Day 83 - Smithfield Cable Skiing Park, Cairns - Pork Sandwich with Cumin Yogurt

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A day after watching professional kiters at Yorkie’s Knob, I figured it was time for me to take serious steps towards getting into the sport. Given that one of my Top 10 goals in coming to Australia was to learn how to kitesurf, and I went to the effort (and expense!) of bringing down my own equipment, it really was time to put up or shut up. Kitesurfing requires two main skills: kiting skills, and board skills.

The latter, I pondered, was perhaps a taller order since I’ve never been on a board for more than one hour TOTAL in my entire life. Was I biting off more than I can chew?

One of my new housemates, an active, outdoorsy German, knew of a cable skiing park just outside Cairns. Cable skiing, as I learned, is a great way for beginners to quickly improve their skills (and it’s PILES of fun). The park is set up on a man-made lake (read: no sharks or crocodiles), and drags boarders around the water at a smooth, consistent pace without having to worry about ocean waves.



First attempt to stand up on board: the cable pulling me popped out of the cable system, leaving me standing on the dock. I didn’t even get into the water. (Oh oh, was someone trying to tell me something?)

Second attempt to stand up on board: pulled forward, fell flat on my face, it wasn’t graceful, everyone laughed at me (even the other first-time tourists chuckled – and THEY s-u-c-k-e-d).

Third attempt to stand up on board: up! And there, my friends, is where I stayed for 2 hours, not looking back once. Not bad for a guy who, until earlier in the day, hadn’t spent any real time on a board in his life. (… sound of Kevin patting himself on the back …)





Two hours of cable skiing later, and we were full-on hungry. We hitchhiked a ride back to Cairns, coincidentally, with a van full of Canadian backpackers. Once back, we headed to the Courthouse Hotel and Bar for grub. The Courthouse, among other things, is the official bar in Cairns for the North Queensland Cowboys, the local National Rugby League team (who play out of Townsville, 2 hours drive south of Cairns). On weekends they play rugby league and union games on a huge outdoor projection screen and pump their outdoor courtyard full of the games’ play-by-play. Its restaurant, from what I’ve seen, is absolutely mobbed for its weekend brunch menu. It seemed like a good place to start for lunch.

My food blog is missing sandwiches (and who doesn’t love a good sandwich), so I went with this one. Their sandwich was a little dry side, so I will play with the ingredients to juice-it-up a bit.

** Note: Recipe soon to follow ...