Australia - 26th
Feb to 31st March 1999 Australia - 26th
Feb to 31st March 1999
Left home at 15:30, bus into Stourbridge, then by Rail (£20 ticket) to Gatley (via Smethwick, Wolverhampton and Manchester Picadilly) arriving at 18:52 - already tired after only 3 hours travel! Collected by Owen and Mike and off for a takeaway Chinese, tucked-up in bed by 23:00 - need to be up early for the flight to Sydney.
Up at 5:30, and out of the house by 6:30 - collected Pat and arrived at Manchester Terminal 1 by 7:30, bid fond farewell to Owen, then discover flight to Rome is delayed - finally leave Manchester at 10:55. Arrive in Rome at 14:40 - dash through airport for waiting flight to Bangkok which takes-off at 15:15 for a 9 1/2 hour overnight flight...
Arrive in Bangkok at 7:15 - we have to dash across the airport for the connecting flight to Sydney which leaves at 8:15. An 8 1/2 hour flight which arrives at 20:45. Collect luggage (it made it despite the delays), and catch a bus to Central Station for A$6 each, once there we hunt around for the Mercure Hotel, and find it after Mike accosts one of the locals (he even tips her a dollar). After a nice cup of tea and a shower, off to bed by 23:00.
| First real day of the holiday, and time to look round Sydney, not much time as we're due to leave on Tuesday. Wake to find it is raining, but decide to go walkabout anyway, so after breakfast in the hotel café we set off for a walking tour at 10:30. We walk into Sydney down George Street (about 3km) and have a wander round the harbour area - Circular Quay, The Opera House, Harbour Bridge - taking in a soup & roll lunch in a small café near the Opera House. Make vital purchase of leather hat in The Rocks (marked as 'waterproof' but proves otherwise during many showers), then tour the Observatory and climb one of the Harbour Bridge towers (entrance A$2 - much cheaper than the escorted Bridge Walks at A$98!) and enjoy views of Opera House and harbour through the pouring rain. Return to Hotel by 18:30, after a shower (and more tea) out to the Golden Century in Chinatown for an excellent evening meal (and a good price at A$85 for the three of us). |  Mike and Pat on Circular Quay |
 |
Checked out of hotel by 9:45 (after breakfast in the café), then back to Sydney Airport by bus to collect our hire car - a Toyota Camry (automatic). I elected to drive the first leg of our journey to Taree - north out of Sydney on the Pacific Highway (over the Harbour Bridge). En route we dine at the 'Ayers Rock' truckstop (a large glass-fibre reconstruction of Uluru containing a café and numerous shop stalls). Pat took over driving and we arrived at her friend's house late in the afternoon, to be feted by an invitation to dinner. Booked into Highway Motor Inn in Taree for the night (A$40 per room). |
| On the road by 9:15, north along the Pacific Highway to Port Macquarie, breakfast in a small village on the way. Walked along the beach and seafront walk, plenty of brave surfers in the sea, and gallahs (red & grey parrots) in the trees. Then off inland on highway 34 over the mountains of the Great Dividing Range. Lunch in the mountains (including Christmas Pudding!) where we also bought our most expensive petrol of the journey (80 cents a litre). Stopped off at Apsley Falls (195 metre drop) in the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park - large gorge and waterfall. Arrived in Tamworth 'The Home of Country Music' around 17:15, and booked into the Stagecoach Motor Inn. Evening meal at the Services Club - all you can eat buffet for A$14.50 a head - and we certainly ate! |  Apsley Falls |
 Paul and Danuta |
Leave Motel at 9:00 and breakfast in Tamworth. Then drive to Oxley scenic lookout above Tamworth for views of the town and surrounding landscape - lush farmland in the main. Drive to Coonabarabran, with a stop at Gunnedah for elevenses, arriving around 13:15. Paul and Danuta welcome us with a salad, before driving into Coona to buy some comestibles for Tea - the fish merchant is in town so we are in luck. Spend the afternoon in Warrumbungle National Park - breathtaking mountain scenery, enhanced by Emu's and Kangaroos (and more rain). After an evening meal of Sea Trout the party retires after midnight. |
After re-fuelling the car we spend the morning touring the Siding Spring Observatory (where Paul and Danuta work) - very scenic location in the Warrumbungle NP. Lunch on BBQ chicken from the supermarket, then off to the Coonabarabran Show at 5:30. Livestock prizes, Rodeo (bareback steer & horse riding, steer lassoing and wrestling, etc.), produce & livestock displays, funfair, brass band etc. - all you'd expect from a decent country show. Steak sandwiches, chips & beer for dinner (rubbery steak unfortunately). Showered & bedded by 23:30.
 Siding Spring Observatory |
 Steer Lassoing at the Coona Show |
| Spent the morning shopping & exploring Coonabarabran, then off to the official opening of the show at 15:30. Opening speeches, Parade of livestock, contestants, cars & machinery. More rural pursuits - Aboriginal dancing, sheaf tossing (we were sure they said sheep tossing - it would have been so much more fun), trailer backing, whip cracking, log sawing etc. Show closed by a very impressive fireworks display around 21:00. Evening meal in the local pub (Fillet steak for me). |  Log sawing competition |
 Fans Horizon |
Armed with a packed lunch we set of for a walk in the Warrumbungle NP. 3 hours round trip to Fans Horizon from Camp Pincham for spectacular views of the park, with plenty of interesting wildlife on the way (large spiders, eagles, praying mantis, redback spiders, kookaburras etc.) Returned exhausted and prepared a 'formal' dinner (i.e. the gents wore long trousers) - Lamb roast with garlic, carrots, squashes, potatoes and plenty of red wine made for an excellent last evening in Coonabarabran. |
| After an early breakfast we bid a fond farewell to Paul & Danuta, and set off for Glen Innes 'The home of the beardies'. On the way we stop for elevenses in Tamworth, and Uralla for lunch in an excellent café which also doubles as an art gallery and preserves/pickles vendor (note for Danuta). Another stop in Armidale for a look round the Folk Museum and Cathedrals before arriving in Glen Innes for dinner at the Central Hotel - a cook your own Char Grill and Smorgasbord (14oz steak & buffet for A$15 - superbly cooked I may add). Bedded down in the Central Motel. |  Armidale Folk Museum |
| Left Motel at 9:00 and breakfasted in 'The Coffee Shop' in Glen Innes before wandering round the town. Drove north to Tenterfield for another wander, then east to Casino for lunch and another wander round. After Casino drove to Lismore for a look around the many bookshops in the town centre, finally to Alstonville where we are to stay with Steve & Sue (friends of Pat). Dinner was an indoor BBQ (yes, the rain was following us). |  Steve and Sue broadcasting |
 Byron Bay Lighthouse |
Steve & Sue left early for work & we raided the breakfast things before leaving for a short tour of the coast. Early rain soon cleared to give a warm sunny afternoon. First stop was at Lennox Head, north of Ballina, then slowly up the coast (stopping for pictures) to Byron Bay (the most easterly point on mainland Australia). Beaches, surfers, rainforest walks and shopping! Returned to Steve & Sue's around 17:30. |
| Steve had a day off and escorted us round Ballina and the local beaches, including tours of the Coastguard Tower and Naval Museum (which houses Atzlan, the trans Pacific balsa wood boat designed by Thor Heyerdahl) at Ballina. We also visited the Victoria Park Nature Reserve for a walk around a small section of rainforest, many varieties of flora and fauna (including wallabies) on view. In the evening we made faces at Steve as he broadcast his world music show on the local Community Radio Station. The day was rounded off by an excellent evening meal at the local Thai restaurant. |  Victoria NP |
 Brisbane from the South Bank |
Bade farewell to Steve & Sue around 10:00 and drove to Brisbane (with a short coffee stop on the way). Checked into the Park View Motel (on the South Bank, not far from the city centre) and walked into town for a light lunch in Queen Street Mall (the main shopping centre). Spent the afternoon on a short walking tour of Brisbane (from Mike's guidebook) - caught out by a severe shower (more like stair rods really) and finally proved that my hat was not waterproof. After showering & changing we cheered ourselves up in a Greek Restaurant on the South Bank. |
| Breakfast at Jimmy's in the Mall, then we all split up to wander around the City. The local Irish populace was out in force to celebrate St. Patrick's Day (not actually until Wednesday, but you can't stop some people from partying), and the streets were filled with marching bands, floats, and revellers. Spent some time looking round the city centre (lots of interesting buildings and statues), the South Bank (a modern riverside leisure development), including a short ferry trip. Met for lunch in The Shingles, then split up again - I spent much of the afternoon in the Botanical Gardens and Museum. Went to the West End for Dinner - the New Asia BYO restaurant - lovely food, and probably the cheapest we've had (A$34 for all three of us!). Wandered into the city armed with camera and video for a few shots of Brisbane at night, then off to bed by 22:30 |  St. Patrick's Day float |
Up at 4:30 for the journey to Ayers Rock. Arrived at Brisbane Airport by 6:00 and dropped off hire car (having clocked up 2,229km over 12 days). After two flights (Brisbane to Sydney, Sydney to Ayers Rock) and two timezone changes (adding up to half an hour!) we arrive at the Desert Gardens Hotel in Ayers Rock Resort around 13:30. After a light meal in the bar, and a struggle to get the keys to my room (it wasn't ready until 14:50), we departed for a tour of Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) at 15:00. A walk into the Olga Gorge (accompanied by heat and insistent flies) really overpowers everyone with the sheer scale and beauty of the place - the vibrant reds and oranges of the rock formations, and the fantastic shapes carved into the surface by wind and rain have to be seen to be believed. We top this off with a visit to Uluru (Ayers Rock) to watch the sun setting - again, almost an overpowering experience (despite a cloudy sky). We return to the hotel at 19:50 after buying breakfast for the next day, grab a Pizza for dinner and scramble into bed around 23:00.
 Olga Gorge at Kata Tjuta |
 Uluru (Ayers Rock) at sunset |
Another early start (5:00) to watch sunrise at Uluru - another impressive set of colour changes as the sun came up, marred only by the numbers of fellow tourists. Then a tour of the rock - only two from our coach party elect to climb (a simple enough ascent, only 1.6km, but most respect the wishes of the Aboriginals who discourage climbing their sacred site), the rest of us take a walk around about half of the base - taking in Mutitjulu water hole, caves, aboriginal paintings and amazing rock formations. We then went off to the Aboriginal Culture Centre nearby, where some of the Dreamtime stories, and aboriginal lore is explained, along with the usual souvenir opportunities - most of which are at least made by the locals (and much cheaper than elsewhere). We returned to the hotel around 10:30, grabbed some lunch, and set off for Kings Canyon at 12:30. En route we stopped at Kings Creek Station, where captured wild kangaroos and camels (A$4 a ride) kept us entertained while we had an ice-cream. We arrived at Kings Canyon Resort around 16:30, and after a shower indulged in a few beers at the bar, before dinner in the café, then early to bed.
 'The Head' on Uluru at dawn |
 Uluru ascent (1.6km path) |
| Yet another early start (5:00) for a sunrise walk around Kings Canyon - only Mike and myself elected to go, and were drafted in with an 18-30's group for the walk - initially daunting, but we soon left them behind (and managed to lose each other too). The geology of the canyon is very impressive, and the colours accentuated by the dawn light make for a awe-inspiring walk. Despite the beauty and ample photo stops I manage to complete the 3-hour walk around the top of the canyon in under 2 hours - just in time to join the rest of our party for the half hour walk into the canyon itself. This is quite a contrast to the rim - teeming with wildlife and greenery - helpfully illuminated by our driver. After collecting Mike we return to the hotel by 10:00, shower and eat lunch, then off again at 12:45 for the 5 1/2 hour drive to Alice Springs along long, mostly straight, roads which made most of us drop-off (luckily not the driver). We arrive at 18:30, a bit late to look round Alice, so Dinner in the hotel restaurant (I had Emu), and off to bed early. |  Kings Canyon |
 Alice Springs and the MacDonnell Ranges |
Up at 6:00 - just time for a quick look round Alice Springs - the Todd River (where the Henley-on-Todd Regatta is held), Anzac Hill (where you get a good view of the town), the old Residency and Courthouse, and of course, the closed shops, before breakfast and departure for the airport. It's a pity we didn't manage to get more time in Alice, but such is life. We arrive in Sydney at 15:30 (1 1/2 hour zimezone change), and again checked into the Mercure Hotel. After the last few days we take a break for the afternoon writing letters and postcards (or snoozing), then out to Chinatown for dinner - as usual we order far more than we can actually eat! |
| After breakfast I leave Pat and Mike to go off on helicopter tour of Sydney Harbour - officially a 15-minute trip for A$95, but I had the luck to be sharing the chopper with the parents of the courtesy bus driver who collected me from the hotel - so the flight was more like 25 minutes, and I got the seat next to the pilot. This trip was worth every penny - Sydney from the air is most impressive (and I'd never been in a helicopter before), we toured the city, harbour, and all the beaches (including Bondi) on the way back to the airport. On return met up with Pat and Mike at the Powerhouse Museum and we strolled round the Darling Harbour area, taking in a Greek Salad at one of the café's there, before taking a ferry round to Circular Quay for another wander around The Rocks. We followed this up with an evening visit to the Imax cinema, for a showing of Everest (lots of white snow and people in bright clothes about 30ft tall). |  Sydney from a helicopter |
Up early for a coach trip to the Blue Mountains where we make a 3 hour walk through the Grand Canyon of the Blue Mountains - semi-tropical vegetation and teeming with wildlife, marred only by semi-tropical rain! Lunch in Katoomba after going to the Three Sisters lookout (the most photographed site in Australia) and not being able to see anything through the mist. Then off to the Blue Mountains NP for afternoon tea surrounded by kangaroos and other tame wildlife. Dinner in a Greek café-bar, followed by beers in a local bar before an early bed.
 Walking in Grand Canyon |
 Mother and Joey in Blue Mountains NP |
Breakfast at 9:00 then a walk to Circular Quay to catch a ferry to Manly - good views of the City and Harbour on the way before landing in Sydney's seaside resort. Arrive to find a women's triathlon in progress (swimming in the sea, bicycle and running along the front) - some excitement as one of the contestants falls from her bike. After a light lunch we take in the Arts & Crafts Fair and walk out to Oceanworld (peer at the Turtles but don't go in), before promenading along the shoreline - we sat watching the sailing boats race in the harbour for some time, lacking only a tea-shop to complete a perfect afternoon. After dinner in a local bar we take to the beer (5 bottles of Coopers Sparkling) and retire slightly tipsy.
 Manly Triathlon Contestant |
 Turtle at Oceanworld |
| Pat and myself share breakfast at 9:00, Mike is in bed and wondering why he doesn't feel well. I leave for the airport at 10:00 for my journey to Cairns, Pat and Mike will stay in Sydney for two more days before returning to the UK. After a 3-hour flight and one timezone change (no summertime in Queensland) I arrive in Cairns at 13:25 and meet up with Paul and Danuta as they arrive from Brisbane. We take a taxi into town and check into the Floriana Guest House (very basic, more a backpacker establishment than hotel). We spend some time wandering around the seafront just in front of the guesthouse - the sea here is mainly mudflats, and filled with large crabs and provides endless entertainment for a man with binoculars (mainly Paul). Evening meal at Charlie's - seafood buffet for A$17.50 a head (we later find a voucher in the paper for A$14, but it was still worth it). |  Crab on Cairns mudflats |
After a rudimentary breakfast we set off for a trip to Kuranda - a small village in the rainforest decked-out with tourist attractions. We travel up via the Cairns-Kuranda Scenic Railway, which winds its way from sea-level up the Barron River Gorge to Kuranda through 15 tunnels, and many bridges. In Kuranda we take in some of the gift shops and local craft stalls, then visit the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary - where we are surrounded by thousands of large and small, beautifully coloured butterflies. The return is via the Skyrail gondola cableway - which travels for 7.5km over the rainforest canopy down to Caravonica, with two stops on the way - one near the Barron Falls, the other in the rainforest where we walked along the boardwalk, spotting spiders and tropical plants. In Caravonica we visit the Tjapukai Aboriginal Culture Park, where various theatre presentations show some of the local Aboriginal history. We practiced a little boomerang throwing, and Paul even took up the spear. Evening meal in the Night Markets in Cairns.
 Barron Falls |
 Australian Butterfly Sanctuary |
 Tjapukai Dancers |
Woken by the arrival of our Hire Car - an elderly Nissan Bluebird station wagon, we check out and after a short tour of Cairns (looking for cameras), head for Port Douglas, taking in a few of the tropical beaches, including Trinity and Palm Cove, on the way (all lovely, and almost deserted). Arrived around 16:30 and shown to Island point Villas by the leasing agent's wife. Amazed at the quality, size, and position of the apartments - advertised (accurately) as having 'the best gin & tonic balcony in Port Douglas', we couldn't believe our luck in getting such sumptuous accommodation for only A$140 a day. We immediately settle in for the evening and indulge in G&T's on the balcony followed by a simple pasta meal (once we work out how to get the cooker working).
 The best G&T balcony in Port Douglas |
 Returning Reef Divers |
| After breakfast we walk up to the lookout next to our apartment for a view of Four Mile Beach - which is on one side of the Port Douglas headland, then into town to book a reef trip, and buy lunch. For the afternoon we drive up to Mossman Gorge NP for a look around the river and rainforest. Unfortunately Danuta stumbles and injures her ankle - which gives her trouble for the rest of the holiday. Then off to the P&O Silky Oaks Wilderness Lodge near Mossman for afternoon tea on the balcony - very Raj, very posh, and very nice! As Danuta wasn't up to walking we had take-away Fish & Chips for tea (probably the best fish I've had in years). |  Four Mile Beach - Port Douglas |
After an early breakfast off on the Wavelength II at 8:30 for a snorkelling trip to the Outer Barrier Reef. Weather a little overcast and windy, so the 1 1/2 hour trip to the reef in a small 22-person boat was rather choppy (many succumbed, including Danuta). Once at Opal Reef all was (relatively) calm, and we made three separate dives. The corals and sealife are simply wonderful to see, especially if you've never snorkelled before and can simply lie on the surface watching the brightly coloured fish swimming around the equally brightly coloured corals - those pictures in the books or on postcards aren't faked! Returned tired & happy at 16:45, and spent the evening at the Combined Services Club (very good food, at low prices).
 Snorkelling from Wavelength II |
 Corals and Fish of Opal Reef |
| A day off - late breakfast, then a wander around Port Douglas - all of which, except for the Old Courthouse (now a museum), and the Courthouse Hotel, was destroyed in the cyclone of 1911. Spent the afternoon lazing around our sumptuous apartment (looking at reef photo's from the day before, and copying holiday video for Danuta). |  Old Court House |
 3-4m Estuarine Crocodiles on the Daintree River |
Up and out by 9:00 - driving north through Mossman to Daintree Village, where we book an afternoon cruise on the Daintree River, before driving further up the coast towards Cape Tribulation. Turn back after touring a rainforest boardwalk (and running out of metalled road). Lunch at the Croc Café near the Daintree River Ferry before joining the cruise - with only two other customers - so we had plenty of attention from our skipper. The cruise was from the ferry down to the river mouth and back. Normally at this time of year the estuarine (formerly saltwater) crocodiles we were looking for would be hard to find, but we were lucky, probably because of the recent rains, and saw at least 5 crocodiles on the river banks - two of which were very large (3-4m). Plenty of birds and other wildlife were on show, and we had a long walk on the sandbank at the river mouth. Evening meal at 'On The Inlet' - very nice, but slow service. |
| After breakfast off to the Sunday Market in Port Douglas (held in Anzac Park near the Old Courthouse). Plenty of local produce and Arts & Crafts on sale. This was followed by a long walk along Four Mile Beach. After lunch a visit to the Rainforest Heritage Park near Port Douglas. This is a very well executed wildlife zoo - about 4 large tented/screened areas where the animals can roam freely - plenty of birds, koalas, kangaroos, freshwater crocodiles etc. on show - most of which you can get very close to (Paul was adopted by a Parrot). Evening meal at the Ilios Greek Restaurant - very nice, but no moussaka. |  |
 Cairns Pier |
Up, packed & breakfasted by 8:45. Weather lovely - blue skies and a calm sea - just in time for our departure! Off to Cairns airport to see off Paul & Danuta (another holiday over), then into Cairns to check into the A1 Motel. Spend the afternoon walking round Cairns - the Casino and Pier, central shopping area, seafront, and finally the Flecker Botanical Gardens. Evening meal at the motel restaurant (an excellent T-bone steak). |
Breakfasted & checked-out by 9:15, some time to kill before having to drop the car off at the airport, so I drive up to the hills above Cairns for a panoramic view, then off to the mangrove swamp boardwalk near the airport for a last minute bit of natural history. The local fauna ignores my bushmans' insect repellent and stings my shoulders through the T-shirt (that'll teach me!). Drop the car off at 11:00, then waste a few hours in the airport waiting for my flight to Singapore. Leave Cairns at 14:40, stopping at Darwin for an hour, and arriving in Singapore at 20:35 (after a 9 hour flight). The plane from Singapore was delayed until 23:30, and arrived late in Frankfurt - after 13 hours in the air fighting headwinds, while I was stuck between a chatty pensioner from Huddersfield, and a Dutch student who spent the entire flight being sick (not my day really).
Arrive in Frankfurt at 6:30 - dashed over to Manchester flight departing at 7:30, and arrive in Manchester at 8:30, only to discover that my luggage hadn't (it was delivered to my door the next day). After spending another £20 on a railway ticket I finally return to Stourbridge around 13:30 - exhausted, and wanting to do it all again!
If you fancy a trip to Australia yourself, or just want some more information, try looking at a few of these websites:
http://www.aussie.net.au
Australian tourist board
http://www.budget-motel.com.au
Budget Motel chain
http://www.bridgeclimb.com
Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb
http://www.skyrail.com.au
Kuranda Skyrail
http://www.south-bank.net.au
Brisbane South Bank
http://www.ayersrock.aust.com
Ayers Rock resort
http://www.cairns.aust.com/gateway
Cairns Gateway maps & information
http://www.internetnorth.com.au/wavelength
Wavelength Snorkelling from Port Douglas
http://www.internetnorth.com.au/gazette
Port Douglas and Mossman Gazette
http://www.aao.gov.au Anglo-Australian
Observatory - Siding Spring
 |
    |