A Day Revisited

Day 37 and up and on the road to the ferry where it took a while to load. It was a slow process trying to fit us all into the limited space. The weather was looking a little stormy as I jammed the car in. Our ride was the roughest ferry ride I have ever taken. The ship listed over 45 degrees to the vertical as it slammed through the 5 metre waves. It was a scary, stomach churning 60 minutes. Disney should be considering this for a new ride. But, according to the lady in the souvenir shop it was “No problems mate.”

 It was even slower, unloading the ferry as everyone was having trouble getting their balance back. Thankfully it was a quick ride into Adelaide where we dumped the rental car and checked into our hotel. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the downtown. The downtown area is 10 blocks square almost completely surrounded by parks and the River Torrens along the north end.  

Day 38, a nice sleep in, a late check-out and with a late flight out to Sydney, we had the whole rest of the day to explore Adelaide.  Adelaide is a pretty city but still just a city so we opted to spend the rest of the day exploring their park system with special attention to the botanical gardens area. Established in 1855, it has over 50 hectares of Australian flora past and present. Billed as an oasis in the middle of Adelaide, it lived up to its reputation as the temperatures were in the high 30's and humidity that squeezed us dry. 

Day 39, woke up in Sydney at a hotel by the airport then off to the airport for a 1230 flight to Auckland. A two hour lay-over and we were on our way home.

At some point in our flight we crossed the International Date Line and I woke up to Day 39 again landing in Vancouver at 1215, fifteen minutes before we left Sydney. Hopefully Day 39 will be better the second time. 

Will we re-visit Australia?  A big maybe but New Zealand has been definitely re-added to the “bucket list” with the South Island our focus. We really did not spend enough time there to see everything we should have seen. 

No Worries Mate

Day 35 continued.

We arrived at the ferry to see all kinds of fire apparatus disembarking. It seems that Kangaroo Island had been experiencing some serious forest fire activity over the last week but thanks to some wet weather, they had it all contained and some of the crews were returning to their home bases.

Day 36 and the view from our hotel room indicated that a cloudy and cooler day was in our future. There would be lots of driving and hiking today with the hope to see a few kangaroos in their natural habitat.

But no trip to Kangaroo Island would be complete without a visit with some sea lions. So we were off to Seal Bay, a protected area home to a large colony of sea lions.

Sea lions are dark brown, bark loudly, walk on land using their large flippers and have visible ear flaps. Seals have small flipper, wriggle on their bellies on land and lack visible ear flaps. Both are pinniped, which means “fin footed” in Latin. (wikipedia)

Arriving early to Seal Bay, we scored a private tour with one of the guides as we were the only ones there. We were able to walk down to the beach and get up close and personal with the sea lions. The smell was certainly memorable. 

The sea lions use both their front fins and rear tail fins to lift themselves up and can cruise along for 10 or 15 metres before running out of steam. A short rest then up and at it again. Looks very awkward.  

Off to Little Sahara for a quick walk up onto some natural occurring dunes with the opportunity to rent a snow board for some gritty boarding down the steep, 70 metre dunes. We enjoyed watching Chinese tourists careen down the dunes, filling their cargo shorts with sand as they wiped out. 

Still no kangaroos, but “no worries mate”, we still have lots of time. Next stop was a hike into the “Remarkable Rocks”, which more than lived up to its name.  

500,000,000 years of wind, rain and waves have created unique sculptures that are, shall we say remarkable.

Admirals Arch was 1,000 years in the making, a rock bridge with peek-a-boo views of a fur seal colony swimming and resting in the protected bay while stalactites hang over their heads.

It was then up to Cape Couedic Light House and the start of a 5 kilometre hike into Weir Cove and the possibility of a kangaroo viewing  or two.  

90 minutes later, not one kangaroo was seen but the cliff-side trail provided some awesome views of Weir Cove and out into the Great Australian Bite.

“No worries mate.” but we are running out of daylight and still no kangaroos in their natural environment.  We decided to take the longer route back to our hotel, on some lesser traveled roads. We are sure to see some kangaroos here.

We are now close to home and have finally started to see lots of kangaroos in what looks to be their natural habitat. Sadly it was as road-kill on the side of the road. We seem to come upon carcasses every few kilometres. Most kangaroos are classed as diurnal and are active during the daytime but it seems that Kangaroo Island kangaroos may be nocturnal.

To test my mettle and to wash off the dust of the days hiking, I decided on a swim in the local swimming hole across from the hotel. Our hosts thought I was crazy when I asked them for beach towel. I explained I was from Canada, and that seemed to quell any further questions they may have had. 

Damn, it was freaking cold.

Tomorrow we start our trip home.

A Railway Not Taken

Day 34 continued.

We arrived within minutes of our scheduled time, full from a lovely brunch on the Ghan as we passed the last few kilometres into Adelaide. Well fed, we made our way into downtown Adelaide to pick up our rental car. 

Once again we resurrected our mantra for left turns, “inside, inside, inside” and right turns, “outside, outside, outside” as those silly Australians also drive on the wrong side of the road.

We have an 80 kilometre ride to the small town of Victor Harbour where another train awaited our arrival. The drive would also take us through the self proclaimed, world renowned wine region of the Fleurieu Peninsula known for its Shiraz and Cab Sauvignon.  We stopped into Mt. Jagged Wines to check out those claims and found a $20 AUS bottle of Shiraz that was pretty tasty.

Victor Harbour is a pretty little town with lots of opportunities for things to do. My “must do” was a ride on the Cockle Steam Rail line from Victor Harbour to Goolwa and Port Elliot. Sadly we had arrived in a down period and the train was not running. Damn, missed the small print.

Photo- steamrangerrailway.com

Day 35 and there was still an option to scratch my rail itch, another rail line was available and running. An historic horse-drawn tram that once transported goods but now hauls tourists across a causeway to Granite Island that sits just off shore from Victor Harbour. Six Clydesdale take turns pulling the tram along a steel rail line across the causeway to the island. The line has been in operation since 1894.

We opted for the ride out and save money by walking back, racing the tram on our walk back. We would have won too but we stopped to catch a picture as the tram passed by.  

Since we could not take the train to Goolwa and Port Elliot, we decided to check them out before we made our way to Cape Jervis and our late afternoon ferry to Kangaroo Island.

Goolwa Beach is the main attraction for the little town. After reading the sign, I am not sure what the attraction was all about. 

Once on the beach, the reasoning became a bit more apparent although Nonie was on high snake alert. The temperatures were down in the low 20’s with a nasty wind chill and the surfers were all tucked away in their swanky beach clubhouse. Sipping hot toddies, I’m sure.  

Port Elliot is a cute little town, with many original buildings but once again the beach is its major attraction. At its inception, the hope was the town would become a major ocean port but Victor Harbour proved to be a better location.

Tomorrow we will wake up on Kangaroo Island with our main goal, to see some kangaroos in their natural environment. None so far. 

Gone, Gone, Ghan

If you have not guessed by now but I am a big fan of trains and if I can replace a plane ride with a train ride, then count me. So when I was researching our travels to Australia, I came across the Ghan. (Pronounced “gone”) 

Photo: junkee.com

One of the world’s greatest rail journeys, The Ghan, (named after the Afghan cameleers who, from the 1860s to the early 20th century, helped explore and build infrastructure in the outback) traverses Australia's wide open spaces. It goes from the pastoral hues of the South Australian hills and plains to the rusty Red Centre and the tropical greens of the Top End. On the way, you can explore the famous outback towns of Alice Springs and Katherine on whistle-stop tours. (Australia.com)

Once I read the hype, I was hooked, that is till I saw the price. Quickly calculating in my head, this 3 day train ride would work out to approximately $1.35 Aus per minute. On top of that would be the cost to fly to Darwin.  I quickly gave up idea but as time went on, I kept returning and returning and returning. At this point, I must apologize to the kids as their inheritances took a substantial hit on this trip.

Day 32

From Darwin, take in the remarkable Top End views before stopping in Katherine for an afternoon of unique touring. Prepare to experience one of the region’s most impressive natural wonders near Katherine. The stunning Nitmiluk Gorge lies within the massive 292,000 hectares of the Nitmiluk National Park, and you’ll have the chance to explore it from the water with guided cruise options – an experience you’ll never forget. (journeybeyondrail.com)

Thank goodness the bus was air-conditioned because Nitmiluk Gorge was not.

Day 33

Next stop is Alice Springs, where more Off Train Excursions await. Explore Simpson’s Gap, tour the town attractions, or get up close to some of the Red Centre’s native wildlife. Dinner on the train is followed by an extraordinary evening experience in the outback where you will see the Milky Way like you have never seen it before. Simply breathtaking. (journeybeyondrail.com)

The kangaroo steak was particularly tasty. Though the crocodile sausage was a close second. 

Nonie’s favourite stop was a visit to the Alice Springs School of the Air. The centre of Australia is a remote place. Families are spread out over 1000’s of square miles. The children are linked together through computer for classes and can interact with other students and with a teacher based in the School. 

Mine was a visit to the original site of Alice Springs.  It was the site of a telegraph station that serviced the area and was named Alice after the boss’s wife who never came near the place. Alice Springs is also not a spring but just a depression in the ground that would fill with water after heavy rains and was mistakenly thought to be a spring. 

All the original buildings are intact and are operated as a museum for Alice Springs 

 Day 34

From your cabin window this morning you’ll see a dramatic change in landscape, as the rich ochre tones of the outback make way for the green fields of South Australia. Enjoy a leisurely brunch as you pass through the majestic Flinders Ranges and prepare for your mid-morning arrival into Adelaide, completing one of the world’s great travel experiences.(journeybeyondrail.com)

We arrived in Adelaide right on time. 

Was the trip worth the expense. The jury is still out on that. But seeing the inside of Australia from the ground was definitely memorable and very sweaty.  

Cranky Crocs, Waterfalls, Fish Nips and New Friends

Day 28 dawned hot and humid with a plan to get some laundry done for our onward journey to Darwin tomorrow. Some time was spent downtown for one last look at Noosa Heads and some souvenir shopping. Christmas spirit was in the air but it seemed very weird at 35 C.

Day 29 had us catching a bus to Brisbane Airport and a late afternoon flight to Darwin. It was out of the frying pan and into the fire only with higher humidity. Arriving around midnight into Darwin, the temperatures were still in the high 30’s and forecast to hit 40 tomorrow.  

As forecast, Day 30 was a scorcher. We spent the morning exploring Darwin, moving from shady spot to shady spot while sweating buckets. During our exploration, we came across this sparkling wave pool. 

With the afternoon temperature hitting 41 C, the pool’s attraction was too much to resist.

Day 31 and we were off on a 12 hour guided tour of Litchfield National Park with Wallaroo Tours. We were a little early for tourist season so finding an operating tour was not easy. We lucked out when we walked in to Wallaroo tours to find a young family of six trying to book a tour. Not sounding  good, till we indicated we wanted the same tour. Eight being enough to confirm the tour.  

Let your worries fade away as you soak under a refreshing waterfall in the stunning Litchfield National Park. The plethora of thundering falls and cool plunge pools will entice to stay awhile and breathe in the serenity of the surrounding monsoon forest. When it’s time to wander, follow the waterfall walkways, visit historic ruins from pioneering day and stare in amazement at gigantic termite mounds that dot the landscape. (Australia.com)

We chose this tour as it was on my bucket list to gambol under a showering waterfall in some far away exotic place. Sounds great but didn’t quite work out the way I had imagined. Swimming into the falls is difficult as the current constantly tries to push you away.  When you do manage to fight your way under the falls, the force of the falling water pushes you down and the current sweeps you back and spits you out. Thus was the reality of gamboling under Wangi Falls. Oh, and uninhabited it was not. 

As we drove into the park, as advertised, termite mounds were everywhere.  

Termites do not live in these mounds but in the ground beneath them. The mounds have numerous tunnels and ducts that serve as a ventilation system for their nests. The larger (older) the nest the bigger the mound.

Gamboling at Florence Falls was not much better but we at least found it less inhabited thanks in part to the kilometre hike and numerous stairs that you needed to traverse to reach the pool. 

However we did find the pool inhabited by some lively fish, the colour of coal. Cute, that is till they started nipping at your legs if you quit moving, leaving little fish teeth marks on our  skin. The reality of gamboling under waterfalls just got darker.

From Florence Falls we took a short hike through the monsoon forest. Along the way Nonie made a new friend. The youngest son of the family of six had decided that he had had enough of his family and adopted Nonie for the rest of the trip. 

The temperatures had now climbed above 40 C with humidity off the chart. Did I mention this was a monsoon forest. Thankfully one last dip was waiting for us at the end.

I also made some friends but not of the cute children kind, more slithery. I was okay with this, till I asked the guy what kind of snake this was and he said "I am not sure, my son found it this morning. If he hasn't bit you now he probably won't."

The tour also advertised that a "Jumping Crocodile Adventure" was included with our exploration of Litchfield. Just the name made us a bit skeptical. This was reinforced upon meeting our Crocodile Dundee. He seemed  just a little too stereotypical an image of a crocodile guy.

Boy, were we wrong. The man delivered crocodiles beyond our expectations. His secrets, were chicken carcasses and doing the tour for over 25 years on this stretch of the river.

As we slowly traveled along the river, the crocodiles would recognize the sound of his motor, and glide out to greet him knowing a snack was on its way.

The jaws of a crocodile can slam shut with a force of 16,460 newtons or  37,000 pounds per square inch (psi) for you Americans. The most jaw pressure of any other animal. The noise he made when his jaws slam shut over the carcass was deafening.

At one of his stops, two very old, very big crocodiles arrived. One completely blind and the other just mean. There was a tussle, much hissing and a lot of snapping with the blind one dining on a chicken carcass.

With the sun setting we headed back to Darwin to watch the sunset and feast on huge, freshly caught prawns washed down with cold glasses of champagne.

It was also time for Nonie to say goodbye to her new friend and return him to his family. He did not go willingly. I can understand completely.