Cairns

“Winter” in Cairns is pretty great.  It has been sunny and 78 each day.  That makes me feel happy because I’m missing out on summer at home in the US.   I know how lucky I am to be in Australia, but it looks like everyone is having so much fun in the BBQ and summer pics posted on Facebook! Enjoy.

Cairns has about 200,000 people, so it is pretty small.  It’s a tourist center where people stay to see the Reef and local rainforests.  Cairns has a lot of shops and a great Esplanade where you can walk along the water.   It is surrounded by mountains and rainforest and has a tropical feel.  The city is not directly on a beach, but they’ve made a lagoon to swim in and have a great waterfront area that is well used.  There are two free exercise classes offered daily to the public on the Esplanade.  The mayor here is committed to making an active lifestyle possible for everyone.  No more $18 a session Pilates classes for this girl.  It is free on Wednesday mornings!  But who am I kidding? 6 AM is a bit too early for me.  Maybe next week.

Monday was the Queen’s birthday so we decided to celebrate her at the beach.  There are 4-5 beaches just north of Cairns.  You can bus it there or drive in about 20 minutes.  We went to Palm Cove and it was heaven to be back in the sand instead of  wearing gum boats trudging through muddy fields.  This is a great time of year to be in Northern Queensland because there are deadly jellyfish or “stingers” that head to this area in the summer months making the beaches unsafe for swimming.  Rumor has it there are crocs, too.   I just popped my toes in the water to play it safe.

Palm Cove

Palm Cove

Back to the beach! Hurray.

Tuesday was back to reality day.  It was time to start looking for work since we’d like to stay here for a few months.  We can enjoy nice “winter” weather and see tons of National Parks and beautiful beaches in the area.   I would love to park it for a few months, unpack the suitcase, and get familiar with a town.  We’ve been in Australia now for 6 weeks and traveling since Portland for 7 weeks total.  A little down time would good for the soul.

How did the job hunt go?  I’ll sum it up in one word.  Rejection.  We went from cafe to store to cafe in search of job, but no one was hiring “backpackers.”  Even though we don’t consider ourselves to be backpackers, we are lumped into that category since we are looking for seasonal work.   Several temp job agencies have also told us they are not hiring workers with our visa.   There are fruit picking opportunities available, but we are trying our hardest to not have to end up back in the fields just yet.  My ego can’t handle the thought right now.

So, I sent out my resume to lots of different jobs from receptionist, to Montessori school aid, and even for some pediatric speech jobs in other cities.   I’m feeling a little discouraged, but I've got to stay hopeful something will come along.

On Wednesday, we visited the  Cairns Botanical Gardens and Mt. Whitfield Conservation Park.  I really needed some time away from the job hunt, so we went bush walking through the rainforest.  Great day.

Cairns Airport and Coral Sea

Where's Pam-O? Hint.  Look for the fluorescent shoe strings.

View of Coral Sea on hike