Last stop... Sydney

My last few days in Oz were spent in Sydney, where i was staying with a friend from PE (hometown in SA).  I had been given  6 detailed text messages of directions of how to find him in the city centre, and i made it there by 1pm, which was perfect timing as that was when he finished work.  The next couple of days i spent walking around the city centre, seeing the opera house from all possible angles, walking across the harbour bridge... i saw some people walking on the arch of the bridge, and i thought that it would be a nice thing to do... as the prices started at $200 i decided to give it a skip and just climb the pylon for $10. The views from up there were really good and worth the money.  On my final full tourist day i bought a day pass (travel card) that allowed me to go on all forms of transport, so i made sure that i made the most of my ticket and started the day at 6.30 by heading to Bondi beach.  I spent a few hours here soaking up the sun, and even went into the water... briefly... it was freezing!  As the schools are on holiday there were lots of surfing camps happening, so many youngsters out there learning to surf... 

From Bondi i then decided to go to Watsons Bay, this place offers amazing views of the entrance to the harbour and has a lovely coastal walk, as well as some nice beaches.  I again spent some time soaking up the sun... once i had had enough i headed back to the ferry, and was lucky enough to catch the last one – i had not realised that the last one leaves so early in the afternoon.  When i got back to the city centre i hopped straight onto another ferry and headed to a place called Mossman.  I didn’t get off the ferry on the other side, i was just there for the ride after all.  Mossman is this beautiful little inlet that is home to many yachts parked in the water and houses along the coastline – it kind of had a south of France feeling to it. When i got back to the city centre i waited a bit for Mike to arrive as we were meeting up for dinner... finding a place was not easy... by this time i was cold and hungry and it seemed like we took forever to find a spot... we eventually landed ourselves in a little hotel and had dinner there.  There was only one option for vegetarians, so there was no choice really... it was called a rosti, but really, it was like a big veggie burger – only without the bun and trimmings – so i was still hungry afterwards... 

I had decided that i wanted to be in Sydney at night time so i could get a night time shot of the Opera house, and i also wanted to go on another ferry ride – they were free after all, so it felt that i should be using my travel card until i dropped – and that was pretty much what i did. I took the ferry to Manly, and tried getting some shots as we sailed past... not very successful as the Opera house was not really well lit up and the boat was obviously moving a lot... hence pics like this...

I eventually arrived back home at 11.30pm – i don’t think i could have fitted any more into my day!  Now i was exhausted and still needed to pack... I finally managed to get to bed at 2am... and then i woke up at 6am to get myself ready to catch my 10.30 flight...

The final Hitch...

Well, my final stretch of the journey meant i was down to$15.60 and only 1100km’s to go... As i headed towards the highway (probably about 10km from where i was staying) i was looking for a good place to start flashing my sign.  I have noticed that people generally don’t pick up hitchhikers in town, but more on the outskirts and in the middle of nowhere.  My first ride was from Kylie, who was on her way to Brisbane to visit her sister while here kids were at school.  We had a lovely time chatting and the journey finished all too soon, as she dropped me off at a good stop on the freeway.  After about 15mins of flashing my sign, Kim stopped for me.  She was on her way to the Gold Coast and wanted me to have a good experience in the area so she decided to pick me up.  I was on a mission in the Gold Coast – i had to collect some surfing fins for Gavin – and Kim dropped me off only about 1km from where i needed to be! I hung out there for a bit waiting for the salesman, and once the deal was sealed i was dropped off in a really bad spot for hitchhiking, although in the right direction at least.  After walking a few kilometres and stopping a couple of times to stick out my thumb or flash my sign, i decided to get on a bus and ask him to drop me off at a good spot.   The bus driver was very friendly, and the lady sitting next to me couldn’t stop chatting to me and reminding me of the backpacker murders... Just before the stop where i get off another guy got on the bus also asking to be dropped off at the hitchhiking spot.  So when we arrived there, the bus driver pointed out to us where we needed to go. Jason and i chatted a bit and tried hitchhiking together – but there were no takers.  He did show me how you can make hitching fun by flashing a leg – of course it was only funny if he flashed a leg, so i wasn’t even going to try that avenue.  He then decided to head further back along the road and i decided to head further forward along the road in the hope of finding a better spot. After what seemed like forever, i saw Jason heading in my direction with all his things – he actually had way more than me!! – and not long after he had put his stuff down about 100m from me, a car stopped to pick him up.  I thought how lucky he was to get his ride – but the numpty was too busy faffing with his lugguage and he didn’t even see the car pull over, so it drove off... but his misfortune was my fortune as Quail then pulled over for me instead!  Once again we had a lovely chat and the ride was over all too soon!  She was hesitant about dropping me off in the middle of nowhere, but that is what i preferred as my experience told me that it was more likely to get a lift that way.  As we said our goodbyes, she gave me small fluffy panda bear as a gift.  As she had dropped me off at the exit where she had to turn off, i then walked about 500m so that i was past the exit and in a place where there was plenty of room for someone to pull over. 

Now i had my Sydney sign out, looking for the big ride! And it happened within 10 minutes.  Gordon reversed about 100 meters, after deciding to pick me up.  Gordon was delivering a Big Bear Chopper to Melbourne for his boss, and so inside the van was this mahoosive motorbike and the smell of petrol.  We lobbed my bags in the bag and hit the road.  The initial conversation was about his and his sisters negative experience hitchhiking and once again, the backpacker murders.  This definitely put me on edge as i wasn’t quite sure why i was hearing all this... was it to give me an idea as to what lay ahead for me? Or, was he just being straight up?  Thankfully it was the latter!  

As he was driving right past Sydney he could give me a lift all the way there, but he was stopping at a motel to sleep for about 6 hours.  I had a choice about what i could do... carry on hitching or sleep in the motel room with him.  After a few hours on the road with him, i felt comfortable enough to sleep in the motel room and made a nice comfortable nest for myself under the table.  I was also able to have a shower – which was really necessary after the long day in the sun...  For dinner i had some peanut butter sandwiches and a cup of tea, Gordon gave me some of his paella, so i ate around all the meaty bits. I slept like a log and woke up all groggy eyed at 3am.  We departed at about 3.40am – although at this point the clocks had changed, so it was actually 4.40am.  I tried to be a good companion, making conversation, trying to stay awake.  There were a few moments when his driving made me a bit nervous, but i just tried letting it go as there was not much i could do about it... I was really grateful as daylight arrived – along with the beautiful sunrise – as the kilometres to Sydney disappeared behind us.  We stopped off at a garage for a toilet stop and to purchase some breakfast. From there it was only about 90km to Sydney! Woohoo!  My drop off point arrived sooner than expected... the turnoff to Sydney was still some 23km from the city centre, but as Gordon still had a long drive ahead of him i insisted that he drop me off there.  I then walked for a couple of kilometres, and although it was clearly a residential area, there didn’t appear to be that much in the way of public transport, as the bus shelter showed times only for a night bus... so i kept on walking.  After a while i stumbled upon a train station – and the train went all the way to the city centre!  Luckily the ticket was only $4.60, as it left me with $1.70 in my purse!  From the train i caught a brief glimpse of Sydney Opera house as we entered the city centre.  From the train station it was quite easy to find my friend Mike, with whom i was to stay, as he had sent me about 6 text messages with directions.

Although my hitchhiking experience was a good one, i have not written much about the people who stopped for me that i refused to get in the car with.  On this trip there was only one guy that i refused to get in the car with and that was because there was an unpleasant odour in his car as i opened the door – and this time it wasn’t the weed.  I noticed that it was with the people that i hesitated about getting in the car that i said no to, and the others i didn’t hesitate... I don’t know what would have happened had i gotten into the car with the others, but i prefer not to know and be safe than to just to be desperate and go with anyone.  My mother always drummed into me not to hitchhike, so i never did until my late 20’s in Europe.

So kids, if you are thinking of just hitchhiking to get from A to B, i would suggest you don’t, not at least until you have some more life experience that is going to help you in making the decision who it is safe to get a lift with and who not.  Be safe!

Up the Creek... with a paddle and long board...

One of the perks of staying in the expensive backpackers is that they offer free activities to keep you entertained. On my first day there i signed up for the paddle boarding, but as there was only one person signed up (myself), they decided not to go ahead with the event. I think because the sun wasn't shining the youngsters felt it was an inside day... Time is short peeps, you gotta live sunshine or no sunshine!! On my final day at the hostel, i was again the only one signed up, but this time they did go ahead with it, so it was the instructor, his friend and myself.  We piled the long boards on top of the car and headed for Culimmandi lake;  which is really a river, but lets not be pedantic about small things...  Once there we put our boards onto the water, and they floated - thank goodness!  The next step was to stand on the board and it still to be floating... Well, the board stayed floating, but i didn't always stay standing!!!  The instructor (Phil) tried to teach me to turn, but it was just not happening so i ended up in the creek. I did ask about crocs at around this point and he didn't seem to think there were any there. Nonetheless, i hopped right back onto the board in record time!
It was sunset and we were gently floating down-'lake'... it was so beautiful and peaceful... ;-)

Oz Zoo

Well, i booked my super expensive ticket to the zoo, but managed to get $10 off because i was staying at the super expensive backpackers (which is the cheapest place in town...);  and once i booked it i was like a little child... filled with excitement about going to the zoo... ;-)  It was a bit strange, because in theory i do not support animals being held in captivity, but in actuality i love to be able to see these animals that are really difficult to see in the wild. I also really liked the intention behind the zoo of helping animals, so that kind of made it okay for me to go there.... that is what i tell myself anyway...  I was so excited because i had not yet seen a koala bear – though i had seen many signs of them on the way down south... where the croc signs stop the koala signs start...mmm... i wonder if there is any connection?

I was also excited about seeing a duck billed platypus – when i was in primary school, we all had to do projects about Oz animals, and mine was on the DBP, so i was very surprised to see that they did not have them on display. I asked the bus driver why they didn’t have any, and apparently it was about getting the enclosure right and they didn’t have that sorted, so i unfortunately did not get to see them.

I did get to see koalas though – and plenty of them, they have about 3 or 4 enclosures with koalas, and then there is the photo opp with a koala... and even though it cost $20, i decided that it was a once in a lifetime thing that just had to be done, otherwise i would have regretted not doing it.  That way i got to hold the koala as if it were a baby.  They don’t smell as nice as babies but they are furrier and more cuddly – you win some you lose some!  Thankfully they put a bit of tissue paper on your hand, which is where they place the cuddly koalas butt, and by the brown stains on the tissue, i was grateful for its presence!

There is a Kangaroo enclosure that you can walk through petting the female koalas, some of whom had little joeys in pouches – and some had big joeys in pouches!!  Occasionally the little guy would stick a head or a leg out, i spent some time trying to capture that moment, but i was always too slow... 

I saw the crock show in the Crocoseum, where they begin with snakes, move onto birds and then bring out the croc.  The snakes bit was okay – been to many snake parks in SA so it was nothing i hadn’t seen before, the bird show was awesome!  They had trained the birds to go flying around the stadium, so that was pretty impressive! And then there was the croc.  They bring out this smallish croc (3m), and they entice him to various places with food, and even make him jump up for his food, like they do with dolphins in an oceanarium. 

After the show i went to collect my koala photo, and then continued trying to see all there is to see at the zoo.  They have loads of snakes, a few wombats – strange little bear-like creatures – emu’s, cassowary’s, achinda (porcupine like creatures), dinasoar like iguana, giant tortoise from Africa, Asian elephants and tigers, as well as red panda – that was so far up the tree i could hardly see him.  It took me all day to go around the place!

I did find the place to be a bit like a mausoleum though, trying to immortalise Steve Irwin. So that was a bit odd, as they were playing videos of him at various places, they had pictures of him everywhere.  It just felt a bit odd... 

'Who dunnit?'... all that is missing is the white chalk outline...

Taipan snake... highly venomous...

The illusive cassowary...

The Emu

Wombat

 

Salty Frozen Chickens in Yutes

Well, the budget was tight and i needed to go south... i could have got a flight from Cairns to Sydney, but then i would have missed out on all the bits in between – and i really wanted to go to the Australia Zoo.... So hitchhiking was the only solution really...

Leaving my backpackers – i was so happy to do, as my new room mates were dealing drugs in the room, and i think they nicked my deodorant (they were girls, so they would be more likely to nick my deodorant than the guys in the room).  So yeah, i walked away without looking back, and headed straight for Bruce Highway. It was a few kilometres before i got anywhere near there, so i was relieved to finally be able to hold up my sign saying ‘South’. After what seemed like forever a guy pulled over and said he could take me to Edmonton – which was a 15 min drive away. It was more on the highway and my chances of getting a lift would be greater.  As i dumped my bags on his backseat, i got a wiff of the weed... it seemed a bit too late to walk away, so i just continued getting my stuff in, and was greatful that it was only a short distance that this guy could take me.  I didn’t catch his name, but he was from New Zealand and was heading home after work. Once he dropped me off, i then started walking along the highway, holding up my sign at passing cars... after about 1km, Allan picked me up.   

the chicken van

He was collecting frozen chickens in Cairns and taking them back to Townsville, so i lobbed my backpack in with the chickens and hopped in the front. After a while, i realised that my netbook was in my bag in the back, so at our next stop i decided to get it out and prevent it from freezing... Allan was a brilliant tour guide, telling me all the bits of information about the places we were driving through.  He then had to do a delivery at a nickel mine, so i had to wait outside while he did that (for security reasons), and then he collected me 5 mins later on his way out.  When we got to Townsville, i helped him offload the boxes of frozen chickens and then we went on a tour of the town, before he dropped me off at a truck stop on the other side of town.  I decided that i didn’t want to stay at the petrol station, so i walked about 1km up the road to a good pick up spot.  This is where Rolf from Holland picked me up.  I didn’t always feel totally comfortable with him, but i saw the rotary sticker on his car, and he was telling me that he had travelled a lot because of rotary, so i started relaxing.  He took me to Ayr, where he too dropped me on the other side of town at a good pick up spot.  After about 5 minutes Monique and her autistic son, Jeffrey, picked me up and took me about 10km down the road to Home Hill.  It was a lovely brief encounter, and she offered me a place to stay if i couldn’t get a lift further south.  Within minutes though, my next ride was there, willing to take me to Bowen – where i had decided to call it a day.   Andrew was on his way to work on the mines, and so he kindly took me right into town and dropped me off outside of an accommodation place.  It turned out to be brilliant!  Gary was the manager here, and he offered me a whole cabin to myself for just $20 – it had two bedrooms, a lounge with big TV, kitchen, laundry area.  So basically i had landed with my bum in the butter! I slept sooo well!

The next morning, Gary dropped me off at the Caltex garage outside of town, and this is where Arthur picked me up.  He was retired, but just helping out the mining company by delivering some yutes (pick up trucks/ bukkies) with his mates – there were 3 in total in the convoy. That made me feel more comfortable, knowing there were other people driving with us... He also kindly dropped me off on the other side of town. It was raining though, and as i walked it appeared that people are less likely to stop if it is raining – mmm???  It was about ½ an hour before a guy stopped in his red yute, saying that he had some work to do along the way, but if i was up for an adventure i would get to Brisbane the following evening.  This did not feel right, so i declined his offer, saying that i would wait for a bit longer.  That was when Jim arrived and loaded my bags into the bag of his 4x4.  He was quite big, but he had a heart of gold.  He said he didn’t like seeing me getting wet, so he would take me to the truck stop about 20km outside of town.  He did not only drop me off here, but he went and found a truck driver who was heading to Brisbane and managed to arrange a lift with him for me.  The only catch was that he had to sleep for 5 hours before he could leave.  So i sat outside the petrol station shop and waited with my ‘Brisbane’ sign, seeing if i could get a lift that left sooner.  Because it was still tipping it down with rain, i tended to decline offers of lifts to the next town (even though it was about 300km away).  I didn’t feel like having to then find another lift when i got there – and also, i didn’t want to be hitching in the evening, so i would need to stay over somewhere.  Another trucker offered me a lift as well, leaving 3 hours earlier than my arranged lift.  I don’t know if it was the short tight denim shorts, or the crocodile tooth necklace, or the crocodile Dundee style hat that just made me say no. While i was waiting here, i met a couple from Bloemfontein in South Africa, but they were unfortunately going in the other direction.

After a 5 hour wait that seemed to last forever, Mark finally awoke and loaded my stuff into his cab.  He was a really nice person that did not fit the typical trucker stereotype of swearing and crudeness. We had no cargo to begin with, but we had to collect some from outside of Rocky(Rockhampton).  By the time we got there though it was dark, and we had to go to one of the factories on the Salt pans to collect bags of salt. To get there though, we had to drive along this really long deserted road... and yes some thoughts went through my head about how he could be taking me to some place remote where he could bury my body... blah... blah... but then i just stopped thinking that, as he did not seem like that type of person.  So after we eventually found the factory, we were there for about 1 ½ hours while they loaded up – i took this as an opportunity to try catch some shut eye...  Then we were on the road again.  We stopped briefly at a petrol station and then our next stop was at 12.20pm when we stopped for a two hour rest.  Mark slept on the mattress behind the seats while i tried to sleep in my seat – it was so not happening! When he got up to start driving again, i decided to try get some sleep on the bed – no chance, as the cab was bouncing around so much – but at least i got to stretch out my legs.

The view from the cab

The truck

The truck with its cargo

Because Mark travelled between Brisy(Brisbane) and Townsville regularly, he knew the towns along the way so i could find out where to go.  I knew i wanted to go to Oz zoo, and i knew i needed to go to Caloundra to pick up some surfboard fins for Gavin, and it so happened that Caloundra was close to Oz zoo as well, so that was my mind made up.  Mark then dropped me off at a spot where i could catch a bus into town – i think if he had a small car he would have taken me himself, but with a big truck, it is not always easy to get into little places.  So i waited for about 1hr for the local bus to arrive (it was 5.30am when i was dropped off), and then when i got to town i walked around for a bit trying to find a place to stay.  I asked a few locals where i could find a backpackers, and they sent me off in the right direction... Luckily there was room, so when i had my bed assigned to me, the first thing i did was take a shower, go on the internet and then went to bed!

diving...

to be done once i have my pics sorted.... Check back next week...

Doing the Cairns-Cairns

My flight into Cairns arrived at 4.30am... it’s a four hour flight and you lose two hours during the flight, so i officially left at 10pm Perth time.  There was a seat open next to me on the flight but that did not help in the sleep department, so when i arrived into Cairns, i was slightly sleep deprived. I decided not to go anywhere, so i curled up on their nice comfy seats and tried to doze...zzzz... it didn’t work but i did feel rested and by 6.30am it was light and i decided to walk the 5km into town – saving myself $12 in the process...  After about 5mins a kindly taxi driver stopped to offer me a ‘free-of-charge’ lift, taking me the first 3km of my journey before he headed in a different direction.  I accepted graciously, and he proceeded to inform me that there were crocs along the first 3km stretch, so it was probably not a good idea to walk it – he was not having me on either!!  I saw the croc signs as we drove past!  No crocs, just signs... So that made me even more grateful for the lift!

The first backpackers that i came across was to be my home for the next 4 nights.  It is called ‘The Asylum’.  It looks like an asylum and the toilet paper is so thin, it disintegrates on contact!  I tried to get some cleaning work in lieu of my board, but was unlucky, so i just coughed up the 18 bucks a night – which included free breakfast and dinner as well as internet...  So in theory i wouldn’t have to spend more money than that in a day.  The dinners are at a restaurant in town, so a bus comes to collect us and drops us off, and there we are shepherded into the Woolshed, and get to choose from about 4 meals what we would like to eat.  You could also use the meal ticket as a 50% voucher on other meals... but that is too gimmicky, so i just stuck with the free dinner – keep it simple!  But i did add cheese to my spaghetti for an extra 50c...

Breakfast consists of a small bowl of cornflakes... yup that is it, the whole of the breakfast menue...

After catching up on sleep the first day, I walked around town and decided to check out all the tours and diving trips that are on offer...

My first full day in town i decided to do a self-tour to Kuranda, which is a nearby little village. I took the local bus – the other option is the skytrain(cable cars) or the normal train – both very picturesque options, but obviously more costly!  I had an idea of what attractions they had in the village, but only really decided what i was going to do when i got there.  They have a few places offering the same thing, so if you are not careful (on a budget, care is a necessity) you end up repeating things without even meaning to.  So i decided to spend sometime in the butterfly enclosure, which is costly ($17 or $15.30 with a 10% discount), as they have the most stunning butterfly there!!!  The Ulysses butterfly is indigenous to the Australian rainforest area, and is the most beautiful butterfly. They live for only two weeks before moving on to greener pastures, so with so little time to live they tend to flit around quite a bit, which means taking a pic is not the easiest of tasks!

 I had intended to go down to the rainforestation, which is this adventure park in the rainforest, but i had to decide to see that rainforest or the Daintree, so i chose to do the Daintree the following day and skip the Rainforestation in Kuranda. I then took a walk around town, and found a river walk – this is where i found a tree giving off these big blue berries – totally cool, as the blue is just so amazing! 

From there i went onto the jungle walk, which is a paved pathway through a bit of trees – not even a spider in sight!  I then followed the main road to Barron falls, which was a waterfall...mmm...it was about 60meters down, but there was not an abundance of water, so not that impressive.  I then walked back to the village to take the bus back into town so that i could book my trips for the next couple of days...