Australia (1990) - shoshtrvls

Day 15

shoshtrvls — Mon, 16 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

After an overnight rainstorm and an early wake-up call, we were on the road by 6:30 a.m. on our way to Katherine Gorge. All of a sudden we were confronted with tourism full force on the two hour cruise up the gorge -- pretty but no grand canyon.

Lunch in Katherine and then a long drive back to Darwin with a minor breakdown o nthe way (the truck wasn't meant to drive on sealed roads, I guess).

Day 21

shoshtrvls — Sun, 22 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

Not much to write ... took a walk down to Elizabeth Bay, hung out, flew home.

Day 20

shoshtrvls — Sat, 21 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

Took a nice, meandering walk from my hotel to the Circular Quay where the ferries leave from. Bought a ticket for a 2-1/2 hour harbour tour -- what a beautiful place! The harbour has numerous bays and coves filled with sailboats and homes overlookign the water. Quite idyllic, and the views of the Opera House and bridge were magnificent.

After the cruise I met this truly nerdy British journalist and we had lunch at Doyle's on the Quay (not quite Doyle's on the Beach but they didn't take Amex all the same) and walked around The Rocks, the oldest part of Sydney, now restored with shops, pubs and the like. I would have liked to go to the zoo, but I couldn't shake this guy long enough.

Eventually, after a lengthy "tea" we separated and I went up to the Sydney Tower for a wonderful night time view of the city, and then took the monorail to Darling Harbour for dinner at the large but quite nice shopping center.

I then crossed back towards the city, stopping at the Aquarium -- the best I've ever seen. The exhibits were great and there are two tanks where you actually walk in tubes so you are right next to the fish. Some are even resting on top of the tube so you can see the undersides of, for example, Manta rays.

After the Aquarium I went back to the Rocks for an evening stroll before returning to my hotel.

Day 19 (Continued)

shoshtrvls — Fri, 20 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

The plane was late and I had difficulty finding a hotel, but eventually settled in.

Day 19

shoshtrvls — Fri, 20 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

I was up early due to the constant beeping of someone's alarm clock or watch. However, my early arrival was welcomed by a very tame kangaroo who was looking about for breakfast. He was the island mascot I later learned. Fishermen had actually found her floating in the open seas several kilometers away after a cyclone.

Vicki and I did a short but intensive hike to the lighthouse. Despite the fact that the rain had stopped, however, instead of canoing or snorkelling around the island, I relaxed in the shade, reading my book and talking to Dave.

Back in Cairns, I walked about the town a bit before going to the airport. It turned out to be quite a nice little place, and I wish that I had had more time there.

Day 18

shoshtrvls — Thu, 19 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

Well, it's pouring rain, and I had to walk through substantial amounts of it, backpack and all, to get to the boat which will take me to a rain soaked island and the great barrier reef. Well, we shall see.

The island was rain drenched. I took a boat to Moore's Reef for some snorkeling. While the ride over was quite choppy, the skies cleared (well, the rain stopped at least) and we had several hours of trouble-free snorkeling. While the conditions were not the best (not a lot of sunlight and a cyclone had stirred up the water a few weeks earlier), the variety of fish was spectacular, all brightly colored, swimming peacefully or darting in and out of the coral.

A short glass-bottom boat trip revealed a few sharks and a variety of information.

It started to pour again just as we left the reef. The afternoon was spent hiding from the rain while dinner was a mediocre and expensive buffet.

After dinner things improved somewhat. I met a Canadian woman (Vicky) and we went, along with Edward, an American I had met earlier, to the bar and drank some beer and talked with Dave, one of the resort workers, and a very drunk couple whose honeymoon was being ruined by the rain. The resort was nice enough, small, quite a few families. After drinks it was bed.

Day 17 (Continued)

shoshtrvls — Wed, 18 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

Checked into the hostel and had dinner with a strange Swedish fellow who told me about all the girls he had been "involved with" on his travels.

Day 17

shoshtrvls — Wed, 18 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

Checked out of my wonderful, luxurious hotel after a really good night's sleep and walked down to Doctor's Gulley to watch the fish feeding, then walked back into town for several hours' window shopping. Met a really nice Australian couple with an adorable nine month old. Got back to the hotel and ran into Paul and Angela. We viewed each others' photos and exchanged addresses before heading to the airport and flying to Cairns.

Day 16

shoshtrvls — Tue, 17 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

For some reason, I was up literally at the crack of dawn, probably due to my previous five days of camping. Called Tom. Went to the Smith Street mall running my errands -- drop off film, going to the bank, etc. Then I went on this "Mangroves and Mudcrabs" tour, only I was the only one! Still, it was lots of fun -- the owners were really nice, and the barramundi and crabs were great.

Upon my return, I picked up my pictures, ran into Ron, made copies for Terra (??), did some window shopping. Dinner at a nice Chinese restaurant at Pratap, where the "kiwi" waiter was quite friendly.

Day 15 (Continued)

shoshtrvls — Mon, 16 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

Checked into the Atrium Hotel, a fortune but worth it as the room has a real bathtub. After using it, Paul, Angela and I had dinner at the hotel, I did my laundry and went to sleep.

Day 14

shoshtrvls — Sun, 15 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

The next day we sought out the Katherine River. This time we had John, Kerstin, Melinda, her aunt (same age), Kevin and Ann Marie with us. We lost the road several times and it seemed as though we drove in circles for quite a bit, but we eventually found our way there -- a peaceful little river but nothing special, and quite silty to swim in.

We returned back to camp for a major stew feast attended by at least twenty-five of the local aboriginals -- kids everywhere, and seeing them get out of the truck was like a circus act. They seemed to enjoy themselves (good food is apparently hard to come by for them) but left early as we had a long day to come.

(Notes: homestead; flat tire)

Day 13

shoshtrvls — Sat, 14 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

The next day we built a road, literally. First, Ron (Bull) cooked us a wonderful breakfast of french toast, bacon and sausage. We then picked up our aboriginal guide, John, and two others, 16 year old Kerstin and 6 year old "Mr." Ed.

Our first stop was a small hill which Brad (Fletcher) attempted to locate on his grid map. (Apparently there was some dispute as to exactly which hill it was). Then it was off to "Lil" waterfall, which Brad had first found only two days earlier. I was apparently only the second white woman (along with Joyce and Angela) to see this place. (Yeah, um, right). To get there, we really did build a road, knocking down trees and moving rocks (actually, Ron, Brad & John did all that). Paul, being a road engineer, supervised.

The entire process took several hours but the destination was worth it. Our first view was from on top -- a string of several water holes. In one, we could see a crocodile swimming about. Brad then took us to see some aboriginal paintings he had discovered and we descended down to the lowest pool -- the crocodile infested on. Part of it was under an overhand which contained more paintings. We also took a short hike downstream in a failed attempt to find more paintings.

Kerstin told us that the "old woman" back in their village said her father was buried here. The aboriginals bury people by placing their bones between the rocks.

From there we went to a second swimming hole, not nearly as good as the first, before returning home (after dark) to a wonderful steak dinner.

Paul

Day 12

shoshtrvls — Fri, 13 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

This morning we first visited another rock art site, Ubirr Rock, and again met up with Nick's group for lunch and a quick swim at the Four Seasons hotel. Then it was a "yellow waters" cruise for crocodile spotting, which was successful. Joyce, Paul, Angela and I were then loaded onto a tiny airplane and flew over the Arnemland escarpment, including Jim Jim falls, and landed in Eva Valley in Arnemland.

Needless to say, the "airport" was merely a landing strip. There we were met by Brad and Ron, two "old salts" who were to be our guides for the next three days. Brad is the younger of the two, apparently a Vietnam Vet. Ron is an ex-Buffalo hunter. In Arnemland, life is much cooler and far, far fewer mosquitoes. A trip to a nearby hill for the sunset, dinner and bed.

(Notes: wild horses, Buffalo, donkeys).

Day 11

shoshtrvls — Thu, 12 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

I awoke at about 3 a.m. to the sound of a major rainstorm but, as with most tropical storms, it was over in an hour. I waiting in the dark for the tour bus with several other people -- one guy who apparently worked at the hotel, up early for a barefooted jog around the block, a woman who worked as a tour agent up early because her boyfriend was driving a bus, and two girls from Seattle, Washington waiting for a different tour. (They were going to Thailand so I passed on a recommendation for Oot).

The tour bus, actually a modified landcruiser wagon, arrived at about 6:15. On it were two Japanese men in their twenties who spoke no English, a young girl, Sarah, from Manchester, a guy from Northern England, an obnoxious frenchman (who was at least somewhat entertaining), 2 germans, an older couple from Carlsbad, California (John and Joan), a young couple from London (Paul and Angela), a girl from Manchester (Joyce) and one other.

Our first stop was Fogg Dam, an abandoned rice farm turned into a bird preserve. Here we saw some wallabies and numerous birds.

From there it was one stop and through to Kakadu National Park, with lunch at our mosquito-infested campsite. Then it was on to a beautiful little swimming hole (Kubarma?) whose only problem was that it was a 3km walk there and back. In this heat, that was definitely a problem, especially since the truck has no air conditioning to cool us down after the return journey.

From there we went to Nourlangie Rock where Kim, our guide, did a fairly good job of telling us about the plants and aboriginal paintings.

Back to camp where we met up with another group led by Nick, a rowdy group of Australians who were fund when I wanted to stay awak, but a real pain when I was ready to fall asleep.

The mosquitoes were horrendous.

(Note: camp -- Manyallaluk or Googleyes)

Day 10 (Continued)

shoshtrvls — Wed, 11 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

The plane to Darwin appeared to be populated solely by Americans from California. Next to me was a father/daughter pair definitely from Beverly Hills; across the aisle a businessman seemingly also from LA.

However, arrival in Darwin is what backpack travel is all about. Stepping off the plane I was immediately struck by the immense humidity, reminiscent of China and Thailand. This was reinforced when I arrived at the YHA -- basic accommodations surrounded by tens of "budget travelers" buying food at outdoor stalls, writing postcards, etc. It's great and I'm almost sorry that I have to leave so early tomorrow. But I will be back soon enough.

Day 10

shoshtrvls — Wed, 11 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

This morning it was off to the Western McDonnell Range and two stops -- Simpson's Gap and Standley Chasm. Both were nice little park areas. However, we were done by noon and realized that we had exhausted all of the possibilities of Alice Springs, or "the Alice," with six hours left to spare. This resulted in aimless wandering and a LONG relax at the Chateau Hornsby Winery.

Said good-bye to Peter and Gretchen at the airport, which I believe was perfect timing. I had had a great time and we had gotten along quite well, however I believe one or two more days together would have been too much.

Day 9

shoshtrvls — Tue, 10 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

Slept well last night. Had breakfast then took a walk about Alice Springs. I mostly visited art galleries, and had my first roll of photos developed. I made two purchases -- a Barney Daniels painting and a hat. I really like the painting I got and Barney Daniels appears to be quite famous, maybe too famous and prolific. But I do like the piece and only hope I didn't spend too much money. After lunch we drove to the old telegraph station, where I am now. Your basic restored homestead buildings.

After the telegraph station it was off to the old ghan station. It was closed but we still walked around a bit before having dinner at a pizza restaurant. Then it was back o the hotel to relaze about the pool before turning in after a year-old episode of LA Law (dwarf tossing).

Day 8 (Continued)

shoshtrvls — Mon, 09 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

We had breakfast back in Yulara and then we broke camp for the drive to Alice Springs. We stopped along the way at Noel Fullerton's Camel Farm where Gretchen and I took a ride ... my camel was Johnny Cakes. It was bumpy coming down but otherwise fine.

We arrived a Alice Springs and checked into our accommodations before walking about town and having Mexican food for dinner.

Day 8

shoshtrvls — Mon, 09 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

Peter and I were up before dawn, hoping to catch sight of the Sunrise over Uluru before making "the climb." However, like the previous evening, the clouds prevented us from seeing anything spectacular.

We then drove on to the rock and made the ascent. It only took me about 1hr15min, but was quite a bit more difficult than I expected. A chain link helped hikers up and down the most difficult part. However, the climb was rewarded with magnificent views of the Olgas, Kings Canyon, the McDonnells and Mr. Conner -- almost 90 km away. I stood in line to sign the book at the top with a Japanese girl traveling alone, who spoke no English, Martin, a rock-n-roll teacher from Ontario, and someone from Michigan. Coming down was neither fun nor easy, but I made it.

Day 7

shoshtrvls — Sun, 08 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT

As I write this, I am sitting in the middle of the Olga Gorge, a spectacular place in the middle of the Olgas, a range of monoliths, or huge (really huge) boulders, like mountains. The hike here was an easy one (although Peter and Gretchen have yet to arrive) and the scenery certainly worthwhile.

We woke up this morning and I went for a short "walk about" to pet my emu friend harry (as named by Peter) and saw my first dingo. Cute little tan animal. We then drove to the Yulara Resort on the outskirts of the Uluru National Park and pitched our little tent at the Ayers Rock Campground. Yulara is an interesting place -- brand new, perfectly planned. We made a quick stop at the Visitor's Center and a bite to eat, before driving to the Olgas (known in aboriginal as Kata Tjuta).

After the Olgas we drove back to the campsite and lazed around the swimming pool before walking back to the main part of Yulara. Here we wandered through shops, had a beer and then went to watch the sun set over Ayers Rock (Uluru), althoug hthe cloud cover made the viewing less than spectacular. It also ruined our attempt to go star gazing, but such is life.

Overnight, it poured rain, but out little tent kept us dry throughout. Afterwards, I heard a kangaroo mouse hopping around just outside our tent.

(Notes: Canadians, Irish, hitchhikers, catapillar train, road trains)

[I remember what "road trains" meant -- on the open highways, there are tractor trailers cabs pulling dozens of trailers, like a train. pretty remarkable]