Australia Zoo

We were on Fraser Island for two nights. We really liked the peace and quiet there. It was lovely to just sit on the balcony, alone with the noises of nature and just relaxing. We would have liked a bit longer there. We were up bright and early in order to get to Australia zoo in good time. We watched a film on the way about Steve Irwin's life and it was really inspirational. The zoo still has tons of photos of him everywhere even though he died in 2006. Nowadays it's his daughter Bindi who seems to get the publicity and she has lots of books for sale and she's only14 years old.

The zoo was very good, nice and clean and the animals seemed well looked after. The koalas are really cute and we still haven't seen any in the wild. We have now seen a few kangeroos and lots of exotic birds.

We have spent many hours on the coach. This country is vast and we've now traveled down most of the east coast. Much of the scenery is the same with lots of sugar cane and pine forests. Last night our stop was at Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast. This was a busier place with a lot going on. Our room was on the 18th floor and we had terrific views on two sides. It was another early start and after a few minutes we had to turn back as Chris had left the video recorder charging in the room - he was really popular!

Tonight we are staying at Port Macquarie which is on the Hastings River. It was with relief that they have WiFi as the past few hotels either didn't have it or it was outrageously expensive. It was our farewell meal tonight as tomorrow is the last day of the tour. We have an extra night so that we can do the Sydney Harbour Climb. I'll add some photos to this post when I get a bit more time.

Fraser Island

Fraser Island couldn’t be more different to Daydream Island. The accommodation is very different and each room has a large balcony looking out onto water surrounded by trees.

View from our balcony

This is a sub-tropical island built on sand and there’s lots of wild life. In fact I awoke to the noises, the only problem was that it was 4am. The noise was deafening and is the equivalent of the ‘dawn chorus’. I couldn’t go back to sleep!

This morning we went on a morning trip into the centre of the island and the only way to get there is by 4-wheel drive. This vehicle was huge and our full group of 15 went together. The track is just sand and it was extremely bumpy. We then went on a track along the rain forest. They had a massive bush fire on the island last October and a lot of the trees are blackened. It’s amazing to see the new growth and fires are seen to be good for an area as it encourages regeneration.

After the walk we went for a swim in Lake McKenzie. The lake is 100% rainwater and it is so clear; it was fabulous and very welcome after the long, hot walk in the rain forest. The temperature here today has been 32 degrees, which is much more bearable than it has been in the past few weeks.

Tonight we walked down to the jetty to watch the sunset. On the way we saw stingrays and sea turtles.

It looks like we’ve left some bad weather behind us as there’s a couple of cyclones developing in the Cairns area and they are now having lots of wind and rain.

Tomorrow we make our way towards Brisbane and we’ll be spending some time at Australia Zoo, the one that the late Steve Irwin made famous.

Whitehaven Beach

This morning we sat on a beach called Lover's Cove which was really lovely and the palm trees gave some shade and a gentle breeze kept us reasonably cool. A wedding was due to take place in the afternoon and it would then be closed to the public. We left Daydream Island for the afternoon to take a boat to Whitehaven Beach which is in complete contrast to where we've been staying. It has miles of really white, fine sand. The boat (a catamaran) came really close to the shore and then a ramp was lowered from the front of the boat to let people off. The beach is miles long and is so white and fine, however, the huge black flies that bite spoil it a bit! The beach can only be reached by boat and there were a couple of private boats there and a sea plane. The sea was so clear and blue and I went straight in for a swim. I was told afterwards that I should have worn a stinger suit as the jelly fish are really dangerous and they are 'in season'. Chris was happy to wear one!

We leave Daydream Island early tomorrow morning and expect another long coach ride to make our way to Fraser Island with a night at Rockhampton to break the journey. We've just eaten and are ready to go and pack our bags again. This living out of a suitcase is a bit tedious!

Daydream Island

After travelling all day yesterday we arrived ready to board the boat to Daydream Island where we were to spend the next three nights. It had started to rain, which isn't unusual here as we are in the midst of the rainforest in the Whitsunday Islands. It is strange for it to rain so heavily and yet remain so warm. This is a small island which is designed specifically for the tourists. It reminds me of a TV programme from years ago called 'Fantasy Island'. There's really nice accommodation and lots of swimming pools and hammocks in really well-tended surroundings. Chris fell out of a hammock which was really amusing! The island is really a tropical rain forest and has lots of tropical things walking, flying and swimming nearby. A wallaby hopped past us last night when we were making our way back to our room.

I'm pleased to say that the rain didn't last long last night and we awoke this morning to clear blue skies and even brighter blue sea. It really is very beautiful. There's very little to do unless you have tons of money to splash out. I was going to treat myself to a massage but couldn't, in all conscience, spend the $175 for a 90 minutes massage - that's a lot of hard-earned money!

The temperature here is 30 degrees which is much lower than the Northern Territory. It is very humid here though and difficult to feel comfortable. This morning we walked the ten-minute walk to the other side of the island, had a drink and then walked the 20 minute rainforest track back again. We felt tired out and then just sat on a sun bed in the shade to try to cool down. I did manage to do some reading - thank goodness for my 'Kindle'! I keep thinking of all the wasted study time - shame I left my text books at home!

Tomorrow afternoon we are going for a cruise to see more of the coral reef.

Moving on

The carroboree was really good and we really enjoyed ourselves. Chris was 'dragged' onto the stage to join the aborigine dancers and he danced more like Elvis Presley but everyone seemed to like it. I recorded him and was laughing so much. The buffet afterwards was really good too.

We really liked Cairns and were reluctant to leave the fabulous hotel.

Hotel room at Cairns

We then spent the full day travelling further down the east coast of Queensland to a place called Mission Beach, where we spent the night. This was another great hotel. The place was very quiet and the beach was deserted. At this time of year it isn't safe to swim in the sea here due to the dangerous jelly fish. 

Mission Beach is where the indigenous aborigines in the area were brought when their land was taken from them.  Nowadays it is a tourist attraction with some nice hotels and houses. The aborigines still have huge problems and many still live in settlements.

Sunrise view from our room at Mission Beach

Cairns

The flight to Cairns was fine and no storm in sight although we saw several bush fires burning on the ground below as we made our way to Cairns. When we arrived at the airport a man was holding a card with our name on it. He led us outside of the airport where two cars were waiting, one stretch limo and the other just an ordinary one. Chris jokingly went to open the door of the limo for me and to our shock (and delight) the limo really was for us. We were grinning all the way to our hotel.

We are staying in a hotel called the Hotel Cairns and it is really lovely. We are on the top floor and have a lovely balcony, complete with palm trees and sun beds. The weather on the North East coast is hot and a bit humid but nothing like the fierce heat of the Northern Territory. We went out to Green Island this morning and I finally got to snorkel in the coral reef. It was totally amazing and I was swimming along with sea turtles and other fish that I don't know the names of. I only swallowed sea water once when I forgot how to breathe! I now have a bit of a suntan on my back but I had tons of sunscreen on so I didn't burn. Chris' back is red raw as he didn't intend to snorkel but ended up having a go.

This afternoon we went for a walk around Cairns and we could hear a right racket coming from the trees. We thought they were birds but it turned out to be bats. There must have been hundreds of them all hanging from the trees. They were 'baby flying foxes' and it is a breeding area for them.

Tonight we are being taken to a show at Tjapukai. We are to take part in an interactive carroboree before being led along a flame-lit path to dinner. Not sure about the interactive part but the regional cuisine sounds good.

Ayers Rock revisited

It was another early start this morning and we were ready for the coach at 4.30am. We were taken to a different viewing point. It was really dark and we were told to follow the path lit by the green and red lights. This took us to the various viewing platforms. It gets really busy and lots of people take tripods for their cameras and little chairs. We took lots of photographs that we’ll bore people to death with when we get back home!

After the sunrise, we made our way to the rim of the rock with the intention of walking to the top. Unfortunately it was closed due to the wind. (This closing things down before we get there is becoming a habit!) Looking at the walk, I doubt very much whether I would have been able to do it anyway as it is very steep, with only a wire rail to hold on to.

We then went to another part of the rock base where we went on a very nice walk around part of the rim. The path has a low wire to show where we were allowed to walk. We stopped on a raised platform to look at some rock drawings and one lady, totally oblivious to her error, had stepped over the wire and appeared in front of us all on the platform as she gazed within inches of the drawings and was happily snapping away with her camera. It was a really funny moment, as the look on everyone’s faces was a picture.

The rivers were pointed out to us as we travelled along and so far they have all been totally dry. Water isn’t a problem for them because it is available underground and is drinkable from the tap. It hasn’t rained here since April last year and as we were driving along, the sky got darker and darker and the massive fork lightening began and it started to rain, and rain, and rain. We were told that when it rains, the kangeroos make their way to the roads where the puddles gather but we didn’t see any. We made our way back to Alice Springs to spend another evening there and we are flying to Cairns on Sunday. (That’s today and I’ve finally got Wi-Fi again, hence the delay in bringing this blog up to date). We have until 2.30pm before we are taken to the airport. This will be flight number six.

Ayers Rock

We left Alice Springs for the resort near to Ayers Rock. AAT Kings took charge of us for the time we were there. We stopped at a camel farm on the way but we didn’t fancy a quick camel ride. We also had a toilet stop on the way that was better than anticipated. There was a hut with two doors and the toilet looked ok and thankfully it didn’t smell. There was no water though, only a hole that must have been really deep. The toilet seat was red hot! We reached our hotel and had only just checked in to our room and within a few minutes we were on our coach and making our way to Kata Tjuta. These are publicised as the mystical 36 domes of the Kata Tjuta. Or as Chris puts it “a pile of rocks in the desert”.  From there we were driven by coach to the base of Walp Gorge and we had the option of walking through the gorge and back. They are really strict on the coaches and only allow you to do this if you have enough water. I only managed to walk a third of the way, leaving Chris to complete it with the other ‘mad dogs and English men’. I zig-zagged my way back to the shade to glug more water. Chris made it there and back in one piece and we were told that the temperature was approx. 54 degrees in the gorge! 54 DEGREES! The air-con on the coach was DELICIOUS!

We then made our way to Ayres Rock, or Uluru as they now call it. This was the viewing area waiting for the sunset.  The tour operators provide drinks and nibbles while we waited. The sunset was spectacular and the rock seems to change colour as the sun gets lower.

Afterwards we made our way back to the hotel resort and had our supper. It was so hot, even late at night. We were told that Kings Canyon, our trip for tomorrow afternoon, had been cancelled as they’ve closed the Canyon due to bush fires.

A town like Alice

We set our alarm for 3am and were dressed and ready to go when the phone call came to say that the hot-air balloon ride was cancelled once again due to dangerous weather conditions. We were really disappointed and then when we were watching the news later, we saw that a balloon had crash landed that same morning.

This morning we went to visit the ‘School of the Air’. It was a really interesting place and must take a lot of organising. It is called ‘the largest classroom in the world’ and they have 120 children who live within 521,000 square miles. That’s about ten times the size of England (according to the blurb).

After lunch, we went to visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service. This was more to Chris’ liking as the small museum was really interesting. They have 61 planes available at any one time and a large screen gives an up to date picture of how many planes are in use.

We had a really good meal this evening, followed by Chris’ obligatory “How much?” Over here they eat camel and kangaroo and I was half tempted to give it a try. I ended up with a T.bone steak that was cooked to perfection. Chris had a lamb shank in a vegetable pie. He said it was really good.  

Today has been really hot again and everyone is on fire alert. The bush fires over here are raging out of control and could well affect our holiday. We’re leaving Alice Springs tomorrow to stay in the Ayers Rock area and will be seeing it at sunset and then back again the morning after for the sunrise before getting the chance to climb part of it.   

Alice Springs

What can I say about Alice Springs. It's so hot that's it practically unbearable to be in the open, or even the shade for that matter. I'm fast becoming the Air-con queen. Alice Springs is a small place which was established due to being a telegraph post and a watering hole. Nowadays, it attracts visitors as the base for people (like us) who want to see Kings Canyon and Aires Rock. It is so hot that you don't see many people out in the streets.

We came here early so that we could go on a balloon ride over the outback at dawn but it was cancelled due to the weather. We have managed to re-book it for tomorrow morning and have to be ready for 3.45am. I hope it goes ahead.

Our tour starts on Thursday when we go to Aires Rock and then Kings Canyon. I'm keen to see the sites but the thought of the heat is daunting! 

Barrossa Valley

From (wi-fi less) Robe we made our way to the wine region of Barrossa Valley where Jacob's Creek is. We stayed at the Novotel Resort which is in the middle of nowhere but has lots of facilities. We took the opportunity to just relax for a couple of hours by the pool.

We had a studio room which was really nice and had a good view over the valley.

We gave ourselves plenty of time to get to the airport this morning and left the hotel at 7.30am and it was already 26 degrees. The journey caused Chris a bit of anxiety because we didn't see any sights en route for the airport and he was convinced that the sat nav was wrong. In the end we made it safely and had plenty of time to get something to eat before our flight. I'm using the free wi-fi at the airport as they wanted $26 to use it at the Novotel resort. We;re now on our way to Alice Springs and expecting temperatures in the forties again. I'm not looking forward to the heat.

It's Chris' birthday today and we have a hot air balloon ride booked for the morning over the outback. Not sure how I'll cope with the height! I'll let you know.

Warrnambool

We left Warnnambool bright and early to make our way along the coast to a place called Robe. It was a long drive which took us inland for quite a while. We had to drive through a bush fire, which luckily was only small and we only saw smoke and no flames. The towns here are few and far between and if you blink, you miss them. Even the places on the coast are like a couple of streets and I've been unable to buy a postcard at most places. They know how to charge for food though! The prices are outrageous and I wish I had an Australian dollar for every time Chris has said 'do you know how much that was?? It would only have cost £** in the UK!'

Anyway, we made it to Robe, which was another two street town. We were really looking forward to staying here at a place called 'Ann's Place', a small retreat centre. When we went to check in, it turned out that the travel agent had made an error and booked us in for the night before and they were now fully booked! The owner of the hotel was really helpful and he managed to get us in to a motel for the night. The best I can say is that it was clean and had nice a nice shower. We went back to our original hotel in the morning and had a really good breakfast.

Twelve Apostles

Trust us to visit Australia when they are having a heat wave. The temperature was 44 degrees today and absolutely unbearable. 

The air-con in the car is a God-send.  We stopped for a short walk around part of the rain forest. It was really nice and smelled wonderful and there was lots of forest noises! 

Much to our disappointment, we haven’t seen any koala bears or kangaroos in the wild yet. We haven’t ventured very far for very long due to the heat although we made an effort for the Twelve Apostles. We walked down lots of steps to a beach where we could photograph two of the rocks, which seem to soar out of the sea. I had sandals on and the sand was scorching hot, so I didn’t stay long!

We are staying tonight at a place called Warrnambool. The place isn’t very exciting and we went for a walk to a market near to the sea front. The beaches here are nice but no sun beds or umbrellas anywhere. The hotel is ok. It’s clean and cool but not a patch on yesterdays. The man on reception was very nice and gave us 2 hour’s Wi-Fi free. Every little helps! We’re finding everything so expensive. We stopped ealier and bought a couple of bottles of water – 7 dollars (that’s about £4.50, which would have cost about £1.50 in the UK). We found a supermarket and bought 12 bottles of exactly the same water and paid $9.98 – so WARM water it is from now on!

APOLLO BAY

We spent most of the day at Alan’s yesterday. It made Chris’ day to be able to meet up and spend time with him. Fillet steak on the barby – Mmmmmm, delicious! Because Chris had drunk a few ‘tinnies’, I had to drive. Once we got on to the Great Ocean Road, it was great fun because it’s a really winding road with magnificent views. We could have done with more time to stop en route to take in the view and we did manage to stop but we needed to get to the hotel before it got too late. We stopped to photograph a fantastic sunset.

We followed the sat nav and it directed us inland, which then turned out into a narrow winding dirt track to the top of a huge ‘mountain’. The sat nav didn’t show as a road and Chris was convinced we had taken a wrong turn. Then we came across the hotel at the top which was a retreat centre and absolutely amazing. Our room was a corner suite with awesome views of the sea. We ate a sumptuous breakfast. The only problem was that, once again, Wi-Fi wasn’t available, so will post this when we next get a signal. I am struggling to get a photo album available but will post more photos as soon as I can.

Today we’re travelling the Great Ocean Road and plan to stop to see ‘The 12 Apostles’. I’ll try to keep you posted. – Julie

Melbourne

We were up bright and early this morning to catch our flight from Sydney to Melbourne. I've been really looking forward to this leg of the journey as we will be driving the Great Ocean Road over the next four days. We have made a detour on our way to Apollo Bay to see a friend of Chris', Alan Swift. Alan took us on a guided tour of Geelong and has now just cooked us an amazing barbeque in his garden. The temperature here today is 36 degrees.

New Year in Sydney

Sydney
Our hotel in Sydney didn't have Wi-Fi so have been unable to blog and keep you up to date. So, here's a summary of our four days in Sydney.

30th December - after the night flight to Sydney and no sleep, we arrived at our hotel to be told that we had 6 hours to spare before getting to our room. So, we dumped our bags and spent the next few hours getting to know a bit of the city. The weather wasn't so good and it rained. When we finally got to our room we slept solid until the next day.

New Year's Eve - We made our way down to the harbour hoping to get a good view. We had only been there for about 30 minutes when they closed off the area due to it being full to capacity. That left us with hours without shade, to wait until midnight. It was awful. Full sun in 28 degrees. We did our best with water, sunscreen, sunhat and even an umbrella but it was unbearable and I was feeling a bit ill. An Australian couple, Lawrence and Angela came to my rescue and generously offered to share their sun tent with us. They were wonderful and transformed our day. The atmosphere and fireworks were awesome and even with the heat, well worth the wait.

New Year's Day
Today, we went to Darling Harbour. An amazing place. The sun was out and everything is so bright and 'blue'. We had a really nice lunch here and took our time walking back to the hotel to get ready before going out for the evening. We had a 'little rest' and woke up at about 10:30pm! Needless to say, we went back to sleep until the next morning.

2 January 2013
Today we bought an all day ticket so we could go on the ferries. First stop was manly, a seaside resort with golden sand. Then we went to Watson Bay to have some fish and chips from Doyles. They were very expensive and not a patch on Murgy's, Wetherby Whaler or even The Empire's. But then again, we are partial to Yorkshire fish'n'chips! The weather wasn't good today and it was really cloudy and verging on cold!