Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Well it's been a while since I added to this blog - in relative terms I've hardly been on the road though it seems one doesn't stop!
I'm currently in Queensland, lodged at Mission Beach (hard life) and giving a hand with the Qld government's response to an outbreak of Panama disease in far north Qld. It's a serious disease which, simply put, has the potential to destroy the banana industry - and then we'd have to think up a new name for Queenslanders, which is just about unthinkable.
Despite the postcards (and probably internet images) that represent this place I have yet to see a sunny day with blue skies - it's the tail end of 'the wet' and boy is it wet. We didn't end up working this weekend but any plans I had of fitting a dive in were solidly rained out/blown away so I made do with a visit to the rain forest/Tully Gorge instead. Also very pretty and not significantly drier.
The trip took me through the region currently under movement control for all things banana, interesting to see how quarantine control is effected.
Being winter, days are short so I haven't really seen a lot of Mission Beach bar this weekend - however one has to eat so I can recommend (should anyone come this way) the Thai prawn spring rolls at the Sunday markets, and the whole mudcrab - cover picture - which looks seriously impressive and should not be eaten in polite company. Sadly it was served 'uncracked' which made it all too easy to inadvertently share with nearby tables when I took the nutcrackers to the claws. Seriously messy! but yum.
I'm driving to work at dawn - our base is at a former school in the (minute) town of Moresby - mostly through cane fields, and have seen some lovely sunrises through the clouds, looking for all the world like the fields are on fire already. Not so - harvest is just beginning, with all the small rail crossings on the Bruce Highway becoming active to disconcert the unwary. There is a crossing directly outside our 'office' window, and the engine driver joyously hoots at least four times a day as he severs the artery between Cairns and Townsville with his little yellow locomotive.
Driving at either end of the day, I had some hope I might see a cassowary (being the Cassowary Coast and all) but so far the only signs are literally the warning signs for cassowary crossings. I saw one big 'roo on the way from Cairns via the Atherton table-lands (pretty but there's a trip to make you carsick) and apart from that the natives are shy and retiring, bar the bats that dart across the road at dusk. They've probably taken their warning from the fate of the mudcrab :)
- comments
Sue Gordon Sound like fun and I am sure that the train whistle outside your office window is thrilling you no end. Come back to Perth where we just have the ipod for noise in the office. :)