Bye Bye Bondi…

So today I leave Australia behind…. I’ve been ‘Down Under’ since the beginning of September with 2 months in New Zealand and it’s all starting to feel a bit like home in many ways.  The familiar lingo “G’day how’s it goin?”  and “Sweet/Sweet As”  to indicate that something is good!  I am also very attached to my morning ritual of toasted banana bread with a flat white coffee and perhaps a freshly squeezed orange juice.  My favourite Sydney breccie spot being ‘Cafe Quattro’ in Hyde Park with an outdoors terrace overlooking a courtyard where chess is played by old men in deep thought using those giant sized  pieces.  I spent my time since New Year enjoying the beaches of Sydney at both Manly and Bondi, although due to poor weather along the entire East Coast (flooding and heavy rain) the swell was so big that all beaches were closed for a week.  However meantime I found a spot on Manly Cove near to the ferry wharf which has sheltered waters and soft golden sand (with a shark netted area for swimming) and in Bondi ( a place reminiscent of Bude in a funny way) the sweeping curve of sandy beach provided a great place to read my Jackie Collins trash novel and watch the posers strutting along the shoreline – just why is it that men who really shouldn’t wear speedos always do? - and someone should make it illegal to jog on beaches unless you have a really firm body – it’s just too distressing to the poor public otherwise! So here I am – my last day on Ozzie soil and reflecting on 4 months of amazing experiences in Australia and New Zealand.  To summarise  I though I would make a list:

• Flights: 1 helicopter (Bungle Bungles AUS), 1 hot air balloon (Cairns AUS), 1 pink plane (Taupo NZL - I jumped out stupidly)
• Animals: 2 sharks (Reef and wobbogong),  1 Manta Ray, 1 Koala (Maddy),  several Crocs (salties and freshies), a few Pythons,1 Kiwi, 1 possum, 1 tuatara, loads of Kangaroos and wallabies, several redback spiders, some scary looking jellyfish, a few humpback whales, 1 sperm whale (Big Nick), 1 Hectors dolphin (Akaroa), several Bottle Nosed Dolphins (Milford Sound) and loads of Dusky dolphins (Kaikora) a few horses, some camels, several Kea birds, Corrollas, blue penguins, yellow eyed penguins, Flying foxes and loads of other noisy birds everywhere….. especially bell birds singing at 4am and finally – billions and billions of glow worms (Waitomo caves)
• New Experiences: Scuba diving, Surfing, Abseiling (day and night), Night Kayaking phosphorescence, Sand boarding, Sydiving, Black Water rafting, White Water Rafting, Glacier Hiking, Bush Camping, Volcano hiking
• Wildest place: Crossing the Red Crater on  the Tongariro Crossing (New Zealand) 
• Remotest Place: The Kimberly Australia (also one of the hottest at 45 degrees)
• Wettest Place: Miford Sound NZL (those waterfalls were awesome) – tropical storm in Kakadu comes a close second!
• Bleakest Place: Coober Pedy, AUs ( it’s just  rocks…they all live in the ground in caves……also wierdest place along with ’Hobbiton’ film set (Matamata NZL)
• Highest Place: top of the Skytower in Auckland and 12,000 ft in a small pink plane (did I mention the skydive?!)
• Most scenic: Mt Sunday (NZL, Better known as Edoras from Lord of the Rings) and so many other places I can’t list them all (but they are nearly all in New Zealand!)

One day I will publish a full list of categories just for fun – that will have to do for now! So goodbye from the Antipodes and set course for Thailand….

Happy New Year from Sydney!

I must be crazy!  New Year 2007 will be forever in my memory as the most boring 14 hours followed by the most incredible, fantastic, awesome, stunning 15  minutes of fireworks at the stroke of midnight.  Arriving into Sydney on 30th December I only had time to sleep before waking up the next day and joining the mass of humanity oozing into the harbour to find a spot from which to view the fireworks. By 10am the concrete was filling up but I managed to squeeze into a space right at the front with the opera house to my right and the bridge infront of me across the water – perfect!  it was so perfect that I daren’t walk away and spent 14 hours guarding my spot (as did everyone around me) to ensure that when the time came I was in prime position!  So, without a book to read, no crossword puzzle, no soduku, newspaper or any form of mental stimulation I sat and sat and sat as the minutes dragged by in the heat and my skin turned pink.  a plane high in the sky drew patterns and symbols in keeping with the theme of ‘time of your life’ Having made friends with some Brits nearby I trusted them with my backpack long enough to walk off and find food. An hour later I had picked my way through a human carpet to find McDonalds!  I also bought fruit though and lots of water. An hour after that I had picked my way back and made everyone jealous with the smell of a Big Mac and fries! So with crowds building, squeezing every inch out of the harbour the sun set and the atmosphere turned electric.  Boats of every descriptions floated about with colourful lights to reflect the theme of time. By 9pm we were all a bit overexcited as the first fireworks whet our appetites for more to come – even they were good and it was just a warmup. With an hour glass on the bridge counting down every 5 minutes (it seemed to take forever) the magic moment arrived and the sky above Sydney Harbour  filled with light, music, bangs, fizzes and ooooh  and aaaaaaaah from the crowd. It costs $3million and 20,000 fireworks died for our entertainment. The best thing for me were the plumes of light bursting from the top of every skyscraper in the business area of the city - and the waterfall of light which poured from the bridge at the finale-  amazing! I am now exhausted, no sleep at all (I had nowhere to sleep so spent the night in a hotel lobby) and can’t check in to my room until 3pm -  I must find coffee!  Happy New Year!

Back to Sydney!!!

Nov 6th – Leaving Canberra

Woke up at 7am for a breakfast in the B&B after a shower in a joint bathroom/shower room which involved me clutching my dry clothes and side stepping over the waster water from the shower next door to get out of the bathroom – Oh the joys of hostels!

With an hour to spend in Canberra, a group of us visited the War Memorial before leaving town to return to Sydney.  With a few days to go before Nov 11th and various rememberance services around the Commonwealth, this was a poignant time to be at the ANZAC memorial.  The museum was excellent with lifelike and informative displays from the Gallipoli and WWI (Flanders/the Somme , WWII campaigns (In Europe and Asia Pacific- (Dad- the best bit was the aircraft hall with the RAAF Avro Lancaster ‘G’ for George which took part in the bombing of Berlin)  the movie reels, sound bites and artefacts were superb – I only wish I had time to look at everything.  The whole place was a national treasure and I only hope I get chance to visit again with more time.  If you are in Canberra and stuck for something to do – go there.  I am proudly wearing my Ozzie Poppy and will observe the silence at 11am on 11th Nov in New Zealand!

A 4 hour drive back into Sydney through farmland and rain brings me to the end of this BIG TREK chapter. I am tired, glad to be moving to the next phase of my trip and reflect on the good times and trying times of life on the road for 6 weeks with virtual strangers!  In hindsight I would have built in some ‘me time’ before New Zealand, I feel I need to be alone for a few days.  21 days from now I will have a decision to make – Stay down under or come back to England?  I’ll keep you posted, but meantime, my New Zealand diary will start here very shortly… now where did I pack my thermals and waterproofs?

Canberra

Leaving Melbourner behind on a grey spring morning, we faced an afternoon of driving to arrive at Canberra – the nation’s capital.  Stopping for lunch in the Snowy River region at a place called Cooma, I noticed a marked drop in temperature to the point where I was shivering in the spring chill and light drizzle. I had a good lunch though in a local cafe.  Arriving in Canberra is like finding a huge airport terminal in the middle of farmland. It’s in a beautiful valley surrounded by hills, but each street looks the same and is made of wide 4 lane roads and roundabouts with wide pavements – wierdly there seems to be harldy any traffic and even less people.  I had read in Bill Bryson’s book that Canberra is not the most lively or interesting place, so I was prepared to be slightly underwhelmed.  Added to that, we visited on a day when there are no politicians in town due to the current election campaign before voting day at the end of the month – so the one group os people that gives Canberra some life was not even there!  I saw plenty of large unoccupied office buildings, stranegly overgrown with weeds and graffiti stains, similarly, empty apartment blocks and empty housing areas – no kids playing, no people wandering about and no street shops – I wondered where people go to buy the odd item like milk, newspapers, petrol?  Dropping our bags at the Victor Hotel on Dawes street (like a retirement home complete with net curtains…) we then jumped back in the bus for a quick tour of the Parliament Building on Capital Hill.  With one hour before closing it was a quick tour, but worthwhile.  I learned about the birth of the Nation of Australia and how the building was born, even saw the Magna Carta (an original from 1217).  The city was pruposely designed for the capital down to the location of the parliament and the sculpted lake, fountains, war memorial, street layout etc etc.  It appears to be a city designed by architects to enjoy, but not for rela people to live in.  It has a stately feel.  We took a drive up to Mount Ainsle for a view over the city and it was amazing. Airport to one side in the distance, sweeping views across the hills and out to the race course and back to the parliament, flag of Australia on the hill and the long driveway leading to the War Memorial.  It just felt so .. empty.

That night we ate in a local pub, paied $7 for a piece of raw meat which I cooked myself on the BBQ along with some side salad – the best meal I’ve had in ages.  The it was back to the retirement home to sleep in a bunk bed next to the net curtains…

Culture in Melbourne

My first and only full day in Mebourne started at 9am on Saturday 3rd Nov after a long and pleasant night of sleep in the Miami Hotel. Along with my room mate Becky (from Stroud) we headed to the Victorian Market for breakfast in a cafe of Raisin toast and coffee to make a plan for our day in the city. First stop the Library to a) use the loo and b) see the armour worn by Ned Kelly. We achieved both in less than 30 minutes and then headed to our second stop of the morning – the old Victoria Gaol where 135 people were hanged during the 19th century right up until the 1960’s.  The Gaol is a thrill but is also chilling. A very austere grey stone building leading to a narrow,dark and cold cell block on 3 levels. Pretty much unchanged we were able to walk into cells and see how the prisoners lived and even lay on one of the ‘beds’ (a cloth laid on the concrete floor).  In some of the cells were the sculpted death masks of some of the executed criminals, including Ned Kelly. all very morbid and disturbing. The worst place inside was the hanging area – the beam, rope and trapdoor still intact. After this morbid experience, we walked to the Carlton Gardens to see the lovely Exhibition Building, then along Spring Street to the Parliament House building, City Museum and Treasury before walking through Fitzroy Gardens to Captain Cook’s cottage.  From here we walked to Federation square and ate Big Macs! Then caught a tram to Albert Park where I dragged Becky with me to the Pit Lane of the F1 circuit for some cheesy photos on the podium and pit straight. By now it was mid afternoon, the sun was shining and Melbourne looked like the best city on earth in Spring sunshine with boats sailing on Albert Lake. It was pleasant to walk slowly back to the city past the WWII memorial with its flame burning next to some early rememberance poppies , where at 5pm they dropped the Ozzy flag to the tune of the last post and I nearly cried! Back at Flinders Station the Race going crowd of drunkards and scantily dressed women (it’s Melbourne Cup week) were crowding Federation Square and the post race parties were taking over so we left and found a few shops along Elizabeth street for browsing then ate Thai food before calling it a day just as the rain started!  We must have covered several miles but saw a lot.  I would still like to spend more time here.  On my last morning (Sunday) I plan to visit the Museum to see Phar Lap (he’s preserved in taxidermy) then wander the Victorian Markets for souvenirs before we leave to go East towards Canberra. 

Arriving in Melbourne

Up High and below freezing…

20 years ago I would have made a beeline for the ‘Neighbours Tour’ to see the spot where Jason and Kylie AKA Scott and Charlene tied the knot – nowadays I am more interested in the cultural aspects of Melbourne, but I was just a little curious to see the TV show’s home, but didn’t succomb to temptation.  With just 36 hours in the city I wanted to make the most of my time here.  It is a huge city and lots to see and do. The hotel Miami is in the north of the city near to the Victoria Market but within walking distance of the centre.

On the first evening (Friday) with the sun shining I headed on a tram for the Melbourne 360 viewing platform inside Rialto Tower on Collins Street within the CBD (Central Business District).  Not as high as some of the towers I’ve been to in the USA but nevertheless it gave great views over the city, bay and distant Victoria hills.  I narrowly avoided gatecrashing a wedding taking place at the top – tempted as it was to nick the champagne!  After an hour of looking for landmarks – including the F1 circuit in Albert Park  – It was time for a late afternoon drink at Starbucks!  Meeting 2 travels pals we saw an advert for the ICE BAR – a bar made entirely of Ice – and decided to check it out at 6pm. It was a short walk, but worth it.  Inside they give you warm jackets, gloves, even sheepskin UG boots and then send you into a sealed door before opening you into the freeeezing room containing several ice sculptures, sofas in ice and a bar.  Around our necks was a buzze to tell us when our 30 mins was up.  The  barman gave us each a glass made of ice containing vodka and cranberry whcih was hard to drink from in huge gloves and my hood kept covering my eyes!  It was a lot of fun sitting on the ice chairs and mucking around with photos next to the sculptures.  Finishing our drinks we were allowed to smash them into a large bin – very satisfying!  the buzzer had not gone off but we were all cold and decided to call it a day after about 25 mins.  Out in the foyer we took off all the clobber and found the outside world to be a lot warmer than we remembered it! To my shock we were only inside for 12 mins – it felt a lot longer. 

Great Ocean Road

The southern region of Victoria is famous for the Great Ocean Road which is a kind of cross between the riviera of the Med and Cornwall! It sends you along a winding road from sea level to 200m above on cliff edges overlooking blue seas and sandy bays – just to remind you that you are in OZ the occasional Koala bear can be spotted clinging to a tree as if to say “how did I get up here? someone help me… please…” they are so cute – if a little dim.  We snaked our way along this road in the early hours of Friday morning having first woken up at 5am to watch the sun rise over the 12 Apostles.  This is a geological wonder comprising 10 (no longer 12) pillars of limestone rising from the ocean waves along the coastline. It is spectacular and worth the early start.  The sun broke through the low clouds just enough to make it worthwhile, then the grey sky set in for the rest of the day.  Further along the coast we stopped at Apollo Bay – a gorgeous sweeping beach with a modern and hip town of coffee shops and boutiques.  Later that morning we called into Lorne and stopped to watch the waves.  Lunch was at the famous Bells Beach – made famous for being the last scene from the movie ‘Point Break’ starring Keanu Reeves – one of my favourites. The surf was average and it was good to watch the experts ride the waves – nothing as big as the final ‘big one’ which killed off Patrick Swayze in the movie!  Our final stop before Melbourne was at Torquay – and not a bit like our very own south coast resort – surprisingly!  It is a small surfing town which is home to surf clothing brands like Rip Curl, Billabong, Rusty, Reef, Quicksilver and others…. all with factory outlets. I tries my absolute hardest to buy something but failed and instead went to a coffee shop for a huge iced cocolate drink and choc muffin served with hot choc sauce – awesome!  A few hours later we arrived in Melbourne just as the sun came out – a good omen for the 2 days I had to spend in the cultural heart of Australia!

Port Campbell

More driving!  we arrived in the state of Victoria mid morning and lunched in a state park Forest Hill with kangaroos and a Koala in a tree! POrt Campbell is along the Great Ocean road drive and a stopover for sleep before we get to Melbourne. The rain set in all day steaming up the windows in the bus and all we could do was sleep or play cards to eat up the miles. In the afternoon we made 3 stops on the coast road to walk in the rain to some features of interest – rock formations out to sea, coastal erosion and big waves!  I was badly dressed in flip flops and no waterproofs so got wet through – at least I am getting taste of weather in NZL but I can’t help feeling we have seen the last of the Ozzie sun on this trip.  Port Campbell is a small surfing village with a few shops bungalows and a pub - a lot like the many cornish villages with similar weather!  Dinner and a pub trip is all we had time for, but I took the chance to do laundry and post home some clothes I won’t need in NZL along with souvenirs ahead of Melbourne so I can enjoy the city to the max. Not very exciting, but that’s life on the road! Next stop the 12 Apostles and Melbourne!!!

Manor House Experience

A long drive along the coast road from Adelaide took us through unpopulated farming and wildlife wetland areas before arriving in a small place called ROBE and the loveliest hostle I have EVER been in – a manor house from the 19th century in a french colonial style – would not look out of place in Brittany, surrounded by lavender, daisies and pretty cottage plants.  We stayed in a large dorm room with chandelier!  And the kitchen was huge complete with aga and oak furniture !  I was in heaven, and it was topped off by 4 special things:

1) a fine bottle of 2003 $23 shiraz from the HArdy’s vineyard which we visited for a tasting on the way ( I drank the lot)

2) a cute nblack lab called Jesse only 12 months old

3) Bangers and Mash with onion gravy and baked beans – yum!

4) Team America on DVD in the lounge after supper!

I slept really well in a wine induced slumber – perfect evening – apart from the cool weather. Just time here to eat and sleep as another early start – but I did get chance to take some photos of the house and gardens.

Adelaide!

The Scenery leading to Adelaide seemed very english to me! sheep farming, green pastures, distant hills – a lot like gloucestershire. We arrived at our Victorian hostel in Glenelg – the seaside resort about 7kms from the city centre and a colonial throwback with historic buildings and quiet pace of life mixed with a busy shopping strip of surf clothing and souvenirs.  After an Indian meal nearby, some of us went for a drink but I was soon in bed feeling the effects of a long few days with little sleep.  the rain hgad set in too so the mood was not improved from our last camp night.  Early morning next day I started James Patterson ( I am hooke don his stuff) and caught a tram into the city along with Becky and Jennifer. The tram took us 40 mins and dropped us in the centre of this large and vibrant city.  I had planned to wander around for some culture then have a nice lunch and make my way back in time for us to leavea round 2pm.  I managed to do most of this – briefly seeing the Colonial archgitecture of the Government Building, State Library, University and Botanical Gardens before browsing some shops along the main retail street and mall – even here there are some lovely buildings with almost a middle eastern style. It really was not enought time to see or feel what the city has to offer and it was a shame to have to leave. My only regret taking this tour has been the lack of time in some areas, and too much time in places which have little to offer – I guess we are never happy. Anyway, Adelaide and Glenelg seemed to be a nice area of Oz and I would like to see more, but may not get chance on this trip.  Returning to the hostel to leave, I helped out with shopping for bangers and mash – my last cooking meal on this trip.  I also learned that the tensions were easing as there had been a clearing of the air during the morning!  I was hoping the last few days would be fun and looking forward to Melbourne….