July 14, 2005
Sydney: Come in, Your Time is Up
It felt great driving over the Harbour Bridge in the pre-dawn with the Opera House lit up and all the skyscrapers looming above us. It was good to be back in Sydney, a city I like and know. I called...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 07:28 AM
July 11, 2005
Forster
I arrived in Forster after a long bus journey. Overnight trips always seem like a good idea - saving on accommodation, not wasting days on a bus - until you actually do them, and find yourself scrunched up on the...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 12:04 AM
July 07, 2005
Byron Bay
'Overrated' would be one word to describe Byron Bay. 'Shabby hole of a town' would be some others. There's not much here and it's full of pretentious people trying to be 'alternative' by wearing stupid hats and not washing. No....Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 11:29 AM
July 04, 2005
Brisbane
Steve and Jane, who I worked for in Sydney and Russia, came up the night before I left Noosa, and it was good to see them again - this time without the warm weather gear and vodka, but with their...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 10:05 AM
July 02, 2005
Noosa
I abdicated from the skanky backpacker lifestyle for a couple of wonderful days when I stayed at Carolyn and David's house in Noosa. Carolyn is the Finance Manager at the company I worked for in Sydney, and I last saw...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 09:47 AM
June 28, 2005
Fraser Island
The overnight bus ride to Hervey Bay got off to an inauspicious start when, with all passengers and their luggage piled on and ready for the off, the battery went dead. The bus driver ordered everyone out to push and...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 09:04 AM
June 26, 2005
Road Trains
I got talking to another road train driver last night. Am beginning to think my interest in trucks is bordering on the obsessive. He was a really interesting guy who'd lived a tough life - he was one of the...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 09:11 AM
June 25, 2005
Airlie Beach
Airlie Beach is known as a party destination, with lots of bars, clubs and nightlife. I spent three nights there and did I take advantage once? I did not. I had a cold and felt under the weather and sorry...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 09:32 AM
June 21, 2005
S.S. Yongala
I wanted to dive again, and there is a wreck off the coast near Townsville which is famous for being a fantastic dive site. It rests at 28 m, so in order to get a proper look at it, I...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 09:08 AM
June 16, 2005
Townsville
I rode the 'hound down from Cairns to Townsville, arriving at 23.30. It was a great journey - there were at most ten of us on the bus at any one time, they showed a couple of films and it...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 08:29 AM
June 14, 2005
Open Water
After seeing the Ningaloo Reef and swimming with the manta rays, I really wanted to get closer to the coral and fish and do a diving course. I haven't swum properly for years and I've been scared of deep water...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 04:57 AM
June 10, 2005
Cairns
I made it to Cairns after a drawn out flight via Brisbane, $50 the poorer for having got the departure time wrong. Cairns is a great place: lively and easy to get around, with loads of shops, restaurants and an...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 04:46 AM
June 07, 2005
I Pity the Fool
... who doesn't check their flight departure time. I can't believe I did it again! I booked a flight from Darwin to Cairns for 7th June when I was in Broome. I checked out of my hostel this morning, storing...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 12:29 PM
June 06, 2005
Kakadu
I had had enough of tour groups for the time being. I didn't want to be dragged around places I didn't want to go, not have enough time to appreciate anything in places I did, and be rushed around on...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 05:21 AM
June 04, 2005
Darwin
Not the Galapagos Islands, Rob. I continued to mong in Darwin, lying around on the beach and Bicentennial Park, reading and generally doing very little. I loved it! I have a high boredom threshold and an astonishingly large capacity for...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 04:17 AM
June 01, 2005
Broome
I was in Broome for a few days and had a great time. Zoe, Roy, Simon and I spent the days on the beach or sitting in cafes, then having a few beers at night. No more cheap goon for...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 03:33 AM
May 30, 2005
Karijini
I spent a few days in Exmouth larking around and drinking copious amounts of goon with Zoe and Alan. Exmouth is very small and isolated but has lovely beaches, sunsets, pelicans and locals with interesting facial hair. Zoe and I...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 08:05 AM
May 16, 2005
The West Coast
I wanted to take the Greyhound or a hop-on/hop-off bus up the West Coast to Broome, but since my visa expires in mid-July and I have a lot to see, I decided to take a tour instead. The tour started...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 06:04 AM
May 13, 2005
The South-West
I had a couple of days relaxing in Perth, doing very little. Mark, who I met in Sakhalin, very kindly let me stay at his house, and I enjoyed catching up on sleep in his incredibly comfortable bed and meeting...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 05:34 AM
May 09, 2005
Panic Stations
I got to the check-in desk at Seoul airport and was told I couldn't board the flight to Sydney because I didn't have an onward ticket from Australia. I didn't really know how to deal with this, and my brain...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 05:22 AM
January 30, 2005
Perth
I flew to Perth with three Irish guys I'd met on the trip down to Adelaide: Gerry, PJ and Mike. We stayed at the YHA in Northbridge, which is the area with the city's restaurants and bars. Perth seems like...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 03:55 AM
January 28, 2005
The Outback
When you grow up in Western Europe, where a vast expanse of emptiness means a field and everyone is squashed in huge population densities, the outback is a sight to behold. So much space, so much flat nothingness, where you...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 08:19 AM
January 25, 2005
The Centre
On the morning of my birthday I was woken up at four in the morning with a kick in the shins from Pete, our tour guide. The group sang Happy Birthday to me, then I finished off the cheap (is...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 12:38 PM
January 22, 2005
Alice Springs
In the Alice Springs K-Mart the tannoy announced two minutes left on the plastic Christmas tree discount sale. It was the end of January in the middle of the desert and shoppers were piling them into their trolleys. My mind...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 11:59 AM
January 19, 2005
Adelaide
Adelaide was bigger, more vibrant and multi-cultural than I had expected. The weather was gorgeous and I had a good time looking around the Art Gallery, South Australian Museum, and the State Parliament. I walked around the Botanic Gardens and...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 08:12 AM
January 16, 2005
The Great Ocean Road
I approached the bus in Melbourne and was sorely tempted to turn around and run. I'd booked a tour of the Great Ocean Road along the coast to Adelaide since the Greyhound only made one stop and I wanted to...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 01:22 AM
January 14, 2005
Tasmania: East Coast
I'd never given much thought to penguin locomotion before, but it's true that they waddle in a strange way. I now know that this is because they don't have knees and so propel themselves along by leaning forward while moving...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 07:17 AM
January 10, 2005
Tasmania: West Coast
Well, all my concerns about the tour were totally unfounded, because it was excellent. I had a really good time, got to see so much, and met some great people. There were 21 of us, all different ages and nationalities,...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 09:07 AM
January 08, 2005
Tasmania: Hobart
I landed in Hobart after midnight. The airport was just one teeny building and there was no baggage carousel - the little truck rolled up and everyone dived for their bags. I stayed at a place called Montgomery's and spent...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 08:56 AM
January 07, 2005
Melbourne
Melbourne reminds me of Brussels: lots of rain, old building facades, trams... I spent ages waiting on the wrong side of the tracks for a tram (they go in the left-hand drive direction like the traffic - I hadn't twigged)...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 09:45 AM
January 03, 2005
Sydney: Departure
It took me ages to actually leave Sydney. I'd lived there for 5 1/2 months and had made friends, got to know the city and settled into a routine. I hadn't booked anything or made any plans for travelling -...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 09:22 AM
December 30, 2004
Sydney: Hot Christmas
The build up to Christmas was a bit surreal for me this year. It spun me out to see inflatable snowmen, neon skiing Santas and plastic holly among the summer flowers and 40 degree heat. I suppose old habits and...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 02:01 AM
December 19, 2004
Newcastle
I took the train up to "The Castle" and was met and shown the sights by Rob - erstwhile flatmate and former Newcastle resident. We walked along the front, then around Nobby's Head and the beach. It was a million...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 09:47 AM
November 28, 2004
Sydney: Royal National Park
The Royal National Park is a large area of land adjacent to the coast, about an hour south of Sydney, where people go to surf, swim, camp and bush-walk. It was the first national park in the world and features...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 05:59 AM
October 30, 2004
Sydney: Sculpture by the Sea
Sculpture by the Sea is an annual outdoor sculpture exhibition where the pieces are displayed around the rocks and parks on the coastal path from Bondi to Tamarama. I took the bus to Bondi Beach on the Saturday after it...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 04:51 AM
October 23, 2004
Canberra
Everyone tells you Canberra sucks. Even people who live there. But I chose to ignore them - I mean, what can be so bad about lots of parks and museums? Well, you'd be surprised. The city is just like an...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 04:13 AM
October 10, 2004
Sydney: Parramatta
Apparently, Parramatta is an Aboriginal word meaning 'where the eels lie down.' The city is right the way up the river from Sydney, and whether the eels were tired after their journey from the ocean, or whether they just couldn't...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 05:26 AM
October 09, 2004
Sydney: Hawkesbury River
The Hawkesbury River is about 50km north of Sydney and is the next big estuary up from Sydney Harbour and the Parramatta River. I was told it was a picturesque place to visit and I made my way up there...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 05:11 AM
October 02, 2004
Sydney: Palm Beach
I've never seen Home and Away so to me Palm Beach - which is where they film the outdoor scenes - was just another beach, but a pretty good one. It's part of the Northern Beaches and it took forever...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 03:37 AM
September 18, 2004
Sydney: Blue Mountains
The Blue Mountains are a couple of hours west of Sydney. I somehow picked the weekend that there were track repairs on the railways, so it took me a bit longer to get to Katoomba, but it was good to...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 09:09 AM
September 05, 2004
Sydney: Storm
After some fantastic sunshine, Sydney was hit with a massive hailstorm. I was at my house on Wigram Road and the hailstones made a racket on the corrugated iron roof. I've never seen them so big, and I'm surprised the...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 08:10 AM
September 04, 2004
Sydney: Manly
I managed to wangle a night off work and got up early on Saturday morning to take a bus to the Opera House and get a standing room ticket for the Marriage of Figaro that evening. I found myself up...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 06:46 AM
August 21, 2004
Sydney: Coogee
It was the first really warm day since I arrived in Australia, and I took a bus through Newtown to Coogee, in the Eastern suburbs. I walked along the beach and up to the headland. There was a swimming area...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 07:25 AM
August 08, 2004
Sydney: Bondi
City to Surf is an annual run that starts off in Sydney centre and goes through various suburbs before finishing at Bondi Beach. It took place on a Sunday - my day off - and so I decided to head...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 08:34 AM
August 01, 2004
Sydney: Aquarium
The aquarium was amazing! I spent hours there, fascinated by all the fish and beautiful displays. I took a million photos: * Platypus - I'd never seen one before and they were different to how I expected. Their eyes are...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 08:12 AM
July 15, 2004
Sydney: Arrival
I tripped out of Sydney airport, all tanned in my skirt and flip-flops, into the freezing winter morning. 'Unprepared' doesn't cover it... I shivered as I traipsed around the full-up, overpriced hostels and scanned the windows of travel agents for...Read this update
Posted by Rowena at 06:26 AM