The Coles Notes

We arrived home safely last night after a long journey from Sydney. Somehow, our 25 hour trip back to Canada (3 different planes) happened with a noon departure and an 8 pm landing on the same day......crossing the International Date Line had something to do with that......and getting our body clocks totally out of sync. It was another great trip but after 4 months on the road it felt very good to be back in our comfortable home.

For those of you who missed some (or all) of the previous blog posts here is a quick summary that will allow you to be knowledgeable enough to converse with some of our other groupies (just like you used to do in high school by reading the Coles Notes before an exam).

Our favourite places in New Zealand (in touring order), were the Waitangi National Reserve (Maori culture), Waitomo (Glow Worms), Wanaka and the Rob Roy Glacier hike, along with the cruises of Milford and Doubtful Sound. We found the Kiwi's to be nice and friendly......perhaps the 40 million sheep have had an influence on the 5 million people that live there. There is an abundance of natural wonders on both islands and their excellent recycling programs will hopefully keep it that way.

In Australia the highlights included Phillip Island (Fairy Penguins), the McLaren Vale & Barossa Valley wine regions, the Great Barrier Reef (the colours, shapes, sizes and the diversity of the coral in the amazing world below the water), Carnarvon National Park (hiking and rock hopping across the river multiple times), Fraser Island (playing on the largest sand island in the world) and touring around Sydney (as beautiful as everyone says). The country kept us amused, and bewildered, with their political misadventures, State Parks calling themselves National Parks, their Toll Road payment requirements, Nimben & its own world,  and their Sky War on army ants. For some strange reason they treat the internet like it was just discovered yesterday and charge exorbitant WiFi rates (higher than 3rd world countries we have visited) but on the other hand their cities are very well designed with lots of parks that make good use of the ocean, rivers and lakefronts. They also provide free gas BBQ's everywhere you go which encourages more people to spend time outdoors either with friends or family. The warmer climate aids in this regard as well.

We would like to thank our friends and extended family members living Down Under who hosted us along the way and provided good advice on diversions they knew we would enjoy..........much appreciated. G'day mates.

Till we meet again

Three Dog Night

Some of our younger readers may not be familiar with this band that we listened to in the early 70's  (Mama Told Me Not To Come, Joy to the World, etc.) but they have come back to mind for us recently. “Three dog night” is an Aboriginal term for how cold it might get at night and how many dingos (dogs) you would need to have sleeping beside you in order to keep warm when outdoors. The last several of nights have been 3DN's in our camper van. Our canvas canopy, attached to the open hatchback door, is great in the warmer weather (air flow, mosquito protection, extra space) but it feels just like sleeping outside when the temperature drops to 10C or less.....and we weren't prepared to invite any wild dingos inside our camper van. As a result, while Otis has been a good companion for 3 months, it came time to part ways.....at least for the evening. He seemed to do just fine as we watched over him from our 3^rd floor hotel room near Manly Beach.

After leaving the Myall Lake region we actually spent more nights at Caravan Parks despite my initial concerns published in the previous blog (we're not total wimps). We spent two nights in the Port Stephens area. The first day we hiked out to Tomaree Head, a scenic lookout and a 160 metre climb over a one km trail......avg. 16 degree angle......so it was a good workout but worth it. We also wanted to walk out along the shallow spit to Fengal Island at low tide but a bad storm recently had moved the sand around quite a bit and several people had drowned mis-reading the tides and so the authorities were not allowing any more attempts until the sandbar rebuilt itself. We also went out on a whale watching tour where we also saw some dolphins playing around (see exciting pictures below).

We have spent the last 3 days touring Sydney, a world class city, and it did not disappoint. With incredibly high parking prices in the Sydney area (up to $50 a day), we decided to leave Otis where he was and use public transportation from Manly which included a bus and a scenic ferry ride into Sydney Harbour. From there we have been walking around the city, covering a lot of territory. We took a guided tour of the Sydney Opera House and with lucky timing we were able to watch 5 minutes of both the orchestra and ballet groups practising for that evening's performances in the two larger theatres. What an incredible facility and a story to go along with it. We have also walked around the Botanic Gardens (scenic views), the Art Gallery of NSW (painting of a Captain Thunderbolt stage coach robbery), Hyde Park (large and lovely), Darling Harbour (full of upscale bars and restaurants), The Rocks area (tough part of town in the 1800's, great stonework), walked across the Harbour Bridge (at ground level) and spent some time at both Manly and Bondi Beaches (beautiful sand). Our public transport pass came in handy......8 ferry rides, 5 metro trains and 10 bus rides along with a lot of walking in perfect touring weather......sunny and 20-22C. It was a perfect way to get around the city and see as many wonderful things as we did.

Today we returned Otis to his camper van home. He served us well but we will appreciate our own camper van, with the added space, that much more when we arrive home. After dropping off the van we took the train back to Darling Harbour and had a nice lunch overlooking the harbour. At one train station 50 young lads from the Sydney Surf Club (life-saving) got on board wearing long-johns, suit jackets and silly, but different, hats. One of the Long-Johnnys told me it was the 34th celebration of an annual event so it was obviously started by people closer to our age. They were having a very good time moving from pub to pub around the city. We are now stationed at a nice hotel close to the airport and we are having a nice, relaxing day before starting our long flight home tomorrow.

Nelson Bay - Tomaree Head lookout

Humpback whale near Port Stephens

As close as we got  :-(

Opera House and Harbour Bridge - view from the Botanic Gardens

Opera House view from The Rocks

Darling Harbour shore walk

Art Gallery of New South Wales - Aboriginal painting

Harbour Bridge walk

Bondi Beach

What Happened to Us?

You will have to wait a bit to find out what happened........sorry.

Since leaving our friends Bill & Bobbie in Yamba we have continued driving south.........where a normal person would think it is getting warmer but it is actually getting colder. We flew through Coff's Harbour (easy to do when you have a Spaceship) and ended up staying in Urunga where we walked along the boardwalk to Urunga Heads without our camera only to spot several camera-worthy shots, including a 2 metre wide stingray in shallow water......don't worry, we have 2,000 other photos to bore you with :-)

Subsequent stops included the South West Rocks and it's gaol (jail) with its interesting WWI history and Port Macquarie (many reef rocks along its shoreline). We spent two days in Barrington National Park. The Eastern Section, which required a 30 km drive along an unsealed road (with very little traffic), provided wonderful viewpoints at Thunderbolts Lookout and Devils Hole. We spotted 2 Wedge Tailed Eagles sitting on a branch, seeking dinner......they had a 2 metre wingspan (which we saw when they took off) and are the largest bird of prey in Australia. At 5,000 feet above sea level and 10C colder than the east coast, we passed up the camping opportunity for a motel room in Dungog (with some new owners who also operate a dairy farm......we wish them well....after they finish milking their holsteins every morning). The next day we covered the Southern Section of the NP and hiked along the Blue Gum Loop Trail. It went along both sides of the Williams River and through an enchanting rainforest with huge Blue Gum trees. Large, old fallen trees were covered in moss and ferns, permitting us to watch the rainforest regenerating itself. There were several swimming holes along the way but the cooler morning temperatures did not bode well for a morning dip. We saw a Superb Lyrebird, with it's harp-like tail who mimic other bird sounds, but we couldn't get the camera out quick enough to catch him before he disappeared into the brush. After that we drove to the Chichester Dam for a picnic lunch a short climb to an abandoned lookout where we found a well-hidden geocache.

Today we covered Pacific Palms, Seal Rocks, Myall Lake, Hawks Nest and Tea Garden. We had planned to stay somewhere along the way but none of them really appealed to us. They were all nice (perhaps we expected more), so we continued on to Kuruah where we found a nice Caravan Park next to a famous jetty with a short boardwalk through a mangrove. This is where the embarrassing part comes in. After several nights where the evening temperature was dropping to 10-12C.......nothing to worry about for a 'good' Canadian.......we opted for a cabin with it's own bathroom, kitchen, cable TV and a small living room (and Otis parked comfortably in the driveway). What ever happened to the adventure seekers who left home 4 months ago????

Do I at least get a chance to redeem myself.........for doing it on Mother's Day?

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.

South West Rocks

Barrington Tops NP - many shades of green & brown

Chichester Dam -geocache find (after removing a rock)

Forster Sunday Market - gingerbread camel purchase

Karuah Jetty

Rhonda in her Caravan Park castle on Mothers Day..........happy wife, happy life :-)

Family & Friends Coastal Tour

While we hated to leave Fraser Island, we had plenty planned for the next week.

We made our first stop in Noosa Heads (on the Sunshine Coast) which we really liked. It had many canals, enabling most homes to have backyard docks, and a large park at the headland providing several hiking trails. We chose the coastal route to Hell's Gate and back through the forest for 7 km's of nice views. From there we continued on to Coloundra where we walked along the boardwalk watching kite-boarders flying through the air in big winds.

The next day we had a good visit in Twin Waters with Geoff and June (Darren's parents) where we had a lovely lunch together and caught up on their new home adventure. We then drove on to the top end of Brisbane (North Lakes) where we spent a couple of days re-visiting with Darren and Amy (Rhonda's niece). Darren took us to our first National Rugby League (NRL) game to watch the Brisbane Broncos play the South Sydney Rabbitohs (Russell Crowe owns them). It had an unfortunate ending for the home team but it was fun to watch in our mid-field seats with another 40,000 fans at SunCorp Stadium. We walked back to the downtown area for a lovely late evening dinner afterwards. After saying good-bye to D&A we walked around downtown Brisbane the next day which we thoroughly enjoyed. It has an active downtown area, helped by 2 university campuses, and the Brisbane River that meanders through the city, and has parks, boardwalks and pedestrian bridges along the way. The Songkran Festival was underway for the Buddhist community, and while well attended, it was extremely tamer than our experience in Thailand last year. It was still fun to see everyone out celebrating.

Our drive further south took us along the Gold Coast....too many ocean-side high rises, and too many people as a result for our tastes. We made a brief stop in Surfers Paradise.......good swells but none of the surfers I have met would be able to afford to stay there.......we hang with the younger crowd! We continued on to Byron Bay for a second visit (previously there for the Blues Fest a month ago), just in time to see the final swimmer come ashore in the Ocean Swim Race. Two kayaks followed him to shore so he arrived safely but well behind most of the 1,500+ entrants in the 2.5 km event. We had intended to watch Bobbie swim in one of the many ocean races in which she likes to compete......in shark-infested waters for some strange reason?......but arrived too late. We tried to find Bill and Bobbie in the Surf Club crowd but with several thousand people attending, including the crowd and elbow-rubbers with the real athletes on the Beer Patio, we didn't manage to find them (they were there as it turned out). We checked into the Caravan Park that we stayed in the night before the Blues Fest ($30 now vs. $100 during the Festival) and went to the busy Sunday Market down the road from our CP. We bought some fresh veggies, had lunch and listened to a band playing some very good blues-rock tunes. After that we caught up with B&B, and their Yamba friends Allan and Jane, at the CP and we all hiked up to the lighthouse overlooking Byron Bay. This was the easternmost point of Australia and also near the starting point of the Ocean Race. Allan and Bobbie had similar times (38-39 minutes) and both finished in the top third of their divisions. We all had dinner together in their shared cabin at the end of the day.

The next day we were on the road again, stopping at Lennox Head (surfers), Ballina (shopping), Evans Head (picnic) and Maclean (Scottish heritage with over 200 tartan lamp posts). Our destination was Bill and Bobbie's new abode in Yamba, a very pretty town, non touristy, and offering sailing opportunities for Bill and ocean swimming for Bobbie. We enjoyed our time with them, spending most of one day taking a ferry to Iluka and doing a rainforest walk out to the Bluff, having a lunch at the pub and taking the ferry back to Yamba on a rainy day when we managed to be undercover whenever it was raining.....including only a light mist while we were in the rainforest. Bill entertained us during the evenings with his new 47 inch 3D Full HD TV where we watched 2 wonderful Great Barrier Reef videos and the Disney move “Up” which we all enjoyed. This morning.......after Bobbie had her regular daily ocean swim while Bill did a walk or tried to swim with her.....and we slept in until 7 am......we all walked around the headland and over to the Wednesday Market where we purchased some veggies for the next few days.

Tomorrow we will continue our journey south towards Sydney.

SunCorp Stadium in Brisbane - Broncos vs, South Sydney Rabbitohs

Brisbane Wheel and river side walk

Brisbane CBD

Brisbane South Bank sand pool

Maclean - "Burns" tartan pole (one of 200+)

Yamba - Iluka Bluff

Cottonwood Pelicans on steroids waiting to fly home

Competition for the Great Ocean Road

We had a fabulous time on the remarkable Fraser Island, a very large sand island, 120 km's long and 20 km's wide. Over time fresh water lakes developed at the top of huge sand dunes (from rainwater) so there are both crystal clear lakes and subtropical rainforests on the island but all based on sand with the only bit of rock being at the north end of the island. The purest form of dingos (wolf family) also roam the island, never having the chance to cross-breed with dogs which has happened on the mainland. Only four-wheel drive vehicles are allowed on the ferry over to the island so we elected for a two day tour to let someone else do the driving. It was a good decision and made for a very relaxing trip since the inland sand roads were very narrow with deep tire ruts. We chose a 30 person bus for the trip rather than a 4x4 and that also worked out since many of the smaller vehicles had to make several attempts climbing sand dune roads and some inexperienced drivers got stuck in the sand. We also moved along much faster and the other trucks got out of our way. Speed limits of 80 km/hr were posted on the beach but our machine often exceed those limits, driving close to the water's edge where the sand was firmer. It was a blast.

On our first day we spent time at Lake McKenzie where we had a freshwater swim and exfoliated our skin with the surrounding silica sand. Then it was off to Central Station, a former logging camp that was shut down in 1991 when the island was given a World Heritage listing. The stop also included a rainforest walk in Pine Valley where we encountered a 1,000 year old satinay tree that took six people to get their arms around it. After that we did a 5 km loop walk to Lake Wabby which had steep sand banks allowing people to run down the hill and jump into the sandy-bottomed lake. During the walk to the lake we crossed the Hammerstone Sandblow, a large expanse of sand (2 km`s long) which has blown over top of the ground cover and is moving east to west at a pace of one metre a year. We then returned to the Eurong Resort where I took my bathing suit off for the first time all day, and we had a nice dinner later that evening.

Our second day was spent almost entirely on 75 Mile Beach and we covered most of it on our bus making frequent stops along the way. When the tide was in our driver (and guide) had to wait sometimes for the ocean water to recede before continuing on. On other occasions he drove through the shallower waves. Our first stop was at the 1935 Maheno shipwreck, the rusted skeleton of a 500 passenger ocean liner which is slowly disappearing into the sand at the water's edge. The Coloured Sands (caused by oxidization) and a walk to the top of Indian Head for some fantastic views was next. After that we went to the Champagne Pools at the north end of the island for a dip in some sandy ocean pools where some reef rocks protected us from the wild surf but not from the spray and rush of water when larger waves came crashing onto the rock barrier. We had lunch on the beach before heading over to Eli Creek and it`s crystal clear water where we could walk upstream along a boardwalk and then float back to the ocean using the strong current to propel us.

During our ferry ride back to the mainland we watched a beautiful sunset, making for a perfect ending to our wonderful trip.  

Inland two-way road with some small tire ruts

Ocean highway and landing strip for Air Fraser

Dingo - more dangerous than they look

Lake Wabby - great place for a swim or to use the natural sun-lounger

The SS Maheno, grounded since 1935 and too deep in sand to be removed

The view from Indian Head - and our coastal highway

Champagne Pools - we spent an hour cooling off

A relaxing finish to our Fraser Island trip

History Lessons

While driving into Mackay I noticed a sign saying that the Races were being run that day and, after spotting very large racetracks in many small towns along the way in Australia but never any racing going on, I was intrigued. We pulled into the Mackay Turf Club in the late afternoon to find that there were two races left on the card. They had a small grandstand with less then two hundred people watching but the races were also being simulcast to a much larger betting audience. Both horses that I bet on crossed the finish line first but since they were all running the wrong way around the track I wasn't sure if my horses came first or finished dead last......they cashed my tickets though so our 45 minute sidetrack resulted in a quick $100 profit. Watching the horses run clockwise around the track also helped me understand better why one of our previously owned Ponytrail Stables standardbreds, born Down Under, never mastered the North American system of running counter-clockwise around the racetrack. We must feed them the same though.....our horse didn't have any trouble in that regard (as we noticed on our monthly bill).

The next day we continued driving south to Rockhampton, Australia's beef capitol (still no match for Alberta), and accidentally returned to a Caravan Park that we didn't like the first time through when we were heading north. Our memories clicked in as soon as we had paid for a site and drove past the front gate. Perhaps we are not as sharp as we used to be. In any event, our reason for stopping was to take advantage of the many activities taking place the next morning celebrating ANZAC Day which is their version of Remembrance Day for us. The Parade and Civic Service by the riverfront were attended by many of the locals. April 25^th was selected to honour the 35,000 Australian and New Zealand forces that perished while trying to land on the beaches of Galipoli in Turkey, similar to our Normandy experience. The surviving veterans of the older wars (WWII, Korean, Vietnam) are shrinking but their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren were part of the parade wearing medals earned by their forebearers. It was a good time to pause and reflect how fortunate we have been in our lives to have not had to make those difficult decisions.

With almost all of the businesses closed for the day, and in every other town and city, we decided to drive several hundred kilometres inland to visit Carnarvon National Park which we had heard many good things about. The 15 km hike that we did was exceptional. The main trail followed the creek at the bottom of the gorge with 7 different rock-hop crossings and white cliff walls above us. There was plenty of vegetation around us providing much appreciated shade on a sunny 25C day. We made side trips to the Art Gallery (over 2,000 Aboriginal engravings, stencils and paintings on the rock walls), Ward's Canyon (world's largest ferns and amazing stream colours caused by oxidization), the Amphitheatre (a 60 metre deep chamber carved by water with towering stone walls) and the Moss Garden (water from the top of the canyon seeping through the sandstone and dripping off the moss-laden walls). Ranger Fred, an Aboriginal descendant, filled us in on the meanings of the canyon wall art and the stories it told about his ancestors. Together with the superb views, it made the long drive from the coast well worth the effort.

We are now back on the east coast in Hervey Bay. It was raining on our previous visit so we postponed our two day trip over to sandy Fraser Island which we will embark upon tomorrow.  

April 25 ANZAC Day Parade in Rockhampton

Elementary school boys 'marching' in the parade

Not sure if this school group were sad because of the war casualties or unhappy wearing their uniforms

Carnarvon NP - one of many creek crossing points

Ward's Canyon

Amazing colours in the shallow, crystal clear creek

Art Gallery - ancient Aboriginal stencil art

Moss Garden in Carnarvon NP

Resume Update ---- "Crew Member on a World Class Ocean Sail Racing Boat"

......I might be embellishing that a little bit. The sailboat we chose for our 2 day cruise around the Whitsunday Islands is a legendary racing boat, Siska, 23 metres long, that twice won the Sydney-to-Hobart Ocean Race and many other international races. I helped trim the sail (OK, awning) and hoist the jib.....35 years later.

We drove to Airlie Beach (in between Cairns and Brisbane) because we knew they had several opportunities to sail around the Whitsunday Islands which is part of the Great Barrier Reef. During two days of perfect weather, we were actually praying for more wind so that the sails could go up, and it happened twice for several hours, making it a highlight of the trip along with Whitehaven Beach. There was lots of marine life but it was not as crazy-good (less spectacular coral) as the Outer Reef. There were 20 passengers and 3 crew members (other than myself)...........18 of them were in the 20-30 year old range........that leaves 2 people in the 60 and over category. This group couldn't party as hard as our friends....so we fit right in :-) We did two snorkelling trips while we were on the boat. There were still colourful fish and coral but it wasn't as superb as we saw last week.....other than Elvis, a 4 foot Maori Wrasse who was friendly and swam close to us. Cruising through the islands was a treat. It looked a lot like Northern Ontario above the water (interesting trees, rock and bays (no habitation) but the colour of the water and the everything below made it special over here. They gave us the senior suite on the Siska which was at the very front of the boat and the only spot without bunk beds......it was a little tight but turned out to be the best “suite” on board. Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island might be the best beach I have ever been on (keep in mind my memory is not increasing). It has pure silica sand which has the consistency of very fine grains and non-reflective materials which is never too hot and similar to walking in soft butter when you are near the shoreline. While walking in knee-deep water we spotted a 3 foot shark and several small sting rays. It was a good 2 day trip and when the sails were up it was a very peaceful adventure.

Prior to our second GBR tour we spent some time in the Ingham area, driving west to Gurringum NP and the Wallaman Falls, at 268 metres the longest single-drop waterfall in Australia. The hike to the base was a workout and the constant mist spray at the bottom was nice but the swim in the rock pool at the top was totally refreshing. The bandicoots, small possum-like creatures, seemed more comfortable than we were,walking around our campfire that evening.......we resolved it peacefully.

Tomorrow we will drive inland to another National Park before continuing our journey south along the east coast.

Siska - our Whitsundays sailbosat

raising the main sail

our evening sky

Whitehaven Beach - pure silica sand

wish I had my sand wedge and a golf ball

Rhonda's dream boat........does that mean separate bedrooms???

Wallaman Falls - 268 metre drop

The Great (Awesome) Barrier Reef

Following two days in the Port Douglas area where we had a good time with our Cottonwood friends (Lorne & Sharon) exploring the Daintree Rainforest and the Mossman Gorge, we drove south to Cairns where we had booked our Great Barrier Reef tour. The company we chose used a catamaran that held 30 passengers which was our preference rather than the larger boats that resulted in more people being in the water. Following the 50 km trip to the Outer Reef we spent over 4 hours snorkeling at two different reef spots (Michaelmas Cay and Hastings Reef). We had a glorious time. It was a beautiful sunny day with very little wind, providing ideal conditions. The varied types and colours of the coral made for spectacular viewing, superior to anything we had ever seen before. There were also lots of tropical fish (big & small), some large sea turtles and our favourite, the giant clams.....they were 5 feet long with a sandy tone on the outside but with bright vibrant colours (purple, green, blue) when opened up which most of them were. The starfish were also colourful. But the brilliant coral was the overall highlight of our excursion. The fun-loving staff on the boat, who were also very safety conscious, took some underwater photos for the group and then posted them on the web for us to retrieve which was a nice feature. We will go back out to the GBR for another visit during our travels down the coast.

Yesterday we did a short rainforest walk to see the Babinda Boulders, large granite rocks smoothed over by the rapidly moving water. Then we did another walk to the Josephine Falls where there was a swimming hole at the bottom of the falls. After watching the younger crowd going down a 20 foot rock water slide into the pool and not harming their bodies, I even gave it a go myself (several times). It was a lot of fun and refreshing on another 30C day. Our favourite water hole so far, especially with the waterfall in the background and some nice smooth rocks to relax on.

Today we will continue driving slowly down the coast with a planned stop at Wallaman Falls where we will hike out to the longest single-drop falls in Australia (300 metres).

In our fashionable stinger suits (jellyfish protection)

The amazing coral

Our snorkel group with our guide (follow the tube)

More lovely coral

One of the sea turtles we saw

Giant clam but mostly closed.......we saw many more that were more open and colourful

Josephine Falls (background) and water slide into the swimming hole