Author: odohertyelaine

Back to my home away from home in Brisbane for a night before we take off to the Gold Coast.

We are on our way to Byron Bay which is south of Brisbane along the Gold Coast but it’s actually in New South Wales. You wouldn’t notice you’ve crossed the border other than a welcome sign and on the way back into Queensland the “no rabbits” sign!

We stop off at another famous pie shop called Yatala. This one is even signposted on the main traffic signs:

In an attempt to walk off the pie we check out Surfers Paradise. The beach is fabulous and goes on forever:

There’s been a recurring theme to our time hanging out and that’s food, so of course we start our Byron bay adventure with lunch and then we do a “short” hike to the lighthouse – Ian fooled us into thinking it was half the length it actually was. But we made it and honestly didn’t mind walking home in the dark – right Fiona?!!

On the way up we hit the most easterly part of Australia

After our hike we’re ready for a drink and we go into the main bar in town which used to be owned by Crocodile Dundee. We kept an eye out for him but apparently he doesn’t own it anymore. The pints were good though and we saw a live band who were, shall we say, interesting.

Next day we hit the beach at Byron after a big breakfast of course. Ian gets a board and tries a bit of surfing but Fiona and I are happy watching him from our sun beds with our kindles.

We head back toward Queensland and check out another beach called Coolangatta which looks back on Surfers Paradise. We had hoped to get into some calm water here but it’s actually a bit windy so instead we relax and take in the kite surfers and general loveliness of the beach.

The last of my parkruns is at South Bank Parklands and it’s a huge parkrun with nearly five hundred people. It goes along the river, over a bridge, through the botanical gardens, back over the bridge (not sure which one as there are so many bridges in Brisbane) and finishes by the river. It’s a gorgeous morning and we follow up the run with breakfast in one of the nearby restaurants.

For the rest of the day we lounge at the pool and when the sun is not so hot I finally get a game of tennis. The tennis court is really nice at the apartment complex so Ian and I play a couple of sets and I’m happy to report that the experience of the club player (i.e. me!) beats the strength of the newbie…. phew!!!

As it’s Cinco De Mayo today we decide to go out for Mexican food and some margaritas. There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of Cinco De Mayo celebrations going on but there’s markets and it’s Buddhas birthday so we check that out… alas we’re a bit late to the party and everything is closing up so all we can do is go for another drink! We do manage to catch the churros stall before it closes:

Brisbane is a really colorful city at night

We check out the casino which is housed in a beautiful old building but don’t stay long as it’s quite a bizarre place to hang out for a drink. We do go to a nice bar called the Gresham and I’m fascinated by the system of checking your i.d. by a machine which apparently all the bars have and all the systems are connected. It captures a photo of you and matches it to your photo i.d. And you have to do that each time you enter or leave the bar… and the toilets are outside !!!

The manager wasn’t impressed with my paper drivers license from Ireland but he let me in! As we are enjoying our drink there’s two men outside (50ish) and as they are approaching the pub one of them starts to slip… he’s sliding for ages and managing to hold himself up but eventually goes down.. he’s very obviously twisted but they continue up to the door and try to get into the bar. It’s hilarious – they’ve no chance!

Well it’s been a busy few days back in Brisi and it’s time to head off again, one final short trip in this huge country. One more blog post to go!!

To get to Airlie beach I fly an hour and a half from Brisbane to Proserpine aka the Whitsunday Coastal airport. It’s another hour or so drive to get to Airlie Beach (where the boat to the Whitsundays will leave from) and I have an overnight stay ahead of my cruise tomorrow. I’m arriving a day ahead of the cruise so I can fit in another parkrun. I’m not too impressed with my hotel as it’s quite a distance from the town but I walk in and get some dinner before an early night ahead of a 7am parkrun tomorrow.

Saturday morning parkrun no. 10 – my second to last in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s a really nice one along the boardwalk to Abell Point Marina and the crowd are really friendly and cheer for Ireland as I finish!

I have a few hours before getting on the boat so after a lovely breakfast at The Deck on Main Street I wander around the little town and shops and buy some beach gear and a hat. I must say I’m a bit anxious getting on the boat but I get over it fairly quickly. It’s a catamaran with 4 sleeping cabins. I get one to myself… thank heavens, sharing one of these would be tough and there are three couples on board plus the captain and helper (who does everything else!).

I’m so lucky to have a really nice bunch of people to share this 3-night adventure with. There’s John and Joanne from Arkansas who I get chatting to before we board and straight away know I’m gonna hit it off with them. Then a couple from Vancouver – Azim and Fawziyah and Daniel and Franzie a young couple from Salzburg. It doesn’t take long for us to get to know each other.

We spend a couple of hours on our first day sailing out from land among the various islands and it’s beautiful. Although there’s a motor on the boat Peter the captain likes to put the sails up as much as possible and it’s so nice when the motor is off and we are gliding with the wind literally in our sails!

I’m feeling a bit more relaxed and gaining confidence moving around the boat so I decide to sit up front and enjoy the breeze and the calm sailing. Most of us are out front enjoying the good weather and calm sea and the captain decides to change the direction of the sails. Now this is my first time sailing and I really have no idea how this works but in hindsight I would move to the back for this maneuver. Somehow, in the effort to turn the sails the ropes became lose and were flapping around over our heads and all around us. The rope caught around one of the girls arms and as she wriggled free it caught my leg.. I let a scream because firstly I was watching her and thought she was going to get thrown overboard and I thought I was going to get dragged up by my leg…it was terrifying. The captain let a roar for us all to put our heads down and as I followed the instructions I got a massive lash in the face off the rope. Oh my God it hurt and I was afraid to move as I didn’t know if the ropes and sails were under control yet. Eventually (probably about sixty seconds later) someone asked if I was ok and I got up and came to the back of the boat. I had a red stinging face but thankfully no rope mark and my sunglasses protected my eye. I put some ice on it and it calmed down. I was very shaky, talk about knocking my confidence and really mad at the captain – that’s something that really should not happen on a boat with tourists relaxing on deck. Why he didn’t ask us to move to the back while they did what they needed to do is beyond me but lesson learned I’ll never allow that to happen again.

Anyway… deep breath and moving on… we all brought our own booze on board so it’s party time once the sun goes down. Well actually, most of the group have a few earlier in the day but I don’t like to mix daytime drinking with the open seas so I’ll wait til the sun has set and the boat is no longer moving. Of course I was happy to partake with my new pals once the sun went down.

On our second day we start with breakfast around 7 and then head toward Whitehaven beach. It’s absolutely stunning and I walk a few kilometers up the seven kilometer stretch of sandy beach.

When I get back from my walk everyone is swimming and the water is so nice and calm I join them.

Back on the boat we sail onwards to Tongue Point lookout which is truly amazing. How the water and sands mix colors and shapes is beautiful to see. It’s a short hike to the top and the lookout allows you to see this :

It’s hard to walk away from that view:

In the afternoon it’s time for some snorkeling. We go out in the little dingy and go in the water from there which is a little nerve wrecking as I somehow manage to launch myself under the boat…. I get my act together and swim around and see some fish but the coral is not great – most of it in this area is bleached.

That night we have a gorgeous dinner of steak cooked on the grill and there’s plenty of wine and beer still to be drank.

We find out that Daniel is a ski jumper and it’s fascinating to hear about his training and competitions. We get to see a YouTube clip of him and it is amazing – he now has a whole new fan base in us and we’re hoping to see him in the next olympics.

On our next full day at sea we start by going for a snorkel in an area where the coral is a little more colorful. This time John is kind enough to help me out of the dingy and hold my hand for a while til I’m relaxed enough to swim around myself. It really does make all the difference and I’m in the water for ages (apparently 45 minutes!) before I decide I’ve had enough. We do see some nice coral and colorful fish here.

That evening we see batfish in the water

And later we see a beautiful sunset

We wake up on our last day to some rain so we don’t get a final snorkel in, we head back to shore after a very healthy breakfast and say our goodbyes. It’s been a great few days and I couldn’t have been with a nicer group.

This time when I check into the hotel I’m delighted. I have a beautiful apartment looking out to the seafront. I’m tired and a bit worn out from the sun and the sea so it’s nice to have a bit of luxury and hang around on the balcony. It’s also nice to be eating when you’re still and not having to hold onto your glass to make sure it doesn’t spill!

After a very lazy day I head to Airlie Beach main street and meet with my Arkansas buddies at the rum bar. After a very nice rum cocktail we decide to hit the Irish bar but it doesn’t open til 10pm, ha ha there’s no chance we’ll be waiting for that so instead we hit one of the bigger bars which is full of backpackers and I’m guessing we’re the oldest people there. Ah well we have some food and drinks and a good night.

Next day I have time for a final walk along the seafront and then it’s time to head back to Brisbane.

Ian and I fly back to Brisbane on the same flight and after an unscheduled detour to Melbourne, we arrive safely Saturday evening and are met by Fiona and quite a large bump. We have a quiet evening catching up over a takeaway and glass of wine. The view from their apartment is fab:

On Sunday we go out for a leisurely breakfast and carb load a bit ahead of our 10k Twilight run. We take a stroll along the dockside where we can see the city and Storey bridge and it’s a fabulous walking path right on their doorstep. I’m looking forward to getting out here during the week.

It’s rough when it’s hot and you’ve been relaxing all afternoon, to get up, put your gear on and get ready to run ten kilometers at 5 o’clock in the evening but we’ve signed up and we’re going to do it. The before shot:

As it turns out we end up doing really well with Ian launching into trainer mode and pushing me to the finish. I’m pretty sure I’ve run my fastest 10k so we’re delighted with ourselves and Fiona is at the finish line to cheer us on:

As we’re over this side of town we go to Mt Cootha lookout to see the view across the city, then we pick up food and head home.. ready for a shower and an early night.

I hit the waterfront next morning and go out with the intention of a 5km run.

I end up doing 9km and although I’d love to say that I was just having a Forest Gump moment it’s really because I couldn’t figure out the loop back to the apartment and so ran too far one way and came back another and there you go – 9km! It’s a great area for a run though and super views:

I decide to have an easy day after that and settle in to my new home away from home. Next day I venture into the city. There’s a free city hopper ferry which is very handy and I go to Southbank and walk the Kurilpa foot bridge into the main town centre.

There’s a cool man-made lagoon right among the office blocks which is amazing.. imagine on your lunch break stripping off and jumping in here or lying on the sand for an hour before you go back to work.. brilliant!

I spend the afternoon at city hall where I catch the last ten minutes of a free concert in the dome. Then I visit the museum upstairs and do the clock tower tour and then I spend an hour at the “Mao’s Last Dancer” exhibit which is really interesting.

When I get back home via the ferry, it’s a quick change into gym gear and we’re off to CrossFit. It’s my first time and I really like the class.. especially the skipping!

We dash home and have a quick turnaround of showers and within the hour are ready to hit the Story Hotel for Trivia. It’s packed and the girl running it has a really annoying voice which I can’t even describe in words but we have a laugh and get through it and end up scoring reasonably high.

Wednesday is Anzac Day which means it’s a public holiday so we set off up the Sunshine Coast. There’s an accident on the main road so we are a little longer in the car than we would have liked but we fill the time with a few games of Heads Up. We check out the Eumundi markets and have the most gorgeous donuts.

Then we do a hike at Mt Coolum to work them off.

Fiona does tremendous considering the bumpy she’s carrying and she gets lots of kudos from others on the trail.

We’re delighted when we make it to the top

Then we hit Cooolom beach and stay there til the sun sets. The sand is gorgeous and the water is almost warm. I have a paddle up to my knees but Ian goes for it:

We have a really tasty Asian dinner before heading home – what a full day it’s been I reckon we’ll all sleep like logs. On Thursday I take Fiona’s car and drive back along the sunshine coast to the Australia Zoo, aka The Steve Irwin zoo. As zoos go it’s really good and the highlight is the crocodile show.

I get to see a dingo which looks no different to a dog:

The koalas are being their usual cutes selves:

I see my first Komodo Dragon, apparently this guy is a small one and I really want to go to Komodo island and see some big ones (it’s on my list):

Earlier when I took the exit for the zoo which takes you along Steve Irwin Way, I noticed signs for Glass House National Park and I kept getting peaks of some amazing looking mountains as I was driving, I’m anxious to get out of the zoo and see the mountains while the sun is shining. I follow a sign to a lookout spot and I’m not disappointed – they are amazing:

Great views driving around here:

A quick pit stop on the way home to pick up some wine and then It’s home for a shower and dinner out with the Brisbane crew who I met in New Zealand (remember that gang who got me drunk!!!!). I meet up with Anna and Peter who take me to a fabulous French restaurant called Boucher in their neighborhood and we have a great giggle about that crazy night and I fill them in on all my travels since I saw them. Unfortunately I don’t get to see the other two couples but maybe on my return we might remedy that.

It’s been great to visit Brisbane and see where my cuz lives and I’m looking forward to a few more days and exploring the Gold Coast when I get back. For now it’s time to head further north to the Whitsundays.

I’m up at 4:30am for my two and a half hour flight to Alice Springs. My cousin Ian, who lives in Brisbane, is meeting me there and we are doing the Red Centre (as they call this neck of the woods) tour together. What greets you on arrival are flies. They are everywhere and apparently there’s going to be even more of them as we travel further into the outback.

Day 1 Alice Springs: The hotel is a newly renovated Crowne Plaza and the rooms are spanky new with a lovely pool area and nice restaurant. Ian and I walk downtown which is about a thirty minute walk in blazing heat… well it’s reasonably comfortable for Ian but I’m roasting. We meet nobody along the road until we hit the small town. The flies are still hanging around – there’s actually one on my face in this photo!

As you’d expect there’s a lot of aboriginal people around. They have a reputation for being drunk and disorderly but apparently that’s because, like the native Americans, they are missing the gene that breaks down alcohol (I’m not sure how true that really is). There’s a strange feel to the town, it’s hard to explain. It’s essentially in the middle of nowhere with a few basic shops, bars and some cafes. The whole area is like a red sand desert but with trees and tufts of grass growing all over it. We settle into a bar that serves food and have a couple of beers with a giant sambo for lunch.

Day 2 Yolara & Kata Tjuta: We set off on the 441km journey to Yolara and the bus driver tells us that we’ll have two right turns during that time. It’s a long bus journey and the driver talks the whole way. He tells us some interesting stuff like there are currently approximately a million wild camels in Australia in particular in the Northern Territory where we are now, but also reaching into Western Australia and South Australia. Camels are considered feral pests and after a census in 2002 found there were two million of them, the government decided to shoot them and managed to kill around eight hundred thousand of them. Apparently the numbers are shooting back up again so if one comes onto your land you are entitled to shoot him. We hope to see some wild ones over the next few days but for now we stop off at a camel farm and meet a few friendly ones:

They are surprisingly clean and soft to pet. Apparently they’re the healthiest camels in the world. I even got feed this guy

And Ian goes for a ride:

The landscape doesn’t change much on our six hour drive but the bus driver Gary feels the need to tell us every small detail about what’s around us including telling us about what is down a road that we are not turning down or trivial meaningless things that we really don’t need to know. It’s quite exhausting for us but I’m guessing he’s doing it to keep himself awake.

Half way there we stop at place called Eridunda which has a coffee shop and more importantly sells fly masks – these are going to get a lot of use. We also see some emus:

A couple of hours before reaching Yolara we pass Mt Connor which looks a little like Uluru but it’s not:

We catch our first glimpse of Uluru around 40km out from it. That’s how big this rock is and how flat the landscape is as you approach it. It’s three kilometers long and if you were to walk the path around it, it’s a ten kilometer walk.

We arrive at Ayers Rock Resort which houses a small village of three or four hotels, a post office, small supermarket, gift shops and a few cafes. Other than some high end camping, it is the only accommodation with close proximity to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. We have a little respite from the hot soon and then it’s time to visit Kata Tjuta for sunset. Kata Tjuta, also known as the Olgas, are a group of thirty-six red domed rocks that are held sacred by the aboriginal people in particular aboriginal men. Apparently aboriginal women have no business being near them or even looking at them!!

Our first proper view of Uluru on the way to Kata Tjuta:

There’s a group of about twenty-five of us on the sunset tour and we enjoy wine and canapés as we watch the sun go down on Kata Tjuta. Unfortunately it’s cloudy so we don’t get a spectacular change in colour. It is beautiful though… even though we have to wear our fly masks the whole time:

Day 3 Uluru: Today is all about The Rock. We have a 5:45am pick up to see the sun rise. It’s an early start but it’s well worth it.

After a nap and some lunch we head back out, this time to Walpa gorge. We get to walk through and it’s really beautiful:

Later in the afternoon we visit Uluru and drive all the way around. If you were to walk it it’s 10km and unfortunately we don’t have that time built into our tour. It’s also 36 degrees so not ideal walking weather. It’s nice to see it from every angle though.

The local people ask that you don’t climb Uluru and looking at the path upward I’d agree it’s not a good choice:

Afterward we head to the cultural centre to learn about the native aboriginal people and then it’s time for another sunset:

We have more wine and nibbles as we watch the rock change colour:

There are aboriginal artists all around selling their art and Ian buys a lovely piece from a young girl who tells us her name is Shirley:

Once the sun is gone we go for an outdoor BBQ and have some fun star gazing and getting to know the people at our table who decide to join in an Aussie style sing song on the bus back to the hotel.

Day 4: Kings Canyon. It’s an even earlier start today as we are visiting Kings Canyon which is a 3 hour drive away and then we have another 4-5 hours back to Alice Springs. So we are up at 4am for a 4:45am pickup! This better be worth it!! We stop for breakfast a couple of hours in and and I see this gorgeous fella:

I get very excited when we see some wild camels:

It’s a fairly handy three hour hike, steep at the beginning but mostly flat at the top as we look around the canyon.

It’s very pretty and with the sun shining the colors are magnificent.

We have some lunch at the Kings Canyon resort before boarding a bus for a couple of hours to the drop off point for the bus back to Alice Springs. We load into the new bus and you’ll never guess who’s driving… it’s Gary from our outbound journey. I’m really hoping he’s not going to talk for the whole next five hours or so but unfortunately I’m out of luck. He’s quiet for maybe the first hour or so and then he pipes up and starts telling us all the same things he told us on the way out. Both Ian and I have our earphones in but we can still hear him. He’s sooooo loud! It’s hysterical and so annoying at the same time. By the time we hit the Crowne Plaza at 7pm, we’re worn out but relieved to be away from the drone. We decide on a quick turnaround of shower and freshen up and meet for dinner and then hit the casino. Ah blackjack I’ve missed you…. we have a great laugh at a table with a few local lunatics and play til after midnight – very late night for this trip but worth it.

Day 5: Homeward Bound. Breakfast somewhat fixes me but I’m suffering a bit after last night and we only get an hour at the pool to gather our thoughts before we have to get packed and head for the airport. It’s been a great few days seeing this part of Australia and it was made even better having the youngest Fallon cousin with me – you’re a legend Iano!! But now it’s time to head to Brisbane and another adventure.

Bye Bye!

I have big plans for the 3+ hour flight to Perth – blog update (obviously!), choir practice, figure out how to use my new camera and maybe sneak in a movie and/or a snooze.. we’ll see!

Having accomplished very little of my intended tasks I arrive in Perth at lunchtime and am greeted by a very excited bride-to-be. It’s much hotter here and we’ve loads to catch up on so we head toward home, picking up the lovely Sean on the way. Do we look excited!!

We have a lovely evening catching up and Jason (husband-to-be) makes pizza for us. We did think we’d stay off the booze tonight but it’s my first night in town so a glass (or two) is called for and a bit of FaceTime home to Anne’s sister ahead of the big day tomorrow.

Another Saturday morning in Australia means another parkrun. This time it’s at Lake Joondalup and it’s a busy one with about 300 people. It’s flat and there’s a bit of cloud so not too hot and I manage to run my fastest to date on this side of the world… happy days. We have a wedding breakfast by the pier at Hillarys (now don’t go getting confused by my friend Hilary in Sydney, this is the name of the harbour) and I spend the rest of the day resting up until it’s time for the wedding.

Before we know it it’s time to get ready and we have a lovely afternoon with the bride getting ready over a glass of champagne…

The wedding is in a beautiful location by the sea and the sun is setting as the bride and groom make their vows:

An amazing party follows where I get to meet all of Anne’s friends who I’ve been hearing about forever. We eat, drink, dance and sing until it’s time to leave the venue and move the party elsewhere… Sunday is going to be a long recovery day.

Cheers to the newly weds:

Skipping over a couple of very slow days which involve a lot of napping and eating, by Tuesday we are brand new and we take the ferry to our first “honeymoon” destination – Rottnest Island.

Rottnest is famous for two things – the convict prison and quokkas. The quokkas are everywhere. They’re at your feet if you’re at the bakery or restaurant eating outside, they’re on the road as you walk or cycle by and they’re in your garden waiting for food. They seem very gentle and are definitely cute:

The ferry ride to the island is very choppy and a member of the crew recommends we move from the front of the boat to the back where it will be less bumpy. We stay put and enjoy the rocky bumps and let out a few squeals when it gets particularly bad! It takes about 45 minutes to get there and although the weather was really rough on the way over it’s gorgeous weather when we arrive.

We spend our first day exploring the settlement which is where the general store, restaurants and bars are. Our accommodation is walking distance from the ferry and the island itself is only 18km by 4km so it’s easy to cover the whole thing. That evening we hit the bar at the Karma resort for a spot of Trivia. We have some stiff competition and end up somewhere mid table which we’re happy enough with as one of the rounds was to name a load of Australian politicians which clearly neither of us had a clue about… and the music round wasn’t great either, usually my favorite round in a quiz, alas the Aussie knowledge was lacking.

Next day we pick up bikes and cycle around the island, there are sixty separate beaches and coves on this little island, each one more beautiful than the next.

We cycle around the coastline and take in the amazing scenery:

Fairly early on the chain comes off my bike and we have to call it in for the rescue team to come and sort it out.. they actually swap it out for a new bike… I’m mortified I can’t even get the chain back on. Well let’s face it neither of us were even going to try!!

The quokkas are everywhere we cycle:

Back full circle we end at the lighthouse and decide the beach here, called the basin, is where we should go for an afternoon snorkel.

It’s not too deep, fairly calm and easy enough to get into so I’m happy. We see plenty of fish.

No trivia tonight so we decide to take a bottle of wine to one of the scenic lookouts for sunset. The sun actually sets on the other side of the island but we watch the beautiful colors in the sky and sip a glass til it’s almost dark. The apartment has a full kitchen so we rustle up some dinner and chill out over, yes you guessed it, more wine!

Next morning we pack up and head for a big brekkie before getting the ferry back to the mainland.

In the afternoon I head into Perth on the train and check out the city.

It’s a small enough city to get around. I’m about to head to the art gallery but I get a better offer… a pint with John Hallas (Pete’s brother (Hils Pete)) who I haven’t seen probably since Hils and Pete got married so off I go to the Generous Esquire for a couple of schooners and a catch up which is great fun.

Our second honeymoon location is Margaret River. On the way down we stop at Busselton which has a fabulous jetty that’s 1.8km long. It’s a beautiful walk to the end and the color of the water and views are amazing.

We hit Margaret River and are pleasantly surprised by our accommodation. I would totally recommend Darby Park Residences, it’s central and the one bedroom apartments are really nice – if anyone is going anytime soon defo give it a go. At the top of the street is this dinosaur statue, apparently he hung out at the Margaret River back in the day!

We have facials booked for 5pm so we don’t hang around. Another recommendation- Body Bliss – we both have the same reaction which is “amazing”. The therapist gave us the most amazing face massage and we float to a bar for a glass of wine to discuss further! We’re served by an Irish guy at the bar (we are everywhere) and then move to the very popular Settlers Tavern for dinner.

Saturday morning and there’s a parkrun five minutes walk away in Rotary Park. This is my ninth so far on this trip and I’m delighted I’ve managed not to miss one yet.

On arrival yesterday we noticed some tennis courts and since I’m missing my club [hello Donabate tennis ladies if you’re reading this!] and haven’t lifted a racquet since January I convince Anne to play a few shots with me. It’s only a half size court and the racquets are not proper tennis racquets but sure we’re happy to have a bit of fun. Anne tells me she’s rubbish and I don’t believe her until she takes a first swipe and misses the ball… I know she won’t mind me saying this as she’d admit it herself but let’s just say tennis is not her game [stick to the open water swimming Anne – we know you’re amazeballs at that and you can’t be great at everything!!]. We manage a few decent rallies but are laughing so much we call it a day after about twenty minutes!

Time to hit the pool to cool down:

Next on the agenda, what most people come here for, wine tasting.

We hit two really nice wineries – Stella Bella

And Watershed:

Anne has been craving an Indian so we book Kingfisher restaurant and bring a bottle of white from our purchases today. We don’t stay out too late, after all that exercise today and all that wine tasting, sure you’d be exhausted!!!!!

We end our Margaret River weekend with breakfast at a cool hipster cafe and get on the road for home. It’s sunny and in the high twenties so we go for a walk with Sean and relax for the afternoon. I get a chance to meet up with another friend from home, Doirinne, who’s been living in Perth for a few years and have a great evening catching up over more delicious food and wine. It’s so lovely to see her so far from home and hear her accent which hasn’t changed a bit!

For my last day in Perth we go to Fremantle (aka Freo) and I do the convict tour at the Fremantle Prison:

It’s a really interesting tour and the guide is excited there’s an Irish person on her tour as she likes to tell a story about some Fenian prisoners who escaped and were taken to America.

We end my WA (Western Australia) visit with fish and chips on the beach and a beautiful sunset:

Another Australian state ticked off the list, another wedding attended and another great visit with great friends. Onwards to the Northern Territory.

I’m a bit more organized with my drive time today and there won’t be as many stops on this route as the last few days. There are two options to get to Adelaide – a coastal road or an inland road. I choose the coastal road which I’m told is more scenic and apparently the same distance. A couple of hours in, I stop at Robe which has a pretty beach and little downtown. The signs on the road to pull over every two hours and rest, are everywhere so I take heed and stretch my legs and use a public bathroom (spotless clean by the way).

As I’m driving along mostly empty roads and wondering if I’ve somehow managed to get on the inland route as there’s very little sea to be seen… I’m singing away to the local radio stations or learning my choir song [side bar to any of my choir crew reading this – I have learned Wayfaring Stranger], I see a sign for a pink lake and almost screech the breaks to come to a halt and turn off. It’s not as impressive as some further west but I’m delighted to get to see one. I walk out as far as I can but it’s very muddy and my shoes are squelching a bit so I decide I’ve gone far enough. I meet more random strangers (that’s been happening a lot on this trip) and have a chat with them for a bit before getting back in the car.

I arrive in Adelaide and drive around the town a bit before finding the hotel. I only have two nights and am using that time to meet up with an old friend from work and a scrabble friend of my mothers!!

First off I get to see Vicki who I worked with at Juniper more than ten years ago. We have a lovely catch-up over pizza at a place that was on my list of go-to restaurants so that’s a bonus. She looks the exact same as she did when we met all those years ago and it’s so nice to reminisce and find out what she’s been getting up to since moving to Australia. I must admit I feel a bit protective of her as she was young and new to Dublin when we first worked together so it’s great to be able to give her a big hug.

Next day I have a tour to the Barossa wine region. I get to sit up front in the coach so have a prime view of the surrounding countryside and better still I’m sitting alongside a super cool lady called Helen and we hit it off straight away. The bus driver gives us a bit of a city tour on the way out and is really good at telling us all about the area we drive through. He tells us about the O-bahn which I knew nothing about. Apparently outside of Germany this is the only one in the world. It’s essentially a bus on a train line and it goes a constant 100km speed.

On the journey we see an emu and some kangaroos but the koalas remain elusive. As we approach the town of Tanunda we are welcomed by Jacobs Creek, one of the biggest (if not the biggest) exporters of Australian wine:

Our first stop is at TeAru winery where we have cake and tea before moving onto the hard stuff. It’s a small family run winery and the wines are very nice. Our next stop is Maggie Beers farm shop. Apparently she’s a famous celebrity chef with lots of cook books. We get to taste all of the different jams, chutneys and oils that she makes. The shop is set on some beautiful grounds and there are turtles in the lake:

The next winery is Lambert Estate where we have a delicious lunch served while tasting more wine and we get to taste some of the grapes off the vine:

Next we stop at Mengler Hill for a scenic look over the countryside and to appreciate some stone artwork….. not that impressive to be honest!

Our final winery is Pindarie which is set on some beautiful grounds. The hay bales are crying out as a photo opp so we oblige and enjoy the sunshine after the obligatory white then red then dessert wine tasting!

The tour was great fun and all the wines were delicious but the highlight of the tour was definitely meeting Helen 😀

Back in Adelaide, after an hour or so downtime at the hotel, my mothers friend Beryl comes into town to meet me with her daughter Felise. What a treat, considering these are people I’ve never met or been in touch with, we have a really fun evening. We are all wine drinkers and politely sip our first glass but it’s clear that we’re going to need another as there’s just too much to chat about! We chat for ages about all sorts and even put a call into mama at home so these two scrabble buddies can actually talk to each other for the first time. It’s a super evening and I’m delighted I got to meet these gorgeous ladies – I really hope I’ll get back here some day.

I didn’t get to see a whole lot of Adelaide so early the next morning I go out for a run and at least get to see a few kilometers of the Botanic gardens and the streets downtown.

It is a really nice city and I’d happily spend more time here on a return visit. For now it’s a flight to Perth for me and a wedding to go to!

Day 1: Melbourne to Apollo Bay – 200km

Having said my goodbyes to Hilary, I pick up a rental car and start on this famous road journey. They’ve upgraded me to a small SUV so I’m delighted with myself. It’s easy enough to get out of the city and the route is well sign posted. My first stop and where the ocean road begins is Torquay, which is in the state of Victoria. It’s a full on surf town….. I stop for a quick walk on the beach and then a brief walk along this coast:

Next stop is Bells beach where the Rip Curl Pro surf tournament is currently on. I see lots of surfers in the water but apparently none of them are competitors as the waves are not big enough today and it’s been called off. There’s still lots of people checking out what look like fairly decent waves to me:

Although 200km doesn’t sound like a huge amount, it takes all day as there’s so many beautiful spots along the road to look out at the coastline. In the photo below you can see the road I’m about to drive behind me:

I stop at Lorne for a quick lunch. Pies are particularly popular and there’s a bakery so I grab one of those and a cup of tea before heading onwards. Another nice lookout is at Mount Defiance:

When I arrive at the Apollo Bay guesthouse it’s already starting to get dark and the landlady seems surprised to see me. Alas there is no room at the inn! It’s a really nice guesthouse and the lady who runs it makes me a cup of tea while she tries to figure out what’s happened. Apparently she had me booked in but got a cancellation from the tour company and now she’s all booked out -yikes! She makes a few calls and we quickly find out that there is literally one free bed left in the whole town and at this stage it’s dark so I don’t want to do more driving. The available room is at the Best Western motel… a bit disappointing as her guesthouse looked fabulous but I’m happy to have a bed and it’s actually very comfortable. I get a great nights sleep after a delicious meal at Casalingo, an Italian restaurant just across the road so I suppose I won’t cause a ruckus with Trailfinders!!

Day 2: Apollo Bay to Mt Gambier – 360km

I start the day with a run along the front which sets me up for the day of driving ahead.

Now as coastlines go, this section is hard to beat. We do have a beautiful coastline in Ireland and the Cliffs of Moher in particular are beautiful (and Slieve League in Donegal), also the Pacific coast on Route 1 in California is stunning but this coastal drive from Apollo Bay to just beyond the Twelve Apostles, I think beats both. It is truly awesome.

My first stop is a quick 1km loop to see Maits Rest Rainforest:

Against the advice of some locals I decide to take on an additional 50km along the Cape Otway Peninsula looking for koalas. It’s a slow drive as everyone is looking among the trees hoping to see some wild koalas but they remain elusive. There are lots of bare trees which apparently are from the koalas eating all the leaves.

At the end of the peninsula is Cape Otway Lightstation which is Australia’s oldest working lighthouse:

Next is the big attraction – The Twelve Apostles. Now there are no longer twelve of them anymore as some have eroded and fallen away but what is there is stunning and there are lots of vantage points to see them. My first stop is to walk down the Gibson Steps to a beautiful beach and this is what I see:

The waves are really rough and as I’m taking a photo a big one comes in and soaks me, I hadn’t noticed everyone run out of the way and there are just a couple of us who get soaked – that’s gonna mean a footwear change. Looking the other direction from the beach is also beautiful:

I carry on to the visitor center and the main look out points which give a different view backwards to what I’ve seen:

And looking the other way to more “apostles”:

There are so many more places to stop along the road. Another spot they call London bridge:

And the grotto:

I also stop at the Bay of islands and the Bay of Martyrs, I can’t stop myself:

There are so many scenic lookouts and places to stop for another view of these stacks that I’m nearly sick of it… only nearly though I don’t miss any of them. I’ve clearly underestimated the driving and at 5pm (sun will be setting at 6:15pm) I’m finished all the stoppinng for views but I still have 200km to drive to my overnight stop. When I finally arrive at Mt Gambier I’ve crossed into the next state which is South Australia and the time is now a half hour different from the state of Victoria!

Day 3: Mt Gambier to Adelaide – 440km

I’m awake early so decide to get a run in around the main attraction in Mt Gambier – the blue lake. The lake was made from a huge crater so you are looking down into it and the water is really blue:

The next big attraction in this neck of the woods is the Umpherston sink hole. It was once a cave and the sinkhole naturally occurred when the chamber’s roof collapsed. Mr Umpherston then turned it into a garden! It is really impressive. I walk down the steps and the gardens maintained below are gorgeous:

The great ocean road officially ends at Allansford so I get on the Princess highway and continue to Adelaide.

It’s Easter weekend and we are off to Melbourne – me to continue my travels heading west through the country and Hilary for a girlie weekend away. It makes leaving Sydney a little easier having my buddy with me as I’m sure there’d have been a lot more tears exiting Sydney 😭.

The flight is easy although check-in was ridiculous. First time to travel with Virgin Australia, I checked in on-line then had to check in at a machine to get a tag for my bag and then had to queue for forty-five minutes and basically check in again. There were a lot of frustrated people in that queue and we were getting hangry…. Anyways we get through security with enough time to have some lunch, thank God cos we may have killed someone! Fed and watered and a book purchased for Hils we’re ready to get this show on the road.

We arrive to our hotel which is on Flinders Street by the railway station which is a beautiful old building:

I’ve organized some wine and chocolate strawberries for our arrival… start as we mean to go on.

After checking out a cool wine bar we go for dinner at Hochi Mama which serves Vietnamese fusion and is an amazing start to the weekend.

Saturday morning and you know what’s coming don’t you… yes, it’s another parkrun. Melbourne’s parkrun is held in Albert park at 8am so we dust ourselves off and get out there. Another of the Sri Lanka crew joins us for the run.

After parkrun it’s hotel brekkie time and we spend most of the day wandering through the streets and shopping. Hilary does particularly well as there’s a Debenhams in Melbourne – it’s the only one in Australia. There are some nice old arcades along the main shopping area:

We meet up with a friend who I used to sing with at choir, who now lives in Melbourne, and have a great night catching up at Botega Italian restaurant. We have a lot to catch up on and there’s quite a bit of laughter from a slightly raucous table!

Sunday is our touristy day and we start by visiting the National Gallery of Victoria. There’s some very interesting stuff – old and new. There’s an exhibit called Triennial and the pieces are dispersed around the gallery among the permanent collection. It’s a great opportunity for the selfie enthusiasts and I see a woman (yes a fully aged woman as opposed to a teenager or child!) ask someone to take a photo of her in front of a single skull that’s in a beautiful room full of 16th and 17th century works of art…. wait for it though… after she’s done the splits in front of it. Seriously, what is wrong with people. The skulls below (they look small in the photo but they were huge) filled a whole room and the selfies being taken were unreal…

I particularly liked the reclining Buddha with the Roman and Greek figures on it. And the below was a video in the style of Marylyn Monroe:

We check out Federation square and pass by the famous Spiegal tent and have a jaunt around the free tram area. In the evening we take the tram to St Kilda where we see a beautiful sunset:

Once the sun goes down the little blue penguins swim ashore and burrow in the rocks for their nights sleep. It’s a bank holiday so the pier is busy with people but we do manage to see a few of them:

This little fella insisted on crossing from one side to the other:

After the excitement of the penguins we head back to the city to the Comedy Festival and we go to see Shitfaced Shakespeare. Tonight it’s Romeo and Juliet. It’s a shortened one hour version and of the five cast members one has been drinking before the show and as you might gather from the title is shitfaced. They change who’s drunk each night and tonight it was Juliet – she was hilarious and it was a lot funnier than I was expecting it to be. We got a great laugh out of it and it was a great way to finish out the weekend.

All in all we had a great weekend in Melbourne and it’s a cool city to visit. I’m going to miss Hilary but onwards I must go….

I arrive back to Sydney on St. Patrick’s day and head from the airport to Hils Irish friends house for a BBQ. It’s roasting, too hot even to sit out on the deck until later in the evening. We have amazing food (thanks Lesley & Dave) and a few drinks… sure what else would you be doing on a St. Patrick’s day in the sunshine!!!

The rest of the week I tick off more Sydney highlights. I visit Cronulla beach which is gorgeous:

I run the 10k Bay run and another day I cycle it.. twice!

I’m loving the light rail which takes me to Pyrmont bay and Darling Harbour. This is my favorite way to get into town and I’m in and out like a yo-yo.

I do the Sydney Opera House tour which is really interesting and if you buy the tour ticket you get a discount on all opera tickets.

Hilary and I have a fancy meal at Benalong restaurant and see La Traviata. It’s a fabulous production and we love it.

I visit Mrs Macquaries chair where there’s a great view looking back on the city

and the Botanic Gardens:

I got to meet up with more of my pals from the Sri Lanka trip:

I really want to see a platypus and I find out that I don’t actually need to go to the zoo as there’s one at the Sydney wildlife Centre which is on my way into town. There’s so many cool animals and I spend hours there. The koalas are so cute:

I see the platypus actually two of them – they’re a bit smaller than I was expecting and they are in a dark tank but I watch them scurry around, hide, then come out again. I see an animal that I had never heard of until today… a cassowary. They’re related to the emu and ostrich and are extremely vicious.

The name of this guy is Princess and I got a chance to feed him which was great . They do all their damage with their claws so feeding them is not dangerous at all. Princess ate grapes out of my hand and took them from between my fingers and he was very gentle – you wouldn’t want to be getting near those clays though, they are considered the deadliest bird in the world.

I’ve eaten amazing food while I’m here.. got all my Asian cuisine fixes including yum cha (or dim sum), sushi, Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese, ramen, banh mi and I even tried kangaroo which was on a pizza and delicious! Hils, Pete and I got out for a great meal at Osaka in the Tramsheds – a really cool building with loads of different restaurants.

The bao buns with pork belly were particularly good:

I got to meet so many of Hils & Pete’s friends which was a real treat and everyone was really welcoming and friendly

I got to hike in the Blue Mountains which was amazing. From Blackheath to Pinnacle rock:

Saw this gorgeous bird:

And of course the obligatory visit to the Three Sisters:

I saw The Book of Mormon which I’ve been dying to see for ages and it was hilarious. On my last day I take a final trip to town and spend some more time in the botanical gardens and at the NSW art gallery which I love. They have lots of old art from all over the world and the building itself is beautiful. On the way home I spend an hour at the aquarium and see lots of different fish, dugongs, penguins and sharks swimming over my head.

For our final family meal we hit the local, aka The Royal and have a great dinner and lots of rose. I’m going to miss being au pair to Orla and Joe (sniff sniff). I just hope they’ll be ok without me – at least they won’t be blinded by the sun when forced to take a photo with me!!!!

I’ve had an amazing time in Sydney.. it’s such an easy place to be and I can’t wait to get back.

I really am very lucky to have such good friends all over this country and I get to spend a couple of days “out in the country” with my pal and old boss Maree. She lives on a farm in Chatsbury which is a few hours from Sydney. I take a train to Bowral which is a cute town to walk around and see and have some tea. I had an orange poppy seed cake and Maree went for biscotti…. guess who was a little disappointed!

Before leaving town we pick up some award winning hot cross buns for next mornings breakfast. I can confirm that they were really delicious and apparently the cross was made from real custard.

It’s a further hour and a half or so to Chatsbury so we are really out in the sticks or the bush I suppose!! It’s great to be able to get out this far and see Maree and her husband Tom and it’s a nice change from the city for a couple of days.

We take a walk around the farm and see kangaroos looking at us from the hill top:

Tom cooks us a delicious meal and we catch up on all that’s been going on since we last saw each other which must be over a year ago. Next morning I get to meet the animals and check out the rest of the land… well not all of it but we get a good walk around.

Today we are spending the day in Canberra which is the capital of Australia. On our way we stop off to visit the big merino… it’s a thing – love it!

Onwards to the city and we start by visiting the new parliament buildings. Both houses are sitting today so we get to see a session – it’s really interesting. I must do a trip to our Dail when I get home although not sure you’re allowed visit when they’re in session [note to self : must check]. Anyways we spend much longer than we thought we would as we got sucked into the topic for discussion which was a bill to reduce corporation tax… interesting for two accountants!!

Next it’s time for lunch and we have really tasty ramen at Ramentik. With that sustenance we head for the national library. It has an exhibition of treasures which is really interesting but the library itself, i.e. the shelves of books is modern and not all that impressive.. which is to be expected I suppose. Mind you the library of New South Wales was gorgeous and they have a room dedicated to Shakespeare, anyway, I digress… The library building is close to the national gallery so that’s our next stop.

Most of the artwork is modern and there’s some interesting video installations that I get sucked into. Hours pass so quickly in these places… My favorite piece was called Mao, Buddha and Me. Each face is made up of small pictures of the previous person.

Next the Portrait Gallery which I love even though I don’t know a lot of people… Nick Cave, Olivia Newton John, Captain Cook, that’s about it…. where was Pat Cash and Russell Crowe???

A quick visit to the war memorial on our way out of town and then it’s back on the road for the hour plus journey back to the farm.

We go out to the local pub for curry night and have a great meal and some wine to round out the visit.

Next morning I take the Southern Highlands train back to the city. It takes three hours through countryside before hitting Sydney and then I’m back on my light rail “home” to Hils & Pete. Today I’ll be collecting the kids from school and taking them for some treats.