February 25.26.27, 2009
Adelaide is a city of over a million but it has a small town feel. The brilliant folks who laid it out made sure that there was a big chunk of parkland all around the central core. The downtown is an easy to navigate grid with a big pedestrian shopping mall near the centre.
There are no pretentious fashions here. Everyone, except for the odd guy in a suit, looks comfortable. We found an amazing Scout Outdoor store that was on a level with Mountain Equipment Coop for outdoor gear. (I have to stop taking Lana to these outdoor stores – all of a sudden she likes them and it is getting very expensive).
We did the South Australian Art Gallery, the South Australian Museum and the Botanical Gardens (part of that greenspace I mentioned). One day we went up to Mt. Lofty, which is the highest point overlooking the City. Our planned bush walk was cancelled due to a high fire alert. (When that happens they close all the trails.)
We did, however, go to the Cleland Wildlife Park near the summit. Run by the government this is really a great place to go. Basically, you walk through different fenced natural environments and interact directly with the animals. Nothing like having an emu peck the feed (purchase at the entry) from your hand. Or you can have a grey kangaroo grab your hand to make sure you hold it in place while they chow down.
The areas that you are walking through are big paddocks and most of the animals in there keep their distance. On the day we went it was too hot but on other days you can even cuddle a koala (with a keeper standing there). We saw a talk with the koalas and they showed that, despite sleeping for 20 hours per day, they can move fast when they put their minds to it.
The place also has lots of snakes (no interaction there) and lizards and birds. Very different park and very neat.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Adelaide, South Australia
February 24, 2009
So let’s say that you are in Australia and you suddenly have an urge for real German strudel. You could ask the multitude of German tourists to make you some but that is assuming they can. You could have some shipped from Bonn or Berlin or somewhere or you could visit the town of Hahndorf which is a German town in the Adelaide Hills.
It was founded by German immigrants in the 1800’s and they still have an Oktoberfest, a variety of German taverns and several German bakeries that serve, you guessed it, authentic German strudel. Try Otto’s on the one end of town and get the cherry strudel.
Toured the Barossa Valley, which is the biggest of the wine regions, and saw thousands of hectares of vines. (According to one figure I saw it was over 7000 hectares – that is over 15,000 acres). Makes the Okanagan look pretty small.
Stopped at the Wolf Blass vineyard and, considering how much of their wine we have drunk over the years, I expected some kind of brass band. Instead we got stuck behind a bus tour group and had to wait but we still got to sample a variety of wines. The band must have had the day off.
Went to another small winery for lunch. There signature wine is from vines that are over 100 years old. It doesn’t make a very big batch but what they do make sells for $160/bottle. Its called “Old Bastard” and is all sold before its bottled. Oddly enough they didn’t include it in the free wine tasting.
Stopped for the night at the Levi caravan park just 5 km from the Adelaide City centre. Had a nice site overlooking a ravine with walking paths through it – much like the ones in Toronto – complete with ducks and birds coming up out of the ravine to clean up after the campers.
So let’s say that you are in Australia and you suddenly have an urge for real German strudel. You could ask the multitude of German tourists to make you some but that is assuming they can. You could have some shipped from Bonn or Berlin or somewhere or you could visit the town of Hahndorf which is a German town in the Adelaide Hills.
It was founded by German immigrants in the 1800’s and they still have an Oktoberfest, a variety of German taverns and several German bakeries that serve, you guessed it, authentic German strudel. Try Otto’s on the one end of town and get the cherry strudel.
Toured the Barossa Valley, which is the biggest of the wine regions, and saw thousands of hectares of vines. (According to one figure I saw it was over 7000 hectares – that is over 15,000 acres). Makes the Okanagan look pretty small.
Stopped at the Wolf Blass vineyard and, considering how much of their wine we have drunk over the years, I expected some kind of brass band. Instead we got stuck behind a bus tour group and had to wait but we still got to sample a variety of wines. The band must have had the day off.
Went to another small winery for lunch. There signature wine is from vines that are over 100 years old. It doesn’t make a very big batch but what they do make sells for $160/bottle. Its called “Old Bastard” and is all sold before its bottled. Oddly enough they didn’t include it in the free wine tasting.
Stopped for the night at the Levi caravan park just 5 km from the Adelaide City centre. Had a nice site overlooking a ravine with walking paths through it – much like the ones in Toronto – complete with ducks and birds coming up out of the ravine to clean up after the campers.
McLaren Vale, Southern Australia
February 23, 2009
Camping in part of the great Australian wine region it is hard to believe that we spent most of the day rocketing along the desolate Coorong peninsula.
The highway (speed limit 110 km with no shoulders) runs parallel with the coast. Just close enough so that the vegetation is scrubby but not close enough to see the water. Even when we went through areas of grazing land it looked like it hadn’t seen rain for years (which it hasn’t).
Stopped at the town of Goolwa to see the mouth of the Murray River, Austalia’s biggest river, empty into the South Ocean.
Finally came into patches of grape vines. At least they were green.
In a caravan park with a lot of out of work grape pickers. Normally they depend on foreign travellers to pick the young vines but not this year. The heat has fried much of the crop but someone forgot to tell the marketing department. The government is still advertising for the young travellers to come down and work.
Camping in part of the great Australian wine region it is hard to believe that we spent most of the day rocketing along the desolate Coorong peninsula.
The highway (speed limit 110 km with no shoulders) runs parallel with the coast. Just close enough so that the vegetation is scrubby but not close enough to see the water. Even when we went through areas of grazing land it looked like it hadn’t seen rain for years (which it hasn’t).
Stopped at the town of Goolwa to see the mouth of the Murray River, Austalia’s biggest river, empty into the South Ocean.
Finally came into patches of grape vines. At least they were green.
In a caravan park with a lot of out of work grape pickers. Normally they depend on foreign travellers to pick the young vines but not this year. The heat has fried much of the crop but someone forgot to tell the marketing department. The government is still advertising for the young travellers to come down and work.
Robe, Victoria
February 22, 2009
After finishing the Great Ocean Road we settled on a campsite overlooking the ocean as we contemplated the sunset.
That sounds pretty good doesn’t it? Probably should stop there.
Truth was it was David’s birthday in Finland and we had a hell of a time trying to call him. The pay phone wouldn’t take credit cards (all the pay phones in New Zealand do by the way) and we couldn’t get internet access so we only had three minutes with him before the balance on the cell phone ran out. Sorry bud.
By the way Robe is one of the capitals of the lobster trade but a couple of tails still cost $45.
After finishing the Great Ocean Road we settled on a campsite overlooking the ocean as we contemplated the sunset.
That sounds pretty good doesn’t it? Probably should stop there.
Truth was it was David’s birthday in Finland and we had a hell of a time trying to call him. The pay phone wouldn’t take credit cards (all the pay phones in New Zealand do by the way) and we couldn’t get internet access so we only had three minutes with him before the balance on the cell phone ran out. Sorry bud.
By the way Robe is one of the capitals of the lobster trade but a couple of tails still cost $45.
Port Campbell, Victoria
February 21, 2009
Have you ever been airsick on a road? If not then I invite you to drive the first half of the Great Ocean Road along the bottom of Victoria. Make sure that you stock up on paper bags for the passengers and a harness for the driver first.
The road was built by out of work veterans of WW1 as a government make work project and it must have been a bitch of a job. The road is mostly carved into the cliffs overlooking the sea and it follows the cliff contours pretty closely. I was too busy hanging onto the steering wheel to look but from Lana’s helpful commentary I don’t think there was much room to spare.
Occasionally it flattens out enough for a beachy resort style town but most of it just kind of hangs out there – if you get my drift. From my occasional (death defying) look I think that the views were great.
Tented in the booming town of Port Campbell with a population of 500 and with all the local food establishments priced to take advantage of the weekenders from Melbourne. The “port” itself was one little dock but I guess that, in the old days, the very small bay was the only break in the shorelines limestone cliffs.
Camped next to a younger couple from Ontario in a site right on the small river there. Nice camp kitchen where I watched a team from Geelong kick the crap out of a team from Adelaide in Aussie rules football. Haven’t a clue what the rules are except you apparently get to hit anyone that you want to at any time. No pads.
Have you ever been airsick on a road? If not then I invite you to drive the first half of the Great Ocean Road along the bottom of Victoria. Make sure that you stock up on paper bags for the passengers and a harness for the driver first.
The road was built by out of work veterans of WW1 as a government make work project and it must have been a bitch of a job. The road is mostly carved into the cliffs overlooking the sea and it follows the cliff contours pretty closely. I was too busy hanging onto the steering wheel to look but from Lana’s helpful commentary I don’t think there was much room to spare.
Occasionally it flattens out enough for a beachy resort style town but most of it just kind of hangs out there – if you get my drift. From my occasional (death defying) look I think that the views were great.
Tented in the booming town of Port Campbell with a population of 500 and with all the local food establishments priced to take advantage of the weekenders from Melbourne. The “port” itself was one little dock but I guess that, in the old days, the very small bay was the only break in the shorelines limestone cliffs.
Camped next to a younger couple from Ontario in a site right on the small river there. Nice camp kitchen where I watched a team from Geelong kick the crap out of a team from Adelaide in Aussie rules football. Haven’t a clue what the rules are except you apparently get to hit anyone that you want to at any time. No pads.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Melbourne, Victoria
February 19.20, 2009
Came into Melbourne in a lot of traffic so we found a caravan park and took a cheap tram into the city the next day. I must admit that my previous experience with Melbourne hadn’t been really favourable but this trip changed my mind.
We walked all over the Central Business District, went to an Eco Fair in Federation Square and visited the Melbourne Museum. The museum was well worth the visit and a very nice woman at an Aboriginal booth at the fair suggested that we visit the Koorie Heritage Cultural Centre.
The Koorie were (are) the tribes that were based in Southeastern Victoria. The centre was smallish but great and we learned a lot.
When you go to Melbourne make sure that you walk around see what they can do with an alley. Most other places they would be full of dumpsters and dope dealers. Here they are called Arcades and are full of people, shops and cafes. Cool.
Came into Melbourne in a lot of traffic so we found a caravan park and took a cheap tram into the city the next day. I must admit that my previous experience with Melbourne hadn’t been really favourable but this trip changed my mind.
We walked all over the Central Business District, went to an Eco Fair in Federation Square and visited the Melbourne Museum. The museum was well worth the visit and a very nice woman at an Aboriginal booth at the fair suggested that we visit the Koorie Heritage Cultural Centre.
The Koorie were (are) the tribes that were based in Southeastern Victoria. The centre was smallish but great and we learned a lot.
When you go to Melbourne make sure that you walk around see what they can do with an alley. Most other places they would be full of dumpsters and dope dealers. Here they are called Arcades and are full of people, shops and cafes. Cool.
Bob - Where are the pictures
We have recieved hundreds of emails asking what has happened to the pictures in the blog. Unfortunately we have not been able to get any up on the blog for some time due, I believe, to a technical problem on Google's end.
You can still follow the link on the blog page to look at all the pictures we have put online from the trip. Hope that helps.
You can still follow the link on the blog page to look at all the pictures we have put online from the trip. Hope that helps.
February 18, 2009
Phillip Island, Victoria
Made Phillip Island today after more and more driving. Currently we are over 5,000 km since we left Sydney in only two weeks or so. Since we seem to have finally outrun the rain maybe it’s worth it.
Phillip Island is connected to the mainland by a big causeway and is a mixture of agriculture, beach resort and nature reserve – in that order. We looked at the beach (not bad), looked at the souvenir shops (T-shirts are on their way to someone) and saved the nature reserves for the next morning.
Went to the Nobbies, a rock formation on the coast, to look at the seals and bird colony. By chance we saw a penguin hiding under the boardwalk (probably moulting). It was a blue penguin - the world’s smallest.
Next we went to a Koala sanctuary and saw lots of koalas. These were the southern Australian sub species and they were huge. Instead of the grey fur of the ones around Sydney they were brownish and the big males weighed up to 11.8 kg (26 pounds). Amazing.
Made Phillip Island today after more and more driving. Currently we are over 5,000 km since we left Sydney in only two weeks or so. Since we seem to have finally outrun the rain maybe it’s worth it.
Phillip Island is connected to the mainland by a big causeway and is a mixture of agriculture, beach resort and nature reserve – in that order. We looked at the beach (not bad), looked at the souvenir shops (T-shirts are on their way to someone) and saved the nature reserves for the next morning.
Went to the Nobbies, a rock formation on the coast, to look at the seals and bird colony. By chance we saw a penguin hiding under the boardwalk (probably moulting). It was a blue penguin - the world’s smallest.
Next we went to a Koala sanctuary and saw lots of koalas. These were the southern Australian sub species and they were huge. Instead of the grey fur of the ones around Sydney they were brownish and the big males weighed up to 11.8 kg (26 pounds). Amazing.
Snowy River Country
February 15.16.17, 2009
The last time I was in Australia I worked on a sheep station, caught kangaroos, collected crocodile eggs and met Lana at Ayers Rock. One thing that I didn’t do was get to the Snowy River country.
Back in 1982 a film was released called Man from Snowy River. My parents just had gotten cable at that time and I had the opportunity to watch the film a lot since I was kind of using their house as a base at the time. The film was one of the reasons I went to Australia. Now it was time to see the area the film was talking about.
There aren’t many places in Australia that get snow but the Snowy River area is one of them. Some people call it the Australian Alps but, having just been to the Southern Alps in New Zealand, I think that title would be a gross overstatement since the highest peak (Mount Kosciuszko) is only 2,228 m (7,310 ft).
The Snowy River starts up on that mountain so that’s where we went.
One the way there we took a really quick detour through Canberra, the national capital. Somehow it didn’t really appeal to us. The Parliament building itself is really, uh, different. Not exactly what I would have built but then again it was built in the 1980’s.
The mountain roads took us up into the alpine highlands that look so familiar to someone used to popping over the mountains in BC. We finally made it to the town of Jindabyne and stayed at the Banjo Paterson Inn. (Banjo being the man who wrote the poem “Man from Snowy River” and also “Waltzing Matilda” but you already knew that didn’t you).
The towns up here are based around the ski business but nothing like on the scale of what you would get anywhere in Canada. We drove up to Charlotte Pass, which has the distinction of holding the record of the coldest temperature ever recorded in Australia (−23 °C (−9.4 °F) – HaHaHa – Sorry, I have slept outside in colder weather than that).
We planned to walk to near the summit of Mount Kosciuszko but only made it about 2/3 of the way to the emergency shelter hut at the 7 km mark. On the way we walked over a very small Snowy River as it started its journey to the sea. The cold, rain and high winds finally turned us around but it was a great hike through the high alpine.
The next day we lost a lot of altitude in the car as we made a run for the other end of the Snowy River at Marlo near Orbost in the state of Victoria. On the way we passed a lot of brown grasslands and also a few bush fire sites. The recent bushfires here claimed over 200 people and a couple of towns last week so we kept a good lookout. There was a haze in the air as we drove and, we found out later, we drove fairly close to one of the out of control fires.
Camped that night in Orbost on the banks of the Snowy. Much reduced from Banjo’s day, with much of the water diverted for various uses. From the signage on the bank there is a group fighting to restore the river. Hope they get there.
The last time I was in Australia I worked on a sheep station, caught kangaroos, collected crocodile eggs and met Lana at Ayers Rock. One thing that I didn’t do was get to the Snowy River country.
Back in 1982 a film was released called Man from Snowy River. My parents just had gotten cable at that time and I had the opportunity to watch the film a lot since I was kind of using their house as a base at the time. The film was one of the reasons I went to Australia. Now it was time to see the area the film was talking about.
There aren’t many places in Australia that get snow but the Snowy River area is one of them. Some people call it the Australian Alps but, having just been to the Southern Alps in New Zealand, I think that title would be a gross overstatement since the highest peak (Mount Kosciuszko) is only 2,228 m (7,310 ft).
The Snowy River starts up on that mountain so that’s where we went.
One the way there we took a really quick detour through Canberra, the national capital. Somehow it didn’t really appeal to us. The Parliament building itself is really, uh, different. Not exactly what I would have built but then again it was built in the 1980’s.
The mountain roads took us up into the alpine highlands that look so familiar to someone used to popping over the mountains in BC. We finally made it to the town of Jindabyne and stayed at the Banjo Paterson Inn. (Banjo being the man who wrote the poem “Man from Snowy River” and also “Waltzing Matilda” but you already knew that didn’t you).
The towns up here are based around the ski business but nothing like on the scale of what you would get anywhere in Canada. We drove up to Charlotte Pass, which has the distinction of holding the record of the coldest temperature ever recorded in Australia (−23 °C (−9.4 °F) – HaHaHa – Sorry, I have slept outside in colder weather than that).
We planned to walk to near the summit of Mount Kosciuszko but only made it about 2/3 of the way to the emergency shelter hut at the 7 km mark. On the way we walked over a very small Snowy River as it started its journey to the sea. The cold, rain and high winds finally turned us around but it was a great hike through the high alpine.
The next day we lost a lot of altitude in the car as we made a run for the other end of the Snowy River at Marlo near Orbost in the state of Victoria. On the way we passed a lot of brown grasslands and also a few bush fire sites. The recent bushfires here claimed over 200 people and a couple of towns last week so we kept a good lookout. There was a haze in the air as we drove and, we found out later, we drove fairly close to one of the out of control fires.
Camped that night in Orbost on the banks of the Snowy. Much reduced from Banjo’s day, with much of the water diverted for various uses. From the signage on the bank there is a group fighting to restore the river. Hope they get there.
Goulburn, New South Wales
February 14, 2009
Left the Blue Mountains as we found them – shrouded in fog and rain. Since we aren’t staying to walk there we are back to the endless driving. Today the objective is to cut around Sydney and pass through Wollongong to the South.
Drove through the rain around Sydney and stopped long enough on a Wollongong beach to watch some surfers looking for some big waves and a competition of lifeguards swimming into the surf. All in the rain and all knowing that there had been two shark attacks in two days in the area. Got to give them credit.
Decided to keep driving and made it to Australia’s first inland city – Goulburn. It has some amazingly large stone buildings from the 1800’s. Now the city seems to be facing some tougher times and the grand old facades are housing discount and fast food shops.
Still raining so we took another motel room instead of tenting it. As usual we took all the shampoo bottles and coffee packets with us. Got to save money somewhere.
Since it was Valentine’s Day we did eat out at the only Thai BYO in the city.
Left the Blue Mountains as we found them – shrouded in fog and rain. Since we aren’t staying to walk there we are back to the endless driving. Today the objective is to cut around Sydney and pass through Wollongong to the South.
Drove through the rain around Sydney and stopped long enough on a Wollongong beach to watch some surfers looking for some big waves and a competition of lifeguards swimming into the surf. All in the rain and all knowing that there had been two shark attacks in two days in the area. Got to give them credit.
Decided to keep driving and made it to Australia’s first inland city – Goulburn. It has some amazingly large stone buildings from the 1800’s. Now the city seems to be facing some tougher times and the grand old facades are housing discount and fast food shops.
Still raining so we took another motel room instead of tenting it. As usual we took all the shampoo bottles and coffee packets with us. Got to save money somewhere.
Since it was Valentine’s Day we did eat out at the only Thai BYO in the city.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Katoomba, New South Wales (The Blue Mountains)
February 13, 2009
In an effort to find some great walking tracks and see some koalas we have headed for the Blue Mountains. They are called that because eucalyptus trees emit oil that can cause a blue tint in the air on a clear day. Koalas eat only eucalyptus and this would be a great spot to see one.
Besides I once almost got bitten by a very poisonous snake and fell off a cliff near here so I have some fond memories.
Of course, by the time we get there the rain has followed us and the fog is so thick we can’t see the road much less then the famous views. The high temperature has plunged to about 13C (55F). The outlook for the next five days is the same.
Really disappointed now we find a cheap motel, that will let us dry out our stuff, and plan for the next day. Had pizza and watched TV in the room if you are interested.
In an effort to find some great walking tracks and see some koalas we have headed for the Blue Mountains. They are called that because eucalyptus trees emit oil that can cause a blue tint in the air on a clear day. Koalas eat only eucalyptus and this would be a great spot to see one.
Besides I once almost got bitten by a very poisonous snake and fell off a cliff near here so I have some fond memories.
Of course, by the time we get there the rain has followed us and the fog is so thick we can’t see the road much less then the famous views. The high temperature has plunged to about 13C (55F). The outlook for the next five days is the same.
Really disappointed now we find a cheap motel, that will let us dry out our stuff, and plan for the next day. Had pizza and watched TV in the room if you are interested.
Dubbo, New South Wales
February 12, 2009
Long day driving through dry open grassland. At one point I stopped to listen to the silence and smell the smells. I could easily live here but I am not sure that anyone would visit me. Stations out here are anywhere from 10,000 to 50,000 acres in size so I would have plenty of elbow room.
We saw lots and lots of emus on either side of the road along with a few kangaroos. Once we stopped for some of the birds at the side of the road and a mother and two “chicks” (only 5 ft tall) walked right in front of the car.
Made it to Dubbo, a very big regional centre, by nightfall and planned to go to a big zoo there the next day. That night was very pleasant so we set up our tent at a local caravan park and settled in for the night. Shortly there after the sky opened up with thunder, lightening, high winds and lots of rain. Very considerately it stopped just before dawn except for a steady drizzle. Nothing like packing a wet tent to get your day off to a great start.
Went to the zoo but found the price of $39/adult to be too much for our price range so we were on the road again.
Long day driving through dry open grassland. At one point I stopped to listen to the silence and smell the smells. I could easily live here but I am not sure that anyone would visit me. Stations out here are anywhere from 10,000 to 50,000 acres in size so I would have plenty of elbow room.
We saw lots and lots of emus on either side of the road along with a few kangaroos. Once we stopped for some of the birds at the side of the road and a mother and two “chicks” (only 5 ft tall) walked right in front of the car.
Made it to Dubbo, a very big regional centre, by nightfall and planned to go to a big zoo there the next day. That night was very pleasant so we set up our tent at a local caravan park and settled in for the night. Shortly there after the sky opened up with thunder, lightening, high winds and lots of rain. Very considerately it stopped just before dawn except for a steady drizzle. Nothing like packing a wet tent to get your day off to a great start.
Went to the zoo but found the price of $39/adult to be too much for our price range so we were on the road again.
St. George, Queensland
February 11, 2009
The road south wasn’t as bad was we thought with only one section under water. With our little rental car we have virtually no ground clearance. The local trucks all can do at least three feet since when it rains here every other kilometre on the road is a “floodway”. Translated that means that the government doesn’t want to build culverts or bridges so it is simpler to just let the water run over the road. Since it doesn’t rain that often it is a compromise that most people can live with.
About two hours out of Springsure the rain stops and we leave the clouds behind. The land starts to open up with vast landscapes on either side. Sometimes there are fences and huge (500+ acres) cultivated fields and sometimes there are just grass and trees. It looks like an African savannah. The only thing missing is the elephants.
We wanted to do something in Springsure before we left the area as there were some cool sounding gorges and walks “nearby”. In that part of
Found an interesting winery in St. George and spent an hour doing the wine/port tasting (it was a slow day). We tried all the reds and then all the whites and then some liquors and then the port. While we were doing this customers would come in and ask for the FGP port. Having tried all the port, and not having seen one like named that, we asked. It seems that the owner had one label for the tasting room (
We don’t pass through many towns. Some are a few buildings while others are big regional hubs with 2,000 people or so. The stations that we see on the side of the road are only known by their mailboxes.
Springsure, Queensland
February 10, 2009
With the difficult decision that we won’t be going for the Great Barrier Reef behind us, we are faced with making up a lot of kilometres to work our way back down the country.
The rain was still falling as we left MacKay and the rest of the day was much the same with overcast skies and wet conditions. When we hit Emerald, we were going to try to stop and see some sights (Emerald is the largest producer of sapphires in the world) but then the skies really opened up.
For anyone who has not seen a tropical downpour it is hard to explain. Let us just say that we kept our sandals on as we had to almost wade around town to find something to eat. With such a large amount of water in such a short period of time the streets, parking lots and walkways were all ankle deep.
Our route for the next little while will be what they call the “Great Inland Way”. It is considered by many to be the outback but I just think of it as being in the bush. It is one of those places where you carry extra water in the car and fill up the tank whenever you hit one-half empty. This is really rural Australia.
We make it as far as Springsure since we are not going to risk driving at night. The roads here are littered with hundreds of dead kangaroos and it is no coincidence that most of the trucks here have heavy duty bars across the front. Hitting a 30 kg (80 lbs) roo at 100 km/hr can do some awful thing to your evening.
When the nights are nice we try to find a caravan park to set up the tent in since they are so cheap. When it is raining, we look for a hostel or a cheap motel. In Springsure it is a small motel with just a few units that caters to the various mine workers moving through the area.
Springsure is a booming town of 300 people who provide services to the surrounding stations (ranches). We had the small deal meal for $10 at the local pub where the beers were cheap and some of the locals ogled Lana. I think that she liked the attention but not the flies or lack of air conditioning.
It rains hard the whole night and we wonder what the roads will be like tomorrow.
With the difficult decision that we won’t be going for the Great Barrier Reef behind us, we are faced with making up a lot of kilometres to work our way back down the country.
The rain was still falling as we left MacKay and the rest of the day was much the same with overcast skies and wet conditions. When we hit Emerald, we were going to try to stop and see some sights (Emerald is the largest producer of sapphires in the world) but then the skies really opened up.
For anyone who has not seen a tropical downpour it is hard to explain. Let us just say that we kept our sandals on as we had to almost wade around town to find something to eat. With such a large amount of water in such a short period of time the streets, parking lots and walkways were all ankle deep.
Our route for the next little while will be what they call the “Great Inland Way”. It is considered by many to be the outback but I just think of it as being in the bush. It is one of those places where you carry extra water in the car and fill up the tank whenever you hit one-half empty. This is really rural Australia.
We make it as far as Springsure since we are not going to risk driving at night. The roads here are littered with hundreds of dead kangaroos and it is no coincidence that most of the trucks here have heavy duty bars across the front. Hitting a 30 kg (80 lbs) roo at 100 km/hr can do some awful thing to your evening.
When the nights are nice we try to find a caravan park to set up the tent in since they are so cheap. When it is raining, we look for a hostel or a cheap motel. In Springsure it is a small motel with just a few units that caters to the various mine workers moving through the area.
Springsure is a booming town of 300 people who provide services to the surrounding stations (ranches). We had the small deal meal for $10 at the local pub where the beers were cheap and some of the locals ogled Lana. I think that she liked the attention but not the flies or lack of air conditioning.
It rains hard the whole night and we wonder what the roads will be like tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Gladstone to MacKay, Queensland
February 8.9, 2009
Made our way up the main coast road (which is nowhere near the coast). Drove over 800 kilometres in the last two days through a lot of nothing. The scenery changed from hills to grass lands with scattered trees.
The number of dead kangaroos on the road increased the farther north we went as did the isolation. Stopped at a few small towns and found only the pub, a school and the police station. Good thing for us that we weren’t in trouble – the police stations all had a closed sign on the front door!
Made a very tough decision today in MacKay. The plan was to go to Townsville (about another 500 km) and then out to Magnetic Island on the Great Barrier Reef. I hadn’t made the Reef the last time and was really looking forward to it.
The reality was that most of northern Queensland is flooded. The road between Townsville and Cairns had been cut off for days and the road from MacKay to Townsville supposedly had only one lane open. Since we are driving a Kia Rio that has maybe six inches of water clearance it didn’t help matters.
For the last 400 km, we have passed lots of signs that warn of the roadway flooding. On the helpful side they do put measuring posts on the roadside so that you can see how flooded it is. Starts to make you understand why a lot of the trucks have their exhausts re-routed to the roof.
It has also been raining non-stop for the last five hours and the forecast is for continuous rain for the next week. Guess the Great Barrier Reef will have to wait. We will start back down the interior toward all those fires raging in the south (did I mention those) near the border of Victoria and New South Wales. At the motel, we are staying in tonight we heard about a woman who was stranded in Cairns because of the rain while her home burned to the ground in the bush fires of Victoria – quite the irony!
Made our way up the main coast road (which is nowhere near the coast). Drove over 800 kilometres in the last two days through a lot of nothing. The scenery changed from hills to grass lands with scattered trees.
The number of dead kangaroos on the road increased the farther north we went as did the isolation. Stopped at a few small towns and found only the pub, a school and the police station. Good thing for us that we weren’t in trouble – the police stations all had a closed sign on the front door!
Made a very tough decision today in MacKay. The plan was to go to Townsville (about another 500 km) and then out to Magnetic Island on the Great Barrier Reef. I hadn’t made the Reef the last time and was really looking forward to it.
The reality was that most of northern Queensland is flooded. The road between Townsville and Cairns had been cut off for days and the road from MacKay to Townsville supposedly had only one lane open. Since we are driving a Kia Rio that has maybe six inches of water clearance it didn’t help matters.
For the last 400 km, we have passed lots of signs that warn of the roadway flooding. On the helpful side they do put measuring posts on the roadside so that you can see how flooded it is. Starts to make you understand why a lot of the trucks have their exhausts re-routed to the roof.
It has also been raining non-stop for the last five hours and the forecast is for continuous rain for the next week. Guess the Great Barrier Reef will have to wait. We will start back down the interior toward all those fires raging in the south (did I mention those) near the border of Victoria and New South Wales. At the motel, we are staying in tonight we heard about a woman who was stranded in Cairns because of the rain while her home burned to the ground in the bush fires of Victoria – quite the irony!
Noosa Heads
February 6.7, 2009
Did you know that nudists seem to get upset if you aren’t nude when they are?
Stayed two nights (in a caravan park) outside of Noosa Heads. Noosa Heads is a popular resort town that Lana and I stayed at 23 years ago. (if my kids are reading this it was in separate rooms with locked doors).
At the time it was upscale but still quaint. Sometime in the last 20 years a developer from Miami got a hold of it and turned it into a tasteless collection of high end chain stores and expensive cars.
We wanted to walk again in the National Park there again since we had seen a Koala Bear there the last time. We couldn’t get near the main entrance since their was a surfer’s festival on and the place was full.
We did get in the back way and had a nice two hour walk in the high humidity and heat in our hiking gear and boots. Good way to sweat off those pounds.
Part of the track led down to an out of the way “informal” nudist beach. It is amazing the looks that you get when you walk through a beach like that. Somehow, they can make you feel dirty for having clothes on. I almost expected them to make a phone call to the local police. They probably would have, if they had had a pocket to put the phone in.
Did you know that nudists seem to get upset if you aren’t nude when they are?
Stayed two nights (in a caravan park) outside of Noosa Heads. Noosa Heads is a popular resort town that Lana and I stayed at 23 years ago. (if my kids are reading this it was in separate rooms with locked doors).
At the time it was upscale but still quaint. Sometime in the last 20 years a developer from Miami got a hold of it and turned it into a tasteless collection of high end chain stores and expensive cars.
We wanted to walk again in the National Park there again since we had seen a Koala Bear there the last time. We couldn’t get near the main entrance since their was a surfer’s festival on and the place was full.
We did get in the back way and had a nice two hour walk in the high humidity and heat in our hiking gear and boots. Good way to sweat off those pounds.
Part of the track led down to an out of the way “informal” nudist beach. It is amazing the looks that you get when you walk through a beach like that. Somehow, they can make you feel dirty for having clothes on. I almost expected them to make a phone call to the local police. They probably would have, if they had had a pocket to put the phone in.
The Commune
February 5
Right outside of
We tented, with our little tent amongst a lot of bigger tents. This was not a standard campground. We were led out to the site and various empty places in the mess of tents were pointed out as promising. The staff told us that many of the people had been on the site for months. We later found out that the tents (and contents) were often offered for sale by the current occupants to those wishing to stay longer.
The site was shared with a large number of large lizards (very nice but not talkative), bush turkeys and lots of loud birds. The bathrooms were covered with colourful drawings straight from the 60’s. The men’s washroom was designated as the Warriors – with “of love” in small letters.
We spent the evening at the adjoining bar where we met some of the locals. Two that we met were a dive instructor and a tree loper (cutter). They were riding their bikes around town to try to have a drink at every pub in town. I am pretty sure they didn’t make it although I did discover that I could still roll my own cigarettes – and that was before the shots of tequila (long story but it started with the dragon tattoo). All the while gigantic bats (flying foxes) flew overhead looking like black 747s against the sky.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Coff's Harbour
February 4, 2009
Drove up the still unremarkable highway, which seemed to be in a complete state of chaos as they were expanding it or something. Detoured when possible into the “tourist” or scenic routes to catch occasional views of the coast and the odd kangaroo hopping across a farmers field. We did see a pod of dolphins playing off the coast and that was kinda neat.
Splurged that night because it was my Birthday! Hope Brenda mentioned it at Rotary and thanks for those thousands of emails from readers of the blog. (If you didn’t send yours its not too late.)
Spent the night at Coff’s Harbour at the Caribbean Motel. Air conditioning, Jacuzzi tub, a balcony overlooking the ocean and clean towels. Dinner at the Scoffe Seafood Restaurant across the street was great.
The maître d' had a great dry wit and, having spent a career as a mechanical engineer repairing amusement park rides around the world, would have had a lot of interesting stories to tell if I had let him get a word in. I was charming though.
Sydney and then North
February 3, 2009
Picked up our rental car this morning and navigated out of the City, over the famous Harbour bridge and bang – right into a traffic jam in North Sydney – which appears to have as many people and tall buildings as Sydney dees.
Despite the traffic, I am glad to be gone. The CB Private Hotel or the Maze Backpackers Hostel – whichever you want to call it – was a dump and I was glad to see the last of it. Guessing what the new stain was in the hallway each morning wasn’t as much fun by day three. Counting how many people might be sleeping on the floor in the games room was a challenge every day as was finding your food in the crammed fridges. If you go there anyway have a good time, many of the guests apparently do, but just keep your sandals on in the shower.
Headed north we took the totally unremarkable main highway. The only thing memorable thing about it was the occasional sign warning about koalas or kangaroos on the road.
That night, however, we did something that I never expected us to do. Sometimes you have to push some boundaries and that isn’t always something that everyone is comfortable with. Lana was more willing then I was. I can’t even blame what we did on alcohol. Nevertheless, we did it – and I have the pictures to prove it.
We stayed at a Caravan Park. (That’s a trailer park for you slow folks out there.)
Yup we did it. Pitched our little tent up among all those large trailers, big pickups and mammoth circus tents that some people sleep in. Our tent, by comparison, was completely hidden behind our little rent a car (nicknamed the chipmunk for its incredible Kia engine). I could see the pity in the eyes of those around us but we put on a brave face and tried to stand proud. In the background you could hear small ch
ildren try to ask their parents about those poor people but parents would just shush them up and say that not everyone was as fortunate as they were (to have the 28 ft deluxe model).In the morning, it was nice to see that some people had tossed coins at the foot of the tent. People will never cease to amaze me with their kindness.
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
After the relative calm of 
t it has grown along the American model with tall generic office buildings and lots of chain stores. It also seems a lot dirtier than we remembered it. As we walked around the first morning there I was astonished to see private security guards, carrying handguns, patrolling the main business and shopping streets.
Everywhere downtown there were signs saying that the area was under video surveillance. If being under surveillance makes a place safer then 
t.
Over the course of a couple of days we walked all along the waterfront, saw the bridge and opera house, the Botanical Garden (which is huge), the entire Australian navy (tied up in port), through Kings Cross (now a very upscale area instead of the interesting place it used to be), around Paddington and into Chinatown. We walked a lot.
The village areas, like Paddington, were great and as we remembered them. I tried to find a pub that I remembered spending a great deal of time in a long time ago but it was probably condemned 20 years ago. Either that or they went broke after I left.
One day we went to Manly on the ferry and walked the park track up on the big natural reserve on the harbour’s North Head. Great park and walk until I reminded Lana to keep an eye out for snakes. After that, she made me go first. Something about insurance. Oh and thanks to Norm at the Visitor’s Centre for talking about the fight to get the land declared a park after the Federal Government declared it surplus and was about to sell it. (Gee that sounds familiar).
Found a nice pub (called Scruffy Murphy’s) on
One night we watched a big parade to celebrate the start of the Chinese New Year from their outside tables. The floats were all lit from the inside and many of the dancers and performers were wearing lights as well. Pretty cool.
Another night we went to an amazing BYOB Italian restaurant called Bar Reggio over about 10 blocks on
Fashions in
Christchurch to Sydney
January 31, 2009
Washed everything and packed it up for the flight to 
nel under the hills to get there so everyone could avoid the steep ascent and descent over the hill separating the two. We did both just to cover all the bases. Toured around a bit with Bruce and Carolynn and the Beast – as we have fondly named the 4x4 they had loaned us for our travels.
Finally said good-bye at the larger then expected
Surprised at how lax security was at the airport through. Lana had a big stainless steel water jug (empty of course) on the outside of her carry on but no one even glanced at it.
Landed in
It is amazing to me (but not I assume to the readers) how wrong I can be on occasion. The CB Private Hotel was one of those times.
Driving in New Zealand
Driving in NZ
I have mentioned a number of driving related matters in the blog but I thought that I should mention some more before we moved onto Australia.
First driving in NZ is based on the premise that you actually trust the other drivers on the road. For example, in the rural areas most of the bridges that you would cross are single lane ones and you have to trust that the guy, coming the other way, will read the yield sign and follow it. Just like he has to trust you. It is embarrassing to meet someone in the middle of a 100-metre bridge who has right on their side.
North American driving is the based on the premise that you can’t trust the other drivers. We are overrun with traffic lights, stop signs and other directional indicators that take away the whole concept of self-determination on the road. Mostly because we can’t be trusted to do it on our own. The “rules of the road” that we are all supposed to know have degenerated into “survival of the most maniacal”.
In NZ, there are very few traffic lights (only in major towns/cities) and almost no stop signs. You could spend a whole vacation in the rural areas and not see more than one or two.
There is however, lots of things called roundabouts (the one in Vernon is not really a functional one) which operate solely on the principle that what is to the left of you is not important. That concept escaped me on the first few hundred roundabouts that I
drove into. I was watching the cars to the right of me, the cars coming in on the left and frantically subduing my urge to just panic and stop somewhere in the middle. Since there were no stop signs that meant (to me anyway) there was roughly the same amount of control as one might get jumping out of a plane or falling into a whirlpool.
I eventually gave up and plunged into the “chaos” of traffic while only looking to the right and fully expecting that I would be blindsided by one of those maniacs on the left. (Nothing like clenching your teeth and expecting to meet your maker at every intersection.) The weirdest thing happened. The system worked
Since NZ has hundreds of traffic cameras and a very determined stance on speeding almost no one does it. That is except the motorcyclists. Apparently, the traffic cameras can’t read their tiny plates and the helmets cover their faces so they, as a group, seem to do anything that comes into their heads. Watch out for them.
As far as drinking and driving goes they do random spot checks with ALL drivers having to speak into the “machine”. If it glows green then on your way but if red then into the nearby van for some more conclusive testing.
One other assumption is that drivers are paying attention all the time. This means that when they change the speed limit that only post it once. After that you may have to wait a long time to see a reminder. They also assume you know what the main roads are when you reach them presumably in the belief that you saw the sign when you turned on it. The concept of putting up both road names at intersections hasn’t really taken hold here (although it does prompt some interesting conversations with your in car GPS unit or spouse).
One more thing. Don’t laugh at their police cars. They get sensitive about that and they are quite colourful after all.
I have mentioned a number of driving related matters in the blog but I thought that I should mention some more before we moved onto Australia.
First driving in NZ is based on the premise that you actually trust the other drivers on the road. For example, in the rural areas most of the bridges that you would cross are single lane ones and you have to trust that the guy, coming the other way, will read the yield sign and follow it. Just like he has to trust you. It is embarrassing to meet someone in the middle of a 100-metre bridge who has right on their side.
North American driving is the based on the premise that you can’t trust the other drivers. We are overrun with traffic lights, stop signs and other directional indicators that take away the whole concept of self-determination on the road. Mostly because we can’t be trusted to do it on our own. The “rules of the road” that we are all supposed to know have degenerated into “survival of the most maniacal”.
In NZ, there are very few traffic lights (only in major towns/cities) and almost no stop signs. You could spend a whole vacation in the rural areas and not see more than one or two.
There is however, lots of things called roundabouts (the one in Vernon is not really a functional one) which operate solely on the principle that what is to the left of you is not important. That concept escaped me on the first few hundred roundabouts that I
drove into. I was watching the cars to the right of me, the cars coming in on the left and frantically subduing my urge to just panic and stop somewhere in the middle. Since there were no stop signs that meant (to me anyway) there was roughly the same amount of control as one might get jumping out of a plane or falling into a whirlpool.I eventually gave up and plunged into the “chaos” of traffic while only looking to the right and fully expecting that I would be blindsided by one of those maniacs on the left. (Nothing like clenching your teeth and expecting to meet your maker at every intersection.) The weirdest thing happened. The system worked
Since NZ has hundreds of traffic cameras and a very determined stance on speeding almost no one does it. That is except the motorcyclists. Apparently, the traffic cameras can’t read their tiny plates and the helmets cover their faces so they, as a group, seem to do anything that comes into their heads. Watch out for them.
As far as drinking and driving goes they do random spot checks with ALL drivers having to speak into the “machine”. If it glows green then on your way but if red then into the nearby van for some more conclusive testing.
One other assumption is that drivers are paying attention all the time. This means that when they change the speed limit that only post it once. After that you may have to wait a long time to see a reminder. They also assume you know what the main roads are when you reach them presumably in the belief that you saw the sign when you turned on it. The concept of putting up both road names at intersections hasn’t really taken hold here (although it does prompt some interesting conversations with your in car GPS unit or spouse).
One more thing. Don’t laugh at their police cars. They get sensitive about that and they are quite colourful after all.
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