August 2024

We intending staying in Cairns for a while. There was a lot of bureaucratic documents to process as part of obtaining the visas for Indonesia. And we knew this was our last chance for a substantial restocking of our supplies; the last chance before Indonesia.

We really enjoyed our time in Cairns, and probably dragged it out longer than necessary. For me, the highlight was the tropical fruit from Rusty’s Market. Stallholders bring their produce in for the weekly opening on each Friday, so that is the best time to buy the produce to store for the future. But each Sunday afternoon, last thing before closing, the stallholders would rather sell than repack their produce, and bargains are available. For example, we have been eating custard apples all week, bought at $1 per kilo, and the best big avocados at 5 for $1.

This morning we left, and with light winds, headed for the reef. We intend to hang around the reefs off Cairns for the next few days while the winds are light, before heading further north.