No koalas today

Took the ferry across to Raymond Island today where they have "wild" koalas.  I thought I heard some.  The males have quite a guttural, rauckus voice and I heard it so I stood for a long time under one of the trees waiting to spot him.  It was a crow.  Actually, two crows.  When I finally spotted them they looked too black against the sky.  Then they hurled themselves up like bird shaped bullet holes rapidly tearing through a painting of blue sky to the darkness beyond. 


Sadly, no koalas were seen today.

Newlands Arm

Breakfast, with freshly squeezed orange juice.  We picked the oranges this morning before we ate.  Now that's fresh!  And I got porridge, which I really love, cooked the Scottish way by soaking the oats overnight.  It was yummy and reminded me of my childhood when dad used to make porridge for us.

The two Hanses on the deck.  Looks like my Hans is demonstrating a bad golf shot.

Just look at the profusion of lemons on that tree!  And that's just one tree.  They also have a "lemonade" tree where the lemons are sweet and ready to be pressed.  Amazing.  Plus, there are several orange trees, and blood orange trees, as well as plus, cherry, grapefruit and almond.  And our hostess sent us off with a bagful of mandarins from their tree for our lunch, which we ate after Hans' golf game this morning.  He got 84, not a bad day of golf.

close up of the end of our hosts' garden, which leads to the water.  Haven't swum here yet, but tomorrow's another day.

These huge and abudant roses greeted us as we arrived at their home.  And the house is fragrant with huge bouquets of roses everywhere.

Church dating back to convict days

This is the inside of the Anglican church.  The boxes were there for the gentry, so they would be partially hidden from the convicts who sat at the back of the church in regular pews.  The gentry would come in first and secure themselves in the boxes, then the shackled convicts came in and were led to the back.  AT the end of the service, they were led out again after which the gentry could come out of hiding and mingle with each other.

Love those plates

I want those plates!  Just love them.  And lunch wasn’t bad either:  prawn and avocado salad.

Digeridoo

Women are not allowed to play this instrument.

Pretty Picnic

Lunch by the water.  Another perfect day.

Slaughterhouse Road

We came across a road with this name.  How would you like to live here?  Next to Freddie?

Driving South

When we left Sydney this morning, the highway seemed to be above the tree line because looking out my window on the left side, I saw acres and acres of treetops.  And the gum (eucalyptus trees) grow quite tall so I think we were quite high up.  Then came the down hill.  In the distance I could see the oceanfront towns far, far below us.  The drive was stunning, with colourful rolling hills in multiple shades of green, blue ocean below us and blue sky above.

Driving fines in Australia are serious.  There were frequent signs warning you to stay in the left (slow) lane unless you’re overtaking a car.  The fine for this infringement starts at $110 and goes up.  I wish we had those signs in Canada.

There were three (3!) warnings signs telling you the speed camera was coming up and you’d be pretty stupid to ignore 3 signs and get a camera ticket, which in our case would go to Thrifty Rental whereupon we would also get hit with a $35 administration fee on top of the ticket.  So, we’re being very law abiding.  And also, if you don’t signal your lane change and get caught, it’s another ticket.

Cheese Tasting

We left Sydney this morning to head south towards Bega, our first stop on the long odyssey we have ahead of us. 

Bega is a nice little town, somewhat inland from the ocean but we stopped at the tourist information center where they had a free cheese tasting.  There were about 12 or 14 different cheeses cut into tiny cubes, carefully labeled, and we had lots of toothpicks with which to taste.  I only got through about half of them before I found my two favourites, which I tasted over and over to see if the quality remained unchanged.  It did. The last taste was as good as the first.

It was 32 in Bega today, and when we stepped out of the car, the air felt baking hot.  But we decided not to overnight in Bega and instead went to Tathra, a little beach community 15 minutes away.  I thought I might go for a swim but…it’s really cold here right now.  The wind off the ocean is quite brisk and I’m wearing a sweater and still cold.  I’m not so sure I’ll be swimming in the morning.  Especially after I saw those little blue balloons on the beach with their long strings.

Computer Glitches with Million Dollar View

Okay, I’m seriously frustrated at the dismal internet connection in Australia.  Really, really frustrated.

This is a modern country and yet…wireless internet seems to be completely unknown here.  Come to think of it, I’ve been here over 3 weeks and don’t remember seeing WiFi signs around.  However, I wasn’t looking. Probably there are some, somewhere, but not in the hotel we’re in tonight.  And I was SO looking forward to just spending a whole evening on the computer since this is the first night we’re actually alone.  I figured I could log on, download all the updates that are hanging around in the ether waiting to come to Mama, and blog, and Facebook, and just even read all the emails I haven’t had time to look at.  It’s not going to happen tonight I guess.  I just want to weep.

In fairness, we’ve had internet connections at most of our hosts’ homes, but sometimes it meant unplugging their computer in order to connect ours, and they’ve been very good about it.  But it’s not the same, because I’m inconveniencing my hosts and so I try to be quick and consequently only do the most essential things.  *sigh*  I must say, I never expected this.

“Are you the owner?” Hans asked the next morning at breakfast.

He fixed Hans with a steady eye.  “If I were the owner, I wouldn’t be making your toast.” 

So there went our last hope of getting internet before leaving.  But once again, the beauty of the sunrise over the ocean made up for it .

We have no phone or internet here, but we do have a million dollar view.

We’re in a cheap motel (by Australian standards) which at $90 offers us a queen bed plus 2 singles but no phone or internet.  On the plus side, I’m sitting on my little balcony with a glass of wine and have a stunning view of the ocean below me, and I can hear the surf pounding.  Already I’m relaxing.  Oh, that could also be the wine.  But truly, the view is awesome and I’m really loving it.

Earlier, we walked along the beach where the tide is out and saw funny little blue “balloons” the size of your thumb, with lots of blue string.  Bright blue, like fountain pen ink.  They may be jellyfish that were washed up on the shore when the tide abandoned them.  Hans prodded one with the toe of his sandal and it sort of exhaled with a shudder, so we made sure not to touch it with any part of our flesh.  It could be one of those deadly little things in Australia that can kill you.  If I had internet, I could look it up but I’m not bitter.  Really.



The Wollemi Pine

They call it the Dinosaur pine.

It's older than the dinosaurs, and a small grove of them was recently found west of Sydney.  They've cloned some while waiting for seeds and cuttings to sprout, and the Rotary Club of Tamworth donated one to the botanical gardens in Tamworth.

http://www.wollemipine.com/aboutwp.php

More on Blue MOuntains

The Blue Mountains really were extraordinarily beautiful, and coming from Canada, we know about beautiful mountains.  However, these mountains are ten times older than the Grand Canyon.  Now that's old.

The views are seemingly endless blue-hazed valleys, golden sandstone escarpments, plunging waterfalls and deep, fern-filled canyons.

Three Sisters

The drive to the Blue Mountains was gorgeous and we had a day of brilliant blue sky and warm sun in which to enjoy it.  Below you can see the Three Sisters.

Our hosts came with us and Phil gave Hans directions so he didn't even need to bring his GPS and on the way home, we used his e-tag to take the motorway.  This is something we'll have to get for Sydney and Melbourne, also when we're in Queensland.

Wild Ride!

The theme song from Indiana Jones played as we plunged wildly down a nearly vertical half kilometer drop in the rainforest.

Hans and I were in the steepest funicular in the world, and it’s open to the elements!  It was like a mad roller coaster ride, only we just went down.  And down.  And down some more.  Wild, and quite exciting.

Then we walked along a boardwalk halfway between the bottom and the canopy, which was fabulous!

Here and There

What have I learned about Australia so far?  It’s a place at once recognizably similar but decidedly different.  For example:

In most cities we’ve visited, households use and drink tankwater.  That’s pure rainwater they collect from their roofs which goes into a huge storage tank.  Phil’s tank is larger than most at 50,000 litres.  Some houses have a diversion switch so the first batch of water which contains all the dirt and birdshit runs off, and then the clean water goes into the tank. 

There are no basements, but then they don’t need them for furnaces ‘cause there’s no central heating.  They don’t need it.  In areas where it does get cool in the winter they use space heaters. Lots of places have solar hot water heaters, and you can see both the solar panels and the tanks, which lie flat on the roofs.  Some places have air conditioning if they need it.

Gardens are gorgeous and extensive because of their long growing season.

Where’s Timmy?  He could make a fortune here.  Coffee as we know it is almost nonexistent here.  Almost every house and restaurant serve only instant coffee, so I had no problem resisting it.  Only very occasionally have I had real coffee and they call it cappuccino (it’s not) if you want it with foam and flat white if you want it, well, flat.  Without foam.

There is no tipping here, though we did tip in Sydney when we went to an upscale restaurant.  Minimum wage is quite high compared to Canada.  We were told it’s around $20, which would explain why there’s no tipping

I picked up a few pieces of fruit and nuts to take on the train with us, and all fruit, even though most of it comes from here, is very expensive.  Bananas were $3/ kg;  Gala apples were $6.57/kg; mangoes were $1.50 each and nectarines were just over $9/ kg.  I found the prices shocking!

Lots of seafood is available everywhere, but since I haven’t bought any I can’t comment on the cost, but it’s plentiful and very, very fresh and delicious! 

Infrastructure, like roads, is lacking.  The main highway between Sydney and Brisbane runs right through Coffs Harbour, and it’s a bottleneck.  They’ve talked about improving it for 20 years, and have started work on it now but locals tell us it’s 10 years to completion.  By then it will already be too small to handle the increased traffic flow.

There are many private clubs where you can gamble and eat, and we ate in these clubs several times with our hosts so we had to take out a temporary membership, which is free, but otherwise you can’t enter.  Lots of people like to gamble and horse racing in particular is a big favourite.

Fun rules!  Everyone we met was full of laughter and ready to have a good time, just like our friends and Rotary clubs back home.  There was nothing stuffy here.

Luxury cars are very expensive compared to Canada.  The same Lexus for which we might pay $55,000 costs $95,000 here and the difference is all tax.  And they drive on the wrong side of the road – maybe that’s where the price differential comes in.

Travel is hugely expensive, like cruises.  Looking through the paper I was shocked to see that 12 and 13 day cruises cost over $5,000 per person even though that included air.  So I told our hosts that if they ever want to cruise, they should save money and fly to Canada or the US first and start their cruise from there.

Land and housing is more expensive, but then it’s hard to compare since we’ve been in ocean-front areas where of course land and housing would be most costly.  It probably compares to Vancouver land prices, though it may be higher here.  Sydney housing around the ocean and Bondi Beach is in the mega millions.  We saw a $100 million dollar house.

Overall, we’re a lot more similar than different.  Values and principles are pretty much aligned with ours.  Everyone values the same things, like friends and family.

And best of all, I haven’t personally seen anything yet that could kill me.  But I know they’re lurking out there.

I kissed a dolphin and I liked it

Saw our first dolphin show in decades, and it was as much fun as I remembered.  The dolphins seem to love their play and they happily waited as we all lined up to get a dolphin kiss.  Hans took a picture but only had time to get my back side.

Quilt

Sandy makes beautiful quilts.  I wish you could see the detail on this one.

Roberta, I wish I had taken photos of your paintings!!

Dinner for 150

There were 150 for dinner, with a waitlist of another 50 we were told.  We were all seated at different tables so we could spread Canadian goodwill to more people.  Sporadically, between good behaviour, we were egged on by  new Australian friends to do things like, imitate a Kookaburra.  This request was only for Canadians, and Aletta did a brilliant job for which she was rewarded by thunderous applause.

Hans had bought a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc but as we were at different tables, I got the bottle and it was good.  Soon, I giggled at every story told and radiated uncritical affection in all directions. 

Then they asked if one of the Canadians would do an impression of a koala.  I'd like to pretend it was my own idea, but I was encouraged by the bottle and the men on either side of me who said, "Just go up and hug the pole.  Go on.  Go on!"  So I did.  In my haste to get there I even lost a shoe, but evidently that didn't detract at all from my koala imitation.  Luckily, the pole was very thick, not skinny.

Sorry, you'll have to imagine it.

This was our presentation evening in Port Macquarie and all the Rotary Clubs had come together to see the Canadians.  Or more likely, to enjoy an evening of fellowshp with each other and we were just the catalyst.

I giggled at every story told and radiated uncritical affection in all directions.

Dancing with a seal

That’s Dean dancing with Maxine.

Butterfly kisses

This of course is NOT a butterfly, but a juvenile stick insect.  The adults grow up to 12"!

Gorgeous butterflies flew all around us.  I felt one land on me, just a whisper of air as its wings lightly brushed my hair.  We spent a little time in the Butterfly House this afternoon before pigging out on jam scones with whipping cream for afternoon tea.  This has been a decadent eating trip.  Not that I’m complaining.  No sir!

Tally me banana

This is how they grow the bananas.  They’re covered with bags to prevent birds pecking at them, and also to keep the temperature constant.

Blueberry Farm - major fundraiser

"This is our major fundraiser," said George, president of the Coffs City Rotary Club, as he stepped into the bus.  He was joining us on our visit to the largest blueberry plantation in the southern hemisphere, and it was immense.

"There are a lots of things that can bite you."  We all laughed a little.

"This is serious," he said, and looked us in the eye.  We sobered up.

"If you get bitten, there are two things you must remember.  First, don't panic.  If you panic, the poison travels faster through your system.  You don't want that.  Secondly, note what bit you.  It's important so that they can administer the proper antidote."

"I think I'll stay in the bus," said Penny.  I was beginning to be of the same mind.

"It's not as dangerous as I'm making it sound," George went on.  "In fifteen years we've only lost 2 Rotarians.  The first was because she got too panicky, and the second because she didn't notice what had bitten her."  Yikes!

Then he laughed.  "Just kidding."

We did see some spiders though.  "Is that a dangerous one?" Hans asked the horticultural scientist who was with us.  "Not really," he replied.  Wrong answer!  What does that even mean? 

This one is about 3" long and the white part of the X is part of its web.

Look at the size of that blueberry!

We toured the .  The blueberry bushes were so heavy with fruit that they shimmered blue.  We devoured them like locusts though we couldn’t strip them bare, they were so plentiful.

White Pointers

“Too bad the weather’s not nice,” said our guide as he was showing us around the beach at Port Macquarie.  “If it were nicer, I would take you down that path and show you the white pointers,” and he indicated a wooded area with a small footpath disappearing into its shadows.

“What’s a white pointer?” asked someone.

“That’s where the ladies take off their tops and lie back to get some sun.”

Sorry, no pictures.

Morning Champagne

“Wine tasting in ten minutes,” Gary said as we left on the bus.

Today there will be no morning tea. Instead, we will have morning champagne.  I like it.

We could sample anything we wanted to at the Cassegrain Winery, a lovely setting overlooking rolling vineyards and magnificent rose gardens.

Those gorgeous coloured trees are flame trees and jacaranda.

Here come de judge

 “Order in the court!  Order in the court!”

I sat down in the prisoner’s cage and put on a sad face.  They were accusing me of poisoning my husband with arsenic.

“Arsenic!”  Yelled the spectators/ jury.  “Hang her!”

My head drooped, lacy cap covering my eyes as I listened to witness after witness giving testimony as to the fictitious dastardly deed.  We were role-playing in the old court house as part of our tour, and we threw ourselves into our parts with great delight.

In the end, I was acquitted despite my lawyer who called “Oops” instead of Objection.

The historic courthouse was built in 1869 and served Port Macquarie for 117 years.  Eventually, it became a tourist venue and they put on these delightful 'plays' for tourists where you're each given a script with your portion highlighted.  And some props like the wigs and caps.  It was a lot of fun.

Six white boomers, snow white boomers...

...on their Australian run.

I saw three of them today, resting up for their big night next month.

Joeys!!

“Fifty cents for Kangaroo food,” said the sign, so Lou and I each bought a cup when we entered the Billabong.  And I’m so glad, because we got to feed a mommy kangaroo with her little joey hanging around.

Then joey got a little scared and scampered back into the safety of mommy’s pouch.

That is just too cute!

In a related note, there are nets stretched high up across the highways in koala territory so that they can safely get across.

Their fur is very soft.  Wished I could have held him, but it's against the law now because it's too stressful for the koalas.

At the Koala Hospital, we learned that males are tagged on the left “because females are always right,” came a disembodied voice.  “And males are left to do the work,” replied our guide, and he directed us to the picture window where they were currently feeding a young male with a health supplement, using a syringe.  He was found in a “bad” area – not enough good eucalyptus – and had been losing weight so he needed a boost.  He submitted to the feeding, but didn’t seem to be enjoying it much.