Day 4 - 12 June - Market + Bike Ride

Machine to extract sugar juice from cane

Today is Sunday... time to check-out Port Douglas Markets from 8am to around 1pm at Anzac Park, right on the waterfront overlooking the Coral Sea. The markets are a delightful mix of local art, craft, souvenirs and fresh produce. They are a great place to find scores of interesting items. Locals come from all over the Far North to sell their products to inquisitive tourists and locals alike. Here you'll find original arts and crafts, jewellery, pottery, tropical clothing, fruit and vegetables, glassware, books, home-made foods, unique Australian goods, souvenirs and more. 

The markets are also a chance to meet the locals, including the artists, street theatre performers and buskers.

Our group has some serious shoppers... ready to take on the most challenging of markets. Some of these ladies wilt at the thought of putting on walking boots, but have the stamina of centurions when it comes to trying on different shades of dancing shoes.  Those of us not so gifted in the shopping department paid a quick visit to the markets and then progressed to collect some hire bikes for some cycling adventure. 

First challenge was 4-mile beach. It has a 2 metre high tide that leaves a wide beach with hard grey sand... ideal for bike riding. We had the wind in our faces that required a little more effort to push our way along. Col and Jan were still in recovery mode after their gastric attacks in Sydney during the previous week. Initially, they thought half the distance would test their energy levels... but after 4-miles they were keen to keep going. 

We made our way through the back streets of Port Douglas towards the highway intersection. Along the way we called into an open house viewing and checked out the housing market with the local real-estate agent.  At the highway, we had bike lanes to get us started without having to worry too much about the traffic. We had some inexperienced riders amongst us, so it was with some trepidation that we continued down the highway. Some of the bridges were narrow and some of our riders wanted to take those sections very slowly... not always the best way to maintain your balance. Not to worry, we all reported in at the intersection with the side road that took us towards the hills. We found a shady glen in which we had our lunch and started off along a beautiful shady road.

Col and Jan started to worry about their energy levels and decided to make their own way back to Port Douglas, shortly after lunch. We clocked up an extra 5 km in a circuit around beautiful cane fields, clear bubbling brooks, narrow wooden bridges and reasonably level roads. We biked back,  traversing the stressful stretch along the highway amongst the speeding cars... finally gaining sanctuary amongst the back-streets of Port Douglas. At this point, we caught up with Col and Jan. We arrived home leg-weary and bum-sore from the long bike ride. 

That evening, we made our way to the Beach Surf Club for a meal. Someone had heard someone else say that a few years ago they enjoyed their meal there... and that recommendation was good enough for us. Unfortunately, most of us found the standards not up to flavour and presentation of cuisine we had set at our self-prepared meals. This was probably our least best selection in restaurants for the week. Still we met the waiter who could memorise an order for 12 people (no pen or paper required) and we caught up on the latest Port Douglas surfing jokes.