Camping Aussie Style

A couple of weekends ago we decided to go up to Lake Tinaroo on the Atherton Tablelands. ( see Facebook for pics ) The lake is the main reservoir for Cairns; a bit like Mugdock in Glasgow but bigger.
The lake is littered with campsites spread out around its circumference. We picked Downfall Creek campsite and set off on Saturday morning with Richard and Katie in their trusty campervan Sally. After a couple of hours on a bendy uphill road along the Gillies Range we pitched up at the site. Facilities were modest but our pitch had uninterrupted views straight on to the Lake. Class.

With such agreeable surroundings it seemed nothing could shatter the peace. That was until a pissed up young hoon in the pitch opposite us decided to head off in his Ute almost hitting a 3yr old as he exited the campsite! Said infant's father understandibly became upset at this and decided to lift an empty whiskey bottle and threaten to glass pissed hoon's two remaining mates!

Having discussed this with some work colleagues I was assured that this was "camping aussie style".

Wouldn't get this behaviour at the " Red Squirrel "

So about time I updated the old blog then....

The East Coast has just experienced the worst sandstorms in 70 years. Apparently there's been strong winds in the Southern Australian outback which have whipped up a muddy maelstrom, depositing 16000 tonnes of dust every hour over Sydney. Truly martian. Brisbane 900 km away, got it as well. It moved its orange ass up here to Cairns but it just created a dry sort of cloudy haziness. Similar in fact to a fine scottish summer's day.

Jackie has been in Innisfail since Wednesday morning and will return Friday afternoon ( or arvo in local parlance ). In her recent guise as dentistry's answer to Florence Nightingale ( see left ) she has to travel occasionally to outlying communities to meet the needs of the aboriginal and torres strait islander folks. Fair play to her.

When Jackie's away I've been covering the clinic back in Cairns. I don't know if it's their fondness for eating turtles or dugong but that indigenous bone is impossible to shift when your taking teeth out.....alas I don't have the Jackie D touch.

The following is possibly one of the boldest statements I have ever made.

I have just had the finest portion of fish and chips ever.

Sorry McLaughlin's Limavady. Move over L'Alba D'Oro Edinburgh..... Hello Earlville Fish Bar.

Firstly the chips. These babies were half way between the traditional soggy Scottish chip and its crispier Irish cousin. What I mean is, the outside had that golden crispiness while the interior was a paste of sweet smoothiness.

Then the fish: I opted for the " flake " which I am lead to believe can be one of several species of small shark. The flesh had a well defined white appearance. The flavour was mild and juicy soft in texture. All of this was encrusted in a light tempura-like batter. The most impressive quality held by said batter was that it was still perfectly crispy when I got home.

Thank you Earlville Fish Bar

+ =

MDF(ash)

After pestering Mrs D for two weeks, she finally agreed to accompany me on a fishing trip last Saturday. Joining us was Jackie's nurse Eleanor and her two kids Marley and Ahzida. They are officially the first friends we have made in Cairns. They're from Thursday Island in the Torres Strait but moved to Cairns 3 years ago. Our skipper and fishing mentor was" Henry" a middlle aged japanese guy I met in the marina a couple of weeks back. I very much doubt Henry's name is Henry.

So with our six pack of Cooper's and bottle of Wolf Blass rose ( Cooper's for me, rose for J...obviously ) we boarded ship and set sail out of Cairns' marina. Interestingly Eleanor and the kids bypassed the fishing rods; opting instead for the Hand-reels. Now, in my ignorance I have always thought that hand reels were used by people who couldn't afford a proper rod! It transpires that this apparatus is favoured by the indigenous, because of its ease of transport (eg in canoe) but more importantly because its much easier to feel the fish "biting" as the line is supported by the index finger.

Whilst I, using a rod, caught a grand total of two fish ( one of which was a sizeable ,but poisonous puffer fish ) Eleanor and the kids, using the aforementioned primitive means pulled out a plethora of Bream, Rainbows and Trevally. They gave us a proper showing up, and will not be asked on any further fishing trips...

The highlight of the afternoon was undoubtedly Henry's sashimi/crab combo. Firstly he skillfully filleted the Bream etc and served it up with soy and wasabi! Obviously this is as fresh as it comes, and an interesting alternative to the usual tuna, salmon etc. For main course the crabs were promptly boiled and served up in the shell....umm...sweet....

Miscellany

After that last rant, England reclaimed the Ashes and the Wallabies have lost to both the All Blacks and the Springboks in the Tri Nations! Perhaps I was a bit premature in my admiration for Aussie sports...

Having secured gainful employment a fortnight ago, I started working for Gary and Maurice this week. www.cairnsprecisiondental.com . Its a really cool set up. My assistant does pretty much everything. I just show up, chat to the patient for a while and then get on with some treatment. More than half of all australians have private medical cover which usually covers some or all of their dental stuff. As a result the fees are mostly covered by insurance, which in turns means the dentist can spend more time (and money) on the patient which inevitably means the patient gets better quality treatment. I'm not quite sure yet what happens to those without private medical cover!? Enough toothtalk already.....

Getting in to the whole Aussie sports thing

Just a quick one....

Next door to our apartment block lies " Barlow Park". It seems to be a government/council sports facility.ie rugby/cricket etc etc.
Every night ( and day ) this week the floodlights have been cranked up and some form of competitive sports have been staged; all at youth level.
If the noise generated by spectators is anything to go by there must be on average roughly 2000 people turning up for the likes of schools cricket on a friday afternoon and local rugby league on a friday night.
Scarily, the ground could probably seat 12-15,000 sports mad aussie parents.
Now, this is a seriously professional set up for a game of cricket amongst 16 year olds. Each new batsman gracing the field is announced, to raptourous applause, courtesy of a microphone / pa system. There's an electronic scoreboard and everything!

It is obviously the intention that aussie youngsters get accustomed to the atmosphere of the
big sporting occasion from an early age.

Could this be part of the formula which explains Aussie sporting success over the years?


( At the time of posting, after a promising start, England had just been bowled out for 332 early on the second day )

All set for my first job interview....looking good.

Fellow Man

Something which has struck me in the past day or two, is how friendly some people can be. On the plane from Hong Kong I got chatting to an older Aussie guy called Rod. He was travelling with his wife back to Oz after holidaying in the UK.

Having forgiven him for asking me what part of "England" I was from, I explained that we we're moving to Cairns. After giving me some advice on their preferred brand of insect repellent ( Bushman 80% DEET ) Rod's wife then warned me about a supposed Dengue Fever epidemic affecting Far North Queensland, for which no vaccine or post infection treatment could be offered?
On hearing this my "turtle" began to get curious, Rod however had retired to his seat, pencilling determinedly onto sheets of notepaper.

Midway through the flight he then presented me with said notes, which contained suggestions on things to do and places to visit in Cairns and the surrounding hinterlands. Top Bloke! He also hinted that his wife might have "overcooked" the whole Dengue Fever thing....



Yesterday we took a trip to Port Douglas about 65kms North of Cairns. Given the 30c heat J insisted that the air con was on in "Colin" our borrowed Honda CRV 4x4. ( thanks Willy).

When we arrived I did notice "steam" coming from the bonnet and that the engine temp dial was maxed but assumed that it was due to overzealous use of the a/c. When we pulled up at a parking space however, we were intercepted by " Dave" another guardian angel who said he could smell the jeep from the nearby bar he'd been drinking in as we passed! With his Winfield still in mouth Dave insisted I open the bonnet as he was sure the radiator pipe had blown. Fortunately this wasn't the case but I was duly instructed as to how to correct the situation and ensure our safe passage back to Cairns. Without his intervention Colin would have more than likely enkindled somewhere outside of Port Doug...


Prior to our "Grand Depart" various legal documents required duplication and certification. Fortunately we have uncharacteristically generous friends in the legal profession ( Derek, Ben ) who for the occasional exam,scale and polish were happy to do me a good turn and sign these documents. (Coincidentally Derek's stamp/seal is superior to Ben's; I'll need to mention this to Ben as I feel he could negotiate a better "stamp deal" with his employer.)

Anyway, much to my chagrin I was handed more paperwork today which required more docs to be stamped and signed. Now given that ordinarily this can cost £25-£150 per signature in the UK, that everything in Oz seems to have doubled in price since January and that my legal contacts are no longer in close proximity; I was braced for a "hit". After making several enquiries however, we were informed that rather than visiting a solicitor or notary we could pop along to the courthouse where the local Justice of the Peace would be happy to sign these docs free of charge! 15 mins later all done and dusted. Seems you might get something for your taxes in this country...

The view from our balcony

The Beginning

This is my first Blog. It is also the first "post"in my first Blog. Having now said the word twice I already hate it....perhaps I'll call it a diary.

With the rapid onset of post 30 memory loss, I decided a couple of weeks ago that I should keep a note of things every now and then, so that in years to come I can look back with embarrassment, ridicule, and maybe even some fondness on the ins and outs of everyday life.

Now, the title. It's a bit pretentious I realise. How does one come up with a title or theme which doesnt sound boring but doesnt make you sound like a tosser? It's a very fine balance. One which I havent seen anyone master as yet.

Geographically, we are not in "unknown lands". Mentally however this is a whole new experience for me and J. Within two days we are no longer in holiday mode. Speaking to sponsors, potential employers and opening bank accounts makes you realise that we are going to be"living"somewhere.

It is an experience I am keen to embrace.