On the road, we had a break in the infernal rain at Cardwell which gave us a chance there to snap the Giant Crab which appears to be chasing a passer-by.
We camped at North Mission Beach, a wonderfully relaxed sprinkling of bars, boutiques, cafes and the ubiquitous palm trees. All of this, just metres from the beach and the surf. The area is renowned for cassowaries casually strutting about the neighbourhood. Drought has hit hard further south ; some kids have never seen rain in their short lives.
At the beach bar, we order a bottle of white wine in an ice bucket plus another bucket of jumbo banana prawns and take ringside seats as the musicians arrive. None of the sextet of equal men and women are under 65. The bass player leans back into his notes; the lead singer carefully strums her ukulele - this is a ukulele jam. Although one lady wears an hibiscus in her hair, and another player sports a ponytail, these guys ooze understated cool. Some players studiously read from their iPads, all wear glasses. Songs progress from the Kinks' Sunny Afternoon to own renditions of Flame Trees and Runaway. Up jump some diners to friskily dance; a young woman in zebra patterned dress shouts "we love you guys"...then the rain thunders down and the music stops while the band decamps from the downpour to the roofed section of the bar. Sadly, eight o'clock comes round, the band plays the last song and retires to make way as the footy is turned up on the TV.
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