A trip to remember
21 Jul 2015
The Combined Probus Club of Cairns Marlin Coast and some members of the Cairns Trinity Probus Club recently went on a fascinating coach tour to the Atherton Tablelands.
Our first visit was to The Avenue of Honour, the only memorial in Australia for the Afghanistan War. It is a very pretty place overlooking the calming waters of Tinaroo Dam. The honour board has plaques with the details of the 41 soldiers killed in the conflict and there is a plaque commemorating the efforts of the sniffer dogs who helped to find explosive roadside bombs.
Following an enjoyable lunch at the Atherton Hotel was our visit to the Chinese Temple and Museum. Originally the Chinese came to Far North Queensland to mine the alluvial gold and act as carriers of goods and supplies and fruit and vegetable growers. When the goldfields ran out, there were large numbers of Chinese living in the area. A number of them moved to the Atherton Tablelands where they worked very hard cutting rainforest timber for sawmills and clearing the land for agriculture. This was all manual labour. Some families did very well economically and their descendants still live in the district.
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