Picture of the Week – I Dream of “Return to Cradle Mountain”
Cradle Mountain
Colorful Trail
Around the Lodge
Random Observations during Trip to Australia and New Zealand
As I used to do when my writing was in email form to friends and family, I am going to share some of the random things I observed that caught my attention. These are not earth-shattering observations or anything that is better or worse in the places I visited than what I am used to, just things that caught my eye. I always find it interesting to hear what others find curious so I will share what I found curious… Hope no one takes offense!
- I arrive in Sydney, my first main stop in the trip. After surviving the strict customs and health things they do at the airport, I leave the secured zone and what is the first thing I see? Krispy Kreme. Don’t get me wrong, nothing wrong at ALL with a KK doughnut. But I travel halfway around the world and the first thing I see is an outlet of a doughnut chain founded in the southeastern U.S. where I live!
- Alright, I get past KK (without stopping), handle a few things (ATM, buying SIM card, etc.) and eventually get to my friends’ place (a train and a metro ride away – plus a short hike). I shower, unpack somethings, and venture out to combat jet lag. But first, let me load up on caffeine! I look around and there are coffee shops EVERYWHERE! I did not know Aussies were so into coffee. Not that it should surprise me, coffee is good but there were coffee shops not just in every corner but in between corners and multiple ones at almost every corner. Wow. That’s a serious devotion of coffee.
- So I pick one coffee shop – a hard thing to do with so many around. I ask for a coffee. I get a blank stare. I repeat myself. The young woman has an accent (eastern European, perhaps) so I assume my own accented English is too new to her ears. I repeat my request “a coffee, please”. She asks if cappuccino, latte, or flat white. I didn’t want either of the first two and the third option sounded like a cup of milk – just white, flat white, only milk. I say no I just want coffee. It occurs to me that perhaps I needed to explain that I meant coffee with nothing else. I get a blank stare. Eventually, the other clerk joins us and I repeat the last statement. I succeed in getting black coffee. I wasn’t sure what the deal was but, heck, I got my black coffee. Only to discover it was horrible. And then it dawns on me: perhaps black coffee here is not as good as say, PR, France, Italy, hence they must always add some amount of milk and/or foam. Got it. But I still didn’t know how I should have asked for black coffee… Nor did I get what a flat white was… (until later).
- It is not “how are you doing?” but “how are you going?”. At first, I wanted to say by bus or by train until I caught on.
- In a many places I went to eat, you order up at the bar and then sit down and they will bring your food. The cool thing about this is that you can pay when you order so after you are done eating, you just get up and go. In some places that felt normal but in others that were more like restaurants, I lfelt like I was bolting without paying, except I had already paid. I like this approach as it saves time since you don’t have to play that game of “I am ready for the check”, then wait to get it, then lay down $ or credit card, and wait for it to be picked up, etc.
- There are these “stores” called TAB in Australia. I wasn’t quite sure what they were and my friends explained they are sports betting places. Mind you, not glitzy or big like casinos (they have those too) but like small stores. And they can be quite a common sight in Sydney and Melbourne – one every couple of blocks? (an exaggeration on my part but it felt like that!)
- Air travel is a breeze here. Not sure if that is good or bad but for domestic flights, just show up 30 minutes beforehand. Security doesn’t even require shoes off. My belt and shoes set off most US airports’ machines. Not here. Nada.
- Driving: in some places, it felt like these were the best drivers in the world and, in others, pretty bad. No locations shall be named…
- The times I ordered salads, not once did I see regular plain lettuce. I love these countries!
- More than a couple of times, I think I was fed some mis-information by eager-to-share-knowledge guides. Like Lake Taupo being the largest lake in the southern hemisphere. It IS the largest freshwater lake in Oceania (616 km2) but that is a far cry from Lake Victoria (69,485 km2)… Another was the “world’s longest bridge” somewhere between Dunedin and Christchurch… I didn’t buy either of these claims but I wonder how many I “bought”! Now, I am sure Dunedin DOES have the world’s steepest street (it is so according to the Guinness Book of Records, I checked).
- Constant references to something being the x-most in the southern hemisphere. It felt like everything wanted to claim something. Best example: the Christchurch airport signs telling the travelers that the company that runs the airport was the 1st airport company in the southern hemisphere to become carbon neutral. I was wondering when we were landing…
- Rainfall in the north island is measured in inches but in the west part of the south island, it is measured in meters! (I am raising this not because they used different measurement systems when giving me these data points but because it points to the significant difference in rainfall amount.)
- Train restrooms were clean (as opposed to those in many other countries I have been to).
- Power outlets have a small switch immediately next to them to turn them on. If you don’t realize this, that electric razor you are trying to charge up won’t be doing anything the next morning!
- Upon arriving at a motel or B&B, the person at reception ALWAYS offered me milk. It took me a while to develop a solid theory on why (outside of “they just love drinking milk here perhaps”): since it was winter and the rooms had electric kettles, maybe it was in case I wanted tea/milk or coffee/milk?
- Many places had windows with 2 positions for closing the window. One was to entirely shut it but the other was to leave a slight crack open yet have the window locked. It was hard to see that the windows were slightly ajar. At first, I wondered why motel rooms had a draft… I figured it out on my own, thank you very much.
- Every motel or B&B I stayed at had towel warmers. I loved that since it was very cold.
- Airlines had a bit of an obsession that the safety card in the seatback pocket must always be the first thing in the pocket. Before landing, flight attendants requested this and/or would fix it for you if they noticed the items in the pocket were not in the right order…
- Public restrooms in every town’s central area! And easy to find!
Melbourne
I arrived in Melbourne on a late Wednesday afternoon from Sydney, after a relatively short flight. The distances in Australia are enormous and, perhaps, they feel more so because of a lot of vast empty lands in the middle (as opposed to us in the US where we have Kansas in the middle!). Fortunately, trekking between Sydney and Melbourne does not require traversing the country. My friends in Melbourne live in a penthouse pretty much in the central business district of town, enjoying a view of the Yarra river and the Crown casino. I think my friend Matt chose this apartment for a reason…
The next morning I made my first stop the information center in Federation Square, a relatively new and modern square next to the Flinders train station by the river. There I found way more information than I needed but that would have been very helpful had I decided to spend 2 months in Victoria, the state where Melbourne is. It was very well organized and the folks there were extremely helpful. My first objective was to see the Great Ocean Road that heads out west from outside Melbourne by the ocean so I scheduled it for the following day. The road trip ends at the 12 Apostles which are remnants from the mainland that water has eroded over time so they look like massive columns of rock coming out of the water, no longer connected to land. The number 12 is just used ’cause it sounds cool but now there are <>12 (I don’t even remember how many they said). In fact, 2 days before I went, one collapsed so I missed ever seeing it – well, I saw it in a pile of rocks.
Some of the apostles from the helicopter
Close-up of an apostle
The road trip goes through beautiful lands overlooking the ocean, sometimes from cliffs and sometimes from a more flat road. Along the way we stopped to see wildlife including kangaroos, colorful birds, and koalas all in the wild. The koalas took the prize in my book – they sleep about 20 hrs a day perched in trees. They looked fake – so peaceful did they look in their sleep. Like my sister (love ya). The Great Ocean Road consumed about 12 hours of my life but it was very much worth it and a must-see.
Koala in the wild - asleep!
After booking the Great Ocean Road tour, I took advantage of the free bus the city has for tourists to hop on and hop off at the various important sights in the city. It is a great way to orient oneself in a new city, to see some places that one may decided “check, don’t need to come here”, and to actually get off and visit places that seem interesting or make a note to come back another time. With this, I discovered the Victoria Market which sold just about everything but, unfortunately, most of the sellers were in the process of closing. I got a couple of souvenirs and fruits and made my way back to the city center proper.
I did not get to visit the art gallery in Federation Square which I was hoping to see but got to see the Immigration Museum where I gained a good understanding of the Australian immigrants’ story.
Other things I did was enjoy chocolate at the chocolate stores in the arcades (the city center has this beautiful arcades from early last century with shops and that’s where this chocolate shops are). I also, based on my friends’ recommendations, enjoyed great soup from a little chain store called Blue Bag – the red lentil soup was excellent.
On my final night in Melbourne (and Australia), I got to go to a football/soccer match at the MCG between Australia and Japan. It was great to be able to watch such a match with the local crowd though that required being careful on leaving as we had to walk through a minefield of a kind… Let’s just say, there seems to have been over-drinking during the match 
I got to try one of the famous meat pies during the match which was good but by the time we were done with the match, I was hungry again – should have had 2! That’s when I tried vegemite – on the salty side but the butter made it better.
Anyway, I have struggled in my mind to compare the cities of Sydney and Melbourne but can’t find a way to properly explain how they felt. Sydney has the harbor right there which was more in your face than Melbourne’s proximity to the ocean. Sydney felt fast-paced, Melbourne more laidback. I enjoyed them both and feel like I need to go back to keep studying what makes them different
Exploring Wineglass Bay in Tasmania
Day 3
Our exploration of Tasmania in no time continued on Day 3. After taking breakfast overlooking Coles Bay, we wasted little time in getting going to see Wineglass Bay, which some call the best beach in Australia (I am sure there are many who may not agree; I certainly don’t know much about Australian beaches to opine conclusively!).
Again, Getting There Is Half the Fun
Yes, Wineglass Bay beach is not of the type where you drive up and park next to the beach with your cooler, chairs, bodysurfing board, bags of food, etc. Nor is it the type where you walk a few blocks to get to, similarly loaded with things. And what a good thing it is that it is neither!
To get there one embarks on a 1.5 hr or so hike. Of course, there is a lookout available way up higher than the trail to the beach so we made our way to the lookout for a good view of the beach. The path to the lookout is really not much higher than the highest point on the trail on the way to the beach so if you are making to the beach might as well climb a few more steps to the lookout! The view is quite worth the small extra effort.
Magnificent Wineglass Bay from the lookout
We were discussing why it may be called Wineglass Bay. As we had no computer access except the kiosk at the hotel and, as we were not about to get on a computer anyway, we speculated on the why. Our main theory is that the shape of the bay does look like a wineglass but the cup part of it. That is, it may be more appropriate to have called it Stemless Wineglass Bay but we realize that does not quite flow out as easily and musically as Wineglass Bay so we accepted the poetic license.
After the lookout, we descended into the beach itself. As most beaches, just the sound of waves itself is a reward but the setting of this beach is indeed quite spectacular. It was nice to hang out and soak in the view and sounds, as well as rest from the effort to get there so we could do it in reverse!
The Other Half of the Fun?
The other half of the fun, if I put aside my attempts at artistic picture-taking, could be the sandsurfing on a tiny sand “dune” of 3 ft in height. After a few times doing it and getting it on video, we had a good amount of sand in our shoes. Good for me, I had thick socks so I didn’t really notice or care – until I got my boots off at the hotel that evening!
The hike up clearly was not as exhilarating as the climb down as we had already seen the trail and we were just headed back to the car to hit the road. However, the beauty of this trail is that a good part of it is set between massive red boulders, especially towards the highest point of the trail.
Waiting for us at the parking was one of the 2 wallabies we had deemed to be “drunk” when we saw them on our way in. It was used to humans enough to be petted and still stay put.
Tasmanian Wine on Our Path
As with the prior day’s hike, what followed was lunch. We ate at the bistro at the lodge where I enjoyed fish and chips and a fantastic mixed salad. Oh, and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc for good measure. With that, we started our 3 hr drive to Hobart but we quickly found out that the Milton winery, whose wine we had enjoyed the night before, was about 40 minutes away from the lodge and on our way to Hobart to boot! We stopped at the winery where we got to sample their Pinot Grigio, Rose, Riesling, Iced Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and the Pinot Noir (not in that order!). They were all decent wines but the Riesling was not quite like the German Rieslings I am used to; does not mean it was not good but not what I was expecting. However, the Iced Riesling was simply delicious so I bought a bottle - not sure when I would drink it or how far I could carry it with me but I was willing to take the risk!
Wrapping Up the Day and the Trip in Hobart
The drive to Hobart was on the Tasman Hwy which gave us a glimpse on the beauty of the east coast of the island. It was a nice way to wrap up exploring…
We did not have much time left for Hobart but did follow a Lonely Planet recommendation for a restaurant. The restaurant was called Da Angelo and it was located in the Battery Park area. I had the carbonara which was close to the best I have ever had (maybe number 2 after a place in Rome near the Vatican). I could not eat the entire serving though I so badly wanted to eat every bit of it!
With that and our early morning flight on the next day, our long weekend in Tasmania came to a close. I was wishing my trip had been for even longer so I could spend even more time in Tasmania but I am finding that I am feeling that way pretty much about every place so far in this trip… I am astounded when I am told that New Zealand scenery will be even more impressive so I am eager to get there to check it out. In the meantime, I will continue exploring Melbourne and hanging out with my friends whose idea it was to explore Tasmania together – for which I am very thankful!
Tasmania deserves being explored though it may be far for many of us and it does deserve more days than we could give it. The folks there are super friendly and the scenery will indeed leave you wanting more.
Tasmania – The Lakes, the Mountains and the “Tinas”
Planning the Day
We hit the lodge breakfast (which gets high marks!) and planned our course of action for the day. The lodge offered a guided walk to Crater Lake at 1 PM but we thought that would waste a little bit of time waiting until then to do a 3 hr hike. We also had to get across the island for our next stop so we opted, after some research at the front desk, to head out on our own. The front desk offered a map and said the trails were well marked (they were). They also indicated weather tends to be better earlier in the day so that settled it for us. We were ready for our walk!
Day 2 – The Hike
After driving into the park and getting the car permit (around $22AU), we made it to the start of the trail. The trail begins with like a 20-min walk over a boardwalk set up above the grassland. The grassland was not quite just as grassland as there was plenty of water on the ground but you could not see it due to the bushy grasses. I supposed that is why they thought it would be good to install the boardwalk. The bushy grasses, due to my inability to properly describe vegatation or determine what they really are, were baptized the “Tinas” by us as they resemble Tina Turner’s hair. Later on, on our way back we determined that when the paths were covered in water and deep in mud, stepping on the Tinas at the edge of the path was the only way to make it across the pools of water and mud. Tinas became our friends!
Trail leading to Crater Lake surrounded by "Tinas"
The path then turned to a gradual climb with rock steps and wooden steps which alternated in different sections of the trail. Eventually we hit the waterfall along the path, nested deep into a very wooded and green area where you could almost not see the sky. I felt like I was in a tropical forest without being in the tropics. The sounds of water and nothing else and the smell in the air clearly “screamed” that we were not anywhere near human habitats.
Soon afterwards we saw the edge of Crater Lake. The lake did not have a blue color as the sky was somewhat overcast but the lake and the hills that surrounded it seemed majestic. We were in for a nice surprise further along…
Crater Lake
… As We Reached Marion’s Lookout
Though we had registered at the trailhead as only planning to go to Crater Lake, we had planned to go to the lookout above the lake. Upon seeing the lake, we knew that was the right plan! We embarked on the trail that would take us to that lookout -Marion’s Lookout. Of course, that meant we were climbing even higher, almost to the peak of one of the hills/mountains (which is it??) around the lake. Eventually, the route became so steep that a chain handrail was required to be able to climb the steps to the lookout. At the lookout, the effort was rewarded many times over by the view of Cradle Mountain, Crater Lake and neighboring Dove Lake. It was very cold at the lookout but that did not matter. We got to soak in the view and snap a few pix, of course, before descending back to the trail.
View from Marion's Lookout (with the author in the way)
We decided to return to the trailhead via Dove Lake, not Crater Lake, so we could enjoy another part of the park. It was pretty easy to alter our route as the trails were very well signed (though the front desk said to not trust the time estimates on the signs; this must be part of Tasmanian psyche as the Hobart tourism brochure carried ads telling visitors “It’ll take longer than you think” and there were similarly-themed billboards along the road!).
Do Not Feed the Animals – They Feed Themselves Quite Alright, Thank You Very Much!
Once we reached the trailhead and the parking area, we went to sign out at the hike registration book (I am glad they ask for this; if someonen gets lost, I suppose someone from the park would know if they see a hike registered in but not registered out). At the little shelter where the registration book was, we noticed a few pieces of animal excrement and had a good laugh at how wildlife chose to come into the small shelter to take a dump. Well, we were in for a pleasant surprise when we walked back out and saw a wombat calmly eating grass next to a parking spot just like the one in the picture below (not my pic). It did not care that humans were around it as it went to town on the grass! I suppose it first made a stop at the shelter before proceeding to have lunch…
Headed East
After the hike, we were starving so headed back to the lodge for lunch before departing the park and the area to go all the way to Freycinet National Park on the east coast of the island (a 4-hr drive) to check out Wineglass Bay (see map in my prior entry on Tasmania).
The route we took was less scenic and a “faster” route than our way in which was fine with us. We got to drive through small towns (where I appreciated the fact that all towns seem to have public restrooms in their squares!) and see a little bit of different scenery. We bypassed Launceston, one of the main cities on the island, and entered the eastern part of the island as nighttime set in (it begins to get dark here around 430PM and before 6PM, you are in total nighttime). We could not see the beautiful landscape around us, we would see it the next day.
Finding the next lodge (Freycinet Lodge, http://www.freycinetlodge.com.au/) was not a problem as it was right inside the Freycinet National Park. This lodge seemed a step more upscale than our prior one (but it was cheaper pricewise).
And Now Time for Us to Feed Ourselves
We were very tired from the hike and looked forward to a nice dinner so after settling in and cleaning up, we headed for dinner. I had a fantastic pumpkin and rosemary soup and my main dish was a fish called Trevelle. One of the neat discoveries was this powder called “Bushdust”. Nothing to do with a U.S. political family, instead it is a mix of nuts and spices that you sprinkle on bread or soup or whatever to spice it up (spice up flavor-wise, that is).
We also made a fantastic discovery: Milton winery’s Pinot Noir (Tasmanian). It was quite full-bodied with great flavors and a good finish. A perfect ending to a great day!
Tasmania – Starting Our Visit to a Southern Paradise
Well, I got to Melbourne from Sydney but will delay writing about Melbourne until I have covered more ground here. Instead, I thought I would share about my very short 3-day visit to Tasmania, a place I only dreamt of ever seeing given how remote it feels to me as a Southeast U.S. resident… The visit was short but, what a visit!
Getting There
Before telling you about the visit, I first have to comment on how easy one navigates domestic air travel in Australia. Not sure if that is good (speed, less hassles) or bad (security concerns) but it is certainly different than in the U.S. and parts of Europe. For domestic travel, you only need to be there 30 mins in advance. Security lines are short and speedy (TSA, take a field trip to Australia). Only laptops need be pulled out of bags. Liquids are OK to carry on. A breeze! Of course, feeling sad when saying bye to relatives is just as hard here. I saw a boy of about 5 with his parents saying goodbye to his grandparents and his uncontrolled sobbing after passing security was truly heart-wrenching…
What to Do in 3 Days in Tasmania?
I posed this question in a forum and on Twitter and I think people thought us insane to attempt to cover much ground in 3 days. Well, it is true that you can only cover so much in 3 days but we were not expecting to do it all or do any one site to its fullest extent. No speeding up the laws of physics. We were told to stick around the southeast corner (or so) near Hobart which was not bad advice at all, but I think we had our heart set on a couple of places. So what did we aim for? Covering the island (er, state) like the dew…
Day 1 – Hobart to Cradle Mountain
We took the 7AM flight from Melbourne (one of those sacrifices we had to make…) for the hour-long or so flight over to Hobart. The flight was smooth as could be (which made me VERY glad we did not take the overnight ferry ride on fairly rough seas…) and getting through the airport and car rental went pretty smoothly and fast.
We decided that we still needed some breakfast and coffee as we expected to have a 4.5 hr drive through the Cradle Mountain National Park to get to the lodge we were going to use as base to see Crater Mountain and the neighboring lakes. So, before embarking on that long drive, we decided to head into Hobart center to the weekly Saturday market in Salamanca Square. We had been told it was worth checking out so we got to kill two birds with one stone (does that sound too violent?) and enjoy coffee and a donut while browsing. The setting was very nice, the produce being sold by the same farmers that grow it, and the arts/crafts section pretty much like any festival in any city I have been to, except some of the arts stuff was more unique to the area.
We began our journey inland following the riverside until eventually we left it and headed to the national park. The map in this entry may make it seem a straight drive but we went sort of west and then sort of north across a mountain range. The views were simply amazing; it seemed very lush with eucalyptus and ferns everywhere – and the occasional hydroelectric plant with the huge set of pipes funneling water from up high to the plants for extra push. The roads got a little windy but not excessively so. It was definitely a drive we enjoyed.
Around 1:30 PM we stopped at the first town we had seen that seemed to have open businesses (this was on a Saturday afternoon) or, for that matter, that just had businesses! This town was a mining town called Queenstown. The neighboring hills/mountains seemed to be iron since the color was a rust color on exposed rock and reddish on rocks that perhaps were more recently exposed. The town felt like a frontier town though I have never been to a real mining town. There was no trace of tourists (‘cept us). We ate at a small eatery (not sure what to call it) – a souvlaki for $6.50AU which was a real bargain compared to any other lunch I have had in Australia!
After another 1.5 hrs of our 4.5 hr trip, we made it to the Cradle Mountain Lodge (not the Chateau) (http://www.cradlemountainlodge.com.au/). This lodge is close to the entrance to the park and had better recommendations than the chateau. We really enjoyed the feel of the lodge with its “living room” with a humongous fireplace where we sat before and after dinner sipping nice Tasmanian pinot noir. Our cabin (our type was called Pencil Pine) was very functional and the day bed was really a full bed and quite comfortable. Our cabin overlooked a pond and had its own local wildlife right there. At the lodge you could eat at a restaurant or the tavern and we chose the latter. The food was actually quite good (I had chicken schnitzel) and had the only TV for the guests which helped one disconnect from the world. We were exhausted after our early start (and after dinner and some wine) so we called it a night so we could have a decent recovery ahead of our hike the following day. The lodge offers a number of organized activities from hikes and walks, to movies and wine tastings. Something for everyone and, seemingly, a place to stay for 2-3 days easily while enjoying nature.
Our first day, though tiring, was quite a succesful day and we thoroughly enjoyed the scenic drive we got to do through the heart of Tasmania. Here is what awaited us the next day…
Cradle Mountain and Crater Lake
Bye, Sydney Mates!
So today I leave Sydney. I have greatly enjoyed seeing friends and getting to know this awesome city. I am actually sad at leaving it and wish I can come back some day soon. But I am off to see other friends in Melbourne and that is helping me depart.
I have packed all the stuff I brought plus all that I acquired here (souvenirs). It all fit so now let’s see how I do taking the bus and then the train to the airport. It will save me like $50 so I am willing to do a little work. Fortunately, the bus stop is very close to my friends’ apartment.
So how did Sydney end? Sunday we went to the nearby wine country: Hunter Valley. We visited 4 wineries and enjoyed sampling wine (we swallowed; well, except the driver – thanks Dave for taking one for the team!). It wasn’t a bad drive heading over though we did face some roadwork. Folks at the wineries were very pleasant and eager to talk about the wine – and pour for free. The most common wine as Semillon, which is fairly unfamiliar to me. It seemed a good summer wine or good for fishy fish (salmon comes to mind). We did also sample Pinot Noirs, Cab Merlots, Cab Sauvignon and Moscato. The latter was my favorite!
On Monday we decided to head to Chinatown where, after enjoying a stop at a Chinese bakery , we went shopping for souvenirs. Paddy Market (not to be confused with Paddington) has an incredible amount and variety of stuff for sale, including souvenirs, the same you find around town but much much cheaper (thanks Kelly for the tip!). I got to do some good shopping which, of course, wore me out (I really do not enjoy going shopping) so we went to the Lowenbrau restaurant at The Rocks to recover by sampling their pork knuckle and enjoying some beers. It was a great place to sit outside on a beautiful afternoon, relax, and soak life in.
Tuesday I visited the Blue Mountains and the Jenolan Caves. I went on a tour since the places would be at worst 3 hrs away. Unfortunately, though, we did not get to spend enough time doing the hikes around the Three Sisters area – I only got to spend like 45 minutes walking around the tropical forest near the old mines. Driving on the Blue Mountains gave me a good view of the local mountain towns and I also wish I had gotten to spend time in these small towns. They look like a delightful place to live. The Jenolan Caves were pretty spectacular (we visited the Lucas cave; I liked the “slide” cave). The tour we took was 1.5 hrs which was about the right amount of time to spend in caves. The temperature inside, as in any cave, was in the 60s which was extremely nice given it was much colder outside where I wore a cap and gloves! The Jenolan Caves also deserve more time so one can explore other caves (though I am told usually in this time of year there is only one cave open per day). Some other day…
My visit in Sydney ended with a dinner at the Belgian Beer Cafe in Harrington St. in The Rocks. A former school dining hall, it has a lot of charm and you can see the ruins under the building which probably date to close to the founding of Sydney by the British. There we enjoyed good Belgian beer as well as kangaroo loin, and mussels in white wine and cream sauce. The kangaroo meat was quite tender (cooked medium rare) and the sauce was delicious. I highly recommend it!
Now, I will wrap up my writing and posting of pix so I can head to the airport to my next stop in this great trip: Melbourne. Thanks to my Sydney friends for a truly memorable time and for the hospitality. Til next time!
A Perfect Day with Friends in Sydney
Saturday was a perfect day. Blue skies without a single cloud and a nice temperature neither too hot nor too cold. Just right for a day at the zoo with friends! The Taroonga Zoo is blessed with a location like no other zoo that I have been to: it sits sort of on a slope on the north shore of the Sydney harbor looking towards the city center, the harbor bridge and the opera house. It has a magnificent view that, by itself, is worth the visit to the zoo (the giraffe exhibit seemed to have the best view). Of course, the zoo has great displays of all sorts of animals including the native ones (koala, kangaroo, etc.) which are worth seeing.
I went with friends whom I had not seen in years and their 4 kids aged 12 to 2.5. The little ones (twins), of course, made the visit even more fun as I got to live the excitement of seeing the animals through their eyes. Oh, and the excitement at taking the sky lift!
After the zoo we visited a small beach called Balmoral close to where they live. It seemed a very local place which was nice after days of having been doing the “tourist thing”. We had ice cream and sat at the pier enjoying a gorgeous day with no other care (except making sure the twins didn’t jump in the water!).
That evening we got together with another friend and headed into the city for dinner. It must have been night out for many as it took several attempts to find a place that would take a reservation. As with the night before, the meal, the wine and the company did not disappoint!
It was neat to get to see my friends (who are American) and hear about their experience living in Australia. One has been here about 5 yrs and the other about half that time. It made me a little jealous they had gotten to live in such a magnificent place but I was glad they got such an opportunity!
So, a perfect day ended in Sydney. Let’s see what the next one brings!
Taming the Sydney Harbor Bridge
Alright, so I didn’t really rough it or suffered, but I did climb to the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge today (134m from the top to the water). A pricey outing, but well worth it if you can part with the money!
10 years ago, this landmark bridge was opened to visitors who wanted to climb it. The RTA (local agency that manages many things including the bridge) apparently was very reluctant to allow this venture to be carried out but local businessmen addressed all the obstacles raised (e.g., where would people walk, how would you keep things from falling onto cars below, etc.) and launched this unique experience for those inclined to go up and get good views of this beautiful harbor and city.
They prep you well including a mock climb indoors. You also need to leave in a locker most everything you have on you: watch, wallet, items in your pocket, jackets, hairpins, etc. It is imperative nothing falls out from you. Sunglasses are allowed and they provide you a thingie that pins them to your suit. Oh yes, you just don’t go dressed as you are. They give you a jumpsuit you are to wear over your clothing that zips up completely. As far as caps, gloves or cold-weather headgear, they provide them to you and they also hook up to your suit. You may ask, “what if I need to blow my nose?” I am glad you ask: you can’t bring your little baggie of tissue either. They issue you a handkerchief that, you guessed it, hooks up to the sleeve of your very sexy (not!) jumpsuit. Cameras are also not allowed but they will take your picture (and your money) at a few spots along the route – but the pix are worth the money.
The climb, I found, was not terribly difficult but there are plenty of warnings for people with health issues, etc. I personally think you do not have to be in the best of shapes to do the climb but if you feel you are really out of shape, perhaps do a couple of days of walking around the city to get yourself stretched before the climb.
The views from up there are just magnificent. You could also go up the telecom tower (I forget its name) which is taller but you don’t get the same angle to view all of the harbor as you get from the top of the bridge. It was definitely weird looking down at 6 lanes of traffice plus extra lanes for buses, cycles and pedestrians!
The climb really drives home the beauty of this natural harbor and the impressive city that has grown up around it. For that reason, I highly recommend it!
Visiting Bondi Beach and Other Outlying Areas in Sydney
Day 2 began with many options on things to do. However, my legs felt like they needed some rest, and it was alternating between rain, drizzle, and no rain. So I opted to get on the Explorer buses that go on two different routes and that allow you to pay one fare and get on and off the bus at any of the designated stops along the way. This is a great way to get acquainted with the city so I decided it would be worth it. In addition, one of the 2 routes went all the way to Bondi beach (THE beach you always see when a beach in Australia is shown on TV) which was a must-see. The bus has a recording which highlights key city sights/sites along with some history and such things so one really does get good value from taking them (the bus drivers usually add more commentary as well). For me, the Explorer bus rides helped me identify areas of town that I definitely would want to explore more during my stay. The bus tours also allowed me to get out of the rain for a good bit of time (each route runs a 2-hr circuit)!
Along the way, I stopped at Watson’s Bay to have lunch at Doyle’s, a famous fish and chips place on the waterfront. It was very good and I had been hungry for a bit so the combination was a success. I did a short hike from there along the cliffs in that part of the coast which was good because 1. it was not raining, and 2. I got off the bus and got to stretch my legs…
Bondi Beach and Surfers
Bondi Beach
Once I got to Bondi beach, we were told there was a scenic trail connecting it to the next beach town over so I again decided to get off the bus though it was drizzling (I was wearing a rain jacket). The coastline was beautiful and the waves were roaring due to the weather. Of course, surfers were out in full force. I have never really paid attention to surfing but first, it seems a lot of fun if you don’t mind waves thrashing you about but, also, I realized surfers spend a lot of time just hanging out waiting for the right wave. As I was trying to take some action pix, it seemed to take forever for them to get on a wave. I stood on the roadside above one of the beaches (like 50 – 75 feet high) and I noticed how cars would slow down as they approached where I was standing. After a few of those, I realized those were surfers checking out the conditions of that beach to see if they would surf there. Some parked and changed right by their cars and some just kept going (I assume the conditions weren’t up to par for them). It was about 2 PM on Thursday so I wondered if these guys just take a break from work to surf, if they are on vacation, or if they just don’t work.
Typical homes in The Rocks area
So it’s the end of day 2 and my impressions of Sydney have gone from awe at the Opera House and the Bridge as unique structures to awe at the beauty of the city. The architecture can range from ultra-modern (Renzo Piano’s famous building) to the quaint buildings of the late 19th and early 20th century that you see not only in The Rocks area but elsewhere. The neighborhoods due east of the Central Business District all the way to the beaches all have distinct characters and unique charm. How would one choose where to live?? (Of course, property prices would take care of that as many of these seaside areas are quite pricey, precisely due to the seaside location and charm”.) I was expecting Sydney to be a modern city that was made pretty by its seaside location but my perspective changed dramatically today as I got a broader view at the different parts of town and realized there is a lot more to the beauty of the city than the seaside aspect to it.
Arrival in Sydney
View of the Opera House and the Central Business District from the Harbor Bridge
Modern travel is something amazing. To think that I traveled all the way around the world in about 24 hours when in ages past this trip would have taken months… Just getting to LA from Atlanta, by car, would have taken as long or more. Fortunately, it was around 4 hrs for me. The beginning leg of 3 legs I was to complete. A long layover in LAX (which was pretty bad as there is really not much to do in Terminal 2) and then the longest leg – the flight to Auckland which took about 12.5 hrs.
Flying Air New Zealand (as opposed, say, to United) was definitely a very good experience. The 747, workhorse of long haul flights for the last few decades, flew and you could barely tell there were engines on (yes, this could feel concerning to some). The food was actually quite good. Really. And the service, impeccable. For instance, flight attendants would walk up and down the aisles all throughout the flight with pitchers of water and cups not just during drink and meal services and not just once. Now that is service. American airlines (all of them) have a lot to learn from this airline. It seems airlines from this part of the world have figured out how to best treat their customers…
I slept about 6 hrs on the flight. I read. I got to watch movies like Pink Panther 2 (not top on my list but funny; “amburger”), The Reader (fantastic!) and another that escapes memory right now. The flight actually did not seem as long as it was. Oh, and was it a smooth flight! Loved it.
In Auckland, the connection was pretty short by comparison (1.5 hrs). The aiport was very manageable and efficient. We had to fill out a form stating we didn’t have cold/flu symptoms and even put down the seat we used and our contact info in case there is a need to contact passengers should someone develop H1N1 symptoms. Australia did the same thing when we landed. The flight was on a 767-300 that seemed sparkling new. The non-upholstery part of the seats was black which made the cabin feel pretty slick (still on Air New Zealand for this leg). Once again, great flight, great service.
Finally, I landed in Sydney! As my friend told me, you had to declare even medications you were bringing into the country. But the whole process of immigration and customs was smooth and fast (not the slow lines experienced at other airports that I have traveled to). Once done with that, I proceeded to get a local SIM card and a recharge card so I could use the phone locally and not pay outrageous fees for calls or texts. Just as my friend said, it was a very simple transaction.
Then I took the airport train line to the city center and switched trains to the North Shore Line which would take me to North Sydney, where my friends live. I followed the very good instructions my friend gave me to walk through a mall and then a couple of streets to get to their building. Mind you, I am carrying a large backpacker backpack and a small carry-on backpack. I was exhausted by the time I made it to their apartment!!
Sydney Harbor Bridge from the north shore's Luna Park
So, after a shower and a quick lunch, I had to explore! I meandered to Luna Park which has some of the best views of the Opera House, the Central Business District (CBD), and is right under the Sydney Harbor Bridge. I then walked across the bridge which provided great views of the harbor area. Tons of runners out jogging as it was around lunch time.
I decided to go see the Opera House after walking past Circular Quay. I took the one hour tour which allowed us to see the interior of the two largest halls for $35 Australian (about $28 US). It is not always guaranteed you can see the halls because there could be a show going on or a rehearsal. Luckily for us, one of the halls did have a rehearsal but it was for lights so we were allowed to sneak in and see the hall. The main hall itself was being used by someone rehearsing in the main organ (which is one of the largest in the world). The tour guide told us we were very lucky as the main organ is not used frequently (he said he has seen it in use 10 times over the last 4 yrs). It was very much a treat to see the hall with music actually playing. I took off one side of my headset (through which you hear the tour guide) so I could take in the music playing…
Outside the main hall at the Opera House
In the evening, we went to watch a key rugby league game (Queensland vs. New South Wales; I missed the “league” in the original posting and was called on it; this is serious stuff! ) at a local place. It was a good local experience for sure, I got to understand the game better (I have to say, more fun than sports back home), and it kept me up until 10:30PM, which considering the jet lag I had and no nap, made for a wonderful night sleep…
I have not decided where I am going today. That is the next step for me after posting this. Cheers from Sydney!
Australia and New Zealand: Here I Come!
So I sit here writing this entry when -perhaps- I should be starting to pack… I am less than 48 hrs from departure but my packing list (serving me faithfully since 1997…) serves as my security blanket so I proceed writing not too preoccupied with my packing slackness. Of course, packing will also be interrupted by a Mexican dinner with friends tonight and, I am sure, by other things tomorrow!
I will leave Monday and the trip will for sure be long. But not as long as my trip to Tanzania which had 2 very long layovers in London and Dubai… I found a great fare to/from LA in the US with Air New Zealand taking me to Sydney, then including the leg from Melbourne to Christchurch, and finally bringing me back from Auckland. To and from LA from Atlanta, I used frequent flyer miles. (Sadly, I had enough miles with Delta for a first class seat all the way but the partner airlines serving Oz and NZ did not have availability EVEN FOR COACH! Frequent flyer miles are becoming more and more valueless with time.)
So what am I doing? After a lot of research online (websites, Twitter) and in travel guidebooks, here is the plan I settled on:
- Starting on June 3rd for short of a week: Sydney and vicinity. I have friends in Sydney so a longer stay is nice. I hope to visit the Hunter Valley, the Blue Mountains, the Jenolan Caves as well as all the key sites in Sydney proper.
- 2nd week of June through June 18th: Melbourne and, maybe, a short hop to Tasmania (I know, should spend more time there…).
- Then I go to New Zealand where I will spend 11 days visiting: Christchurch, Franz Josef Glacier, Milford Sound, Te Anau, Queenstown, Auckland, Rotorua, Waitomo, and Taupo. It was hard deciding whether to focus on one of the two main islands or how to divide my time between them. Lots of good advice but usually with differing suggestions. In the end, I read about what there was to see and just chose based on what drew me the most (glacier, fjords, geysers were tops). I will be taking an independent tour for part of this itinerary. I had not heard of independent tours before but it fits me very well as I didn’t want to drive on my own (plus it is winter and I don’t know the roads or the likely conditions) and I also didn’t want to be trapped in a guided tour. The independent tour arranges all transportation and accommodations and some key activities but, in general, they leave you on your own so you can choose what you want to do at the various places you go. I like that a lot.
I am very excited at seeing friends in Australia and at FINALLY getting to visit Australia and New Zealand! I know I leave other things unexplored but I will hope I get to return someday to go more off the beaten path and explore other parts of these countries more in depth.
Any recommendations on good places to eat (“hole-in-the-wall” types) or lesser-known but outstanding sightseeing jewels in Sydney, Melbourne, Christchuch, Queenstown or Auckland??
Final Plans for Australia and New Zealand!!
I have reached a great milestone: I have finalized my travel plans!! The only details that remain are those that will be finalized once I am in Australia. As usual, planning the trip, exploring the possibilities, figuring out routing and logistics, etc. are great fun for me. But that fun has ended and the real fun is about to begin!
I have decided to first visit my friends in Australia since their schedule was better this way. I will first get to Sydney via LA and Auckland as I decided to fly Air New Zealand. I decided on ANZ for price and itinerary. Since the last bit of my trip is New Zealand, I didn’t feel like trekking back to Australia before heading home (once the trip is over, I will just want to get home!). I did not pursue United as generally I don’t like it. I did have enough frequent flyer miles to get there with Delta even first class but they do not start flying there until July and I had to travel in June. Delta’s partner airlines didn’t work out to get there on miles which was a big bummer as I had hope to fly Singapore Airlines first class all the way. (The good news is those miles will take me elsewhere in the future!)
So, back to the itinerary, Sydney first. After a week or so there, I trek over to Melbourne to visit my other friends. I am hoping to visit some wineries in the Yarra area. My Melbourne friends want to make a long weekend trip with me and we are toying with Uluru or Tasmania. I am hoping for the latter myself as I have read wonderful things about “Tassie”.
From Melbourne, I say goodbye to Australia wishing I had gotten to see Darwin, the Kimberlies and Perth. I could have spent the next 2 weeks seeing those places but have decided that New Zealand is much higher on my priority list. This is a hard-to-get-to place in the world for me to get to so I had to go off priorities (much as I like to think I will be able to go back someday). I arrive in Christchurch, NZ where I signed up for an independent tour of the southern island for about a week. An independent tour, which is a new concept for me, means they provide transport and accommodations but it is not a guided tour and you are not necessarily traveling with the same people the whole time. Both of these things appeal to me. I wish I could have driven around the island but traveling solo, I didn’t feel this time like dealing with everything by myself (though there are self-drive tours that seem pretty good for anyone wanting to drive).
The tour I have opted for will take me through glacier territory, fjord waters, mountain towns, and hopefully wine territory near Blenheim (of Sauvignon Blanc fame!!!). I decided to spend the majority of the time in the south island though I realize I am forgoing some key sights in the north island. I will have little time in the north island and mainly in Auckland from where I will depart to head home.
I am so looking forward to this trip!
Planning a trip to Australia & New Zealand
I find myself with the benefit of extra time where I can make a trip somewhere for 3 or 4 weeks and I have set my sights on Australia and New Zealand. I have friends in a couple of towns in Australia so it seemed maybe a good time to head down. Also I have always cringed at trying to visit on 2 week vacation as it is far for me and costly!
The first question is what of all that there is to see should I plan to see and will the amount of time I have be sufficient.
The second question is how that potential list of destinations matches with my friends’ schedules.
Finally, the logistical matters for the solo part of the my trip take center stage for my last question. For example, I hear NZ is best handled driving but, as I would be there on my own, I don’t feel I want to handle driving. So I have to figure out what options do I have to get to explore NZ in a different manner. I am searching through various blogs and websites as well as posting questions on twitter (@ilivetotravel) to see what may be possible. I am a fan of wines so I have been wondering if tying seeing the country while visiting its wine regions may be a good way to marry both interests. Are there operators that provide those types of tours and on a short enough itinerary to fit my overall itinerary?
I found a great site (www.tourism.org.nz) that breaks up the two main NZ islands into regions and then provides descriptions of each region with their “must see” attractions. I am finding it a great way to study where I may want to focus my limited time in NZ. A week is not enough, I am told, for NZ but my time constraints do not allow much room for more.
In terms of Australia, my visits to Sydney and Melbourne will be the anchor of the trip as I want to see my friends. However, places like Tasmania and Uluru are high on my list. I would also love to explore wine country and the Kimberlies and see places like Perth and Darwin. But there may not be enough time for it all so, in the end, I suspect my final itinerary will depend on what works out best from a scheduling and cost standpoint.
One snag on my plans was that it seems I will not be able to use my Delta/Skyteam frequent flyer miles to get there. I had enough accumulated over time for even a first class ticket and I had been saving the miles for this trip. However, Skyteam does not have many ways to get me down under and the only ways they have (Singapore Airlines and Korean Airlines) do not work for my schedule. However, I have to say that I found very cheap fares from LA for about $1100 including my travel between NZ and Australia. By the way, Qantas and Air New Zealand have fantastic features on their websites for planning multi-city itineraries. Kudos!
I hope my next entry contains more solid details as I am 3 weeks away from my potential departure!
Open to suggestions about what are “must see” destinations or ways to see NZ without driving?
About
Part of the fun of traveling, besides the travel itself, is the experiences that happen along the way. Getting hopelessly lost in eastern France, getting stuck in a public restroom in Versailles, finding a tucked away neighborhood park in touristy Venice, being tossed into a stranger’s car in the Sinai peninsula, discovering the most mouth-watering wines in Mendoza, etc. all enhance the travel experience.
I have a passion for travel and seek to share the experiences and sights with others via this blog. And I hope it also gives others ideas of places to go or dream about going to someday! Other passions include dark chocolate and red wine – for the record!
Follow me on twitter @ilivetotravel or in Facebook www.facebook.com/ilivetotravel and drop me a note about your own travels any time – I love discovering new jewels for future travel opportunities!
My friend Chris, who also loves to travel, and others contribute on occasion to this blog to share their own experiences!
