BootsnAll Travel Network
Add this blog to: MyYahoo, Google, Bloglines, RSS


Archive for the 'Australia' Category

« Previous Entries
Next Page »
« Home

G’day Australia

Friday, January 2nd, 2009

Today is our last day in Australia and I’m going through a range of emotions.  On one hand I can’t wait to see our next destination, Thailand, and start the next phase of the trip.  On the other, Australia has been amazing and it’s sad to leave.  I feel like we’ve only gotten a taste of the place and can’t believe we’ve been here for 2 months!  We’re already planning what we’ll do when we come back someday. 

The last few days were spent running around Sydney picking up all the stuff we’ll need for Thailand and India – everything from novels to toothpaste.  The shopping has made me realize how comfortable it is here.  I expect that our next stops will be considerably more difficult, and I’m a little anxious about it.   

We took a few breaks to get our minds off all this though.  We attended a play at the Opera House called the “The Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged)” which is all 37 of his plays in 97 minutes.  It was hysterical and the experience of being in that beautiful, iconic building definitely cheered me up! 

We also headed to the Star City Casino early yesterday morning as it was the only place in town where we could watch the Rose Bowl. Sorry to all the Nittany Lions in my family, but for the USC friends, Fight On!   

I’ve been trying to reflect on everything we’ve seen and done here, but there’s just too much and it’s too recent.  It might be nice to take some time out to process it all, but we’re on to the next adventure.  Next stop:  Bangkok.

Posted in Australia, Travel | 1 Comment »

Happy 2009!

Wednesday, December 31st, 2008

Happy New Year to everyone!  I hope it’s healthy and prosperous for us all!

Our NYE was spent enjoying one of the most famous views – fireworks over Sydney harbor.  We asked around and everyone says you have to get their early.  They weren’t kidding!  We arrived at Bradfield Park on the north side, right by the bridge around 12:30 in the afternoon and it was already filling up!  We bought a cheap folding chair and took beach towels, and umbrella (for the sun), a lunch, and lots of sunscreen.  By 5PM every inch of the park was covered in picnic blankets so that you couldn’t even see the grass or roads.  We scored a prime spot with a perfect view of the Opera House across the harbor and the bridge too.

The people surrounding us were from everywhere – Japan, Brazil, Germany, and a few Aussies too.  Incredibly, the heat, crowds, and long hours waiting seemed to bring out the best behavior in everyone – no fights, just happy, giddy (and somewhat drunk) people.  Maybe there’s hope for the human race yet…

There are actually 2 sets of fireworks on NYE in Sydney.  They are shot off from barges at different placed in the harbor. The first is the “Family Fireworks” at 9PM so that kids can watch and then get home to bed early.  It’s much smaller than the midnight show, but we were stunned when after hours of waiting they finally started.  The fireworks to the left of us were blocked by a huge tree.  The fireworks to the right of us were blocked by the bridge pylon.  We could hear them, but had no clear view.  8 1/2 hours in the hot sun for this?  Doh!

After the fireworks there is a lighted boat parade.  We considered moving while this was going on, but there really was no place to go at that point.  We knew that the midnight fireworks were set off from more places, including the bridge, so we decided to stay put.  It’s a good thing we did, because our view was fantastic.  Fireworks came from the bridge, the barges, the tops of tall buildings in the city, everywhere!  Unbelievable. It’s impossible to describe, but they were by far the best fireworks I’ve ever seen.   What a great start to 2009!

blog-fireworks.JPG

Posted in Australia, Travel | No Comments »

Boxing Day

Saturday, December 27th, 2008

We arrived back in Sydney on Xmas Eve and found our home for the next week.  Our friend Steven lives in Sydney, but headed back to the States for the holidays, so he’s letting us use his flat while he’s away.  It’s right in the city and is fantastic for us!  Many thanks!

For Christmas dinner we made a turkey, stuffing, and even found a jar of cranberry sauce with “made from American cranberries” right on the label.  Mmmm.  

The day after Xmas is Boxing Day (a great tradition we’d like to bring home with us) and also the start of the Sydney to Hobart sailing race.  We packed up some leftover turkey sandwiches and headed for the harbour to watch.  While we really weren’t sure where to go, we happened to see a bunch of people scrambling to get on a ferry, so we followed them.  We were lucky enough to squeeze onto the last ferry to Watson’s Bay near the South Head or entrance to the harbour.  Quite a few angry people were left on the dock when it pulled away.

The weather was perfect for the race start – sunny, warm, and windy.  All  over the shores and cliffs, people set up picnic blankets, lawn chairs and grills to await the starting gun.  The start itself is complete chaos as hundreds of spectator boats zoom alongside the racing boats as they leave the harbour and head for the open ocean.  Helicopters are everywhere circling like flies.  The first boat across the starting line was also the winner, Wild Oats, arriving in Hobart early this morning. 

 hobart.JPG

Posted in Australia, Travel | No Comments »

Victoria

Sunday, December 21st, 2008

We recovered from the jetlag pretty quickly, although I’m not sure we ever really adjusted to CA time.  A few days in Melbourne gave us time to catch up on sleep and take in a few local sights.  We visited the Gaol, which is creepy, but interesting.  We also finally saw the movie “Australia” – it has some amazing scenery.  A lot of it was actually filmed in a town called Bowen in Queensland that we drove through last month.  “Finally, we went to a cricket match at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds or MCG.  Unfortunately we didn’t see the Victoria Bushrangers win because we left after just 5 hours.  Vic was 1-40 with 18 overs needing a 3.8 run rate to beat WA’s 9-198.  Got that?  We do now!

After a pretty tough search, we finally found a rental car.  Apparently everyone is on Summer/Xmas holiday and there are none to be found.  Yesterday we set off on the Great Ocean Road  and it really is Great.  The views are fantastic and the wildlife abundant.  Here are a couple of the sights:

This guy was on a hiking path and scrambled up the tree when we approached. 

blog-koala.JPG

 The view from one of the many lookouts from the Great Ocean Road, the 12 Apostles.

blog-oceanroad.JPG

Posted in Australia, Travel | 2 Comments »

The Island

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008

After 5 weeks in Australia, we had only seen two ‘roo’s in the wild. This was about to change with a visit to Kangaroo Island. Getting to KI is pretty interesting itself. It’s a 2 hour drive south from Adelaide and then the car goes onto the ferry for a 45 minute ride to island. KI is over 150 km long, so having a car is a must in order to see even a fraction of it.

We set out on the first day to Flinders Chase National Park. The walk to Admirals Arch has a fantastic payoff with a view of New Zealand fur seals basking in the shadow of a cave. The next stop was something called the Remarkable Rocks, which are huge rocks that are, well, remarkable. Hard to describe, but check out the photo gallery link to the right.

Next we attempted a hike to Snake Lagoon, but were defeated by hundreds of flies swarming around us. As silly as it may seems, they were just incredibly annoying to the brink of insanity. Dejected, we headed back to the car for the long drive to the hotel on the other side of the island. We still had not seen any Wallabies, Koalas, or Kangaroos that were supposedly so plentiful on the island. Well, not live ones anyway. The road sides are littered with dead ones that didn’t make it, so we knew they must be there somewhere.

Dusk is the perfect time for wildlife as the lazy marsupials begin to wake up from their naps during the hot part of the day. I spotted a Wallaby munching away on some grass along the road. And then another. And another. When Eric finally pulled over to take a picture, we noticed something else just behind it. Two huge Kangaroos in a field. They were the first of many of the island’s namesake and of much more wildlife to be seen. Next up were Koalas hanging in the trees and Little Penguins on the beach at night.

The next morning we headed to the Lathami Conservation Park for a short walk with more Wallabies and a unique spiky animal called an Echidna. After lunch, Seal Bay showed off it’s namesake in the form of huge Australian Sea Lions lounging on the sand. Finally after dodging Goanas on the road, we visited a honey farm, home to a strain of Ligurian bees from Italy that only survive in this place today.

Kangaroo Island is fascinating and an incredible place to see all the wildlife that Oz is famous for in one microcosm.

This may be the last blog from down under for a while. We’re starting a long journey back to the US for our friends’ wedding, starting with the Overland train from Adelaide to Melbrourne, then catching a flight to Cali. We’ll be back next week, but until then, G’day.

blog-echnida2.JPG

blog-roos.JPG

Posted in Australia, Travel | No Comments »

« Previous Entries
Next Page »