06/07/2017 Atherton to Port Douglas

July 6th, 2017 9:57 am

We were happy to leave the Atherton Motel-it was 3 star all the way, not really our scene!  The walls were paper thin and we had neighbours on one side-a couple.  In the evening we could hear every word spoken, it was like sharing a room with strangers-luckily they were well behaved!!

We rode into town for a coffee club breakfast.  The coffee was very good.

We rode out of the Tablelands the same way we arrived which was the windy hill.  A great ride down.  It seemed the temperate went up a degree with every corner.  Back in Cairns it was hot and humid-about 28deg.

We called into the Harley shop as I needed some gloves that could let the air through-I’ve been riding in my waterproof gloves, but my hands are wet with sweat in them each day up here-waterproof means no air gets in-same with our leathers-we have all zips and vents undone.  If we lived here we would rethink our riding gear all together.  I’m now riding in a little singlet top and short gym shorts under my leathers-that’s it.

After Cairns we rode north, past Yorkey’s Knob and out to Port Douglas.  We stopped on the way at Ellis beach-a very nice spot.

I know we’re in critter country up here, but I was surprised to see so many people swimming at the beach here.  I noticed a sign:

It says there are stingers and crocs in the sea!!  Can you believe people still swim here!!!!!  Also, I thought hhmmmnn, I wonder how big the spiders are here-then I saw one:

Ok its not as big as the kid, but it is in scale to Stuart’s gloved hand!!!  Anyway, as long as I don’t swim in the sea, and the spiders stay in their webs I’m happy up here.  I knew last night at the 3 star in the hinterland that we were in big critter country-I checked the bed before I got in it! (I know I’m using lots of exclamation marks!!!-but that is a big spider.)

We rode onto Port Douglas, only about 40 minutes away.  What a Beautiful place, such luscious flora.  We are about on the same latitude as Fiji-wet tropics.  Everything is in abundance.  The bird song this evening was like none I’ve ever heard before.

We had dinner at the yacht club-lots of fresh seafood here.  We are right on the edge of the Daintree rainforest-it’s under the clouds in the left photo.

We have two nights here in Port Douglas before heading further North to Cooktown-founded by James Cook-as was pretty much the whole east coast!