 months! And it's now meant to be the dry season. We are handing back our motorhome tomorrow, so we decide to use the wet weather to pack up all the things we need to now, over a glass of wine. Tomorrow, we will meet Alex at Cairns Airport as he will be spending 2 weeks with us, before hiring a car to drive to Port Douglas for a 7 day stay at the Mandalay Beachfront Apartments - hopefully we will see the sun when we get there!