By Roy Weavers

The sun played it part superbly and shone down on the crowds who thronged to enjoy the 2011 Port Douglas Carnivale Family Beach Day on Saturday May 28. 

The fun started at around 9.30am as the tide went out and two beach cricket pitches could be created in the sand.  The non stop games attracted plenty of aspiring cricketers and the ball was being flogged to all corners of the beach, thank goodness they were only playing with tennis balls! 

With this many cricketers appearing on the beach including the Food Fight runner Up Vikas Chandra and his Sheraton colleagues, the Port Douglas Muddies will be looking forward to a healthy recruitment in August for their next CFN Season campaign. 

The sand castle competition attracted a record entry and the full scale constructions produced were the most creative that Four Mile Beach has seen for many a year.  Some the dads even let the children help!

Local helicopter company Sky Safari dropped in on proceedings after sending an advance party of sky divers down to the beach.  They are always popular with the crowds and with their Chief Pilot Brad King in attendance to answer questions the families flocked to see the distinctive yellow 'bird' nestling on the beach.  

Some of the largest crowds of families that the Carnivale has ever enjoyed assembled to join in all the beach games and activities.  After a difficult Wet Season, it was great to see The Surf Club Bistro and Beaches Cafe doing a roaring trade as the beach revellers came and went throughout the day. 

There were also plenty of stalls along the newly refurbished Esplanade with food and drink of all kinds and activities and shows to enjoy like the Wildlife Habitat, it was little wonder that the day didn't seem to want to end.

But end it had to because this last weekend of the 2011 Carnivale still had several more events to come in the evening including the sell out Audi Palates of Port at Flames of the Forest, Theatre Sports at the Clink Theatre and the Australian Muster Rodeo out at Whyanbeel.

What a day and there was still the Coral Coast Triatheletes and RRR mountain bikers to cheer on the following day, Sunday 29 with the Cairns Challenge to come NEXT weekend!

Does it never end......No thank goodness!