Previously on Aussie Adventure: touchdown.
I was finally in Australia. Though not exactly, I was close to being exactly on the opposite side of the world from where I lived. A long flight, a day lost, and many hours' time difference greeted me upon arrival. Maybe it would have been wise to use the first day to get some sleep, recover from the journey, but I had different plans. I would acclimate to it all by jumping in and going from the onset. Rest will come. This is Sydney; I had to see it!
I quickly made my way to downtown Sydney from Newtown, the suburb where I would spend the night. The obvious first stop was the harbour, where I'd find the Opera House, bridge, and a host of other views that Sydney is most typically known for. A train to Circular Quay proved easy and quick, and placed me at the heart of the tourist area.
I stuck to the water along my walk, walking away from the Opera House and towards the bridge. On this route, there were many beautiful sights, a multitude of people, and plenty of entertainment.
Being among the crowds, being by the water, seeing these iconic sites, gave me the energy I needed after such a long flight. The smile had already formed and would not melt away easily.
I stuck to the water along my walk, walking away from the Opera House and towards the bridge. On this route, there were many beautiful sights, a multitude of people, and plenty of entertainment.
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| Harbour Bridge |
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| Harbour art |
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| Sydney Opera House |
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| Harbour entertainment |
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| Harbour entertainment, a woman who got close to her audience |
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| Close to her audience |
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| Very close to her audience |
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| Extremely close to her audience |
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| Creating snow for a photo shoot under the bridge |
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| Under the bridge |
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| Making art out of the mundane |
Though this first outing was mostly a means to just wander and see what I could find, there was a sense of purpose added on. Earlier in the day, two young women we met told us about an art installation being held on the harbour at one of the piers. And today was the last day! One described the art as sitting there with the artist and just feeling the moment. "Interesting," I said. "Sounds just like Marina Abramovic."
"That's who it is! Yes, she is at the pier."
I've admired Abramovic's work for a while, as I enjoyed a ten-minute video on display at the Detroit Institute of Art, and had read about her installation in New York where she would sit across from an audience member just staring. No words. Different people experienced different things. Some smiled. Some cried. Some left feeling exhausted. This similar, or somewhat similar, installation was now on display in Sydney. I marked the location on my map, and meandered in that direction. However, once there, I realized I was not likely to get in.
I asked, and the wait was anywhere between one to three hours. Though I had high interest in seeing this, I also knew the limits of my body. I knew that I would not be able to wait that long before collapsing on the floor. Instead, I visited the resident artists' section, which had no waiting line.
All interesting work. There were the two joggers. The person on the bed. Strapping people on a bed to some brain wave reader.
By this time, the sun was beginning to set, and my eyes grew heavy. And I had another flight to catch in the morning. This flight would take me to Brisbane, where the adventure would continue.
Brisbane was a quick stop, a point along the journey. Not much was seen here, but I had to do one very Australian thing:
I had to touch and hold a koala. Just south of Brisbane is Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, a zoo of sorts where one could encounter all sorts of Australian wild life. There were all sorts of birds. And dingoes. And sheep. And funky chickens. But I went there for the koalas. Along the way, I fed and touched some kangaroos. The wallabies ignored me. Jerks.
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| Someone was not impressed by celebrity |
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| Punky Chicken |
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| Watching a sheep dog sheep herding show |
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| Two dogs showed off who did their task better |
What was supposed to be an hour visit, two maximum, to see animals turned out to be closer to four hours. And I still had a lot of driving to do!
The initial plan was to drive along the coast. There were several sites that we had to see, but as it turns out, Australia is really big and there is a lot of space in between destinations. And there are even more things to see on route to those highlights. From Brisbane, I wanted to see Whitsunday Island, and for that we'd have to get to Airlie Beach. I also wanted to get to Daintree Rain Forest, which is north of Cairns, all the way up to Cape Tribulation. Driving would allow me to see the country, but it would have been insane to try to drive it all at once. Instead, I broke the drive up into stages. Drive eight hours from Brisbane to Rockhampton where I'd spend the night before continuing on to Airlie Beach, another 5 hour drive. Spend two nights in Airlie Beach, then drive the 7 to 8 hours to Cairns. After Cairns, 3 hours up to Cape Tribulation, then back down to Cairns before flying out to Uluru.
Though it turned out to be a lot of driving, I am thankful I opted for this route. For one, Australia is only one of 75 countries that drive on the left (according to Wikipedia). I have visited some others, but this was my first attempt to actually drive in one of these nations. Fortunately, Australia was big on road safety. The roads were marked to ensure that people not accidentally turn into the wrong lane at intersections. This came in very handy, as my natural instinct was to turn onto the right lane. I found myself driving on the right only once, and that was the small road coming out of the koala sanctuary. Fortunately, mine was the only car on the road at the time.
I also enjoyed the drive as it allowed me to stop along the way and see more of Australia that I would have missed if I had just flown over the entire country. This, obviously, added hours to the drive, but looking back I will remember what I saw and not how long I sat.
Most of the drive was along the coast. Though I did not see the ocean the entirety of the drive, I saw it occasionally. And though it was winter during my visit, and Sydney was quite cold, the rest of the time, Brisbane and north, was a much more agreeable temperature. Plenty of opportunities to dip toes in the ocean. And to see the natural beauty of Australia, such as the Glass Mountains.
And the aforementioned toe dipping.
The drive also afforded me the opportunity to learn so much about the people, the towns, life in Australia. For one, they name everything. Plenty of signs were seen throughout the country in every state for anything you might come across. I was particularly impressed with the naming of every creek I saw. And such an exhaustive list of names! There was Mary Creek, and Kathleen Creek, Orange Creek, Goodbye Creek and Little Goodbye Creek, Alligator Creek and Crocodile Creek and Cassowary Creek (none had the named animals, sadly), Full Creek and Slow Creek, King's Creek. My favorites, by far, were Doughboy Creek, followed by Chinaman Creek. I wondered how and who chose these names, and if there was ever discussion to change them. For now, these names stuck, much to my amusement.
And I loved seeing the great number of animal crossing signs everywhere. I had to beware of kangaroos. And koalas. And cassowaries. And lizards. And children. And emus. And cattle. And horses.
I didn't love the roadkill strewing about the roads. All the kangaroos. Other indistinguishable carcasses. The cow.
The roads also provided much needed amusement. Road safety, as mentioned earlier, was of utmost concern. There were quiz signs posted at various spots on the road to keep people awake. A question about Australian or other local history, geography, with the answer a kilometer or two later. And the quizzes were greatly appreciated, but only three or four were seen, sadly. Not enough to keep me awake.
Further evidence of Australian humor made itself apparent while driving. I saw several rest stops and restaurants with giant (insert animal or vegetable/fruit here). These were supposed to get the attention of people driving by, and it worked, as I stopped and noticed them.
This interest in giant everythings was confirmed by listening to Bill Bryson. Yes, while on the road, we listened to the audio tape of Bill Bryson's "In a Sunburned Country." As I traveled about Australia, I listened to someone else's experience driving and traversing the country. It was amusing hearing him speak about areas I had visited already (and nod approvingly) or get a preview of where I was headed next.
At some of these rest stops, I was able to become more familiar with the Aussie sense of humor. At the same mango rest stop:
The greatest joy for me, even as much as I truly enjoyed being by the water and seeing nature, was meeting people that I normally would not have met. Driving into these small towns along the way was educational. Large cities, such as Sydney and Brisbane, were much like cities encountered anywhere else, but with their own flair. But the small towns I drove through were an odd mix of 1850s old west USA and 1950s quaint America. I expected to see a saloon everywhere, with a small single street city centre area, and houses outside this centre area.
Though I do not currently own a car or drive regularly, I have spent enough time on the road to understand what my limit for driving is. I thought I could easily handle 8 hours per day. What I was not prepared for, however, was the effect the sun would have on me. Rather, the effect of lack of sun. The best opportunity I had to travel here was in July, which is winter for the southern hemisphere. That brought about sunset at about 5pm/1700. I did not realize how tired I would suddenly become once I lost the sun. I made every attempt to start the day as early as I could, but that never worked as planned. This, coupled with the various stops, had me getting into my stop later than I would have preferred. For one, driving while exhausted and with little illumination proved challenging. Two, that jet lag may have been affecting me more than I let on. Three, rather than staying in hotels, I opted for AirBnB, meaning I was staying in the private homes of people. I did not want to get in too late and disrupt them.
Fortunately, everyone I met was extremely courteous and accommodating and welcoming. Never a rude face did I come upon. Even if I was a bit later than I had hoped, they were awake and made me feel at home. And often these homes had other AirBnB guests staying with them. I met the two girls from the Netherlands who were there for an internship. After the few weeks of work, they were to travel north together to meet the parents of one of the girls. An impressive ordeal, especially considering they were 16 and 17 at the time, and on a limited budget. As I ate dinner one evening, I watched as they had toast. The $20 they had budgeted per day was not enough to eat properly. I offered them salad, which they passed on, but they were highly appreciative of the oranges I gifted them.
There was the young body builder who gave us suggestions on where to go, and where to skip ("Why are you going there it's a shithole?"). The couple hosting us who had treats and food and fruit there just for us. The retired teacher/musician with the laid back attitude and magnets on his refrigerator warning against dengue fever. The two sisters traveling Australia, as one was working in one of the remote islands of Oceania. The older sister promised to visit me in Michigan so she and her children could get experience working in a museum.
The mother and daughter traveling together from England, the daughter a writer of fan fiction. Her specialty was a Harry Potter crossover with some specific (but unknown to me) anime comic. She asked what the difference was between archaeology and tomb raiding. I was happy to educate her.
The house owner where we all stayed who gave me a key to my room and to the house, but noted they never lock any doors, even the front door, so there was really no need for them. I marveled at her furniture, particularly the coffee table and bathroom counter made from $20 chunks of wood from the junkyard. She had vegemite, but Elizabeth did not take the opportunity to sample it. Unfortunately, this, too, was a short stay, as our flight the next day departed at 0700.
On the road, I tried to keep our dining experience simple. Bread and tomatoes and cheese purchased at the store, sandwiches made while driving. A lot of fruit. I even bought this tube, which I thought would be good. It was not.
Aside from the Asian dining in Sydney, and the kangaroo sampled at Uluru (to be discussed in a future chapter), the food was not memorable. It was not bad by any means, but that is not why I was in Australia. I did have the worst pizza I ever ate on this trip, but I did atone for it with better pizza in Sydney.
Though the drive was relatively flat, even with all the mountains, it was easy and safe. The roads of Australia were well-kept and not dangerous. The curves and turns in the Daintree area were perilous, but I never felt afraid for my life. Ultimately, while I enjoyed everything I saw and did along the way, the roads were just a means to and end. I just had to get to the next adventure, while still creating smaller adventures on the way there.
Next on Aussie Adventure: Finding my sea legs.
And I loved seeing the great number of animal crossing signs everywhere. I had to beware of kangaroos. And koalas. And cassowaries. And lizards. And children. And emus. And cattle. And horses.
I didn't love the roadkill strewing about the roads. All the kangaroos. Other indistinguishable carcasses. The cow.
The roads also provided much needed amusement. Road safety, as mentioned earlier, was of utmost concern. There were quiz signs posted at various spots on the road to keep people awake. A question about Australian or other local history, geography, with the answer a kilometer or two later. And the quizzes were greatly appreciated, but only three or four were seen, sadly. Not enough to keep me awake.
Further evidence of Australian humor made itself apparent while driving. I saw several rest stops and restaurants with giant (insert animal or vegetable/fruit here). These were supposed to get the attention of people driving by, and it worked, as I stopped and noticed them.
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| The giant crab |
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| The giant mango |
At some of these rest stops, I was able to become more familiar with the Aussie sense of humor. At the same mango rest stop:
The greatest joy for me, even as much as I truly enjoyed being by the water and seeing nature, was meeting people that I normally would not have met. Driving into these small towns along the way was educational. Large cities, such as Sydney and Brisbane, were much like cities encountered anywhere else, but with their own flair. But the small towns I drove through were an odd mix of 1850s old west USA and 1950s quaint America. I expected to see a saloon everywhere, with a small single street city centre area, and houses outside this centre area.
Though I do not currently own a car or drive regularly, I have spent enough time on the road to understand what my limit for driving is. I thought I could easily handle 8 hours per day. What I was not prepared for, however, was the effect the sun would have on me. Rather, the effect of lack of sun. The best opportunity I had to travel here was in July, which is winter for the southern hemisphere. That brought about sunset at about 5pm/1700. I did not realize how tired I would suddenly become once I lost the sun. I made every attempt to start the day as early as I could, but that never worked as planned. This, coupled with the various stops, had me getting into my stop later than I would have preferred. For one, driving while exhausted and with little illumination proved challenging. Two, that jet lag may have been affecting me more than I let on. Three, rather than staying in hotels, I opted for AirBnB, meaning I was staying in the private homes of people. I did not want to get in too late and disrupt them.
Fortunately, everyone I met was extremely courteous and accommodating and welcoming. Never a rude face did I come upon. Even if I was a bit later than I had hoped, they were awake and made me feel at home. And often these homes had other AirBnB guests staying with them. I met the two girls from the Netherlands who were there for an internship. After the few weeks of work, they were to travel north together to meet the parents of one of the girls. An impressive ordeal, especially considering they were 16 and 17 at the time, and on a limited budget. As I ate dinner one evening, I watched as they had toast. The $20 they had budgeted per day was not enough to eat properly. I offered them salad, which they passed on, but they were highly appreciative of the oranges I gifted them.
There was the young body builder who gave us suggestions on where to go, and where to skip ("Why are you going there it's a shithole?"). The couple hosting us who had treats and food and fruit there just for us. The retired teacher/musician with the laid back attitude and magnets on his refrigerator warning against dengue fever. The two sisters traveling Australia, as one was working in one of the remote islands of Oceania. The older sister promised to visit me in Michigan so she and her children could get experience working in a museum.
The mother and daughter traveling together from England, the daughter a writer of fan fiction. Her specialty was a Harry Potter crossover with some specific (but unknown to me) anime comic. She asked what the difference was between archaeology and tomb raiding. I was happy to educate her.
The house owner where we all stayed who gave me a key to my room and to the house, but noted they never lock any doors, even the front door, so there was really no need for them. I marveled at her furniture, particularly the coffee table and bathroom counter made from $20 chunks of wood from the junkyard. She had vegemite, but Elizabeth did not take the opportunity to sample it. Unfortunately, this, too, was a short stay, as our flight the next day departed at 0700.
On the road, I tried to keep our dining experience simple. Bread and tomatoes and cheese purchased at the store, sandwiches made while driving. A lot of fruit. I even bought this tube, which I thought would be good. It was not.
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| How could anyone ruin delicious avocado? |
Though the drive was relatively flat, even with all the mountains, it was easy and safe. The roads of Australia were well-kept and not dangerous. The curves and turns in the Daintree area were perilous, but I never felt afraid for my life. Ultimately, while I enjoyed everything I saw and did along the way, the roads were just a means to and end. I just had to get to the next adventure, while still creating smaller adventures on the way there.
Next on Aussie Adventure: Finding my sea legs.
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