Fishing tales, sightseeing tours and eating bugs

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AKA Looked around, saw lots & depleted the budget.

We hit the ground running when we landed in Sydney. Just enough time to have a shower and dinner then we headed to Canberra for the weekend. As we flew in it was raining and we thought this was going to be the norm for our holiday, but we were pleasantly surprised. Most of the time it was sunny except for the odd cloudy day and shower. Can’t complain about that in the middle of winter. We had some cold weather, though and some pleasantly warm days too.

Unfortunately our drive to Canberra was in the dark so we couldn't see any of the scenery but we had a good tour guide colouring in the dark expanse. Did I forget to mention that it was great to see our eldest son again? Of course I don't need to tell you that. It had been a year since we last saw him in Thailand. See blog 2 Islands and a desert It was also great to meet Vicki, seeing that we had only chatted via electronic means. Seeing them both in person was far better than a blurry image on a screen. Not that I’m complaining!



We met Bob and Naida and stayed with them, just outside Canberra. The night time temperatures were somewhat colder but we were kept warm and toasty with a warm fire going. Most mornings we woke up to frost on the lawns and grass in the paddocks. Such a peaceful setting and scenery that one would never get tired of. There were no kangaroo close by on the first day but later in the day we weren't disappointed as we saw them bouncing closer to the house. By the end of our visit they were much closer, in the next paddock.

Bob, Naida & Vicki spent the entire weekend showing us Canberra, a well planned city, and its surrounding areas. It was different to what I had expected and not as large, but with plenty of countryside with small towns scattered all over the place. Such wonderful hosts and new found friends. They kept us entertained the entire weekend and regaled us with stories of their lives, the history of Canberra and anything else we asked them about. And we even had time to relax and enjoy the surroundings. We went for a walk around the area and even managed to get up close to the kangaroos. We met more of Vicki’s family, Leanne, Sasha & the girls as well as Vicki’s gran. All lovely people that welcomed us into their homes.



Anyone have a sweet tooth? An tooth dripping with sticky syrup? We were introduced to cronuts - a cross between a doughnut and a croissant filled with a treacherously sweet filling that is squirted into the centre. If you don't like sweet and rich, this is not for you. Delicious but not a regular treat to sink your teeth into. Once in a life time is enough, ok maybe twice. Yummy though!



We saw quite a few quaint little towns and drove through Goulburn as well, home to the Big Merino, the world’s largest concrete sheep, but I don’t think that is it’s greatest feature. Some beautiful architecture and we stopped at a lovely bakery where we bought lunch. Goulburn to me had a touch of one of our towns – Pietermaritzburg.



We drove back to Sydney, actually it was Jacques doing all the driving, so thanks for that Jacques! We now could see the scenery that we’d missed on the Friday night. A slightly different picture I had in my mind of Lake George that ended up being rather dry. I was convinced I saw the reflection of water on Friday night, but that must have been the jet lag messing with my brain. It turned out to be rather dry, with the odd patch of water and sheep grazing on the grass. Interesting history though, if you ever want to read up about it.

We spent the next few days walking around while Jacques and Vicki worked. This was my third visit to Sydney and Paul’s second. We had seen some of Sydney and Australia’s attractions before and this was more of a family visit, but I think we still saw a fair amount and revisited a few spots. To me a visit to Sydney is incomplete without walking in Centennial Park. I just love it there and we are always pleasantly surprised to see how well the outdoor areas are utilised. In fact, we are amazed to see how well Australia is maintained and run and how clean it is kept. Walking along the coast is of course another one of my favourite pastimes.



Watching some of the birds of Australia is just as enjoyable. There is such an array of different species. From rosy coloured galahs, cockatoos with a yellow crest, to rainbow lorikeets and the sweetest little fairy wrens. We just love the musical sound of the magpie. Thankfully they didn't swoop down on us, apparently they can be aggressive. Not sure if I would forgive them, even if they sing their most beautiful song.





Who wants to go fishing in the middle of winter? Paul's comment was of course, in the middle of winter? You must be crazy, it would be far too cold. Well, the fishing happened, and it was cold but was fun as well. We drove south to Sussex inlet. Bob and Naida joined us for the weekend and we had some good laughs. It was such a lovely weekend, even though there was a lack of decent size fish for the table. Still, we managed to make a meal out of the catch of the day - several catches of leather jackets, true to their name! The time spent on the water made up for any fishing shortcomings. It was so peaceful with barely a breath of wind. Only once the sun disappeared did it really become icy. As the saying goes: A bad day of fishing still surpasses a good day at the office.



There's a lovely beach at Sussex inlet but considering the utter calamity of not having a swimsuit I thought it prudent not to test the water. I am sure you will agree it was a wise move. Still, I could imagine lots of long walks on the beach with the odd dip in the ocean in the summer heat.



Back to Sydney and the next day Paul and I hit the road or rather took to the air. We flew to Brisbane for a quick stay to visit some South African friends. Friends we had spent another holiday with, see blog Paradise a bit out of sync..and are those pirates? Wicus, Juanita and Erich met us at the airport and proceeded to take us around Brisbane. Once again I had a different picture etched in my mind. Who thought Brisbane was flat? Well....maybe small parts of it, but the rest is undulating hills. A beautiful area, and at least where we drove it didn’t look like it would take long to get to the countryside. We had lunch at Clear Mountain Health lodge with some spectacular views. The next day Wicus and Juanita showed us some of the Hinterland where we had lunch at Montville then drove back to look at the scenic Glass House Mountains. More and more breathtaking views and vistas, all looking very lush and green.

Went for dinner and ate bugs. Yes, bugs. Moreton bugs, that is. Strange looking creatures, a cross between a crab and a crayfish and they were delicious. The entire tiered seafood platter was delicious with prawns, oysters, fish and calamari . We certainly didn’t starve on this trip.



We spent a short time on South Bank before our flight back to Sydney. Interesting recreational area. Still lots to explore and never got to the beach, just as well, considering I didn't have that swimsuit, even though it was considerably warmer in Queensland.



The last few days with Jacques and Vicki flew past in a whirl. We walked around Sydney and had lovely fish and chips for a lunch at a restaurant in Watson’s bay. Another evening we went for dinner to a secret little Italian restaurant. Secret? Yip. Secret, partially because I don't know where it is and partially because I don't want to divulge it's whereabouts because then it wouldn't be a secret anymore, would it? The food was great and the chefs choice was such a good idea, because we had a smorgasbord of delicious Italian flavours and the best gnocchi I have ever tasted. We skipped the dessert at the restaurant and bought ice cream from a little shop close to the Italian restaurant. There was an array of different decadent flavours and we were spoilt for choice. Walking down the nippy streets eating ice cold ice cream in the middle of winter before getting a taxi back home. Yes, I know we are crazy.



Our last day was spent around the Royal National Park area. Another beautiful sight and an impressive scenic drive further south along the coast. We had lunch at Scarborough with a magnificent view over the ocean. We struggled to get a table but eventually found a spot with a bit of the view. Thanks to Bob, Naida, Wicus, Juanita & Erich for showing us around and for the great time we had, as well as answering our endless questions. Especially thanks to Jacques and Vicki for putting up with us, and all the other stuff you did for us.



Now all we have to do is speak to the bank manager seeing that the cost of living is so high in Australia and we have spent all our retirement funds just on this holiday! Only kidding, but the value of the weak Rand is felt down under. To put it into perspective, I thought I would give you my humble opinion on a fairly common item that is generally available in most countries:

A good gourmet burger at a restaurant in South Africa is about $8 and the cheapest burger we ate in Australia was $17.50

I think we got more value for money by eating decent food such as a seafood platter, an Italian meal or a Lebanese meal, with prices ranging from $24 - $30 than we did for just an ordinary hamburger. But maybe that’s just me.

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Comments

[Leonie]

Aus trip
Aah...again a delightful read, making us positively jealous (Afr has a good word 'jantjie' perhaps only an older generation word...) So glad you could combine and enjoy family time and all the other adventures. Memories cannot be compared to those expensive dollars, always worth it!!!

[roamingfox]

Always worth it!
Making memories with family and friends are indeed worth every minute! Wouldn't have missed it for anything.