Port Douglas

After meeting our oldest daughter in Cairns on the 10th of June, the third day of our Australian trip and spending that day with her in Atherton Tablelands, we traveled that evening to Port Douglas, an hour north of Cairns, where we had accommodations booked near Four Mile Beach.  We would be meeting several other family members on the 12th and Port Douglas would be our home for the next week while we explored the area and enjoyed family time together.

The accommodations we had were first class and we had some notable meals in Port Douglas at Salsa, at the Tin Shed and at 2 Fish, though we also cooked for ourselves.  The food in Australia, whether at classy restaurants or simpler cafes was uniformly outstanding and the coffee and wine, too, were superb, but the beer was lousy.  We thought we had good coffee here in Washington, but Australia has us beat by a long ways.

Mandalay Luxury Apartments

 sunrises at Four Mile Beach

 Jessica writing love notes to her husband and children

the kids

 Four Mile Beach

 Coconut Palms

(we collected one and opened and ate it)

windsurfers

 Sand Bubbler Crab and his sand balls

Tropical Rock Crabs at Four Mile Beach

 north end of Four Mile Beach and viewpoint

 Coconut Palms

Fan Palm

 more palms

sprouting coconut

Mangrove roots

 Casuarina species (I think)

Pandanus fruit

 

 unknown tropical fruit

leaves

 walking the pet goose

 meditating

Salsa restaurant

mountain  pepper rubbed kangaroo, apricot flapjack, tomato marmalade

mango drink

rice crusted wild barramundi, green pawpaw, peanuts, coconut water carmel

 plate signed by Bill Clinton on Sept. 11, 2001

(he was in the restaurant that day)