|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PREVIOUS PAGE
|
Nearer to Cairns
Plenty of open space is available in the vast expanse of open and mostly unfenced fields between the airport and the skyrail base station. Be aware that this is private not public land. Take care not to damage sown fields. Below are two very roughly stitched panoramas showing the coast from Palm Cove to Cape Grafton and Cairns. Photographs taken from Skyrail gondolas. The gondola's security windows restrict the angles from which you can take pictures so these panoramas are stictched from images taken while ascending in the morning and during descent some hours later in the afternoon. Both panoramas have links to much bigger more detailed enlargements. Click on the image to enlarge, click on the enlargement to return. Observing from the open fields below, the Sun will rise somewhere near Cape Grafton. From Cairns, it will rise behind the Cape. |
|
The longest duration visible
from the mainland is 2m05.7s yet almost every piece of land visible
|
|
In
the photo above I tried to take the photo keeping the camera level with
the ground in the beach house yard. I was probably a touch low.
In the mountains These images were taken at Lyons lookout half way up the mountain road to Julatten. |
 |
The lookout has views to the north north east |
To the southeast, the direction of a November sunrise, the horizon is obscured. |
| At Julatten itself, [point 7 on map] open fields and flat topped mountains might make for a good location were it not for the mountain cloud that was hanging around the hilltops on the August day we were there. |
|
The roads from Cairns up into the mountains likewise provide few lookouts with expansive clear horizon options. The climbing sections of these roads are between Gordonvale and Yungaburra on the Gillies Highway and between Cairns and Mareeba on the Kennedy Highway. Mountains in this area are given names like "the Misty Mountains" because they are so frequently shrouded in mountain cloud. Escaping the cloud Internet At the time of our visit, August 2007, we found the local wifi internet connection available at the apartment in Port Douglas totally inadequate even for basic email. We purchased a 30 min time block for $6. We spent the first 15 mins trying to bring up the login screen for my email account. Internet Cafes in Cairns were much better. We didn't stay in Cairns so we can't comment on hotel internet in metro Cairns but we'd expect if to be fine. For monitoring weather as the eclipse approaches, Cairns is probably more desirable from an operational base while Port Douglas is a quieter place to stay if you want to escape the crowds. Hopefully internet services in Port Douglas will improve over the next few years. Bengt bought a Vodaphone mobile phone simcard at Cairns airport. A hawker was selling them to emerging passengers. He couldn't get any coverage outside the Cairns metropolitan area. The Telstra 3G network should provide decent coverage now (2009) in 3 years time. The Telstra 3G network provides the widest coverage for both wireless broadband internet and mobile coverage. Unfortunately, they are also the most expensive. Mains Power Australian mains voltage is 240 v 50Hz with a three pin connector with active and neutral pins at angles.
Time signals Most observers today use GPS time these days. However for those that prefer SW radio time signals, WWV can be difficult to receive in Australia. The Australian time signal VNG closed down some years ago. ABC Regional Radio (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) stations AM/FM provide a time signal every hour on the hour. Most hotel rooms have some sort of clock radio and all rental cars will have a radio. The pips start at the 55 second mark, the sixth pip marks the hour. ABC Station Frequencies for Cairns region ABC local Radio and Radio National broadcast time signals on the hour starting at 59m 55s. Six pips to the hour. The sixth pip is longer marking the hour. A comprehensive listing of ABC radio frequencies are available here. Look under the local and radio national stations. Other stations don't broadcast the time signals. http://www.abc.net.au/reception/freq/qld.htm However the short list of ABC local frequencies below should suffice for most potential locations: Cairns Cairns North Mossman & Pt Douglas Mt Molloy Atherton Conclusion |
OTHER THINGS TO DO
[NATURAL ATTRACTIONS AROUND CAIRNS]
Return to index
page for eclipse expedition planning
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
