The Birds

We set off to Airlie Beach quite early, but first have a wonder down to the beach at Cape Palmerston. We wonder through a cutting in the tropical wood onto a deserted beach, which was set in a crescent shape, like so many of the beaches up this coastline. You could picture yourself being washed up on the shore, aka Robinson Crusoe. But we don't want to hang around to meet Man Friday, so get going on our favourite road, the A1. There are not many opportunities to detour off today. The scenery is pretty consistent, mainly miles upon miles of sugar cane and this is the main season for the cane to be cut and crushed. We get to our destination, Island Gateway Holiday Park, around lunchtime, so we stroll into the main part of town to have a look. It's a good 20 minute stroll, passing the marina down onto the beach front. This place was hit in 2017 by a cyclone and building work was still being undertaken, but what had already been repaired and rebuilt was pretty impressive. There was still a hippy feel about the place, but the newer buildings and retail outlets were definitely to attract those who had a bit more cash to spend. There was even a large public lagoon / pool, with people swimming in it, as it was still pretty warm. We had a quick bite to eat at Cooks Bar & Grill, run by a guy from Newcastle and his wife who hailed from the Midlands, and who picked up on Diane's brummy accent straightaway. We got back to the caravan park to see the feeding of the wild birds; it was mayhem! Birds everywhere and when Diane offered some food, she was dive bombed by flocks of parrots. Hitchcock would have loved it. That evening, still full from lunch, we just had some cheese and crackers, with a glass of wine - very Francaise.