Category: Australia

 

It’s raining, it’s pouring and this is getting boring.  We need to hike, we need to bike instead of all this snoring…….hohum ho hum hohum.

We might be spoiled by our good fortune of great weather so far on this year long journey.  Most of the bad weather days have come in NZ, Tazzie and Australia.  Sydney not only handed us a torrential rainstorm upon arrival, it added insult to injury by having the worst rush hour traffic in an extremely L   O   N   G and dark tunnel.  Anyone ever been on the M5 in Sydney???   DONT’ DO IT!!!!!!!   The extra long drive due to weather and traffic did not make the drive to The Blue Mountains very special.  We could see the potential, through misty, cloudy skies, but we were incredibly “hangry” and just didn’t appreciate the scenery OR the McDonalds we were forced to eat at…..  It was eat, starve or kill each other.  We found our hostel in Blackheath with ease, but discovered that we did not have an ensuite(private bathroom) and the room was so small our luggage wouldn’t even fit.  We were tired, but got on the internet and promptly booked a small airbnb in Lurea for the next four days.  We slept a bit fitfully that first night, but found our new place to be awesome and the town of Lurea charming.  We quickly forgave Sydney weather and forgot the traffic woes.  BUT, it did keep raining.  We dressed for mud and wet and chilly autumn conditions and headed to notable overlooks and short hikes.  Tea in the afternoon has become our habit so we warmed up and geared up to head out for the rest of the day.  The waterfalls were going wild due to rain and the mountains really do look BLUE.  The views got more and more stunning as the day went on. 

The Blue Mountains are a two hour drive from Sydney and they are a  surprise range of mountains that rise up off the coastal plains.  They seem to be the recreational playground for the Sydney city and “burbs” folks who need a close weekend get away.  A bit Park City- ish, but bigger and more spectacular for sure.  We took the Great Mountain Highway to get there  and stopped at the many small, quaint and quirky towns that house all the tourists.  Plenty of locals and bus loads of Chinese and Japanese frequent this popular destination.  Each town has something unique it is known for and, additionally, offers great dining, coffee and tea houses.  Lodging ranged from backpacker to luxury lodge, and we found plenty of day hikes, hundreds of overlook hikes, multi day tramps and loads of shopping.  We started in Blackheath but ended up in the town of Lurea, which we loved.

It rained for three days, but we were rewarded with a spectacularly sunny day on our last day there.  We met  up with an Aussie mom and daughter we met one day in a hut in NZ for a beautiful morning hike.  Later, we enjoyed lunch in Katoomba and high tea (puff puff) at the Hydro Majestic “Salon de The”. It was a memorable afternoon with two great ladies.   The connection we have made with these folks who live in Sydney is really special. We might forget details about places, but the awesome people we meet along the way will not soon be forgotten.  Thanks for the pleasure:  Helen and Jess.

We have been in the Wilderness now for 10 weeks.  We have been camping, glamping, in lodges, hostels, airbnbs and lots of huts.  We have been cooking many of our own meals and added water to a lot of dehydrated stuff.  We drink water instead of beer and wine and raw vegetables might be a big part of our diet.  Tomorrow is a big day and the start of four grand days in the city of Sydney and Bondi Beach.  I think I am really excited, but might actually miss the simple existence we have become accustomed to.

Sydney is massive, but beautifully situated along the harbor.  The skyline and bridge are impressive and the Opera House deserves its’ reputation as an architectural wonder.  We walked about 12 miles covering The Rocks ( a lovely historical neighborhood),  in and out of lovely green spaces and  through the Museum of Contemporary Art.  We also took the ferry ride to Manley and visited the famous surfers beach there.  While, Sydney is reminiscent of New York, there are also very distinct differences.  It is more open and offers a lot of green space.  It has a beautiful skyline that you can actually see and is much more warm and welcoming.  It is not overcrowded and chaotic…. New York on a sedative?  People are civil, queueing is very orderly and everyone is respectful.  The energy is quiet, but definitely not boring.  Sydney is clean and tourist friendly.  Busses and trains run on time and are rarely cramped or overcrowded.  Thank you Sydney for being such a pleasant experience.  The museums are FREE, but the food and spirits are overpriced.  Though expensive (Australia in general), we had a great day in Sydney and would have liked to have had a couple of more days.

Bondi Beach was like being in Southern California at the Huntington Beach pier.  I was reliving my high school days and I loved it there.  It was sunny two days and very rainy the other days.  It was okay though.  We did the Great Coastline Walk, ate fish tacos at a wild bikini bar, shopped and beached and enjoyed the unbridled hipster youth that dominate this place. Ahhh, too little time once again.  Oh and we had a great Airbnb in a posh highrise apartment… we loved our hostess GiGi!!!  Thank You!!!!

 

 

I don’t really want to compare NZ to Tazmania , but I must.  They are SO different.  In their own right, they are both fantastic!  They would not say nice things about each other, but I can…. just not sure which way the pendulum will swing for me when it is all said and done:

TAZZIE:                                                                                                       *Dry, golden, sparse, rocky  landscape                                                                    *food and drink very expensive                                                                  *creepy crawlers, bugs,& mosquitos                                                             *flora and fauna outstanding, abundant                                                                           *small nocturnal creatures everywhere                                                          *birds are plentiful and very vocal                                                           *camping and national parks NOT free                                           *surrounded by the stunning Tasman Sea                                                    *wild, edgy, rugged and rough coastline with clean and sparsely populated white sand beaches                                                                                                               *some road kill and which is cleaned by the scavenger birds and Tasmanian Devils                                                                                                       *fairly good roads                                                                                                *Lots of one piece bathing suits                                                                    *leg tattoos are super popular                                                                         *lots of snakes, venomous snakes, poisonous creepy crawlers                  *look out the window and see a wallaby                                                        *Tazzies’ speak proper English and rarely use aboriginal language  or aboriginal words                                                                                                              *Gum tree/ eucalyptus tree forests/ incredibly tall trees and huge ferns                                                         *hobbits….maybe one                                                                                *food is very good                                                                                                        * people are a little more coarse around the edges… can be lewd, loud   AND very hospitable, sometimes helpful, friendly and fun.                                      *Across the board, more expensive products                                         *more rain, but warmer temps

KIWI:                                                                                                                    * Wet, green,lush,dense, fresh.                                                                            * food and drink ridiculously astronomical                                                                   * NO creepy crawlers,  BUT horrifying sandflies                                         *flora (fern capital of the world ) and fauna   ( none to speak of)                                         *nuisance creatures: possum and skoat                                                                     * bird population way down due to possums eating eggs, beautiful bird songs in the forest                                                                                                  * free camping, free national parks                                                   *surrounded by the stunning Tasman Sea                                                    *road kill is everywhere and not cleaned often                                              *rugged, edgy, wild coastline…great surfing; fewer stretches of white sand beaches                                                                                                    *bikinis only                                                                                                       * piercings and not so many tattoos                                                                 *no snakes, no poisonous creepies , nothing is ever going to get you.                                                                    *look out the window and see a sandfly                                                         * less rain, but colder, chilly                                                                    *Kiwis speak English but Maori language used often for towns, streets, places  and in conversation                                                                       *Kiwi accent harder to discern                                                                         * hobbit land, enchanting forests                                                                   *beech tree forests                                                                                *nothing special about the food ( lamb is good, cottage cheese so good)                                                                           *people are very polite, generous and proper, kind, welcoming

WE hit the ground running in Tasmania and, it seems, we are still running from one thing to the next and from one place to the next and trying to do it all.  We only have 3 weeks??? go,go,go

Here is how it all shook out:

1.  Hobart (3 days,3 words & 3 memories)Energy, Trendy, Quaint.  MONA Museum, Mt Wellington, mussels at the Wharf.
2. Freycinet National Park (4 days, 4 words and 4 memories):  Scenic, solitude, friendly, cool ass rock.  Stunning sunsets, beautiful empty beaches, electric BBQ’s,  Wallabies
3. Port Arthur (one day, one word, one memory):  Harsh ( the history), April 1996 (mass shooting)
4. Three Capes Trek (3 days, 3 words, 3 memories). Breathtaking, staggering, epic.  Wombat, moonrise, Totempole Rock
5. Tullah (3 days, 3 words, 3 memories.) Nothing-ness, ghost town, empty.  Beautiful lake overlook, golden buttongrass, mountain views.
6. Cradle Mountain ( 1 day, 1 word, 1 memory):  Overcast.  Weathered off the climb and disappointed?
7. Queenstown and Strahan ( rainy day activity).  (1 day, 2 places, 2 words, 2 memories):   (Q) Mining, (S) Resort.  (Q) A step back in time…boom and bust mining. (S) Hells Gate into McQuarie Harbour.
8. Mt Fields National Park: (1 day, 1 word , 1 memory):  Government Hut.  Birds, critters, forests, snow gum trees, moon, stars, mist….so memorable.  Not enough time.
9. Ferry to Bruny Island: ( 3 days, 3 words, 3 memories):  uninhabited,  beaches, silence.  Wallaby burger, afterglow on the Tasman Sea, The Fluted Cape hike.                                                                                                                 When it was all said and done, we were satisfied but exhausted.  We did a lot of driving to see as much as we could of this beautiful wilderness and we were able to visit eight national parks. We left some things undone and will come back to do:  Overland Track, Frenchmans Cap, Bay of Fire. We will search for the elusive white wallaby and sneaky platypus.  We would re-visit the MONA museum to see new exhibits.  The museums in all of Tasmania  are phenomenal.                                                                          One can’t choose their favorite child or grand child.  So it is with New Zealand and Tasmania.  We ❤?❤?love them both equally.  However, I will take the mosquito bite over the sandfly bite anyday!                           Good bye Tazzie Land.   We are ready for our next wilderness experience in The Blue Mountains outside of Sydney on mainland Australia.  Then, four luxurious and expensive days exploring Sydney and Bondi Beach.  So excited!