Port Douglas - Four Mile Beach

A short walk down Macrossan Street is Four Mile Beach.

This long stretch of firm sand is ideal for walking and exploring. In July 1932 Charles Kingsford Smith landed his plane, the Southern Cross, on the beach.

People walk, run or cycle along the sand or just sit and enjoy the sunshine.

At the Macrossan Street end of the beach life savers patrol a section of the beach for swimming.

Beach cricket, beach soccer, beach volley ball are only some of the games played on this stretch of sand.

At the far end of the beach, kites are sometimes flown.

Small sailing boats can be launched from the beach

or can be seen sailing by.

Coconut palms border the beach and coconuts can frequently be found near the palms or at the water line.

Not so many people frequent the far end of the beach but this is also a special place.

When the tide is out the beach seems to double in size.

Shells and coral can often be found on the sand at low tide.

Around the curve at the far end of the beach are mangrove swamps to admire from afar. Crocodiles have been seen in this area.

One afternoon we discovered this kookaburra on the sand.

On another occasion we found this sand crocodile.

When the tide goes out crabs create these patterns in the sand.

Photographing the small crabs, however, can be a challenge.

Sunset was approaching when this photograph was taken.

Four Mile Beach is a beautiful place to visit and explore.

Port Douglas - Lookouts

There are two lookouts providing a view of Four Mile Beach.

A set of steps from Jalun Park, accessed via the Macrossan Street end of the beach, leads to a lookout providing a good view of Four Mile Beach.

We then walked along Murphy Street, which runs parallel to Macrossan Street, until we came to Island Point Road. This road is a steep hill which leads to another lookout higher than the the one accessed from the beach.

Cars can also drive up to this Flagstaff Hill lookout.

Towards the bottom of the walk down the hill provided this view over the inlet.

Adelaide - March 2016

 In 2016 the annual match between Victoria and South Australia over 60s and 0ver 70s cricket teams was played in Adelaide.

Victorian over 60s cricket team

Back Row from left: David Cordy, Trevor Selby, Rex Bennett, Wayne Stokes, Gordon Cowling.
Front row from left: Kevin Lanigan, Lindsay Fisher, Ian Gibson, Ron Lovell, Robin Court, Gary Ralph.
 
We left Melbourne on the Saturday morning to fly to Adelaide, arriving shortly after one o'clock. At Tullamarine we had met Peter (from the over 70s team) and Lorraine and agreed to share a taxi to the hotel. Arriving in Adelaide we discovered that Trevor had also been on the plane so three cricket bags and other assorted luggage plus five passengers piled into a maxi-cab to travel the short distance to the Tonsley Hotel at Clovelly Park.

Most of the members of the two Victorian teams stayed at this hotel though some had booked into a hotel at Glenelg. The hotel is situated on South Road, a major road leading towards Adelaide. Robin and I went for a walk in the afternoon to explore the neighbourhood. Clovelly Park appears to be a mixture of residential and industrial areas. South Road is lined with large retail establishments selling cars, car parts, furniture etc. There are also a variety of factories near the hotel. On the Sunday morning I went for a walk in the area behind the hotel and away from the main road there are large residential areas, community halls and parks.

South Road, Clovelly Park - Google Maps

The area was originally primarily vineyards and almond groves until after the Second World War when residential and industrial development was introduced. The former Chrysler Australia car plant was opened in this area in 1964. The bar in the Tonsley Hotel is the Chrysler Bar. Another reminder of the history of the area is the series of photographs on the restaurant walls showing the vineyards that once existed until the land was sold and the hotel built in the 1990s. Wattiparinga, the original house on the property, still stands behind the hotel, surrounded by factories.

Wattiparinga - now surrounded by factories

On the Saturday evening members of both the over 60s and over 70s teams and their wives plus a number of members of the South Australian teams met for a Meet and Great session followed by an informal dinner at the hotel.

On the Sunday morning we travelled to the sports grounds at Brighton, a suburb a short distance from the hotel. A junior cricket grand final was played on the main ground in the morning so the matches were not scheduled to commence until 12 noon. Once the junior game had finished over 60s players inspected their pitch while the over 70s players set off to play on the adjoining ground.

Ground inspection & over 70s players heading off to the far ground

Meanwhile some players began their warm-up exercises.

Rex and Robin

In the over 60s match a final team discussion was held before the game began.

Victoria fielded first and in their 45 overs the South Australian team could only manage a score of 9 for 77. Once again the bowling from the Victorians was excellent. The grass was very lush - a sign near one of the parks stated that bore water was used for watering - resulting in a slow outfield making it difficult to score boundaries.

Picturesque grounds at Brighton

Ron Lovell (3 for 14) and Gordon Cowling opened the bowling followed by Robin Court (2 for 5), Rex Bennett (2 for 15) and Lindsay Fisher (2 for 6). The maximum number of overs a bowler was allowed to bowl was 8. Consequently there were some very happy Victorian players at lunch.

Robin coming in to bowl

After lunch the Victorians discovered how difficult it was to bat on that ground as the wickets of the batsmen began to fall. It was left to the final pair of Trevor Selby and Robin Court to score the winning runs. The final score was 9 for 78 with only a couple of overs to go. Trevor Selby (24 not out - including a four to win the match) and Kevin Lanigan (21) were the most successful Victorian batsmen. A narrow victory to Victoria in an unusual game.

Victoria fielding in over 70s match

In the over 70s match Victoria batted first and made 9 for 93. South Australia finished with 6 for 129 in 36 overs.

In the evening members of the four teams with partners met for dinner at Club Marion.
We returned to Melbourne the next day after a busy weekend in South Australia.

Launceston February 2016

We arrived in Launceston on Monday evening, 15 February. A number of other over 60s and over 70s cricketers were also on the same plane so they could take part in the annual Victoria over 60s versus Tasmania over 60s cricket match to be played at the Northern Tasmanian Cricket Association complex on the Tuesday. An over 70s game was also to be played.

The Victorian players stayed at the Commodore Regent in Brisbane Street, a short walk from the cricket ground and not far from the centre of Launceston and the river. The hotel is across the road from City Park.

After breakfast the cricketers walked the short distance to the cricket ground to prepare for the game. I followed a short time later to find out the plans for the day and as Victoria was batting first I decided to go for a walk around Launceston.

John Hart Conservatory

It was pleasant walking through the gardens. There are monuments, bandstand and statues in the park including an ornate fountain built in 1897 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.

It was two years since our last visit to Launceston, also for a cricket match, so it was a good opportunity to explore the area once more. Initially I followed the banks of the North Esk River towards Royal Park and the River Tamar.

North Esk River looking towards the hills

View across the Tamar River from the park

Another view towards former grain silos

View towards Cascade Gorge

Last time we explored the city it was Launceston Cup Day and most of the shops were closed and the streets almost deserted. Visiting the Mall near lunch time the streets were also very quiet.

The Mall in Launceston 11.45

I then returned to the cricket ground to watch the afternoon session of the cricket.

Part of the streetscape near the cricket ground

Before returning home on the Wednesday Robin and I had another stroll through Launceston.

The Town Hall had decorated its pillars in football colours for the Hawthorn v Carlton NAB Challenge match to be held at Aurora Stadium on Thursday.

On our walk we encountered a number of senior Victorian cricketers also going for a walk before heading home including these three who posed for a photo.

After an enjoyable two day break in Launceston it was time to return home. Next excursion will be Adelaide next month to play cricket against South Australia.

Posts relating to 2014 visit
Launceston   area near Boag's Brewery
Exploring Launceston - Cascade Gorge and Tamar and North Esk rivers
Westbury Road
Cricket match 2014

Launceston - Victoria v Tasmania 2016

Tuesday 16 February 2016 and we were back at the Northern Tasmania Cricket Association grounds at Launceston where Victoria Over 60s were to play their annual match against Tasmania Over 60s.

This year we played on the second ground. The weather was fine and sometimes sunny with a maximum temperature of 19 degrees forecast. However there was a cool breeze from time to time. After both teams had warmed up and the team photos taken it was time to start play.

Victoria batted first and things did not go to plan when five early wickets were lost. Fortunately a fine partnership between Kevin Lanigan (52 runs) and Greg Johnson (25 runs) along with 35 runs from Jim Geltch ably supported by the tail greatly improved the score. Although the Victorian team was all out by the 48th over they had made 171 runs. After lunch it was Tasmania's turn to bat.

The accurate Victorian bowling restricted the Tasmanian batsmen to a score of 7 for 110 at the end of their 50 overs.

Trevor Selby and Rex Bennett each had three wickets but the other bowlers also bowled very tightly restricting the Tasmanian run rate.

Tim and Robin discussing tactics

Robin bowled 8 overs 0 for 12 and took a great catch early in the innings. The fielding of the Victorian team was excellent. It was a great team effort.

The Victoria Over 70s played their game on the main oval. Victoria batted first and made 195 runs at the end of their overs. In reply the Tasmanian team was all out for 135. Another great win for Victoria.

View from the dining room window

The combined teams dinner this year was held at the Launceston Golf Club. The food was great, especially the sticky date pudding for desert.

This was the fifth annual match played between Victoria and Tasmania over 60s and the second over 70s match. Each time victory has gone to Victoria. The players look forward to this annual event which next year year will be held in Melbourne.