I've now been in Mareeba for two months and am feeling reasonably at home. It helps that the MAF community has welcomed me with open arms!
Here are some of the differences I'm slowly getting used to:
1. Petrol is $1.50 a litre. No trouble getting used to that!
2. Wildlife - everywhere. I've posted previously about seeing geckos, skinks, butterflies, moths, and snakes while out in the bush, but even around the neighbourhood you'll see all kinds of animals and birds. On Tuesday night last week I saw a possum and an enormous cockroach (10 cm) at tennis, then when I got home I surprised a kangaroo that had made its way onto my lawn.
3. The weather. It's starting to get cooler now. I am no longer able to sleep with just a top sheet. Who knows - I may need those jeans I packed after all!
4. No traffic lights. The closest set is at Kuranda, about 20 minutes' drive towards Cairns.
5. People doing everything earlier. Such as getting up at or before 6:00 am and going to bed before 10:00 pm. The MAF work day starts with devotions at 7:30 am and finishes around 4:00 pm. Because Mareeba is located in the tropics, it means that the times of sunrise and sunset do not vary hugely throughout the year. This also means that daylight saving is unnecessary.
6. Flooring in houses being tiled throughout. I thought I would find this hard to accept, especially in the bedrooms, but it's only what you get used to. Given how warm it is, there isn't really any great shock in getting up in the morning and putting your feet on tiles. Plus they are easy to clean.
7. Distances between places. People think nothing of driving 2 or 3 hours to get somewhere. I found this when I was living in California - it's all relative! Consider our recent trip to Arnhem Land, where we flew from Mareeba to Gove over two days: a distance of 1600 km each way. To put that in perspective, it's about 100 km further than the length of both the North and South Islands combined.
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