Australia is larger than the United States. If Ayers Rock were about where Kansas City is, then Cairns would be a flight to NYC. However, we had to fly south to Sydney which would be the equivalent of a flight to Orlando and then we caught a second plane to fly up to Cairns (NYC distance). What could have been a short hop over flight, ended up taking most of the day. I can’t complain too much however since there was plenty of time to sketch in the airport.
Cairns is a beautiful coastal town but by the time we got there, it was dark and we were getting punchy. Finding the Lilybank Bed and Breakfast (75 Kamerunga Rd, Stratford QLD 4870) while driving the rental at night was stressful. We searched for house numbers but they weren’t illuminated. I knew we must have passed the place not to far back, so I parked the car on the street and started walking the neighborhood. I figured I would see house numbers better on foot. Terry was furious, calling for directions. We both found the place about the same time.
I loved this Bed and Breakfast and would have liked to spend more time there. The Queenslander-style property had old fashioned wood slated windows and it looked like it belonged in the outback. There was a lily pond built inside the patio and the proprietress pointed out a large bull frog that hides in different foliage each day. She was searching for a koi fish , which I thought I saw, but then I realized it was light reflecting off one of the windows on the water’s surface. There was a nice pool outside but we never stayed long enough to relax beside it.
Over breakfast she told us a story about “Naughty Ned.” Ned was married, but had a wandering eye. It seems he couldn’t keep himself from flirting and having affairs. His wife left him but they remained friends. He had an odd hobby in that he loved to collect bees. This was strange because he was allergic to bees. Ned took the usual precautions with the bee keepers suit and smoker. He purchased several hives from a neighbor and his former wife helped in the move. For some reason the bees left the hive and congregated way up in a tree. In a fit, Ned climbed the tree with a saw and decided that cutting the branch would get the bees down. He wasn’t wearing his bee suit and he was stung hundreds of times. lt wasn’t a great idea. His wife rushed off to get his epi shot but her panic, she pricked herself with the needle. As she searched for a second shot, Ned died. I’m not sure what the moral of the story is. Perhaps, don’t be naughty, or better yet don’t collect bees if you are allergic to them.