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Published: January 29th 2013
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We continued our northern exploration of New South Wales and took some lovely drives along the edge of the continent. Which reminds me, we heard that Australia is the only island that is a continent and the only continent that is a country. As a result of its isolated position in the world, it is filled with exotic flora and fauna. We started seeing road signs showing kangaroo and koala crossings. There are about 800 species of eucalyptus and the hillsides are covered with these gum trees as far as the eyes can see. The population of this vast country is about half that of the state of California and 90% of that population lives along the coasts ringing this island. Just to get a perspective on the population density: Australia has 5 people per square mile, while the District of Columbia has 10,000 people per square mile. This is truly the land of wide open spaces. The booming economy is thriving due to the export of minerals and other natural resources. The roads are filled with new model cars and fancy campervans and RVs.
We stayed in motels, B&Bs holiday parks and Polynesian styled bures. The closest thing we
have to a holiday park in the U.S. is KOA. These caravan parks have everything from tents to mobile homes to cottages. They are geared towards families and are quite lively this time of year. The only kangaroos we saw were hopping around on a golf course. Their pouches would be perfect for carrying extra tees and balls. Our favorite place was the fully equipped two bedroom Polynesian style bure perched on a hillside overlooking palm trees and the ocean in the distance. We took the Pacific Coast Highway #1 which is what we travel on in California. Driving is still a bit of a challenge but it is fun to listen to the local radio stations as we cruise along. I swear we heard every song ever sung by Robert Goulet, Dinah Shore and Ed Ames. There seems to be an Aussie fascination with 1950s American crooners.
There are great town names like Woy Woy, Kurri Kurri, Bom Bom and Muli Muli. We spent nights in the small country towns of Tuncurry, South West Rocks and Coffs Harbor. Another Australian oddity is their propensity for erecting big things. They have the world’s largest plastic kangaroo, duck, koala bear,
TRIAL BAY GAOL
Beautiful masonry and a pristine setting. Ayres Rock replica and in Coffs Harbor, the Big Banana. Whenever we told someone that we were staying in Coffs Harbor, the first thing they would ask us is if we had seen the Big Banana. We did pass by it every day and I must say it was a bit underwhelming. We enjoyed driving around the banana plantations and seeing the real thing. We saw people riding camels on the beach—a popular tourist activity--and watched surfers, young and old, riding the big breakers all along the endless coastline. Every night the huge fruit bats would be circling around at sunset. These flying foxes have wingspans up to 6 feet and look like they are right out of a vampire movie.
We visited the historic Trial Bay Gaol (jail), a magnificent stone edifice which sits on a hill towering over the South Pacific Ocean. One rainy afternoon we went to see the new movie, Les Miserables. We wanted to see it in Australia since two of the stars, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe, are Aussies. We have seen the stage play several times and we loved the movie. We noticed that this was the quietest audience ever. No one
SOUTHWEST ROCKS BEACH
Spectacular beaches everywhere. arrived or left during the 157 minute movie, no one talked and no cell phones rang. Maybe everyone was just enthralled with this epic presentation. We got to see the NFL Championship games which will send the SF 49ers and the Ravens to the Super Bowl in early February. We got up at 5am to watch some of the presidential inauguration. My sister Teresa and her daughter Angie from Iowa were there and we were hoping to catch them on TV. They actually were interviewed by a German television station.
We stopped for a night on the trip south at Ilsa’s bed and breakfast. Ilsa fixed us a super lunch of wiener schnitzel and the taste and aroma took us right back to Salzburg. Ilsa is a wonderful host and also a great cook. We bid farewell to her and her menagerie and then it was time to head back to Sydney as the Voyager was docked in Darling Harbor and ready for all of us eager passengers. We spent the last night ashore with our good friends, John and Dawn, who live in the lovely suburb of Mosman. From their front balcony there is a beautiful view of
ARCHWAY
Cathedral like stone work. the Heads which is the dramatic entrance to Sydney Harbor. We have managed to join up with John and Dawn about once a year either in Australia or America for the past 16 years. We had a wonderful evening of conversation and fine dining at their home.
The next morning we returned our rental car and managed to get to our favorite Sydney market and a stop in Chinatown for lunch before heading to the pier. And there she was, the beautiful Voyager, which we left in Venice last May. Now we are heading out on a grand voyage and will call this ship home until June. How exciting!
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