Tuesday 31st March – Goodbye Hong Kong
Walked to a McCafe in Causeway Bay to avoid paying £10/hr for internet. Then caught ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui and followed walk in guidebook, through jade market and northwards via street markets to Mong Kok and the goldfish market. Hundreds of tiny exotic pet fish hung up in polythene bags inn the open fronted shops.
Caught the underground mass transit system back to the waterfront and tried Dim Sum somewhat unsuccessfully, as what had looked like prawn balls turned out to be sesame seed coated rice balls with plum jam in the middle, which although quite nice, weren't really a great accompaniment to stir fried noodles.
The Hong Kong Art Gallery was patchy, the modern art was derivative, the contemporary art was so clever that we couldn't understand it. The ancient pottery though, was a delight, as was the exhibit of ancient gold articles.
Returned on the ferry to Wanchai, then caught a coach to the airport. The airport is very modern and well designed, but a disaster inside. You can buy diamonds from Cartier, but not a newspaper. It has entirely missed its market. We even incurred a 10% service charge at the bar on already overpriced drinks. These people are going to be in real trouble as the recession bites.
Writing this at the airport, sadly the last entry for this blog, but we have enjoyed our travels and are happy to be going home, pleased that the trip has gone so smoothly..
Thoughts on Hong Kong
I am afraid Christine is right. This place has lost its way. It used to be frenetic and cut-throat. It is now softer, flabbier and a shadow of its former self. I can only assume it is the effect of the change to communist government, and that the people who inspired the old regime and made it flourish must have moved on to places with less regulation. Perhaps it is significant that the newly reclaimed land between Central and Wanchai is going to be a park rather than more buildings. The skyscrapers are still here but the former spirit of the place isn't.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Hong Kong
Saturday 28th March continued – Hello Hong Kong
Comfortable flight with Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong. Watching 'Slumdog Millionaire' whilst flying over hundreds and hundreds of miles of jungle covered land. No settlements and just a few rivers and ridges breaking the monotonous vegetation.
Decided to take the bus from the new airport at Lantau Island to Hong Kong Island. It was dark and a bit rainy, but not cold. However the bus didn't quite follow the route we were anticipating and we were not sure where we were when the driver gestured to us to get off. It turned out to be next to Wanchai metro station, so we then set off in the direction of the hotel. The Saturday night streets in Wanchai were crowded with ex-pats overspilling from British pubs and clubs, and it was slow going manoeuvring the suitcases through the throng.
The Harbourview Hotel ( Harbourview International House – not to be confused with the Renaissance Harbour View just down the road) put us in a room on the 14th floor with a sort of angular floor to ceiling bay window overlooking Victoria Harbour. The view was magnificent with the tops of the skyscrapers lost in the clouds, the ferries scuttling across between the island and the mainland, and the lights of the magnificent harbour side towers reflected in the waters.
Sunday 29th March
After breakfast at a convenient DeliFrance, we walked eastwards to Causeway Bay via streets lined with bathroom and tap shops. Visited the Times Square mall and walked around the area until it woke up at about 11:00. Christine formed the opinion that Hong Kong is no longer the cheap place it used to be, electronics and clothes seem to be more expensive than in the UK.
Walked back westwards via the Hopewell Centre that I did the site investigation for in 1975. Then it wasn't even a hole in the ground, now it is a somewhat ageing cylindrical 70 storey tower, garishly lit at night and topped by a revolving restaurant.
Onward through the Admiralty and Central districts, picking our way through thousands of Filipino maids spending their day off picnicking in groups on the pavements, to the area around Hollywood Road. This was filled with antique/junk/curio shops where we browsed for ages. Mao Tse Tung would be glad to know his little red book is still being reprinted, there were large numbers of other reproduced articles, some such as Swiss watches with bullseye lenses were obvious, many were inscrutable and had no discernible purpose. Some of the antique jade and mammoth tusk carving in the finer shops was delectable and of course priceless.
Caught an old electric tram back. After we got on, the tram filled up completely with happy chattering maids. We were lucky to get off at the correct stop at Wanchai as we couldn't see where we were.
Tried to eat out locally in the evening. The whole area was seething with British, many in St George cross emblazoned fancy dress, due to an international rugby sevens match. Eventually ended up in a canteen style corner restaurant. Christine hadn't realised what Chinese cooks can do to fish and left most of it. Luckily I ordered pork which they are better at.
Monday 30th March
Took the tram to Central and then a whole series of covered travelators and increasingly steep escalators up to the mid-levels. Walked along to the Botanic Gardens which mainly housed aviaries and caged apes, including some very raucous gibbons. Then tried to keep the same altitude to find the Peak Tram, but the guide book was wrong and we had to descend quite a way to find the terminus.
Up the Peak Tram, a venerable cable car railway, to the upper terminus which had been rebuilt as a large, multi-storey steel clad anvil shaped construction with a viewing platform on top. It was hazy but bright and the view was spectacular. We had a snack lunch in a café next to a huge window looking out over the cityscape.
After descending, we walked to the Star Ferry terminal and boarded a ferry for Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon side of the harbour. There is now a promenade there with magnificent views across to the island. We were stopped by a group of Chinese students conducting a survey on tourists' attitudes to Hong Kong food. Christine was very restrained in her response as despite her experience of the previous night, she didn't want to offend them.
Walked up Nathan Road, which has become far less seedy than I remember it, but still accosted by men wanting to sell copies of Rolex watches. Looked at cameras but they were more expensive than in the UK. Wandered around back street markets and then returned to the ferry terminal. Night had fallen and the lights of the skyscrapers on Hong Kong Island were reflecting across the harbour in a magnificent panorama.
This time, boarded a ferry to the Wanchai Conference centre which is close to the hotel, but after a Guinness in the pub, decided to walk another kilometre to a restaurant recommended in the guide book.
The Shing Thai in Causeway Bay was a canteen style eatery with formica tabletops, but the classic Thai food was excellent (and not Chinese). Caught the tram back to Wanchai and so to bed.
Tuesday 31st March – The final day of globe-trotting.
Comfortable flight with Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong. Watching 'Slumdog Millionaire' whilst flying over hundreds and hundreds of miles of jungle covered land. No settlements and just a few rivers and ridges breaking the monotonous vegetation.
Decided to take the bus from the new airport at Lantau Island to Hong Kong Island. It was dark and a bit rainy, but not cold. However the bus didn't quite follow the route we were anticipating and we were not sure where we were when the driver gestured to us to get off. It turned out to be next to Wanchai metro station, so we then set off in the direction of the hotel. The Saturday night streets in Wanchai were crowded with ex-pats overspilling from British pubs and clubs, and it was slow going manoeuvring the suitcases through the throng.
The Harbourview Hotel ( Harbourview International House – not to be confused with the Renaissance Harbour View just down the road) put us in a room on the 14th floor with a sort of angular floor to ceiling bay window overlooking Victoria Harbour. The view was magnificent with the tops of the skyscrapers lost in the clouds, the ferries scuttling across between the island and the mainland, and the lights of the magnificent harbour side towers reflected in the waters.
Sunday 29th March
After breakfast at a convenient DeliFrance, we walked eastwards to Causeway Bay via streets lined with bathroom and tap shops. Visited the Times Square mall and walked around the area until it woke up at about 11:00. Christine formed the opinion that Hong Kong is no longer the cheap place it used to be, electronics and clothes seem to be more expensive than in the UK.
Walked back westwards via the Hopewell Centre that I did the site investigation for in 1975. Then it wasn't even a hole in the ground, now it is a somewhat ageing cylindrical 70 storey tower, garishly lit at night and topped by a revolving restaurant.
Onward through the Admiralty and Central districts, picking our way through thousands of Filipino maids spending their day off picnicking in groups on the pavements, to the area around Hollywood Road. This was filled with antique/junk/curio shops where we browsed for ages. Mao Tse Tung would be glad to know his little red book is still being reprinted, there were large numbers of other reproduced articles, some such as Swiss watches with bullseye lenses were obvious, many were inscrutable and had no discernible purpose. Some of the antique jade and mammoth tusk carving in the finer shops was delectable and of course priceless.
Caught an old electric tram back. After we got on, the tram filled up completely with happy chattering maids. We were lucky to get off at the correct stop at Wanchai as we couldn't see where we were.
Tried to eat out locally in the evening. The whole area was seething with British, many in St George cross emblazoned fancy dress, due to an international rugby sevens match. Eventually ended up in a canteen style corner restaurant. Christine hadn't realised what Chinese cooks can do to fish and left most of it. Luckily I ordered pork which they are better at.
Monday 30th March
Took the tram to Central and then a whole series of covered travelators and increasingly steep escalators up to the mid-levels. Walked along to the Botanic Gardens which mainly housed aviaries and caged apes, including some very raucous gibbons. Then tried to keep the same altitude to find the Peak Tram, but the guide book was wrong and we had to descend quite a way to find the terminus.
Up the Peak Tram, a venerable cable car railway, to the upper terminus which had been rebuilt as a large, multi-storey steel clad anvil shaped construction with a viewing platform on top. It was hazy but bright and the view was spectacular. We had a snack lunch in a café next to a huge window looking out over the cityscape.
After descending, we walked to the Star Ferry terminal and boarded a ferry for Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon side of the harbour. There is now a promenade there with magnificent views across to the island. We were stopped by a group of Chinese students conducting a survey on tourists' attitudes to Hong Kong food. Christine was very restrained in her response as despite her experience of the previous night, she didn't want to offend them.
Walked up Nathan Road, which has become far less seedy than I remember it, but still accosted by men wanting to sell copies of Rolex watches. Looked at cameras but they were more expensive than in the UK. Wandered around back street markets and then returned to the ferry terminal. Night had fallen and the lights of the skyscrapers on Hong Kong Island were reflecting across the harbour in a magnificent panorama.
This time, boarded a ferry to the Wanchai Conference centre which is close to the hotel, but after a Guinness in the pub, decided to walk another kilometre to a restaurant recommended in the guide book.
The Shing Thai in Causeway Bay was a canteen style eatery with formica tabletops, but the classic Thai food was excellent (and not Chinese). Caught the tram back to Wanchai and so to bed.
Tuesday 31st March – The final day of globe-trotting.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Goodbye Bali
Friday 27th March
We were both really upset by yesterday's events. It is the first time in our lives where our liberty has been curtailed by religion, and we were surprised how strongly we felt about it. It wasn't that we were mistreated or in any way made uncomfortable, it was the principle that we were not free to travel, even to the adjacent beach, which angered and alienated us.
Perhaps though it explains how the anti-communist pogrom, which was so violent here, could be reconciled with the polite, eager to please, apparently laid-back inhabitants. What was revealed yesterday was that beneath the smiles is something akin to an underlying authoritarian theocracy. An institution which has the power to police what is effectively a religious curfew using black clad men wielding large sticks.
We couldn't enjoy the day and realised that it was because we could not condone a system which could treat our rights so disrespectfully. A wasted day, except it taught us that however charming a place may be, if you are foreign to the society you may be treated in ways you do not understand.
Last night's supper was a farce. We. were guided to a restaurant in the grounds by torchlight. As most lights in the hotel were turned off as it was against the religious principles of the day to use artificial light, a high percentage of orders were being sent back as either wrong or inedible because although the cooking staff were doing their best to prepare the food in the inadequately lit kitchen, they couldn't see what they were doing.
Spent the morning snorkelling although a thunderstorm last night had left the water quite turbid.
Walked along the beach promenade in the afternoon. The tide was very low and people were wading in the lagoon or in small outrigger canoes, dotted across the surface right up to the reef, fishing in the low water.
Saturday 28th March – Goodbye Bali
Final swim in the sea, then onwards to the final part of our global tour.
We were both really upset by yesterday's events. It is the first time in our lives where our liberty has been curtailed by religion, and we were surprised how strongly we felt about it. It wasn't that we were mistreated or in any way made uncomfortable, it was the principle that we were not free to travel, even to the adjacent beach, which angered and alienated us.
Perhaps though it explains how the anti-communist pogrom, which was so violent here, could be reconciled with the polite, eager to please, apparently laid-back inhabitants. What was revealed yesterday was that beneath the smiles is something akin to an underlying authoritarian theocracy. An institution which has the power to police what is effectively a religious curfew using black clad men wielding large sticks.
We couldn't enjoy the day and realised that it was because we could not condone a system which could treat our rights so disrespectfully. A wasted day, except it taught us that however charming a place may be, if you are foreign to the society you may be treated in ways you do not understand.
Last night's supper was a farce. We. were guided to a restaurant in the grounds by torchlight. As most lights in the hotel were turned off as it was against the religious principles of the day to use artificial light, a high percentage of orders were being sent back as either wrong or inedible because although the cooking staff were doing their best to prepare the food in the inadequately lit kitchen, they couldn't see what they were doing.
Spent the morning snorkelling although a thunderstorm last night had left the water quite turbid.
Walked along the beach promenade in the afternoon. The tide was very low and people were wading in the lagoon or in small outrigger canoes, dotted across the surface right up to the reef, fishing in the low water.
Saturday 28th March – Goodbye Bali
Final swim in the sea, then onwards to the final part of our global tour.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Sanur Beach - Prisoners of Nyepi
Tuesday 24th March – Sanur Beach
Breakfast at the hotel is a n impressive affair with a great selection of foods of various nationalities and eggs fried or made into omelettes on the spot in front of you by very deft ladies.
Snorkelled for most of morning, watching various fish, starfish etc. Was fascinated to find that the beach is oolitic. As well as coral and shell sand are spherules of calcium carbonate about 2mm diameter caused by precipitation from saturated solution in this evaporation enriched lagoon behind the barrier reef.
The tide was low in the afternoon and after lunch when we did get into the sea it was too turbid and the sun was too low.
Walked to Lumut restaurant almost opposite the Bali Hyatt as recommended in guide book, more competent cuisine than seems normal on Bali. Tried Arak, their rice wine, which is very smooth, dry and goes down well after a few Bintang lagers.
Wednesday 25th March
Snorkelling in the morning we saw what looked like a black ball about half a metre in diameter in the shallows. It turned out to be a shoal of thousands of tightly packed small black catfish. The fish at the leading edge of the shoal burrowed their mouths into the sandy sea bed, then the next wave of fish swam over them to repeat the activity and so the shoal progressed parallel to the beach. I assume this behaviour had evolved as it gave the appearance of a single very large creature to any prospective predator. Above them swam a number of yellow-tails presumably feeding off fragments of food disturbed from the sand by the catfish below.
We have been warned that tomorrow is Nyepi day, Hindu New Year. The whole island closes down. No traffic, no flights, no work, no lights and no entertainment. The Hindus are supposed to spend the day contemplating God. I wonder if God spends the day contemplating Hindus.
Thursday 26th March – Nyepi
I can't believe it. Not only can't we leave the hotel but they have cordoned off the beach too. Apparently it is OK to swim in the pool, but disrespectful to swim in the sea.
I don't mind being trapped in a hotel by storms or floods, but it is extremely galling to be confined by superstition. The Lonely Planet guide mentions on page 856 that businesses shut for the day, but had we realised the extent of the disruption, I think we would have brought forward our travel to Hong Kong to miss it.
It is an insidious entrapment, we don't want to cause offence to these very nice people, but we are effectively being held prisoner by their quaint beliefs.
Breakfast at the hotel is a n impressive affair with a great selection of foods of various nationalities and eggs fried or made into omelettes on the spot in front of you by very deft ladies.
Snorkelled for most of morning, watching various fish, starfish etc. Was fascinated to find that the beach is oolitic. As well as coral and shell sand are spherules of calcium carbonate about 2mm diameter caused by precipitation from saturated solution in this evaporation enriched lagoon behind the barrier reef.
The tide was low in the afternoon and after lunch when we did get into the sea it was too turbid and the sun was too low.
Walked to Lumut restaurant almost opposite the Bali Hyatt as recommended in guide book, more competent cuisine than seems normal on Bali. Tried Arak, their rice wine, which is very smooth, dry and goes down well after a few Bintang lagers.
Wednesday 25th March
Snorkelling in the morning we saw what looked like a black ball about half a metre in diameter in the shallows. It turned out to be a shoal of thousands of tightly packed small black catfish. The fish at the leading edge of the shoal burrowed their mouths into the sandy sea bed, then the next wave of fish swam over them to repeat the activity and so the shoal progressed parallel to the beach. I assume this behaviour had evolved as it gave the appearance of a single very large creature to any prospective predator. Above them swam a number of yellow-tails presumably feeding off fragments of food disturbed from the sand by the catfish below.
We have been warned that tomorrow is Nyepi day, Hindu New Year. The whole island closes down. No traffic, no flights, no work, no lights and no entertainment. The Hindus are supposed to spend the day contemplating God. I wonder if God spends the day contemplating Hindus.
Thursday 26th March – Nyepi
I can't believe it. Not only can't we leave the hotel but they have cordoned off the beach too. Apparently it is OK to swim in the pool, but disrespectful to swim in the sea.
I don't mind being trapped in a hotel by storms or floods, but it is extremely galling to be confined by superstition. The Lonely Planet guide mentions on page 856 that businesses shut for the day, but had we realised the extent of the disruption, I think we would have brought forward our travel to Hong Kong to miss it.
It is an insidious entrapment, we don't want to cause offence to these very nice people, but we are effectively being held prisoner by their quaint beliefs.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Hello Bali
Friday 20th March – Hello Bali
After lunch at Darwin airport, Jetstar decided to feed us on the flight to Bali, so we had supper as well. The link between Jetstar and Qantas seems to be inconsistent. However we took off into the sunset and landed at Denpassar inthe dark.
We discovered that the landing time given in our schedule was actually an hour later than when we arrived and there was an anxious time when no-one met us. Luckily I had the telephone number of the hotel and although my mobile again claimed the number was unrecognised ( it only seems to work about every third call), the information desk at the airport rang through and soon the welcome sight of my name on a placard held by an apologetic driver appeared.
The drive to Ubud was interesting after the soporific traffic of Australia. Motorbikes, scooters, cars and vans all vied with the occasional dog and pedestrian for possession of the road. Many of the roads were one way for cars but two way for motorbikes which was confusing. Mostly it didn't seem to matter which (if any) side of the road you drove on, as long as oncoming traffic could pass on the right
The hotel, Alam Indah, is charming. Perched on the side of a jungle filled ravine, it consists of a series of traditional Balinese dwellings terraced into the hillside. There are only 12 rooms with deeply carved doors, stone facades and private terraces. The buildings are up to three storeys high beneath a thatched roof. Set well back from the road, it is tranquil place with shrines to various gods at every corner. Offerings of flowers and incense in small woven palm leaf baskets are placed in the shrines daily, and also scattered on the ground to propitiate evil spirits.
Saturday 21st March
After a delightful breakfast, spent the morning around the swimming pool. The temperature must be in the 30s, and the stone edged pool is beautifully cool. Within the stone walls surrounding the terraces are carved animal reflecting the animist nature of the Hindu religion here.
Walked through the nearby Monkey Forest Sanctuary to Ubud village. The Monkey Forest teems with grey macaques which tried to steal my water bottle, and by the litter around had obviously had previous success with both water bottles and cameras. The temples in the forest could be part of an Indiana Jones movie set. As we explored one temple, a huge reptile well over a metre long splashed its way along the adjacent stream bed and darted out of sight between some rocks. We were assured that despite its appearance it wasn't a crocodile, just a large monitor lizard. I can see why the people here believe in dragons.
We reached the centre of the village past rows of art galleries, clothing shops and restaurants. The market was open and there were throngs of people. After a local beer, we asked the restaurant to phone the hotel who sent a driver to take us back. The Alam Indah has a complimentary on-demand shuttle service to and from the village running until 22:00.
Back for afternoon tea on the terrace and a rest, then shuttle back to the centre of Ubud to the Royal Palace for a performance of a traditional Balinese Legong dance. With night haven fallen and the temperature now about 25, the courtyard of the palace fills with people around a stage set in front of a magnificent entrance with gold doors and oil lights on the tiers of carved stonework above. Either side, the musicians in uniform costume beat out the rhythms on highly decorated xylophone like instruments with what look like geological hammers. Add a couple of wooden flutes, several drummers and some impressively large bronze gongs and you can produce an amazing amount of sound without any need for electronic amplification.
The dance lasted without interruption for an hour and a half, performed by slight Balinese ladies in traditional costume, a handsome prince and a masked ogre. The ladies kept an impassive face whilst they danced, but their eyes darted from side to side to express emotion. Each dancer, or group of dancers, would appear at the entrance, descend the steps in a stilted fashion, perform a dance and then retire in similar manner. There was a story to it, but as everything was so stylised it was better to ignore it and just enjoy the spectacle.
We ate at a posh restaurant, the Cafe Lotus where the tables looked out over a lily pond to a temple entrance and the massive bill came to just over 300,000 rupiah (about £18.60) .
Sunday 22nd March
Decided to centre ourselves at Sanur for the remainder of the stay and the hotel let us use their internet connection to book a hotel and arranged a car to take us.
Walked to Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA), an art gallery spread over several buildings in a compound. There were traditional as well as modern paintings, including some striking surrealist perspectives by Walter Spies. A cup of tea was included in the admission price which was welcome as it was hot, even in the tea pavilion.
Walked back to the hotel for a light lunch and a swim. In the evening the hotel minibus took us to the performance of three dances at the Padang Tengal dance stage, a roughly tarmacked arena in front of a temple.
The Kekac dance consisted of an extract from the Ramayana with the musical accompaniment provided by about 150 men wearing only black and white checked skirts. They sat on the ground in a circle, three or four deep, around a central candelabra like structure of oil lamps, waving their hands and chanting “chak chak chak chak” rhythmically in time with calls and yelps. Traditionally dressed Balinese dance girls moved angularly in the centre, with appearances of masked characters from the temple behind and the story sung in Indonesian by a narrator during gaps in the chanting. The effect was often hilarious and both performers and spectators were obviously having a good time.
The second dance was a trance dance performed by two young girls with a chorus of ladies squatting on the ground behind, flanked by some of the men from the previous dance. The girls danced with their eyes shut then symbolically collapsed to the ground. Finally a shaman sprinkled them with holy water and the dance ended. The mood of this dance was more sombre, apparently it is a ritual to rid the village of evil spirits.
The third dance was preceded by removing the oil lamps and tipping a heap of dried coconut shells in the centre of the arena. These were then soaked in kerosene and set on fire. A dancer with a Balinese version of a hobby horse pranced around, kicking the blazing embers towards the encircled audience amidst smoke, spectacular showers of sparks and general consternation. Western health and safety officials would have loved it. I had to repeatedly kick burning coconut shells away from where they came to rest against my plastic chair leg. Men with brooms then brushed the embers back into the centre so the scattering could be repeated several times.
In all the dances lasted about an hour and a half and we ended the evening with probably the best presented meal of the trip so far at the Ibu Rai restaurant on Monkey Forest Road.
Monday 23rd March
Left Ubud and were driven to the coast at Sanur, to the Sanur Beach Hotel. It is an enormous rambling 1980s affair, somewhat haphazard in design and construction, half a dozen separate buildings surrounding palm shaded gardens and swimming pools adjacent to the beach. What it lacks in charm is, however, outweighed by the friendliness of the staff and the painstaking attention to maintenance and service of what is a comfortable but somewhat tired establishment.
The beach is sandy, gently sloping and the water very quiet as the bay is protected by a barrier reef where the waves constantly break with a faint roar.
We tried snorkelling but the water was very shallow and filled with long sea grass. Amidst the grass we saw large starfish, a few small fish and some long green worm shaped segmented creatures with tentacles at one end which were scraping algae from the surface of the grass and eating it. They were up to a metre long. The grass had small stinging creatures in it though which caused a short lived rash.
Went shopping, returning along the sea front to enjoy a beer at sunset.
After lunch at Darwin airport, Jetstar decided to feed us on the flight to Bali, so we had supper as well. The link between Jetstar and Qantas seems to be inconsistent. However we took off into the sunset and landed at Denpassar inthe dark.
We discovered that the landing time given in our schedule was actually an hour later than when we arrived and there was an anxious time when no-one met us. Luckily I had the telephone number of the hotel and although my mobile again claimed the number was unrecognised ( it only seems to work about every third call), the information desk at the airport rang through and soon the welcome sight of my name on a placard held by an apologetic driver appeared.
The drive to Ubud was interesting after the soporific traffic of Australia. Motorbikes, scooters, cars and vans all vied with the occasional dog and pedestrian for possession of the road. Many of the roads were one way for cars but two way for motorbikes which was confusing. Mostly it didn't seem to matter which (if any) side of the road you drove on, as long as oncoming traffic could pass on the right
The hotel, Alam Indah, is charming. Perched on the side of a jungle filled ravine, it consists of a series of traditional Balinese dwellings terraced into the hillside. There are only 12 rooms with deeply carved doors, stone facades and private terraces. The buildings are up to three storeys high beneath a thatched roof. Set well back from the road, it is tranquil place with shrines to various gods at every corner. Offerings of flowers and incense in small woven palm leaf baskets are placed in the shrines daily, and also scattered on the ground to propitiate evil spirits.
Saturday 21st March
After a delightful breakfast, spent the morning around the swimming pool. The temperature must be in the 30s, and the stone edged pool is beautifully cool. Within the stone walls surrounding the terraces are carved animal reflecting the animist nature of the Hindu religion here.
Walked through the nearby Monkey Forest Sanctuary to Ubud village. The Monkey Forest teems with grey macaques which tried to steal my water bottle, and by the litter around had obviously had previous success with both water bottles and cameras. The temples in the forest could be part of an Indiana Jones movie set. As we explored one temple, a huge reptile well over a metre long splashed its way along the adjacent stream bed and darted out of sight between some rocks. We were assured that despite its appearance it wasn't a crocodile, just a large monitor lizard. I can see why the people here believe in dragons.
We reached the centre of the village past rows of art galleries, clothing shops and restaurants. The market was open and there were throngs of people. After a local beer, we asked the restaurant to phone the hotel who sent a driver to take us back. The Alam Indah has a complimentary on-demand shuttle service to and from the village running until 22:00.
Back for afternoon tea on the terrace and a rest, then shuttle back to the centre of Ubud to the Royal Palace for a performance of a traditional Balinese Legong dance. With night haven fallen and the temperature now about 25, the courtyard of the palace fills with people around a stage set in front of a magnificent entrance with gold doors and oil lights on the tiers of carved stonework above. Either side, the musicians in uniform costume beat out the rhythms on highly decorated xylophone like instruments with what look like geological hammers. Add a couple of wooden flutes, several drummers and some impressively large bronze gongs and you can produce an amazing amount of sound without any need for electronic amplification.
The dance lasted without interruption for an hour and a half, performed by slight Balinese ladies in traditional costume, a handsome prince and a masked ogre. The ladies kept an impassive face whilst they danced, but their eyes darted from side to side to express emotion. Each dancer, or group of dancers, would appear at the entrance, descend the steps in a stilted fashion, perform a dance and then retire in similar manner. There was a story to it, but as everything was so stylised it was better to ignore it and just enjoy the spectacle.
We ate at a posh restaurant, the Cafe Lotus where the tables looked out over a lily pond to a temple entrance and the massive bill came to just over 300,000 rupiah (about £18.60) .
Sunday 22nd March
Decided to centre ourselves at Sanur for the remainder of the stay and the hotel let us use their internet connection to book a hotel and arranged a car to take us.
Walked to Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA), an art gallery spread over several buildings in a compound. There were traditional as well as modern paintings, including some striking surrealist perspectives by Walter Spies. A cup of tea was included in the admission price which was welcome as it was hot, even in the tea pavilion.
Walked back to the hotel for a light lunch and a swim. In the evening the hotel minibus took us to the performance of three dances at the Padang Tengal dance stage, a roughly tarmacked arena in front of a temple.
The Kekac dance consisted of an extract from the Ramayana with the musical accompaniment provided by about 150 men wearing only black and white checked skirts. They sat on the ground in a circle, three or four deep, around a central candelabra like structure of oil lamps, waving their hands and chanting “chak chak chak chak” rhythmically in time with calls and yelps. Traditionally dressed Balinese dance girls moved angularly in the centre, with appearances of masked characters from the temple behind and the story sung in Indonesian by a narrator during gaps in the chanting. The effect was often hilarious and both performers and spectators were obviously having a good time.
The second dance was a trance dance performed by two young girls with a chorus of ladies squatting on the ground behind, flanked by some of the men from the previous dance. The girls danced with their eyes shut then symbolically collapsed to the ground. Finally a shaman sprinkled them with holy water and the dance ended. The mood of this dance was more sombre, apparently it is a ritual to rid the village of evil spirits.
The third dance was preceded by removing the oil lamps and tipping a heap of dried coconut shells in the centre of the arena. These were then soaked in kerosene and set on fire. A dancer with a Balinese version of a hobby horse pranced around, kicking the blazing embers towards the encircled audience amidst smoke, spectacular showers of sparks and general consternation. Western health and safety officials would have loved it. I had to repeatedly kick burning coconut shells away from where they came to rest against my plastic chair leg. Men with brooms then brushed the embers back into the centre so the scattering could be repeated several times.
In all the dances lasted about an hour and a half and we ended the evening with probably the best presented meal of the trip so far at the Ibu Rai restaurant on Monkey Forest Road.
Monday 23rd March
Left Ubud and were driven to the coast at Sanur, to the Sanur Beach Hotel. It is an enormous rambling 1980s affair, somewhat haphazard in design and construction, half a dozen separate buildings surrounding palm shaded gardens and swimming pools adjacent to the beach. What it lacks in charm is, however, outweighed by the friendliness of the staff and the painstaking attention to maintenance and service of what is a comfortable but somewhat tired establishment.
The beach is sandy, gently sloping and the water very quiet as the bay is protected by a barrier reef where the waves constantly break with a faint roar.
We tried snorkelling but the water was very shallow and filled with long sea grass. Amidst the grass we saw large starfish, a few small fish and some long green worm shaped segmented creatures with tentacles at one end which were scraping algae from the surface of the grass and eating it. They were up to a metre long. The grass had small stinging creatures in it though which caused a short lived rash.
Went shopping, returning along the sea front to enjoy a beer at sunset.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Goodbye Australia
Friday 20th March – Goodbye Australia
Left Hervey Bay just before 06:00 and drove south-westwards, joining the Bruce highway at Maryborough. The drive was slow due to speed restrictions until the road became motorway close to Noosa and the speed limit increased to 110 km/hr. Dropped car off at the airport at 10:00 after a big Aussie breakfast in the Coolabah Cafe at the nearby service station.
Superb flight to Darwin over outback and then the Gulf of Carpentaria. Darwin airport has free internet access so I can get up to date whilst waiting for the flight to Bali!
Notes on a Large Island
Aussie Speak
In Australia, they seem to be using English in an idiomatic fashion. Someone will tell you a fact, then invite you to wonder at it. For example the statement ' These trees are 30m tall.' may be followed by the question 'Isn't that amazing?', or 'This lake is 80,000 years old.' by the question 'Can you imagine that?'. The standard reply in most cases is 'Awesome!'. Conversations are thus carried out as a series of interposed statements and questions, inviting short appreciative responses. This fits in well with the cadence of the speech where phrases tend to be delivered with a rising pitch towards the end.
Possibly in an immigrant country where English is frequently not the first language, this form of speech allows the speaker to frequently monitor whether the respondent is actually understanding the information being imparted, similar to the use of 'innit?' or 'OK?' in some vernacular English dialects.
Questions are also used as introductions, so you are frequently asked ' How are you today?' by way of opening a conversation.
Inanimate objects are often imbued with personality, so I've heard ' A truck has decided to off-load its contents on the motorway' and ' Our submersible decided to go walk-about during the cyclone'.
Names are often abbreviated to end in 'y'. So Rockhampton is referred to as 'Rocky', Tasmania is 'Tazzy' and Bundaberg is 'Bundy'. I have no idea what 'Sydney' is the contacted form of.
Aussies.
From the media, I was expecting to meet Australians who were beer swilling, drunken, loud, opinionated and boorish. What I found was that those attributes seem to be confined to a few professional football players whilst the vast majority of the population are sober, happy, friendly, well educated, polite and charming people with a natural exuberance and inquisitiveness.
Aussie Driving
Australia is big. Everywhere is quite a distance away and you need to allow a lot of time for travel. The roads are like the UK in the 1960s. Speed limits are low, and because of urban sprawl along ribbon developments, speed restrictions make long distance driving extremely tedious in populated regions. Most accidents seem to be caused by drivers falling asleep and I think the soporific nature of the driving conditions is mostly to blame. Motorways are more like main roads. Bypasses are infrequent and where they do exist are likely to be restricted to similar speeds as driving through the town centre, and may actually take longer to drive round. Main roads tend to be single carriageway, one lane each way, with an additional passing lane every 5km or so. Petrol stations are infrequent and even on main routes may be over 50km apart, so it is important to refill more often than normal in order to maintain a range of at least 100km.
Hire cars are restricted to sealed roads, so you need to check on a map to make sure the road to your destination is metalled.
Left Hervey Bay just before 06:00 and drove south-westwards, joining the Bruce highway at Maryborough. The drive was slow due to speed restrictions until the road became motorway close to Noosa and the speed limit increased to 110 km/hr. Dropped car off at the airport at 10:00 after a big Aussie breakfast in the Coolabah Cafe at the nearby service station.
Superb flight to Darwin over outback and then the Gulf of Carpentaria. Darwin airport has free internet access so I can get up to date whilst waiting for the flight to Bali!
Notes on a Large Island
Aussie Speak
In Australia, they seem to be using English in an idiomatic fashion. Someone will tell you a fact, then invite you to wonder at it. For example the statement ' These trees are 30m tall.' may be followed by the question 'Isn't that amazing?', or 'This lake is 80,000 years old.' by the question 'Can you imagine that?'. The standard reply in most cases is 'Awesome!'. Conversations are thus carried out as a series of interposed statements and questions, inviting short appreciative responses. This fits in well with the cadence of the speech where phrases tend to be delivered with a rising pitch towards the end.
Possibly in an immigrant country where English is frequently not the first language, this form of speech allows the speaker to frequently monitor whether the respondent is actually understanding the information being imparted, similar to the use of 'innit?' or 'OK?' in some vernacular English dialects.
Questions are also used as introductions, so you are frequently asked ' How are you today?' by way of opening a conversation.
Inanimate objects are often imbued with personality, so I've heard ' A truck has decided to off-load its contents on the motorway' and ' Our submersible decided to go walk-about during the cyclone'.
Names are often abbreviated to end in 'y'. So Rockhampton is referred to as 'Rocky', Tasmania is 'Tazzy' and Bundaberg is 'Bundy'. I have no idea what 'Sydney' is the contacted form of.
Aussies.
From the media, I was expecting to meet Australians who were beer swilling, drunken, loud, opinionated and boorish. What I found was that those attributes seem to be confined to a few professional football players whilst the vast majority of the population are sober, happy, friendly, well educated, polite and charming people with a natural exuberance and inquisitiveness.
Aussie Driving
Australia is big. Everywhere is quite a distance away and you need to allow a lot of time for travel. The roads are like the UK in the 1960s. Speed limits are low, and because of urban sprawl along ribbon developments, speed restrictions make long distance driving extremely tedious in populated regions. Most accidents seem to be caused by drivers falling asleep and I think the soporific nature of the driving conditions is mostly to blame. Motorways are more like main roads. Bypasses are infrequent and where they do exist are likely to be restricted to similar speeds as driving through the town centre, and may actually take longer to drive round. Main roads tend to be single carriageway, one lane each way, with an additional passing lane every 5km or so. Petrol stations are infrequent and even on main routes may be over 50km apart, so it is important to refill more often than normal in order to maintain a range of at least 100km.
Hire cars are restricted to sealed roads, so you need to check on a map to make sure the road to your destination is metalled.
Fraser Island
Tuesday 17th March – Emily's Birthday
Happy Birthday Emily. Sorry we missed your birthday. We were driving from Agnes Water to Hervey Bay, just a couple of hundred kilometres southwards. The weather was beautiful as we drove through pasture, sugar cane fields and groves of macadamia trees.
The information site at Hervey Bay recommended Lisianna holiday apartments right on the sea front, with a balcony on which I write this looking across the beach road to the safe, sandy beach. With the aid of the helpful owner of the comfortable apartments, we booked for a two day excursion to Frazer Island. The tour company will come to pick us up at 07:15 tomorrow and we will spend tomorrow night in a tent on the island. We leave the rental car here ( only 4WD roads on the island) and return for Thursday night. That will mean a very early 06:00 start to travel to Brisbane Airport on Friday morning, but we will return too late to travel on Thursday as night falls rapidly at about 18:30.
Spent the afternoon on the beach, swimming and snorkelling. As the tide fell, I discovered a small coral reef about 100m offshore. Nothing in comparison with the Great Barrier Reef, but there were several varieties of coral and fish. I've named it 'Emily's Reef' in honour of Emily's birthday, although being only a few metres across and perhaps 200mm above the surrounding sea bed level, I doubt it will make an appearance on any nautical charts of the bay. It's about 50m northeast of the seaward end of the pier.
Wednesday 18th March – Fraser Island
Picked up at 07:15 by what we mistook from the front to be a big green refuse truck, but turned out to be a 4WD 24 seater coach. Picking up a further 6 people, we crossed from Riverheads on the 09:00 barge to Fraser Island.
The bus was driven by Fritz, an exuberant Austrian Australian. We drove to Lake Birrabeen and swam in the white sand fringed perched dune lake, a hundred metres or so above sea level and with acidic water with a pH of 4.8. Then to Central Station for a quick walk through the rain forest, and on to the east coast. We drove up the beach to Happy Valley for a great buffet lunch, then northwards up the beach via various cliffs of coloured sand.
The cyclone had eroded a lot of sand from the beach, exposing 'coffee rock', a sediment where a lot of organic matter was mixed with the sand. (This formed the aquiclude under the perched dune lakes.) As we negotiated one outcrop, the bus rolled and the window next to Christine collided with a pandanus tree which had been brought down by the cyclone. The glass shattered, showering her with small shards of glass, but she was unhurt if a little shaken. We changed seats and for the rest of the trip she kindly let me have the window seat.
At about 17:00 we reached the camp at Cathedral Beach after visiting the historic Maheno ship wreck. The camp comprised permanent tents with wooden floors and a large communal tent with cooking facilities. To my surprise, Fritz turned out to be a man of many talents, one of which was cooking. Preceding the meal he cooked a taster dish of kangaroo which tasted similar to beef.
Thursday 19th March – Fraser Island
Awoke to heavy rain, but after a good breakfast, drove northwards up the beach to Indian Head, which turned out to be a porphyritic rhyolite headland. A sea eagle soared above and ospreys were perched in the pandanus trees.
Fritz preferred to call rain 'liquid sunshine'.
Then back southwards down the beach to walk to Lake Wabby, dammed by a moving sand dune called the Hammerhead Blow. We swam with large catfish, then walked south-eastwards for a couple of kilometres to where Fritz was waiting for us with the bus. Then to Central Station for a good lunch under cover as it was raining lightly. We then walked for a couple kilometres through the rain forest by a stream where we saw a catfish and an eel. Then it was time to rejoin the bus, return to the mainland on the barge, and back to the apartments.
It was an interesting trip despite the disappointing weather. Fritz was a great guide with a wide range of cultural, geological and botanical knowledge which he was enthusiastic in passing on to us.
Happy Birthday Emily. Sorry we missed your birthday. We were driving from Agnes Water to Hervey Bay, just a couple of hundred kilometres southwards. The weather was beautiful as we drove through pasture, sugar cane fields and groves of macadamia trees.
The information site at Hervey Bay recommended Lisianna holiday apartments right on the sea front, with a balcony on which I write this looking across the beach road to the safe, sandy beach. With the aid of the helpful owner of the comfortable apartments, we booked for a two day excursion to Frazer Island. The tour company will come to pick us up at 07:15 tomorrow and we will spend tomorrow night in a tent on the island. We leave the rental car here ( only 4WD roads on the island) and return for Thursday night. That will mean a very early 06:00 start to travel to Brisbane Airport on Friday morning, but we will return too late to travel on Thursday as night falls rapidly at about 18:30.
Spent the afternoon on the beach, swimming and snorkelling. As the tide fell, I discovered a small coral reef about 100m offshore. Nothing in comparison with the Great Barrier Reef, but there were several varieties of coral and fish. I've named it 'Emily's Reef' in honour of Emily's birthday, although being only a few metres across and perhaps 200mm above the surrounding sea bed level, I doubt it will make an appearance on any nautical charts of the bay. It's about 50m northeast of the seaward end of the pier.
Wednesday 18th March – Fraser Island
Picked up at 07:15 by what we mistook from the front to be a big green refuse truck, but turned out to be a 4WD 24 seater coach. Picking up a further 6 people, we crossed from Riverheads on the 09:00 barge to Fraser Island.
The bus was driven by Fritz, an exuberant Austrian Australian. We drove to Lake Birrabeen and swam in the white sand fringed perched dune lake, a hundred metres or so above sea level and with acidic water with a pH of 4.8. Then to Central Station for a quick walk through the rain forest, and on to the east coast. We drove up the beach to Happy Valley for a great buffet lunch, then northwards up the beach via various cliffs of coloured sand.
The cyclone had eroded a lot of sand from the beach, exposing 'coffee rock', a sediment where a lot of organic matter was mixed with the sand. (This formed the aquiclude under the perched dune lakes.) As we negotiated one outcrop, the bus rolled and the window next to Christine collided with a pandanus tree which had been brought down by the cyclone. The glass shattered, showering her with small shards of glass, but she was unhurt if a little shaken. We changed seats and for the rest of the trip she kindly let me have the window seat.
At about 17:00 we reached the camp at Cathedral Beach after visiting the historic Maheno ship wreck. The camp comprised permanent tents with wooden floors and a large communal tent with cooking facilities. To my surprise, Fritz turned out to be a man of many talents, one of which was cooking. Preceding the meal he cooked a taster dish of kangaroo which tasted similar to beef.
Thursday 19th March – Fraser Island
Awoke to heavy rain, but after a good breakfast, drove northwards up the beach to Indian Head, which turned out to be a porphyritic rhyolite headland. A sea eagle soared above and ospreys were perched in the pandanus trees.
Fritz preferred to call rain 'liquid sunshine'.
Then back southwards down the beach to walk to Lake Wabby, dammed by a moving sand dune called the Hammerhead Blow. We swam with large catfish, then walked south-eastwards for a couple of kilometres to where Fritz was waiting for us with the bus. Then to Central Station for a good lunch under cover as it was raining lightly. We then walked for a couple kilometres through the rain forest by a stream where we saw a catfish and an eel. Then it was time to rejoin the bus, return to the mainland on the barge, and back to the apartments.
It was an interesting trip despite the disappointing weather. Fritz was a great guide with a wide range of cultural, geological and botanical knowledge which he was enthusiastic in passing on to us.
The Great Barrier Reef
Sunday 15th March - Back to the coast
Drove back to Emerald, then turned southwards, pausing to admire the butte of Mount Zamia. Heading eastwards again we drove through basin and range topography with pasture and scattered coal mines for a couple of hundred kilometres. During this part of the drive we counted just 16 cars.
We booked our places on the 'Spirit of 1770' to Lady Musgrave Island for the following day at the township of 1770, then returned down the road to Agnes Water. Calling in at the Agnes Palms motel, we were given a double apartment with cooking and washing facilities and a verandah backing onto the coastal palm grove for the price of a standard motel room.
The boardwalk from the verandah lead a couple of hundred metres through the palms across footbridges over lagoons to the coast. The cyclone had eroded the coastal dune and the access steps now had a temporary vertical rope ladder connecting the top and bottom parts. Along the beach were whole trees that had fallen down the newly formed sand cliff.
Monday 16th March - Finally, the Great Barrier Reef
Up early to catch the boat at 07:30. The sea had a moderate swell and the catamaran was pitching a couple of metres through the waves. We reached Lady Musgrave island, a coral cay on the Great Barrier reef, in about two hours and moored to a pontoon in the centre of the atoll it protects.
The crew threw food into the water and a feeding frenzy erupted. The most spectacular were barracuda like Garfish which when they had a piece of food in their mouths would leap out of the water in an attempt to confuse and outrun any peers that might try to steal it.
We disembarked onto a glass bottomed boat, to reach the island via a turtle cleaning station – a piece of coral where the turtles had worn a hollow by rubbing around in it. The walk round the island was fascinating. Most is vegetated with Pisonia trees, which rot so fast that together with guano from the multitudes of birds, they make a fertile soil covering the coral rubble. The trees were densely inhabited by Noddy birds that had no fear of us, whilst Shearwaters had tunnelled into the ground beneath to make their nests,
On the beach we saw turtle tracks and excavations where turtles had hatched and scuttled down the shore to the sea, also a few broken eggs that hadn't made it.
Returning to the boat for an excellent buffet lunch, we put on our snorkel gear and swam around the coral heads in the atoll. There were myriads of fish of all sizes from minute brightly iridescent coloured fish to large striped fish nuzzling the coral. As you swam over them, giant clams closed their serpentine openings. The floor was mostly broken coral with very large black sea slugs ( soft bodied echinoderms) and a few starfish. The edges of the coral heads however were full of life with multi-coloured tabular corals, brain corals, fan corals and antler corals with blue tips, also a few soft corals.
We left about 15:00 and as we left the atoll we came across a line of giant Manta Rays feeding on a current of plankton. They were each several metres across, black diamond shapes with huge mouths showing when they broke the surface.
The swell had abated when we returned and the skipper did some very clever docking as the tide was out by the time we came into harbour and there was very little room to manoeuvre the boat.
Drove back to Emerald, then turned southwards, pausing to admire the butte of Mount Zamia. Heading eastwards again we drove through basin and range topography with pasture and scattered coal mines for a couple of hundred kilometres. During this part of the drive we counted just 16 cars.
We booked our places on the 'Spirit of 1770' to Lady Musgrave Island for the following day at the township of 1770, then returned down the road to Agnes Water. Calling in at the Agnes Palms motel, we were given a double apartment with cooking and washing facilities and a verandah backing onto the coastal palm grove for the price of a standard motel room.
The boardwalk from the verandah lead a couple of hundred metres through the palms across footbridges over lagoons to the coast. The cyclone had eroded the coastal dune and the access steps now had a temporary vertical rope ladder connecting the top and bottom parts. Along the beach were whole trees that had fallen down the newly formed sand cliff.
Monday 16th March - Finally, the Great Barrier Reef
Up early to catch the boat at 07:30. The sea had a moderate swell and the catamaran was pitching a couple of metres through the waves. We reached Lady Musgrave island, a coral cay on the Great Barrier reef, in about two hours and moored to a pontoon in the centre of the atoll it protects.
The crew threw food into the water and a feeding frenzy erupted. The most spectacular were barracuda like Garfish which when they had a piece of food in their mouths would leap out of the water in an attempt to confuse and outrun any peers that might try to steal it.
We disembarked onto a glass bottomed boat, to reach the island via a turtle cleaning station – a piece of coral where the turtles had worn a hollow by rubbing around in it. The walk round the island was fascinating. Most is vegetated with Pisonia trees, which rot so fast that together with guano from the multitudes of birds, they make a fertile soil covering the coral rubble. The trees were densely inhabited by Noddy birds that had no fear of us, whilst Shearwaters had tunnelled into the ground beneath to make their nests,
On the beach we saw turtle tracks and excavations where turtles had hatched and scuttled down the shore to the sea, also a few broken eggs that hadn't made it.
Returning to the boat for an excellent buffet lunch, we put on our snorkel gear and swam around the coral heads in the atoll. There were myriads of fish of all sizes from minute brightly iridescent coloured fish to large striped fish nuzzling the coral. As you swam over them, giant clams closed their serpentine openings. The floor was mostly broken coral with very large black sea slugs ( soft bodied echinoderms) and a few starfish. The edges of the coral heads however were full of life with multi-coloured tabular corals, brain corals, fan corals and antler corals with blue tips, also a few soft corals.
We left about 15:00 and as we left the atoll we came across a line of giant Manta Rays feeding on a current of plankton. They were each several metres across, black diamond shapes with huge mouths showing when they broke the surface.
The swell had abated when we returned and the skipper did some very clever docking as the tide was out by the time we came into harbour and there was very little room to manoeuvre the boat.
Gemfields
Friday 13th March – Gemfields
Woke up to gale force winds and grey skies. Looked at met forecast and decided that the seas were going to be too murky and rough for days for beach or reef. In addition there was an oil spill which closed the beaches around Brisbane. Ex-cyclone Hamish was still moving northwards, the only place with any sun seemed to be westward. By coincidence, the emerald, ruby and sapphire alluvial deposits were the same way.
We drove west along the Capricorn Highway ( as it follows the tropic) through pastureland dotted with gum trees, alongside the mineral line carrying coal from the interior. Each train consists of two locos, then 48 coal trucks, then another two locos and a final 48 coal trucks. We estimated the total length of each train as a kilometre, and we saw five or six during the morning. That is a lot of coal, I reckon in the order of 60,000 tons.
Stopped for lunch at the Blackdown Tablelands, a scarp edged plateau of cross bedded sandstone standing 600m above the level of the surrounding plain. It was cooler and a bit eerie up there.
Then on to Emerald ( named due to its verdure, no connection with gems) to replenish provisions and get the Information site lady to telephone ahead to check the place we wanted to stay was open.
After Emerald, we were driving with cotton fields either side of the road. Eventually we reached the turning for Willows Gemfields, described as part mining camp, part township and booked into a cabin at the Gem Air Village. It is block built with a 1950s feel but fully functional.
Sat on the warm back step whilst the sun went down, drinking wine and watching a kangaroo browsing unconcernedly just the other side of the track.
463km today, but it isn't raining.
Saturday 14th March
Woke up to cloudless day, birds singing including at one stage a cacophony of kookaburras. Eat breakfast sitting on the back step of the cabin, accompanied by a flock of Rainbow Parakeets and even more Apostle Birds ( like large thrushes, but reputed to live in groups of 12), both so fearless that several hopped up onto the step with us to peck up crumbs.
Walked around the corner, past a bunch of kangaroos, to meet Ruth at the Bonanza Claim. She showed us how to recognise and separate sapphires from the gem bearing gravel using a sieve, water and a piece of sacking on a board. The sun shone as we worked, with little cumulus clouds dotted around a clear blue sky. A kangaroo with a joey peeking out of her pouch came to investigate, whilst a kookaburra sat watching from a nearby tree. Beautiful morning made more memorable as with Ruth's guidance we gradually accumulated a collection of small blue and green sapphires.
After a siesta, went to meet Ruth and her husband Paul at their home near the claim. They showed us an impressive collection of sapphires that they had found and Paul had cut. The difference between the rough stones which just look like bits of broken glass and the cut stones which are alive with light is amazing. Paul had bought a gem facetting machine and taught himself to use it, even developing a novel five sided cut which caused the stones to 'fire' (sparkle) more than the traditional cut. We left our largest finds with him to see what he could do with them.
In the evening, we went just outside the cabin to watch a family of kangaroos browse on the newly cut grass across the track. As we watched, first one then another loped across the track to investigate us. I actually touched the smaller one on the nose as it sniffed my hands. We remained together for about twenty minutes in the gloom as night fell around us. It was quite magical to be with such strange and unlikely creatures.
Woke up to gale force winds and grey skies. Looked at met forecast and decided that the seas were going to be too murky and rough for days for beach or reef. In addition there was an oil spill which closed the beaches around Brisbane. Ex-cyclone Hamish was still moving northwards, the only place with any sun seemed to be westward. By coincidence, the emerald, ruby and sapphire alluvial deposits were the same way.
We drove west along the Capricorn Highway ( as it follows the tropic) through pastureland dotted with gum trees, alongside the mineral line carrying coal from the interior. Each train consists of two locos, then 48 coal trucks, then another two locos and a final 48 coal trucks. We estimated the total length of each train as a kilometre, and we saw five or six during the morning. That is a lot of coal, I reckon in the order of 60,000 tons.
Stopped for lunch at the Blackdown Tablelands, a scarp edged plateau of cross bedded sandstone standing 600m above the level of the surrounding plain. It was cooler and a bit eerie up there.
Then on to Emerald ( named due to its verdure, no connection with gems) to replenish provisions and get the Information site lady to telephone ahead to check the place we wanted to stay was open.
After Emerald, we were driving with cotton fields either side of the road. Eventually we reached the turning for Willows Gemfields, described as part mining camp, part township and booked into a cabin at the Gem Air Village. It is block built with a 1950s feel but fully functional.
Sat on the warm back step whilst the sun went down, drinking wine and watching a kangaroo browsing unconcernedly just the other side of the track.
463km today, but it isn't raining.
Saturday 14th March
Woke up to cloudless day, birds singing including at one stage a cacophony of kookaburras. Eat breakfast sitting on the back step of the cabin, accompanied by a flock of Rainbow Parakeets and even more Apostle Birds ( like large thrushes, but reputed to live in groups of 12), both so fearless that several hopped up onto the step with us to peck up crumbs.
Walked around the corner, past a bunch of kangaroos, to meet Ruth at the Bonanza Claim. She showed us how to recognise and separate sapphires from the gem bearing gravel using a sieve, water and a piece of sacking on a board. The sun shone as we worked, with little cumulus clouds dotted around a clear blue sky. A kangaroo with a joey peeking out of her pouch came to investigate, whilst a kookaburra sat watching from a nearby tree. Beautiful morning made more memorable as with Ruth's guidance we gradually accumulated a collection of small blue and green sapphires.
After a siesta, went to meet Ruth and her husband Paul at their home near the claim. They showed us an impressive collection of sapphires that they had found and Paul had cut. The difference between the rough stones which just look like bits of broken glass and the cut stones which are alive with light is amazing. Paul had bought a gem facetting machine and taught himself to use it, even developing a novel five sided cut which caused the stones to 'fire' (sparkle) more than the traditional cut. We left our largest finds with him to see what he could do with them.
In the evening, we went just outside the cabin to watch a family of kangaroos browse on the newly cut grass across the track. As we watched, first one then another loped across the track to investigate us. I actually touched the smaller one on the nose as it sniffed my hands. We remained together for about twenty minutes in the gloom as night fell around us. It was quite magical to be with such strange and unlikely creatures.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Tropical Rain Stops Play
Thursday 12th March – Tropical Rain Stops Play
Woke up to heavy tropical rain. Temperature still in the 80s but grey skies, continuous rain and gusty winds all day.
Drove up to Yeppoon for supplies past beautiful (if soggy) bays containing palm fringed sandy beaches but the sea is choppy, brown and turbid with run-off. It will take some time to clear so no chance of seeing anything at the Great Barrier Reef which tantalisingly lies only a few miles offshore.
Time to finalise planning for Bali and Hong Kong. This is the first day since Fiji that we have been completely defeated by the weather. Decided to stay the night and decide tomorrow what to do.
Woke up to heavy tropical rain. Temperature still in the 80s but grey skies, continuous rain and gusty winds all day.
Drove up to Yeppoon for supplies past beautiful (if soggy) bays containing palm fringed sandy beaches but the sea is choppy, brown and turbid with run-off. It will take some time to clear so no chance of seeing anything at the Great Barrier Reef which tantalisingly lies only a few miles offshore.
Time to finalise planning for Bali and Hong Kong. This is the first day since Fiji that we have been completely defeated by the weather. Decided to stay the night and decide tomorrow what to do.
The Tropic of Capricorn
Wednesday March 11th – The Tropic of Capricorn
We decided that as Cyclone Hamish had moved southwards, we would move northwards and see how far we could travel in a day. Leaving early, we managed to navigate through Brisbane with only a minor detour. We headed up the fabled Bruce Highway, motorway near the city though still with a 100km speed limit, through overcast weather with bands of rain.
Calling into a service station for a big Aussie breakfast, a tourist guide told us it was quite possible to drive to Rockhampton in a day, and gave us maps of the area. We hadn't thought that this was possible because the slowness of driving in Australia caused by having to crawl through each sprawling community (no bypasses) and overtaking lanes at approximately 5km intervals on the single carriageway roads, usually limits daily travel to three or four hundred kilometres.
We drove northwards following the inland route, only stopping for a coffee and fuel, until we reached Rockhampton at 4:30pm. The country was quite tame, grassy plains with eucalyptus trees dotted about and a few sugar cane plantations, with forested mountains inland. The rain became less frequent and the temperature steadily climbed to reach 87F. Unfortunately the radio reported that Hamish had unexpectedly done a 'U' turn and was now following us.
As we neared Rockhampton, we crossed over a railway line with a long coal train crawling along towards the coast from the hinterland. It was quite a sight as the trucks must have stretched for the best part of a mile in length.
The information site at Rockhampton was actually situated on the tropic of Capricorn with a monument at the line and markers for the tropical and temperate zones either side. The nice lady at the site suggested a caravan park on the coast just south of Yeppoon, but it would shut a 6pm.
We hurriedly stocked up on provisions at the nearby Woolworths, then drove to the coast. As we neared Yeppoon, I saw a road heading off to Emu Park, which was close to our destination. However as we drove down it, we became concerned that we weren't passing through the villages marked on the map. Luckily though, it turned out to be a faster route and we arrived at the Coolwaters caravan park just as the owner was in the process of locking up the reception office.
We have a very comfortable cabin with air conditioning, two bedrooms, kitchen and shower room on a very well maintained quiet site. Altogether we covered 724km during the day and travelled further north in a day than we had originally planned for the complete trip. The new plan is to travel in shorter hops back via the coast to Brisbane
We decided that as Cyclone Hamish had moved southwards, we would move northwards and see how far we could travel in a day. Leaving early, we managed to navigate through Brisbane with only a minor detour. We headed up the fabled Bruce Highway, motorway near the city though still with a 100km speed limit, through overcast weather with bands of rain.
Calling into a service station for a big Aussie breakfast, a tourist guide told us it was quite possible to drive to Rockhampton in a day, and gave us maps of the area. We hadn't thought that this was possible because the slowness of driving in Australia caused by having to crawl through each sprawling community (no bypasses) and overtaking lanes at approximately 5km intervals on the single carriageway roads, usually limits daily travel to three or four hundred kilometres.
We drove northwards following the inland route, only stopping for a coffee and fuel, until we reached Rockhampton at 4:30pm. The country was quite tame, grassy plains with eucalyptus trees dotted about and a few sugar cane plantations, with forested mountains inland. The rain became less frequent and the temperature steadily climbed to reach 87F. Unfortunately the radio reported that Hamish had unexpectedly done a 'U' turn and was now following us.
As we neared Rockhampton, we crossed over a railway line with a long coal train crawling along towards the coast from the hinterland. It was quite a sight as the trucks must have stretched for the best part of a mile in length.
The information site at Rockhampton was actually situated on the tropic of Capricorn with a monument at the line and markers for the tropical and temperate zones either side. The nice lady at the site suggested a caravan park on the coast just south of Yeppoon, but it would shut a 6pm.
We hurriedly stocked up on provisions at the nearby Woolworths, then drove to the coast. As we neared Yeppoon, I saw a road heading off to Emu Park, which was close to our destination. However as we drove down it, we became concerned that we weren't passing through the villages marked on the map. Luckily though, it turned out to be a faster route and we arrived at the Coolwaters caravan park just as the owner was in the process of locking up the reception office.
We have a very comfortable cabin with air conditioning, two bedrooms, kitchen and shower room on a very well maintained quiet site. Altogether we covered 724km during the day and travelled further north in a day than we had originally planned for the complete trip. The new plan is to travel in shorter hops back via the coast to Brisbane
To Brisbane
Tuesday March 10th – to Brisbane
Did some shopping in Adelaide, then drove to airport and dropped car, a Hyundai Elantra. The flight to Brisbane was run by Qantas and was very pleasant. When we could see through the cloud cover, the outback was not as dry as we expected. There were large fields of arid reddish pasture, but also huge areas, probably 100 square miles at a time, of forestry.
We had a problem picking up the car at Brisbane. I'd booked a 4 door car through an agency that provides insurance against rental excesses, but the car supplied was a Getz which being a small 2 door hadn't the boot capacity for our two suitcases. After a discussion with the dispatch lady at Thrifty, we got a 'free upgrade' to the size of car originally ordered! Now we have a Ford Focus for the next 10 days.
Drove to Brisbane and found our hotel, the Sapphire Resort in South Brisbane probably more easily than we should have. I think we had a lot of luck as our maps weren't good. The hotel is comfortable enough but seems security obsessed and we assume this part of the city has troubles. However we wandered about the local streets to find dinner and only met friendly people.
Did some shopping in Adelaide, then drove to airport and dropped car, a Hyundai Elantra. The flight to Brisbane was run by Qantas and was very pleasant. When we could see through the cloud cover, the outback was not as dry as we expected. There were large fields of arid reddish pasture, but also huge areas, probably 100 square miles at a time, of forestry.
We had a problem picking up the car at Brisbane. I'd booked a 4 door car through an agency that provides insurance against rental excesses, but the car supplied was a Getz which being a small 2 door hadn't the boot capacity for our two suitcases. After a discussion with the dispatch lady at Thrifty, we got a 'free upgrade' to the size of car originally ordered! Now we have a Ford Focus for the next 10 days.
Drove to Brisbane and found our hotel, the Sapphire Resort in South Brisbane probably more easily than we should have. I think we had a lot of luck as our maps weren't good. The hotel is comfortable enough but seems security obsessed and we assume this part of the city has troubles. However we wandered about the local streets to find dinner and only met friendly people.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
To Adelaide
Sunday 8th March – to Adelaide
Woke up slightly earlier than expected as Southern Australia is 30 minutes behind Victoria. Toured around the parts of Robe we hadn't walked to the previous evening, it's a very pretty and well-heeled town in contrast to many we've been though.
Drove westwards along the Koorong, a desolate area where the longshore drift sandspit has trapped a lagoon between itself and the old coastline about a hundred miles long. The lagoon has partially evaporated due to the drought so is lined by large areas of salt pan. Inland is flat and mostly used for cattle grazing except some areas where there are very productive vineyards.
The day was hot and sunny for a change and I thought it would be nice to go for a swim, so we headed for a beach. As we drove down the road, an unexpected ferry occurred. We didn't have a good map and it turned out the once mighty Murray river was in the way. Luckily it was a free cable ferry ( like a chain ferry but faster and quieter), and due to the drought the river wasn't very wide.
We stopped at Strathalbyn for a picnic lunch with table and benches in the central park. It was a very pretty little town, people strolling in the park, children playing. Originally settled by Scots it sits nestled in hills but was considerably warmer than Scotland, about 28 degrees centigrade.
The information centre told us of a good bay to swim in, but it would have meant a 150 km detour so we decided to head for Adelaide instead. Probably a good decision as we arrived in the late afternoon still with enough energy to walk around town in the evening.
Found the 'Breakfree Diirectors Appartments' easily, well appointed quiet apartments on a street full of restaurants of almost all cuisines.
Monday 9th March – Adelaide
Walked to the Botanic Gardens. Superb, on a par with Montreal and Singapore. Inclusive collection of cycads, lake with huge carp and turtles, beautiful old palm house and the best collection of cacti we have ever seen.. All in a manicured setting with well maintained paths and walkways with parakeets. swooping through the foliage The bicentennial glasshouse is perhaps a triumph of containment over content, but with very striking architecture and climate control. The water lily building is a sublime confection of steel and glass.
Then on to the Art Gallery and a large collection of silverware as well as Australian art from Victorian to contemporary. Possibly the most difficult to hang was a full size fluorescent blue rhinoceros set horizontally with its feet on a wall about a metre above the floor.
Then the museum. We found that a new geological period had been agreed a few years ago, based on trace fossils found in the nearby Flinders Range. The Ediacaran precedes the Cambrian and we saw the fossils of the creatures that preceded the trilobites.
In another gallery was the skeleton of the largest marsupial yet found, a horse size beast with crossed over leg bones.
There was a good mineralogical collection, but for me the star of the show was a diffusion cloud chamber. This is a detection device that allows you to see the tracks of sub-atomic particles from local sources probably including some of the nearby uranium ore samples as well as from cosmic rays from interstellar space.
Woke up slightly earlier than expected as Southern Australia is 30 minutes behind Victoria. Toured around the parts of Robe we hadn't walked to the previous evening, it's a very pretty and well-heeled town in contrast to many we've been though.
Drove westwards along the Koorong, a desolate area where the longshore drift sandspit has trapped a lagoon between itself and the old coastline about a hundred miles long. The lagoon has partially evaporated due to the drought so is lined by large areas of salt pan. Inland is flat and mostly used for cattle grazing except some areas where there are very productive vineyards.
The day was hot and sunny for a change and I thought it would be nice to go for a swim, so we headed for a beach. As we drove down the road, an unexpected ferry occurred. We didn't have a good map and it turned out the once mighty Murray river was in the way. Luckily it was a free cable ferry ( like a chain ferry but faster and quieter), and due to the drought the river wasn't very wide.
We stopped at Strathalbyn for a picnic lunch with table and benches in the central park. It was a very pretty little town, people strolling in the park, children playing. Originally settled by Scots it sits nestled in hills but was considerably warmer than Scotland, about 28 degrees centigrade.
The information centre told us of a good bay to swim in, but it would have meant a 150 km detour so we decided to head for Adelaide instead. Probably a good decision as we arrived in the late afternoon still with enough energy to walk around town in the evening.
Found the 'Breakfree Diirectors Appartments' easily, well appointed quiet apartments on a street full of restaurants of almost all cuisines.
Monday 9th March – Adelaide
Walked to the Botanic Gardens. Superb, on a par with Montreal and Singapore. Inclusive collection of cycads, lake with huge carp and turtles, beautiful old palm house and the best collection of cacti we have ever seen.. All in a manicured setting with well maintained paths and walkways with parakeets. swooping through the foliage The bicentennial glasshouse is perhaps a triumph of containment over content, but with very striking architecture and climate control. The water lily building is a sublime confection of steel and glass.
Then on to the Art Gallery and a large collection of silverware as well as Australian art from Victorian to contemporary. Possibly the most difficult to hang was a full size fluorescent blue rhinoceros set horizontally with its feet on a wall about a metre above the floor.
Then the museum. We found that a new geological period had been agreed a few years ago, based on trace fossils found in the nearby Flinders Range. The Ediacaran precedes the Cambrian and we saw the fossils of the creatures that preceded the trilobites.
In another gallery was the skeleton of the largest marsupial yet found, a horse size beast with crossed over leg bones.
There was a good mineralogical collection, but for me the star of the show was a diffusion cloud chamber. This is a detection device that allows you to see the tracks of sub-atomic particles from local sources probably including some of the nearby uranium ore samples as well as from cosmic rays from interstellar space.
Great Ocean Road
Friday 6th March – The Great Ocean Road
Left Geelong and drove to Torquay to the start of the Great Ocean Road. At Urquarts Bluff, the rocks were banded in swirls of pink and red like a raspberry ripple ice cream..
Stopped at Lorne to look at the Erskine Falls. They would have been spectacular if more than a dribble of water was falling over them, that's the problem with 5 year droughts. However, as we walked to Teddy's Lookout over the bay, we came upon a koala sitting in a tree and as we walked back to kookaburras alighted in trees next to us.
Driving on, I saw an echidna scrambling along at the side of the road, but by the time we had found somewhere to park and walk back it had disappeared into the bush. Later we rounded a corner and saw lots of people at the side of the road. We parked and walked back to find three koalas perched precariously in trees by the road. One completely asleep and oblivious to its audience.
Then we went inland and turned down the recently metalled Turton track through miles of a tree fern lined narrow lanes through the Otway rain forest. This brought us to the Otway Fly, 600m of steel walkway supported by cable stayed steel towers up to 30m above ground level which meant we were walking amongst the treetop canopy of Eucalyptus mountain ash and black beech.
Onwards to the 12 Apostles, iconic Cretaceous sandstone sea stacks jutting out into the Southern Ocean with the surf pounding at their base. Quite spectacular. The day had been overcast with showers, but next we stopped at the Bay of Islands and it was lit by the evening sun and was utterly magnificent. The ocean had broken through a gap in the cliffs to form an inland bay dotted with sea stacks.
Quick dash for our night's lodging at LadyBay Apartments at Warrnambool. These were very comfortable and luckily had a restaurant attached as it was late by the time we arrived.
Saturday 7th March – to Robe
Warrnambool seaside was very pretty from our balcony in the morning, but alas we had no time to explore it. After replenishing our supplies, breakfast occurred at the Tower Hill Nature Reserve. This was an extinct volcanic crater complete with lake and central peak almost invisible from the adjacent main road. As we eat breakfast, Christine happened to look up to discover a koala fast asleep in the crook of a branch above us. A few minutes later an emu strutted imperiously past, pretending indifference to the obviously tempting morsels. One of our best breakfast stops.
We tried to follow a trail to 'the last volcano', but became slightly lost. In our efforts to find another path, I climbed a hill to be confronted by a kangaroo taller than myself. He decided to bound away into the brush, but when Christine joined me another one broke cover into view.
Eventually we retraced our route and found the central crater lake. Then we drove to Portland and a strange 'fossilised forest' at Cape Bridgewater. Here dune sands had overlain basalt, then the calciferous groundwater drawn up and evaporating had turned the sands into a limestone. Some form of solution had then taken place to form multitudes of empty tree-like vertical cylindrical cavities with concretionary walls. It looked like a fossilised forest, but probably the 'trees' had started off life as thick grasses.
Lunch at the beach, then drove to Mount Gambier where we looked into the blue lake. This was a maar (never heard the term before) a volcanic eruption where the ejecta just sits on the pre-existing surface. In this case a limestone, so you could see a thin layer of basalt on its surface, then a mound of volcanic ash. All in the crater walls around a beautiful blue circular lake.
Crossed into Southern Australia, where thankfully the speed limit is 110 km/hr and the sun shines. Drove hard to the comfortable Robetown motor inn.
Left Geelong and drove to Torquay to the start of the Great Ocean Road. At Urquarts Bluff, the rocks were banded in swirls of pink and red like a raspberry ripple ice cream..
Stopped at Lorne to look at the Erskine Falls. They would have been spectacular if more than a dribble of water was falling over them, that's the problem with 5 year droughts. However, as we walked to Teddy's Lookout over the bay, we came upon a koala sitting in a tree and as we walked back to kookaburras alighted in trees next to us.
Driving on, I saw an echidna scrambling along at the side of the road, but by the time we had found somewhere to park and walk back it had disappeared into the bush. Later we rounded a corner and saw lots of people at the side of the road. We parked and walked back to find three koalas perched precariously in trees by the road. One completely asleep and oblivious to its audience.
Then we went inland and turned down the recently metalled Turton track through miles of a tree fern lined narrow lanes through the Otway rain forest. This brought us to the Otway Fly, 600m of steel walkway supported by cable stayed steel towers up to 30m above ground level which meant we were walking amongst the treetop canopy of Eucalyptus mountain ash and black beech.
Onwards to the 12 Apostles, iconic Cretaceous sandstone sea stacks jutting out into the Southern Ocean with the surf pounding at their base. Quite spectacular. The day had been overcast with showers, but next we stopped at the Bay of Islands and it was lit by the evening sun and was utterly magnificent. The ocean had broken through a gap in the cliffs to form an inland bay dotted with sea stacks.
Quick dash for our night's lodging at LadyBay Apartments at Warrnambool. These were very comfortable and luckily had a restaurant attached as it was late by the time we arrived.
Saturday 7th March – to Robe
Warrnambool seaside was very pretty from our balcony in the morning, but alas we had no time to explore it. After replenishing our supplies, breakfast occurred at the Tower Hill Nature Reserve. This was an extinct volcanic crater complete with lake and central peak almost invisible from the adjacent main road. As we eat breakfast, Christine happened to look up to discover a koala fast asleep in the crook of a branch above us. A few minutes later an emu strutted imperiously past, pretending indifference to the obviously tempting morsels. One of our best breakfast stops.
We tried to follow a trail to 'the last volcano', but became slightly lost. In our efforts to find another path, I climbed a hill to be confronted by a kangaroo taller than myself. He decided to bound away into the brush, but when Christine joined me another one broke cover into view.
Eventually we retraced our route and found the central crater lake. Then we drove to Portland and a strange 'fossilised forest' at Cape Bridgewater. Here dune sands had overlain basalt, then the calciferous groundwater drawn up and evaporating had turned the sands into a limestone. Some form of solution had then taken place to form multitudes of empty tree-like vertical cylindrical cavities with concretionary walls. It looked like a fossilised forest, but probably the 'trees' had started off life as thick grasses.
Lunch at the beach, then drove to Mount Gambier where we looked into the blue lake. This was a maar (never heard the term before) a volcanic eruption where the ejecta just sits on the pre-existing surface. In this case a limestone, so you could see a thin layer of basalt on its surface, then a mound of volcanic ash. All in the crater walls around a beautiful blue circular lake.
Crossed into Southern Australia, where thankfully the speed limit is 110 km/hr and the sun shines. Drove hard to the comfortable Robetown motor inn.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
The Great Ocean Road
Friday 6th March – The Great Ocean Road
Left Geelong and drove to Torquay to the start of the Great Ocean Road. At Urquarts Bluff, the rocks were banded in swirls of pink and red like a raspberry ripple ice cream..
Stopped at Lorne to look at the Erskine Falls. They would have been spectacular if more than a dribble of water was falling over them, that's the problem with 5 year droughts. However, as we walked to Teddy's Lookout over the bay, we came upon a koala sitting in a tree and as we walked back to kookaburras alighted in trees next to us.
Driving on, I saw an echidna scrambling along at the side of the road, but by the time we had found somewhere to park and walk back it had disappeared into the bush. Later we rounded a corner and saw lots of people at the side of the road. We parked and walked back to find three koalas perched precariously in trees by the road. One completely asleep and oblivious to its audience.
Then we went inland and turned down the recently metalled Turton track through miles of a tree fern lined narrow lanes through the Otway rain forest. This brought us to the Otway Fly, 600m of steel walkway supported by cable stayed steel towers up to 30m above ground level which meant we were walking amongst the treetop canopy of Eucalyptus mountain ash and black beech.
Onwards to the 12 Apostles, iconic Cretaceous sandstone sea stacks jutting out into the Southern Ocean with the surf pounding at their base. Quite spectacular. The day had been overcast with showers, but next we stopped at the Bay of Islands and it was lit by the evening sun and was utterly magnificent. The ocean had broken through a gap in the cliffs to form an inland bay dotted with sea stacks.
Quick dash for our night's lodging at LadyBay Apartments at Warrnambool. These were very comfortable and luckily had a restaurant attached as it was late by the time we arrived.
Saturday 7th March – to Robe
Warrnambool seaside was very pretty from our balcony in the morning, but alas we had no time to explore it. After replenishing our supplies, breakfast occurred at the Tower Hill Nature Reserve. This was an extinct volcanic crater complete with lake and central peak almost invisible from the adjacent main road. As we eat breakfast, Christine happened to look up to discover a koala fast asleep in the crook of a branch above us. A few minutes later an emu strutted imperiously past, pretending indifference to the obviously tempting morsels. One of our best breakfast stops.
We tried to follow a trail to 'the last volcano', but became slightly lost. In our efforts to find another path, I climbed a hill to be confronted by a kangaroo taller than myself. He decided to bound away into the brush, but when Christine joined me another one broke cover into view.
Eventually we retraced our route and found the central crater lake. Then we drove to Portland and a strange 'fossilised forest' at Cape Bridgewater. Here dune sands had overlain basalt, then the calciferous groundwater drawn up and evaporating had turned the sands into a limestone. Some form of solution had then taken place to form multitudes of empty tree-like vertical cylindrical cavities with concretionary walls. It looked like a fossilised forest, but probably the 'trees' had started off life as thick grasses.
Lunch at the beach, then drove to Mount Gambier where we looked into the blue lake. This was a maar (never heard the term before) a volcanic eruption where the ejecta just sits on the pre-existing surface. In this case a limestone, so you could see a thin layer of basalt on its surface, then a mound of volcanic ash. All in the crater walls around a beautiful blue circular lake.
Crossed into Southern Australia, where thankfully the speed limit is 110 km/hr and the sun shines. Drove hard to the comfortable Robetown motor inn.
Left Geelong and drove to Torquay to the start of the Great Ocean Road. At Urquarts Bluff, the rocks were banded in swirls of pink and red like a raspberry ripple ice cream..
Stopped at Lorne to look at the Erskine Falls. They would have been spectacular if more than a dribble of water was falling over them, that's the problem with 5 year droughts. However, as we walked to Teddy's Lookout over the bay, we came upon a koala sitting in a tree and as we walked back to kookaburras alighted in trees next to us.
Driving on, I saw an echidna scrambling along at the side of the road, but by the time we had found somewhere to park and walk back it had disappeared into the bush. Later we rounded a corner and saw lots of people at the side of the road. We parked and walked back to find three koalas perched precariously in trees by the road. One completely asleep and oblivious to its audience.
Then we went inland and turned down the recently metalled Turton track through miles of a tree fern lined narrow lanes through the Otway rain forest. This brought us to the Otway Fly, 600m of steel walkway supported by cable stayed steel towers up to 30m above ground level which meant we were walking amongst the treetop canopy of Eucalyptus mountain ash and black beech.
Onwards to the 12 Apostles, iconic Cretaceous sandstone sea stacks jutting out into the Southern Ocean with the surf pounding at their base. Quite spectacular. The day had been overcast with showers, but next we stopped at the Bay of Islands and it was lit by the evening sun and was utterly magnificent. The ocean had broken through a gap in the cliffs to form an inland bay dotted with sea stacks.
Quick dash for our night's lodging at LadyBay Apartments at Warrnambool. These were very comfortable and luckily had a restaurant attached as it was late by the time we arrived.
Saturday 7th March – to Robe
Warrnambool seaside was very pretty from our balcony in the morning, but alas we had no time to explore it. After replenishing our supplies, breakfast occurred at the Tower Hill Nature Reserve. This was an extinct volcanic crater complete with lake and central peak almost invisible from the adjacent main road. As we eat breakfast, Christine happened to look up to discover a koala fast asleep in the crook of a branch above us. A few minutes later an emu strutted imperiously past, pretending indifference to the obviously tempting morsels. One of our best breakfast stops.
We tried to follow a trail to 'the last volcano', but became slightly lost. In our efforts to find another path, I climbed a hill to be confronted by a kangaroo taller than myself. He decided to bound away into the brush, but when Christine joined me another one broke cover into view.
Eventually we retraced our route and found the central crater lake. Then we drove to Portland and a strange 'fossilised forest' at Cape Bridgewater. Here dune sands had overlain basalt, then the calciferous groundwater drawn up and evaporating had turned the sands into a limestone. Some form of solution had then taken place to form multitudes of empty tree-like vertical cylindrical cavities with concretionary walls. It looked like a fossilised forest, but probably the 'trees' had started off life as thick grasses.
Lunch at the beach, then drove to Mount Gambier where we looked into the blue lake. This was a maar (never heard the term before) a volcanic eruption where the ejecta just sits on the pre-existing surface. In this case a limestone, so you could see a thin layer of basalt on its surface, then a mound of volcanic ash. All in the crater walls around a beautiful blue circular lake.
Crossed into Southern Australia, where thankfully the speed limit is 110 km/hr and the sun shines. Drove hard to the comfortable Robetown motor inn.
Geelong
Thursday 5th March – Geelong
Sheila picked us up and drove to Geelong Botanic Gardens. The Arid Garden was most impressively designed and executed, with sweeping curves of contrasting light sand and dark basalt. The planting was mostly a combination of native and Canarian plants with many cycads.
Then on to the Jerralinga Sanctuary at Barwon Heads on the Bellarine peninsular. This was a very extensive collection of native animals and birds, as well as providing rescue facilities for injured wildlife. We saw ( and patted) koalas, watched kookaburras, dingos, wombats, kangaroos and wallabies. A very nice guide opened up the quarters of the nocturnal possums and one was obliging enough to peek out at us and have his photo taken. We also saw an echidna, a spiny marsupial ant-eater.
Lunch at the Wharf Shed back at Geelong, then to the National Wool Museum in an old wool warehouse. Around the Geelong seafront are beautifully carved and painted wooden bollards, each several metres tall and artfully sculpted to resemble a local historical figure. In the basement studio of the museum was the final sculpture, a tribute resembling the original artist who had recently died.
The museum had a working Jacquard loom and an old ex-patriot carpetmaker from Kidderminster demonstrated how it worked by weaving part of an Axminster carpet. It was intriguing to see it working, but at least we could understand what it was doing which we couldn't with several other wool processing machines. The museum was extremely interesting, including its explanation of the origin of the lyrics to 'Waltzing Matilda' as political comment about the poor treatment of shearers at the time.
Then it was time to say goodbye, we hope it won't be another 30 years before we next meet.
Sheila picked us up and drove to Geelong Botanic Gardens. The Arid Garden was most impressively designed and executed, with sweeping curves of contrasting light sand and dark basalt. The planting was mostly a combination of native and Canarian plants with many cycads.
Then on to the Jerralinga Sanctuary at Barwon Heads on the Bellarine peninsular. This was a very extensive collection of native animals and birds, as well as providing rescue facilities for injured wildlife. We saw ( and patted) koalas, watched kookaburras, dingos, wombats, kangaroos and wallabies. A very nice guide opened up the quarters of the nocturnal possums and one was obliging enough to peek out at us and have his photo taken. We also saw an echidna, a spiny marsupial ant-eater.
Lunch at the Wharf Shed back at Geelong, then to the National Wool Museum in an old wool warehouse. Around the Geelong seafront are beautifully carved and painted wooden bollards, each several metres tall and artfully sculpted to resemble a local historical figure. In the basement studio of the museum was the final sculpture, a tribute resembling the original artist who had recently died.
The museum had a working Jacquard loom and an old ex-patriot carpetmaker from Kidderminster demonstrated how it worked by weaving part of an Axminster carpet. It was intriguing to see it working, but at least we could understand what it was doing which we couldn't with several other wool processing machines. The museum was extremely interesting, including its explanation of the origin of the lyrics to 'Waltzing Matilda' as political comment about the poor treatment of shearers at the time.
Then it was time to say goodbye, we hope it won't be another 30 years before we next meet.
Bendigo and Ballarat
Tuesday 3rd March – No picnic at Hanging Rock
Left Melbourne in the rain and headed towards Bendigo on the Calder Highway.
On the way we stopped at Organ Pipes National Park, a very small park centred on a magnificent outcrop of columnar basalt in a deeply incised creek bank. We were the only people in the place, and as we walked around a track by the creek, we came upon several Eastern Grey Kangaroos browsing on the undergrowth. Everywhere else was dry and brown so they had come down to graze greenery by the stream, One had a pouch that wriggled, but the joey didn't peek out. They didn't have much fear of us and let us get quite close before bounding off.
Next stop was supposed to have been a picnic at Hanging Rock, but when we got to the entrance, the gates were locked and the place had mysteriously closed. Everyone had disappeared - spooky or what? The best explanation we could come up with was that the high gusty winds had uprooted a gum tree up the road which brought down a power line with it ( a couple of police cars blocked the road there) and probably the loss of power meant the site had to close.
Drove onwards to Bendigo and the Central Deborah Gold Mine. This was a beautifully preserved mine with all the headgear, engines and processing equipment still working. We went on an underground tour 60m below surface. The guide was very knowledgeable and both explained and demonstrated how the mine was operated, including letting me use a pneumatic rock drill! However the highlight for me was watching an Eimco rocker shovel in operation. I had never expected to ever see one of these startlingly noisy and brutal machines going again.
Then after a quick walk about Bendigo, with a coffee at the famous Gillies pie shop (imfamously once advertised as ' The pies that fill but do not kill'), we drove to Ballarat through more dusty country even though it was starting to rain. The weather was exceptionally windy and the clouds were a strange colour as they were heavily laden with dust.
We found our apartment with difficulty as we didn't have a map, only to find the reception office closed and the phone not working. Luckily another resident rang up the management for us and they explained the key was between the screen door and the main door. As it was now pouring with rain and blowing a gale, we were very pleased to get inside.
Wednesday 4th March
Went to nearby Gold Museum in Ballarat. Intriguing modern museum explaining the history of the goldfield and the tribulations of the miners, especially the tax that led to the Eureka Stockade revolt.
Also fascinating displays of nuggets and explanations of the ways of working and the uses of gold, especially as coinage.
Then into Ballarat itself to wander through the Victorian streets built on a grand scale. The art gallery had a wonderful selection of Australian art including some striking modern pieces in a modern extension to the original Victorian gallery and was well worth looking round.
On to Geelong but by back roads because we stopped for lunch at the desolate Steiglitz National Park. Dust was blowing in between showers of rain and the gum tree and grass tree trunks were blackened by bushfires, probably a few years earlier. A strange and cruelly difficult landscape.
Found the Best Western motor lodge with the help of the information centre. I must have not been paying attention when I booked it, as Christine forcibly pointed out, as it is directly on the very busy Princes Highway with a lot of traffic noise.
On the positive side, our friend Sheila had left a message for us at reception and we spent a very pleasant evening chatting to her and her mother at their home.
Left Melbourne in the rain and headed towards Bendigo on the Calder Highway.
On the way we stopped at Organ Pipes National Park, a very small park centred on a magnificent outcrop of columnar basalt in a deeply incised creek bank. We were the only people in the place, and as we walked around a track by the creek, we came upon several Eastern Grey Kangaroos browsing on the undergrowth. Everywhere else was dry and brown so they had come down to graze greenery by the stream, One had a pouch that wriggled, but the joey didn't peek out. They didn't have much fear of us and let us get quite close before bounding off.
Next stop was supposed to have been a picnic at Hanging Rock, but when we got to the entrance, the gates were locked and the place had mysteriously closed. Everyone had disappeared - spooky or what? The best explanation we could come up with was that the high gusty winds had uprooted a gum tree up the road which brought down a power line with it ( a couple of police cars blocked the road there) and probably the loss of power meant the site had to close.
Drove onwards to Bendigo and the Central Deborah Gold Mine. This was a beautifully preserved mine with all the headgear, engines and processing equipment still working. We went on an underground tour 60m below surface. The guide was very knowledgeable and both explained and demonstrated how the mine was operated, including letting me use a pneumatic rock drill! However the highlight for me was watching an Eimco rocker shovel in operation. I had never expected to ever see one of these startlingly noisy and brutal machines going again.
Then after a quick walk about Bendigo, with a coffee at the famous Gillies pie shop (imfamously once advertised as ' The pies that fill but do not kill'), we drove to Ballarat through more dusty country even though it was starting to rain. The weather was exceptionally windy and the clouds were a strange colour as they were heavily laden with dust.
We found our apartment with difficulty as we didn't have a map, only to find the reception office closed and the phone not working. Luckily another resident rang up the management for us and they explained the key was between the screen door and the main door. As it was now pouring with rain and blowing a gale, we were very pleased to get inside.
Wednesday 4th March
Went to nearby Gold Museum in Ballarat. Intriguing modern museum explaining the history of the goldfield and the tribulations of the miners, especially the tax that led to the Eureka Stockade revolt.
Also fascinating displays of nuggets and explanations of the ways of working and the uses of gold, especially as coinage.
Then into Ballarat itself to wander through the Victorian streets built on a grand scale. The art gallery had a wonderful selection of Australian art including some striking modern pieces in a modern extension to the original Victorian gallery and was well worth looking round.
On to Geelong but by back roads because we stopped for lunch at the desolate Steiglitz National Park. Dust was blowing in between showers of rain and the gum tree and grass tree trunks were blackened by bushfires, probably a few years earlier. A strange and cruelly difficult landscape.
Found the Best Western motor lodge with the help of the information centre. I must have not been paying attention when I booked it, as Christine forcibly pointed out, as it is directly on the very busy Princes Highway with a lot of traffic noise.
On the positive side, our friend Sheila had left a message for us at reception and we spent a very pleasant evening chatting to her and her mother at their home.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Melbourne
Sunday 1st March – Melbourne
This is a city built on Parisian lines, well tram lines anyway. The roads are broad with the trams running in the centre, and many Victorian and later facades have been retained even though a lot of skyscraper building has occurred.
Walked across the Yarra river bridge to the Sunday art market at the arts complex. Hundreds of vendors selling artistically designed trinkets. One man had found a use for silver plated teapots by using them as the upper parts of wind-chimes with various cutlery suspended beneath.
Then caught the free City Circle Tram to Victoria Market. Old wooden trams run frequently both ways around the city centre with recorded commentary describing where you are. At the huge covered market we bought salad vegetables, then caught the tram again to complete a circuitous journey.
In the afternoon we strolled around the Botanic Gardens. Not a patch on Sydney's mostly due to lack of water. It was interesting that plants were very distressed and dying even in the part of the grounds devoted to arid conditions. Really only the cacti were happy.
The weather was overcast all day, and slightly chilly.
Monday 2nd March
Sunny today. Walked to Melbourne museum which is a very modern construction full of interactive displays, including a walk-through forest complete with fish and birds.
Took the tram to docklands for coffee, the regeneration is large scale but seems underpopulated.
Back to the apartment for lunch, then a trip to a shopping mall to see a cliock that plays 'Waltzing Matilda' every hour. Turned out to be made by Seiko who have a strange Japanese idea of what the unofficial Australian anthem should sound like! Completed the day with a beer in a bar on the banks of the Yarra.
Melbourne on a weekday is definitely busier than on a Sunday, but not as busy as Sydney, although there does seem to be more construction going on.
This is a city built on Parisian lines, well tram lines anyway. The roads are broad with the trams running in the centre, and many Victorian and later facades have been retained even though a lot of skyscraper building has occurred.
Walked across the Yarra river bridge to the Sunday art market at the arts complex. Hundreds of vendors selling artistically designed trinkets. One man had found a use for silver plated teapots by using them as the upper parts of wind-chimes with various cutlery suspended beneath.
Then caught the free City Circle Tram to Victoria Market. Old wooden trams run frequently both ways around the city centre with recorded commentary describing where you are. At the huge covered market we bought salad vegetables, then caught the tram again to complete a circuitous journey.
In the afternoon we strolled around the Botanic Gardens. Not a patch on Sydney's mostly due to lack of water. It was interesting that plants were very distressed and dying even in the part of the grounds devoted to arid conditions. Really only the cacti were happy.
The weather was overcast all day, and slightly chilly.
Monday 2nd March
Sunny today. Walked to Melbourne museum which is a very modern construction full of interactive displays, including a walk-through forest complete with fish and birds.
Took the tram to docklands for coffee, the regeneration is large scale but seems underpopulated.
Back to the apartment for lunch, then a trip to a shopping mall to see a cliock that plays 'Waltzing Matilda' every hour. Turned out to be made by Seiko who have a strange Japanese idea of what the unofficial Australian anthem should sound like! Completed the day with a beer in a bar on the banks of the Yarra.
Melbourne on a weekday is definitely busier than on a Sunday, but not as busy as Sydney, although there does seem to be more construction going on.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Melbourne Sunday
Sunday 1st March – Melbourne
This is a city built on Parisian lines, well tram lines anyway. The roads are broad with the trams running in the centre, and many Victorian and later facades have been retained even though a lot of skyscraper building has occurred.
Walked across the Yarra river bridge to the Sunday art market at the arts complex. Hundreds of vendors selling artistically designed trinkets. One man had found a use for silver plated teapots by using them as the upper parts of wind-chimes with various cutlery suspended beneath.
Then caught the free City Circle Tram to Victoria Market. Old wooden trams run frequently both ways around the city centre with recorded commentary describing where you are. At the huge covered market we bought salad vegetables, then caught the tram again to complete a circuitous journey.
In the afternoon we strolled around the Botanic Gardens. Not a patch on Sydney's mostly due to lack of water. It was interesting that plants were very distressed and dying even in the part of the grounds devoted to arid conditions. Really only the cacti were happy.
The weather was overcast all day, and slightly chilly.
This is a city built on Parisian lines, well tram lines anyway. The roads are broad with the trams running in the centre, and many Victorian and later facades have been retained even though a lot of skyscraper building has occurred.
Walked across the Yarra river bridge to the Sunday art market at the arts complex. Hundreds of vendors selling artistically designed trinkets. One man had found a use for silver plated teapots by using them as the upper parts of wind-chimes with various cutlery suspended beneath.
Then caught the free City Circle Tram to Victoria Market. Old wooden trams run frequently both ways around the city centre with recorded commentary describing where you are. At the huge covered market we bought salad vegetables, then caught the tram again to complete a circuitous journey.
In the afternoon we strolled around the Botanic Gardens. Not a patch on Sydney's mostly due to lack of water. It was interesting that plants were very distressed and dying even in the part of the grounds devoted to arid conditions. Really only the cacti were happy.
The weather was overcast all day, and slightly chilly.
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