snorkeling at the reef
scuba diver!
returning from her dive
Monday, January 9, 2012
Adelaide
at the beach in Glenelg - 4 miles from Adelaide
crazy people jumping from the pier
best lunch ever
with the grapes at one of the wineries
whispering wall. Z stood on one end and I could hear him
talking with no problem from the other end
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Hobart
view from our hotel at night
Vegemite
Port Arthur - the prison that helped "settle" Australia
on the boat from Port Arthur to the Isle of the Dead
@ the harbor in Hobart on Christmas Day
Launceston/Cradle Mountain
the gang at Cradle Mountain - a wallaby was just nearby
there are several multi-day hikes through this area and we
had a few folks on our tour who planned to do the trek.
skipping rocks in the lake
sitting on top of suicide rock
echidna
suicide rock
Friday, January 6, 2012
Cairns and Ayers Rock
We left Adelaide and flew to Cairns. It is a beautiful costal city and we had an amazing apartment that overlooked the walking path along the bay. From there we watched the fireworks on New Years Eve. We went high above the city by train the next day to see the rainforest. The aboriginal people have a presence there as compared to the other areas we've been. Most tribes are extinct in the places we had been up until that point. We spent the afternoon at the cultural "park" or center and then went to the Great Barrier Reef the next day. We've seen very few American's on the trip. I can count the number of groups on one hand. However, one little boy got motion sickness on the boat ride to the reef and he rested in the seats across from us. The family was from San Francisco and they were also spending their school and Christmas holiday in Australia. Several days later when we arrived Sydney we saw them again by chance while waiting for one of our tour buses. Small world.
After Cairns we went to Ayers Rock. It really isn't a town. It is simply the resort that supports the tourist population that comes to see Ayers Rock (or Uluru as the aboriginals call it). One company owns the resort and each hotel in it. The tour companies then contract with the resort. We did a sunset viewing (with champagne of course!) of Uluru and had a steak, chicken, and kangaroo BBQ outside at the base of the rock. Both kids have tried Kangaroo but Zach likes it the best and has ordered it off the menu more than once. We then turned out the lights at the BBQ and did some star gazing with some direction from our tour guide. It is the wrong time of year and there was a bright moon so we could not see the Southern Cross. Bummer. However, the next evening we had the most amazing experience at Mt. Connor. Mt. Connor is described as Uluru's "baby brother" but we had the entire mountain to ourselves. Most tourists do not go out there but I had found a small company that has the sole right to tour Mt. Connor. It is on a cattle station that is over 1 million acres (which is the size of most cattle stations here). We toured the area around Mt. Connor with Paige, our tour guide. It was such a special trip. Just the four of us and Paige at Mt. Connor. Nobody around for miles. Again, sunset viewing with champagne and stories on the history of the cattle station and Mt. Connor. The outback is often called the Red Center and when you travel through it becomes clear how it got the name. The sand and the rock are a very deep red color - Mick said it looks like softball dirt. :) We had dinner at the cattle station which consisted of soup, steak, salad, and chips/fries. Desert was a choice of sticky date pudding with ice cream, bread pudding with ice cream, or jelly with fruit (which I later found out is fruit jello). We had to share out hotel room with ants and beetles but we laughed and had so much fun over the course of our two days there that I don't think it mattered too much to any of us.
After Cairns we went to Ayers Rock. It really isn't a town. It is simply the resort that supports the tourist population that comes to see Ayers Rock (or Uluru as the aboriginals call it). One company owns the resort and each hotel in it. The tour companies then contract with the resort. We did a sunset viewing (with champagne of course!) of Uluru and had a steak, chicken, and kangaroo BBQ outside at the base of the rock. Both kids have tried Kangaroo but Zach likes it the best and has ordered it off the menu more than once. We then turned out the lights at the BBQ and did some star gazing with some direction from our tour guide. It is the wrong time of year and there was a bright moon so we could not see the Southern Cross. Bummer. However, the next evening we had the most amazing experience at Mt. Connor. Mt. Connor is described as Uluru's "baby brother" but we had the entire mountain to ourselves. Most tourists do not go out there but I had found a small company that has the sole right to tour Mt. Connor. It is on a cattle station that is over 1 million acres (which is the size of most cattle stations here). We toured the area around Mt. Connor with Paige, our tour guide. It was such a special trip. Just the four of us and Paige at Mt. Connor. Nobody around for miles. Again, sunset viewing with champagne and stories on the history of the cattle station and Mt. Connor. The outback is often called the Red Center and when you travel through it becomes clear how it got the name. The sand and the rock are a very deep red color - Mick said it looks like softball dirt. :) We had dinner at the cattle station which consisted of soup, steak, salad, and chips/fries. Desert was a choice of sticky date pudding with ice cream, bread pudding with ice cream, or jelly with fruit (which I later found out is fruit jello). We had to share out hotel room with ants and beetles but we laughed and had so much fun over the course of our two days there that I don't think it mattered too much to any of us.
Monday, January 2, 2012
12/28/2011
Barossa Valley wine tour today. Went to several wineries and saw much of the country outside of Adelaide. Not far to get out of the city and to wine country. Incredible tasting wines with some bad ones, too. Obviously, a personal preference. Went to the whispering wall - a dam that was inadvertently designed in such a way that a person on one end could talk in a normal voice and a person at the other end could hear them. History says that it was discovered when workers at one end were talking about their boss and he overheard them from the opposite end. We tried it and it worked. Pretty neat. We then went to a small town about a half hour out of Adelaide and enjoyed touring around.
12/29/011
City tour of Adelaide today. Got to learn about the City and see the various sites. Went on a river cruise and enjoyed walking through the City. Went to the legnthy outdoor shopping area where we were wall to wall with many people. The weather was beautiful and we tried a local favorite - Wok in a Box. Seems like there are a lot of folks eating on the run. Wok in a Box was good. Lots of Thai and other Asian influenced restaurants in Australia. Kind of like Mexican food in Arizona and California. Much fun.
1/2/2012
Traveled to the Great Barrier Reef today. Left from Port Douglas - about an hour from Cairns. Looks like a great little town with an interesting history of developement from a small fishing town to a tourist based economy. Traveled to the reef by boat where we were able to snorkel along the reef and scuba dive. I snorkeled and had a lot of fun seeing the reef and sea life up close. Brightly colored fish and coral everywhere. Tried to scuba dive, but couldn't get comfortable with breathing underwater. Enjoyed a nice lunch on the reef including calamari and mussels as well as prawns and burundi. What a great experience.
1/1/2012
Went to the rainforest today. Took a train to Kuranda. Saw Barron Falls and learned about the history of the construction of the railway to provide access to the gold fields. Walked in the rainforest and shopped in Kuranda. Rode a sky tram above the rainforest and stopped at various locations to see the rainforest and Barron Falls from different perspectives. After the rainforest, we went to an aboriginal cultural center and participated in some cultural activities. We listened to several songs and learned about the history of the "wet" and "dry" people from the aboriginal perspective. Enjoyed conversations with several aboriginal folks. We had the opportunity to throw spears in the traditional manner and to throw returning boomerangs. Zachary was the best spear thrower of the group and would have eaten kangaroo that night if he were hunting. I would have been a vegetarian if I had to rely on the spear for any meal. Zachary and I both threw the boomerang well getting it to return twice pretty close to us. After the cultural experience, we ate in Cairns. I had the Australian trio of crocodile, kangaroo, and burundi (fish). All were tasty. I have had kangaroo three times and would highly recommend it. Happy new year!
12/31/2011
Last day of 2011. Traveled from Adelaide to Cairns. Landed in Cairns and traveled to the Waters Edge Apartments. Great location and nice apartments. Australia is different in that there are hotels, but many people stay in apartments instead of hotels. The apartments are fully serviced in most cases, but are generally less expensive and bigger than the average hotel room. This place is great with a beautiful view of a lagoon and a nearby park and boardwalk. Easy access to restaurants and shops also. Enjoyed the 9:00 p.m. family fireworks and the 12:00 a.m. adult fireworks for NYE. Nice fireworks shows. Early morning tomorrow for the rainforest.
12/30/2011
Went to the beach today near the Glenelg precinct. Used the city tram system, which went well. Nice, easy way to get to the beach. Enjoyed the sun, sand and water. The sun is intense in Australia. Lots of fun watching people jump from the pier into the ocean. Too high for me. Traveling to Cairns tomorrow.
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