Saturday 13th July
It was a very early start, leaving before 6am from the motel. Waking up and transporting our bags downstairs was quite an effort. Driving to the airport, we had some fun dropping off the car as the deop of zones where choc-a-block and in the end we left the car in an unmarked corner.
We checked in fine and soon found ourselves on the plane just after 7am.
With the time difference we arrived in Alice Springs around 9.10am. Initially we were going to get a shuttle to our hotel and then catch a free bus from there, but then Bhavni had the idea to talk to the rental car people. As we were renting of europcar (which we had arranged with flight center), we asked them. If we tried to rent a car using the same cover as what we had rented it would be over $100, but (with bhavni suggesting) we could rent a normal car for $40 for the day as a different rental, then pick up our actual car later in the day – Duh.
We looked at the rental car – a 3 door red i20… that was smaller than the band we had paid for, but there was no other car available.
We drove into town and dropped of the bags at the hotel – Chifley Alice Springs Resort, before driving out and parking at Blatherskite park
The parking area was already getting busy, so where we parked was a small walk away from the entrance, where we paid the entrance fees and went in. The event was not starting until 12.30 so we had around an hour to take in the atmosphere. We sat on one of the stands, pretty much opposite the start line enjoying the bright sunny day. Bhavni got talking to some nurses who worked here in Alice Springs.
The event stated, first by a grand show, where they paraded the camels around the track; there were lots of camels, varying from small for children jockeys to the larger ones for the main events.
The format of the day was a race, interspersed with other weird and wonderful events. The races were quite fun to see, as camels did not always do what the jockey wanted and even sometimes started going around the track the wrong way, but they were fast.
The most amusing event was the chariot race, where 4 people had to pull a chariot around the whole racetrack. The winners were quite funny, wearing wigs and other dress, the guys pulled the chariot to about a third the way before swapping having the girls pull and waving like royalty. These guys beat the rest by a long way.
We had bananas and crisps with us, which we ate, along with some drinks (Bhavni got me a beer), but later we wondered around the park, seeing the different stalls and got some strawberries and ice cream.
We left a little before the end and drove to the i-center to pick up some information, before going to the airport to get our actual hire car.
We were meant to pick up our hire car around 4pm and were a bit early – no one was behind the counter. Phoning the person using the desk phone, it was over half an hour before they turned up. Bhavni used this time to get her self wound up, worrying that they would only give us the current 3 door car which hardly fitted our bags. When the lady appeared she announced that we were getting an upgrade; a new Mitsubishi …. . Nice car.
We drove back to the hotel, freshened up and relaxed for a while and had to remove an “uninvited guest” from the room before going out to eat. We went to the “Hanuman” restaurant which was in one of the larger hotels. The atmosphere was quite nice and the food was ok, but just too sweet like most Australian palates.
After we went back to the hotel and watched a bit of tv before going to sleep.
14th July
For some reason we had the alarm go off at 5.15am, a mistake surely, but soon enough the actual alarm went off at 6.30am and we struggled out of bed and got ready. Bhavni made lunch – some sandwiches with bell peppers, and we ate some weetabix for breakfast. We found we had another uninvited guest appear, which we left trapped under a glass. Checking out, we were in the car around 8am and started our drive out of Alice Springs heading south on the Stuart Highway. The scenery was quite arid, but in no way did it seem desolate and there were plenty of vehicles on the highway.
There was an alternate route, which would be shorter, but it was a dirt road. We actually drove on the beginning bit of it – where it was harder, but we soon saw a sign that said it was closed – and anyone using it would be prosecuted. Well I was quite uncomfortable with just the road, yet alone the sign, so we headed back to the highway. We drove all the way to Erldunda where we filled up on fuel before we turned onto the Lasseter Highway. The road was much quieter, but there was still cars passing every now and then.
We were making good progress and Bhavni had been told that Kings Canyon was the place to see – rivalling other things in the centre, so we turned down Luritja Road and drove all the way to there. The land all the way was was mostly flat and it was all of a sudden that we came to Kings Canyon. Its strange as you have no idea what to expect – from what I had read I thought it was going to be something similar to the Grand Canyon but on a smaller scale, but when we came to it it was nothing like that, more like a large fault in between rugged slopes. It was near lunch time, so we climbed up the canyon and ate our sandwiches whilst looking out over the canyon.
As I wanted to be at Uleru for a decent time, we left soon after and drove back, rejoining the Lassester highway. On our left we saw the quite impressive looking Mt Conner – a flat mount – in the distance. We filled up a little bit of fuel again at Curtain Springs, before the last push.
We arrived at Yulera and after fining parking, checked into the Desert Garden Hotel. After dropping off some stuff in the room, we ducked out as we had a little bit of time and went looking for the I-site. The one closest to our part of the hotel was closed, so we had a run around looking for the main centre – It was located just off the Yulera main square. We got some brochures, maps and information from them and as we saw it advertised we booked ourselves in for some star gazing later in the evening.
We went back to our side of the complex and got in the car and drove into the National Park. We had to join the queue and get our entry tickets into the park, but it did not take that long. We had decided to see the Sunset over the Kata Tjuta so initially driving toward Uleru we then took a right turn and stated a 40km drive. On the way there was a lookout area, which we stopped at and walked from the car park to the viewing platforms. This area had a really good view of the really impressive Kata Tjuata, but was best for watching the sunrise over them as there would be too much shadow at sunset. We had a little chat with the only other person there and told her we were going to the west side to the sunset look out point.
We got to the sunset look out point and parked up. It was fairly busy as some of the tours stopped there for the sunset also. We still managed to find a good position to view the sunset and marvelled in the changing colours on the really impressive Kata Tjutas. They are impressive as they are even higher then Uleru in places and really cool in shape.
After the sun had set we headed back to the car and (after a quick look at the valley of the winds point at the closest car park), drove back to Yulera – pretty much in a convoy, as everyone leaves after sun set.
Heading back to the Hotel we parked up and offloaded the car, hoping to go for a shower – but it was broken, so all we could do is change and tell reception. We then headed out to the main square, to meet for the Star Gazing.
There was a colourful bunch for the star gazing – some not having got food and all the places closed. We were met by the guide who reminded be a little of David Hurst and we walked out a bit to the telescopes. It was quite informative with him showing quite a few interesting stars and constellations as well as looking at the moon.
After we finished, we headed back to our hotel and asked reception where we had been moved, before going to our new room – in a completely different block and on a second level. The room was the same as before, just with a now working shower. We made some noodles for dinner and then it was off to bed.
15th July
Another early start for us as we were up and out of the hotel, checked out, at 5.30am as we had to get into the park early, which opened at 6am. I queued in the wrong line, which meant we took 5 minutes extra; we had the ticket so we could have gone in the fast lane. Just after 6am we were in the park and drove to the sunrise lookout area for Uleru. There were quite a few viewing platforms and while I held a nice position Bhavni went and had a bit of an explore, but we probably had as good a spot as any already.
Slowly the dawn colours stated coming out and we could see the colours change on Uleru as well as the Kata Tjuatas appear in the distance (40km away). It gave us plenty of time to try different settings on the camera. The pre dawn reds were amazing, with the clear skies. As we were standing there, it got busier and busier, until we were quite hemmed in at the end, but as one most people started drifting off at the same time.
This was also out cue to leave as we went to the Mala Walk car park where there was a guided walk going on. We were early enough to stretch before the ranger appeared. He was very informative (and talkative) and talked about the many cave paintings and sights along the away; for example the story of the 4 people who were turned into stone, which was where the rock had been worn away by the sand, but there were 4 areas – vaguely outlined like human shadows, where the rock had worn less. There were areas around the walk where we were not allowed to take photos (e.g. the womens business areas), where you could be fined – Bhavni nearly got snap happy but realised.
The end of the Mala Walk was at a permanent pool of water at the base of Uleru, where the guide talked for quite a while on why you should not go and walk up on Uleru to the top. I got itchy feet by then as we had to leave to get back, so when he had finished we quickly made our way back, but still personally thanked him for the talk. We wished we had a few more hours to explore or even do the valley of the winds walk at the Kata Tjuta’s, but unfortunately we had to leave.
Getting back to the car we were soon on our way out of the park, past Yulera and onto the Lassester Highway, going past Mt Conner in the distance. We took a photo of us at the sign saying the Red Center highway, tolerating the annoying flies buzzing around, just before the Stuart Highway. At Curtain Springs we stopped for a small fuel fill up. I was quite amused at the baby calf sitting on the porch in place of a cat or dog and had to take a photo, amusing the locals. We then carried on driving up the Stuart highway all the way back to Alice Springs.
We had actually made good time and were quite early, so we drove to the town center and
went into a mall. We did a bit of souvenir shopping getting a Koula in a can and some keychains. But soon it was time to head to the airport. Getting to the airport we parked the car, just put the keys in the counter drop off as there was no-one there and checked in for our next flight.
Whilst we waited we had some food and I got a coffee, before we boarded the flight – the Quantus QF1948 to Cairnes, and had dinner on board.
Arriving in Carines around 8pm we got our bags and picked up our car – a silver WW Golf. When checking the car we saw there was actually a reasonably big scratch on it, so we had to report it to the Europcar representative who came out and signed on our form he had seen it.
We drove to our hotel for the night – the Cairns Sheridan Hotel, which was a little out of the main town and was a business hotel, but not bad. We checked in, freshened up and then went out for a drive around the town. We drove near the waterfront and along the Eplanade. There were horse drawn carriages for tourists, but not much else going on, but we got a view of the city. We decided to go back to the hotel – via a Coles where we picked up some ice cream for dessert – chocolate which we had then retired for the night.
16th July
It was a slightly more relaxed morning for us – we did not have to wake up really early, so we found ourselves down for breakfast around 8.30am for the included buffet breakfast, after which we checked out. We had to go to Port Douglas next, but we were not due to check into the next place until the afternoon.
With the weather being a bit breezy, cloudy and rainy looking, we were advised to go via the inland way, rather than the direct 45 minute ocean road, so driving north we then turned west up the mountains of the Mcalister ranges. We ascended quite a bit and got a good look back at the valley we had just come up.
We continued on to Kuranda where we stopped of. Kuranda was a small little town and we just parked on one of the main streets. There were quite a few different attractions that we could do, but we decided to do the rainforest walk first. This was just a walk in the surrounding forests going in a large circuit past the rivers and over the tourist railway. It was quite a quiet walk, interspersed with the occasional tourist couple walking as well and it took us around 45 minutes to finish.
After the walk (apart from Bhavni running away from the reptile house) we went into the butterfly house. This place is the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere. We were a little early for the tour, so we went out and explored for a bit before the tour began. It was quite an interesting tour as it began in the main area with thousands of butterflies flying around us and feeding on fake nectar placed between the tropical planting. One of the most amazing ones were the Blue Ulyssess butterflies – though they only lived for a few weeks as they were constantly in motion. We were also shown around the labs where the butterflies are raised from the caterpillars, and we got to see a verity of different butterflies in different stages.
We learnt the difference between a butterfly and moth cocoon and we also saw the cocoons for Hercules moths – the biggest moths in the world. After the tour, we saw lots of preserved butterflies and the moths – as big as plates – apparently the record is over 30cm.
After we had a wonder around the markets there, with there many brick a braks and food stalls. It was spitting a little so we decided to continue our journey.
On the way to Mareeba one of the sights that we were told to see was a gorge. Stopping at the parking area, it was a slight walk through some interesting canopy paths, up and down some inclines. But it was worth the walk, at the end was a viewing area with a really cool looking waterfall cascading down to the gorge. Plenty of time for photo opportunities.
After we carried on to Mareeba, in which time the sun appeared and it dried out. As usual we went to the I centre and got some ideas on what we can do; I was only a little tempted to stop at the coffee museum but decided we will go to the Mango winery instead, where as the name suggests they made wine out of mangos. Bhavni for some reason felt sorry for the mango trees that were grown and kept quite low. Well we tried a couple of different wines; all of them were quite nice but all sweet and they even had port made from mango – We ended up buying a small bottle for a present.
After it was a straight run north until we met the 44 again towards Cairnes. The turn off to port Douglas went past lots of quite posh looking resorts down the peninsula. Our accommodation “Le Cher Du Monde” was right at the end in the middle of port Douglas. We found the parking and checked in. The place was run by an older Kiwi Couple and the lady showed us to our room and gave us a quick tour around. After which I struggled with bringing the bags up the couple of flights of stars.
The room was really quite nice – open plan, with a small kitchenette and a open lounge. The balcony overlooked the pool and it was absolutely tranquil – amazing considering how busy port Douglas was. We found that our fridge was not working so we told the hosts and the husband came up a short time later and fixed it.
After freshening up we went for a walk to the Coles and picked up food for the next few days, before returning and making a nice dinner of pasta with chillies. We relaxed and watched tv for a while before going to sleep.
Wednesday 17th July
Waking up reasonably bright and early, we ate weetabix for breakfast, before heading out with our day bags. It was just a short walk to the Marina. We were not really sure where exactly to go – we just new that the boat we wanted to go on was part of Poseidon Cruises. We had a walk in the shopping area there before I found out where to go – Bhavni did not believe me and started to wonder the wrong way to the wrong cruise company!
Soon we had boarded the vessel and settled ourselves down in the cabin with a hot tea and some pastries. Most people seemed to be fully qualified, but there were a couple of us who were not. I managed to give my PADI number to them and they looked it up, just to get an idea of the stage I was at. Bhavni just said treat it as the first time.
Soon we were on our way out to sea. It was going to be a good hour to get to the first dive site and whilst en route the guys went over the safety briefing and Bhavni had to do the multiple choice test. We were also going to dive together, whilst the other two were going to get another instructor.
We soon enough arrived at out first dive site, a nice area – not too deep to explore. After the qualified divers had got in – it was our turn. Bhavni went in first and was helped by the instructor for a bit before I was allowed in. We went with the instructor, following him closely and looking at the many fishes around us and the rock formations there. We were shown a territorial fish, which does not like any rocks in its “garden”, so the instructor amused us by putting a small shell there and seeing the fish remove it. Soon enough our time was up and we had to go back to the boat and dry off. The boat then sailed to the second site whilst we had some more hot drinks.
Arriving at the second site – affectionately called Barracuda Hill, we were told to expect something really nice. They were not wrong – after getting in we were amazed at the sheer amount of fish swimming around. The site was a big mound underwater – just at the edge of a shelf. The upper shelf was less than 10m deep, but it went to 20m or so on the other side. Swimming around we could see the famous barracudas nearer the surface and different varieties at other levels. We were shown a small shark that was sheltering in an alcove. Again it was soon time to surface and get in the boat, where we went and dried off.
It was now time for lunch. Hearing the menu and expecting to pick the few vegetarian options, we were pleasantly surprised to be told that we had special meals. These turned out to have quite a few tasty items including falafel like items. In the wind it was quite cold so we managed to find some space on the top deck of the boat in the sun. Bhavni got talking to one of the other passengers whilst I ate some of her food.
After lunch it was time for the third dive, Bhavni had decided not to go for another dive, and one of the other beginners had also decided that was enough. So Bhavni’s and my instructor stayed dry whilst we went with the other instructor. The site was not as full of fauna as the last site, but we got a chance to swim through more narrow channels and into small caves. Generally improving our skills. But soon enough we had used up our time and were back on board.
Getting changed an having a coffee, the boat started back to the harbour. On the way we paid for the extra dives we did and relaxed. I was feeling tired so I tried closing my eyes a bit. This was not great as we had got too some swells, so I had to step outside into the fresh air to feel better. We got back around 4:30pm.
Back at shore, we had a quick wonder around the shops in the harbour before going back to the apartments and going for a shower. After a brief rest, we went for a short walk around the area, going up the hill, before heading back where we made tacos with bean filling for dinner and then vegetated for a while before bed time.
18th July
We decided to have a bit of a lie in – waking up at 7.30. We had our usual breakfast of weetabix before packing a few things together and going down to the car.
After driving down the peninsula we headed north connecting to the SH14. Our first stop was not very far away – The Mossam Gorge, part of the southern Daintree forest. We stopped in the car park and at the reception area bought tickets to go on the bus to the gorge. You could actually walk it and if you did no tours it was free, but it was a 4 mile walk, and time was more important.
Some people had got here early and were already waiting for the bus back when we got to the drop off point – early risers. We got off and started the suggested walk through the forest. It was really a tranquil walk with us meeting other people only now and then. One of the first nice areas was a clear running river with big rounded boulders studded through the landscape. Further away from the river, trees were in dominance, with some really big fig trees and vines in dominance.
Completing the walk we got the bus back to the visitor centre. The bus actually drove past some of the backpackers who had overtaken us in the walk (saving some money). Getting back into the car, we carried on north up the Mossman-Daintree road and then onto the Cape Tribulation Rd, getting to the ferry crossing. All the roads had signs for Cassoways crossing, but we did not see one.
Crossing the river on the ferry, we carried on up the Cape Tribulation Rd, up over a ridge, where there was a lookout which had an amazing view of the rainforest and sea. From there we tried to look at the marked vistior center. It was privately run and was more of a walk at $32pp so we decided, especially with the lack of time, to carry on all the way to Cape Tribulation.
It was quite a nice drive in the forest, passing plenty of other walks and beaches on the way. Eventually we got to Cape Tribulation and parking at the car park, we had a small walk before emerging from the forest onto the beach (past the usual signs saying beware of crocodiles). We had a walk along the beach – there were other people around, but hardly busy, so it was quite pleasant. After the walk we sat at a picnic area and ate some food, getting amused at the funny chicken like birds walking around.
After lunch we took the short walk to the look out points over the Cape, which meandered through the rainforest and up the rise, for some more brilliant views. Wondering back down we had some more photo opportunities on the beach before heading back to the car. If you had a 4×4 vehicle you could carry on north to even more secluded areas.
Further south, we got off at another walk – which was a rainforest/swamp walk. It started in the rainforest but then went to more boggy areas and then mangroves before coming back on the 1.2km circular track.
Our final stop on the way back was at the tourist stop for fresh ice cream. The ice creams were fruit flavoured. One of the fruits which we had never encountered before was the Black Sapote, which was quite pleasant, but the rest so-so. Had to be done.
After we pretty much drove back to Port Douglas, where we got to the accommodation and after freshening up – made mushroom risotto for dinner.
We did our usual of watching a bit of tv, before retiring to bed.
19th July
Our last day here today. For once we had a lie in, not waking up until 8am. Getting ready we had our breakfast before packing up and cleaning the place, including putting things like oil for cooking away (since you really cant by enough for just a few days).
After we were packed we thought it would be a good idea to get some pictures from around the pool area. Whilst we were taking pictures one of the other guests at the place approached us – he and his wife were enjoying the sun there. It turned out that he was a photographer, and his wife felt sorry for us and told him to take some pictures. So we got our own photo shoot.
After that fun, we loaded up the bags in the car (amusing people with the weight being carried) and checked out, driving south along the Captain Cook Highway. It was another really nice day, and we came to a lookout point where we stopped. We met a character there who was cycling in the heat.
We spent a bit of time talking to him and taking a few pictures at this nice lookout before resuming our journey back to Cairns.
We stopped at Palm Cove – not that far from Cairns, which was meant to also be a nice place to stay. We had a wonder around the shops and beach there and went to a nice (posh) restaurant near the end of the beach parade, where I had a coffee and cake, whilst Bhavni had a milkshake and cake, outside in the sun. Obviously there was also chips involved.
After the food we got back into the car and drove onto Cairns. Well the sun disappeared and was replaced by rain. As we had plenty of time we headed to the central market, and after a cuffufful about where to park (as we were not sure if we had to pay) we had a wonder around. There were lots of fruit and veg vendors, which were nice to look at, but there was the usual trinkets and items that were less interesting.
Getting bored but with a while to go we drove to the Botanical gardens (which were not far off en-route). The parking was quite spread out in sections, but it was made up for with a nice walk into the gardens proper. We took some of the nice paths around the areas and stopped on a bench for a while taking in the quiet while having a snack. It was a very nice botanical garden.
Soon enough we returned to the car and drove to the airport, returning the car and checking in for the flight. Our flight was the 17:05 Quantus QF655 to Brisbane.
2 hours later we arrived and collected our bags, before going to pick up our car. The car was a golf, but a old one and before we left we noticed a big scratch on it so we had to get it signed by the person before we left. Out drive was about an hour away – the Gold coast and it decided to rain quite a bit en route. But soon we got to the Gold Coast and found the apartments that Bhavni had booked – Pacific Views Resort. It was quite late, after 9pm so the reception was closed, but as we had told them we would be quite late they had put the keys in the security box which they opened after a few security questions. We could then park in the underground car park.
I think we were quite amazed at the apartments that Bhavni had booked – Really spacious with amazing views. We made some tea and then settled in for the night.
Saturday 20th July
Waking up after 8am, to a sunny day, we made ourselves breakfast and ate on the balcony with the view of the sea and beaches 23 floors below – superb. After we registered at the reception and then went for a walk. We were a block away from the waterfront, so we headed that way and then onto the beach. We were based at Main Beach and we walked to Surfers Paradise – about 4km, taking our time. It was cooler then the north, but still really comfortable, sunny and picturesque – plenty of photos.
At surfers paradise we got back on the promenade and walked into the Q1 building, having a chat to the real estate agent about the price of the apartments and how much of the building is sold. He said that now was nice, come the heat, you can hardly move on the beach. We had a wonder around surfers paradise afterwords – looking at a few shops, and getting an ice cream for Bhavni before heading back to the apartments along the beach.
By the time we got to the apartments it was about to rain – just got a little bit of drizzle right at the end, so we went and freshened up and had some snacks before going down. We just had a short walk to a few streets back from where we were staying – the receptionist had said there was a fun event nearby with stuff to see, so we thought we would check it out. Well there were lots random cars – classic and muscle – pictures to Miten. After a wonder, we headed back and chilled for a bit (it was already getting late) and watched the sunset over the city.
Just before 7pm we headed out as we had a show booked – Dracula’s Cabaret Restaurant Show, taking the car. It was located near Broadbeach – 1 Hooker Boulevard, not that far a drive, but it was nice to get to see the amount of water around gold coast for boats. Finding parking in the next door shopping centre, we crossed the road and joined the queue. We had a little while to wait, before we could go in (not A class) but we soon had some entertainers around doing weird juggling and fire eating acts.
Letting people in a few at a time, we went through the main doors, where they did an introduction (scaring some of the people) before letting us go on a ride (which was a haunted house ride) to get into the venue proper. Inside we went to the bar to get some drinks. We were lucky the guy behind the bar was a kiwi and when Bhavni asked for a mocktail he said he would call it a fruit drink as it was 3 times cheaper. Very nice mocktail too.
Soon enough we were shown to out seats (with the person in charge saying namuste) and after a while the show began. Well it was interesting and a bit riqsque. Going for the slight horror / comedy feel. We managed to get our drinks, but it took a bit of time (busy place) and the food was ok for vegetarians (more so for me as Bhavni did not like it).
The show ended just before midnight and we managed to leave before the crowds left, getting to the car and driving back to the apartments.
21st July
Again we got a chance to wake up late – having breakfast on the balcony on another sunny morning, watching the waves far below. After our lazy start we got out and started to walk down the beach, again to surfers paradise. We got plenty of photo opportunities and wading in the water time. Getting to surfers paradise, we went to the shopping centre there and spent a while there. At one of the shops we got some keychains but had a funny conversation with the oriental looking shopkeep about the wrongs of the world.
At the beach front there was an open air market going on and we quite enjoyed looking there, even getting a few things. Before we knew it it was late afternoon and we headed back to the apartments via the beach.
We got back with some time to catch the sunset and the changing colours of the city. We headed out and filled up the car before we came back and made a simple dinner, packed our clothes and chilled until bed time.
22nd July
Today we got up early to catch some Sunrise pictures from the department, got ready and were out before 6.15am. Well the journey started well and we were cruising along on the M1 until we got nearer Brisbane…. It was a morning weekday, so we hit traffic way before the M6 junction which carried on really slowly till the M2 junction. So the 1hour slipped away and my stress level increased a wee bit. Luckily after the M2 junction the traffic eased a lot and we could carry on to the airport.
It was coming up to 8.15 when we arrived. So instead of dropping the car off together, I dropped Bhavni with the bags just at the drop of point and went to drop the car off myself. I saw her trying to battle past a bus load of Chinese tourists.
The petrol gauge had just come off the top but was still reading full – just – not that I had any time to refill it if it was not full. I even managed to put the car in the wrong place, but one of the guys at the rental company said it was ok. So I rushed over to the airport with the hand luggage.
I had no idea where Bhavni was when I got inside, but I then saw her, a bit close to tears. She had managed to make it to the checkin in time. The woman at the counter told her to put the bags in the bag drop of area, but did not give her the tags, so by the time she went back to get them the woman said the flight is now closing and she was going to take us off the flight.
So with me we went to the service desk, where they were actually helpful and re-checked us and our bags in. The flight was 30 minutes delayed so that helped us as well. In the end with the confusion of our seats we ended up in different locations but still on the flight (QF511) at least, which took off just before 9.30am.
On the plane Bhavni ended up sitting next to someone quite high up in the tourism ministry, so she got a few tips on what to do when we got there.
Under 1.5 hours later we arrived in Sydney, collected our bags and went to find the drop of service bus. We found a counter inside – apparently the companies had merged and the price had gone up a little, so we bought the tickets to only find that the tickets were $5 cheaper from the guy in charge of the buses outside ! Back in a big city where we cant trust everyone.
The bus took us to Darling Harbour area (Pyrmont) and dropped us off near the Novotel. We just had to walk to the next building (which is joined to the Novotel), where Teena had left the keys at the reception for us. We got into her apartment and freshened up quickly before heading out.
We walked across the Pyrmont Bridge and booked a harbour cruise just on the other side. The cruise was setting off from the Circular Quay in just under an hour so we had a nice leisurely walk to the Quay. This was where we got our fist look at the Harbour Bridge and Opera House with some time for photos.
We boarded the boat and we went right to the top deck as the sun was shining, a little breezy but nice. The tour went round all the bays east showing points of interest and talking about the expensive beach front properties. We got our tea and cake from the lower floors but made our way back up. We had to move a bit as there were some annoying American girls who instead of enjoying the tour were gossipping loudly. The tour stopped short of the harbour entrance and went to the manly side before going under the harbour bridge past Goat Island, before returning to the Quay.
I spotted one of the crew crying in a corner, mentioned it to Bhavni, who ended up talking to her. As I said big city.
After docking we disembarked and took some photos near the waterfront. It was here we noticed that there was a tour going on and we joined them. It was a “free” walking tour of Sydney. They were most of the way through, but they still carried on for a while to the Rocks and finally to a great viewpoint for the bridge. It was quite an informative tour and we asked when the next one is – tomorrow morning -so we could do the other half. We spent a bit of time taking photos as it got dark before we headed back to Teena apartments.
We made our way in and pressed the lift button – as the doors opened Teena was standing there – im sure we both did a double take ! We went up and had a catch up before deciding where to go out and eat. We caught a taxi and travelled to the student haunts where we went to quite a nice Mexican restaurant, with the obligatory Churros for desert.
Getting back to Teena’s place we had a cup of tea and called it a night.
23rd July
We did not wake up late, but even so Teena had left by the time we emerged. We had breakfast and then went across the Pyrmont bridge towards town Hall. We were early for the walking tour so we had a look around the Queen Victoria building before joining the tour.
The same person was doing the walking tour and he obviously recognised us. The tour was really informative and went through quite a few places – for example the Queen Victoria building, around the centre point then to Hyde park. Past the Mint and the old hospitals, underground through shopping malls and eventually to circular quay. We left the tour roughly where we had joined it the previous day
After we retraced our steps to the Mint and went in. We had to sign in – security is tight there, but the mint was quite nice, showing the different currencies and how they have evolved as well as the use of things such as piggy banks. It also showed some information on how many countries are now using the plastic money.
Back towards circular Quay and the opera house where we made our way. Lots of people were around and repairs were going on, but we did get a few moments when we were alone to take some photos. I think its better seen from far then from close.
We then caught the 380 bus at the circular Quay to Bondi Beach. The bus system is different in that you have to prepay for a ticket – at any of the little prepay boxes on the street. The bus ride took over half an hour going via Bondi Junction, but dropped us right near the beach. It had gotten quite cloudy by now. It was around lunch time and we were quite peckish, so after some debate on where to eat we decided to have lunch at noodle place called Thaiinabox, where you chose the type of noodle and the type of sauce. A bit hit and miss, but filling.
We got a bottle of drink from a supermarket and then headed to the beach and south to do the coastal walk. I recognized the iceberg club swimming pool from TV and we spent a time watching the surfers trying to catch waves. There were not that many people on the walk and it was a little chilly, but very scenic going past rocky outrops and parks. We walked up and down lots of stairs and slopes past Bronte Beach, a cemetry and Coogee beach before ending up at Maraubra beach. We got a bit of rain just right near the end of the walk – after threatening for so long.
Catching a bus we got back to the city centre – it was getting to evening. We went to “the rocks” and found the way up onto the harbour bridge, where we walked across. We got a closer look of Luna park and a nice view of the city and opera house, trying out some of the manual focusing of Bhavnis camera.
Time to get back to Teenas place, which was a good 30 min walk – Teena had just come home a bit before we arrived and we shared our days adventure. For dinner we went out for a thai type meal. We mistakenly went to a restaurant Teena had not been to before, the food was not very good. Well that called for desert – a chocolate place. I had a hugging cup of hot chocolate – really nice, whilst Bhavni tried coconut – not that good as it was so sweet.
We headed back and called it a night.
Wednesday 24th July
Again Teena had gone to work by the time we emerged from the room. We had a quick breakfast and headed out. I had arranged a tour today so we had to get picked up outside the Novotel entrance at 7.30. We were picked up by a real local – Rob – in his small custom minibus from Sydney Great Escapes. We had to pick up one more family of 3 and then we were on our way. Rob was an entertainer and amused us on the journey with lots of jokes (including slightly inappropriate but funny ones).
Our first stop was the Featherdale Wildlife Park, a really famous animal park near Sydney. We were there before the actual opening time of the park, but we were let in as we were part of Rob’s tour.
We were treated to seeing animals we had not seen before properly or at all. One of the first animals we saw was a Wombat, which was happy being petted. This led to the first lot of Wallabys, who we could pet as well. As we were going to the next area another type of wallaby escaped into the area causing a wee bit of chaos with the ones there; they dont play nice.
In this area we picked up an ice cream cone of feed and could give some to the wallabies and kangaroos there. Bhavni was enjoying feeding them, when suddenly she was backing up as an emu came towards her, casually reached out and grabbed the whole feed cup off her ! I hid mine around the Emu. In this area, behind a rail was also a cassowary – a really big bird. It really looks cool with the striking blue covering and head projection. Following on from this we got the Kaola area, where we got really close to these sleeping animals and held them.
From here there was lots of areas to explore, with all different animals. There were lots of different birds including eagles, owls, raptors and parrots in large aviaries, some really striking. There were Dingos and reptiles as well as larger kangaroos. Bhavni had fun running up and down the side of an enclosure with a wombat trying to follow her moves. We also saw a Tasmanian devil, but we never saw the platypus or echinda in their enclosures.
Soon enough it was time to leave and we headed for the hills. We had a brief stop at a local produce shop, more of a tourist trap then anything else, but we got a bit of fruit before resuming our journey, stopping at a few points for a lookout. One of the really good lookout points was just of the main road and a small walk through the bush, where we ended up on a really nice point overlooking a valley.
Rob told us about the local history and the famous rider that jumped of the cliff not far from the area. He also spoke about Darwin and how he realised the earth was much older than what most people thought. We could also see the damage to the trees from the forest fires that had happened a number of years back. After some photos and what to say if your are lost (not “HELP” but “Koooeeee” which I just could not do), we carried on.
We stopped at the old Imperial Hotel for lunch, where we had the inclusive lunch. I had a beer to accompany my food, which was ok, Bhavni had pasta whilst I had a vegetarian pie.
Whilst having lunch we were given our options for the Three Sisters park. Because Bhavni’s knees are soso we were decided. This was our next stop, Rob just said to meet at 3.30 at the car park. We took the cable car to the visitor centre, getting a good view of the valley below us and the waterfall plummeting down. From the visitor centre we took the other gondola to the valley floor, getting a look at the famous 3 sisters there.
On the valley floor we walked around the larger path through the forest. It was much colder here but keeping up a brisk pace meant we were ok. From here we took the world steepest train up to the top (I think unless you have the view at the end it is a bit of a let down), where we met Rob for our trip back.
Instead of driving all the way back in the rush hour, Rob dropped us of at parramatta where he bought tickets for our ferry ride back to Circular Quay. Slightly amusing as the ferry had to turn back as it had left early and people came for it after it had departed. It was nice stepping out and seeing the city passing by and eventually the harbour bridge came into view.
Back on land we had a bit of time for some more picture taking before we headed back to Teenas place.
Teena had declared she was a Liverpool football fan and they were playing, so we ordered pizza and Bhavni and I picked up a bottle of wine. Football, wine and pizza – relaxing night.
25th July
Out last in Sydney and Australia today. Again Teena had made it our before we did. After breakfast we headed off to Cirrcular Quay and to the Museum of Contemporary Art. I left Bhavni at an exhibit by a Kenyan Woman and went for a wonder by myself (as it did not appeal to me). I had a wonder around but unlike modern art there was not that much to hold my interest. We luckily had agreed on meeting 1hour later in the gift shop, so I made my way there (and had to wait 15 mins for Bhavni to come).
We left and took some photos outside before going to Teenas work place to meet her. In the end we went to an Italian restaurant for lunch – the safe option. After saying bye to Teena, we made our way back to her apartment and got our things together – leaving a thank you, and headed down for out pickup at 3pm outside the Novotel.
Soon enough we found ourselves at the airport, checked in and on the 18:25 Quantus QF49 flight to Auckland. Bye Bye Australia.
Due to the time difference we arrived in Auckland at 23:30, collected our bags and proceeded to customs. It was quite amusing as they were just telling us to go through and Bhavni told them we had come from Australia so they should spray the shoes – they were quite happy that we asked!
Because of the time we were arriving I had booked us into the Ibis hotel near the airport. Basic but did the job.
