Australia II - February 2006

I left New Zealand on January 28th and flew to Sydney and then on to Brisbane, capital of the Australian state of Queensland. Arriving at 7:30 PM I was surprised to find the sun had already set and was informed that Queensland does not have daylight savings time - a sharp contrast to New Zealand where there is still light at 10:00 PM. Sunrise here is before 5:00 AM. I checked into the Rendezvous Hotel in the middle of the city for three nights.

Sunday I explored the large modern capital of Brisbane. Set a little inland from the Pacific East Coast, the city is located on the tidal Brisbane River and has grown significantly in the last two decades. I took a bus tour of the city and then walked through the botanical gardens, Roma Street Park and the riverfront. Many of the historical buildings in the city have been preserved and have found new life as hotels, restaurants or offices.

Monday I caught an early train and went south 1 1/2 hours to the Gold Coast where I visited Surfers Paradise. This is a Miami Beach type community with a beautiful wide white sand beach that stretches for 75 kilometres. Large apartment towers line the beach including a 75-story behemoth and a 77-story building named The Soul which is about to be built. I walked along the beach for a while, noticing the public service billboards that warn people to use sun block and be careful not to spend too much time in the sun. Heading this advice, I went to Jupiter’s Hotel and Casino where I gambled for a few hours and ate lunch. I took a 4:00 PM train back to Brisbane.

Tuesday morning I visited a travel agent to get some ideas as to how to spend the next few days. I decided to head for the northern end of Queensland from where I could explore the Great Barrier Reef. I checked out of my hotel, took the train to the airport and boarded a Virgin Blue flight to Cairns. During the 2-hour flight I was able to look down on what appeared to be thousands of green islands, but are actually coral atolls which form the reef that extends along 2300 kilometres of Northeast Australia.

I had made a reservation at the Mercure Hotel in Cairns, but it was a little too far from town so I decided to change hotels for my second night in town. I took a shuttle to town and spent a couple hours walking around. It feels a little like Key West with lots of water-oriented activities catering to a mostly young crowd. At Pro-Dive I confirmed my one day scuba refresher course for tomorrow and my three day diving trip to the reef which will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I found a 5-star youth hostile named Gilligan’s where I decided I would stay tomorrow and for the two nights I will be in Cairns after the boat trip. For dinner, I ate at Dundee’s, a local restaurant famous for crocodile and kangaroo meat - but decided to stick with the beef.

Wednesday I got up early and went for a walk along the Esplanade, a 2 kilometre walkway along the waterfront. Dredging in the harbour has created a 300 meter mud flat which is exposed at low tide. Signs warn people that salties (large crocodiles that live in either salt or fresh water) inhabit the area and can ambush people without warning. There are also storyboards along the walkway that tell the history of Cairns, its gold industry, and transition from Aboriginal People to frontier town to modern tourist city. January 26th is Australia Day, a nationwide celebration similar to the USA Independence Day. Not surprisingly, Aboriginal People celebrate the same day as Invasion Day.

After breakfast, I checked-out of the Mercure Hotel and took a cab down to Gilligan’s where I left my backpack for a 2:00 PM check-in. I went back to the Pro-Dive store and got fitted for my scuba equipment. I think I remember Bill Bryson's book referring to incident on which the movie Open Water was based, occurring at a large diving operator in Cairns. Based on the disclaimer I had to sign before going diving, this outfit may have been the culprit - but I don't really want to think about it now. At 11:00 AM I had a 2-hour refresher course with an instructor who did a great job reacquainting me with the sport.

In the afternoon I visited another travel agent to make plans to go to Ayers Rock next week.

In the evening I went to a 2-hour presentation on The Great Barrier Reef entitled 'Reef Teach'. Developed and presented by a very enthusiastic marine biologist/dive master, the 40 participants were entertained by his knowledge, props and slides of just about every square inch of the reef.

Thursday I checked-out of Gilligan’s and got picked-up by Christian (my dive instructor of yesterday) who took me to the Pro-Dive office where 30 other participants were congregating for the dive trip. At 7:00 AM we were all transferred to the harbor where we boarded the ScubaPro II, one of 3 purpose-built 80-foot dive boats, each with a capacity to sleep about 40 people. We headed out of the harbor and cruised for three hours due east to Milln Reef where we moored at a buoy.

We split into groups by ability and proceeded to do four dives including a night dive, which was my first. With my Advanced Open Water Certification, I was able to dive to the maximum 18 meters on the first dive, with each successive dive being somewhat shallower. Although we are probably 25 miles offshore, there are places where the coral breaks the surface at low tide. During our first four dives we saw reef sharks, turtles, a skate and lots of reef fish. Between each dive we were served family-style meals by our full-time cook, Gaea.

On the second day of the trip, the captain moved the boat to Flynn Reef where our first dive at 7:30 Am was at a place named Boulders. Today I dove with my bunkmate Greg, who is from Seattle, and we saw a school of huge parrot fish which we were able to swim amongst. In the afternoon, we dove the same location, but this time I took an underwater camera and got some great shots of a large blue spiny rock lobster, a turtle, and some giant clams which were probably 5 feet across. For the third dive of the day we moved the boat a few hundred meters and dove a site named Gordon’s. Greg and I dove for 40 minutes through deep coral canyons which had built up over a sandy bottom. We dove the same site for our night dive on Friday.

The weather has been great for the first two days and the sea calm. On Friday night there were storm clouds over Cairns and we could see a water spout just offshore. But Saturday morning there are only scattered clouds and the weather is still good at sea. Our first dive today was at 6:30 AM to 18 meters. On this dive we saw sharks, a turtle, a moray eel, and barracuda and were attacked by a trigger fish that was protecting its nest of eggs.

Our last two dives were at Tracy’s. On the first of the two dives, however, I accidentally went too deep and there was not enough on a surface interval before the final dive, so I stayed on-board.

I have been very impressed at the level of safety which has been apparent throughout this trip. Each crew member, including the cook, is responsible for periodic headcounts in addition to the stringent rules for entering and exiting the water.

There were some empty beds on the next Pro Dive boat that is starting it’s three-day adventure today, so our captain offered anyone who was interested, the opportunity to transfer to that boat and stay out for another three days and dive 11 more times. But even at the bargain price of $200, we were all dived out and there were no takers.

At noon we left the Great Barrier Reef and started our 3 hour cruise back to Cairns. I turned in my scuba gear and headed back over to Gilligan’s where I checked back in for two nights. I spent some time on the internet in the afternoon, and then met my diving buddies for a farewell dinner.

Sunday I went to Kuranda, an old settlement up in the rain forest which is accessible via the Kuranda Scenic Train. The rail line was built for the gold industry and winds its way up through the Barron Gorge, rising 390 meters in about 25 miles. The town itself is a tourist Mecca, but many of the shops specialize in Aboriginal art, none of which I bought. I did get to see a cassowary (a/k/a Big Bird) in the bird sanctuary, but left the area when another bird started dive bombing my head.

I ate lunch and then took the 5-mile aerial tram back down the other side of the mountain where I decided to take a taxi back to town instead of wait an hour for my bus. I used the rest of the day to swim in the pool, do some laundry and catch up on my email.

I left Queensland on Monday morning and flew to Uluru on the southern side of the Northern Territory. The sole purpose of my trip is to visit Ayers Rock, which, coincidentally is just about the only thing to see in Central Australia. The Ayers Rock Resort is the only accommodation for hundreds of kilometers but they do offer a wide range of rooms from the $439/night standard rooms down to a $33/night bed in the bunkhouse. Although the travel agent I had spoken with in Cairns told me the only availability was in the more expensive rooms, I found the bunkhouse was half- empty when I arrived, so I checked-in for two nights.

The area around Ayers Rock is the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The park encompasses not only Ayers Rock, but a similar, less known formation named Kata Tjuta or The Olgas, about 30 kilometers away. The whole park is owned by the Anangu (the local Aboriginal People) and leased back to the state for a period of 99 years. This gives the Anangu People much more control over the park and there is considerable emphasis on respecting the Aboriginal culture and practices.

After check-in, I booked two tours. This afternoons tour would take me out to Kata Tjuta with an barbecue in the outback tonight. Tomorrow I will get up before sunrise and go out to Ayers Rock where I will hike 9 KM around the base. I walked around the resort and picked-up a few things at the supermarket. The temperature here is 46 degrees Cecilius, which I think is close to 110 Fahrenheit, and it is very difficult to be outside.

I was picked up at 3:10 PM and joined a group of 12 people heading out to The Olgas. The main difference between The Olgas and Ayers Rock is that the former has weathered along ancient crack lines creating 36 distinct domes of various sizes. We took a 2 KM walk at a place named 'Valley of the Winds' and although I had drenched myself with 100% deet insect repellent, the flies were as thick as flies. At Walpa Gorge we hiked a few more kilometers up amongst the domes. We drove a few kilometers back and stopped at a vantage point where we could see the whole formation at sunset. The desert is flat as a pancake and the only two structures visible as far as we can see are the two rock formations. We could see storm clouds in every direction, but they each represented separate thunder storms. Lightening was cracking from every direction at the same time. This show necessitated the cancellation of our outback barbecue, and we returned to the resort to have dinner in one of the restaurants. The buffet included such en trees as crocodile and kangaroo – each of which I sampled.

I had a restless night worried about having to get up at 5:00 AM for my next tour without the luxury of having an alarm clock. But I was up and ready when the bus arrived to take myself and four other people and two guides to Ayers Rock for our walk around the base.

I had originally wanted to climb Ayers Rock and there are chains in place to facilitate those who choose to go up. But the Anangu People do not like to have people climb the rock as they consider it sacred ground. They don't even climb it themselves. So in respect of their wishes, I decided to hike around the rock instead. As our hike progressed, I learned that there are also about a half-dozen places around the base of the formation which are also considered sacred and, as such, we were requested not to photograph these places. Signs at each of these locations warn tourists of a $5,500 fine for photographing the sacred sites.

Our guides had a rudimentary knowledge of local folklore and told us some of the ancient stories handed down through hundreds of generations of Aboriginal People concerning the Dream time. Aboriginal People believe the Dream time is when the earth, plants, animals and their ancestors were created. Although there are hundreds of aboriginal tribes throughout Australia, many of these stories are surprisingly similar. It was not as hot this morning as it was yesterday afternoon, but the flies were just as bad and I was happy when we completed the walk at 10:00 AM. I spent the rest of the day at the resort swimming and reading. For dinner I ordered emu, which tastes like ostrich.

Wednesday I left Uluru and flew up to Alice Springs, still in the Red Center. Although a big dot on the map, Alice is a small frontier town. I found a room in the heart of town and then ventured out into the heat to explore. The most interesting place I discovered was right next to my motel. The Baby Kangaroo Rescue Center has volunteers who drive along the highways looking for Kangaroos which have been struck and killed, mostly by Australia's infamous Road Trains. These giant trucks pull three but as many as seven trailers and are the principal source of everything the Northern Territory needs. Unfortunately, they cannot (or do not) brake for much, let alone wild kangaroos and many are hit. Oftentimes, the joey survives in its mothers' pouch for a day or two until other animals find it, or it is rescued and brought to this center. There were several people holding and feeding about six very small kangaroos which had recently been brought to the center.

Wednesday night I ate dinner at Overlanders Steakhouse. This place sells kangaroo steak, camel steak, crocodile and emu, but I decided to stick with the beef.

Thursday evening I flew to Adelaide in Southern Australia. I had no particular plans for my two days here but it was on my way to Tasmania so I decided to visit. Adelaide is a good size city of over 1 million people, and very British in that it is well organized with nice wide streets. I found a room at the Mercure Grosvenor Hotel on North Terrace which seemed to be in the central business district.

On Friday I took a bus tour of the city which included a 15 KM ride out to the beach. There has been 160 years of controversy as to why the city was planned so far away from the port. There are a disproportionate number of churches here and it is commonly known as the City of Churches. My flight to Tasmania was very early Saturday morning so I had to get up and check out of the hotel by 4:30 AM. Shuttle busses do not operate that early and I had planned to take a taxi to the airport. But there was a queue of over 100 people waiting for taxis; most of them going home after the bars had just closed. I didn’t want to join the line as I would have surely missed my plane, so I prevailed on the doorman of my hotel to use all his resources (and some of mine) to have a cab pick me up on the other side of the street, which he finally accomplished – much to the anger of 100 drunken revelers.

I took a 6:00 AM flight to Melbourne and changed planes arriving in Launceston, Tasmania at 9:30 AM. Tasmania is Australia’s island state situated 220 miles southeast of the mainland. Launceston is in northern Tasmania. I took a shuttle bus to town and checked into The Penny Royal Lodge. My room was not ready yet so I walked up through Cataract Gorge, visited Penny Royal World gunpowder and cannon works and then went into town for a couple hours.

Late in the afternoon I met our tour leader James Fuss and his brother Roger who will be accompanying us on this trip. There are four other clients besides myself, Stephanie from New Jersey, Robert & Renate from Oakland, CA and my roommate Roger from San Francisco. We went to the small harbor and had a very nice meal at a restaurant named Mud.

Monday morning we had breakfast at the hotel and then set off for the Tamar Valley where we took a bike ride and then had lunch at a winery featuring Ninth Island Wine. We continued on in the afternoon to Narawntapu National Park (recently renamed from Asbestos Range National Park) where we walked in bush teaming with wildlife. We saw hundreds of pademelons (a small member of the wallaby family) hopping about. We also saw a couple of wombats about the size of a small bear and two small, but poisonous whip snakes. From a distance we observed forest kangaroos. The most interesting animal which we saw clear evidence of, but did not actually see, was the Tasmanian Devil. James taught us to identify Devil scat from the high content of fur. Apparently this carnivorous marsupial eats all parts of the animals it scavenges.

We hiked back along Bakers Beach, a spectacular 100 meter wide sand beach which stretched out for miles with no other humans except ourselves. Roger had prepared a delicious barbecue which we enjoyed under the watchful eyes of a couple of wallabies.

Tuesday we checked out of the Penny Royal Lodge and started a two hour drive up to Cradle Mountain – Lake St. Clair National Park – a world heritage site. Along the way we stopped in Sheffield which has risen to popularity due to the murals which are painted on every available building. We arrived at the park before noon and were able to check into our rooms at Cradle Mountain Lodge. After lunch at the lodge, we drove a few kilometers out to Cradle Mountain and hiked 6 KM around Dove Lake. The weather continues to be great and the same is forecast for tomorrow. We enjoyed a gourmet dinner at the lodge after which, I ordered a strawberry soup with black pepper for dessert. I was disappointed that I could not taste the pepper, but James (who is also a chef) told me black pepper is used to enhance the flavor of the strawberries, and perhaps I shouldn’t expect to taste it. I think Strawberry soup is considerably less interesting without the black pepper.

The next day after breakfast, we headed back out to Dove Lake where we planned a longer hike at a higher elevation. We hiked up to Wombat Lake and then split into g\two groups with some of us climbing higher up to the saddle of Cradle Mountain where we stopped for lunch. At 1:00 PM we started the hike down which included a couple of steep descents with chains. By 3:00 PM we had reached the car park where we took the shuttle back to the lodge.

The afternoon was free but we met again for dinner at the lodge. After dinner we went for a short walk around the grounds with a spotlight in an attempt to see some nocturnal animals. We saw a common bush tailed possum, but no Tasmanian Devils.

Thursday we checked out of the lodge, ate breakfast, and then drove 2 hours west through several miming towns to Straham on Tasmania’s west coast. Here we boarded the 60-foot ketch Stormbreaker for a cruise across Macquarie Harbor. This large harbor encompasses Sarah Island, Tasmania’s most notorious penal colony, pre-dating Port Arthur. The location is so remote and the surrounding jungle so dense, that most of the 100+ men who escaped ended up eating each other in an attempt to survive, and then starving anyway in the rainforest.

We were served salmon and lobster aboard the ship as we motored across the harbor. After a couple hours, we arrived at Kelly Basin where we went ashore in an inflatable raft. Here stood the town of Pillinger, built 100 years ago by the Mt. Lyell Mining Company as a port to ship copper ore. But almost as soon as it was built, it was abandon and the entire area has been reclaimed by the jungle. The most visible remains are the ruins of three large kilns, capable of firing 368,000 bricks at a time to construct the old town. There are also the remains of a steam boiler.

From Pillinger we hiked 7 KM up an old railroad grade which the train used to bring ore from the mine down to the port. James told us he has seen platypus here on previous visits and warned us to be aware of the odd tiger snake (Tasmania’s deadliest), but we made it back to the trailhead where Roger picked us up in the van without any sightings. But as if to underscore his expertise as a guide, on our way out in the van we did see a 4-foot tiger snake which had just recently become road kill, but still appeared very menacing.

We drove on through Queenstown and back to the southern section of the same national park where we have stayed for the last two nights. This time, we checked into cabins at Lake St. Clair, but as the chef was ill at the lodge’s restaurant we had to make alternative arrangements for dinner. We ate at a place called ‘The Hungry Wombat Café’ which also happens to be a gas station. We had a lovely table outside near the pumps where customers would pull up and chat with us as they filled their tanks. It was the best meal I have ever eaten at a gas station.

Friday we left Lake St. Clair and headed towards Hobart. We made an early stop at an art gallery where Greg Duncan, a local wood carver of some fame, is in the process of carving what he calls ‘The Wall’. This will be a 300-foot wood carving from Huon Pine depicting Tasmanian history. The gallery also has several of his other woodcarvings, mostly animals and articles of work clothing, which are very detailed. Further on, we stopped at Mt. Field National Park where we hiked up to some beautiful waterfalls and then through old growth forest of Eucalyptus Regnans trees, which soar to over 250 feet in height.

We arrived at Hobart, Tasmania’s capital, before 3:00 PM. James gave us a short tour of the city before stopping at Macquarie Manor, an historic hotel near the centre of town, where we will spend the next two nights. We had the afternoon free so Roger and I got some laundry done and caught up on our email. I decided to skip dinner.

We also had Saturday morning free, so after breakfast I walked down to Salamanca Market where I spent several hours wandering amongst the booths and purchased some souvenirs. In the afternoon, we drove up to the 1000-meter level of Mt. Wellington and then hiked the Organ Pipes Trail and the Zig Zag Trail to the summit. I was hiking ahead of the group when all of a sudden I came across a full-grown tiger snake stretched out on the trail. It’s black shiny body stood out so much against the light brown soil that I initially thought it was a section of black plastic pipe, but when it moved off the trail, I jumped back. I was able to take a video of the snake in the brush, but it was not as interesting when you can’t see how big it was. Roger met us at the summit and we were served wine and cheese before heading back down the mountain in the van. In the evening we walked down to the pier where we at dinner at Mures, a popular seafood restaurant.

Sunday morning we left Hobart, just as the Hobart triathlon was getting underway and drove southeast a couple of hours to Port Arthur. This is the site of one of Tasmania’s most famous penal colonies. We had a private tour of the 100-acre complex, which functioned from 1830-1877 and housed up to 2,000 prisoners at a time. Most men were engaged in hard labour, particularly sawing logs into planks, but gradually the prison evolved into a place for the infirm and mentally unstable. Under cross-examination, our guide admitted to having convict ancestors – not an uncommon thing in this area.

There was a full day planned for us so we had to leave Port Arthur earlier than I otherwise would have I been on my own. But our next stop, the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park was even more exciting. Here we were able to get our first look at these carnivores. James had arranged for the park’s founder, John Hamilton, to give us a history of the park and discuss some of his attempts to identify and isolate a unique form of cancer, which seems to be 100% fatal to Tasmanian Devils in the wild. Then he led us to an enclosure housing three devils. He tossed in one piece of meat and we watched for 10-minutes as the three of them fought over the food. I was able to get some great video of the three fighting and screeching at one another.

At Dinalley, we stopped at a fish market where we ate a lunch of fish & chips before continuing north along the east coast and the shores of Great Oyster Bay. At Friendly Beaches we stopped and walked along the sand for a while, and then continued on to Coles Bay. Here we checked into Freycinet Lodge where we will stay for the last two nights. I had the best meal of the trip at the lodge this evening; a beef fillet and a Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert.

Monday after breakfast we set out to hike around the Hazards, three granite mountains near the lodge. We walked along Hazards Beach where huge piles of oyster shells confirm Aboriginal activity in years past. We ate lunch and then climbed up to a saddle below Mt. Amos where we had a great view of Wineglass Bay, one of Australia’s most beautiful beaches. I returned to the car park, and then continued hiking out towards Cape Tourville, with the understanding that James would pick me up in the van when the rest of the group returned. I hiked about 3 KM and just as the van was pulling up, I spotted an echidna, a porcupine-looking marsupial, crossing the road. As I approached, it balled-up in a defensive posture, so I could not get a good view of its face, but I was able to touch its quills and they were quite sharp.

We visited the Cape Tourville lighthouse and then returned to the hotel by 3:00 PM. We had dinner again at the lodge on our final night. I was looking forward to the Sticky Toffee Pudding and was disappointed when the waiter informed us that they had run out. Even so, it was a memorable meal with a great sunset to boot!

Tuesday we checked out of the Freyinet Lodge and drove 2 ½ hours north back to Launceston. We had one final meal at a café in town before heading out to the airport. I bid my fellow travelers good bye and boarded a 1:30 PM flight to Melbourne.

This was my first trip to Melbourne and one of the main reasons for going was to visit the Great Ocean Road, which runs for several hundred kilometers between Melbourne and Adelaide. Also known as the Shipwreck Coast, the most interesting portions of the road lie just west of Melbourne. I took a shuttle to the city and found a backpacker’s hostel near Flinders Street Station. The Commonwealth Games are scheduled to be held here in a few weeks and the city is preparing for a huge inflow of visitors.

I plan to be in Melbourne for a week, so I went to a tour office to see which highlights I should be sure to see while here. I took a half-day city tour to get my bearings and booked two full-day tours; one east of the city to a wildlife park and a 100-year old steam train named Puffing Billy, and the other to the west along the Great Ocean Road. I was disappointed with the wildlife park as I had already seen most of the wildlife ‘in the wild’, and the 3 KM ride on the steam train hardly seemed worth a 2 hour bus trip. But the ride out the Great Ocean Road was very good. I had debated weather I should rent a car for this trip as James had told me that I would probably be able to see Koalas in the trees near the Kennett River Valley, and I felt I would miss this if I went by bus. But the hassle of renting a car and driving on the left side of the road for a few days was overshadowed by the ease of traveling by bus.

I was picked up at 7:00 AM and we left the city just after 8:00 AM. I was a little disheartened when we passed the Kennett Valley, knowing that there were Koalas there which I would not see, but then the driver announced that we were about to pass through an eucalyptus forest and we might see Koalas in the trees. And there they were. It looked like someone had placed teddy bears up in the trees for the tourists. They were easy to spot as they eat the eucalyptus leaves, which would otherwise offer cover.

The most scenic portion of the Great Ocean Road is the Port Campbell National Park, which includes the Twelve Apostles. These hundred meter cliffs and sandstone formations are carved by the turbulent southern ocean which carries storms north from Antarctica where they crash into the southern coast of Australia. An ever changing environment, there are actually only eight of the twelve apostles left. The coast is also a magnet for shipwrecks, the most famous of which is the wreck of the Loch Ard, where only two people survived the crash and climbed the cliffs to be rescued by a couple of ranchers.

On February 28^th, I left Melbourne, flew to Sydney and transferred to a flight back to San Francisco. It was a bumpy ride and I wasn’t able to sleep, but made up for it when I arrived back in Novato.