Advertisement
Published: April 26th 2007
The Harbour Bridge
As dawn broke - my first sight of it! Hello from Perth!
Welcome to the very last of my travelblog entries (well...until the next time I decide to go travelling that is!). I am in Perth now, on the west coast of Australia. Next week, I fly to South Africa, and then I fly home in mid May!!! I am extremely excited to come back, although my excitement is tempered by the thought of this wonderful amazing experience being over already. Where did 6 months go??? I can hardly believe it. It only seems like yesterday that I was crying as I said goodbye to people! So many people said to me before I left that my time away would fly by and I would have a brilliant time. I didn't really believe you then. But you were all completely right, so I take my hat off to your superior wisdom! Since I left home, I have travelled by plane, boat, car, train, bus, horse, cable car, camel and bike and by the time I land at Heathrow, I will have flown a total of 17 times in only 6 months!!
I have been soooooo busy since my last entry. I have been to so many places
The Opera House
As dawn broke - again, my first sight of it! in Australia in such a short time! It has been far too short and now I am close to leaving, I wish I had a few more weeks/months here. Thinking back to my last entry, I remember I was feeling a bit sad and homesick when I first arrived and didn't care very much for the Aussie experience. But I have revised that opinion now. Whilst it will never replace NZ in my heart, I will concede that this country does have a lot about it that is amazing and unique.
Sydney When I last wrote I had just arrived in Sydney. I had only 2 days there, so it was pretty intense! Sydney is a big city with a great skyline and lots of interesting places and buildings. It has a lot of history, because it is one of the places that all the convict ships came to, so it has some nice old buildings, as well as lots of huge skyscrapers. It is also a very busy city, like London and you can easily ride on the bus for 30 minutes and still be in the city centre.
One of the highlights was definitely going on
Hyde Park Barracks
This is the place all the convicts were kept when they came to Sydney - basically a prison. a backstage tour of the Sydney Opera House. It started at 7am! I can't really describe to you how thrilling it felt to arrive there, just as dawn was breaking over the harbour. The sky was pinky blue and everything was very quiet, as you would expect at that time of the morning and there were just a few gulls wheeling around. It was pretty awesome to suddenly be confronted by the two huge global icons of the harbour bridge and the opera house in one glance and it really took my breath away for a moment it was so exciting. The tour itself was very cool! It was fab to be ushered through the stage door and given my very own stage pass before being conducted through the areas no one ever sees, like the stars dressing rooms, and to stand on the stage where singers like Pavarotti and Kiri te Kanawa have stood.
That same day I also went to the Hyde Park Barracks, which used to be where the convicts were sent when they arrived on the ships from England. I have learnt a lot about Australian convict history since I have been here. Seems like
The Australian Coat of Arms
I discovered that the reason they chose a kangaroo and an emu was because neither animal can go backwards - interesting eh? most Aussies must have a criminal in the family LOL... You wouldn't believe the kind of things they were transported for - from stealing apples and being drunk and disorderly right through to murder! The awful thing was that back then, even children were considered to be criminals, so there were lots of children as yound as 4 or 5 who were transported for life from England to Australia and had to endure the most unbelievable conditions. I also went to the top of the Sydney Skytower and stayed as the sun went down, so I got to see the city in the light, at sunset and at dusk. The only thing that was missing was someone to share it with . It was pretty cool to see all the lights coming on and watching the moon come up as the sun went down.
The second day, I went to an area called The Rocks, which was the red light district when the city was first started. All the sailors used to go there on their days off and get drunk and there were lots of whore houses and other nice places like that there! It has now been
Moon rising over Sydney
Taken from the top of the Skytower "done up" to become a very posh area with lots of converted warehouses that are now boutique shops and art galleries, coffee shops and craftsplaces. It is lovely to just wander around looking at all the old buildings and pretending you can afford to buy all the expensive things in the shops. You can also climb up the south pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from here, which I did. You get fab views of the city, and get to learn all about the history of building the bridge - it was quite an amazing feat of engineering!
I also went to a FANTASTIC performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion in the concert hall of the ASydney Opera House complex which was wonderful! It was not as good as the Bach Choir performance in London, but still excellent, with some great voices.
The Blue Mountains About two hours outside Sydney are The Blue Mountains which are famous for being blue, and also for The Three Ssters which is a pretty cool rock formation. I went there for a couple of nights, to do some walking and escape the city. It was the first time I have been out
Sunset over Sydney
Taken from the Skytower of big cities since I arrived in Australia and it was sooooo beautiful and relaxing. I stayed in the first decent hostel I had been in since getting to Australia which was such a treat! The Blue Mountains are blue because when the sun heats up, it causes oil from the gum trees to evaporate and the mist from this is really blue. You can go for lots of lovely walks through the rainforest. There was also an awesome storm while I was there - where the sky turned so black it was like night. I have never seen anything like it! I could have spent a lot longer there, and 2 days was definitely not enough.
Canberra From Sydney/The Blue Mountains, I then took a bus to Canberra, the capital city of Australia, and the place that my friends Tanya and Mick live. I was only with them for the Easter weekend, and this was way too short. It was so wonderful to see them though, as I had only met them once before in Italy, 5 years ago!!! But they were just as lovely as I remembered . Canberra is a funny place. It is soooo tiny,
A view of Sydney by night
Not a very good photo unfortunately. for a capital. Far smaller than Sydney or Melbourne, and apart from all the big important National stuff, there is not actually that much there! But it is a really nice city and I am very glad to have seen it. We managed to make it to the National Museum where we saw a fab exhibiton about the history of Miss Australia! We also went to the Old Parliament House, where the government used to meet, and go into the debating chambers and go into the old PMs office and the cabinet room and all the offices of the ministers, which was cool. I had a picture taken of me directing issues of state sitting in the PMs chair, which you were not meant to do - naughty me! We also went out for an awesome meal where I tried emu, crocodile and kangeroo meat!!!! They were all completely delicious and totally different. Croc is kind of like a cross between chicken and fish, emu is rich and dark and kangaroo is lovely and red, like steak, but with a creamier taste. I felt a bit bad eating kanga, cos they are soooooo cute. but if they were killed for
meat anyway, the least I can do is give them the respect of eating them!
Melbourne I was very sad to leave Tanya and Mick...but time waits for no one. So I had to go to Melbourne. I soent 2 days there (!) and didn't get to do very much. Melbourne is a very very nice place and you could spend a LONG time there because there is so much to do. Unfortunately, I was feeling quite tired and worn out with cities, museums, art galleries, hostorial buildings and all the other sights that one sees in cities. So I didn't have quite enough enthusiasm to really do the city justice. However, it feels quite English, because it was lots of little narrow lanes, and twists and turns in the streets and lots of lovely old buildings, plus a really efficient tram system that goes all over the city.
I decided to go to the Old Melbourne Gaol which was pretty creepy. There were rows and rows of tiny box like cells with tiny windows. It was very basic and must have been a dreadful place to stay!!! It was the place that they hung Ned Kelly and
Inside the concert hall
Waiting for the St Matthew Passion to start a bunch of other convicts. NK is a very famous Aussie outlaw who killed a bunch of people and escaped from the police and really caused havoc before he was captured. I learnt all about the best way to hang someone quickly and painlessly, which was a bit grim! I also went to the Immigration Museum which was really interesting, and told you lots about the journeys people have taken to get to Australia. Apart from that, I just wandered around the South Bank which is kind of like our South Bank, with lots of street performers and cafes and the "arty" stuff.
The best bit of my time in melbourne though was visiting Rosalie and Phillip, my great aunt and uncle who live in a place called Jindavick, which is about 2 hrs outside Melbourne. I managed to spend 2 days with them, which was really lovely. They cooked me food like cauliflower in tahini and meatballs with rice and vermicelli which reminded me sooo much of being at home! We also went out to Benelong Beach about 2 hours from where they live which is really stunning. The countryside aorund where they live is very different to
anything else I have seen in Australia. It reminded me a lot of Kent! Rolling green hills, and lots of fine old oak trees. It was really beautiful, and I wished I could have spent much longer there and again, I was very sad to have to leave.
The Great Ocean Road Between Melbourne and Adelaide, I decided to take a tour, along the Great Ocean Road. This took 4 days, and it was a completely brilliant trip. I was on a bus with 7 insane but really good fun Kiwis (all older/retired), one really, really, really, really, really annoying and very, very, very odd Belgian bloke, who drove us all mad, and one lovely American girl called Jemina who was the only sane person there. I haven't laughed so much in months - we basically just had complete hysterics for 4 days!! it was great! . The scenery was stunning too, and definitely lived up to my expectations. It reminded me a lot of the Amalfi coast in Italy. The whole area is basically sandstone, with plunging cliffs and lots of rock stacks, caves, arches and unusual rock formations, including the famous 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and
London Bridge. The exciting story about London Bridge (see the picture below) is that one day, a couple visited it. They crossed over to the bit you see in the picture from the mainland. But 2 minutes after they crossed, the connecting piece of land collapsed into the sea!!! they were stranded. Fortunately, a helicopter came to rescue them. But they were very distressed to be rescued, because it turned out that they were both having affairs, and were supposed to be at a conference in Melbourne, not visiting the sights together! The world's media was waiting for them when they were rescued and needless to say, their stories did not stay secret for long! Bummer! LOL...
Adelaide What can I say? I spent 1 day here and did very little! But I am sure it is a very nice city!
Alice Springs and The Red Centre I told you it was a whirlwind didn't I?! I spent only half a day in Alice Springs right in the centre of Australia. It is a funny place. Quite small. Hot and dry like the desert. And there are a LOT of Aboriginals there who are in quite a mess
Directing issues of state
From the PMs chair in the Old Parliment House! and spend most of their time out in the streets drinking all day and night. And there are also MILLIONS of flies. Just millions and millions and millions. You wouldn't believe how many. They are EVERYWHERE. And they are really annoying!!! Most people only go to Alice in order to take a trip out to The Red Centre where you find Ayers Rock (Uluru), The Kings Canyon and The Olgas (Kata Tjuta which means Many Heads). I took a 4 day trip from Alice to the Red Centre and this was definitely the highlight of my trip to Australia (apart from the Great Barrier Reef which was also amazing). I can't really describe to you how amazing it is there. It is just like no other place I have ever been. You drive for hours and hours and see nothing at all apart from the occasional dead camel on the roadside, lots and lots of red red earth and a few scruby trees. It is really empty. I was lucky to get a tiny group on the trip - only 7 of us. I really liked everyone in the group. There was a Swiss girl, a German guy, a French
Yes Madam Speaker?
Suits me, don't you think? Apart from the fact that my feet don
t touch the floor! guy, and three Japanese. They were all really interesting people and the guide, who was called Scooter was mad as a hatter but really nice and made the trip so much fun! Like the GOR trip, we basically just had hysterics again for 4 days. I have laughed so much in the last 10 days I am sure I can't laugh anymore!
We were out there for 3 nights, and for the first night, we slept under the stars in an Aussie "swag" which is like this canvas "bag" you out your sleeing bag into. It was very warm (too warm) but pretty comfy. It was so amazing to lie there with your feet next to the campfire, looking up at the milky way and all the stars and to hear loads of dingos all howling around the campsite!! I didn't sleep a wink, or course, because I was too freaked out by all the wildlife and the whole experience of being out there. The other nights I opted to sleep in my swag but in a tent, which felt a bit safer!
The first trip we took was to walk around the rim of The Kings Canyon
Aussie tucker
Enjoying emu, croc and kanga for dinner with Tanya! which was just incredible! I can't really describe it though and the pictures don't really do it justice. The canyon is really huge and deep and so as you walk around the top of it you are frequently walking along the edge of sheer cliffs. The rocks are all red and it is very quiet. It is a very sacred place for Aboriginals who go there to conduct ceremonies. It is a really special place. We stopped for a rest half way round and swam in The Garden of Eden. .
The next major thing was getting up ridiculously early to see the sunrise over Uluru (Ayers Rock). This was really amazing. It was completely dark, but then as the sun came up first the rock was just a black outline, and then it turned blue, then pink, then orange and then golden red as the sun came up. It was soooo beautiful and a really special thing to experience. Later that day we also hiked through the Valley of the Winds walk at The Olgas (Kata Tjuta) which was also really amazing. Just so much huge red rock... I can't really explain what it was like. It was
Enjoying breakfast
At Tanya's parents vineyard restaurant! just... amazing. I am lacking creative ways to describe it today!!! You have to see it to understand I think. I am sooo glad that I made it to the centre though. It was definitely something I will never forget.
Perth and nearly the end Well...I have now been in Perth for 2 days and have done nothing so far! I am enjoying doing not much after such a mad dash through one of the biggest continents on earth! I feel like I need some time to just catch up with myself before I start heading home. Needless to say, I am very very excited to come back and see you all again. I know you are all going to ask me the same questions when I get back too!
One of the most common ones is bound to be "do I think I have changed". Here is your answer: yes, no and I don't know. . Yes because of course a trip like this will change a person. People have now started more accurately guessing my age when I meet them. Not sure whether this is because my face has got older or because I have aquired
Inside Melbourne Cathedral
The Cathedral in Melbourne is gorgeous! a layer of mature finesse that I did not have before (LOL!). No, because fundamentally I am still me and always will be. And I don't know because it is impossible to judge how or how much one has changed when one is so close to oneself! I will rely on you all to tell me how I have changed! . Please don't all ask me this question.... I can answer it maybe 3 times, but that's about it before terminal boredom will kill me off!!! Sorry folks.
I am sad that this is my last blog. I have loved writing these and letting you all know what I have been up to. And it has been so lovely to know they are read too! Some of the entries have been viewed far more times than the number of subscribers I have which means some of you have been visiting the pages more than once. And I have been so grateful for all the comments and messages I have received. I am sorry if I have not had a chance to reply to them all. So thanks to you all for reading and for caring. I hope you have
Ned Kelly's death mask
Ned Kelly was a very famous Australian outlaw who killed a bunch of people! enjoyed them! It has been the trip of a lifetime and it definitely is not the last time I will do this! I have definitely caught the travel bug now...
Love to you all, and see you in only a few weeks! Make a space in your diaries for me...xxxxxxxx
PS: if you want to view all the photos, you probably need to click on "next" at the bottom of the photos...
Advertisement
Tot: 0.181s; Tpl: 0.018s; cc: 15; qc: 66; dbt: 0.0609s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Dad
non-member comment
Lovely pix
It looks like you are having great fun. Glad you met upi with Rosalie and Philip. Really looking forward to seeing you back!! xx