Seeing Sydney's postcard sights (Apr. 27/09 - Sydney, Australia)

Elizabeth Street runs straight north from our hostel to central Sydney Harbour, with park land on the east side for most of the way. Hyde Park is a block-wide green space that includes the Anzac War Memorial and a couple big fountains. The north end merges into a string of old government buildings that now house a hospital, a courthouse, and the mint. Next in line was the state library, which advertised an exhibit on Charles Darwin's work in Australia, so we went in to check it out. They had some pretty impressive displays, including some of Darwin's original journals and his first sketches of platypuses, wallabies, and endemic orchids. From there, we crossed into the Sydney Botanic Garden, which is a huge series of gardens that occupies a bunch of prime real estate right in downtown Sydney. Cockatoos, ibises, and big bats flew around in the trees as we wandered over to the waterfront. Much like the Stanley Park seawall at home, a paved walkway winds around just above the water, busy with walkers, bikers, and runners. We rounded MacQuarie Point and were faced with a perfect view of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, just like you see on postcards.



After a picnic lunch in the gardens, we followed the seawall along and walked around the base of the Opera House, checking out the impressive architecture and gorgeous views back to the city and out to the harbour. The transit hub of Circular Quay was busy with commuters and filled with the oddly intriguing sounds of Aboriginal didgeridoo music mixed with techno beats. We wandered into the area called The Rocks, where there were views back to the Opera House and up to the bridge above, as well as glimpses into a waterfront building bustling with skinny women wearing tons of makeup that were working the catwalk for Australian Fashion Week. We checked out the giant nuts and steelwork of the bridge abutments and then meandered our way back to Circular Quay.

We had made plans to meet up with a long lost friend of mine from my UBC days, so we had some drinks at a bar overlooking the harbour in the sunshine before driving across the city to her neighbourhood at the one and only Bondi Beach. With only a little daylight left, we walked along the trail that connects the beaches, giving gorgeous views back down to the fluffy sands of Bondi and guys surfing the swells even as it was almost getting dark. (No wonder people get attacked by sharks here - dusk is prime feeding time for them!) The trail continues for a couple miles, but we wouldn't see much in the dark, so we turned around and went out for some fabulous Thai food instead. A quick bus ride later and we were back on familiar ground near the hostel, ready to call it a day after putting so many miles on our shoes today.

Back to hoofin' it (Apr. 26/09 - Sydney, Australia, mileage 120km)

This morning we had to dig out our packs and cram all our stuff back into them after almost five weeks of road tripping. It was only a couple hours' drive to Sydney, so we took the scenic coastal route instead of the freeway. The Illawara Escarpment is a massive sandstone plateau that backs much of the coast south of here, and nearer to the Royal National Park that separates the developed coast from greater Sydney, the escarpment plunges straight into the ocean. For years, the road that traversed the base of the cliffs was subject to rockfalls and resulting closures and accidents. So in 2002, they started construction of the Sea Cliff Bridge, which now wraps around the cliffs, built out from the rock faces and way up above the ocean so the bridge will no longer be affected by rockfalls or wave erosion. It actually acts like a tourist attraction now, as the impressive arcs of bridge draw people to drive, walk, and bike across it. We did too, walking its length and watching people fishing and swimming off the rocky shelf below. At the right time of the year, the bridge is apparently a great spot for whale watching.

The road then winds its way through Royal National Park before rejoining the freeway and pretty soon easing into suburban Sydney. We successfully followed the signs to the airport and pulled back into the campervan rental place that we left just ten (long!) days ago. And that marked the end of our drive across Australia. The odometer told us that we covered an insane 7,041 kilometers in the last 33 days, and Ken will tell you that virtually every one of them was trying, with poorly maintained roads, excessively high speed limits, and drivers who are obsessed with tailgating and aggressive driving. It was quite a trip, and we definitely thought camping our way across the country was the best way to experience it. But for now, we're back to hoofin' it, with our giant packs and that fun feeling of not knowing where you're sleeping tonight!

So we left the rental place on foot with rough directions to get ourselves downtown to the hostel we had picked out. Three blocks away, we found a bus stop and barely stopped walking before a bus came. We were entertained by a drunk guy who sat down across from us and slurred on and on (at 4pm on a Sunday) about who knows what before he dropped his giant bottle of beer he was working on and spilled it all over the floor and the lady beside him before being kicked off the bus. We found our hostel easily and were relieved to drop our bags in our room - we'd forgotten how heavy those things are! Walking up Elizabeth Street, downtown Sydney looked almost identical to downtown Vancouver, but with no homeless people and an abundance of British pubs. We hid from the frigid winds in a pub for some dinner and then called it a night. Tomorrow: exploring Sydney!

Monster waves (Apr. 25/09 - Windang, Australia, mileage 208km)

A beautiful sunrise was underway when we got up this morning, as the bright orange sun lit up the waves and the sea spray crashing on the rocks out on the point. It didn't take long for our neighbours to start rummaging around, as they all had Hobie Cats on the beach that appeared to be getting last minute tune-ups before heading out to some sort of race or regatta. This kept Ken entertained for a long time (he used to have one) while I made pancakes for breakfast. Soon we were on our way again, detouring first through the bush to get to a spot called Pebbly Beach where we had read that kangaroos like to hang out on the beach. We did see nine of them in a field on the drive in, but none were at the beach since we were probably too late in the morning. It was a pretty beach though (as usual!), so we watched a few big blue rollers come in before moving on.


A while later, we pulled over onto a headland at the town of Gerroa, with the intention of getting a view down onto the long stretch of sand that is Seven Mile Beach. Instead, the view was north toward a sandstone shelf that met the Pacific about 20ft above the water. A similar dropoff must happen just offshore, because the waves that were rolling in were some of the biggest we had ever seen, and the massive crash and spray that happened when they hit the rock shelf was insane. Some body boarders were playing out on the rollers against the adjacent headland, but eventually two crazy surfer guys showed up and walked out onto the shelf below us, contemplating the waves. Waves typically have a pattern, coming in groups of large and small amplitudes, so it was funny to watch these guys wait for the monster waves to pass (they would be pummelled against the rocks if they were in there with them), then start picking their way down the ledge (barefoot!) so they could be in the water before the next big one comes, but chicken out half way down and come scrambling back up with a huge wave right behind them. They did this a few times before eventually getting in and paddling out into the ocean, looking for their sweet spot to catch a wave. As they paddled out, a pod of dolphins came leaping out of the water not far away from them, then turning to swim parallel to shore, apparently playing in the surf. After watching for a while, we went back to the van and made some lunch. Not long after, one of the surfers came grumbling back to his car with half his surfboard under one arm and half under his buddy's. Ooops. Those big waves do mean business!


A ways up the road is Kiama, a town where rugged headlands and crescent beaches alternate along the coast as far as you can see in both directions. The town's claim to fame is Blowhole Point, where a tunnel and skylight eroded in the rocks of the headland cause huge plumes of water to be launched in the air when big waves roll in. We saw a few good spews despite the calm seas (the biggest one went up about 50 feet) but the photos on display showed storm surges blowing columns of water up that were higher than the adjacent lighthouse built up on top of the point! Very impressive. We didn't last long watching though, as the never fail screams and oooohs and aaaahhhhs that the watching crowd would say for every single wave (even the small ones without a spray of water) was almost unbearable!

With the afternoon running out and only an hour or so of driving between us and Sydney, we picked a seaside campsite and set up for the final time. One last walk on the beach, one last dinner by headlamp, and one last sleep in our home on wheels before we give it back tomorrow and find ourselves on our own with our packs once again.

Australia in a nutshell (Apr. 24/09 - Bateman's Bay, Australia, mileage 170km)

As in most any national capital city, Canberra has a big museum that houses exhibits pertaining to virtually every aspect of the country's history, geography, and industry. We wanted to wander around for a few hours to learn more about the country we've been exploring for the last month, especially since we'll be leaving in a few days. The museum is located out on a peninsula on the lake, overlooking Capital Hill and the golden trees bordering the water. The main area we were interested in was about the Aboriginal peoples' history and how the human rights issues of the recent decades evolved and played out. The museum did a good job at portraying their race as they have lived for thousands of years before the arrival of the European settlers, right up to video footage of the government's apology to them several years ago (for separating families and causing widespread grief). Other interesting displays included colonization, early transportation, the mining industry, endemic wildlife, famous Australians' stories, native artwork, ceremonial costumes... the list goes on. It filled in a lot of the blanks we had been curious about and painted a well rounded picture of what Australia is all about.

Before making a run for the coast, we wanted to get ourselves to a high spot for a view down over Capital Hill and the geometrically laid out lines of Canberra. We ended up at Australia's War Memorial, and had a long view down Anzac Promenade to Parliament House and the hills beyond. It just so happens that tomorrow is Anzac Day, which is celebrated much like how Remembrance Day is at home. Seeing as this is the central war memorial in the nation's capital, it will obviously be the focus of big ceremonies taking place tomorrow morning. As a result, rows of bleachers and fencing were in place, security people were keeping a lookout, floral wreaths were being delivered in the back door, and tv cameras were already in place. There weren't too many people around, so it was actually a great time to visit. The grounds displayed a collection of tanks, guns, plaques, and commemorative statues relevant to many aspects of war, and inside the imposing granite building was a reflecting pool and walls covered with the names of those Australians who have died while serving their country. Much like the day we visited Westminster Abbey in London on Remembrance Day, it was moving to see all the poppies in place and to watch the people paying respects to their family members whose names were on the wall.

With only two days left with our van, we wanted to spend them at the coast, partially to get away from the frigid temperatures of the high country! So we ended up taking the same highway to Bateman's Bay that we came down a week ago, which puts us at a good spot to start back up the coast tomorrow. I don't think either of us could ever get tired of hearing the waves crashing ashore as you fall asleep...

The not-yet-snowy Snowy Mountains (Apr. 23/09 - Canberra, Australia, mileage 460km)

A red smoky haze hung in the air as we packed up this morning, driving west along the eastern end of Ninety Mile Beach and then north along the lowest reaches of the Snowy River (yes, as in "The Man From Snowy River"). At the town of Orbost, we returned to the highway and looped back towards Cann River, which we passed through yesterday. There, we turned north onto a road that passes through the Snowy Mountains en route to Canberra. The country scenery made for a lovely drive, with little old single room schoolhouses still in use just off the road and groups of emus and kangaroos grazing in the fields. After a while, we crossed out of Victoria and back into New South Wales, where the country soon opened up into wide rolling hills dotted with little more than grazing sheep and golden poplar trees.

Near the town of Bombala, we followed the signs to a platypus reserve, which turned out to be a stretch of the Bombala River with a purpose-built viewing platform surrounded by grazing sheep. If it weren't for the sign on the road, nobody would ever find it since it was on a rough gravel road down the hill behind a dirt bike track and the local jockey club's horse racing track. It was a pretty little spot, with sunshine, colourful fall trees, and ducks splashing around in the river. We watched for quite a while to spot a platypus, but it was midday and they just didn't seem to be too active. So we had lunch and carried on, stopping again in the town of Bombala, where the same river meanders along the main drag. Apparently, platypus are seen there regularly, but again we weren't so lucky. We were lucky enough to get some great shots of a couple cockatoos that were playing around in the trees above us though!

We drove for an hour or so across the hills with views of the not-yet-snowy Snowy Mountains, enjoying the warm sun and the beautiful fall colours. It was starting to get dark as we neared Canberra, but we still had to get ourselves to the other side of the city to where the campgrounds are. Luckily, Canberra isn't a very big city (about 300,000 people), so there was no major rush hour to battle, but with lots of roundabouts and a crappy map, it made getting anywhere tough. It took a couple wrong turns and a couple episodes of bad instruction-giving to even get onto the right side of the lake, which separates the city in two. By the time we got to where our map said there was a campground (and then ten minutes past it...), it was dark and we were starving. Better directions from a gas station got us back to where we should have turned off, and eventually we found the campground. But as our luck would have it, they were full. Ten minutes down the highway though, we found another one and were quite happy to park it for the night knowing that a warm shower and hot supper were in our very near future!

More Victoria forest fires (Apr. 22/09 - Cape Conran National Park, Australia, mileage 170km)

Part way back to the highway this morning, we took a little side trip to see the tiny settlement of Gipsy Point, a quiet spot on the water of Mallacoota Inlet. It was definitely peaceful, with just a few birds flying around the jetty, fish jumping in the water, and twelve lazy kangaroos grazing and lounging around on someone's front lawn.


We drove west through ongoing stands of forest, and passing in and out of several National Parka, State Forests, and Nature Reserves. Australia certainly has done a good job of setting aside lots of protected natural land! Following a tip from the guidebook, we turned onto a gravel road a Lind National Park for a scenic drive through the forest. Huge tree ferns and towering eucalypt trees dominated the forest, and we drove slowly to watch the kookaburras flying around and listen to the tree frogs making their distinctive "ping" sounds in the trees. Part way along there was a little picnic area, so we stopped and made some tea and read for a while in the sunshine - totally blissful in such a gorgeous spot (if you ignore the mosquitoes!).

From the highway, it wasn't very far to our turnoff for Cape Conran, where we thought we would spend the night. This is just about the southernmost point in Australia (Wilson's Promontory, a few hundred kilometers west, actually is), where a rugged rocky headland juts out into the wild sea. We found a campsite just steps from the beach and then headed out to explore. A group of school kids were getting a surfing lesson on the beach (the water is frigid here!), and big waves were ploughing into the beach from the Tasman Sea. A boardwalk had been built across the rough parts of the headland, which also served to protect a midden left by local Aboriginal people over 3000 years ago. When we looked back onto the coast behind us, we noticed a huge plume of red smoke rising from the forest about 20km to the east - a forest fire! The wind was carrying the smoke out to sea, and in less than 20 minutes it had stretched all the way across the sky. What was even more worrisome was the thick red smoke billowing in front of the sun directly inland from us. We couldn't see how far it was coming from, but it was 15km to the highway and we hadn't seen any sign of a fire between here and there half an hour previous. We were somewhat concerned, as it was quite windy and we were pretty vulnerable in a forested area trapped by the ocean. We couldn't help but think of the devastating forest fires that ripped through parts of Victoria not far from here just a couple months ago. But our suspicions were laid to rest when we asked a local guy hiking past, who confirmed that both were prescribed burns as part of the forest management program. Phew!


The rugged headland was impressive, with jagged metamorphic rocks spiked and folded away from the beach, bathed in an eerie orange light from the smoke, and with blue waves crashing over them. We took a bunch of photos, trying not to get soaked by the giant plumes of spray coming off the waves as they crashed onto the rocks.


Back at camp, we schemed with the map for a while to figure out how to spend our last few days of camping (a possum paid us a visit in the meantime!), deciding to head north tomorrow on a road that will take us inland a bit (via Canberra after all!) before rejoining the coast where we left off at Narooma. So that makes tonight our southernmost stop in Australia, at somewhere around 38° South - a looooong way from the 16° South we started at in Cairns!