Something about BYRON

As cool as the ocean breeze, as yummie as the freshly baked nachos, as chill as the beer at the Beach Hotel, as hot as the Curry House, as fresh as the freshly squeezed OJ, as ‘amigos’ as the Amigos Guest House, as.. [the list goes on, and on]. There’s something about Byron that never changes, and thank God it doesn’t. The Cape Byron walk. The hammock in the backyard. The old bikes. The pimped cars. The Pass and the Watego’s. The lighthouse and the most easterly point of Australian mainland. The surfers and their surfboards.
There’s something about Byron…

SYDNEY – now and then

... From March to August...
It was at Sydney Cove, where the ferries run from Circular Quay today, that Sydney’s first European settlement was established in 1788 when the First Fleet arrived on the 26th of January, now celebrated annually as Australia Day. And the ferries, harbour and the Harbour Bridge give Sydney something that no other city has got. The Australia’s international darling absolutely buzzes with multicultural energy and offers practically everything anyone could ask for in a travel destination. Indeed, many travelers who come for a week end up staying for a year, if not years.
First time in Sydney, you’ll probably find yourself rushing around trying to gulp everything in a few days you’ve planned to stay in town. Right, Australia’s huge and has got so much more to discover. And you probably holiday only once a year and have limited time for each spot on your itinerary. Limited time, limited money, limited... Wrong. Sydney is probably one of the most compact cities that host millions of tourists a year. All you need is within easy reach, and the few places that aren’t in a walking distance can be reached by the city’s excellent translink, including my absolute favourite – the Sydney ferry.
Say you’ve got two days in Sydney (because I can’t believe you could have only one!), what would come first on your must-do-must-see list? The Opera House? Really?! Right, can’t miss that. But would you go on a harbour cruise and visit the Taronga Zoo? Or would you walk down to the streets of Chinatown and taste the Asia? I doubt you would, because you’re too busy sipping an over-priced cocktail at the Opera Bar or walking around the harbourside for the n-th time. And nobody would blame you. You’re in Sydney and you wanna see what it’s famous for. You do, I did, everybody does.
And for those that are actually trying to gasp Sydney in two days, here are a few hints. You’ll get a good view of the Opera House from the far end of the Royal Botanic Gardens with both the opera and the Harbour Bridge in the same picture, but you’ll get a much better view of them if you hop on one of the cruise boats or simply take a quick ferry over to Manly. As it’s taking off from Circular Quay, you’ll be able to snap some awesome photos of the famous landmarks and the city’s beautiful skyline. And yourself on this great background :) Eat cheaply but well in Chinatown, or spend four times as much dining at some of the harbourside bars or restaurants. It’s really different and depends a lot on your budget, and if you’ve got time and money, do both. A nice authentic German restaurant (Löwenpick) offers great live performance, dressed-up waitresses and homely pork, potatoes and sauerkraut for those you can’t quite get out of their daily picture and routine when traveling Down Under, which I highly doubt you wouldn’t. But we tried and enjoyed and I’m sure Paff and Tiit can tell you more about the experience on our first visit in March :) About the Opera. If you happen to visit on one of the days some shows are on (opera, concert, theatre) and manage to get a ticket (usually sold out when on last minute) and consider about $100-300 worth to spend on a real opera experience (in Sydney!), then do so. Because how many times in your life will you go out in Sydney Opera and get to see the inside rather than the outside known to everybody else? The concert we heard was Antarctic Symphony, although I do wish I had seen an opera, but I would’ve probably had to book my tickets months in advance. And if you’ve got what’s needed for a great night out, drink, party and stay up late to try Sydney’s hip bars and nightlife. To add some bling-bling, bang-bang and rock’n’roll (plus what it usually comes with), head out to Kings Cross. World Bar is famous for its teapot shots. I guess we had a few too many that night on Paff’s birthday :P

Can’t get enough? And want some more. Swim and meet up with mates at Bondi – Australia’s most famous beach, or stroll around Darling Harbour and visit the Outback Centre for a free didgeridoo performance three times a day. Hop on a ferry and scoot off to Manly. About one-hour drive takes you down to Palm Beach aka Summer Bay where, if lucky, you can star spot Alf and Sally from Home & Away. Alternatively (or do both!), a two-hour train ride takes you up to Katoomba and the Blue Mountains, where you can easily spend the whole day hiking and bush walking or going up and down on the skyrail and the world’s steepest railway. And my this time’s favourite Taronga Zoo – the world’s best located animal park where the Giraffe Family has the most privileged view from their Sydney mansion. Meet Gung & Co and peek into their Indian-style home to learn more about the Asian elephants whose skin can be up to 2,5 cm thick. And seals, lions, tigers, zebras, koalas, kangaroos, snakes and parrots – all one big happy family at Taronga village. Had a lovely day out with Kalle. Kallis oled!!! If you take the last ferry back, you’ll get back to CQ (Circular Quay) right before the sunset and can admire the Sundown on the Rocks, the historic site of the first settlement. So beautiful!
And, shopaholics, shop at the QVB (Queen Victoria Building)! It has got all in one (a)

TASSIE

Tasmania. Absolutely idyllic. Absolutely romantic. Absolutely Tassie. Launceston. Tamar Valley and George Town. Longford and the Heritage Trail. Bay of Fires. Bicheno and penguins. Wineglass Bay. Port Arthur and the old convict settlement. Hobart. And SHEEP! Thousands of sheep :D Rent a car and escape to the nature! But be aware, the roads can be quite rocky and hilly. Make sure your car is appropriately equipped. You know, paper bags and 'Bon Voyage' :D And a LEMON! Ann knows what makes the curves straight on the back seat :)

MELBOURNE

On of the best cities Down Under is still one of the best cities :) Fancy hostels (Urban Central close to Crown Casino and The Beach House in St Kilda - two of my personal favourites this time, after the 'welcome back to the 70s' Oslo Hotel the last time). Great shopping (viva la Guess!! :) and our new handbags). Exhibition 'Famous' by Karin Catt at the State Library. Highly recommended. Emirates office. Yey! Leaving OZ on October 14th for 1 week in New Zealand, 2 weeks in Thailand and 4 days in Dubai, before flying back home in early November. Flights booked! Yummie XXL ice-cream at Crown Casino, and I won $5!! :D Souvenirs and a fully packed suitcase :P One the way home by Sea Mail. Hopefully. Kalle came to visit. For a month!! Yepii!! The flight was hard though. One of his feet swelled up, but Dr King Ghan and some extra strong antibiotics came in handy :) Problem solved, it was time for a great Aussie road trip to the Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles. John, do you wanna talk about it? :) Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ADELAIDE

Welcome back to the AUSSIE WINTER!

Adelaide, North Tce and Torrens River, 14.08.2007

Adelaide, the state capital of Southern Australia, is a lovely town with great architecture, heaps of churches and lots of greenery. With hills on the background and a river running right through the centre of the town along one of the cities main streets, North Terrace, it's a nice place for a relaxing city break. Hectic doesn't relate to this town, and neither do crowds. Tired of being slammed between hundreds of tourists and rushing businessmen? Doesn't happen in Adelaide. Instead you'll find a bunch of students chatting away on their lunch breaks. Relaxing. And pleasantly sunny as the city is springing up from the recent winter.

On the Ghan, vol. 2

12.-13.08.2007

Sunday arvo. ‘Welcome back onboard the Legendary Ghan,’ says a voice on the load speakers. The train is about to depart for Adelaide 1600 km south from Alice Springs. The famous Red Kangaroo Daynighter carriage is fully packed this time and we spend a fair bit of time trying to find our two seats (17 and 18) amongst the other passengers and their hundred bags. Ann grabs the window seat and is evidently disappointed to find out that only half of her rocking chair is in front of the window and the other half remains behind the wall, and spends half of the journey snoozing away wrapped in a sleeping bag from top to bottom. 90% of the co-passengers in our half of the carriage are in their best age and move around in slow motion between their seats and the rest rooms. Regularly. The other half is occupied by a 10-headed aboriginal family whose youngest members run around the train half naked playing a monkey-game. And we are trapped in the middle. Ann escapes to the lounge area soon after the train’s taken off and leaves me to listen to a lively discussion that starts more or less like this: ‘Back in the times of the Old Ghan when we travelled from Adelaide to Alice Springs, …’ About an hour into the sunset, my co-passengers start moving around. Actively making their way through the lounge area to the diner car (it’s dinner time!) and return ‘home’ soon after the darkness kicks in. Early birds. One after another they hop into something that resembles to a pajamas, watch a movie ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ (great choice, guys!) and hit the sack in their rocking chairs. I’m horrified thinking that 99% of them will be snoring my dreams away tonight, but they behave themselves surprisingly well till the morning arrives and they need to roll up all the blinds to admire the sunrise. No offence, guys, I’ve had a great journey with you! :) And the landscape is beautiful, yellow-green hills with cattle chewing their brekky. The wild has turned overnight into the civilized. The desert has turned into the meadows. The red has become green, and the Outback has remained behind. We’ve made it back.. back to the civilization! Next stop: Adelaide. And I’m acclimatizing. From 28*C/sunny in Alice Springs to 15*C/partly cloudy in Adelaide. Good-bye, thongs! :(

ULURU YOU ROCK!!!

And now the Rock. Nothing in Australia is as readily identifiable as Ayres Rock (Uluru). Australia’s favourite postcard image, the sandstone monolith is 3.6 km long and rises a towering 348 m from the surrounding sandy scrubland (867 m above sea level which is almost 3 times higher than the highest point in Estonia), and, like and iceberg, has most of its bulk below the surface. That’s what a book says, but I’ll tell you a bit more. It’s definitely not just another rock, it’s an impressive landmark with a truly special aura. And it lives and changes every day. If your first sight Uluru is during the afternoon, it appears as an ochre-brown colour, scored and pitted by dark shadows. As the sun sets, it illuminates the rock in burnished orange, and then a series of deeper and darker reds before it fades into charcoal. Don’t assume, however, that a distant glimpse is enough, do take a base walk around Uluru for an extended close-up. But don’t climb, even if you ask yourself why you’ve come all this way into the heart of the Sun Burnt Country or driven an early morning 5 hours (450 km) from Alice Springs. Uluru has a great spiritual significance for the local Anangu people who are the custodians of these lands and take responsibility of the safety of visitors. Any injuries or deaths that occur on the rock (and they do occur on the demanding steep track where you have to cling to a chain) are a source of distress to them. Therefore the Anangu don’t climb and they ask you that you don’t either. As you don’t clamber over the altar of Notre Dame or stride through a mosque during prayer – it’s a question of respect. And we can proudly say: We didn’t climb! In respect for the Anangu and for our own safety :P But we did take a walk and admire the marvel both from close and from distance with sparkling wine and nibbles at the sunset. Just amazing! We saw the Mutitjulu Waterhole and some great Aboriginal rock paintings, visited the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre to read more about Tjukurpa (law) of the Anangu people (and buy some souvenirs (a)), and walked between the massive domes at Walpa Gorge in a collection of rounded monoliths known as Kata Tjuta or the Olgas. They might be smaller in surface area but they are actually 200 m higher than their prominent neighbour and equally captivating and sacred, so climbing is definitely not on, but walking is absolutely amazing. And both I and Ann have made a great choice of route traveling all the way down on the Ghan.

Alice Springs

09.08-12.08

In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a sea of red sand, lies a town called Alice. Yeah, exactly.. who the f*** is Alice? :) Alice Springs, known to the world as the most famous outback town in Australia used to be a simple telegraph station on the Overland Telegraph Line only 125 years ago. Its main attractions are a mainly dry Todd River, or crystal clear Todd river as there’s no water at all most of the year, that hosts a famous Henley-on-Todd Regatta. Holding a series of boat races on the dry river bed – they say that if you see the river flow three times, you’re a local – is a typically Australian light-hearted denial of reality. The boats are all bottomless: the crew’s legs stick through and they simply run down the course. The event is cancelled if there’s any water in the river :) The other thing worth to see in Alice Springs is the Anzac Hill and its Lion Walk. A simple little hill that seems nothing but a hump as you look up on the hillside, but unfolds an amazing view from the top over the whole city nestled between the MacDonnell ranges and endless deserts. But Alice has one more important attraction – a certain rock about 400 km southwest of the town. The Ghan arrives here twice a week from Darwin and Adelaide and brings a trainload of tourists heading down to Uluru for their outback experience of a lifetime, and Alice is the gateway.
But before we do the same and hop on one of the many tour buses driving that way every day, we take a day off and relax in Alice. I can still feel the rickety-rockety train moving along its termite proof tracks and my bottom is probably still in the shape of a Daynighter seat. A little shake up is more than welcome, and I’ll give you a prize if you come up with a better idea than we did – an outback camel ride, together on the back of a one-hump camel. I told you, the train just wasn’t hard enough :D These big desert animals are absolutely gorgeous. Living in a farm just off the MacDonnell Ranges, they take you on a beautiful one-hour ride at the sunset. Slowly but surely, as the sun sets behind the hillside, they move through the red desert landscape with wild kangaroos hopping around in pairs stopping for a tick once after every few leaps to look back at the camel train. Great adventure! Plus did you know: Australia is the country with most camels in the world!?

On the Ghan to the Red Centre

08.08.2007

The Legendary Ghan in facts

The journey: Darwin to Adelaide via Alice Springs, 2979 km, 2 nights on the train, 3 in Alice Springs and Uluru. The train: 25 carriages and a locomotive – altogether 700 m in length. Maximum speed 115 km/h, average speed 85 km/h – moving in slow motion.

The first trains, originally named the Afghan Express (after the Afghan cameleers who delivered supplies along the route from the mid 19th century), from Adelaide to Alice Springs back in the 1920s were steam hauled and had to contend with extreme conditions including flash flooding, termites and intense heat, as the track ran well to the east of the one today. Legend has it the Old Ghan was once stranded for two weeks in one spot and the engine driver shot wild goats to feed its passengers.

Today the trains run on a termite proof rail track built further to the west to avoid the potential flooding. If they were ever stranded, it wouldn’t probably last longer than two days and the dining lounge would have enough supplies to feed its passengers with toasts, burgers, pizzas and canned soft drinks. The Alice Springs-Darwin rail-link was completed 3 years ago, making it a transcontinental service that covers nearly 3000 km.

You can choose between Red and Gold service when you board the Ghan. Stay like a star in a Gold Kangaroo Cabin with fold-out bunk beds, ensuite bathroom, a personal carriage attendant and meals in the Gold Kangaroo restaurant car, and pay $1920 per person one way. Or stay like us and opt for a reclining Red Kangaroo Daynighter seat with shared rest room and shower facilities. Meals aren’t included but you are welcome to purchase junk from the Red Kangaroo diner and buffet. Costs you one third of the price and awards you with all sorts of different aches from neck to back and a sloppy face :D But you know what? As long as I’m young and my age doesn’t exceed 2/3 of a century as for most of the Gold Kangaroo passengers today, I’ll be happy to sit back in my rocking chair (read: reclining seat) and enjoy the view that is exactly the same from every window of the train and varies from tropics up in Darwin to arid deserts and mountain ranges around Alice Springs, to the urban landscape of Adelaide. Great journey! Recommend you with both thumbs up.

Kakadu National Park

One day. 14 long hours, but still not long enough to discover the whole Kakadu, or even one third of it. But one day is better than nothing and as that’s all we’ve got, we’re going to take the max out of it. The APT (Australian Pacific Touring) day tour starts with a hotel pick-up at 6:25 in the morning, that’s before sunrise in Darwin. The APT couch is a big tour bus that is notably over-crowded with over-aged people, but me and Ann fit in :D In terms of physical space, not physical appearance. Kakadu is a 590km return trip away from Darwin and getting there and back takes about 4 hours both ways. Enough to catch up on some sleep. Once arrived, we made a quick hop in-hop out to the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre for an insight to the historical and cultural significance the park holds to its traditional owners. Despite its educating purposes, I found it hard to pay much attention to the still displays and commentaries, being impatient to board on the wildlife boat cruise along Kakadu’s most famous wetland area, the Yellow Water Billabong. Famous for? Diverse birdlife and beautiful waterlilies, rising pandanus trees and blue waters, but most of all – the reason number one we’re up in the tropics – the salties (saltwater crocs). To see these powerful creatures in flesh in their national habitat and snap some close-up super zoomed photos of Mr Crocs for our personal collection. Although zoom wasn’t essential as the boat stopped by the river banks only a few meters away from the lazybones killing their time in the sun. And they’ve got heaps and heaps of it living as old as 100 years. 6 crocs made their debut to my photo album, but one of them rose above the others. It was a huge fat male croc that looked like he had just swallowed another one of the same size. That croc alone made the trip worthwhile. The rest of it was a nice day out in the nature with a buffet lunch, a hike to the Nourlangie Rock with Aboriginal rock art, a quick stop on the way back to view some giant termite mounds, but the unbeatable ‘spetacolo’ of the day had been played on the Yellow Water Billabong. The way back to town long but happy with a few glasses of wine and lulling sunset over the floodplains at the Window on the Wetlands. Back safe and sound from the lands where crocodiles rule and Aboriginal bush tribes perform their lifelong rituals.

DARWIN

05.-06.08.2007

Day 1

Darwin is definitely a city with all its facilities: shopping centres, cinemas, restaurants, tennis courts, soccer stadium, port, casino, hotels, residential areas, public transport, botanical gardens, schools, universities, and last but not least a beach. And it’s a nice city with a tropical weather and lush green parks with different sorts of palm trees. The dry season lasts from April till October and is a peak season for tourism. It’s a fancy oceanfront capital with relatively modern architecture as 60% of the old Darwin’s houses were destroyed totally or beyond repair on Christmas Eve in 1974 by cyclone Tracy.

I was kicked out of the bed early by Ann who was worried about getting kicked out of the hostel if we didn’t go down to pay for the 2-nights accommodation. All because we arrived late last night and they had already closed the till and asked us to come and pay the following morning. By 9:30am! Thanks, guys! No, no, of course we don’t wanna sleep in after the sleepless 25 hours on the lovely coach. Never mind. We get up, have a quick shower, pay for the hostel, get a Darwin tourist guide.. and what do we see!! There’s a free hourly shuttle service to Casuarina Square shopping centre with more than 200 specialty stores. Wow, that’s 10 times bigger than Broome Boulevard! :-) 10 minutes later we’re already on the bus and half way to the shopping centre :D Welcome back to the civilization! :-) Today’s big purchases: a 4GB iPod nano (on sale 20% off) and 250 g of strawberries :P Oh, and of course my fancy green iPod has a fancy croc skin leather case. Made in China, not in Darwin. Shopping being the priority of the day, we stroll down to Mindil Beach (through George Brown Botanic Gardens with over 400 palm species) for the famous sunset markets with 200-plus food and handicraft stalls. Relaxing, with modern didgeridoo music on the background. And these food stalls. Can’t get around. I get myself a premium ‘Made in Darwin’ (that’s what stands on the stall) ice-cream with two scoops: strawberry and rum and raisins. Yummm. And Ann convinces me to get a large tropical fruit smoothie as she’s about to get her second one. Contagious. Elleke, our fellow bar chick from Mangrove who’s now in Darwin, gets one in banana flavour. Mmmm..arkets! :P To conclude our successful shopping day, we stop at the next door tour desk and book a day trip to Kakadu National Park on Tuesday. C’mon, admit these are good purchases!

Day 2. Darwin in picture.

The Mall
Parliament House, Supreme Court
Old Government House
Survivors’ lookout
WWII oil storage tunnels
The Deckchair Cinema
Esplanade

And last but not least, and by far the most beautiful.
Sunset at Cullen Bay Marina with a bottle of white Barossa wine :P

Broome-Darwin

25,5-hour bus ride (and almost 2000 km) is successfully completed. It started last night at 7:30pm in Broome and arrived late tonight in Darwin. There’s nothing much to write about those 25 hours, except for the road and surroundings were mostly pretty similar. It goes from a road house to a road house and passes through some small towns, such as Derby, Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek, etc. Towns that I would never imagine living in. The bus also carries the mail from one town to another and makes regular stops at post offices. The night was a tough experience. With the bus almost packed with people, the only space you had to stretch your legs was your own seat. Neck, back and butt aches guaranteed. The day wasn’t too bad, watching movie after movie or just gazing at the constant row of trees and bushes.. till it got dark, and dark is dangerous. Not dangerous as in the famous backpackers’ nightmare of Wolfe Creek, but dangerous time on the road, which makes the bus driver repeat that wearing seat belts is highly recommended. As if it needed some proof, we hit a small kangaroo on the road :-( Poor baby! Darwin is an hour and half ahead from Broome. Strange. Never turned watches by 30 minutes, always by hour. Welcome to Northern Territory.. or as a friendly aboriginal man on the streets of Katherine said when he heard we were from Europe: “Wooow, that’s a looong way from home, but welcome to my country!” And he’s probably right. Australia is their country. Northern Territory is their land. Off to bed now - to explore Darwin tomorrow. By the way, it looks like a CITY! How long ago was it when I last saw traffic lights?! Almost 4 months too long :-)

Good-bye Broome!

Good-bye Mangrove!

Rob, Ellen, Sammy,
Renee, Clara, Nicole, Luca,

Kyle, Brad, Mark, James,

Paul, Sam, Heidi, Elleke.

See you, Lee! x ;)

On the road.. To Darwin.. Alice Springs and Uluru.. Adelaide.. Melbourne.