While we were in Australia, I found out about the Commonwealth Games, which is actually a pretty big deal there, especially since it is being held in Gold Coast, Australia this year. We saw signs and people in uniforms in the airport and around Brisbane and Cairns, and I kept saying the way it’s advertised looks a lot like the Olympics. Until going to Australia I had no idea what the games even were, so it was exciting that we happened to be in the right place at the right time to enjoy the festivities.
It turns out that the Commonwealth Games are a lot like the Olympics, but only for countries in the British Commonwealth. They happen every four years and athletes from all over the world gather to compete in many different sports over a few weeks. Because the games were being held in Queensland this year, many cities throughout the area were having festivals and celebrations.
In Cairns, there were fireworks on the opening night that we saw as we were being dropped off from our rainforest tour. There were different bands and musical performances that would be happening each night for the next week, and the entire central area of Cairns had been decorated with art, tents for events, a stage, and giant televisions to watch the games. We walked down on the opening night and sat out on the lawn to watch the opening ceremony. Like the Olympics, there was a parade of nations and lots of musical performances, but instead of a torch they ran a baton holding a letter from the queen across all the countries before arriving in Australia. Even though neither Norway (Diana’s from Norway) nor the US are part of the Commonwealth, it was still exciting to watch and we had fun cheering on New Zealand and Australia.
The next day we didn’t have anything planned so we decided to go down to the downtown area where there is the big public pool they call the Lagoon. Since you can’t swim in the ocean because of crocodiles, Cairns has definitely been good about having alternatives for people to enjoy the beautiful views and cool down. We spent a lot of the day by the Lagoon and there was a huge screen showing the Commonwealth Games all day, so we could watch competitive swimming while lounging by the pool, which is right next to the ocean – pretty much a perfect day to me! Side note: I did have possibly the best bubble tea I have ever had from a place right next to the lagoon. It was peach and passionfruit flavored, both of my favorites together!!
At night we came back to get dinner and sit and watch more of the games and listen to some of the performers. It was a fun atmosphere and I enjoyed getting to experience how excited everyone was for the games. Later on in the trip I tried to put on the Commonwealth Games in my hotel room at night so I could watch some of the rhythmic gymnastics, diving, track and field, and other sports that were being competed.
Hammond Adventures 