Mareeba and Cairns

Drive past Mt Molloy free camping . Looks busy and good.
Great info centre and museum in Mareeba but campsites are not flash. Long term places with post boxes for residents and signs saying do not watch porn in the TV room.
Rodeo ground has camping for the weekend but looks hot, crowded and basic.
On to the top torist park in Cairns which is excellent.
Lots of camper and campervans but only a few tents in a grassy shaded area. Good camp kitchen with heaps of backpackers to chat to. Vans range from enormous to an I20 with a tent on top.
Drive off to DHL and I finally get my new UK passport which I have chased around Australia.

 Into the shopping centre where Dave is amused by an estate agents poster and is very keen to buy camel burgers.

 Friday night so we can go to Dan Murphys wine tasting. The taste manager puts a picture of us on Dans webisite

Next day walk into Cairns along the sea front. Youngmi looking for crocodiles again. Check out the famous Gilligans backpackers enormous. Town seems much quieter than when we last arrived. Local theatre in evening for Talking in Tongues, aussie play basis of Lantana film. Couples misunderstanding each other. Good enough but not Crucible.
Up early Sunday to drive to Mareeba. Quick stop for breakfast at Hungry Jacks then to the Rodeo. Hot and sunny and heaps of people at 10am. People with big vans and beds and couches. Horse riding and bucking bulls are brilliant.

A stall selling pig hunting gear and others selling the dagwood dog - a hot dog sausage in batter. Even Dave can't eat that but it is popular. Fish and chips and a pie from the cricket club must be healthier. Speak to labour candidate who says Clive Palmer is very popular in Queensland.
Steer wrestling, bareback bucking broncos and more bulls-brilliant. Youngmi buys a cowboy hat.

Drive back stopping at Kurandra.Arrived about 3.30pm and it is quiet. Great walk in rainforest to Barron Falls. Wrights lookout and river walk are very quiet. Back to the crowded camp kitchen where Youngmi finds we have an octopus in the marinara mix.

The world cup final is in extra time when we get up so join the crowd in the TV room. As most overseas visitors here are from Germany it is tense until Germany score then euphoria.
Walk to town. Shopping centre. Coffee muffin and newspaper. Back along the sea front. Black clouds and windy. Arvo another shopping centre then DFO and we find the Merrell shoes that were $200 in the morning. $230 for two pairs Jackpot. His and hers shoes. Shop manager is from South Wales. Four years in Cairns and loves it. Quiet place.
We have noticed houses are heaps cheaper than Melbourne and Cairns seems to have seen better days but its good.