The Cairns Diaries

I'll arrive in Cairns on Aug 12, and will be "free" for dinner that eve. Anyone interested in a Meet?

Our Cairns correspondant has been quite lax of late .... not a word from up north for donkeys ages!

How are we supposed to know what's going on up there if you don't tell us, hmmmm?

Just a word of encouragement, hinge. Not to be taken the wrong way, OK?

(ps .... did you ever sell your house?)

Okay, okay, it's been ages. House isn't sold. Mortgage killing us. We were meant to settle on Tuesday but it was subject to another sale - which was delayed due to documents being slow making their way between melbourne and cairns.

So tomorrow should be the day but I won't believe it until it happens.

Right now I'm in the pool drinking beer, checking work emails, doing the odd job and perusing social media. I mentioned the giant tree frog issue in 'wildlife in my life' and 'beautiful animals'. Archie the cat was sick for a while but has come home with a poodle paw (for the drip) but seems to have go better without any reason for him being sick.

Nights are pretty hot -in fact the pool right now, at dusk, is 34C (whatever that is in the old money).

Tim, my new next door neighbour gave me 2 kilos of lychees of his tree this arvo (he called me at work to ask if it was OK to use his ladder in our backyard - no wuckers) - it's great to have a nice neighbour again.

It's only the second time in 17 years it's fruited apparently - this photo I just took with the laptop's webcam:

Ah, so there you are!

Is that your pool, hinge? And your backyard?
And you have 2 kilos of lychees to eat, too!
I am SO envious!
Sounds like paradise to me. (Sure beats Canberra, huh? )

Sorry to hear your previous house has taken so long to sell.
Something to do with with falling house prices?
Seems to have happened all over Oz .... the slide down just started in Melbourne recently. (and about time!)
Fingers crossed the house sale actually happens tomorrow. Good luck!

Photos.
More photos, please!


-

House prices have crashed in Cairns, we think the market is just starting to pick up, but slowly and mostly people looking for cheap investment places to rent out - or people who can't find a rental and a mortgage is cheaper.

They've crashed everywhere, due to the banks putting the fear in people over interest rate rises.. Pretty much what ever I sell, I'm dropping the price $20 to $40k, pending no how expensive the home is.

Port Douglass.... I know it's outside of Cairns, I never got the chance to go into Cairns, but I was there, PD two years ago and will be getting married "again" there year after next..

The forests, the balmy weather, the palm trees it's just an amazing place. We are definately retiring in Queensland.

I did the touristy things:) As nature goes, I adored the many butterflys flying around me, their colours, bright blues and greens, bit hard to take a photo of them they were too fast for me:)

Do you have any coral reef photos? When I was there, they were pretty well all white, bugger...

Memories past and future, glad I found this thread...

Hi FS - particularly bad in Cairns because we have one of the highest regional unemployment rates - and the strong dollar thumped tourism - in tandem with traditional backpacker countries taking hits to youth unemployment prospects.

The Douglas is nice (but not to live!) great to drive to - one of the best roads (scenically) in the country. Lots of times the whether has been cruddy in Cairns and we've driven up to Douglas for lunch and the sky is clear and blue. Weird but nice.

I love the butterflies and birds too - if I see a Ulysses or a sunbird it brings and instant smile to my face. Walking the dogs around the back streets it's the fecundity that gets to you - everything is so green and lush.

Don't get out to the reef (I kind of preferred doing that in the Whitsundays - Green Island is just too touristy for my tastes).

I can't find my camera right now but the library wallabies were in the student eating area the other day - the boathouse (refectory and cafeteria) has it's own family of curlews - and a very large goanna that plods around.

Of course as always that which makes it attractive may also destroy it.

Hi Hinge,

It's funny I guess, when you go someone un-known or so different to what you are use to automically you think, "oh, I'd love to live there"... You just made me realise never move from Adelaide and re-locate, until you've spoken to the residences:)

The Sancturies and forests were definately a highlight, except for the parrot that kept flying over onto my arm, trying to pinch my bracelet:)

I have travelled to Queensland a few times, there are so many beautiful places to visit just in Country, we plan after an overseas trip in 2013, to concentrate on seeing as much of Australia as possible.

Still... Port Douglass is my pick, I think for a basic, parents only, best friend, wedding and a day together as family... I'd like them to see, what I was priveledged to see:)

I hope you have some good news to pass on to us this afternoon, hinge!
(fingers till crossed!)

Settlement is 3.45 (non daylight savings East Coast) - I wait for the call to go the local bank and transfer the money to the dutch bank. Then we open the bottle of Veuve Cliquot the ladies who sold us the new house gave us when we bought it.

Woo hoo!
This is sounding very good, hinge!
I'm about to check East Coast time ... it's 4: 35 EST (daylight saving time) here.

Only a little bit to go.

This is exciting!



http://www.worldtimeserver.com/current_time_in_AU-QLD.aspx?city=Cairns

Hinge

Good to see you - we were fretting.....

Where is next year's trip?

Well?
All done & dusted?
I really hope so, hinge.

Just got the call settlement went through - but have to wait for bank cheque to clear (I thought that the point of bank cheques was that don't have to clear). Oh well. Maybe tomorrow or monday and my interest payments will be less than my wage.

Off now.

Hooray!

I am so pleased for you & Mrs hinge!

Go home & enjoy your weekend now.

Apparently bank cheques take longer to clear than I realised - I suspect we will still be poor until Thursday.

Well damn!

But you & Mrs h are going to feel terrific on Thursday!

Wednesday I predict:)

3 Working days...

I always think that, that sucks, you finally go yay and then you still have to wait after settlement.

It's a great feeling though.... Enjoy...

Now I wait until overnight transfers to get the money in the lending bank (has no local branches and I didn't want to mail a cheque for a few hundred thousand dollars.

STILL POOR.