Wednesday, January 16, 2013

So we are in Cairns.

We drove up on Sunday with our friends Chris and Josh. We had 2 cars and Chris helped with the driving. Andrew and Joel left from Brisbane and the rest of us left from Murwillumbah in northern NSW. It was a little stressy at first when the car wouldn't start at the servo just outside of M'bah. It seems that the starter motor has gone. We decided to risk driving it to Cairns anyway - we had to push start it every time we switched it off. Thankfully we made it.

Chris has just left. Saying goodbye to him felt like the end of our SEQld lives. Tomorrow will be hard for the kids as they say goodbye to Josh.

Five things.

1. Cairns is beautiful. It's green and lush with lovely breezes. The mountains are gorgeous. (Sorry Nathan, in terms of natural beauty Townsville doesn't come close.)

2. We drove north on a particularly hot day (40+ in Brisbane) so Cairns has been a cool change. The temps here are generally 25-33 which it very manageable. Last night I had to turn the fan down. AC hasn't really been needed much yet. I'll probably regret saying it, but I like the feeling of nice moist air. When we were in Melbourne, the thin dry air hurt my chest when I ran.

3. Our house should work well. Last night we sat and talked with our feet in the pool. It was idyllic. Our back patio is also great.

4. We've been on 'holidays' for a month now and are all exhausted. I'm feeling strange and longing to find a rhythm for life again. Sleep is a bit elusive. I can't get my head around having left our old church. I want to know how Christmas went for people and if Karen's had her baby yet. I want Tash to pop in for afternoon tea.

5. Moving sucks. Not in any hurry to do it again but at the same time can't handle the thought of living so far away forever.


  1. Literally. Not metaphorically. Cairns has nothing on Townsville at low tide...

  2. Cairns is beautiful as long as you are looking towards the lovely green mountains. Looking out to sea at low tide isn't such a pretty sight.

    Glad you got the car started. I was wondering why you were taking Chris and Josh with you!?

    What you said at 5 is pretty much how we ended up feeling about Cairns. It is such a beautiful place, we loved the weather (although we did live there for the six months of the dry season, we never went through the wet) but it feels so far away from everywhere else :( No one passes through Cairns on the way to anywhere else. It's almost the end of the road...

  3. Sorry, I just realised that last comment was a bit depressing. In a little while, I'm sure it will all feel so much more like home. That feeling of displacement is pretty normal when you first arrive in a new place, I think. Finding a new rhythm and routine will help heaps too.

  4. We were at the beach at low tide last night. The mud flats aren't great, but they've done such a nice job with the parks and lagoon that we didn't even notice.

    We took Chris and Josh with us for moral support and to provide an extra driver. We had 2 cars and were doing the trip in just 2 days so with 3 drivers it was much easier. And playing musical cars was fun for conversation.

    Karen- I know what you mean about it being the end of the road. It is. If we were any further north we'd be called missionaries.

  5. To counter loneliness the best thing is to do stuff that you couldn't do if you were in other places. Cairns is a great place for that.

  6. Oh yes, definitely :) When we lived there, it was great getting local rates to go on the boats out to the islands and on the Skyrail and train and stuff like that.

  7. Great to hear you made it safely. Hope the settling in goes well. THinking of you guys lots.

    On the bright side, the mud flats in Cairns yield a bird-watchers bonanza.

  8. Hope it's all going well. What a great bloke Chris is to come up with you.

  9. I want to come for afternoon tea!! I want to run to your house (the one in Brisbane, not Cairns...) then pass out on your back porch while you bring me water then chat for a while then you drive me (and whichever of my kids is at your house) home again. I want to see you playing piano at church. I want to hear Richo preach again and I want to make lame suggestions to him about liturgical dancing. IT'S NOT THE SAME AND DON'T LIKE IT. Waaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!