Rain Music (17 page)

‘Your guest room is so gorgeous. I love the fish on the wall,' she said as the two women settled on the balcony with a cup of tea each.

‘Yes, done by one of my friends who is a very good underwater photographer,' replied Irene, and then told her a little about the bands they would see that night. ‘So, Bella, enough of that, tell me what you thought of Roberta's little jaunt.'

‘I can't thank you enough for telling me about Roberta. The Daintree was a very special experience. You can walk through a place and look at things from the outside, but with Roberta I got an insight into what's really there. She has quite a few stories to tell about her family history, too.'

‘I'm so glad you like her. We've been friends for years. She's coming to the show as well.'

‘Oh, that's great! Funny, she said she had a feeling we'd meet up again,' said Bella, happy to hear this news.

‘Any luck tracking down your brother?'

‘Not yet. No one had heard of him in the Daintree and I've been trying to ring the number I was given for the backing band who might know where he's gone, but I can't get an answer. I have their address, so I think I'll have to drive up to the Atherton Tablelands and see them in person.'

‘It's a nuisance that you can't get through to them, but on the bright side, you'll enjoy going to the tablelands. It's a glorious area, and a bit cooler than here on the coast.'

That evening, as dusk was gathering, Irene drove them into the Botanic Gardens where the concert was to be held. ‘I like to get here early and get close to the front near the stage,' explained Irene.

The setting was unlike anything Bella had seen before. Two Second World War naval oil storage tanks stood against a backdrop of thick rainforest. The tanks
had been turned into a gallery and performing arts centre, Irene informed her, and were popular with local bands because the acoustics were excellent.

Everyone seemed to know Irene as she made her way through the crowd towards the front of the venue. Suddenly Bella saw Roberta.

‘There she is, Irene! Hi, Roberta!'

The women hugged and laughed. ‘Didn't think we'd catch up this soon, but this invitation was too good to miss. Thanks again, Irene. The ticket was waiting for me at the door, just like you told me,' said Roberta.

The Brass Rahzoo were into their third number when Bella felt an arm drop onto her shoulders. She spun around and in the flashing coloured lights she saw Antony's smiling face.

‘What're you doing here?' she asked.

He gave her a brief hug. ‘I'm in Cairns on a bit of business for a couple of days, and Roberta mentioned she was coming down for this show and that you might be here too, so I thought I'd come along on the off chance that you were. And here you are,' he said, looking pleased with himself.

The crowd roared its appreciation of the band, drowning out
Antony's voice. Roberta and Irene didn't seem surprised to see him and both smiled, but Bella was unsure how she felt. As she studied his profile in the light from the stage, he turned and gave her a lazy smile. She gave a brief smile in return and looked back to the performers.

Afterwards, as the four walked outside into the cool air, Roberta said, ‘I think a cold drink might be in order. It was awfully hot in there.'

‘It's not very late, so let's head over to the jazz club for a nightcap,' suggested Irene.

A few people from the concert evidently had the same idea, and the bar of the small club was noisy with laughter and chatter above the background music.

‘Follow me, I can see a table and chairs out in the garden,' said Antony.

After the four had settled themselves comfortably with their drinks, Antony turned to Bella. ‘Did you enjoy the show?' he asked.

‘I did enjoy it, but my usual taste is for something a bit more mellow. I'm in an
a cappella
group, so I like good lyrics as well as good music,' said Bella.

‘And anything your brother sings, huh? I've downloaded some of his music and he's good. Have you been able to contact him yet?'

‘He's spoken to my mother quite recently, so I know he's still somewhere up here. I'm heading to Atherton to talk to some musicians he knows, because I can't raise them by phone. It's quite annoying.' Bella wrinkled her nose.

‘When are you off?' Antony asked, sipping his drink.

‘Tomorrow,' said Bella. ‘I've wasted enough time already looking for Ned. As far as I'm concerned, this is make or break. If I can't contact these guys, then I'll have no idea where my brother might be, so I guess I'll just finish the rest of my holiday and go home.' She sighed. She was feeling energised and refreshed, which was exactly what she'd hoped for, but the fact that she had been unable to contact Ned weighed on her. ‘By the way, Irene, this is a great little place. I wish we had something like it in Tennyson,' said Bella. She glanced at the lights strung in the trees outside where they were sitting
and the comfortable friendly vibe of the place. ‘But it would be very cold sitting outside like this in a Victorian winter.'

‘Yes, it's a great little spot. A lot of legends have passed through the doors over the years. Surprising how many big names have jumped up on stage to jam and do a few numbers,' replied Irene.

‘Overseas big names?'

‘You bet,' Antony jumped in. ‘A lot of them come up here when they're doing the festival circuit. So many blues and roots and jazz festivals around the country now, but not like the old days from what I've been told, hey, Miz Irene?'

‘True.' Irene nodded. ‘But that was well before my time. That's when Cairns was nicknamed the Barbary Coast and the wild pubs along the waterfront were legend. This bloke, Johnno, started the music scene, and soon there were bands and singers, guitarists and pianists in every pub, every night. They say people just drank around the clock, yet there were rules, of a sort. I've heard that Dottie, who ran one of the pubs, kept a baseball bat under the bar, “in case”.'

Bella was thoughtful. ‘I wonder if Ned has heard some of these stories. Songs are stories.'

‘If he performed in Cairns, he would have,' Irene assured her. ‘Bella, if you're still around in a couple of weeks, I could bring you here to see Wilma Reading. She's a fantastic jazz singer and the niece of Georgia Lee, who was a very famous blues singer back in the war years. Wilma's a local, but she made a name for herself in Europe. You'd enjoy her show.'

‘I'm sure I would, but in two weeks' time I'll probably be back in Tennyson and in my normal, unadventurous routine,' said Bella.

‘Well, Bella, if you're after a bit more adventure, why don't you let me come along with you when you go up to Atherton tomorrow?' interjected Antony. ‘I know that area really well, so we could do a bit of sightseeing as well as looking for these mates of your brother.' He gave her a big smile.

‘Oh, thanks, Ant,' said Bella. ‘At least with you I shouldn't have any problems dealing with those musos if I find them.'

‘Great, then I'll pick you up from Irene's in the morning, shall I?' said Antony eagerly.

After they'd had a couple more drinks, they decided to call it a night and Bella drove home with Irene.

‘Thank you again for your generous hospitality. This has been a lot of fun,' said Bella.

‘I'm so pleased,' said Irene.

*

As they drove into the rising hills of the Great Dividing Range the following morning, Bella was reminded of what she'd read about the hill stations in India, where the colonial elite went to escape the humidity and heat of the plains.

‘I'm sorry that we were so late getting away. I talked too long with Irene this morning, but she is very interesting and I enjoy her stories about Cairns.'

‘Not to worry. The plateau isn't such a big area to cover, so we'll find those musicians and still be able to take in a couple of sights easily,' said Antony good-naturedly.

The tablelands were misty and cooler than Cairns. The land was lushly green and dotted with dairy farms, and grain crops flourished in the red volcanic soil.

‘I can't get over how beautiful this area is. I bet it was pretty rugged in the early days, though,' said Bella, pointing to some of the thick green vegetation that stood in an uncleared area beyond the paddocks.

Antony nodded. ‘Yes, it would have been hard yakka for those pioneers. Some people did well, they found gold, or cut timber or raised cattle, even grew tobacco. But it was all a bit of a lottery. There were plenty who lost the seat of their pants. Just the same, I reckon that this place is still a goldmine, if you know how to exploit it.'

‘And how would you do that?' Bella asked.

‘Lots of ways. I've got a few lucrative contacts up here in the north, but I reckon one of the easiest ways is through tourism. It's not hard to see the potential.'

Bella frowned and took her sunglasses off her head, giving them a polish on her T-shirt. ‘I'm not sure about that. I would have thought that everything was well covered, judging by all the tourist brochures I've seen since I've been up here.'

Antony shook his head. ‘I don't mean just the dinky cafés and B&Bs and maybe a bit of camping and hiking, with a few side trips thrown in for good measure. I want to think outside the square.' Antony's eyes were bright as he spoke and Bella was intrigued.

‘In what way? Give me a clue,' she asked.

‘Tailored tourism,' Antony said glancing at her.

Bella thought for a moment. ‘Meaning specifically geared tourism?'

‘Exactly.'

Bella looked at him incredulously. ‘Antony, there are heaps of websites and companies that do that sort of thing.'

‘Not for this area! At least I don't think they do it as well as someone with a lot of local knowledge and fresh ideas could do it,' Antony said with gusto. ‘I've been thinking about this for a long time, and I want to start my own business and do things a bit differently. Bella, think about it. If you're into a particular sport, or camping, hiking, kayaking, why wouldn't you choose a holiday that's totally tailored to cater for those interests?'

‘Hmmm, I guess that would have a certain appeal,' said Bella, but she wasn't convinced.

‘I'd be aiming at an older audience who aren't as internet-savvy or would rather have someone else put together the best packages,' Antony continued. ‘Overseas visitors will love that. They usually don't want to waste time doing things that are of no interest to them just because it's part of their holiday deal. They want to be able to choose what interests them most and do that.' His voice rose and he became even more animated. ‘So I want to create lots of modules of the different sights and activities that are available in Far North Queensland, and then people can pick what they want to do and we'd coordinate it for them. I've been thinking about this for ages. Tourism here needs to step up. I know that there are still secret destinations that are accessible but not promoted in a major way either here or overseas. Some towns just wait for people to stumble in, or they let them drive through without targeting tourists. I want to make those towns a specific destination. I have big plans, and I've already got lots of useful connections.'

‘Well, good for you,' said Bella, bemused by his enthusiasm, although she couldn't see how one man could develop such a big idea without a lot of help.

Suddenly, he pulled the car into a parking space and leaned over and touched her arm. ‘I want you to do this with me. We'd be a great team.'

Bella was startled. ‘Oh, Ant! Don't be crazy,' she said.

‘I'm serious,' said Antony, raising his hands. ‘I've already got some business plans drawn up and I've had some real interest from investors. It's a great opportunity.'

Bella stared at him and decided to change the subject. She unbuckled her seatbelt and they both got out of the car. ‘What's this town you've stopped in?'

‘Mareeba. Time for something to eat.'

Bella looked along the broad main street where they'd parked. It seemed a bit plain.

‘There used to be wonderful big old trees down the centre of the road, but they went for parking space,' commented Antony.

‘What a terrible pity. The trees would have been so much more attractive than parked cars,' agreed Bella. ‘But I'm dying for a cold drink.'

‘Let's have a quick hamburger at the pub,' Antony said, pointing to a nearby building. ‘Can't guarantee that it will be local beef, even though the town is
known, amongst other things, for its cattle sales. There's a big rodeo staged here every year, too. You into cowboys?'

‘Not really.'

‘Bella, I think
there'd be a lot of city folk who would just love to see a real rodeo. We could tailor a holiday around that and include horse trail riding, buck jumping lessons, whatever.'

‘Maybe,' said Bella dubiously.

The classic old country pub where they went for lunch had sadly been modernised in a way that had left it devoid of any atmosphere. Wooden tables and plastic chairs sat on bright red carpet and the place seemed very quiet for lunchtime. Bella scanned the menu board on the wall and thought to herself that Antony might have chosen a more interesting place to eat. There seemed to have been a few cafés and restaurants in the main street which advertised that they served local produce, and they had looked more exciting than this. Perhaps Antony was more interested in a cold drink than in good food.
The young woman serving behind the counter looked bored and disinterested.

‘Could I also have a glass of sauvignon blanc?' asked Bella after she had placed her food order.

‘What's that?' answered the waitress snappily.

‘It's a type of white wine,' said Antony.

‘Don't think we have any white wine.'