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Published: October 13th 2005
Victory!!!
That'll be Sydney winning thenDespite all my best intentions, I find myself again with 3 weeks of action to sum up without turning out a thesis. Let's pick up where we left off...
I was a little sad to be leaving Asia but I was also quivering with excitement about finally setting foot in the Southern Hemisphere. It has been the stuff of dreams for some time and I've not been let down. Again I find myself wishing I'd allowed a little more time here as it's been an almost constant rush to try and see all that I want and even then I've missed out a fair bit that I wanted to include. The flight from Hong Kong was interesting, as I found myself sat next to a woman on the plane who had jacked in her job a month or so before and just left to find work in Sydney and travel the country. Here was me, the holiday-maker, feeling jealous. Landing in Sydney, I took a quick transfer via Virgin Blue to Melbourne and we were underway. I was staying in the area of St Kilda, a Southern suburb with an interesting history and reputation as a junkies hive. I however,
found it to my liking at got settled in nicely.
Melbourne, as I'd hoped, was a phenomenal place to visit and would be my first choice to live based on what I've seen. It definately has a European feel, reminding me heavily of Boston, my favourite city, with a dash of New Orlean's French Quarter to it. The wonderful atmosphere that permeates the city centre was surely boosted by the occurence of one of the years great sporting events: AFL Grand Final Day. To my delight, I found that my visit coincided with this season closer and the streets were flooded with people draped in the colours of the opposing Sydney Swans and West Coast Eagles. I was able to see the pre-match parade, where all manner of people I didn't recognise were cheered and booed heartily by the excitable crowd. The banter was well-intentioned and it felt like a time of fun for all ages. I watched the game itself from the comfort of Federation Square in central Melbourne along with a few hundred other strays on a big screen. I had boned up on the (admittedly very basic) rules and was ready to be entertained. I have
Chris & Maria - Manly Beach
They were ifinitely more tanned than I... to say that Aussie rules is a fantastic sport based on this evidence, though this was a particularly spectacular final with leads changing hands three times. The sport is fast and free-flowing and played on a cricket oval by two teams of 18 men. It is a combination of gaelic football, rugby and street-fighting, with violence seemingly overlooked if not overtly encouraged. The game ended with the Swans winning and I dashed down to the nearby MCG stadium where the match was being played to hear the noise and see the fans leaving.
I realise I've written a lot on AFL but this really made my stay in Melbourne, along with everything else that I saw. I visited the famous National Gallery of Victoria which had a really good collection of artifacts and art, including the Weeping Woman, a personal highlight. I saw the other side of Melbourne art, wandering around the distinctly bohemian Fitzroy, popping in and out of various small galleries. I got involved in an hour long conversation with one artist, running an exhibition of his art built from expanding foam (
much better than it sounds). He had a lot to say about the purpose of
art and philosophy, much of which I did not understand. He also told me that 1/5 Melbournites had mental illness, a fact somewhat borne out by observations made as I returned to my hostel. In my dorm, I met some interesting people, including two visitors from Sydney, who showed me around the city centre and immersed me a little in the Australian way. Much of my time was spent simply wandering around which was a most enjoyable past-time. I feel Melbourne has too much to offer to be visited as a tourist. My four-night stay did not do it justice.
One agonisingly boring and shucks, just plain agonising over-night bus-trip saw me deposited in Sydney. I'd been recommended a hostel by one of my Sydney friends (Australian Backpackers), which turned out to be cheap, if not fantastically well-endowed with facilities. That said it had a fun atmosphere, if one dominated by Northern English lads and Germans. I should note as well that in Melbourne and Sydney, where I stayed at least, the make-up of travellers was different to what I'd seen before. There were large groups of long-term boarders, who were working or looking for work. These people came
in groups and were thus more difficult to mingle with, though I was still able to get by - it was just more of a challenge. I had been warned pre-arrival that Sydney was "just another city", with a sprawling and cynical nature. This was largely incorrect. Sydney has a pretty compact centre, I thought and while the suburbs do sprawl, there is public tranpsort, though I never really used it, preferring to walk everywhere. I really enjoyed Sydney, not as much as Melbourne but it would still be a fantastic place to live and work with beaches at arms length and all the amenities you could eat.
Seeing Sydney Harbour for the first time did take my breath away. The bridge is just so big and beautiful. That said, I was a little disappointed with the Opera House. Up close, it is not sparkling white but is instead slightly grey and has a distinct air of the 1970's about it. However, in profile, from the bridge or at night it does look fantastic and deserves its reputation. I was lucky to be put in touch with a local, Pamela who treated me fabulously. She took me for dinner,
gave me a tour, orientated me and introduced to her nephew Michael, a fantastic guy, who also took me for dinner. They were extremely helpful and welcoming and made my time in Sydney for me. Michael suggested I walk to Bondi Beach, something like 10km each way, to see Sydney's Oxford Street in its entirety, along with the district of Paddington. I walked both ways and I highly recommend it as a way to see some more of the real Sydney. Bondi was for me disappointing and was eclipsed by Manly Beach and other beaches visited further North. It is pleasant enough but doesn't seem to deserve its reputation, given that it is a little scruffy. It should still be seen though, if only to tick the box. Pamela also invited me to a gallery opening in Paddington, where I saw a large range of Aboriginal art, which was excellent and a definate highlight. It was all free and it was interesting for me to go to one of these - I've never been cultured enough to try before!
In Sydney I also met a nice English couple - Chris and Maria who I spent some time with. We
visited the art museum, walked over the harbour bridge (avoiding the over-priced bridge climb option) and went to Manly Beach together. Manly was a great day out, allowing for the consumption of good chips, the viewing of a jazz festival and my first dip in the sea since I last chanced the water off Wales. It has nice sand, a nicely under-dressed atmosphere and also Manly lifeguards. We laughed at that for ages. The three of us also managed to get an excellent spot in the Sydney Swans victory parade, celebrating the earlier AFL win. This was fantastic, featuring: more ticker-tape than I'd ever seen!; a lot singing of the club song!; a large silver trophy!; and lots of back-slapping! They hadn't won in 70 years bless them. I promise no more AFL references. For now....
My next stop was Byron Bay, 12 hours bus ride north of Sydney. I teamed up with a Catalan guy called Bernart I'd met in Sydney and got on the bus. And who should I meet but the woman I'd shared my plane journey into Oz with, Hannah. She'd got bored of Sydney's uncertain climate and was chasing the sun north. It was
good to catch up but given the nocturnal nature of the journey, we all had some poor sleep to look forward to. Arriving in Byron Bay saw me dropped in a town significantly smaller than I had expected. Its 'high street' consisted of some surf shops and cafes and some casual looking characters strolling about. We followed Hannah to a hostel which cost a paltry $15 a night and settled in. First stop was the fantastic beach where I mistakenly plunged into somewhat icy water. Afterwards, we visited a monthly market where we encountered the hippy populace of Byron in all its glory. Its perhaps best described by the sight of a guy playing slide guitar, didgeridoo and harmonica, whilst simultaneously beating out a rhythm on an old suitcase and tambourine with his feet, all accompanied by the spirited dancing of a man in tie-dye trousers and nothing else. Food on sale included a variety of organic and vegan cusine and there was a definate overload of spiritual and alternative healing practices. And a distinct aura of banned substances.
I spent three nights in Byron and had a fantastic, relaxing time. Much time was spent on the beach, including
Grinding in the main sheet
Bit bigger than the Toppers I used to sail... an abortive snorkelling trip were Hannah and I bottled out of a 40m swim off-shore and handed our equipment back with tails firmly between legs. We also took a trip watching humpback whales migrating south, where we were lucky to see a mother and child breach simultaneously only 15m away. The skipper sounded genuine when he said in shaky tones "guys, those are the best breaches I've ever seen". Me too. Other highlights included meeting a Chinese guy who is certain to be the next Richard Branson and meeting my first Israelis. They were an interesting people to say the least. Oh and I also greatly enjoyed a genuine spanish omelette from my friend Bernart. I left Byron at 6:45am, with my next stop being Rainbow Beach, from where I was to embark on an exciting 3 day camping expedition to Fraser Island.
Fraser Island, if you don't know, is the world's largest sand island. I was joining 10 other unknowns on a 3 day, 2 night self-guided tour of the island. We were given a 4x4 truck, camping supplies, food and some guidance and then set on the ferry and left to find our way. I was lucky to have a great (and multinational) group. We had 1 English, 2 Americans, 2 Canadians, 4 Germans, 1 Spaniard and 1 Israeli. And we all got on very well. We all agreed that circumstance required no showering for 3 days and that this was acceptable. We all had a similarly relaxed attitude to sight-seeing and were all happy to get up 4:30am one morning to see sunrise and get on our way within the hour. It was a great experience and reminded me heavily of an outward-bound course. The best bits of Fraser are the freshwater lakes, made of the purest water you'll find this side of a Britta filter. Lake Mackenzie is huge and beautiful, while Lake Wabby is blessed with a fantastic sandblow which just demands to be dashed down en-route to water. I am also still incredulous as to how such a diversity of greenery came to be on a large pile of sand. Whatever, it is stunning, with rainforests colliding with Sahara style dunes and crystal water. Sadly, despite copious warnings about Dingo Danger, we didn't see a single one, until we were 2km from the ferry at the end of our trip. We all stopped to photgraph it, while it paced somewhat uncertainly around our vehicle. Fraser is a must see in Australia, being not only unique but also good clean fun.
And now, I write from Airlie Beach, 15 hours north of Rainbow beach. It is a nothing town but is also the point of embarcation for sailing tours of the famed Whitsunday Islands. I arrived along with 3 of the Germans from my Fraser team and we roomed together in a pleasant place over looking the bay (Backpackers By the Bay). We were also able to win a bottle of champagne in a 20 question pub quiz, with which we toasted our various achievements as a group over the last few days. The guy, Ivon (pronounced by simple English tounges as Ivo) will be in Cairns when I am, so I hope to meet him to drive and explore some of the nearby areas of interest. Leaving early the next day, I arrived at the harbour to board my ship and home for the next three days, somewhat hilariously called the British Defender, an old racing yacht converted for the purpose. I was initially dubious, given that the group consisted largely of groups of young English and Irish guys but all went well and I now find myself exhausted after a hard 3 days of snorkelling, getting involved with sailing and trying not to fall in the sea.
The trip had a number of highlights but the experience itself was just blissful, especially on the final day, when we finally hit something like full speed ahead and cruised across the Whitsunday Passage to home. The snorkelling, after some initial disappointment, became utterly memorable and addicitve. I was able to drift casually over a huge variety of colours and shapes of coral, sometimes diving to inspect an unclear object, sometimes trailing a school of Parrotfish as they drifted idiotically along. I also greatly enjoyed walking almost (so close!!) the length of Whitehaven Beach, the best yet, though not so much the 2km run to avoid missing the lift back to the boat moored off-shore. The sand was perfect and even the salt-water tasted good. I also have to say, by way of a plug to Southern Cross Adventures, that the food was something special. It wasn't fancy but there was lots of it and it tasted great. Also, there's not much better after snorkelling for an hour than to come to hot chocolate and biscuits. As with Fraser, although it does require doing some kind of paid-for activity, this was one experience you simply must have in Australia.
So, I have a mere few days before I leave for New Zealand and again I am conflicted. I love Australia, its people, its attitude, its sights and its outdoors. However, since I was 15 I have wanted to go to NZ and I am extremely excited to finally be getting there. Although I feel a twinge of regret that I haven't seen as much of Oz as I'd have liked, I think I've made a decent fist of things and will 100% be coming back to see the rest - it's rude not to. I've kept this as short as I could but I hope next time will be easier for all of us.
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