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Before leaving Alice Springs I visited a small wallaby sanctuary with attached didgeridoo shop which sold all things Aboriginal. I could not wait to try and play the didgeridoo (try being the operative word) and you are able to try as many as you like here with various sizes and styles available.
Didgeridoos are made from small and straight trees which have been eaten out on the inside by termites. The trees are chopped, stripped of their bark, painted and dried, with tree sap put on the top to form a mouthpiece. The whole process takes a few weeks and each instrument is therefore unique. To play the didgeridoo you 'simply' need to blow into it as if you are blowing a raspberry. Easier said than done; I wasn't able to make much noise, it sounded like I was blowing up a balloon (badly). It takes practice to learn how to play, but it seems worth it - it is spellbinding to hear the didgeridoo played properly and if you close your eyes whilst listening you can imagine you are deep in the heart of the desert.
Friendly wallabies wandered past which is quite common in this region, even if you are not in a sanctuary. They are not afraid of humans (or tourists!) and are quite happy to eat out of your hand. I was able to hold a baby wallaby called Banjo who had been rescued a few weeks earlier having been injured by a car. He was lovely and very happy to be fed strawberries!
I enjoyed my first Aussie barbeque soon after and it was as laid back and relaxed as you would expect, as is generally portrayed on television and in magazines. I ate lazily in the sun enjoying the slight breeze, upon which wafted the smell of burnt sausages. The delicious al-fresco style food was lovely, or as they say Down Under, "top banana mate"!! So far there is more truth in the myth than I expected and I have yet to meet a stressed out Australian.
Cairns was calling me, however, and it was soon time to cross the Tropic of Capricorn into the sub tropics and sample the delights of the East Coast. I was looking forward to seeing the ocean again after the dusty arid desert and so I flew to Cairns with great excitement, obtaining an excellent aerial view of Kata Juta and Uluru on the way in what I thought was a fitting goodbye to the Northern Territory.
Staying at a resort in Cairns was luxury after the Outback and it was so nice to indulge in relaxation. The sun was also less intense and it was lovely to be able to sunbathe and swim at leisure, with few mosquitoes or flies to annoy you, however, I still recommend applying bug spray. Yet it is hard to sit still when you are in Australia and there is so much to explore and I soon hit the town.
The town centre was also as relaxed as the resort and it was very easy to navigate. There were less tourists here and everyone I spoke to was very friendly. A beautiful public fountain trailing off into a pool lay in the centre of the town with smaller pools leading out to the ocean and so when you have hot from shopping and need to cool off, you can head down here to dip in the water and have fun. Coming from Britain it seems so strange to see this, but in such beautiful weather it is really a necessity as well as a huge attraction. The pools have lights at night and look stunning against the backdrop of the ocean. I am becoming more attached to the Australian way of life every day.
Walking and public transport are not the only means to see town though and I could not resist the chance to book another Harley Davidson ride to see more of Cairns. Whilst my Harley Davidson ride around Uluru was amazing, this one was better in some ways as it was 'proper'; out on the road turning quickly and overtaking vehicles. My guide was a seasoned hairy biker who liked nothing more than introducing people to the thrills of riding a Harley, so he was slightly disappointed that I had already been on one. It felt great to feel the wind whip past me as I rode and I sat back, enjoying the thrill and admiring glances that a Harley always attracts, and getting a feel for Cairns.
Tip of the day - Take your swimming costume or 'swimmers' (Aussie lingo) into town.
Next Stop: The Great Barrier Reef
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