This morning we flew to Cairns, a three-hour flight from Sydney.  Cairns is a modern, vibrant city and the unofficial capital of tropical North Queensland.  Not only is the city the gateway to two amazing natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree National Park, it is also connected to a strong Aboriginal Culture and historical links to WWII and the battles for the Pacific.  After checking into our hotel, The Novotel Cairns Desert Oasis Resort, our afternoon was spent cooling off in the pool and exploring the town.

It is a beautiful hotel.  Even the hugh fruit bats who hang upside down in the trees surrounding the hotel think so.

In the evening, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner of cajan fish, calamari, prawns, chicken, and sticky fig and macadamia nut pudding at Splash Restaurant near our hotel.  Again another fabulous day in Australia.