Tuesday 2 February 2010

ABC Wednesday, C for Cairns.





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Click on photos to see more details. One of the hotels on the Esplanade.





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When I arrive in Australia to see my daughter, we often stay at the "Gray Whale", a motel in Cairns, because Cooktown, where my daughter lives, is 360kms from Cairns, and I always arrive early in the morning.She meets me at the airport, we have breakfast and go to the motel or hotel.We do the same when I leave. Sometimes, however, we stay at a holiday resort (see slide).The two bottom photos are from the Esplanade.

Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia. The city itself was named after William Wellington Cairns (the then Governor of Queensland). It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was discovered from Port Douglas. It later developed into a railhead and major port for exporting sugar cane, gold, metals, minerals and agricultural products from surrounding coastal areas and the Atherton Tableland region.

The city is rapidly expanding, with a population of 122,731 at the 2006 census.Tourism is the largest income producer for the region, followed closely by the sugar industry.

Cairns is a popular travel destination for foreign tourists because of its tropical climate and proximity to many attractions. The Great Barrier Reef can be reached in less than an hour by boat. Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation, about 130 km (81 mi) north of Cairns, are popular areas for experiencing a tropical rainforest. It is also a starting point for people wanting to explore Cooktown, Cape York Peninsula, and the Atherton Tableland.

The city has used its natural surroundings to its advantage, with the construction of several small theme parks for tourists. Among them are Rainforestation Nature Park, Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, and Kuranda Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, which extends for 7.5 km (4.7 mi) over World Heritage rainforest.( see Wikipedia)





With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with C.

36 comments:

Louis la Vache said...

hee hee
Before he even read any of the text, as soon as he saw the image, «Louis» knew this post has an Australian setting!

Good choice for "C".

antigoni said...

Beautiful city with a great history. I enjoyed all your photos.

George said...

Thanks for the interesting information about Cairns. I really enjoyed the pictures. It would be nice to visit Cairns some day.

Vicki Lane said...

Looks like a great place to visit. But I want to know about the old pictures in your side bar. You used some of them as headers a while back and I just love them!

Miss_Yves said...

Les paysages sont majestueux .
Y a-t-il un rapport entre ce nom ("Cairns")et le mot écossais ?

Miss_Yves said...

Les illustrations anciennes à droite sont ravissantes .

Anonymous said...

gee, Hawaii has similar foliage!

PERBS said...

Thanks for the tour for me as I am not able to travel to see it myself!

Renie Burghardt said...

What a beautiful place, Wil. Your photo's are gorgeous. You get to visit some really great areas. Lucky for you.

Hugs,

Renie

The Weaver of Grass said...

Nice to see sunny warm weather wil - are you still under snow in the Netherlands?

Anya said...

Het ziet er geweldig uit daar in Australie.
Geweldige foto's en duidelijke tekst !!
Uw dochter komt dit jaar bij U op bezoek he
in het voorjaar dat heeft u me verteld !!!
Ik hoop dat de sneeuw dan weg is
hihihi.....

photowannabe said...

My dream is to visit there some day. What a lovely place and a great choice for the letter C.

Cloudia said...

Glad you are in the sun, Wil

Aloha, Friend!


Comfort Spiral

Patty said...

Looks like a lovely place to visit.

Dina said...

Thanks for the introduction to Cairns.

Christine H. said...

Some day I would love to go back for another visit to Australia. Your post really makes me want to go soon.

Stan Ski said...

Looks well worth a visit... maybe, one day...

anthonynorth said...

That looks a lovely place. Excellent photos.

Carolyn Ford said...

I really want to visit Australia...it is our plan to fly across the pond sometime this year...fall season our time (USA).

Loved your post!

Tumblewords: said...

Looks like a super place, your photos are wonderful!

Hildred said...

I have a friend who is leaving for Cairns on February 4th, - wish I was going with her. Thanks for all the great information and pictures.

Etje said...

Als ik dan hier door de venster kijk dan is mijn keuze vlug gemaakt

Gordon said...

I enjoy reading you Aussie entries; great photos and information. Thank you.

I have been to Cairns once; am certainly overdue for a visit as it is a beautiful place. It is a long way from Adelaide though; 3400 km by road. I think I will be flying next time I visit.

mrsnesbitt said...

We learn so much each Wednesday!
Thanks so much for contributing!

Denise (ABC Team)

jay said...

Oh, it does look beautiful! You're very lucky to have someone to visit there, but I suppose unlucky in another way because you have to travel so far to visit your daughter! I can't imagine having one of my children living in another country ... but I suppose they might do, one day.

Rajesh said...

Looks like a great place to relax. The place appears very calm.

Arkansas Patti said...

How interesting. I was unaware that Northern Australia is much like deep south USA.
Quite tropical looking.
I keep thinking "someday" I'll get there but my somedays are running out. Thanks for the virtual tour.

Roger Owen Green said...

another place to long to go to, but probbly won't

Rinkly Rimes said...

I enjoyed my visit to Cairns two years ago. We stayed in the hinterland a little but visited the town often.

Anonymous said...

I am with Patty on this one. We don't get out much but if we could we might go there.

Abraham Lincolns Blog

Unknown said...

Oh, I just love your pictures this week! They are sensational : ). I always love coming to visit you though!

Nydia said...

Cairns is a charming city, thanks for sharing such beautiful photos!

Kisses from Nydia.

Anonymous said...

I had to return to thank you for the comment you made on my Abraham Lincolns Blog. I left this under the comment you had made.

Reply to Reader Wil...

Yes, I also remember it and was probably at home when we first heard and probably spent the rest of the time, until after his funeral and little John standing there saluting watching events unfold on television. And then his brother Bobbie and I think I saw Martin Luther King and others.

I must say that with the rhetoric of lunatics like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh spouting what I consider criminal, like crying fire in a crowded theatre, I did and still fear that our President Obama will end up like President Lincoln, Kennedy and King. I pray not

Vagabonde said...

L’Australie est un pays que je ne connais pas, alors j’aime bien lire les descriptions des différentes régions. Les photos sont trés jolies.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

As I read your post, I wonder is our captial Wellingotn is named after William Wellington Cairns?

Thanks for your info. My niece spent her Christmas in Cairns.

Etje said...

Het weekend staat weeral voor de deur, hopelijk kan je er iets leuks van maken