Welcome to Cairns

A restful night on the Spirit of Queensland.

Around 6:30a, the car attendants came around and restored the RailBeds to their daytime position. Breakfast service began at 7:00a. Why so early? Because we were due into Townsville — a turnaround station for crew and a good number of passengers — before 8:30a. No problem for us … both Mui and I were already up … Mui having taken advantage of the onboard shower facilities.

Most of the stops the Spirit of Queensland makes are short … just long enough to embark/disembark passengers. Townsville was a longer stop, giving everyone a chance to disembark onto the platform to stretch their legs during the crew changeover. Just 10 minutes, but it was nice to walk around and get some fresh air.

Once we were rolling again, the crew came around to take our lunch orders. And then it was time to relax again … reading, writing, watching a movie. The further north we went the more it rained … light and steady. But before the scenery was completely masked by the raindrops on the window, I saw a couple of kangaroos in the fields. Always fun to see wildlife out in nature.

By lunch time, the engine crew had made up all but five minutes of the delay. Excellent. Airline quality food for our midday repast, and then it was time to get ready for our arrival in Cairns.

We came into Cairns Station to continued rain … the wet seasons not entirely over up here. Making our way through the mall attached to the station, we ordered an Uber and got to our hotel without getting too wet. In the humid tropical heat, the slightly cooler rain was actually welcome.

The Cairns Harbourside is a hotel on the Esplanade … the foreshore promenade. The reviews I had read when I booked this hotel are spot on. The facilities — a Holiday Inn until February of this year — are a little tired and could use a facelift. Clean, nonetheless. The staff are the stars. Everyone from the front desk clerk to the hospitality staff and the cleaners are exceptionally friendly and helpful. “No” does not seem to be part of their vocabulary.

We settled into the sea view suite we had booked and took care of a few things while we waited for the sun that had come out at some point to descend on the horizon. The plan was to walk into town once things cooled off a bit. With the humidity and heat breaking a bit, the walk wasn’t too bad … about ½-hour to the CBD.

When we were here in December 2023, I had an enjoyable lunch at Perottas. That’s where we went for dinner … good food, cold drinks, friendly serving staff.

Even though the humidity was on the rise, we decided to walk back to the hotel instead of taking an Uber. The foreshore promenade was crowded … the locals doing what they usually do … coming out to enjoy the cooler evening hours. A good plan.Read more