Isabel still calls Cairns home

ALTHOUGH she may be in Hollywood filming blockbuster flick Transformers 2, Isabel Lucas loves to return home to the Far North.

The Australian actress, who was best known for her role as Tasha Andrews in soap opera Home And Away from 2003, said her family and childhood memories were just two of the reasons she loved returning home.

“I love Cairns and the Tropical North because it’s a rich treasure chest full of natural beauty,” the 23-year-old starlet said.

“We have the unique Great Barrier Reef to the east, the mysterious Daintree to the north, the diverse Tableland to the west and some mighty waterfalls to the south.

“The weather is often quite magic and the evenings long and balmy.”

Lucas said Cairns was a lively city and she loved its relaxed atmosphere compared to her hectic schedule of recent auditions in Los Angeles.

“There is a cosmopolitan mix of people in the streets, the cafes and restaurants and you see a lot of smiles,” Lucas said.

Isabel’s mum, Beatrice, said her daughter returned home about three times a year to the family’s Trinity Beach home.

She said her daughter would like to visit Switzerland to see her grandmother after she finished filming Transformers but when she’s home, she takes in Cairns’ beauty.

“She loves walking along the beach and taking her horse for a ride,” Mrs Lucas said.

“We will often go to Port Douglas which is where it all started for her and we try to get together as a family two or three times a year.”