First, Australia
Across the International Date Line
4/15/23
Wow, that flight from LAX to Sydney was For-Ev-Er. What was even worse was an awful experience at Sydney Airport. We had to go from one customs line to another, retrieving bags and re-checking them. We had almost three hours between flights and made it to the gate with only twenty minutes to spare, and then flew on to Cairns. (They say “Canz” here.)
Cool Baggage Claim in Cairns.
Since the plan allowed our arrival a day early to do whatever, we took a tour boat to visit, swim, and snorkel at Green Island, the nearest reef of the Great Barrier Reef. It was really hot, with no clouds, but I had a great time snorkeling and relaxing, still adjusting to the time change (17-hour difference from here to Tucson).
Koalas, Crocs, and Roos, oh my!
4/16/23
A great time was had by all on Sunday, as we bused north for about an hour to visit Hartley’s Crocodile Farm.
As an amusement attraction, a boat ride around a lagoon gives the visitor a chance to see a croc crash out of the water for a bite of chicken.
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Nice lunch aboard the dive platform.
Aborigines and Rain Forest
Our last stop was at a stage where five men performed indigenous peoples‘ dances. They are quite energetic and appear to be even what one might call fierce. One man played a rhythm pipe, while another did the same with one hand, while he played the didgeridoo with his mouth. This was interesting, but after the third dance, they all looked pretty much the same.
We loaded back into the bus and headed up the mountain for lunch at a little town called Kuranda. This is kind of a touristy place with many restaurants and lots of shops, selling a myriad of different things. It’s also the starting point for the next step of our trip down the mountain.
I’m not much of a shopper, as you may know, but I have been keeping my eye out for a Crocodile Dundee hat that I liked, and I found one here. It’s made of kangaroo skin and folds into a pouch that can be placed in my suitcase. That’s what finally sold me, so I bought it. I was also considering buying this small packet of goodies, but decided not to. (A cassowary is a bird native to Australia.)
The final step of our morning adventure was a trip down the mountain on a gondola that is called the Skyrail. It goes right through the middle of an ancient rainforest that is considered to be the oldest continuously living rainforest in the world. It’s actually a very amazing structure when you think about what it took to build it and even to maintain it. The views from the Skyrail gondola were really expansive, and we made a quick viewing stop at a falls overlook where the Barron River cascades down over about a half a mile.
The antipasti that was served to us consisted of, from bottom to top, crocodile, raw salmon, caprese salad, chicken, and kangaroo. No, I didn’t even TRY the salmon.
My main course (right, above) was some kind of delicious chicken dish with rice. And it seems like, even in fine restaurants here, the main side dish is almost always French fries.
All in all, a pretty good day without too much stress or overexertion.
We were able to see both of the major concert halls, and even got to see the Australian ballet company as they loosened up for a performance scheduled for the afternoon. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed during that time.
On the Rocks, Please!
This was followed by time for some lunch at our choice of many pubs. I had a cheeseburger and a Magner's Irish cider (my fave!) at the Fortune of War pub. Gotta be the best burger in Sydney! (Australia is a place where beef is generally overcooked and bacon is typically undercooked.)
Our Sydney Harbor cruise was leaving from Wharf 6, so we gathered there to await the arrival of the ferry that would take us around the harbor, past many of the landmarks that we had seen from the land side.
A different view of the Opera House
Last Tango in Sydney, Crikey!
Right outside the museum, there is a replica of the ship used by Capt. Cook when he first traveled to Australia.
We had close-ups with both Roos and Koalas, and a lunch on the deck that included my first taste of crocodile meat, which is rumored to taste like chicken. I didn’t think there was much taste to it at all.
Pass the real chicken, please.
All in all, a relaxing day, allowing everybody to keep adjusting our bodies to the time difference.
In the Sky and In the Ocean
4/18/23, Tuesday
Of course, now that I’m just finally kind of getting time-adjusted, I had to set my alarm to 3:45 for today’s balloon adventure. Up early, as we’re off for a hot air balloon ride before we head for a dive platform on the outer Great Barrier Reef.
We have a total tour group of 16, but only 12 are taking this early option. The weather is dark. However, we all have our breakfasts (“brekkies”) on the bus with us, as we won’t be returning to the hotel in time to eat there.
I was pretty pumped about going up in the hot-air balloon, as I had missed my chance to go while in Egypt when the winds were too strong.
But here, the weather was perfect. After a ninety-minute drive, our bus arrived at the launch point, where our balloon and one other were in the process of being inflated.
The captain was in the process of putting the final touches on the ropes and equipment, and we were ready to go.
Up we went straight into the sky, and I mean straight. There was NO WIND, the opposite of what happened in Luxor. We stayed in virtually one place for quite a while.
We finally drifted a short distance away, where we landed in a field of high grasses, scattering terrified kangaroos and wallabies as we descended.
Everyone pitched in, deflating the balloon and gathering up the vinyl into a transportable pile.
It was a fun experience, even if it wasn't exactly what we were expecting.
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We said goodbye to Captain Bob and headed back to Cairns, where we were scheduled to meet the ship that would take us out to a platform and visiting spot for the Great Barrier Reef.
We had a nice two-hour-plus ride on our catamaran out into the ocean, where we arrived at a platform completely out of sight of land. There was a little "submarine" ride (think Disney World) for those who weren't snorkeling or diving.
Dive suits and snorkeling equipment was distributed, and shortly after, we were underwater exploring the absolutely beautiful reef.
What a special day!!!
A couple of people even tried the helmeted diving bell, or whatever they call that thing.
No, thanks, I don't do shrimps.
Aborigines and Rain Forest
4/18/23
It’s Wednesday morning, and we’re off to Sydney later today.
We had a pretty interesting but relaxed day on Tuesday. A 9 am gathering in the lobby felt like we were able to sleep in after our early, early start on Monday.
The focus of the morning was to learn some things about the Aboriginal culture here.
There’s a visitor attraction at Pamagirri that has several mini-attractions within.
Our Aborigine host, whose name was Bill, was to lead us through three skills.
He distributed a boomerang to each of us,
then proceeded to show us how to hold it and then throw it.
Not easy. I gave it a good, hard throw, but it went about a third of the way around the loop and crashed to the ground. He said I had flattened my throw too much. Damn, I wanted a second try, but we had to move on.
The next indigenous skill that Bill demonstrated was playing a didgeridoo (DIJ-er-ee-doo). For those who don’t know, a didgeridoo is an ancient Aborigine musical instrument that can be used in a multitude of ways, including as an animal sound producer when hunting to attract other animals. But it mostly is for entertainment for the native dances and such.
The next indigenous skill that Bill demonstrated was playing a didgeridoo (DIJ-er-ee-doo). For those who don’t know, a didgeridoo is an ancient Aborigine musical instrument that can be used in a multitude of ways, including as an animal sound producer when hunting to attract other animals. But it mostly is for entertainment for the native dances and such.
It’s made from a tree limb that has been hollowed out by termites. The final clearing of the tube is done by hot coals, if needed. Interestingly, the player uses his mouth and lungs as a kind of a windbag, like in a Scottish bagpipe. The sound is intended to be continuous, so the player learns to expel his breath as he continues to bring in fresh breath, and it’s mostly done with the cheeks filling up with air.
The sound is deep and mellow, created by a purring of the lips, much like if one were playing a brass instrument. Then vocal noises can be added, or words, or even animal sounds; it’s really quite interesting.
The sound is deep and mellow, created by a purring of the lips, much like if one were playing a brass instrument. Then vocal noises can be added, or words, or even animal sounds; it’s really quite interesting.
Bill’s final skill demonstration involved the throwing of a spear. We didn’t get to try this, but he was quite good at hitting his target. Normally, throwing a spear involves a distance of, say, maybe 25 yards, but by adding an extra attachment, as shown below, much like the device one uses when throwing a dog's ball fifty yards, his distance is multiplied.
Our last stop was at a stage where five men performed indigenous peoples‘ dances. They are quite energetic and appear to be even what one might call fierce. One man played a rhythm pipe, while another did the same with one hand, while he played the didgeridoo with his mouth. This was interesting, but after the third dance, they all looked pretty much the same.
I know, the photo only shows four men. Some Aborigines are reluctant to have their photo taken, as it is feared that a photo steals a small portion of the soul. I guess that the missing dancer wasn’t willing to pose except when he was actually dancing.
We loaded back into the bus and headed up the mountain for lunch at a little town called Kuranda. This is kind of a touristy place with many restaurants and lots of shops, selling a myriad of different things. It’s also the starting point for the next step of our trip down the mountain.I’m not much of a shopper, as you may know, but I have been keeping my eye out for a Crocodile Dundee hat that I liked, and I found one here. It’s made of kangaroo skin and folds into a pouch that can be placed in my suitcase. That’s what finally sold me, so I bought it. I was also considering buying this small packet of goodies, but decided not to. (A cassowary is a bird native to Australia.)
The final step of our morning adventure was a trip down the mountain on a gondola that is called the Skyrail. It goes right through the middle of an ancient rainforest that is considered to be the oldest continuously living rainforest in the world. It’s actually a very amazing structure when you think about what it took to build it and even to maintain it. The views from the Skyrail gondola were really expansive, and we made a quick viewing stop at a falls overlook where the Barron River cascades down over about a half a mile.
We returned to our hotel and, after a short rest, we headed out to our final Cairns dinner as a group to a dockside restaurant called Ochre, which specializes in Australian cuisine.
The antipasti that was served to us consisted of, from bottom to top, crocodile, raw salmon, caprese salad, chicken, and kangaroo. No, I didn’t even TRY the salmon.
All in all, a pretty good day without too much stress or overexertion.
As I write this, the next morning, we’re heading to the airport in a little while to travel to Sydney, our home until Sunday, in time for dinner at a local pub, followed by our hotel check-in.
Welcome to Sydney
4/20/23
Yesterday was an easy day from a reporting standpoint. We left our hotel at about 11 AM to catch the three-hour flight to Sydney. The flight was uneventful, except for an almost perfect landing by the pilot. I caught the harbor and my first photo of the iconic Opera House in this shot.
We arrived in Sydney just about sunset and made our way to Darling Harbor for dinner at a Mediterranean-style restaurant.
I had some lamb, (and it wasn’t too baaaad) and the crème brûlée dessert was spectacular.
The waterfront in Darling Harbor is filled with restaurants and things to do, seems to be quite the place to be in Sydney.
We checked into our hotel, which is new and nice and built right over the commuter train tracks. (Yep, somebody actually thought that that was a good idea.) I’ll manage, but starting about 5 this morning, the trains go through every five minutes.
But the view of Sydney Harbour and the Harbour Bridge from the room is outstanding.
A Full Day in Sydney
Off to explore Sydney today, starting with a tour of the famous opera house, so I should have a better report tomorrow. Friday Morning, Partly Cloudy Today, high of 70
Part of me was dreading our visit to Sydney, as I thought it might be just another big city. And it is a big city. But it is very vibrant and alive. Sydney grew up around this great harbor. It’s an interesting mix of both the old and traditional and beautiful new skyscrapers, and lots of places to visit and things to do.
We spent our day on Thursday getting acquainted with quite a few of the various neighborhoods in Sydney, such as Kings Cross, Paddington, and Bondi Beach. We also visited some of the places down near the waterfront that reflect some of the history of the city.
The most well-known attraction is the Sydney Opera House, of course, so we might as well start with that. Anybody who sees a photo of this iconic structure immediately associates it with the city of Sidney, and maybe even Australia in general. Even before we went there, we had seen it from several different angles and distances. I can’t quite see it from the hotel room, but it’s not really very far away. We ended up having a tour of the opera house, so we got to see it close up.
We spent our day on Thursday getting acquainted with quite a few of the various neighborhoods in Sydney, such as Kings Cross, Paddington, and Bondi Beach. We also visited some of the places down near the waterfront that reflect some of the history of the city.
The most well-known attraction is the Sydney Opera House, of course, so we might as well start with that. Anybody who sees a photo of this iconic structure immediately associates it with the city of Sidney, and maybe even Australia in general. Even before we went there, we had seen it from several different angles and distances. I can’t quite see it from the hotel room, but it’s not really very far away. We ended up having a tour of the opera house, so we got to see it close up.
The governmental political forces chose new people to finish the design in the construction of the project, which basically included almost all of the interior work. It is truly amazing that this disjointed effort produced what is today a magnificent icon. Our guide for our tour was amazing, so fully informed, and so much clearly in love with the opera house and his role, he was a bit of an inspiration to all of us as we visited.
We were able to see both of the major concert halls, and even got to see the Australian ballet company as they loosened up for a performance scheduled for the afternoon. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed during that time.
After leaving the opera house, we worked our way through several of the very posh neighborhoods in East Sydney, ending up at the famous surfers’ paradise of Bondi Beach, where we had lunch overlooking the beach and the surfers trying to fight their way through the waves.
After visiting the beach, we made our way back to our hotel, where we were able to spend some relaxing time, and later had dinner for everyone in the group right here in the hotel. All in all, a pretty darn good day despite the cooler temps and some rain showers scattered throughout the day.
Tomorrow is a visit to the Rocks neighborhood, opal shopping, a Sydney Harbor cruise, and meeting up with Chris Andersen, a former colleague whom I haven’t seen since our Grand Canyon river-running days 45 years ago, who now lives here and has a veterinarian practice in Canberra.
On the Rocks, Please!
4/21/23
Friday was the day to visit the Rocks, a large section of Sydney that is just to the east of, and partly under, the south end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The area is all sandstone, and the Rocks refers to the sandstone rocks exposed along the harbor shore. Many of the older structures in the area are made from sandstone blocks quarried and shaped locally by immigrant convict labor that was badly mistreated. These older places stand in amazing contrast to the shiny new skyscrapers with very modern design right in the same area. This was one of the first sections of Sydney to be settled, and there are many older homes in the area that have been and are being restored, some at great expense.
We started our day with a nice brekkie at the hotel and then loaded up the bus for a trek across the bridge. Once we got to the Rocks, we said goodbye to our bus and headed out on foot. Our walk through the neighborhood took us through both commercial and residential areas.
The real current-day charm of the Rocks, though, is found in all the activity that goes on here. There are dozens of pubs and restaurants, small shops, and large fancy stores. This is where the big cruise ships dock, and where almost all the harbor ferries scurry in and out on the way to and from various other ports around the harbor. And, on the point, again, is the Sydney Opera House.
We stopped at a jewelry store that features Opals, the national gem of Australia. One of the largest opals ever found is on display here. We saw a short film about how opals are mined and then had a nice Q and A about these gems. Of course, there was also time for what some of our group call “retail therapy.”
Downtown
Our Sydney Harbor cruise was leaving from Wharf 6, so we gathered there to await the arrival of the ferry that would take us around the harbor, past many of the landmarks that we had seen from the land side.
Despite the day being mostly sunny, our cruise on the ferry took us in and out of couple of areas of showers.
A different view of the Opera HouseShortly after our arrival back at Wharf 6, my old friend Chris Andersen arrived along with his friend, Robyne (row-BEAN). We determined that it had been about 43 years since we had last seen each other, back from the time in the 70's that we both guided river trips for Grand Canyon Expeditions.
Chris is a veterinarian who came to Australia for a temporary vet job, and liked it so much that he stayed on. They live in Canberra, several hours south of Sydney, but he offered to meet me in Sydney when I contacted him before the trip. Both Chris and Bean are SCUBA divers and have lots of glorious photos of their adventures.
We decided to take a ferry over to Manly Beach to walk along the beach and maybe have some dinner. The ferries here are great. It’s all tap on, tap off with your card, so almost no cash is needed.
After the very pleasant ride over to Manly on the boat, we walked down the mall and found the beach with more surfers working hard to find the perfect wave.
We then went to a nearby hotel with a top-floor roof dining area, had a couple of drinks, and a bite to eat.
One more ferry ride was on tap back to Circular Quay after dark with outstanding views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.
A short ride on the train brought us back to the hotel for a much-deserved night’s rest.
Saturday is mostly unstructured, with a walk across the Harbor Bridge and decisions to be made back at the Rocks.
Last Tango in Sydney, Crikey!
April 22, 2023
Through a bit of overcast, our merry group, yes, everyone, headed out of our hotel on Saturday morning to walk across (no, not OVER) the Harbour Bridge. My friends Chris and Bean made friends with all of our group members immediately. There were a few stairs, but it was mostly a pretty easy trek. The views from the bridge are fantastic, including yet another angle of the opera house. (For any who might wish to climb OVER the top of the bridge, it costs about $300 and takes about three and a half hours.)
We ended up again in the Rocks neighborhood, but it was hardly recognizable from the day before. It was the day of the markets, and there were tents and booths and people everywhere. Every kind of food that you can imagine was available, and many very talented artists were selling their creations. It was elbow to elbow in the aisles. Quite fun.
As the day got gloomier and it started to sprinkle, we were looking for a bit of shelter, and just happened to end up at the same pub that I had discovered on Friday. Another awesome cheeseburger was soon in front of me, along with another pint of Magner’s cider to wash it down. The weather looked gloomy for the rest of the day, so we started discussing indoor options for the afternoon. We decided to grab a ferry and shoot over to Darling Harbour to visit the Australian Maritime Museum. We were keen to see a display by some of the best outdoor photographers in the world.
We loved the exhibition and spent our time wallowing in it until they threw us out at closing time.
Another short ferry ride took us back to the train station, where we boarded one more time for North Sydney.
But not until I took one last shot of the opera house from under the bridge, followed by a selfie with Chris.
After a quiet dinner with Chris and Bean, it was time to retire, as bags needed to be outside our rooms no later than 5 am. We said our goodbyes to our Aussie friends, promised to stay in touch, and maybe even plan a dive trip together. It was so great seeing them. As I told them, they were the icing on my Sydney cake.
Hard to believe we have to leave Sydney and Australia already. Seems like we just got here.
I’m going to say it for all:
I’m going to say it for all:
I LOVED SYDNEY!!
What a great city! The public transportation is easy and convenient, and reasonable, whether you’re taking a ferry or a train, or a bus. (Well, I didn’t actually take a bus, but I did take trains and ferries, and it’s all outstanding.)
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