Day Zero
Palm Cove is all about meet and greet, Australian style.
We’ll teach you the finer points of a typical suburban backyard Bar B Que. These little beauties are North Queensland Red Claw. They are incredibly good eating.
This cultural experience is a must for any explorer of cuisine in a very authentic setting dubbed as the “Amphora Street Hilton”.
Here you shall rub shoulders with a select few local inhabitants, endemic to Palm Cove. Over a cold beverage, or perhaps two, you can engage in conversations that truly define what is means to be an Australian.
Topics include sport, sport, and the sporting aspects of sport. All sports excluding World Series Baseball, which is a game they play in Canada without an international reach, are likely to get a mention.
But don’t worry, improvisation is the native dialect during a backyard conversation and you shall no doubt emerge an expert as the sun sets and the food disappears.
Now that you are in at least one of the only two states to be in, namely Queensland, or inebriated, the time shall have come, for engaging with some more of the locals in a wider public context.
Palm Cove offers an enormous array of 3 alcoholic beverage serving establishments. Don’t be fooled. The staggering diversity inherent, is quite enough to take in, in a mere 24 hours.
For this reason, drinking sessions are normally confined to stints of 8 hours. First port of call, should be the Palm Cove Surf Club, so named for it’s hosting of the Surf Club of the same name.
Quite the misnomer, as there is no surf to speak of outside the Cyclone Season, on account of the Great Barrier Reef, protecting us from surfers and other popular cults that wreak havoc in suburban shopping malls.
Mutter the word "surf" to a local and no doubt, mention will be made of Rat Shit Bay. To some a mere urban legend, to others a means of restoring local pride when it comes to the non supply of waves. Make your own judgment or use this as an ice breaker when meeting some of the locals.
The meat tray raffle. This is the cornerstone of Australian Venture Capital. Money is raised through the sale of raffle tickets, a printed ticket with a number on it. A wheel with numbers on it is spun, once sufficient tickets are sold, and should your number be called, you are now the proud owner of some serious meat.
You may, in this euphoric state of heightened goodwill, invite the entire bar back to your place after the close of drinks for a Bar B Que. Thus nature repeats itself.
Other attractions to the Surf Club, are the locals who are as approachable as you are to them. The atmosphere therefore is highly conducive to meeting other people from all walks of life and everyone enjoys the evening.
There is a pool table, which you may know as a snooker table. Be warned, just as one should not confuse a crocodile with an alligator, so to0, one should avoid such comparisons with these two, related yet different tables.
A pool table is an entirely different animal altogether than its ancestral heritage may suggest. Of the Pool table Family, there are a multitude of species within.
The Pub Pool Table, employs the Pub Rules. These may have been developed by, and be custom to, the Pub ( Alcoholic Beverage Serving Establishment ) that houses the Pool Table.
Concerned? Alarmed? Fearful of committing Pool Table Taboo in Public.. Then don’t be. Richard Famous himself is our resident International Queensland Pub Pool Pundit. That’s right, and he is in
on hand to ensure that such fatal errors are never contemplated much less done, when it comes to all things related to the Challenge Pub Pool Table.
Fear not, as the master of
the known game takes you through, on location, in situ, the finer aspects of
Table Etiquette, the Beverage Handicap, Third Year Engineering Trigonometry as you along side him, accept challenges in the format know as “The Challenge Pub Pool Table”.
Simply put, when a game is in progress, 2 individuals or 2 pairs play in accordance with the local Pub rules. The winning person or team, as may be the case, retain the right to stay on the table and accept the challenge of the next opposition.
The would-be opponent places a coin on the table, in a queue normally monitored closely. Or by placing initials onto a chalk board, or a combination of the two.
When their name and/or coin is up, the balls are racked and play commences.
Casual conversation proceeds throughout this casual tournament, making it the perfect backdrop to a thoroughly entertaining evening. Punctuated by cigarette breaks out the back, you are in sure shape for a swell time at the surf club.
Having now mastered the goofie foot at the surfie, you are negotiating the swell on roote (that's right!) to that place that was pointed out to you on your way to the Surfie that you seem to have now forgotten.
Exaactly! The Après Beach Bar of Palm Cove boasts, well it just boasts really. Just a short walk, or long stagger from the Surfie is a beach bar of the highest repute. It has a resident pirate, is adorned with items of intrigue hanging from every orifice. If you are fortunate enough to be there of a Sunday Night, you shall catch the ambient sounds of Richies ’80s’ Retro Show.
Guaranteed to lubricate the elbows and get you out of your chair and rocking deep into the night. Cool off, have a smoke on the deck and be caressed by the gentle sounds of the waves riding the breeze. This is it folks, the relaxed atmosphere the groovey crew, with who, by now you….have become well acquainted.
Ah the few we happy few…
Yup, that will make more sense when you're actually on song, fully On Board, with Richard Famous. There is one last port of Call for the evening, bearing in mind, the tour really at this point is only kicking off… and this has to be the PALM COVE TAVERN. or the PCT, short for the Politically Correct Hotel.
A free pool table, hence "political correctness", large screens and late license, makes it the logical choice for the part of the evening usually reserved for port and cigars. However there is nothing reserved about this no holds barred late spot. The last item on the agneda for day Zero.
Your eyes will adjust to this well lit, little known about Gem of a spot dotting the Palm Cove Skyline. Be entertained by some of the live and local talent that sometimes makes it on to the main stage. Pull up a bar stool and engage in random conversation with a complete stranger about sport and the finer points of Pub Pool. Challenge them to a game in confidence now that you have emerged as a prodigy under the tuition of the local master.
Drink, be merry and otherwise reflect on the time of your life knowing that this is the mere launch of the rest of it. If you take this as any indication, Day One shapes to be every bit as exciting.
You could end the tour right there. And you can, should you wish only to take a short day trip out to Palm Cove for the cultural experience outlined above we encourage this as an absolute minimum.
Keep on scrolling and rolling your way through the web site for more adventure with Richard Famous.
As we make our way along the winding track we make summit and peer out over the Daintree River Valley below and the river Delta. Snapper Island, lays just of the coast and makes for a spectacular photo opportunity. 
The track is only suitable for 4x4 vehicles. 
