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Published: November 1st 2006
We always thought that as soon as we quit our jobs and started our 8 month holiday, we would magically have so much time that we would do all the things we have been promising ourselves for years, like keeping in touch regularly via eloquent emails and blog updates; going for a run at least a few times a week, doing stretches every morning when we wake up etc etc etc. But it seems that we actually have less time now rather than more! There is just so much to do and see and discover. So there you have it, our rather predictable excuse for not having updated this site since we arrived in Oz! It actually feels rather odd sitting at a computer these days, never would have said that a few months ago.
So let’s get you up-to-date on our adventures since we landed in Perth! We have certainly been busy so get yourself a cup of tea or a glass of wine because reading this could take a while. We hope that you enjoy sharing our adventures with us and keep on sending us comments and messages because even if we don’t reply immediately, or at all,
we love hearing from you!
Our flight to Perth was fine and we waltzed through customs with no problems, they didn’t even search our bags so we must look just like the innocent two that we are. Nick was a bit disappointed that they didn’t clean his shoes for him though! Cassie met us at the airport and it was so brilliant to see her, looking gorgeous as always and it was great to see a friendly familiar face. We were all very excited to see each other and I think in the 6 days we were there we must have broken the record for average number of words said per hour. We hadn’t seen Cass and Matt in ages and there was just so much to catch up on. Cass had the task of keeping us awake through our first day and she did a sterling job, we had lunch at a little pub on the river and visited Cottesloe beach, including the obligatory ice cream, we visited the Fremantle markets (just near to where Cass and Matt live - great location) and walked around town. In the evening we had our very first Oz barbie, which was
delicious even though we are very disappointed that Matt has been lured over to gas instead of coal! Luckily he isn’t saying “Chuck another shrimp on the barbie” quite yet.
The next day we went for a lovely walk in Kings Park overlooking the city and the river. Perth is a great city, very laid back and has a kind of holiday feel about it. In the evening it was Cass’s 30th birthday celebrations, so we got to meet a lot of their friends and experience the Fremantle night life. We all had a great night and suffered suitably the next morning! Most of the day was a right off except for the enthralling tour through Perth’s industrial estate and a very windy stop to look at safety bay. We quickly gave up on the idea of doing touristy stuff and settled in at the Little Creatures microbrewery at the harbour. Beer was fantastic and they had the craziest but yummiest pizzas. The next few days we spent looking at the Maritime museum and going on a submarine (so squishy), wine-routing in the Swan Valley (famous for port) and cycling around Rottnest Island. Rottnest was amazing - one of
our favourite days so far, we spent all day cycling right around the island and stopping to look at the beautiful beaches and go for swims. They have these weird little rodent type creatures called quokkas, which are pretty much only found on this island and would be so cute if they didn’t have disgusting rat tails. We also went on a ghost tour of the Fremantle prison one night, very interesting and eery. We had goose-bumps galore!
So we managed to squeeze a lot into our days in Perth and thanks to Cass and Matt for being brilliant hosts and looking after us so well. It was awesome to see you both and hopefully it won’t be too long before we see each other again!
Our tale of wonderful hosts continues because in Sydney we stayed with Sheila who is a friend of ours from Vienna days and whose nickname is Totty. She had developed a strange blistery rash just before we arrived so we actually stayed with a Spotty Totty! It’s all very bizarre because the last time we saw Cass and Matt and Sheila was when we all had dinner together in London a few
years ago and who would have thought then that we would all end up in Oz at the same time! Other than being spotty, Totty is living a wonderful life in Sydney - her flat is in Mosman Bay, a lovely part of Sydney just 20 min from the opera house by ferry.
Our first day in Sydney we walked the city flat and saw all the must sees like the botanical gardens, opera house, Harbour Bridge, darling harbour, rocks area etc. We were lucky enough to get the last 2 seats in the house to see the Pirates of Penzance at the Opera House. It was a great show and the building is really amazing! The next day we met up with Rog and Dawn and their kids for lunch and went to the Sydney Aquarium. It’s a fantastic place, very interesting and it was even more exciting for us because the kids were so interested in everything. We even saw our first platypus! After dinner we met up with Jane at the Lord Nelson bar, apparently one of the oldest in Sydney and spent a good few hours chatting and sampling all the own-brewed beers. The next
day we climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge and we were a bit worried that we wouldn’t pass our breathalyser tests after all the beer the night before. But we were fine and the two of us plus Rog marched our way up the bridge, all kitted up and connected to the bridge by a cable. It was a great experience and the views from up there are spectacular! After getting down alive we headed to another bar in the Rocks to meet up with Mark Watson and his now fiancé Dewi and also Sheila and one of her friends. It was a lovely evening and Mark very kindly lent us his car so that we could drive to the Blue Mountains the next day. We are just so lucky to have such wonderful friends!
We got up early to drive to the Blue Mountains, it only takes about 90 minutes and is a perfect playground to have so close to the city. The first day we went for a walk to the 3 sisters, down the Giant Staircase and around to Scenic World where we were very energetic and walked up the stairs there instead of taking the little
train or the cable car. We stayed at the YHA hostel in Katoomba which was lovely and had the most delicious Thai dinner at a little place across the road. The next day we went to the Jenolan caves in the morning and did a tour of the Orient cave. It was unbelievably beautiful, with loads of stalactites, -mites etc. The colours were incredible and it was just so hard to believe that it’s all natural. Another one of our favourites so far! After that we walked the Grand Canyon, it took about 3 hours and a lot of the path has been cut into the rock on the side of the gorge. The bottom was all rain forest and we saw some beautiful bird life down there. We were both very thankful to have our waterproof Gore-Tex shoes so we could just plunge through the wet patches. The Blue Mountains are really a brilliant place to spend a few days and thanks so much Mark for letting us use your car, it really made our trip so much easier and more enjoyable and congratulations to you and Dewi on your engagement! We headed back to Sydney in the afternoon
so that we could babysit little Jamie while Dawn and Rog had a well deserved meal out together. It was a perfect arrangement because we used the kitchen in their apartment hotel to cook for ourselves, a real treat after so much eating out!
Our last day in Sydney we went to see Manly beach, even though it was raining. Kez had started to feel a bit ill so we ended up going back to Sheila’s place for a nap before dinner. It was a pity that Totty was spotty and not feeling her usual self but at least we got to see each other and catch up on all the news. We had a lovely dinner together before we headed off to catch our bus to Byron Bay at 10.30pm. Thanks so much Sheila for letting us stay with you even though you weren’t feeling too good, it was wonderful to see you again and we hope the spots are gone!
The bus trip was much less painful than expected. We slept most of the way and Kez survived without being sick even though she still wasn’t feeling too good- a good omen for future bus travel
in South America! Kez ended up sleeping most of the day in Byron Bay which was a pity because it’s a great little town. We did go to the beach for about an hour and Nick walked to the lighthouse in the afternoon while Kez slept some more. Sean proposed to Holly at the lighthouse and it is a beautiful spot. Kez didn’t really feel like eating (a sure sign she isn’t well!) and continued her mammoth sleep until the next morning. So we will have to return to Byron Bay to experience the roaring nightlife there!
The next morning we headed up to Brisbane but we will leave our Brisbane tales for another edition!
If you would like us to send you a postcard from somewhere along our merry way, please email us your postal address or send us a message via this blog site. Yes, we know, we should have gathered all your addresses before we set off, but we didn’t!
Lots of love and a big hug
Kez and Nick
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Christian
non-member comment
Hola
Sounds like you're having a great time! Great to read your updates to see what you're you're up to. BTW, today we had our first snow in Vienna. Enjoy your endless summer!!!