Australia (87 photos), by Jeffery Alspaugh

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Heading to the airport...(update)

I'm off to the airport to catch my flights home.

I am flying Cathy Pacific from Sydney to Fiji.  Have a four hour layover in Fiji.  I'm hoping I can do something.  From Fiji I fly to Los Angeles.  Am hoping to change my current flight through Chicago to go through Dallas -- one - to get home a little earlier; and two - to avoid the snowstorm.

It is Tuesday, Feb. 1 here and will be still when I get home!

Update...
At Sydney International terminal in the airline lounge....all this time I thought I was flying Cathay Pacific and it turns out it is Air Pacific.  Not that there is any difference that I know of but you would think I'd read my travel papers better?!

I am flying business class which I just looked up on www.seatguru.com and it looks to be fantastic.

Parramatta River

Marlin and I took the ferry to Parrmatta up the Parramatta River that feeds the Sydney Harbour.  Because of low tide we were dropped off at the town before Parramatta and then took a bus for another 12 minutes.

As they say in Australia, it was stinking hot!  Not humid, thank goodness, in Parramatta but the sun and temperature were intense.  We ate lunch at an Italian place...there were many Italian restaurants.  Briefly walked around the town and then got the bus back to the ferry and on back to Sydney.

It was really too hot to do anything much but I wanted to go the wildlife exhibit in Darling Harbour close the hotel.  We headed over there about 5pm only to find out that the brochure was wrong ("Oh, that's old") when it stated that it was open until 9pm.

We walked over to the other part of the harbour to check out dinner options.  It was all just too hot for me so back to the hotel for a quiet night in the air conditioning.  I've become such a wimp about the heat.

Sydney Opera in the park

The Sydney Opera performed a free outdoor performance of Bizet's "Carmen" in The Domain at the Royal Botanic Gardens in downtown Sydney just a few blocks from the Sydney Hilton through Hyde Park.

Chris and I walked over at 6:30 and hired (rented) two lawn chairs.  We found a great spot to the side and people-watched before the performance.

We also watched the enormous fruit bats preparing to fly off in the sunset to feed.

The opera was fantastic.  The evening was perfect.  And there was no walking involved during the show!  After the previous days hike from Taronga to Mosman Bay and today's Bondi to Clovelly hike, I need some rest time.

Bondi - Taramara - Bronte - Clovelly beaches

Saturday, the three of us ventured out together taking a city bus to see the famous Bondi (pronouned bon - die) beach...one of the beaches north of Sydney.  Manly Beach which we had been to earlier in the week is also north of Sydney.

Bondi Beach is another very large expanse of sand and surf.  This beach also offers a large area of grass that slopes down to the sand.

From Bondi we walked the Coastal Walk to Tamara Beach and then to Bronte Beach.

The views are stunning...both of the coast and some of our fellow walkers.

The walk goes up and down hugging the cliff-side but very comfortable and safe.

We stopped at Bronte Beach to rest and have lunch....fish and chips seemed appropriate.

Bronte Beach like many of the beaches has this cool pool which is part of the Life Saving and Swim Clubs at almost every beach.

Chris decided to catch the bus back to the city from here while Marlin and I opted to continue walking the Coastal Walk.  Our goal was Coogee Beach.

The Walk continues along the coast and through this very large and impressive cemetery. There were grave markers of all kinds. The juxtaposition of the cemetery, the ocean and the cliff side was inspiring and moving.

We made it as far as Clovelly Beach before giving out and hopping on a bus back to the city.

A Walking Tour -- a long walk

Chris and I took our own walking tour of Sydney while Marlin went down to the Opera House.

We headed out from the hotel to Surrey Hill.  We got to see different cafes, businesses and town homes.  The iron work on the balconies and fencing is so charming.

From Surrey Hill we walked past Oxford Street on down hill to Wooloomooloo.

Stopped to have a bite to eat and rest.  Walked on down to the wharf and around the Botanic Gardens that we had been through to get to the Art Museum.

Went into the Opera House...didn't see much but took a ridiculous number of photos.

We had lunch at one of the cafes around the Opera House and had this pic taken with the Harbour Bridge in the background.

From Central Quay we took a ferry to Taronga Zoo.  We weren't going to the zoo but walking to Mosman Bay to catch that ferry back to Sydney.

We walked a very long way to get to Mosman Bay asking for directions along the way.  Aussies are really bad at giving directions!

We did pass some beautiful homes.

And also got this fantastic view of the Sydney skyline from Mosman Bay....North Sydney.

Manly

We all three ventured to Manly, a coastal Sydney suburb at the mouth of Sydney Harbour.    Took the ferry from Central Quay (pronounced "key") to Manly.

Chris didn't stay.  Marlin and I did and walked around the shopping area and the beachy area.

 We took the walk from the main beach to Shelley Beach which is part of the Cabbage Tree Marine Reserve.  Saw several water dragons, iguanas to you and me, on the walk.

 I snorkeled in the marine reserve.  Saw this school of shiny minnows.  There was also this beautiful gold yellow kelp that didn't photograph so well.

 Manly kind of invented the surf life saving techinques used these days.

This is from the top of one of the walks around Manly.

Australia Day

 Chris and I walked down from the hotel to the harbor for what is one of Australia's biggest days of outdoor activities...Australia Day.

The Harbour Wharf was packed with people.  The harbor was packed with boats.

 Part of the festivities included two tall ships sailing into the harbor and under the Harbour Bridge.

It was a bit foggy...and really hot and humid.

 The Sydney Opera is so iconic.  It really is an amazing set of structures being three separate buildings put together.

We walked through the Botanic Gardens to the New South Wales Art Museum.  As we reached the top of the garden, an Australian fighter jet made three loops around the harbor.

The decibel level was beyond belief and set off the thousands of fruit bats in the park.

Australia Day festivities ended up with fireworks at Darling Harbour...just a few blocks from the hotel.

There was a synchronized sailboat routine before the main fireworks display.  Their sails changed colors as the sailed in formation around the harbor.

Marlin and I walked over to the bridge in the harbor.  There were thousands and thousands of people.

Here's the harbor after the fireworks with the sail boats parked.

On to Sydney (Tuesday)

We are now in Sydney.  This makes our third state in a country where there are only seven.

Sydney is a big city with lots of skyscrapers and people.  Today is Australia Day...like our July 4th.

Rainforest and Outback

 Marlin and I took a rainforest adventure tour.  The tour covered more than just the rainforest.  We were saw huge cattle farms...where the forest had been cleared; outback arid country; and large farms of advocados, bananas, macadamia, corn and other crops.

Our first stop was a private tea house and restaurant where the original owners had the foresight to keep the rainforest intact.  This tarantula was dead (thank goodness) on the nature trail.

 This is an enormous stranger fig tree.  It starts life in the top of a host tree and sends down roots.  It eventually strangles the host tree and is self-supporting.  This one is called "Catherdal Fig" because you can stand amongst the roots.

The thing is huge!

 We headed down a small paved road that turned to just a dirt road.  This sign proved true.  We saw three rock wallabees.

One stopped and stared at us from behind a rock and could have just been a guy with a kangaroo puppet.  I got greedy trying to get the ultimate shot and missed it.

There are not many flowers in the rainforest at ground level because there isn't any sunlight.  But there are lots of flowers in the more arid parts and at the edges of the forest.

It was an informative adventure.  We learned more about the bats...they are fruit bats and have a special optical nerve that makes them almost a primate.

We saw several snakes....almost everything in Australia is poisonous.  We saw and heard lots of cockatoos which are very noisy.  We saw iguanas...both arid and rainforest ones.

It was a long day of driving.  There were only seven passengers so we had great stories and attention from the owner/driver Kevin.  There was a couple from Prior Lake, Minnesota on the adventure with us!

Great Barrier Reef

Today was the big day for snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef.  It continues to be cloudy and rainy in Cairns but we had heard it might be clear at the reef.  It wasn't.

Chris had done some leg work on reef excursions and we all chose Magic Reef.  We departed from the pier a stones throw from the hotel.  The ride out was not pleasant to say the least.  I won't go into the details.

We were all smiles on boarding.

There is a giant pontoon set up at the reef as a platform for all the equipment and to provide access to the sea.

I think I was the first in the water.  It was cloudy and actually rained off and on but still so warm that you didn't notice the rain at all when in the water.

The visibility was not real good because there was not sun and the water was churned with algae.  Nonetheless the coral is spectacular.  There is so much variety and quantity.  It is also very easily accessible snorkeling.

What follows in a coral example.  This one is probably six feet in diameter.

 This is just a little tiny fish in among the coral polyps.  Jill likes the little blue guys and so does Chris it turns out.

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Cairns, Queensland - Friday

view from Hilton Hotel balcony

Change in plans.  Originally I had booked us to go from Melbourne to Brisbane for the weekend.  Brisbane was to be our jumping off point for the Great Barrier Reef.

There has been devasting flooding in Brisbane and many other towns in the state of Queensland.  While the flood waters had subsided by Thursday, the damage was extensive and we felt we would be in the way of clean-up.  It also turns out the Brisbane is not that close to the Great Barrier Reef so quick change of plans and we are now in Cairns...pronounced "cans" like cans of beer.

Cairns is way north in Australia and therefore closer to the equator.  It sits on a bay very close to the Coral Sea which is where the Great Barrier Reef is.  It also is located in a tropical rain forest.  And it is raining.

There is an outside chance that the rain we are experiencing will turn into a cyclone.  A cyclone is a hurricane in the Pacific Ocean!

Can't let a little cyclone potential stop us!  We are planning Great Barrier Reef adventure for Saturday.

Tourist day (Wednesday)

Wednesday was a no-tennis day.  The three of us were going to go tourist-ing.  Melbourne has all kinds of transportation options including trains, trams, trolleys, buses, taxis, bike rentals and more.

There is a free tour bus that takes you through the city and has around 13 designated stops.  There are recorded announcements of the attractions and the very helpful driver adds his own.  The bus was packed to the gills.

First I went to an ATM to get some cash.  The currency here is very colorful.

We took the tour bus through the city.  I'd read about the Immigration museum in the Bill Bryson book, "In a Sunburned Country," and decide that is where I wanted to start my sightseeing.  Marlin and Chris were going on to the art centre.

The Immigration museum was interesting.  It is located in the old Customs House building which is magnificent inside.  The museum is also located near the Yarra River which runs through Melbourne.  I walked over to the SouthBank where there are lots of shops and restaurants on a long promenade.  I had lunch over there and did people watching in addition to keeping an eye on two sea gulls who looked intent on getting my fish and chips.

From the SouthBank I was going to walk to Federation Square to pick up the tourist bus and get back to the hotel.  I crossed back over the river and saw a sign for pedestrian walkway to the Open.  Figured since our hotel was so close to the Open, I would just walk back.  It was a lovely walk along the river.  Two more forms of transportation were available....water taxi or bike taxi.  I just walked.

While Melbourne has lots of green space and pedestrian walkways, the drivers don't seem to keen on giving the pedestrians the right of way.  Also, Australia, like England, is drive on the left so you have to be sure you look the proper way.  In addition to driving on the left, most people walk on the left.  Stairs and escalators are to the left.  It takes a bit of getting used to and you end up spotting the non-Aussies by what side the person is walking on.

The walk back took me over a pedestrian bridge with a fantastic view of the Open grounds.

I was pretty much exhausted this day.  The sun had come out and it was gorgeous but also intense.  I was getting sunburned from sitting out watching tennis even in the cloudy weather.  I purchased some very expensive sunscreen at the hotel spa as I could not find a drugstore in all my wanderings.  I lathered the sunscreen on and went to the hotel pool.

I think we were all pretty wiped out from the day and just stayed in.  Chris and I went down to the hotel lobby to watch the evening tennis matches on tv.  Roger Federer was almost defeated by a French man, Gilles Simon.

Morning - second day

Chris and I spent the all of Monday after my arrival at the Australian Open.  The weather was over cast and at times spit some rain.  Regardless I have a sunburned face and arms.  My plan was to buy an Open hat to cover my head.  I should have bought it earlier in the day.

Andy Roddick

The Open is in a sprawling sports complex with twenty-some outdoor courts and two arena courts with retractable roofs.  We saw Nikolai Davydenko, Russian, get defeated by F. Mayer, German in an outdoor.  Davydenko is a seated player so that was an unexpected defeat. 

We strolled (snuck) into the Hisense arena and watched Andy Roddick (USA) easily defeat whoever he played (the scacrifical lamb).  The next match in the arena was Venus Williams (USA) against a cute Italian girl, Sara Irrani.  Venus was winning easily when we left.

It had cooled down even more so I had a hot chocolate.  I purchased my hat and we went back across the street to the Hilton to get our jackets.  Then back to tennis to watch Ferdando Verdasko (Spain) toy with Reiner Scheuttler (Germany).  The crowd was crazy loud and boisterous for this match.  It was tons of fun though the umpire (head judge in the chair) was not too happy with the loud crowd but it didn't seem to bother the players.

Venus Williams

By late evening it was legitimately cold.  I was shivering.  We headed back to the hotel for a birthday drink.  The staff in the lobby lounge, Alex and Jon, were very attentive.

Australia - I have arrived

As you can see by the pictured, I have arrived in Australia and met up with my friend, Chris.

We're in Melbourne at the Australian Open.  It is very cloudy, sometimes misty and too cold.

More details to follow.  It is very late here which means it is very very late by my central timezone body clock.