Queensland - Kuranda - The Queen's Birthday

Cairns and Kuranda - Queen's Birthday Weekend
IronMan event taking place in Cairns means pressure on car hire - the friendly staff ask over the phone if I am going for IronMan...I stifle a giggle and say I'm out of that league. On the flight up, we hand in our baggage along with sporty types who have bikes in nifty boxes ready for action. In Cairns, Anna our car hire lady with stunning long legs and tresses, points out dents in the roof and explains they come from falling mangoes.

Birdworld Kuranda. Well presented and well cared-for birds from around the world, including a kaleidoscopic coloured fruit dove gather to ogle visitors. A young female macaw with a frisky temper, pinching and nipping everyone, becomes a bit of a terror. Inquisitive beaks explored and broke off anything bendy, bright, or malleable, like buttons, camera rings, earrings, etc. Robert spent time defending buttons from  feathered mates intent on  clipping them plus testing ear lobes for sponginess. Gen's camera lens attracted devoted attention of a parrot.

The weather for the year had been exceptional: non-stop rain every day since November bar 10 days after cyclone. We stayed at Cassowary House B&B photographing female cassowary called Missy at breakfast from the verandah. National Geographic and various film crews had visited to picture the cassowaries. Sadly, Sue the owner's wife, tells us Harriet a young incoming female was killed the day before by a vehicle on the road outside. The owners lived 10 years in Niugini. Dad cassowary is away on the nest brooding. Displaying Victoria's Riflebird ignores the rain to dance a bit on perch in front of room whenever his mate flits by.

We were woken up in the morning by a lovely white-lipped green frog clasping the window trying to get out of the room. Its mate had been in the toilet, but this one was left over from the previous night's 'bugging' expedition. A local arachnologist used the room fridge to store and lightly slow down/knock out his finds, some of which, like the frog and various spiders, would escape during their photo session. Hilarious!
We met a couple at breakfast who had just cycled from Melbourne to Cairns in 2 months.

Cedar Park dinner
Went for meal at Swiss-run Cedar Park resort - windy, muddy road led deep into forest. Quirky design, lovely grounds, covered dining on patio as the rain pelted down . Blankets were available on each chair but not needed - candlelit dinner - Buddhist temple atmosphere. Young Pademelon roams inside the bar.