better late than never..

So keeping up with writing the blog proved a little more difficult than expected. In the past few months since the last entry, we have traveled back and forth across Australia, flown to Thailand, and finally returned home to Canada.

We flew to Bangkok from Perth, with a stopover in Singapore. Thailand was an amazing country, and our 10 day stay there was too short. In that time, we were able to explore Bangkok and travel down to the island of Koh Tao for three days of diving and lounging on the beaches. As well, we took full advantage of the many street food vendors everywhere we went. So much delicious pad thai for so little. We were then fortunate to leave Thailand just before any of the demonstrations and riots began.

Back in Australia, we toured through the vineyards and giant forests of southern Western Australia for a few days before driving back east across the Nullarbor highway. While passing through South Australia, we went out on a charter to go cage diving with great white sharks. Sadly, the sharks did not want to swim with us that day, though we had a consolation prize of snorkelling with sea lions.

We continued on to Melbourne, stopping to attend an AFL (aussie rules) football game before taking the ferry south to Tasmania. We toured around the island for two weeks, stopping to hike and enjoy the natural splendor. Then it was back to the mainland for a last visit with Jodi's family in Merimbula. We also said goodbye there to our car, Wally, as we were leaving it for Jodi's parents to use in their upcoming trip to Australia.

After a few last days in Sydney, we were on a long flight back across the Pacific. Thus ended our eight month long trip of a lifetime.

Heading West

On return to Melbourne, we had visits with old friends and new ones, watched the SuperBowl, and decided we needed to go see AC/DC at the Etihad Stadium, along with 60 000 others. It was a great show, and good way to leave for the road again.
Carried on to the Great Ocean Road which quickly turned us into geology enthusiasts. There were the Twelve Apostles, arches, grottos, blowholes, along with many other sights, and they were all impressive. After so long of not being on the road, we were perhaps a little too eager to turn in anywhere that said "scenic lookout" or "photo opportunity."
Next up was Kangaroo Island, and it was equally geologically spectacular. We went deep into the Kelly Hill Caves, even having to wriggle through some very tight fits on our bellies, sandboarding in the Little Sahara sand dunes, and found the Remarkable Rocks. As for wildlife, we hit the jackpot. In only four days, we found koalas, goannas, kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, seals, sea lions, stingrays, and every type of bird imaginable, all in the wild.
Adelaide was our next stop, where we were able to stay with an old friend of Jodi's. We visited the Adelaide Fringe Festival, and saw two comedy shows. Spent some time in the Garden of Unearthly Delights, and area like Old Market Square but much bigger, with food, drinks, shops, rides, and several tents set up for shows.
We finally pulled ourselves away from watching the Olympics on TV - very surprised that Channel 9 broadcast the entire Canada vs. US hockey game - and got back on the road again. We're making our way out to Perth across the Nullarbor highway. Australians consider the crossing of this flat, treeless stretch of road quite a feat, but it hasn't seemed too unusual to Canadians accustomed to long drives across the prairies. Chris is breaking up the drive by playing the world's longest golf course. The Nullarbor Links goes from Ceduna, SA, to Kalgoorlie, WA, and is 1365 kms long, with a hole at each roadhouse or town along the way. So far, we've encountered an emu and a dingo while playing, and are just waiting for the camel to show up next.

South Island Adventures

After a good night out in the capital city of Wellington, we had an early morning to catch the ferry to the south island. After a three hour trip we arrived to the first clear skies and sun we had seen in days. Finding our new bus and driver, we made a stop at a vineyard in the Marlborough valley for some wine tasting before continuing on to Abel Tasman National Park. There, we rode the water taxi, viewed fur seals, hiked along the shore, had a swim, and taught our friends a new card game.
Down to Hanmer Springs where the thermal activity creates beautiful hot pools for a terrific evening soak. Next to Kaikoura where we had the opportunity to swim in the ocean with a pod of around 200 wild Dusky Dolphins. It was surreal to have these creatures circling you, trying to work out what you were, all while you tried to make squeaky noises to keep their attention. Sometimes, you'd have 10 go rushing past a few feet underneath, and other times, you'd be making close eye contact with a curious one for 30 seconds. It was an amazing experience.

From Kaikoura, down to Christchurch for the night and to pick up new people. Not much happens in Christchurch on a Wednesday night. Across the mountains then to the west coast and on to the Franz Josef Glacier, where we went for a day hike up, around, and through the glacier wearing truly entertaining crampons. We both loved the freedom of not worrying about slipping on the ice, and seeing what kind of manoeuvers we could pull with our grippy feet. The guided hike took us through narrow crevasses and caves, and up and down many steep slopes.
Had a day of various hikes and walks through the area, a night of ridiculous karaoke - including Chris's creative rendition of "I'm Sorry Ms. Jackson" - then carried on to Queenstown. Knowing that Queenstown is the adventure capital of New Zealand and home of the bungy jump, we had already planned on taking the plunge, so to speak. Unable to decide though on which of the available jumps to do, we compromised by doing two of them. And so we did a 43 m tandem jump off the Kawarau bridge, the site of the original jump, and followed it up the next day by each doing the 134 m jump off the Nevis platform. With 8 seconds of freefall, the Nevis jump was truly incredible, and life looked a little different when hanging upside down, suspended by your ankles, after just throwing yourself off a perfectly safe and fine platform. Been there, done that, got the free t-shirt. Also tried out the lugeing, driving a gravity powered kart down a track on the side of a hill, only inches above the track. At that height, everything seemed really fast, and a good jump would rattle your head inside your helmet. But like little kids, after a speedy run down the track, almost flipping over on more than one corner, we'd run to the ski lift to the top, almost shouting "again!! again!!"
From there, on to our cruise through Doubtful Sound. This place seemed to look like mountains rising out of the water and up to the sky. This glacial fjord, formed millions of years ago, is home to some of the most beautiful scenery we've seen in New Zealand. Waterfalls were falling all around you, giant sea birds flew around, and fur seals played in the water. At one point, when the boat cut all of it's engines, all you could do was listen to the birds, hear the water flowing, and look around you and be in awe of the power of nature.
After a night on the town in Te Anau, including closing the bar down with some Norweigans and a South African from our tour, and getting a ride back to camp with the mullet-sporting bartender, we drove through the south western highlands, developed during gold rushes of the mid-19th century. We got a chance to play a game of curling, and felt at home on the ice. Chris wore his best curling shorts, and we had fun playing with a group of people who had never played before.
On our last tour morning, we went on a 32km bike ride through some canyon areas on an abandoned rail line. Rode through dark tunnels, dodged a herd of sheep that went running across our path, and took in some more amazing scenery. Then back up to Christchurch, where another night out was a good way to say goodbye to some great new friends.
In our two days in Christchurch, we came face to face with two kiwi birds at a wildlife park, got lost on a mountain top hike, bought tacky souvenirs, and enjoyed being on our own schedule again. A 3:45 am wake up came all too early, but we caught our flight back to Melbourne, were reunited with Wally, watched the Saints win the Super Bowl, and started to think about how we will ever fit everything we want to do into our last two months in Australia.

Better than Old Zealand...

Arrived in Auckland on the afternoon of the15th after a short flight over from Melbourne. Due to a sinus cold, Chris' ears failed to pop after the descent thus leaving him partly deaf for the rest of the day. Made the customs experience a little challenging but he was allowed in to the country. We wandered the central Auckland area and enjoyed a traditional New Zealand meal of Wendy's hamburgers. The next three days were spent visiting the Auckland Museum, Art Gallery, and taking the ferry across to the north shore. From there got a great view of the city and its surrounding volcanoes.
Early Tuesday morning we boarded our tour bus and met our fellow travellers. Climbed Mt. Eden before leaving the city and heading to the Coromandel Peninsula. Did a short hike to a beach with caves and towers of rock in the blue waters, and had our first swim since last year. On to Hot Water Beach, where, no surprise, hot water seeps up through the sand, and people dug holes in the sand to sit in their own personal spa. That is, until a wave of cold ocean water rushed in and flooded their pool. Were lucky enough to spend the night in our own personal caravan in the local campground.
Traveled on to the city of Rotorua, known for its geothermal activity and accompanying strong sulfur scent. We visited a Maori village built on and around a series of geysers and mud pools. Later on we went whitewater rafting over a series of waterfalls including a 7 meter drop.
Started the next day with a soak in some hot springs before kayaking down a whitewater river through beautiful, towering rainforest canyons. Made it through most of the rapids fine, until Jodi and a rock got to know each other quite well. And to make it even better, it was raining just about the entire 8 kms down the river. Stayed in a remote farmhouse surrounded by hills and sheep.
Unfortunately, the rain kept on and we were unable to walk the Tongariro Crossing, known as NZ's best one day walk. Instead, Chris went mountain biking through the mud and Jodi did a walk to a waterfall with some new Norwegian and German friends. Spent the rest of the day in the hot tub and hanging about the lodge. Our new Irish friend has fortunately perpetuated every Irish stereotype we have ever had. It's good to meet such people.
On our way to Wellington today, then aboard the ferry to the South Island tomorrow. Here's hoping this rain finally stops.

On to Victoria..

In awaiting our January 15th flight out to New Zealand, we have spent the last week seeing the sights of Melbourne, the capital of the state of Victoria and second largest city in the country.


On our way along the coast, we spent New Years Eve in the resort town of Lakes Entrance. We saw an impressive fireworks show out over the waterfront, along with the sounds of an 80's cover band known as 'Rockin Chair'. We then hiked around Wilson's Promontory National Park for a few days, taking in its natural beauty and trying unsuccessfully to spot a wombat in the wild. However, we did see an echidna, and are pretty sure that we heard a wombat or two nosing around outside the tent one night.


The hikes included a few short dayhikes as well as a 36 km overnighter that took us to the far side of the peninsula and back. On the far side we were in awe to find pristine white sand beaches and turquiose waters with not another soul in sight.
Had a stop in Warragul to stay with some of Jodi's family from her Dad's side, who are mostly known of but still unfamiliar to her due purely to distance. From there, down to Philip Island where the big tourist draw is the Penguin Parade. At dusk, hundreds of tiny fairy penguins return from the sea, cross the beach and find their homes, and sometimes offspring, in the grassy fields. We joined the crowds in the bleachers set up for this occasion, and marvelled at their beauty and laughed as the announcer said to be on the watch for "the fat chicks."
On to Melbourne where we've been subjected to 43 degree heat in a hostel with neither air conditioning nor room fan. Other than that, it's been great with lots of walking around the city, delicious meals in very large ethnic neighbourhoods, more free art galleries and various exhibits. Hopped a tram to St. Kilda on our first night, and saw a surprisingly good Japanese funk band, 'Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro', at a well known hotel bar, the Espy.
Onward now to New Zealand!

Happy New Year and on to part two..

Since last write, we've had a lot of time and not a lot of stops. We spent a few days in the Hunter Valley wine region, and had fun biking between wineries for tours and tastings. Only trouble was that neither of us was used to uphills on bicycles, and the generous servings of wine didn't make it any easier.
Spent 8 nights in Sydney, shared between Jodi's cousin in central Sydney on the harbour, and her parent's friends' beachhouse just north of Manly Beach. Days were spent wandering around in the sun, buying last minute Christmas presents, snorkelling with schools of squid, eating delicious kebabs, getting some serious haircuts, and exiting beach waters at the announcement of a shark sighting.
With a few days to spare, we headed down to Canberra, the nation's capital. Most memorable was the showcase at the art gallery of French Impressionists work on loan from the Musee d'Orsay in France. Saw Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, and many other works by amazing artists. They certainly look more incredible in person. Also toured the city, parliament house, national museum, and the war memorial.
Finally back down to Merimbula to spend Christmas with Jodi's family. It was very relaxing to sit and talk with relatives, eat more than our share of delicious food, take the kids to the wildlife park, and not be constantly re-setting up the tent. Did more snorkelling, played cricket, lots of swimming - even on cloudy Christmas Day - and some hiking. It was certainly a change from the past months on the road.
We're now on our way down to Melbourne to take a holiday from our vacation, and go to New Zealand for three weeks. Have finally worked out plan for rest of our trip. Will go across Victoria via Great Ocean Road, then out to Perth. From there, we fly to Thailand for ten days, then back across the miles of nothingness, and down to Tasmania for two weeks. That should put us at the beginning of April, and we'll have to face the reality of eventually going home.

South Queensland

It has been almost a month since the last blog entry, so we'll have to summarize. After touring Fraser island, we continued south and spent a few days camping in the Great Sandy National Park. With all roads in the campground being deep sand, we had to leave the car out on the side of the highway and walk everything in through the treeline rather than risk getting stuck. Then on to Noosa, where we had a trip booked to spend 3 days canoeing the Noosa river, with accomodations in a bushcamp. We realized we may be getting old when we didn't join the other 20 year old travellers in their nightly drinking games with cheap boxed wine (only $9 for 4 L). After returning to civilization, we decided to go for surf lessons. Amazingly, we both managed to get upright at the end of the 2 hour lesson.

Next up, no trip along the Sunshine Coast would be complete without a stop at the Australian icon, 'the Big Pineapple'.

Essentially what you would imagine, a 50 ft pineapple accompanied by gift shop, restaurant, pineapple farm tours and petting zoo. So we took our photos, learned all we cared to know about how pineapples are grown and processed, then back in the car and onward to the Australia Zoo. The zoo is known for being run by the late Steve Irwin and being home to the 5000 seat 'Crocoseum' and its twice daily crocodile feeding and wildlife shows. We were also able to feed elephants and kangaroos and pet a koala.

Next stop was Brisbane, capital of Queensland and third largest city in Australia. We managed find some delicious meals, some great live music in an underground club, and see a pro soccer game, the Brisbane Roar vs the Melbourne Victory. We did lots of walking along the beautiful Southbank riverfront, and visited the Queensland Museum and Art Gallery, both free.

Down then to Surfers' Paradise, one of many towns on a 35 km stretch of high-rise beachfront hotels known as the Gold Coast. We opted to visit the Dreamworld and WhiteWaterworld amusement parks. Our pass allowed us to go between the two adjoining parks, so we spent the morning on coasters and other rides and the afternoon at the waterpark. Best was the hydrocoaster, just like a rollercoaster with its ups and downs, but you're in an innertube on a waterslide.
Took a few days to go in to Lamington National Park, and did a couple of rainforest hikes. Both offered excellent views from the top of mountain ranges, and we were even treated to a nuber of waterfalls along the way.

There was plenty of wildlife in the campground, with wallabies feeding in the clearing at dusk, possums in the trees at night, king parrots and crimson rosellas attempting to steal our breakfast, and the bush turkey that managed to eat half a mango in the back of our car.

Spent the day after relaxing on the beach in the hot spring sun before driving down to visit some friends whom we'd met on our drive trip, and were spoiled to stay in a house with a real bed and a hot tub. Living out of your car makes you realize just how much of a luxury a real bed is, and a bathroom where you can leave your toothbrush there overnight, and not have to carry it back and forth across a campground each time. Hiked up Mount Warning, known as the place that gets the first sun in Australia each morning. Only 4.4 kms up, but it still took almost two hours of non stop climbing to reach the top.

Next stops were Byron Bay for some good beach lounging and a kayak trip to see wildlife. Only managed to spot three dolphins, but we did manage to tip our kayak after surfing a wave, and had a fun time trying to climb back in again, Chris with only one contact lens left, amongst all the big waves. Finally on to Coffs Harbour, home of the Big Banana. did a dive trip out to the Solitary Islands, and swam with many grey nurse sharks. We even managed to get within 10 feet of some of these big creatures. It was an incredible dive.

Now we continue down to Sydney to stay with some friends before heading to Merimbula again for Christmas with Jodi's family.

Fraser Island

Thursday morning we were picked up bright and early for our ferry across to Fraser Island, the world's largest sand island. We had booked onto a 3 day 2 night tour, and opted to stay an extra night on our own at the end. As soon as we arrived, we were loaded up onto a 40 passenger 4WD bus, and headed off to the sandy "roads". Travelled to Basin Lake, a small lake with no rivers flowing in or out of it, then walked on through a rainforest. Even though the island is completely made of sand, there is enough decomposed organic matter on the floor to allow 40m tall eucalyptus and satinay trees to grow. A small river flowed through it that was so clear you could see the white sand perfectly on the bottom of it. Also managed to spot three goannas along the way. Back on the bus we drove in to Lake Mackenzie, a beautiful lake with pure white sand and again, crystal clear water. The sky reflected on it and you could see multiple shades of blue across the lake. Spent some time swimming before heading off to our lodge for the night.
Friday morning we went across the island to 75 Mile Beach, also known as the Great Sandy Highway, a legal roadway with road signs stuck into sand dunes. Pulled into Eli Creek, another freshwater stream that flows out into the ocean, and as narrow and shallow as it is, has a current strong enough to pull you along it. Up to the Maheno shipwreck, a passenger liner and later WWI hospital ship that eventually got washed into the beach and could not be rescued. It sits right on the edge of the beach, though now it is more than halfway covered with sand. Drove further along the beach up to the champagne pools where waves crash over a row of rocks in the water, and the sea foam gathers and feels like champagne bubbling up all around you. From there, on to Indian Head, a high point along the shore and one of only three actual rocks on the island. Spotted a stingray and several turtles in the ocean down below. From here, the water appeared to have taken on a green colour before fading to blue further out. Drove back down along the beach and eventually home, where $10 jugs of beer at happy hour awaited our return.
On our third day, we went out again through the dry deep sand of the island and came to Lake Wabby. It is flanked on one side by a giant sandblow that looks like a desert, and you can run down the side of it to jump into the lake. Crossing the sandblow wasn't so easy after our swim, but we made it out to the eastern beach and found our bus waiting. Had lunch at another resort, then due to some impassable roads making our planned destination unreachable, we went back to Lake Mackenzie for an afternoon of swimming. Driving home was an adventure in itself, as the bus got bogged down in deep sand, and eventually, after all the men on board had pushed it both forwards and backwards in attempts to get it out, the driver eventually was able to back the bus way down the road, then came barrelling across the soft section as we all stood on the side cheering him on. It made both of us quite happy to not be the ones doing the driving. Went for a guided night walk that night, found a golden trapdoor spider who is quite poisonous, and a 60cm red eel swimming in the lagoon.
On our last day, we did some hiking and found an old Z-Force Commando training site. It was used during WWII to train special forces and many ruins still remain. Spotted dingo tracks on our way back along the beach, but were never able to find a dingo itself. Eventually took the fastcat back to Hervey Bay, and were both so glad to have been able to get across to such a unique island.

Sailing...

Leaving Cairns, we continued our journey south. Our first stop of any interest was Magnetic Island, a 20 minute ferry ride from Townsville. From there, we booked a hostel for a few nights, found a home for Wally, then boarded the ferry across incredibly choppy waters, which made for a wet and interesting ride over. On the island, there were many beaches that seemed to have great coral and snorkelling, so we loaded up our gear and went walkabout. Much to our dismay, it was still quite windy out and after 15kms of walking through bush trails, we found not a single beach where it was calm enough to snorkel. Thankfully, it was a nice day and we at least were rewarded with some beautiful views. That night, we went for another walk up through old forts and gun placements from the Second World War. This walk is known for it's great koala spotting, and we were lucky enough to spot two on our travels. One way far up in a tree, and another was more mobile than either of us had ever seen - sliding down one tree, climbing out a branch, then hopping into another tree to eat. We even managed to get within 10 feet of this one.
A few nights later, we landed in Airlie Beach, a very popular backpackers town. We had booked a sailing trip for Jodi's birthday, and loaded onto our boat, Freight Train, on Friday morning to head into the Whitsundays. On Jodi's birthday the next day, she was lucky enough to visit Whitehaven Beach with incredibly white silica sand as far as they eye could see, drive the sailboat, do a scuba dive into a small coral reef, snorkel with a turtle and giant napoleon wrasse, and watch the sunset across the waters. She figures this was a birthday that will not be forgotten and probably never repeated again. We even managed to snorkel again the next day and find a huge potato cod along with scores of other tropical fish. All was good until the boat engine quit, and with no winds to sail by, we waited on the boat for three hours to have a repair crew come out and get us on our way back to shore.
We headed south some more along the coast, eventually reaching Rockhampton, the self proclaimed Beef Capital of Austraila. Went out for a terrific steak dinner for Jodi's Birthday in a 130 year old pub, and found their free zoo and botanic gardens.
From there, on to the sister towns of Agnes Waters and the Town of 1770, named after the historic landing of Captain James Cook. We did a day trip out to Lady Musgrave Island, at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, and it was fantastic. Toured the island where Jodi managed to get herself pooped on by a Noddy Bird, and was assured it meant good luck. Snorkelled again, feeling so glad to have bought our own gear in Cairns, and found three green turtles at a "cleaning station" where fish come and clean their shells for them. Also saw more unicorn fish, clown fish, sea stars and cucumbers, and thousands of others all showing off their bright colours. Later, did a glass bottom boat tour, where we found a black tipped reef shark and a hawksbill turtle, which is apparently quite elusive.
Next up was a stop in Bundaberg, home of the Aussie famous Bundaberg Rum. We took a tour of the distillery, and learned how they turn molasses from the abundant local sugar cane into delicious rum. A few samples later and we were feeling just great. We even got in a game of mini golf and 10 pin bowling that night.
Currently in Hervey Bay, working out details for a 4 wheel drive tour to Fraser Island. Spent the afternoon in a pub celebrating the Melbourne Cup, known as the race that stops the nation. Entered a sweeps, and Jodi got the 2nd place horse, winning herself $14. Fancy hats and all, it was a fun day out.

Diving in the Great Barrier Reef

The PADI Open water dive course started with two full days of pool and classroom training. There we got to learn and practice the skills needed to become certified divers, as well as getting to know our classmates from all over the world. While visiting the dive shop to select our rental equipment, we convinced ourselves to invest in our own masks, snorkels and fins. After having tried the rental equipment in the pool, we decided to explore the reef in comfort.
We then boarded our boat at 7:00 am Thanksgiving morning for three days out on the Great Barrier Reef. After three hours of sailing, we reached our first dive site where we suited up and hopped in for our first of four training dives. Although these training dives required us to practice the skills we had learned in the pool, we were still surrounded by thousands of tropical fish, sea creatures and coral. Highlights included seeing reef sharks, sea turtles, cuttlefish, parrotfish, and of course, the clownfish. After a couple dives searching, we were able to find Nemo. After completing the fourth training dive we became certified divers, and were free to spend our next five dives on our own.
Over the course of three days, we dove in three different reefs at a total of five dive sites. Everywhere we went, the coral landscape stretched on forever, and was full of purples, pinks, greens, yellows, all sparkling in the sunlight from above. It was great fun to go off for our fifth dive, as we could do as we pleased and follow our own trail. There was some concern over getting lost, but a quick pop to the surface would reassure us that we really weren't that far from the boat. On these dives, we were also able to linger around spots that really interested us, play with coral that would retreat into itself if you got too close, and spend time watching fish as we pleased. We also got to go for a night dive - after they fed the sharks off the back of the boat, no less. Using flashlights, we discovered a different world, with sleeping fish under coral, little crabs skittering about, and Jodi even saw a turtle that was bigger than a kitchen table sleeping under a rock.
All in all, it was a phenomenal, if exhausting, experience. We saw a world so completely different from anything we'd seen before, and we can't wait to get back down there again.

Tropical North Queensland

From Mt. Isa, we traveled for several more days through flat, pretty much barren land with a few interesting stops. We drove north to Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria and encountered some of the most colourful and iridescent insects either of us had ever seen, later to be discovered as Harlequin bugs. From there it was east to Cairns. A beautiful city on the water awaited us, and we happily checked into our hostel. Got our dive course and Barrier Reef trip booked for the earliest date possible, 5 days away. Spent a few days shopping and touring around Cairns, and enjoyed the lagoon built on the esplanade in 32C heat with a UV index of 12. Neither of us knew it existed, but we quickly learned just how hot it meant.

With a few days to spare before our course, we decided to drive north to the Daintree Rainforest. It's the oldest rainforest on earth, and the only place where the forest meets the reef. Along the way, we stopped at several beaches and realized that just about the entire North Queensland coast is white sandy beaches with palm trees and turquoise waters. Every beach is more stunning than the last.
After crossing the Daintree River on their very old ferry, we entered the unique environment and encountered many trees and plants that are millions of years old, and grow only in this area. We climbed walkways through the forest canopy and kept a constant watch out for cassowaries, a very large and endangered flightless bird. It was there that Jodi began her love affair with fan palms, a variety of the tree whose palm leaves are up to 2m diameter circles of accordion waxy leaf material. We also saw plenty of tree vines that were strong enough to swing from, and crisscrossed their way through branches and around trees to the top of the canopy.
Our campground was at Noah Beach, just south of Cape Tribulation, and we were only 20m from the beach, so a good bit of time was spent there reading with a beer, and watching the sun rise. We also tried jungle surfing, basically being strapped into a harness and flying down zip lines between ancient trees in the rainforest. It was a lot of fun, and great to see the forest from a different viewpoint. After three days in this fascinating world heritage area, it was time to head back down to Cairns and get ready to dive in another.

The Top End

As we continue heading further north along the Stuart hwy, the temperature and humidity climb as we reach the tropics. After a long hot drive, we pull into a caravan park in the town of Katherine and look up to see hundreds of bats flying overhead as dusk falls.
Traveled up the next day to Litchfield National Park to camp and to check out the waterfalls. We camped near Wangi Falls and enjoyed a late afternoon swim in the waterhole below. Made our way to Darwin on Thursday and stayed in a hostel near the central area of town. That night we went out to the Mindil Beach market, a few hundred tents setup selling food and handicrafts. I bought a didgeridoo, with which I will be entertaining fellow campers and hostelers for the next few months as I learn to play it. We took it easy on Friday, wandered around town and enjoyed an amazing seafood buffet on Cullen Bay. All the oysters, prawns and mussels I could eat, with plenty of beef and chicken options for Jodi.
Saturday was the day of the AFL (Aussie rules football) grand final, essentially the equivalent of Grey Cup or Super Bowl Sunday. Knowing that we had to be back at the hostel for gametime at 2:00, we took a short excursion out of town for the Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile Cruise. It's a one hour boat cruise where the guides hold porkchops of the end of sticks for wild saltwater crocodiles to jump up and grab. One of the crocs even got her hind legs out of the water.
After the required beer run on the way back, we enjoyed a close, hard-fought game with a dozen rowdy Australian drunks. The Geelong Cats defeated the St. Kilda Saints amid the chorus of many slurred shouts of 'Go the Saints!' and 'Go the Cats!'. Needing to slow things down we headed for the rest of the evening to the Deckchair Cinema, where we took in the double
feature of the early 70's Australian film 'Wake in Fright' and recent Hollywood blockbuster 'Public Enemies'.
Next day we went to the Territory Wildlife Park, but after only a half hour, were called in to the main building due to a bushfire across the road. Sat for a while, then were eventually told that we could either leave then, or wait up to three hours for the next safe time to go, so we
packed up and hit the road to Kakadu National Park. There, we saw several sites of aboriginal rock paintings that were up to 20 000 years old and were really impressive. They showed X-ray style paintings of animals, people drawn to represent teaching stories, and depictions of legendary creatures and beings. We also went on a boat cruise down the Yellow River
and saw a wide variety of wildlife, including Brolgas, Jabirus, and several more crocs.


After a minor setback of a flat tire needing to be patched, we're now in Queensland and on our way to the coast, Cairns, and the Great Barrier Reef.

The Middle

Started up north along the Stuart Highway, and made it to Coober Pedy, a little town a million miles from nowhere, with two claims to fame. Firstly, they mine the majority of the world's opal there, and secondly, half of the population lives underground to avoid the heat. Homes, and our hostel, are dug or blasted into the rock, and maintain a year round temperature of about 23C, regardless of the weather outside. Our room was so cool and comfy, though with no windows, midnight and midday are equally dark. Went for a tour through the area to see how opal is mined, and enjoyed seeing the grassless golf course. Also toured the underground home of Crocodile Harry, a real life croc hunter who was the inspiration for the movie "Crocodile Dundee."
From there, traveled further north to Uluru - Ayers Rock. It truly is a remarkable sight, and towers mightily over the flat surrounding landscape. Spent several days camped there, and in that time, rode a camel to watch the sun rise over Uluru, hiked the 9.4km trail around the base, and saw the sunset and sunrise with the mobs of tourists from every part of the world. It really does change from brown to bright red as the sun starts to beam down on it. Also went for a hike through Kata Tjuta - the Olgas. It is a group of rounded monoliths whose name means Many Heads, and is visible from Uluru, some 50 kms away. Walked to the Valley of the Winds, and were just about blown over by the gale force winds that rushed through the narrow end of the valley.
We next drove up to Kings Canyon, where a geological marvel houses a wide range of plants and animals in an otherwise dry and barren desert. Looking up 100m from the bottom, you see sheer face walls towering above you, from where rocks have fallen into piles at the base. Walking along the top, there are series of large beehive shaped rocks, weathered through time to get their shape, that used to be at the bottom of vast inland sea.
On to Alice Springs, where we had a bit of time to relax in a converted school bus that was our room at the hostel. Watched a game of footy at a bar one night, did some shopping, toured aboriginal art galleries and bought an original painting, and even managed to find a great show one night. The Alice Desert Festival was on, and we got to see some great bands, including the Barons of Tang, a klezmer-gypsy-punk band, similar to Gogol Bordello, who got the whole place dancing. It was our latest night of the trip so far, as we didn't get home until 2:30. We are two wild and crazy kids!!!
Last stop in the middle was a place called Devil's Marbles. It's a spot that is basically flat and boring like the last 500kms, except for the giant round rocks scattered around the ground, some piled up on others, and some seeming to defy gravity. The rocks ranged from 1 to 5 meters tall, and appear to have come from nowhere.
Next up, we continue to drive north towards Darwin and the Top End of Australia.

Mount Remarkable's Gorgeous Gorges

Leaving Merimbula, we headed out across the mountains on Snowy Mountain Highway. It was a steep climb, and the rain and thick fog made it that much more exciting, but Wally got us to our destination of Wagga Wagga. Picked up our last pieces of camping equipment, and traveled the next day into Victoria. Passed into a fruit fly exclusion zone along the way, and that meant we had to eat as much of our just bought fruit as possible in about 25 kms, and then throw out the rest at a dump zone. The drive was much easier and straighter, and we arrived in Mildura just before the sun set at 6:00.

The next days drive was much like the last, and another fruit fly zone coming into South Australia, except this time we had to dump our veggies as well. They actually had a manned station that everyone must pull into for inspection. Found the Mount Remarkable National Park, located at the southern end of Flinders Ranges, and a great campsite. Our evenings visitors included several kangaroos and emus roaming the campground. In the morning, we packed our packs and headed into the mountains for a hike to Alligator Gorge. It was a beautiful trail, following and continuously crossing a creek through a valley of red river gums and cypress trees. Then up a steep hill (ugghh), and across a plateau until we eventually reached our campsite. From there, we wandered to the Alligator Gorge and were quite impressed. Steep red walls lined the gorge, eroded majestically so many years ago by rushing waters. One section was only about two meters across, and we had to carefully maneuver along small rocks to keep our feet dry from the creek below. After a well deserved sleep in the cozy little tent, we made our way back in the morning (Jodi only got her foot wet once in the creek this time), and we found Wally waiting patiently for us with cold, cold beers.
* photos will come, out of internet time*

Southward to Merimbula

Our trip continues with a drive 450 km south of Sydney to Merimbula to visit Jodi's family.
We had planned to make the drive in three days, with two nights spent camping.
An hour or so in, we passed a sign indicating that the highway was closed due to bushfires and that we must detour inland. After a few extra hours winding up and then down some steep highways, we arrive in our destination, Batemans Bay. Since it was now 8:00 and the sun had set a few hours ago, we stayed in a motel rather than trying to find a campground and setup the brand new tent in darkness.
Monday morning, we traveled up a short distance to Murramurang National Park to camp. This being a weekday in late winter, we had the campground to ourselves save for other people stopping by to see the dozens of kangaroos lounging near the beach. We spent the day wandering the beach, and then defending our dinner from some aggressive kookaburras and magpies.


We then continued on to Merimbula, arriving later afternoon at Jodi's Uncle Robin & Aunt Margaret's house. This brought back many memories for Jodi, as it was primarily the only place she had visited on previous visits to Australia. The next day we traveled back north to Bermagui to visit Jodi's cousin Kara. Like Jodi, Kara is also a schoolteacher, and that night we attended her school's winter variety show. It was impressive, with each class putting on a musical number or skit. Never before have I seen a fifth grade class present a montage of Weird Al Yankovic's parody songs relating to food.

Friday morning was spent golfing in Merimbula and avoiding the many kangaroos on the course.

Last Days in Sydney

On our last few days in town, we decided to do a bit more exploring, and heading out further than our feet alone could take us. Hopped onto a city bus Thursday, and went to Newtown, a part of the city with some really funky shops and about 30 Thai restaurants in a five block stretch. Spent a few hours wandering there, then back into town as we had tickets to see Avenue Q, a Broadway musical being put on in Sydney. Basic premise - Sesame Street for Adults, and it was absolutely hilarious!!
Friday we visited the Aquarium and saw crocs, sharks, and giant sea turtles.
Saturday we hopped another bus and went to the famous Bondi Beach. Despite the "cold" winter weather, there were still a hundred people on the beach, and dozens of people in the water surfing. The waves were getting quite big at times, and we're hoping to get back in summer and do some surfing of our own.
Sunday we had to leave to head south down the coast, so we packed up Wally, and readied ourselves for our second round of driving on the wrong side.

Where's Wally?

Well, what adventures can four days bring. After a lazy Sunday to try and beat that wretched jetlag, we took a ferry on Monday up to Manly Beach. All the weather forecasts were for 27C and sunny, so we thought it would be a great beach day. Seems the weather forecasting here is just as good as at home, and instead, we got a day of drizzle and maybe 18C at best. But we still managed a good beach walk, shopping, and drinks at a number of bars, overlooking both the wharf and the beach. Only got our toes into the water, so we're still waiting for our first ocean swim.

Tuesday we took the ferry up the river to Paramatta to meet up with Jodi's parents' friends, and we picked up our new little baby, Wally, measuring around 16 feet long, and weighing 1600 kgs. He's a fine proud grey 95 Ford Falcon Wagon, complete with air, cruise, and a tape deck!! We both had a go at driving, and have to say, it's pretty crazy to have cars going the opposite direction, only a foot or two to your right. Many of the controls are on the opposite side too, and Chris set the record of turning on the wipers 6 times instead of the turn signal. But he got us home safe and sound, and we've decided the car will stay put until we leave Sydney.

Today we got over to the Taronga Zoo, and it was quite impressive. We spent a good four hours there, and still didn't see all of the exhibits. Of what we did see though, we got to see elephants (and the most gorgeous baby ever), platypus, kangaroos, koalas, frilled neck lizards, komodo dragon, giraffes, tasmanian devil, gorillas, chimpanzees, and way too many others to name. Suffice to say, it was way better than the zoo at home, and we can't wait to see many of those animals in the wild. The 11 of the top 15 most poisonous snakes in the world that live in Australia, well, can't say I'm looking forward to them at all, but the rest will do just fine.

Arrival in Sydney

After far too many hours in airport lounges and cramped airline seats, we made it safe and sound to a beautiful "winter" day in Australia, with the temperature reaching around 20C. Found our ride to Jodi's mom's cousin's apartment, located about a 15 minute walk from downtown Sydney, and fell asleep for a much needed nap. Spent much of the rest of the day wandering aimlessly through downtown, trying to get some bearings, had a great seafood lunch on the wharf, and found beer and grocery stores.

Second day was spent much like the first, heading over towards the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. Jodi has seen this all before, but I think Chris was in a bit of a state of awe at the fact that yes, we really are here. We're both still getting used to looking the opposite direction when crossing the street, and we're sure it will be quite interesting when we learn how to drive on the opposite side of the road.

Jet lag is still trying hard to keep ahold of us, as we're barely able to make it past 9:00 at night, and waking up bright and early by 7:30. This isn't our idea of vacation hours, so we're going to do our best to kick it before too long. Hoping to have an easy day today, off to Manly Beach tomorrow on the ferry through Sydney Harbour, then plan to pick up our car on Tuesday.