Sydney

Our travel to Sydney was smooth sailing, er... flying. Traffic was slow on the drop-off, and keeping up with the driver on the walk to where the bus awaited was all our legs could handle, but smooth none the less.

Purple Carpet Foyer

Big Organ

 On Sunday we walked over the to the Harbour and proceeded over to the Sydney Opera House. Yes, it is even more spectacular in person. We collected our tour tickets and ended up on the one hour journey through the different theatres and learned the highlights on how this facility became what it is today. There is a back stage tour which we were interested in, but unfortunately wasn't booked for us. Perhaps someday our two kids will get over here and do that one. The white sails are made of individual tiles of two colors, white and cream, with buff, matte, gloss finishes. With a special coating, the sails are self cleaned with the natural rains. This theatre design did not originally make the final selection process, as it lacked a lot of information and provided only basic sketching depicting the shape. However, they went back to the rejects as they were still looking for a spectacular building. Apparently they figured the creation would take 3 years and $7 million, but instead took 16 years and $102 million. The opera house is actually two separate structures, the outside shell and all the other spaces built independently inside of the shell. We saw the Drama, Opera, Studio and the stunning Concert Hall. The main foyer is decked out in luscious deep purple carpets and gold railings. The photos will show a better description. The back wall houses an organ of which you can see approximately 378 pipes with another 10,000 behind. The smallest pipe is the size of your finger and the largest 3 storys high and wide enough to have a human stand in. It took 2 years to tune it and there are about 10 people who have clearance to be up in that area. After our tour we bought tickets for the afternoon concert performance, as we wanted to hear how the sound was in this huge space. Not a disappointment.......

Noodle House

Our second day, the morning adventure was to find a place to eat. We ended up in the underground mall with the bustle of the people going to work from the City Rail Links. We noticed the work attire is black, grey or navy suit with a bit of colour. Most men had dress shirts on with ties. Very rigid.

For the morning we visited the local Museum and learned some history of the area. We ventured over to the Government House in hopes of seeing inside, but its only open to the public on Friday thru Sunday. We wandered back to the Circular Quay, where we had a lunch cruise booked for 12:30 pm around the Sydney Harbour. A buffet lunch was served with quite a few assorted dishes. The Sydney area is comprised of 7 bays and once again the waterway is part of the transportation system. This cruise lasted 2 hours.

 Day 3 was a booked tour to the Blue Mountains Area and yet another zoo. We were at our pickup spot at 6:45 am and didn't get back to Sydney till 7pm. A very long, hot day, but a comfortable tour bus with front row seats(as we were the first pickups), made the journey a pleasure compared to some of the other vehicles we have ridden in. The Blue Mountains get their name from the blue haze that surrounds them on hot days, purported to be caused by oils from the trees. More likely humidity, but they do look blue-ish. Linda surprised me by enjoying the tram at Scenic World down and up to the valley floor. Featherdale Wildlife Park was much more 60's style zoo, but lots of birds, including this peacock, so not a total waste of time.

Our last day we walked over to the Darling Harbour, where we watched The Last Reef on the IMAX screen in 3D with a bunch of local school kids and us few tourists. We felt like we were back in the underground sub that we were on at the Great Barrier Reef. Afterwards we strolled along the harbour and admired the reincarnation of the Endeavour bark that Captain Cook got stranded on a reef at Cape Tribulation. Time for lunch and finally had a good pizza.....


Tomorrow we venture off to Hobart, Tasmania for 5 days. Comments along the way from fellow travelers is it is quite different from where we have been so far, more lush and more laid back. Could use some of that last...

Byron Bay - November 22

Our only tour for this area, was a trip to see Byron Bay Lighthouse, Mt Warning and Tropical Fruit World. We were picked up in a small van for a road trip into the next state New South Wales where these sights were. A stop along the highway at Currumbin Beach revealed some beautiful scenery. The next stop was the most eastern point in Australia the Byron Bay Lighthouse.

What gorgeous green blue water. It reminds us of the colour of Emerald Lake. 

From there we were dropped off in the town of Byron Bay for 3 hours. We were not impressed. We walked the streets to see nothing of interest and then onto the beach. It was a warm day and fortunately found a shady place to sit. 

A stop along the highway for a far off distance view of Mt Warning, followed by a stop at the Tropical Fruit World. No time for a tour of anything but the gift shop.

We could not understand what the driver was saying half the time going between English and Chinese. The transportation was not comfortable, a small bus van with bad squeaky brakes going down the hills.

Very disappointing...............

Gold Coast - November 19

Brisbane showed its summer climate as we went walking around killing time before catching our next bus off to the Gold Coast and Surfer's Paradise Beach. It was quite warm and humid, no wind off the water to keep us cool. Brisbane is not the place for us.

Brisbane Skyline

From our 8th floor balcony

When we were picked up it was across the street and down half a block, not in front of our hotel as the itinerary said, we then drove around for another hour collecting other people and headed to the airport, where we learned we had to get on another coach. This info was not in our documentation, but they told us what we needed to do. It was a hot, sweaty wait. All in all getting from Brisbane to the Gold Coast was a 3 hour journey on a jammed full van that had to drop off 8 other places before the Mantra Legends. 

Once settled into our room, we noticed we couldn't find the cellphone. So down we go to report to the Concierge and get some help to see if it was left on the bus. By bedtime no news and nothing the next morning, so figured it was lost. Later that afternoon, a call was received saying that we have your phone. Someone had found it on the bus and turned it in. Here is hoping we are done with loosing things.

Our room is comfortable with views of the city, ferris wheel and a bit of the ocean. A walk along the beach was our first adventure with lots of “Schoolies” roaming about. In Australia this event is held in November for the grade 12 graduates, celebrating the end of their schooling. So its all 18 year olds, mostly on their first trip without mom and/or dad tagging along. Hormones anyone?

The next day we booked a golf game and then headed for the beach. Frank had too much fun in the water and ended up with sunburn...forgot the sunscreen on the shoulders. It was only half an hour with his shirt off.

Our golf day arrived with disappointment as our golf shoes were ruined. When entering New Zealand, we had to declare them because of bringing in foreign dirt. The shoes were taken for a cleaning and not opened from their bag till two days ago. STINK, MOULD invaded our shoes. We ventured off and the Palm Meadow Club had shoe rentals as well. We both started out well, but didn't take long for unco-operative shots. It was a beautiful course and one we would play again, which is pretty good as we have fairly high standards for a golf course. We were fortunate enough to play with another couple, 5 month vacationer's from Toronto. They have been coming here for the winter for the last 5 years. Great fun and too boot an offer to drive us to the hotel instead of getting a cab. Wonderful day!

Australia Zoo - November 18

 Steve Irwin welcomes visitors

Off to the Zoo

Our second tour in Brisbane was the famous Australia Zoo, home of the Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. The start time was 7:50, being transferred over to the transit exchange again to catch the tour bus leaving at 8:45. The Zoo is about an hour's drive north of Brisbane.

Otter

Upon entering you are impressed with the scenic enclosures for the animals. Throughout the day different talks are featured. We caught the end of the one on the Otters being fed. One Otter would go up and beg for the food and then go chase it once thrown by the keeper/speaker.

Koala shows off

No the leaves are better up here

 When's the next show?

 Bush Turkey argues with roo 

 Milk for kitty

Crocodiles, Dingoes, Koalas, Kangaroos, Parrots, Elephants, Zebras, Red Pandas, Tasmania Devils, Giraffes, Tigers, several types of lizards and snakes, and we finally saw a Cassowary, which had been spoken about a couple of times on the tours of the rainforest back in Cairns. We took in the noon hour show featuring birds swooping around the small stadium with their handlers, a corny skit about snakes and what to do if bitten, and a huge crocodile demonstrating his eating habits. Later we were entertained by two tigers and their handlers. Unfortunately, the heat did not make them playful until a little bribery....milk treat.... just like house cats!

The heat was getting to us as well, so started heading back to the entrance. The clouds were forming and down came the rain. Quite different from back home, as puddles formed quickly and you'd be drenched in a second. We did pack our rain jackets so managed to get back with only soaked feet.

 Feed me!

A magnificent place for the world to enjoy as Steve's legacy is continued on by his wife, son and daughter. But after two zoos on two days, and three since we arrived, I think we are about zoo'ed out.

Brisbane - 17 November

Arrival in Brisbane - Where's the taxi?

37 Floor View

After collecting our luggage from the train, we had to make our own way to the hotel in Brisbane. We knew it was about 6 blocks away, but thought pulling 20kg bags behind plus a backpack each was a bit much. However finding a sign for a taxi was unsuccessful and thought outside the terminal would be a good idea. WRONG!!! traffic galore, no where anything could park, so we had no choice except to hike. Once we got our bearings, with the help of our GPS, we ventured down the sidewalks full of people. It was rush hour and everyone was heading home from work on a Friday afternoon. We arrived at our new hotel the Oak Charlotte Tower where we were assigned a 1br. Apt with full kitchen and in room laundry. To add to that luxury, we were on the 37^th floor, with an unbelievable view of Brisbane.

 

Driving Around or ABC

Another Bloody Church

The next day, we had a tour of “The Best of Brisbane”. First, we drove around with the driver highlighting the different buildings we could see through the windows of our small van-based coach. He pointed out how some of the houses all had tennis courts in the yard. We went inside one Cathedral, that has been under construction for over 100 years and was just about done. On the pews individual cushions, done in needle point, were placed. In the children's area the pillows were designed with different Bible stories. Lots of stained glass depicting Christianity. From there we stopped at a view point where a local TV station was capturing some footage on the storm that was brewing. We tried, in vein to get a photo of the many lightening strikes, but they were too quick for us. Shortly thereafter the rain came down in buckets and the wind was blowing quite strong as well. We eventually pulled over and found 100 yr. old fig trees uprooted and branches off trees. We were heading to the dock for a cruise along the Brisbane River. 

Metal 'roos from the Expo '88 era

CityCat Commuter Boat

River Cruise

 

By time our departure arrived the weather was starting to clear. The cruise was about 30 minutes long, highlighting buildings, parks, and historical sites along the river edge. The river is also a transportation route to get from different points in the city, with at least a couple of different water-taxi services running folks about town. Sure beats the traffic!!!

 Eye of Brisbane

Eye of Brisbane

The river cruise ended at the Eye of the Brisbane, which is a ferris wheel 60 metres high, half the size of the London Eye. We had tickets for this 12 minute ride, which had a glorious view of Brisbane. A pre-recorded tape informed us of what we were seeing and told us the story of the Eye. Lots of fun and wonderful views. A very quick lunch (own expense) and onto the coach. 

Lone Pine Koala's

Clowns at the Zoo

Boarding the coach was complicated by the construction fence that had blown over in the storm and blocked half the road into the Eye. Off to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, a place where Koalas are protected and other native animals as well. Queensland is the only state that still allows Koalas to be cuddled, but we decided to leave them in peace and just take pictures.

Koala at Lone Pine Sanctuary

Bush Turkey cleans up lunch

 

Mt Coot-tha Lookout

Brisbane Downtown from Mt Coot-tha Lookout

The last stop before our day ends is another viewpoint of the city, the Mt Coot-tha lookout. One can see a panoramic view of this huge city, with population of 3 million. You can see how the river transportation is ideal for this area as the river winds quite a bit through the big buildings. The lookout was quite busy with us tourists, and at least one wedding party all vying for the perfect picture.

Clickety Click 3

The next part of our journey has us boarding the Queensland Rail, The Sunlander to Brisbane. The train left Cairns at 9:15 am and arrives at 3:55 pm the next day. We decided to travel all inclusive, with a sleeper unit and meals included. We have Alistair and Gail looking after our desires. We have a dining car, club car at our disposal for the ten of us riding in the first class section. Once the train left we were asked to come to the Club Car for a welcoming drink. We were then escorted into the dining car for morning tea which was scrumptious. As we approach small communities and stations Alistair gives us a bit of information.Yes, we feel very pampered........

 Traveling along mostly inland we learned that we would only see the water's edge twice. The route, of course, takes a flatter landscape. Lots of sugar cane fields, banana plants, scrub forest and ranch land was the typical scenery with the odd river thrown in now and again. The meals were all delicious and presented with a bit of flare. Just after lunch dessert on the first day, we pulled into the town of Ingham for an unplanned extended stop. There has been intermittent power outages since we left Cairns. Electrical is supplied by a rear generator car for the running of the passenger cars. After 40 minutes we were informed that the generator was unfixable and everyone was to re-board for a 75 minute ride into Townsville where hopefully a new generator car would be waiting for us. Of course, no power, there goes the air conditioning. We were well looked after with free water, pop, ice cream and damp clothes for our necks. We assembled in the club car to start, but a few returned to their own cubicles as it was cooler. Once into Townsville, a new car was exchanged. After all this we were almost 2 hours behind schedule, but a lot of that time was made up during the night. Don't eat pork belly if you expect to sleep soundly in a railway berth bunk:-)

 The next day was much the same, great meals and service. However, we were surprised and glad to have reached our destination on time into Brisbane's Roma Street station. It was a different experience that gave us a bit of a taste of how our ancestors traveled across Canada. It is something we wouldn't want to do for more than two days in a row.

Cairns Journey Ends      

 Cairns is a small city of about 150,000 people in the area. It is very much a resort/tourist community. Our hotel the Mantre Esplande is across from the Esplanade that stretches along the waterway. Unfortunately, one cannot just go dipping your toes into the ocean because of the jellyfish that are in the water. A lagoon has been created for one to enjoy the ocean in a water format.










 Overlooking the waterfront, the War memorial is well displayed for many to see. We have met people from Germany, England, Denmark, Sweden to name a few.

 Cairns has invested quite a bit of money into the Esplanade's beauty. A children's entertainment park located further down the boardwalk, called the Muddy's Entertainment Park, is full of all sorts of climbing and water equipment. To keep the citizens and guests fit, a boardwalk is available for running,walking with several workout stations incorporated along the way. During the week, early morning or evenings, different exercise routines are held in the park, Pilates, Aqua Aerobics, Yoga, Volleyball and Zumba dance free of charge. At the Zumba dance evening there must of been around 75- 100 enthusiasts.

 At night, evening beauty takes form as spotlights highlight the trees along the walkway emphasizing the twisted shapes of the trunks.

Meals have become tiresome, choosing where to go and eat with lots of assorted restaurants at our disposal is a pain. Quite a few establishments have you order at the till and then you are given a number. They will then deliver your food. We dined at one place where you were given a pager/buzzer to collect your food. The beer is not what you get in Canada, much lighter in colour, taste and alcohol content.

 Lots of great adventures and definitely a place for anyone to see.

Daintree and Cape Tribulation

Our Monday tour was a long one, more than 100 km north to the Daintree Rainforest, another World Heritage site, and Cape Tribulation where Cook's 1720 expedition ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef. We were picked up early by a converted 4 wheel drive truck which, by the end of the day had thoroughly jolted everyone's internal organs as if we had made the day one of racing Monster Trucks.

Enter one point against this form of touring -pickup and dropoff of the others takes too long. On this day we stopped at 3 more hotels in Port Douglas after collecting a circuitous route in Cairns. Boring!

The Daintree Interpretive Centre is on private land , not strictly part of the official official World Heritage site, but in all ways similar. Our guide gave us a very interesting walk through the three levels of the rainforest. About 10 m off the ground on a steel walkway gave insight into the species that inhabit the mid level zone. 

Access to light drives the plants here which hook on to their taller brethren and scramble upwards toward the light. Ferns, some species 100's of millions of years old survive in many forms mostly on droppings from above. Up the 23m high tower to view the canopy layer, with its birds and flowers, but mostly leaves. 

A reptile house, complete with captive dragon and a walk along the forest floor where the rare flightless Cassowary bird processes fruit to distribute the seeds of 20 species of plants dwells completed this part of the tour.

On to Cape Tribulation, the northern extent of our visit. Then Lieutenant Cook ran the Endeavour aground on the reef off the Cape on his 1768 trip, which led to him giving some depressing names to the geography of the area. Beautiful, but dangerous. The beach is signed with warnings for crocodiles and stingers. No swimming allowed.

Back to the Daintree River, a ferry crossing of the old cable variety, where we boarded a river boat for a one hour poke along the banks looking for salt-water crocodiles. On the way, an ice cream stop at a tropical fruit farm that uses excess fruit to make delicious treats. We lucked out and got a pineapple, chocolate, and whattling seed sampler. Almost as good as Cochrane. We saw birds, snakes, crocs, and lots of mangrove species of plants. Pictures of the wildlife we saw don't do the place justice.

Then the journey home after afternoon tea at the boat dock made for another lovely outing.