Canberra to Melbourne

We're back!!! This time with photo's. We haven't had much opportunity to email or blog so are taking advantage of Melbourne to do so.

Here are some photo's from the time of our arrival in Australia.












The Opera House (of course!), the Sydney Bridge as we scoped it out for the climb and what we would have looked like wayyyyy up there.


The hospital where are darling grandaughter Sidney was born (we pray it's the right one!)











Manley Beach Merryne, Dave and clan plus Dozer (the dog, not the lady holding
him)













Crazy Santa outside a shopping centre.







Below you will see the bronze models of the Three Sisters plus the rock formations in the Blue Mountains that were named for the legend. As it goes, long ago, three sisters lived with their witch doctor father. They feared the bunyip (troll as far as we can figure) that lived in a deep hole nearb. One day, the father left his daughters to descend into the valley. The bunyip went after the sisters and from the valley, the father saw the bunyip as he almost reached the girls. Frantic, the witch doctor used his magic to turn his daughters into stone until the bunyip had gone. The bunyip was furious and attacked the father so the father turned himself into a lyrebird. But alas, he had lost his power. Today the Three Sisters stand silently watching and waiting for someone to find the magic to release them. Sad huh???














Poor old WALUT being hauled:













The flagpole bearing the Australian flag in the photo below is located at Regatta Point in Canberra, on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin. The pole was a 40 metre Douglas Fir that was a gift from Canada to Australia. It was transported across the Pacific to Sydney then overland by train to Canberra, treated then erected. The entire process took 2 years due to the difficulty of transporting from Sydney. The transfer of the treated pole by truck and trolley from railway station to the site proved to be a dramatic event. The trolley at the tail end veered from side to side and often off the road. A crane followed to lift the trolley back onto the road. Workers became so attached over the 2 years, they nicknamed the pole "Polly". Each year on July 1st (Canada Day), there is a special flag raising ceremony and it is also the centre of celebrations on Australia Day.














Dec 16 - We left Canberra, heading for the town of Huskisson on Jervis Bay (east coast). We saw hundreds of miles of tinder dry grass and many scorched trees. As we entered the mountain range we saw more green however everywhere we looked there were trees that at some time had been affected by fire. At one point we saw a convoy of at least 10 fire trucks and two ambulances heading back from a fire somewhere.

We learned that the eucalyptus tree actually thrives on fire. The buds for new growth are forced through the thick bark and they sprout. The Alpine Ash however is being decimated because it takes 20 years for it's seed to grow into a tree and the fires are not allowing that cycle to take place.

Jervis Bay is a beautiful place and our camp was right on the bay. Very busy camp with lots of families.

Dec 17 - We moved on to Pebbly Beach and finally saw our first LIVE kangaroos (edited for the sake of small children....you adults can figure out what I mean). They were right by the side of the road and as we moved slowly along, two more hopped in front of us on the road. They are adorable!












Next stop Narooma, a pretty fishing village with wonderful seafood. We sat beside our van in the campground, listening to the Christmas concert in the park next door, eating prawns, oysters and drinking wine (what else?). There's Bob giving the scraps to the seagulls.....and there's Santa arriving by fire truck!














I must tell you about the cicada's. At home we hear a few on those hot summer days.....however....here they come in clumps of millions and the roar is something to behold! Our first encounter was as we approached Dave and Merryne's house. We were driving through forest and wondered what on earth the roar was. Amazing sound!

Dec 18 - Another beautiful fishing village called Eden. As we were approaching the village Bob and I spotted something that looked like a large branch on the edge of the road. It began to move and we realized that it was a huge lizard. It quickly scuttled into the foliage before we could grab a shot of it.

Beautiful coastline heading south and quite green in comparison to the countryside inland.

As we walked into Eden two gorgeous birds flew in front of us. They were black cockatoo's and they have either yellow or red crests. Unlike their white bro's, they are quite shy and it is difficult to capture a picture. Utterly magnificent!!

The fruit here is just like Canada when in season although we find that it is much more expensive....probably due to the drought conditions. The exception however would be the mango which we never get really fresh at home. It is fabulous and we eat it every day....no matter the cost.

We have been averaging approximately 500 km per day and Dec 19th we drove from Eden to Wilsons Promontory. It was a long drive and looking at all the farmers fields dry as a bone was pretty heart rending. At least one farmer per week is committing suicide and the government is trying to get them to get help before they leave their families in even more desperate situations. You just cannot imagine the sight and we can only imagine how beautiful this country would be if it was green.

Wilsons Promontory ..or the Prom as it is referred to is the most southerly point of Australia (excepting Tasmania) and is a huge national park. Our site was a sand dune away from the beach and what a beach it was (see photo's following). The sunsets are fabulous and the water turquoise. We walked the various bushwalks surrounding the beaches. One beach is called "Squeaky Beach" and once we arrived we knew why. Whether walking barefoot or in sandals, the fine white sand squeaks under your feet....just like fresh snow on those cold, cold days. Disturbing was the sight of many dead seals only on that beach. We have no idea why this is because we didn't see it anywhere else.

We decided to stay here a couple of days then head to Melbourne.

Dec 21 - Our hottest day so far in Australia....35C. We decided to do our hike early in the morning to avoid the mid-day sun (unlike most of the campers) then returned to the camp to plan the next part of our journey. That done, we read the paper and saw a horrible photo of Melbourne the previous day. The smoke from the fires north of the city had settled in the city. It looked like night and the word was that many people who had asthma were being treated in hospital. Since Melbourne was our next destination we wondered what we'd find when we got there.

Dec 22 - I awakened abruptly in the night. Not certain what woke me up but there was a strong, unsettling smell of smoke in the air. I looked out and could see the stars so knew it wasn't in our vicinity. I knew that the wind had changed and was now blowing smoke from north of Melbourne toward us. I lay awake for quite some time, thinking of all the firefighters (5000) fighting the fires in various locations in Australia plus all those homeowners who are staying to fight the blazes near their homes and I could not help but feel a bit of their pain. What must it be like day after day? It has been 6 years of drought!!! Can you possibly imagine?

Each day, a fire truck drives through the park and the warning is given via loudspeaker that all fires are banned. No wonder!

We drove to Melbourne and as we left the park a large, beautiful dark brown roo jumped across the road in front of us.

As we neared Melbourne we called our daughter- in- law Maggie for her birthday (sorry we missed you Maggie) then checked in at our campsite.

Clouds were forming over the city and finally it rained!!! Mercy, mercy, it rained all night and everyone is so grateful. Not certain yet if it got to the fire areas. We'll learn more later today.







































Christmas Eve we leave for Tasmania on the ferry. It is a 9 hour trip and we will arrive on Christmas morning, tumbling off the boat along with all the other travellers....just like the presents from Santa's pack. We hear it's much cooler there and there is snow in the mountains so it will be a bit like Christmas at home. We will spend a few days there then will return to Melbourne to continue up the west coast of Australia.

Having a blast and managing to get along....now what more could we wish for???
Three words we see here that we'll never see in Canada: "Christmas Summer Sale!"
________________________________________________

When we ran into Santa in Christchurch (photo below), he asked us what we would like for Christmas. We told him that we wished that all those special people in our lives; our Mom's, our children, our grandchildren and all our wonderful family and friends, would have the most special Christmas ever.....that they would be safe and healthy and filled with joy.

We love you all and we miss you more!!!

Not certain when we'll be in touch so until then.....

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Christchurch to Sydney - December 6 - 14th

There is a lot to tell you so I'll do my best to be crisp (yeah, right!!!).

We had a gorgeous morning to depart Christchurch and after a lovely breakfast on the patio of our garden suite, we were driven to the airport by our landlady.

The 3 hour flight over the Tasman was beautiful and we landed in Sydney late afternoon and having gained 2 hours over N.Z. time.

Our hotel, which we booked online was pretty bad although expensive. Very old, tired and not very clean. We couldn't get the lights to work and asked the management to come and check out the problem. After an hour when no one showed up and we were about to find another hotel, we spoke with the front desk clerk and he suggested that we put our door card key into a slot inside the room to activate the lights, tv etc. Of course they had neglected to do that initially so we had quite a laugh. Smart way to conserve energy!

The next morning we picked up WALUT II at Maui, the same company as we hired our van from in N.Z. They were all over us and we couldn't figure it out until the young man serving us told us that because we were renting for so long, they were going to be throwing in a bunch of extra's.

This van is 4 feet longer, an almost brand new Mercedes with 48,000 km (in Australia that is nothing!), a great layout and china dishes and real glasses. The old Britz we had in N.Z. had 250,000 km (we put on over 5000 of those) and was probably 1990's vintage. We thought we'd died and gone to heaven!

Drove to the campground at Botany Bay, did all our provisioning and familiarized ourselves with maps of the city.

The camp is filled with the most wonderful birds! Cockatoo's that act as if they are loaded, parrots of every colour and pigeons that have little plumes on the tops of their heads. So cute and sooooo noisy!!!

Next morning (Dec 8) we set out very early with a bus/rail/ferry pass that gave us unlimited travel for a week. We took the bus from outside our camp to the train station a few km's away. What a rail system! There must be 50 or more platforms to choose from and it was all confusing to us so we did the "woman thing" and asked other travellers. Everyone was very helpful and we made it to Circular Quay....right down in Sydney Harbour.

We walked around the harbour to the Opera House, then to The Rocks which used to be the rough part of the harbour and is now trendy shops, restaurants and markets, then to the Financial District. Yes, it is just like Bay Street, Wall Street and any other big city financial district. Suits racing around with cells (called mobiles here) to their ears and briefcases glued to their fists...all looking wildly feral. It was funny to be back in that environment.

We had lunch at the oldest pub in Australia, Fortune of War....very old and quaint. The Guinness was superb and the pie and chips was great and the place was filled with laughter.

Dec 9th we visited Darling Harbour (more shops and restaurants), The Rocks Saturday Market then hopped on a ferry to Manley.

Sidney, we pray that we took photo's of the right hospital. This is where I believe you were born. It was very neat to be standing there and thinking of you and your Mom inside the maternity ward.

Off we went to Manley Beach which is on the Pacific Ocean. Gorgeous beach rimmed with tall trees.

Dec 10 - We drove to Merryne and Dave's (Jenn's friends) for a bbq and although we got a bit lost and due to that and a lot of traffic, we made it albeit over an hour late. What a lovely couple! Their pooch "Dozer" is pretty cool too; he's part dingo and has one almost white eye and the other dark. We were shocked when they announced they'd invited friends and family for the meal. It was a fun-filled time with lots of teasing and educational pieces on all the poisonous and dangerous creatures that inhabit Australia. Dave told us that he found the skin of a snake (over 2 ft long) that is believed to inhabit their rock garden. Is that like finding 1/2 a worm in your apple I wonder??? We told them about the hilarious comment in our Lonely Planet Guide which is "Mother Nature must have been really pissed off the day she created Australia because she gave us every deadly critter possible!"

Dave's brother in law Pete works with National Parks and invited us to go with him the next day on a river trip however we had already planned to do something and declined. It would have been great to have him as a guide however we have come to recognize that to make it around this huge country, we have to decline from time to time.

Dec 11 - We hit the city at a dead run. Transit was delayed everywhere we went and we had a date to climb up over the top of the Sydney Bridge. You got it mate! Over the top!!! As you can see, we wore the coolest suits and everything we wore (sunglasses, hats, handkerchiefs) all had to be tethered to our suits. We were tethered to a railing that ran alongside. We wore headsets so we could hear our guide and we had to take a breathalyser before they would let us climb. There were about 10 others in the group and we and one other couple from the UK were the only tourists. Everyone else was from Sydney. It was so much fun and our wonderful guide Brent was fantastic and funny. It was a gorgeous day and the view when we reached the summit was incredible. We could see the PM's and Governor General's homes, the area where Russel Crowe lives and another where Nicole Kidman resides. Very cool!

We were on the climb for 3 1/2 hours and believe us, it was strenuous....up vertical ladders, climbing through openings trying to avoid cracking ourselves on the head, then up very steep steps.






Of course once we'd done all this work and had returned to terra firma, we felt the need for a good pub meal and a brew! We settled down at The Australian right across the street from the bridge and as we were finishing our meal we saw our guide Brent walking along the sidewalk. We waved and he came to chat. We bought him beer in return for his company and his invaluable travel information. Thank you Brent! We have already done some of those things you suggested.

Prior to the return to the camp, we did some shopping in a large department store and when we emerged we couldn't believe our eyes. There was a huge thunder storm. We ran to the train station and once again fumbled our way to the right platform and back to the camp.

It stormed all night and once again the van wobbled and shook. It was a good night in many ways because Australia is suffering from drought however we learned the next day that lightening caused several fires in North Sydney and blew the roofs off several homes not far from our camp. They can't seem to win these days.

Dec 12 - Happy to leave the big city (as lovely as it is) and headed to the Blue Mountains and the town of Katoomba. We were about 15 km from Katoomba and we felt the air change. It became very chilly and suddenly we were surrounded in fog. We couldn't see the car in front of us. Pretty frightening so we drove at a snails pace and finally found the camp. We had a lovely spot all on our own away from the other campers. Once the fog cleared we could see the beautiful birds that surrounded us. This area is a rainforest and you would never believe, looking at the lush vegetation, that the rest of Australia is suffering so. We spent the rest of the day walking around the quaint town.

Dec 13 - The day started out foggy and since we did not want to spend more than 2 days in any place, we were hoping it would clear so we could see the sites. We walked to Echo Point Lookout and were faced with a wall of fog so we did the only thing Bob and Sharon could do......we went to a shop that conducted wine tastings! It was only 200 feet from the lookout so we figured, give Mother Nature time to wake up and the rest of the day will be great. Indeed, after sampling a few (tee hee) and ordering a mixed CASE....we emerged to discover that the sun had indeed come out and the view was simply incredible! We had asked the shopkeeper to store our case until we could bring the van to pick it up and then returned to the lookout. The gorge before us is similar to the Grand Canyon only it is filled with and most of it covered in trees.

We walked to Scenic World and took the rides out over the canyon to the rainforest below. Then we walked the 850 steps back up to Echo Point.

Later in the day we returned to the park and drove the van up to the shop.....except.....the van stalled out on us, not once but twice....and Bob managed to get it to the side of the street. He called Maui (the rental company) and they said they'd send a mechanic and to call them back in 20 minutes for a status. While he was back at the phone booth, a young man suddenly jumped into the driver's seat. I was reading the newspaper and calmly looked at him and asked if he was here to save us. He grinned and said "no, I'm going to take your van!" It gave me a bit of a start then he said that he was here to try to get us going. He isn't a diesel mechanic so said he'd get a tow truck to pick us up. Bob went back to the phones and we were told that a truck would come and take us back to the camp. 40 minutes later a HUGE truck arrived and Danny, a fantastic young man, LIFTED our van up onto the top of his truck. How very embarrassing for us as we arrived at the campground, everyone coming out to watch as he unloaded us onto our site. Thank God we were sitting in the cab with him and not perched in our van!!!

Yesterday morning at 7:00 he arrived to pick load our van and drive us 75 km to the Mercedes Service Centre.....back toward Sydney....the opposite direction we had intended to go.

The service at the centre was fantastic and it was determined to be an O ring in the air filter that had split and caused the stall. Within 2 hours we were out of there and on the road with an altered plan. We decided to take the M7 toll road south to Canberra. This is the place where most of the forest fires have been burning for what seems like an eternity. We weren't certain if it was somewhere we should travel however the advice we were given was it was ok as long as we stayed away from the fire areas.

As we drove south we were astonished at how dry everything is.......all we could see was brown with the occasional green tree. We saw sheep for the first time in Australia and we have no clue how they live since everything appears dead. We also began to notice the smell of smoke in the air.

The weather since we arrived (with the exception of Blue Mountains) has been low 20's but yesterday was the first 30C day.

Last night we had rain and it became very cool. Today is cool (18C) and it was a perfect day to walk downtown to see Parliament House and other sites. Canberra is almost two cities, divided by a man-made lake. Everything is spread out and we didn't realize by looking at the maps just how far it was to walk. On the south is all the embassies, Parliament, National Art Gallery and consulates. On the north is the financial and shopping areas. It was amazing to us how deserted the government side of the city was....hardly anyone around and no one walking. A police officer at Parliament House engaged us in conversation and was shocked to discover how far we'd walked. He now has us pegged as "Crazy Canadians"!

We walked back to the north side of the city and had lunch at an Irish pub and here we are!

Tomorrow we leave for Jervis Bay on the coast.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SEAN TODAY!!!

Happy Robson Christmas on the 16th to all our family. We love you and miss you!!!

P.S. Am unable to load any photo's from Bob's camera from this machine. Will do so later. Bridge climb photo's were on cd.
xoxo

Have You Missed Us????

Bet ya thought we'd entered the Witness Protection Program!!!

Quite to the contrary, we have been very, very busy in Sydney. Having a great time visiting friends of our Jenn and walking the city.

No time to write anything more than this because we have to get out of the campground (past checkout time) and are moving on to Blue Mountains. Lots to tell you and some nice photo's to share. Will do that when I next have an opportunity. Just wanted to let you know we are in Australia.

Love to all!
Sharon

New Zealand - What we have learned

This is probably the most beautiful country on the planet. It is hard to believe that New Zealand is only 268,680 square km because the country is so diverse that it seems almost surreal. Where else could you travel only a few hundred kms and be in the Alps on a glacier, then swimming with dolphins, then observing yellow-eyed penquins waddle up pristine cream coloured beaches, then be in wine country, then kayaking on turquoise water? The weather is temperate, much like British Columbia and although we experienced about 8 days of rain total, this is not the norm. South Island has had the harshest spring and early summer in 15 years.

We did not see one homeless person in the month we were here.
Garbage was not evident anywhere, including the cities. Very few gum blobs were seen on the streets. The countryside was pristine and the air seemed pure.

Is there anything then that concerns Kiwi's? Oh yes!

Firstly, they need to celebrate their major achievements which include:

Being nuclear free; establishment of the first marine reserves; protection of native forests; free of genetic engineering (although this week, the paper reported that GE corn seed was "inadvertently" planted by farmers here on south island in October. It will be confiscated and the farmers compensated.) The government recently lifted the ban on GE seed however the people are emphatically resisting the introduction of the seed. Organic crops are being grown everywhere and fair trade products are to be found on shelves in almost every store and are present in the farmer's markets.

However.....what concerns Kiwi's is:

The ozone layer is so depleted here that both N.Z. and Australia are among the top countries with casualties of skin cancer in the world. Their environmental record is dismal; among the worst performing countries (along with Canada) on the planet. We were reminded almost daily to wear 30+ UV protection. Most Kiwi's we spoke with actually believed that Canada had signed the Kyoto Accord and that we were doing more than they. They were saddened to learn that we are doing little to clean up our act.

According to the Minister of the Environment here, the average Kiwi produces more garbage than the average American....even though wherever we travelled, we saw recycling depots everywhere. He also said that N.Z.'s reliance on fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides needs to be addressed and the overgrazing, logging and excessive runoff from farms into streams and lakes is doing horrendous damage to the country.

The beautiful flightless Kiwi bird is fighting for it's existence due to feral cats, dogs and stoats that prey on it and are it's worst enemy. Protective agencies are breeding Kiwi's in enclosures to build up the numbers.

The possum, introduced by the Aussies many years ago (and something they've never been forgiven for) now number 70+ million and are stripping millions of trees of their foliage. The conservation authority is trying to reduce the numbers however it is a losing battle.

An algae, commonly referred to "rock snot" is killing fish and plant life in and beside the rivers and streams. It somehow came from the U.S. and the paper yesterday reported that it has made it into the rivers around Milford Sound. Very, very sad.

As diligent as Customs and Immigration is at checking bags, boots and camping equipment when visitors enter the country, all kinds of critters are here and threatening the environment, just as they are in Canada and other countries.


Crime: We felt incredibly safe here and at the beginning, contemplated camping by a stream, the ocean or waterfall overnight. Our warning came on our second day, given by a conservation ranger who told us not to park our vehicle in the parks parking lots after 5 p.m because people hid in the ditches and broke in as travellers went for hikes. Robberies of camper vans are frequent and we were reminded constantly to lock all windows and doors.

Although the following incident was very rare, it caused all travellers to be diligent and aware. A young couple visiting from Holland in the second week we were here, camped by a waterfall and were preparing for bed when two men broke into their van, abducted and terrorized them for several hours. The abductors were caught however the victims will never recover from the trauma. It was brutal and it was not worth it. Registered campgrounds is the only way to travel.

N.Z. has a population of just under 4.5 million people, 39 million sheep and 1 million cows.
The murder rate so far this year (for people, not the animals) is in the mid-60's. Sadly, half of this number is due to domestic violence.

How do Kiwi's feel about Canadians?

We were always asked where we were from and when they learned it was Canada, they all said that they feel we have a kinship. They know or have heard that our country, although much larger, is very similar; that the people are very much like them and that we live in the shadow of a more powerful neighbour, just as they do. We were told again and again that Canadians are always very welcome here and those who have visited Canada, told us how much they love our country.

We feel very close to this land and it's people. If there was ever a country we would wish to revisit, it is this one and we would strongly recommend you add it to your list as well.

All the best!
Sharon and Bob

So how does one say "goodbye" to New Zealand?

How does one possibly top what we've done here? How do we look at this beautiful country and embrace it for our final day??? Well!!! Only Bob could come up with something so wondrous, so spectacular that it MUST be on the Top 10 Wonders of our World!

It all starts with arising at 3:30 a.m., not one morning but 3 mornings. A call is made by us (as ordered) at 4 a.m. each morning, to a number where we will hear a message.

Messages:
Day 1: Mission is aborted due to high winds
Day 2: Mission is aborted due to varied weather patterns
Day 3: Pack your kit! Your mission is about to begin

We arrive at the gates to the campground at 4:30 a.m. along with 3 other intrepid travellers from Holland. We stand in the darkness and await our vehicle. Dead on 4:30, the bus arrives. We are the first to enter the darkened vehicle.

On we go to pick up 9 other daring souls and then the excitement begins. We meet another bus in a very dark parking lot. Both buses are towing a mysterious object. A tall good looking man boards our bus and begins to give us orders. He is crisp, very funny and is also precise in the rules of the game. We WILL all participate! We WILL all assist! We WILL all enjoy!!!

We drive for what seems like hours (you know me; embellish a little; embellish a lot!) out into the country and into an empty field.

We leave the bus and then a huge bag is dumped onto the ground. The strongest are asked to volunteer to unpack the bag and out comes miles and miles of silk......we spread it out for many, many metres....then we are asked to lift a huge basket and place it on the ground. Have you guessed yet?

We hooked the silk to the basket; our pilot started the flame and as the sun began to rise, we rose into the skies over the most beautiful place that God has every created. We rose over the rivers, the city and the fields of New Zealand in the most magnificent balloon! Two balloons actually, rising into the skies as the sun rose. Can I possibly ever convey what that meant to both of us? We were like children! The anticipation for two days when winds and weather patterns prevented us from doing this, then the beauty of it all as, on the 3rd day, we got to do this wonderful thing.

When we landed in a farmer's field much much later and on our backs (it's called a "drag landing") , a basket was opened, champagne was poured and we toasted each other and our wonderful pilot. We packed up the silk, loaded the basket and drove back to Christchurch.

Now, we have returned WALUT 1 to her home at Britz rentals and we are in the most gorgeous garden suite at the Delta near the airport.

Tomorrow we begin another very different adventure in another country.....Australia.

God Bless you New Zealand! God bless you wonderful Kiwi's! We've loved our time with you and shall never forget you!