At Tennant Creek we flipped a coin: Heads we turn left and go towards Alice Springs and Ayers Rock or tails we turn right and head up to Darwin. You see, we were running a bit short on time so we had to decide if we should head up to Darwin or not and the only way we could decide was to leave it up to chance. Courtney flipped and I waited patiently for the result: HEADS. We’re giving Darwin a swerve this time!
Eyes, ears, mouth and nose. No, I’m not reciting the age old nursery rhyme ‘Head and Shoulders;’ I’m describing the places where flies in the desert like to penetrate and although a good portion of our days in the Red Center were spent swatting flies we did see and do a few other things. We had the pleasure of seeing the world’s largest, redest, most touristy rock, Uluru and of course we made a few detours on the way to some other cool spots. In this blog we’ll try to explain a bit of the aboriginal history surrounding Uluru and we also learned quite a bit about modern times around Uluru so we’ll chat about that too…if there’s time. At Tennant Creek we flipped a coin: Heads we turn left and go towards Alice Springs and Ayers Rock or tails we turn right and head up to Darwin. You see, we were running a bit short on time so we had to decide if we should head up to Darwin or not and the only way we could decide was to leave it up to chance. Courtney flipped and I waited patiently for the result: HEADS. We’re giving Darwin a swerve this time! We spent the night free-camping in a rest area just north of a place called the Devils Marbles; an area with round boulders that balance on top of each other in seemingly impossible positions. No, the name has no aboriginal significance instead the aboriginals believe that the boulders are eggs laid by a serpent, which was on its way to Uluru. The name Devil’s Marbles comes from an early explorer in the region. We left the rest area before sunrise to see the Devil’s Marbles light up with sunrise. Alice Springs was a good stop for a shower and to stock up on food, petrol and internet. We spent a night on the outskirts of the city in the cheapest caravan park we could find, it also happened to be one of the nicest ones we stayed at! The next day we drove through the West and East MacDonald Ranges, the mountain range closet to Alice Springs. It's was very pretty with a few nice touristy spots to stop off along the way. One in particular was a beautiful swimming hole with cool water where we enjoyed a dip. We enjoyed how at the Alice Springs info centre they suggested we go to a place just around the corner which really was a 200 km drive away. That's the thing, in the outback the distances get very skewed and extremely long. You also only think of two things when in outback Australia, 1.shade and 2. water. After Alice Springs and the MacDonald Ranges we made our way to Uluru, which many of you older readers would remember as Ayers Rock and also a couple other places along the way called Kings Canyon and Kata Tjuta (the Olgas). There isn’t a lot say about these areas other than that they were a sight for sore eyes in the desert. We did a few walks in the area and learned a bit about the aboriginal significance of the big red iconic rock. Certain details of the aboriginal legends surrounding Uluru are kept secret as a way for the current generation to preserve what has been passed down to them from their elders. Another 400km drive from Uluru led us to Kings Canyon, a spectacular canyon with walls 100 metres high and Kings Creek running in the valley below. Similar to Uluru there are parts that are sacred to aboriginals, one area was in the gorge and was designated as a man's sacred site. We were informed that aboriginals have designated male and female spots where their elders bring them to for dream time "story telling". These spots are still used today, therefore you are asked not to swim in the water, which was very hard not to do as it was HOT! All throughout the road trip we free camped, which meant we stayed in campgrounds, road side stops, rest areas etc. The camp area amenities ranged from having toilets, showers, running clean water to no water, toilets or showers. Each one was unique in it's own way and some were surprisingly scenic with extremely personable characters.
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On first arriving to Australia I was browsing the Australia website for travel and was looking at some hikes they have listed. One came up called the Thorsborne Trail http://www.australia.com/explore/itineraries/hinchinbrook-island.aspx in Northern Queensland. It looked great so I added it to my favourite’s page. Once we began planning the road trip I went back to see if it was available at this time and booked us on, which was pretty lucky as it says you need to book months in advance. Here is a little blurb from the website describing the trail from the www.australia.com website “Trek the 32km Thorsborne Trail along the eastern coast of Hinchinbrook Island – an untouched tropical paradise on the coast between Townsville and Cairns. Over four days you’ll traverse cloud-cloaked mountains, jungle-like rainforest, melaleuca swamps and pristine white beaches. See a panorama of wildlife, from bright butterflies and birds to crocodiles, sea turtles, dugongs and dolphins. This is a true wilderness walk for the experienced walker – the path isn’t graded or hardened so can be difficult to traverse in places. Walk in either direction, camp in any of the seven designated sites and remember to ‘leave no trace’. Only 40 people can walk the trail at any one time, so book your permit well in advance. Planning and following safety guidelines is vital. The best time to walk is during the cooler months from April to September. You can reach the island on a ferry or water taxi from Cardwell or Lucinda.” To save money on transfers we accessed the island from the South end from a tiny town, Lucinda, then in 4 days got picked up from the South end as well. We knew going we wouldn't complete the entire trail, however we felt we’d see the highlights over the 4 days. Day 1 The night before the trail we spent the evening getting ready in Lucinda’s caravan park, in order for us to make the 7:00am boat transfer we had to wake up extra early to pack the tent and prepare our gear. Our water taxi met at us Lucinda’s docks and dropped us off at the South end of Hinchinbrook Island, about a 20 minute boat ride from the mainland. We began the hike from George Point and hiked along the beach crossing one small river before heading into the rainforest where the trail was pretty thick and in some places overgrown. As Hinchinbrook Island is in the tropics we were on high alert for wildlife that could kill us in one bite, snakes, spiders and crocodiles... just to name a few. Our hike continued up into the bush for about 2 hours until we came to Mullligan falls, a beautiful waterfall and campsite where we took a break and a swim. After the swim we continued hiking up into the dry, rockier passages for another 4 hours, by this point it was mid-morning and the sun was shockingly hot! At one point Andrew said he was worried he might step and cause a spark, which would light up the whole area. It was very dry and hot where we were, in some areas it felt like the hot air was trapped and you’d get hit with air that felt like you were walking in an oven. It had rained the night before in the caravan park but you would never of known it. We had lunch at the highest point of the trail, 262 m which had a nice view of Zoe Bay where we would be camping for the next two nights. After lunch we hiked down towards Zoe Bay, on the way we hit Zoe Waterfall, a massive falls with an amazing view of the ocean. The trail continued down beside the falls and lead to the falls pool, which was another amazing fresh water swimming hole. We didn’t stop for a swim but continued down the trail towards the ocean to our campsite. We were looking forward to a swim in the ocean, however with these signs we decided it was better if we headed back to the safer swimming hole. The next day we had the option of continuing down the trail to the next campsite, a 10.5 km hike. Then the following day we would have had to hike back to Mulligan Falls (17 km) in order for us to make it back on the forth day to our transfer spot. After taking one dip in the falls we decided it’d be way better to stay and play in the falls therefore spending two nights at Zoe Bay and that is exactly what we did! Day 2 The second day was utterly relaxing! We got up late (7:00am instead of 5:00am) ate, gathered our books, towels, lunch and sunscreen and headed back up to the top of the falls. For the next few hours we sat in different pools reading and enjoying the view. After lunch we headed down the falls to the pool where it was shaded. We spent another few hours reading, playing in the falls and teasing the very docile fish. That evening we prepared a delicious Indian curry, got eaten alive by bugs then hit the hay or mat nice and early. Day 3 Knowing how hot the trail got two days before, the third day we got up early, packed up our gear and headed back towards Mulligan Falls. We arrived around 11:00am and enjoyed the day again swimming in the falls, reading and playing cards. A couple we had met the night before arrived later in the day so we spent the rest of the evening cooking and swapping travelling stories. Day 4
The forth day we had one last swim in the fountain of youth then headed back towards George Point where we met our boat transfer back to the mainland. We were salty. So salty. Everything was wet; even our dry things were damp. We spent 7 days kayaking around the Whitsunday Islands off the east coast of Queensland, Australia and it couldn’t have been better. We had sun and rain, big waves and flat seas, wallabies, goannas and even some hospitality; there was never a dull moment. Because we aren’t carting kayaks around the country we rented a couple from the only sea kayak rental company in the Whitsundays, Salty Dog Sea Kayaks. They set us up with the essentials but we brought all of our camping gear to keep us going for 7 days. There are other options to see the Whitsundays, such as by a group tour on a yacht or sailboat but because we’d already done something similar to that in the Galapagos we wanted to try something a little different and little more challenging. After an early morning briefing at Shute Harbour (where we would depart the mainland) we had one day to prepare for our week long trip. During our briefing we spoke about certain sections of trip that would get hairy such as some of the open water crossings that were exposed to the easterly swells coming off the Great Barrier Reef. We discussed the wind forecasts for the week and different options of where to kayak based on those and we also looked at tide times and how they affected the currents around the islands. It was a lot to take in so we took the marine maps with us for our last day on the mainland to look over and try to come up with a few game plans of where we might head. It was a busy day but by the end of it we had packed all of our food and gear and organized into two loads, one of which we would leave behind with a water taxi service to drop off at an island mid-week for us to pick up so that we could save on weight at the beginning of our trip. In addition to all this we also had to bring all of our water with us, because the islands have no fresh water on them. Early the next morning we left Shute Harbour with our tandem sea kayak strapped to the roof of the Skamper – a water taxi service boat. We were getting dropped off at Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island where we would have a day to relax and enjoy the beach and also to get a bit of time in our kayak before we headed up north. We lucked out that evening as we were one of only three couples staying at Whitehaven beach which is usually home to about 30 campers during the high season. On our second day of our kayak trip we had to cover about 16 kilometers to get up to our next camp site at Peter Bay. We knew that the winds were picking up but we had no choice but to leave mid-morning since our camp at Peter Bay could only be accessed at higher tide levels. The winds were relatively high when we departed Whitehaven Beach but we saw some luck pretty early on when a sailboat pulled up alongside of us not long after we left Whitehaven. They started by tossing us some fruit and then they asked if we wanted a tow! Of course we couldn’t refuse especially with the high winds and opposing current we were battling! One of the ship’s crew climbed down onto their tendering rafts and we paddled over to him. He tied a rope to the front of the kayak and gave us a couple beers and we were off. Being towed by a sailboat was pretty nice and actually at one point they asked us if we’d like to come aboard. Regretfully we declined since we both decided that we would probably not get off once we got on. After a nice tow all the way to the northern end of Whitehaven Beach (it’s pretty far, about a 2.5 hour paddle) they untied the rope threw us some more fruit and we were off headed towards Tongue Point for lunch! Before we landed on Tongue Point beach we watched a bunch of stingrays swim through the shallows and under the kayak. Tongue Point had a stunning walk and a few placards describing the geological and historical significance of the islands. After tongue point we faced some rough seas up towards Peter Bay with the tide against us and the winds picking up some of the more exposed points on the route had some seriously rough waves. We had a couple of sections where waves were breaking over Courtney’s head! We also crested a few waves and the back of them were so steep that it felt like a rollercoaster when we dropped down the other side. We made it through those sections wet but ultimately unscathed and we were thrilled to see our campground at Peter Bay as the sun started to set. We departed Peter Bay at about 7AM the next day so that we would arrive at Crayfish Beach on Hook Island around high tide so that we weren’t held up by exposed reef. We had a fairly relaxing paddle for the remainder of Whitsunday Island but as we made it around a few points along Hook Island we realized that the swell and the winds had picked up too. Lucky for us it wasn’t quite as rough as the previous day as we headed north towards Peter Bay so we pulled the camera out and did a bit of filming. We were actually excited at this point to have some rough water to add a bit of excitement to the paddle that day! We also saw a pretty cool site when some tuna started to jump about 30 feet or so off the end of the boat. They were literally flying through the air! And we’re not talking about small tuna here, we’re talking about some really big fish that we were leaping 25 feet high out of the water and probably about 40 feet across. It was an image that we’ll never forget! We later found out that they were probably being pursued by predators. We’re not sure what was chasing them but we’re willing to bet that it was damn big too! When we finally made it to Crayfish Beach we were blown away. The beach was great for swimming and snorkelling with some really beautiful coral and lots of marine life. The beach was protected by mountains on three sides so the high winds rarely touched us and the views were spectacular. Originally we were meant to only stay one night at Crayfish but we were instructed to survey the waters north of us before we paddled out to see if they were too rough to pass. We saw what looked like a washing machine so we decided to cut our losses and spend another night at Crayfish just enjoying the beautiful surroundings. The day we headed back south we were told early on by a couple of South African fisherman (after a lengthy chat about where we traveled in SA) that the easterly winds were going to pick up to about 25 knots which meant we would get hammered if we didn’t leave quick. So we packed up our gear and headed south and to our surprise the weather was amazing as we headed down to Dugong Beach on the western side of Whitsunday Island for our last 2 nights. En route to Dugong Beach we stopped at an old abandoned resort in Hook passage where we had lunch and snorkelled for a little while. After lunch we hopped in the kayak and continued on. Sea turtles kept popping their heads up for air right next the kayak! The water was so calm in places we would just stop paddling and let the current sweep us toward our destination while we relaxed and just marvelled at the nature around us. We did some snorkelling at a beach with a small reef near Dugong Beach. It was decent but the highlight was actually running into a sea turtle that was about 3 feet away when we noticed each other. We both took a quick second to react and although I wanted to look at him he had other plans and jetted as quickly as we had run into each other. On our last day we were tired and relieved that we had decided to arrange for the water taxi to pick us up at Dugong rather than try to brave the open water crossing back to the mainland (a 6 hour paddle in about a 2 meter swell). Overall we loved the trip and would certainly do it again. Its such an amazing way to get around and although its slow its incredibly rewarding. By taking our time we were able to see a huge variety of marine life and scenery on a schedule that we set entirely ourselves. It doesn’t get much better than that! With Sheila, our 1999 Holden Commodore (the most Aussie car possible), packed full of camping gear, cookery, a small bbq, beach/snorkel gear, computers, cameras and even a skateboard we headed North from Newcastle mid-day on Friday October 11th. For the first week we didn’t really have any set plans so we opened our Camps 7 book (a book listing all the low cost campsites under $21 per night or free camping spots around Australia) and decided we’d drive 3-4 hours and find a place to stay. Our first night we camped in a tiny town called Bellingen in their showgrounds. We arrived in the dark and had to call the showground groundskeeper who took our money and gave us a few options of where to camp. That night we cooked up a big bbq and enjoyed the stars. The next day we continued North towards Lamington National Park, first stopping in Nimbin, a small hippy town popular with tourists as they are very “free” spirited when it comes to smoking. Lamington NP is in the mountain range inland from the Gold Coast. During the drive up through the mountains we got great views of the Gold Coast, which is Australia’s version of Disney Land, Canada’s Wonderland, Sea World, and Miami mixed into one crazy area. The beach is just covered with massive high rises where lots of Aussie’s go to party and enjoy the constant sunshine. We spent two nights near Lamington NP and enjoyed a nice day hiking in the park. On the holiday Monday we packed up and begun driving North. We wanted to see what the Gold Coast looked like up close so we headed towards the beach. While driving there our engine started to beep at us that it was overheating. Unlucky for us it was a holiday and everything was closed. After frigging with the radiator and calling Andrew’s dad we got in touch with a backpackers up the road who said we should bring the car to them if we could drive it and she’d call her mechanic friend. We eventually got the car to them and the mechanic Wally showed up and fixed the problem. There was a small air bubble in the radiator and amazingly within a few hours we were back on the road. Our next stop was to a beautiful lake area 3 hours north of Brisbane called Elanda Point. The campground was set next to the lake that is part fresh and part salt water depending on rain and tides. The next morning we hiked into the forest to a ranger’s cottage set on the opening of an estuary. We got chatting with the ranger and learned all about snake safety and what to do in an emergency. Hiking safety is very different in Australia than at home, snakes don’t really like to be sprayed in the face with bear spray…who knew? Our next stop was to a town raved about by old Aussie surfers and is the most northern surfing town in Queensland called 1770, near Agnes Water. We spent two nights there enjoying the amazing tranquility of the town and the campground, which was next to a beautiful beach with a really relaxed atmosphere. We both agreed we could have easily lived in that town and hope to one day go back for longer. After two nights relaxing we left in the early morning and had a big day of driving (5-6 hrs) through Rockhampton, a town known for it’s massive amounts of beef exports. The road was pretty straight and not too exciting for the next 4 hours until we reached an area West of Mackay to a place near Eungella National Park. The rest of the area was pretty dry and flat but once we started to get near Eungella everything changed from flat dry farmlands to lush green rainforest. Tucked away in the rainforest is the coolest campground called Platypus Bushcamp run by the wackiest old man. The camp had a few different tree huts, then two natural pools, one for spotting the very rare platypus and the other for swimming, which is a treat as this far north you’re in croc country and it's stinger season so swimming in the ocean can be limited. There we enjoyed the evening and next morning trying to spot the platypus with no luck, but had an amazing time swimming in the natural pool. From there we headed to Airlie Beach, the town used as the jump off point to the infamous Whitsunday Islands where we will be spending 7 days kayaking around and camping on the islands!
This is the beginning of another journey for us. We are in the midst of embarking on one hell of an adventure half way around Australia before we return to the mother land for a little while and we're breathing some new life into the blog! This is our story of a little cycle trip around Lake Macquarie, New South Wales. Throughout our travels we've been fortunate to meet some really incredible people! Those people have inspired us in a lot of different ways but one of the coolest things that we've been able to take away from our experiences in meeting a wide range of folks are the different ways that they get around the world. From buses to boats and bikes and pretty much anything you can imagine in between there are people out there who take travel to amazing levels. One of the modes of travel that really struck a cord with us was cycle touring. We met several people in South America who were peddling south to north along the spine of the Andes and since then we've been talking about getting our own bike trip going. We're taking it in baby steps but we're also drawing upon our experience of camping and cycling separately to keep our weight down to make the trip more enjoyable. Our list of gear (to be fully self sustaining) for 3 days of cycling includes a tent, sleeping sacks, inflatable mats, some clothes, our cookset, some food, cameras and that's pretty much it. We were pretty relaxed when we were packing and ended up leaving out some items that would have been nice to have. It has become s Our route would took us from Tuggerah station at the south west end of Lake Mac(quarie) for about 110km up back up to Newcastle. We decided to do it in 3 days; but really we would ride for a half day on our first day, then a full day on our second and finally a really short 2 hour ride on our last day. We planned it like this so that we could basically see some of the really nice parts of the lake and make it back to Newcastle so we could floor it up north in the Holden ASAP! The day started with us driving out of Sydney at around 5:45AM. We spent the weekend there visiting with Amy and Sid and some friends we had met while traveling in South America and South Africa. We hopped the train from Newcastle and arrived at Tuggerah at around 1PM and we were really eager to get going since we wanted to cover about 50km before dark. When we stepped off the train we were greeted by some of the most foul weather that we’ve experienced in Australia yet! It rained so hard that 10 seconds standing in it got you soaked! The wind picked up and crap was being blown everywhere! As we tried to take shelter at the station Courtney got hit by something and felt a stabbing pain in her arm. She looked at her right bicep and had something stuck in it so she pulled it out and tossed it aside. Her arm immediately swelled and turned hard and red in the area where she had been hit. We didn’t figure out until after the trip that it was probably a honey bee flying around uncontrollably in the wind that hit her and stung her. They typically leave the stinger and a sack of venom behind, which is exactly what she pulled off of her arm, although in doing so she probably squeezed the venom from the sack into her arm. Luckily no allergic reaction occurred and we hopped on our bikes when the rain slowed and started getting some mileage under our belts. The first part of the day was split between riding on dedicated cycle paths and really chill back streets along Lake Mac. We got rained on lightly a couple of times but other than that we did pretty good. We had a bit of stretch riding along the Pacific Highway, which was intimidating at first with cars speeding past you at 110km/h but we quickly got used to it and took advantage of the highway’s massive shoulder. We arrived at Lake Munmorah National Park here we would set up camp for the night at about 5PM. The next day we were up at the first sparrow’s fart so we wandered down to the beach and had a nice breakfast watching the waves crash. The sun was shining, and when the sun shines…we thrive! We packed up camp quickly and got back on the bikes sore asses and all! We were treated to some amazing weather and scenery for the entire day as we cycled north. We stopped at small ex-coal mining town called Catherine Hill Bay or “Catho” as the locals say. We grabbed a coffee (or more like coffee flavoured milk) and then continued on towards Swansea where we had lunch on the shores of Lake Mac. We realized that even after only a day and a half of riding that when we stopped to eat we were famished! So our lunches and dinners got larger as the ride progressed. After lunch we rolled north towards Belmont and luxury. We booked in to stay at Belmont Bayview Caravan Park for the night and they had a pool! We spent some time swimming and then wandered around Belmont for a few hours before retiring to the camp kitchen where we drank beer and played gin rummy. Our last day's ride took us from Belmont to Newcastle along the stunning Fernleigh track. The track is an old rail line that has been converted into a multi-use path. The slopes are gradual (no big hill climbs) and the scenery is beautiful. Our last of riding ending up being about 30kms but we were out of camp early and back in Newcastle around lunch time to get ready for our next adventure...road trip around Aus!
and the Tasmanian road trip continues...Days 3, 4 and 5Day 3. After spending another comfy night in our little campervan we woke up to a brisk morning, perfect for an 11km hike around Freyicent National Park. The hike took us through the forest, which had large red block like rocks displaced throughout. We then headed to Wineglass Bay a very popular but secluded beach in Tasmania where we had beautiful views of the calm bay. The trail continued through to another forest section leading to Hazards Beach, a second beach on the other side of Wineglass Bay with rougher water. Along the way we enjoyed the views and loved seeing the wild wallabies bounce through the bush. After the hike we made our way inland to Mount Field National Park, a park known for its incredible diversity. The atlas we were using to get around highlighted the town of Ross as a great spot to stop for a break and it didn't let us down! Ross is a quaint town off one of the main highways with cute bakeries, antique shops and an old gas station lining main street. We visited one great bakery where Andrew bought a special beef pie (very popular in Australia), however this one was wasn't the traditional pie shape, but was shaped in a triangle with the top squeezed together in a hand shape. The baker explained that this was the traditional way miners wives use to bake them, one side was filled with savoury meat and the other with a sweet pie mix. The pie was shaped with the top formed this way in order for the miners to hold it with their dirty hands, eat it and then when done they could just the throw away the top bit. In addition to the bakery, we also visited an interesting tourist information centre with a large exhibit on wool production. Once we had poked around there we headed to Ross's last attraction the historic bridge which is the third oldest bridge built by convicts and still used in Australia. Two of the convict labourers were stonemasons who were later credited for their intricate designs and carvings alongside the bridge. It took the majority of the day to get to Mount Field National Park so we re-stocked our food supplies along the way in the town nearest to the park. Once we had arrived we realized the park office was closed so we decided we would head up the mountain to a parking lot set next to the Tall Trees walk where we ended up staying for the night. The road up the mountain had lots of warning signs regarding not driving in the evening (had no other choice really) and to be cautious of icy conditions. ICE? But we are sleeping in a unheated camper van! Although it was a Saturday night we were the only ones up there; a tad chilling as it was very windy, dark and we were surrounded by monstrous trees. We decided we would do the tall trees walk in the dark with our headlamps. It was a short 1 km walk with informative signs posted throughout explaining the tall tree ecosystem and their incredible size. The signs explained that the swamp gums, eucalyptus regnans, are the largest flowering tree in the world and have been growing before 1642. After our walk we made some food, drank some Tasmanian wine and hunkered in for the night listening to the howling wind. We woke up to a think fog around the van, we decided that we would continue up the mountain road where we would start a long days hike to see some of the parks diversity. Up and up we drove eventually leaving the fog below us, which lead to amazing views of the surrounding area. The park is hugely diverse, at the bottom there are massive tress surrounded by very lush damp rainforest. As the winding road continued up we could already see a huge difference in the plant life and moisture content. Mount Field is unique in that plant diversity increases as you increase in altitude which is usually not the case in other mountain ecosystems. The hike was incredible. It traversed up on to a mountainous plateau and across several different eco systems. At one point we lost the track but a little bit if route finding got us back on track. The walk ended up taking a bit longer than we expected and we found ourselves returning to the camp near sunset. We had't planned on where we would be sleeping next so we thought we would just drive out of the national park towards the next nearest town and camp near the town for the night. Day 5 - Although the park was beautiful it was quite cold to sleep high in the mountains so we drove down to the closet town and free camped for the evening in a back street. In the morning we drove to Bonorong Wildlife Park where we had a lovely time making new kangaroo friends and finally meeting a Tasmanian Devil! After the wildlife park we continued making our way to Hobart but stopped off at the Cadbury Chocolate factory where we enjoyed a heavenly delicious hot chocolate, loaded up on reduced priced goodies and learned about Cadburys processing history. Unfortunately we didn't get to go on a tour through the factory which you used to be able to go on. Big changes to come now that Kraft owns Cadbury. Last we heard they were planning on changing their chocloate composition to 50% rubber. Our last stop before returning the van was a drive through Hobart and up to Mount Wellington. From the top we were surprised to see the smoke from a nearby forest fire. The view from the top was fantastic! Tasmania is a really beautiful place with immense diversity and variety. We had an amazing time and definitely felt 5 days wan't enough to even scratch the surface. We'll have to return again to enjoy more of the scenery, hikes and National Parks. It is very different to mainland Australia and we highly recommend it!
View Full Size Travel Map at Travellerspoint Day 1 - Newcastle - Hobart - Tasman National Park Our Aussie friends had sold us on visiting Tasmania; they had explained it was a beautiful part of Australia with massive diversity and a real different feel to the main land, so we were totally stocked to see it for ourselves. Friday early morning we jumped out of bed to catch our 6:00am flight to Hobart with a connection through Melbourne. Once we were on our flight to Hobart the pilot had suggested there might be some turbulence near Hobart and he wasn't kidding! As the plane descended though the clouds we felt like we were at Canada's Wonderland on a roller coaster ride! Once we were through the cloud cover we safety landed to the Land truly down under. Our first moments in Tassie we experienced some of the beauty of the land and people that all the Aussies had told us about. Everyone was super friendly and on a much more relaxed pace than the main land (which is already pretty relaxed). Shortly after our flight arrived, we were picked up at the airport and taken to our van rental where we were introduced to our campervan, which would be our wheels and home for the next four nights! After researching different van companies we went with Devil Campers because truthfully their prices couldn’t be beat and there were no terrible reviews online. We didn’t have high expectations; for the price we expected the van to be more or less ghetto but we were pleasantly surprised that everything was clean and functioning! The owner showed us around to all the neat and funky features. It was a pop-top campervan that had a mini kitchenette with a sink, gas stove, fridge, cupboards and even a small closet with clothes hangers! Along the back walls were two benches and a table that we could set up during the day. During the evening the benches flattened into a comfy double bed, above the bed was a storage area that also converted into a double bed however we used it to store all the bedding. At the other end of the van, above the car seats was another storage area where we put bags and food while driving. Once we got acquainted with the van we set off for another adventure and headed to the infamous Tasman National Park, 100 km south east of Hobart. Although the distance wasn’t very much the roads are very small and winding so we had to take our time. The roads are also covered with road kill… yuck! Unfortunately locals drive very fast and with there being so many nocturnal animals road kill is inevitable. The scenery to the park was beautiful, the road followed the coast with great lookouts along the way. Once we got near the park we turned down a 14 km unsealed or better known at home as dirt road, which led us to where we’d be staying. As we drove the whole van rattled away, we kept our fingers and toes crossed hoping we wouldn’t break down as we had just signed a document stating we wouldn’t drive on unsealed roads… woops! It was well worth the risk, the campsite was set in a beautiful area right on the waters edge in a bay with ocean access for the lucky people with boats. We hadn’t pre-booked so we were happy to hear that it wasn’t fully booked up, all other campers were there fishing and had great big ocean fishing boats rigged with heavy duty fishing poles. Once we got settled we set out on our first Tassie hike. On the way we ran into some fisherman who had gotten back and were preparing their dinner. The hike took us through the forest and then opened up to viewpoints looking out onto the bay where the campsite was set. We kept climbing and then veered off course to where the Ranger had suggested we sit to watch the moon rise. We caught it at the perfect time, just as the sun set this massive ball of fire rose over the ocean and lit up the area. We stayed enjoying the moonlight until our bellies started to rumble, when we finally decided to head back. Good thing we brought our headlamps as it was night dark. The trail was pretty easy to maneuver in the dark and we were only spooked once when a little wallaby jumped out onto the trail and hopped along with us for a bit. Once we were back at camp we made a delicious pasta dinner then headed to bed to wake up for sunrise. As our alarms went off on Sunday morning we decided it was a better idea to stay in the warm bed and watch the sun rise over the bay instead of hiking to see it rise over the ocean. We did go for a little of a walk to get some views but then returned and made our way to the next park, Frecyinet National Park. The drive between the two parks took a good portion of the day as we would stop at lookouts, for food and at one berry and chocolate farm where we spoiled ourselves with delicious chocolate and beautiful views of the park in the distance. Once we arrived in the park we decided to head out on a small hike up to a nice lookout of Wineglass Bay, a beautiful bay with a pristine beach stretching in the shape of a wine glass. After our hike we settled into our campervan spot then headed out to the local pub for some grub. Being in the area known for it’s salmon I had the wild salmon and Andrew ate the the Sunday roast, the food wasn’t anything special but the atmosphere and people were friendly and hospitable. During our first few days in Tasmania we experienced lots of beautiful scenery, super friendly people and the awesomeness of having a mobile home! Stay tuned for the second part of our Tasmanian Adventure!
Between hitting the beach, surfing and work we've been pretty busy down here in Newcastle. But that doesn't mean we haven't snuck in a few other activities to really soak in the summer while it lasts! For Andrew's birthday we took the ferry over to Stockton, which is just north of Newcastle across the harbour. Stockton has a different feel than Newcastle. Its quite a bit more quiet and the beaches are more secluded, plus we were able to camp next to the beach! Basically we were getting tired of crossing the road to get to the beach so we just set up our tent next to it! One morning we woke up to some guy shouting, "Cordial!" While it was annoying it did get us out of bed and we watched the Hill to Harbour Marathon come past our balcony. We did feel a bit lazy sitting on the balcony drinking coffee while all these fit runners past below. I'm guessing they would have traded with us if they had the option. We woke one morning to our roommate shouting, "Dolphins, dolphins, the dolphins are so close!" It seems like we are consistently woken up by shouting. At any rate we ran down to the beach with a couple of boogie boards and quickly swam out to where the dolphins would pass by us. The swell was relatively small so we were able to get past the break without being dumped. We got pretty close to the dolphins at one point and our roommate even grabbed a couple of snaps of us. It was an amazing way to start the day!
After a few weeks of "career" job hunting online and living it up in Sydney with Amy and Sid we decided we would start researching places to move as we wanted to live somewhere smaller with more outdoor activities nearby. So one day we went to look at an apartment in a city called Newcastle approximately a 3.5 hour train ride from Sutherland. We totally lucked out and found an amazing apartment right beside Newcastle Beach sharing with an awesome Aussie bloke. We moved the next week, but before we moved we had a few Sydney festivities to tick off the list. One being AUSTRALIA DAY where we headed into the city for a day out celebrating this beautiful sunny country. We walked around Sydney harbor then made our way to Darling Harbor and shared a few pitchers of beer and cider. Once our bellies were full we headed to The Star casino and watched Amy win over $75! After the casino we headed for some ice cream then found a spot in the crowd to watch the fireworks. The show was AMAZING!! The fireworks were set to music and lasted 30 minutes. It was so much fun watching and celebrating Australia day with Australians in Australia’s most beautiful harbour!! Our last day in Sydney was spent in the city where we got to go on a jet boat ride courtesy of Amy and Sid from Christmas. It was insanely fun! The boat was airborne the majority of the hour ride. Due to a storm, the swells in the open water were too big (they tried hitting one and it felt like we were about to flip) so we stayed in more protected waters. After our ride we met Amy and Sid for a delicious pizza dinner to thank them for hosting us for over 1 month. The Monday after we headed by train to our new home in Newcastle. For the first few weeks in Newcastle we looked for casual jobs at all the cafes, restaurants, and retail stores. Whoever says getting casual work is easy, it sure wasn't for us. We kept hearing that no one was hiring or that they wanted people to stay at least a year and have years of serving or food handling experience etc etc. We were feeling pretty low and looking into other places to move when Andrew got a call back from an Adventure travel and gear shop! He got a interview and was working within the same week! A few days later I got a job working as a receptionist at a family medical practice. So now we are living and working in Newcastle enjoying the city. One weekend we headed to Port Stephens, a touristy area popular for their beautiful scenery, water sports and marine park where most in this area go to snorkel or dive. We stayed at a "rustic hostel" (another name for dirty and unkept). The first day we had great weather so we spent time playing around on surfboards and then went out for dinner in Nelson's Bay. When we came home this guy (photo below) was waiting for us to arrive. Andrew flicked Henry off the door but when we got inside we were all spooked and spent the next hour looking for Henry's relatives, which we found all over but luckily they were much smaller but still gross. We ended up sleeping with the light on, then woke at 5:00am by roosters crowing, overall not the greatest sleep we've had. On Sunday along with being tired the weather was also pretty lousy, however we did get to see that the area is beautiful and we'll be back as soon as we can. So far we love living here, we've got to experience living next to the beach, waking up to the sound of the ocean and swimming in the ocean baths and surf. We've even spotted dolphins off our balcony multiple times!! The area is great for swimming, surfing, biking, running and close to both of our new jobs. We've signed up for an Ultimate Frisbee league and will start participating in some local events and clubs. We've also enjoyed watching the weather change and the storms roll through. The last storm caused severe flooding inland and currently there is a dark brown silt tinge to the sea from the river waters. Newcastle was hosting Surfest, a large international surf competition with competitors from all over the globe including Brazil, Japan, USA, Hawaii, but no Canadians. One day I volunteered at Surfest and was responsible for checking in the junior pros and handing out their rash guards. It was pretty interesting and informative as I got to learn all about surf competitions and who this years up and coming surfers are. The week after the juniors competed the world pros came to compete so we went back to watch. The pros were amazing and made it look so easy when we've experienced it's quite the opposite. Our last day in India was a bit surreal. We were really excited to be heading to Australia but we were also a bit sad because the traveling portion of our trip was nearing its end. That’s right we’re going to be integrating back into society…whether we want to or not! In addition to seeing the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge we got to visit with one of Andrew’s friends, Graham, who he worked with back in Edmonton. It was a short but sweet visit where we all got to catch up on what each other’s years had been like. Andrew also got caught up on some of the gossip he missed over the last year! Christmas arrived faster than 35 centimeters of snow in Canada for us and we were off to spend Christmas Eve with Amy’s Dad and his family out at their rural home. They were really welcoming and they helped us to come to terms with BBQing, swimming and playing badminton outside as Christmas activities. Luckily they had a fireplace for Santa to enter the house, it wasn’t burning but it was ready to receive him! After a really nice time opening gifts and a delicious Christmas morning brunch at Amy’s Dad’s place we zipped off to Sid’s parents’ house for Christmas lunch! We were so used to eating vegetarian food in India that our bodies had to perform super-human feats of digestion to keep up to the barrage of Christmas deliciousness! With our bellies full to our throats we jumped in the car and headed down the coast to Amy's Pop's house where Amy's mom had prepared us a lovely Christmas dinner. We don't know how we did it but we managed to stuff three huge meals plus dessert into our guts. We were both so happy to be spending the holidays with close friends and their families. We got to experience what Christmas is all about in Australia and loved each minute of it! Thank you to all the families who opened their hearts and homes to us, we really appreciated all your lovely gestures! The next 10 days were spent at Amy's Caravan in Ulladulla. It's a caravan park right next to the beach but also has a swimming pool, bouncing pillow, and activities center. Courtney's good friend Amy E (old roommate from second year Uni) and her boyfriend Stefan came down to spend the holidays with us as well. We all had a great time enjoying the beach, going for runs, partying, and making the most delicious BBQs! One day we went on an excursion to Pebbly beach, known for having wild kangaroos stroll with you down the beach. Unfortunately we didn't see any kangaroos but we did enjoy the beautiful beach and ultra friendly birds! After we went and had fish and chips in Batemans Bay! One evening Pop invited us all out to fish, he's a seasoned fisherman and wanted to show us what the South Coast had to offer. Below was the cheering section! The fishing trip was successful with the group catching 3 small fish that Pop and chris ate the next day for lunch! Pop however asked that we never join him again due to all the line snags, loud disturbances, and flash lights turning on and off! Next time he only took the boys! Another night the 6 of us went to the local RSL club to participate in their weekly meat draw and pokies (poker machines, which are in almost every bar in Australia). We didn't win but had a delicious dinner and good fun playing around. The second week we returned and won 2 meat trays! SCORE! On a different day Stefan drove his car down down Monkey road, which ended up being 20km of unpaved bumpiness ending at Pigeon House Mountain. After our stomachs settled we hiked up a nice, well beaten trail then climbed insanely steep ladders where we reached the top for some views of the area. It being overcast allowed us to hike without keeling over with heat exhaustion, however the view wasn't too speculator. Amy and Sid drove to Sydney to spend New Years in the city, while we stayed and enjoyed the night in Ulladulla! In the evening we walked to the town and and watched fireworks from a patio bar. After the 9:00pm show we headed to the local fair where we rode bumper cars, ate pizza, and enjoyed some cotton candy then returned to the bar. It was a great time! The next morning we woke up and were feeling not half bad so we decided to head out to an animal park. We had an amazing time petting and feeding the Australian animals! On another adventure Sid, Andrew, Chris (Amy's Mom), and I walked along 5 different beaches to the lighthouse. The walk was very nice with some great views of pelicans. The last few nights were spent playing with the neighbour's 5 boys! Each night we would have an incredibly fun soccer game usually resulting in the girls (better known as The Bashers) winning! |
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