We arrived in Bundaberg from New Caledonia with no food and a clean boat to clear the strict immigration, although our empty cardboard egg boxes had to be thrown away! We attended events organised by the ‘Down Under Rally’ which helped us understand about sailing and touring Australia on land. At the welcome party we won the main prize – free lift out/in & more! Cycling on our folding bikes was scary due to being overtaken by ‘road trains’ (very long trucks)! ‘Mon Repos’ Conservation Park is where in the dark we saw a loggerhead turtle return to her birth place, dig a nest, lay her eggs and then go back to the sea. Amazing, we were so lucky! Mid-November we left the boat for the hurricane season returning mid-February to visit Australia on land. Being a continent it was hard to decide where to visit. We also wanted to see friends who live there.
Brisbane is a mix of modern skyscrapers, art galleries, parks with paddling pools and cliffs with rock climbing areas. Susie and Trevor drove up from Chillingham and we took a river cruise benefiting from their knowledge of the area. We stayed with them and they kindly took us to places on the coast: Tweeds Head, Greenmount beach, Rainbow Bay, Kingscliff, as well as inland to the Margaret Olly Museum and Natural Bridge in Springbrook National Park. It was fun meeting many of their friends and going to some who have a possum! So much to see in Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary including kangaroos who nibbled at our belongings! Here we met up with Cheryl and Pierre with whom we stayed in Palm Beach on the Gold Coast. We discovered impressive Minyon Falls where Cheryl swam, Byron Bay and the Cape Lighthouse, Fingal Head beach and lighthouse, Burleigh Head and inland Lamington National Park with its tree top walkways. Thank you! We met their friends and following Greg’s advice went to a winery in the Ballarat region.
We went to a classical concert at the Opera in Sydney which was a treat. An impressive building as is Harbour Bridge over which we walked. A ferry took us to well-known Bondi Beach. The Blue Mountains are magnificent and during our walks, often on the edge of cliffs, we had stunning views including of the Three Sisters.
The Red Centre. A landscape of desert plains, amazing rock formations, rocky gorges and some of the Aboriginal’s most sacred sites – Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta. We had bought mosquito hats to protect us from the continual swarm of flies. However we were unprepared for the soles of our boots to become unstuck due to the intense heat of the paths, closed when it exceeds 38C! We marvelled at the different rock colours of Uluru around dawn and dusk. Many Aboriginal paintings are to be seen. In the dark we saw The Field of Light art installation by British artist Bruce Munro.
We went to Kata Tjuta, Valley of the Winds, green in the gorge and arid and rugged at the top.
Melbourne is vast; we found the majority of people to be young and international, predominantly Asian. There are Victorian buildings and modern constructions like in Fed Square. East of the city we did wine tasting at the winery Yarra Valley. Friends Anna and Stephen kindly took us around scenic Phillip Island. Later we met up with them, and daughter Christina, for dinner at Brighton Beach. It was amusing to see the colourful beach huts like back home!
We spent several days driving along the Great Ocean Road frequently stopping to admire the spectacular views. Our first night was spent in Torquay (not in the UK!). Walking along the Kennett River we quietly approached koala bears sitting on tree trunks. During our drive we visited Cape Otway, walked in forests and on beaches. We found stunning London Bridge, originally a natural archway and tunnel until it collapsed in 1990, Loch Ard Gorge and the 12 Apostles a series of towering limescale pillars jutting out of the Southern Ocean. Going down the 86 steps at Gibson’s Steps you have a close-up view. From Halls Gap we admired views over the Grampian National Park with its sandstone mountains and wildflowers.
