5/26/2008 Taronga Park Zoo

Our last day to explore in Australia....Mike and I took the train downtown and then the ferry to the zoo. We rode the cable car up and took our time wandering around through the exhibits for over three hours. We got to see the elephants during feeding time and also the seals during their training session. Lots of birds, animals and plant life made it a very active and great place to spend the afternoon. Again, the weather was perfect, not too cool not to warm. The fall colors in the trees are really beginning to "pop" out here...not like the 90-100 degrees waiting for us at home! It was a wonderful end to our weeks with Hedy and Ian. Hedy cooked a great meal including fish chowder (which we all enjoyed immensely, except Mike of course) and some yummy chicken with potatoe mash! We are slowing realizing that tomorrow will be a work day for us as we repack and prepare for our next trip...our week in New Zealand!

5//2008 Return to Sutherland via The Jenolan Caves

After the guys checked the fire from yesterday's lunch, we had breakfast and loaded up. Our return trip took us the winding route through the Great Arch at Jenolan Caves where we stopped and walked the River Walk. If I hadn't twisted my knee the day before (jumping over a fence) we would have toured one of the caves, but I wasn't up for it! Arriving back in Sydney around 4:30 we decided to just stop for a few items then go home and relax which is just what we did! We even ordered Thai food delivery for dinner. Looks like that day on the sheep farm wore us all out.....

5/24/2008 A Sheep Station in Australia

We awoke to a completely fogged in valley surrounding their house. Mike took off with his camera while the rest of us gathered food and drinks. After a quick tour of the buildings and gaining an understanding of how a sheep station works, we took off on the day's adventure. This included helping them clear a huge pile of fallen trees into a managable woodpile. Then we lit a fire and burned it down to coals so we could cook our lunch of sausages and chicken wings over the flame. We returned to their house and started another fire so Bill could cook in the camp oven (cast iron covered pot) a leg of lamb with potatoes and vegetables for our dinner. It got a little cooler at night, even around the fire, but it was a lovely and peaceful place to enjoy new friends and great food.

5/23/2008 Katoomba, Three Sisters and Beyond...

After flying home yesterday and staying in Sutherland for a night we were up and out by 7:30 again on our way to the Blue Mountains. Our first stop was at the Three Sisters rock formation. From the overlook at Echo Point we drove to the scenic Railway and took the railcar down into the forest where we walked the trail then took the cableway up. We continued our drive through more little towns, stopping at Govett's Leap overlook and then lunched at the old Imperial Hotel at Mount Victoria. The scenery was fantastic as we continued through the backroads down the other side of the mountains, past Lake Lyell to the O'Connell Pub where we met up with Ian's mate, Bill and his wife Deidre. After a quick tour around their 375 acre property (which included changing a tire that was sliced on the sidewall by a piece of rock!) we returned to the pub for a wonderful dinner and drinks.

5/21/2008 Cairns Finale`!

We opted for a quick trip to Hartleys' Crocodile Farm in time for the feedings and tours. We arrived in time to see the Cassowary feeding and part of the farm tour before heading to the 10:30 river cruise. On this cruise we saw lots of crocodiles (6-10) and even fed several of them (luckily THIS boat had windows and grates high up on the sides)! After the river cruise, we continued on our walk through the park and stumbled upon a baby Koala, only months old, just out of its mother's pouch (still naked with no fur). The keepers said it was probably the first time she had taken her out!!! We were soooo lucky. We stopped and watched the two of them for a while before heading to the lagoon area for coffee just in time to see three trainers actually enter the riverbank to hand feed a huge croc (Ted) who came when they called him by name! Amazing. With one guy armed with a bucket and one with a long stick, the third one tossed him what looked like a whole (big) piece of meat! After so much entertainment, we decided to go back and spend at least one afternoon on the beach, which Hedy and I did with our books and drinks while Mike walked the beach and Ian rested his back.

5/20/2008 Palm Cove and Cairns

A slow start to the morning before we ventured into Palm Cove (in the daylight this time) to see the shops, cafes and resorts. From there we decided to check out Cairns, about 30 minutes south. We drove through the Port, the Esplanade and walked around a bit. There is no beach as such right at the port, just lots of sticky mud for a long ways out so everyone was lying around on the grassy area on beach towels (just like it was sand!) We ate a late lunch at a place called The Raw Prawn where we very much enjoyed the food, the service and the view. We each spent a little time on the internet (just can't get by without it these days) checking travel plans, emailing, blogging, etc and then went home shortly after dark (which is around 5:40 here now). We spent the next several hours on the deck, listening to music, enjoying each other's company and a beautiful full moon over the water.

5/19/2008 Daintree Forest, River Cruise and Discovery Centre

We headed up to the Daintree Forest in order to be there for the 9:30 AM River Cruise. Apparently, it was too early and too cool since we only saw ONE crocodile on our hour long cruise. Nevertheless, it was a lovely, slow ride on the Daintree River as the day was warming up. After a stop for coffee, we took the 5 minute ferry ride across the river to the Discovery Centre. The self guided audio tour took us through the rainforest along paths and up on top of towers where the view was amazing (at the top of the forest). Since it is fall here, there wasn't as much activity as in the spring, but we really enjoyed the walk and learning about the different aspects of the rainforest. We headed further up the coast for lunch and stopped at a great little place at Lync Haven, a camping retreat with an outdoor restaurant. Back at the cottage we once again relaxed for the evening along with the lizards and curlews as well as our wine and cheese, not to mention the wonderful view of the ocean. We could get used to this.......

5/18/2008 Kuranda Railway and Skyrail

Another beautiful sunrise to start the day and we were off (by 7:45 AM) on our 30 minute drive to Freshwater Station to catch the train. The ride up to the top took an hour and a half, through 15 tunnels and over 23 bridges. It was spectacular viewing from the old, open air rail cars we were in. We walked around Kuranda through various markets, had coffee, then lunch at the Irish Pub on the our way to the Skyrail station. We took the Skyrail down, stopping at two different places to get off, first seeing the views from the Barron Gorge overlook and then taking a walk through the forest with a ranger. Again the scenery was breathtaking, as was the ride in the cable car. We were so close to some of the tree tops in the rainforest you felt like you could touch them! We finished off the day on the deck watching 2-3 little lizards who came to "dinner" around our porch light and photographing the Curlews who wandered by (again).

5/17/2008 The Great Barrier Reef!

Boarding the Quiksilver V we arrived at the reef before noon. We gathered our snorkels, masks and fins and donned our lycra "blue suits" to protect us from the sun and stingers! I must say we looked "fetching", don't you agree? We snorkeled for about an hour before having lunch. The reefs were full of schools of fish and numerous corals of all different shapes and sizes and the water was very clear. After a wonderful buffet lunch, we snorkeled again for a while. Mike rented an underwater digital camera so we have plenty (almost 200) pictures to share if any of you are interested...ha! The day was absolutely perfect, no wind, water temperature was great (about 82) and the seas were smooth....we had a wonderful time.

5/16/2008 Sunrise over the Pacific and More...

6:34 Am and I was the only one up! I snapped a few pics then enjoyed the serenity of it all, listening to the ocean, drinking coffee and reading until everyone else got up and around. After a big breakfast we headed to Port Douglas to make arrangements for our Reef Snorkeling Trip. On our way hope we sent to the Mossman Gorge after first having lunch at the old hotel/pub in Mossman in their beer garden. The Gorge was a beautiful walking trail, over bridges and walkways, past swimming holes and back again. That night we were greeted "up close and personal" for the first time by the curlew's, mainly nocturnal bush dwelling wader who's voice is a drawn out mournful "wer - looooo" sounding more like an shreik or a scream. They even came close to the deck to get the crackers we had thrown to them. Very entertaining......

5/15/2008 Ellis Beach!

Arriving in Cairns, it began to rain! By the time we secured our rental car it was pouring!!! First stop was at a Liquorland to stock up and then Coles, a grocery store (priorities, you know). We got to our home for the week, Ellis Beach Bungalows around 4pm. All the while, Hedy kept telling me it was a nude beach...it wasn't, we were grateful! Our accomodations were small, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, full kitchen, very simple but there was a wonderful deck where we spent most of our time overlooking and listening to the waves crashing on the beach. It is as close as I have ever been to walking into the ocean from my room. Only problem is, they have "stingers" from Nov-May so you can only swim where the protective net is. But it was beautiful and awesome just to sit and be there and enjoy the view!

5/14/2008 Exploring Sydney on Our Own again...

Since we were leaving for Cairns in the morning, we spent some time doing laundry and getting organized. Mike and I took the train down to Sydney and arrived back at Circular Quay by noon. We ate at a "counter" luncheon and then explored "The Rocks", the oldest settlement at Sydney Harbor, right under the Harbor Bridge and across from the Opera House. We then took the ferry to Manly Beach and did some shopping. Mike and I debated about buying a didgeridoo, but decided to buy a CD of the music instead (sorry, Jud!) We caught the train home, stopping at a local market for Hedy and then had dinner with Kedra, Ian's middle daughter. After she left we all got our bags packed for (another) early morning departure.

5/13/2008 Return to Sydney

Before leaving Tuncurry, we met Heather, Ian and Chery'ls daughter and her sons, Jack and Ethan. Cheryl served us fresh apple muffins and coffee and tea before we left. Arriving back at the apt. in Sutherland around 4 pm, Mike and I went to the library while Hedy and Ian met with their realtor. As you can tell, I don't get the chance to "post" very often, but when I do I try to put in a lot!!! Hope you are enjoying "traveling along with us...." For dinner we went to the Futbol Club, where they play Rugby League (not soccer) and then gambled a little at the machines. Hedy was bad luck (just like me) since we didn't win a thing. I did manage to play 10 minutes on a dollar at a penny slot not knowing what the heck I was doing....imagine that???

The picture above is of their place in Tuncurry.

5/12/2008 From Taree to Dyer's Crossing

While Ian and Ian repaired a broken pipe in the front yard, Mike, Hedy and I headed to Taree to pick up his new Cpap (he had only rented one for four days). What a relief! Neither one of us could imagine the next 4 weeks without it. Our next stop was a 45 minute drive from their house in Tuncurry to their new place in Dyers Crossing, a beautiful 105 acres of woods, meadows, a river, ponds, barn and tractor (for Ian)jand a wonderful new home (for Hedy) sitting on the crest of one of the hills. It is gonig to be a perfect new home for the two of them.. The current owners spent an hours and a half very graciously showing us atround and visiting. On the way home we enjoyed a late lunch over the cliffs abouve Tuncurry. That evening Ian's other sisiter, Kay and her partner, Rick came by for dessert and coffee. It was great fun getting to know more of Ian's family.

5/11/2008 Happy Mother's Day to Hedy and Me!

A nice lazy day around the house for all. We took the "tinnie" (small aluminum boat) out for a nice ride around Lake Wallis in the afternoon, then Hedy prepared Oysters Kilpatrick (fresh oysters on the half shell, small slices of bacon and worcestershire sauce) broiled in the oven and fresh prawns, cheese and crackers. They were tasty! And even Mike ate some!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We met Ian's sister Cheryl and her husband, also Ian, who live in the lower level of the duplex, and enjoyed visiting, eating and getting know one another. It was great fun and especially relaxing...just what a "mum" should do on HER day!!!

5/10/2008 Family, Foxes and Forster

We awoke to the lovely sound of birds chattering and after a quick breakfast at the beachside cafe (again...life is sooo rough, ha!) we were on our way. Saying goodbye to Gary and Kathy, we headed up to their daughter's place, high on a hilltop overlooking the most beautiful valleys. Everything was so green and lush (and this is their fall!!!). They live in a mud brick and cedar house built by Craig and his mates during his bachelor days. It was home to their family of five, 2 Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Gina and Rusty, an opussom, a guinea pig plus 5 horses!!!

After coffee, tea and "bickies" (cookies/biscuits)we headed down to Wingham Brush where we were hoping to see the flying foxes fly out at sunset, but a local gent told us most of them had flown south for the winter already so we just walked through and saw them hanging from the trees. These suckers were big!! Body the size of a cat with a wingspan of about 4 ft when fully extended! We stopped at their favorite place in Forster for "fish n chips" (the British influence you know) before getting back to Tuncurry.

5/9/2008 Hunter Valley Wine Country and Beyond

After a complete day of rest and organizing, we headed out for an early breakfast at an outdoor cafe on the beach at Forster. The drive up to the wine country was beautiful, winding our way through small rural towns, hills and valleys. The trees were spectacular. We tasted (and bought) at several wineries and also a cheese factory and then had lunch at the Hunter Valley Garden's Village before driving to Port Stephens where we were spending the night with Gary and Kathy, Ian's brother and wife. We arrived right on time to watch the sunset right out the back of their house over the water. They have this amazing "wall of doors" that folds up so you feel you are outside in a tropical garden! Beautiful!!! We sat outside enjoying dinner and wine and conversation until we couldn't anymore!

5/7/2008 Tuncurry

After making arrangements to rent a Cpap for Mike in Taree (which is minutes from Hedy and Ian's place up the coast) we were ready to head to Tuncurry. First though, a trip to the chiropractor for Ian and pedicures for Hedy and Janet from Vania, Ian's daughter. Seems like we did a lot of damage to our bodies at the Outback..... Four hours later we arrived in Taree, picked up a machine for Mike and settled in at their place in Tuncurry. It is a lovely up and down duplex that faces the waters of Lake Wallis, which is tidal with lots of birds and marine life and beautiful sunrises! A lovely place to rest relax and regroup for a few days.

5/6/2008 Shopping in Alice Springs and Opals

Before our flight out at noon, we decided to trek downtown (about a mile) once again to shop! And as luck would have it, we managed to find the most beautiful natural opal pendant in a sterling silver setting (plus a ring) with my name written all over it! Mike generously offered to buy it for me and I accepted! What a great trip/anniversary momento for our 37th!!!! We then arranged for the digeridoo/artist Tom Crow who had performed at Toddy's that first night to bring in his artwork for us all to chose form. Hedy and Ian, Bestsy, Mike and I all purchase some! Then it was on to the airport and back to Sydney only to find that Mike's Cpap wasn't working........

Day 5 Gorges, Waterholes and Trees

Our last day! No rush to get up and go so we savored the early morning fire and most were looking forward to a bed, a hot shower and toilet that we knew were waiting for us at the end of the dayl! We made several stops in the West MacDonnell National Park ranges to see beautiful gorges and swimming holes. Several went in the water at Redbank Gorge, but Mike and I were waiting for it to warm up and we finally tooke the plunge at Ellery Creek Bighole where the water temperature was sooooo cold (we're guessing about 50 degrees) it literally took your breath away!!! After a few more stops on our last one was at the two trees Numajare painted as a landscape portrait. He was the first aborigine to paint an object as seen looking at it straight on, rather than from above looking down as was they way aborigines viewed things. At that point, we were only a few miles from Alice Spings and Toddy's where we were spending the night before flying out. We said our goodbyes and hugged everyone and then we were off! Only to see each other again, one more time, at dinner that night. It was a great ending to a wonderful trip. We all agreed we wouldn't have missed it for anything.

Day 4 Craigs Cultural Walk, Kangaroo Tail and Dinky the Singing Dingo!

After a big breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast we headed off with Craig for a tour of cave paintings, petroglyphs and fossil fields. He told the most enjoyable story of his culture, life and history of the aborigines. At noon we were back at camp for our tast of 'roo tail. Ian passed, but the rest of us tried it. All agreed it was a bit greasy, gamey and didn't smell so great (probably because it was cooked in foil buried in coals with the skin and hair still on it!!!) Mike and I purchased a piece of art from Craig which makes it really special to us. After lunch we packed up, crossed more dry creek beds and back roads (still bumping around in the Wayoutback bus) saw remnants of a few old settlements, ranger stations, etc. We stopped back at Stuarts Well to see Dinky the Singing Dingo....an 8 yr old dingo who was rescued during the dingo poisoning campaigns and learned to "sing" when Jim's daughter's were learning to play the piano. It was really more of a "howl" since dingos don't even bark! Our day ended at Glen Haven Gorge where we enjoyed happy hour at the pub while Brad grilled steaks for us for our last nights dinner. Afterwards, we traveled a few miles to our final campsite...no toilets, no showers, no place to sit...only a place for the fire!!! There was just a sliver of moon so the sky was more dramatic than ever. A few lucky ones even got to see part of a meteor shower during the night.

Day 3 Kings Canyon and Camels

Today's adventure started much like the day before with a not quite so early wakeup so we could be on our walk before 9 am. The initial climb at Kings Canyon took us up about 1000 ft with a 60 degree incline walk up stone steps (thank goodness there were several resting spots to take a breath on the way up.....) The views from the top and around the rim were fantastic; breathtaking if you got too close to the edge! Being our second 7 km hike in 2 days, it kind of wiped Hedy and me out, but we made it down to the Garden of Eden (over wooden steps and platforms) and back up again, and then down again to the bus! After lunch we started down our first 4 WD "offroad" (very offroad) adventure over red dirt, sand, ruts and bumps, to our daily wood gathering expedition (we would find it, drag it to the bus, throw it up to Brad who would tie it on top! This was the end of the trip for 3 of our companions who had only chosen the 3 day adventure, not the 5, and we were all sad to see them leave...and they missed seeing the camels! After dropping them off for their pickup and return to Alice Springs we spotted our first camels. There were 11 of them in all sizes and colors as we continued on to Oak Valley Campground, home of Brad's aboriginal friend Craig, where there were hot showers and flush toilets waiting....yeah!!! It was very dark by the time we got there but it afforded us the opportunity to learn more about the Southern Night Sky from Craig and Brad.

Day 2 Sunrise and Kata Tjuta

We all agreed the best part of sleeping in a swag was the beautiful stars and planets of the Milky Way we got to see, especially the Southern Cross!! Awesome hardly describes it! The early morning wake up, temperature around 50 degrees, and a quick breakfast got us moving fast so we didn't miss the sunrise at 7:20. We drove 30 minutes to a viewing platform where we watched the sun rise over the Olgas and reflect upon Ulura. The colors of the sky out there are so vivid and broad...they seem to circle half way around the horizon. After sunrise, we embarked on the 7 km (3 1/2 to 4 hours) Valley of the Winds Walk in, around and through the domes of Kata Tjuta. Hedy and I managed to hang in there, however, we were always bringing up the rear. There were 12 of us total in our group and we all bonded and had a great time together. Needless to say, we were all anxious to return to our campsite, relax and enjoy a great meal before bedtime.

Day 1 Alice Springs and Ulura (Ayres Rock)

After a long ride in the Wayoutback Bus we arrived at our campsite around noon. You should have seen the look on Hedy's face when she realized it was "just" a covered picnic table, sink and cabinet and a fire pit!!! (There were hot showers and a flush toilet a short walk away) A quick bite of lunch and we were off to see the "worlds largest rock"! A brief stop at the cultural center and short guided tour by Brad, our tour guide, driver, cook, etc for the next 5 days, left us on our own for an hour and a half walk around the base. We got back to camp just in time to gather our things (drinks, snacks, champagne) and walk up the hill to a viewing platform where we toasted the sunset over Ulura and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) where we were headed the next day. Back at camp, we made a fire and layed out our swags (basically a square, heavy canvas zip bag with only a thin - 2" if you were lucky, thick foam pad) with a sleeping bag in it. After dinner and wine most of us turned in early for a 5:30am wakeup call.

Back from the Red Center

Well, we survived our Wayoutback adventure and it was fantastic! I will try to back up a few days and post some pics and notes about all that we did, but in a nutshell, it was a wonderful five days of traveling places we would never have been able to go without the truck we were in or the driver we had! Sleeping under the stars of the Southern Hemisphere was much more magnificent than we ever imagined. Seeing the Milky Way and the Southern Cross plus many more constellations each night was amazing. The temperature varied between low 50's upper 40's overnight to upper 80's during the days. We took several hikes (two of them over 7 km, about 4 hours) up and down the rocks, canyons, and rivers (all dry by the way). The group was small, 11 plus the driver, whom all became fast friends over the days we spent together. Wouldn't have missed it for the world. Stay tuned for more details and pictures........