Friday 27th January 20023

Today is our last day on the farm, later in the day we are all heading off to Cairns to have dinner, stay overnight and then the family will drop Merle and I at the airport for our flight back to Melbourne.  We are both really sad to be leaving the farm, but also pleased in a way that we are heading for our own home. We have been away for some time.

Thursday 26th January is a public holiday in Australia - Australia Day - so everything is basically shut. We went out for a lovely drive up into the Atherton Tablelands - very green, rolling countryside (not unlike the UK - but drier). We visited a lovely garden centre specialising in 'native plants' - didn't realise there are so many.

We then went on to the famous 'Curtain Fig Tree' - see the pix below, and then on to Yungaburra for lunch.

A lovely day out.

Wednesday 25th January.

We had a quiet day, just made a visit to the local coffee plantation, shop and restaurant. The shop/restaurant is in a fascinating building, what they call a 'pole building' as it is basically built on and around large poles sunk into the ground or rock. all timber building - really lovely with amazing views from the terrace over the gorge. Pretty good lunch as well!