I’ll say it again, I will really miss this place.  But I really miss the Budmeister and Josie and everyone else, I’ll be glad to get home after all. 

Thanks to all for following and commenting on my adventures.  I was glad to have this contact from loved ones.

XOXO

My last full day in Sydney and Australia. As much as I miss home, Buddy, Josie, the Fellowship and everyone else, it is sad to be ending this amazing adventure Down Under. But all things must come to an end and I cannot have had a better trip and experience.

I do have to add that I have never felt unsafe anywhere here. Very great country from many angles. People have been bang on.

I woke at around 9:30 and went to hotel roof for a smoke while taking in the Sydney skyline. Met a nice guy named Joe from San Francisco there and chatted.

Then off for coffee and breakfast down Oxford St. Then off to Darling Harbor to do the Maritime Museum. Nice place. Great big USA exhibit commemorating the long held ties between our nations. US ships have been visiting Australia all the time starting with the arrival of The Great White Fleet of 16 ships sent to circumnavigate the globe in 1907 or 1909 (can’t recall) by Theodore Roosevelt.

Then I toured the Destroyer HMAS Vampire, Submarine HMAS Onslow, Duyfken (a replica of the oldest recorded ship to visit Australia in 1606. This Dutch ship has been replicated using traditional building methods), and the Tall Ship James Craig. All very cool to explore and run around.

Then a nice lunch at Toros Tapas. Relaxed by the harbor and headed back to the hotel on foot with a great Hazlenut ice cream cone. Sightseeing and shopping along the way.

Then rested, packed up my stuff and headed to a mtg. My last mtg in Sydney/Australia. Really enjoyed the mtgs here.

Then met up with Matt at his new place in Kings Cross. Hung on the roof of his building watching the madness that is Kings Cross, Sydney.

See you soon Mates!

XOXO

Today I slept until 9 am. I needed it. Since its a cool and drizzly day I decided to make it museum day.

First stop was Australian Museum. This is a natural history place. Very nice. Amazing Australian Mineral exhibits! Lots of specimens and details about Australia’s history, geology, mining, etc. the highlight if these was the Albert Chapman Mineral Collection. Described as some of the finest examples of their type in the world. Cannot deny thinking of Steve a lot during this.

Also browsed the amazing photography exhibit currently on. The Dinosaur, birds and insects, surving Australia (goes through Aussie animals with focus on venomous wildlife, plant life and marine life).

Then headed to Curcular Quay to the MCA (Museum of Contmporary Art). Most of this place is under renovation so only one special exhibit is on. This is Rafael Lazano-Hemmer ‘Recorders’. His artwork depends on the participation of visitors to exist. Lots of electronic, interactive works that play off our body heat, pulse rate, image, voice, etc. Really liked this! Look him up for more info on his work.

Then off to the Museam of Sydney. Interesting place. The highlight for me was the Surfing exhibits and series of films. Fun to see how American Music and films (Your the ginchiest Gidget) impacted Aussie surfing in the 50s, 60s, 70s, etc. Also Surfings impact on popular culture and fashion.

Then a nice lunch and then another haircut and back to hotel to rest up a bit before going out on the town for some more debauchery.

Woke at 6:30, even after a late night,

Got to airport and boarded flight at 8:55. Flight was smooth but there was the rudest group of Chinese tourists on board. I thought the flight crew was going to demand a diversion over them. They would not be quiet during the safety talk, kept refusing to buckle up, kept scaling their seats during takeoff, and one guy sat there texting while the lady demanded he turn it off. He only complied when two more attendants came down and threatened to forcibly remove him. Both myself and this huge Aussie guy were about to start throwing punches, lol. Ugggg. They think they rule the world.

Then back to hotel via the train. Unpacked, cleaned up and had some coffee. Walked around for a while then headed over to Kings Cross to meet Matt for dinner. Hung around with Matt for a bit then headed back to crash. Needed a good rest. Until tomorrow all.

XOXO

Woke at 7:00 am and got ready. Ate breakfast by the pool and then met my tour bus at 8:30 am. We picked up some others and headed to the Kuranda Scenic Railway which chugs us through the mountains and forests to Karunda Village. Met a father and son from south of Chicago on the bus and had a nice talk with them on the hour and a half train ride. Very nice people.

The train took us past Freshwater Station, Redlynch (named after ‘Red’ Lynch the red-head Irisg foreman of the railway construction), through Horseshoe Bend where we could see the other end of the train as it curved along, through a series of hand dug tunnels. Then past Stoney Creek Falls, Glacier Rock and Red Bluff, and finally to a viewing stop of Barron Falls (329 meters above sea level the Barron Falls drop 265 meters). Then arrived at Kuranda Station. Here we departed for a wander through the village. I then had to meet my part of the tour at the Butterfly Sanctuary where I transferred to the Rainforest Station.

Went into the Butterfly Sanctuary for a bit and it was cool. Got covered at one point with them. Amazing colors, spots and movement. Glad I went in! Then on the bus to my trip to the Rainforest Station. But I snapped iPhone pics of the Butterfly’s to post below.

Then off to Rainforest Station. When arrived I had a great BBQ lunch. Salads, chicken, pork, beef, potatoes, sides, fruit, cheese, etc. great and relaxing on this hot, humid and sunny day. About 93 F today!

Then off on my Army Duck Boat ride. Fun amphibious things. Built in 1942(70 years old) by General Motors in Detroit, lol. This place has 16 of them used for touring the forest. They have been converted to run on LPG to be Eco friendlier.

Good driver/guide. We saw tons of cool plants (Wait-a-while Palm so named due to its many, many horrible thorns. If you get stuck, you have to ‘wait a while to get free’. Very Aussie way to name something, lol. Then tree ferns, Black Wattles, Termites nests, turtles, Easten Water Dragons and more Butterflies.

Fun drive especially when we entered the lake, turned on the propeller and became a boat.

Then off to the Pamagirri Aboriginal Dance Show. Really cool. All done to music sticks and didgeridoo. They did 8 dances, Biba Myon (welcome), Ngukum (mosquito dance), Gurrunga (warning dance), Parmagrirri (the silent snake), Muguy (sugar bag), Bundara (the cossowary dance), Marloo (kangaroo dance) and Warran-Jarra (shake-a-leg). Oh yeah and the Safety Dance (just kidding). We then got a demo and were able to try Boomerang throwing, spear-throwing and didgeridoo playing.

Then it was back to Kuranda for the Skyrail (gondola) trip down and over the rainforest back to Caravonica. This was an hour and ten minute ride on the cable car with two stops along the way down. Really cool ride, took lots of pictures. Saw Barron Falls and the Kuranda train from the other side of Barron Gorge along the way.

Then back to hotel for a rest and a swim. Talked to a bunch of guys at the pool. Met this new arrival from England and joined him for dinner at the hotel.

Tomorrow is flight to Sydney then back home in four days.

XOXO

Today is Great Barrier Reef day. Woke early, as I had to check in for boat at 7:30 am. So the hotel had delivered a breakfast to my room for me before bed. Nice of them, cereal, yogurt, etc. put it in the room fridge till morning.

Made my way to the Reef Terminal down at the end of the Esplanade. Nice boat, great crew, weather overcast and drizzly about 90 F.

Boarded and got a safety drill. Then it was coffee, tea and muffins while we mingled and met the rest of the group. Great bunch of people. British, Slovenian, Slovakian, cute Aussie boys, Americans (Kansas and Delaware), German and French.

Did you know that the Great Barrier Reef is the only living thing that can be seen from space? It is, and there, you now know another piece of trivia for your next trivial pursuit game.

Then it was a two hour sail out to our section of the reef. It was X Cay a restricted island covered in nesting birds. We had to walk the water from the tender to a small roped off section that was the only place we could walk on the sand. The rest of the cay is off limits! The seas were rough, about 1-2 meter swells and a bunch of people were seasick. Not I though, even without taking any pills. So I rode the way out on the deck loving the wind, spray and waves as well as the mountain views until we lost sight of land.

I was already wearing a reef suit, think complete cover including hood to prevent coral scratches and reef rash/infections as well as to protect from any Stingers that may have blown out to sea on the winds. Put on fins, donned mask and snorkel. The new snorkels are great. They have valves on the mouth piece that allow water to be expelled out the bottom without having to blow out the top. Also the suit meant no back sunburn! Great!

So we then had about hour and a half to snorkel before returning to the boat for lunch. Great lunch buffet on board. To much to describe both at lunch and in the water. Saw several Sea Turtles!!!!! Tons of fish, large and small, and all colors of the spectrum, striped, spotted, half one color, half another, etc The coral varieties are amazing. Hard and soft corals of all types, white, BLUE, pinkish, purplish, brown, yellow, etc. Brain like, amorphous, stick like, spikey, round and on and on. Had this cute little yellow and black stripped fish right in front of my mask for about twenty minutes. I think the little guy was either hoping for protection or for me to eat something he could get scaps off of it. Either way, I called him Toby.

After lunch it was motor off to another section of reef for our next stop. This was not in sight of any land. We snorkeled right off the boat. More of the same as above, but with more fish. Large schools of tiny fish and huge predator fish. Saw a small reef shark, but it was really skittish and darted off. Only about two feet long. Some of the fish were so white/silver they were just about transparent and seemed to appear in front of you out of nowhere.

Then it was sail back to Cairns. Coffee, tea and biscuits on way back. Most people crashed out but I stayed on deck with the Aussie boys, and a Brittish and German girl. Nice ride back.

All in all a fantastic day of sea and snorkeling. I’ll never forget it.

Back to hotel to shower and change. I felt like a nice dinner so I dressed up and headed to the big casino on the Esplanade. It has Gucci, Louis Vuitton, etc inside so it’s that kind of place. Four restaurants to choose from, but I picked Tamarand, a Thai-fusion place. I was granted a table without a reservation, as I am alone, was early, and the cute Host was smiling at me, lol. Place filled up quick and I was asked upon being given the table to be out by 9:00 as they would need table by then. As that restricted me to an hour and a half only, I reluctantly agreed, lol. I really splurged and ordered the house tasting menu. For price see the cute Host, as I’ll never tell. Menu of meal below.

1) Pork meatball with asian coleslaw 2) Crispy pumpkin sesame miso cake topped with a Tamarnd jelly with carrot, pine nut, cabbage, greens salad and great sauce. Apricot I think. 3) Lightly breaded Quail over this amazing Balsamic reduction with greens, red onion, and candied yellow beatroot salad in a champagne vinegar dressing. I really loved the quail and the candied yellow beet root was amazing. Sweet and perfect texture. 4) King Prawn and Blue Crab salad on a wafer thin rectangle of watermelon. Served with yummy lime salt and a raspberry vinegarette. Simply amazing flavors! 5) Mango sorbet intermezzo with candied orange peel. 6) Lamb for main course. Lamb cooked perfect and tender. Served over herbed mashed potatoes with Yellow Squash, Zuchinni and Figs and tomatoe in a reduction sauce. 7) Dessert was last. I couldn’t add the cheese course for fear of exploding. This was a Orange Poppyseed Cake with a side of Greek Yogurt and passion fruit.

Wow. One of the best meals I have ever had!

All were presented amazingly as well in a perfect surrounding. As Lady Gaga says, ‘Its good to live expensive you know it’.

Then a stroll down the Esplanade to digest and people watch. Tomorrow is my Karunda Village, Daintree Rainforest, Army Duck Boat, Aboriginal Dance/ Dijeridoo performance, etc day! What a trip I tell you.

So goodnight all.

XOXO (By the way, does anyone know if they have identified who Gossip Girl is?)

Then I booked my Great Barrier Reef sail for tomorrow and my Daintree, etc rainforest adventure for Sunday. I will give more details on them later.

Then it was shower, shave and major sunscreen! It’s so humid here and hot hot hot. We are in the tropics, so it has major rain bursts for several minutes then super sunshine, repeat all day.

Then I left for the hour long drive to Atherton. This took me through the Atherton Tableland, Great Dividing Range, Davies Creek National Park, etc. I will see that in more detail on Sunday. Home of these amazing Crystal Caves. Major geodes, etc. they claim to have the worlds largerst Amtyhst Geode. It was over twice my height. No pics allowed in the caves,

But amazing crystal structures everywhere. Was worth the extremely winding, downpour filled drive over the mountains. All along it was tropical rainforest on either side. The sounds of birds and insects was almost deafening. So pretty, so Humid!

Then I decided it was time to let the road lead the way. So heading south I saw a sign for the Curtain Fig Tree. These trees are huge, amazing with massive aerial root structures. Crazy cool looking. So I did that walk and headed south again when I saw a sign for a Platypus viewing platform. When I got there it was a thin suspension bridge over a creek. Didn’t see any, but they usually are active at dusk and dawn and this was neither. But I did see a bunch of forest Turkeys. Strange looking turkeys. Nice walk through this small town park.

Then I checked the map and SAS I was close to a huge number of waterfalls. These mountains are full of them. Did I mention how green this place is as well? Not surprising as the average rainfall is between 2-3 meters!!!!! Don’t call them rainforests for nothing.

First was Malanda Falls. Nice little falls. Then south again to a loop road with a series of falls. First was Millaa Millaa Falls. This was cool. About 18-19 meters high and there were about twenty people there. All Russians. They were swimming around the basin and under the falls. So back to car, put on my suit and joined in the swimming. Water was cool, but worth it. Swam to the falls and under. Then climbed the rocks and sat behind absorbing the view from behind. Sitting in the mist with the deafening roar of the falls. Great great great.

Then continued the loop road to Zillie Falls and Ellinjaa Falls. Both great to look at, but to dangerous to swim under.

Then it was time to head back to Cairns so I took a different road back as I was now about two hours southwest. This drive took me past amazing forests, ranges, etc. but get this, the highlight was that I passed through…

The Misty Mountains. So feeling like Bilbo Baggins I looked for the Paths of Murkwood but no luck. However these mountains are beautiful, green, rainforest covered and shrouded in mist of course. Peaks, valleys, ridges all peaking out of cloud cover. Very enchanting all around.

All this descriptive writing now makes me sing some schoolhouse rock. ‘He was a hairy bear, he was a scary bear…break out your adjectives’ lol.

So back to hotel to shower and rest. I have a Reef day tomorrow. Booked on a Catamaran trip. Goes to two Reefs, a secluded beach, lunch, etc. should be amazing day of snorkeling and sailing!

So until next time mates.

XOXO

Woke and ate breakfast of fresh Tazzie Strawberries and Cherries I bought on the side of the road from a farm stand last night. Mixed with yoghurt it was delicious.

Then to the airport, drop off car and check in. Easy process again, as Hobart is a small airport.

Boarded flight. Was a brand new Boeing 737-800 per the captain. This was only its second time carrying passengers. Great individual touch screens with flight data, on demand movies and TV, plus destination information galore. Looked up s bunch of things to do in Cairns. Also loved the USB port, seats recline both with back recline and seat sliding forward, free iPhone charging! I love Qantas.

Hour and a half fight to Sydney, half hour layover then board flight to Cairns. That fight is about three hours. Nice second flight. Had entire three seats to myself. They served lunch, coffee and and later, ice cream bars. All free.

Landed, picked up car and headed to hotel. It’s an all male place. Pool area is clothing optional, lol. Rested, then swam and chilled.

Then headed to the Cairns Esplanade. Very nice boardwalk along the beach. Hotels, shops, restaurants, etc. You cannot swim at this beach for two main reasons. 1) Saltwater Crocs. 2) Stingers. Major toxic jellies that can kill you. But they have built a huge, and I mean Huge saltwater pool along the Esplanade. Pumped from the sea about 10 feet away.

The Stingers are only around during summer and only by the coast, so out by the Reef it’s safe to swim, scuba or snorkel. I have a boat trip out planned.

Ate a nice dinner and strolled. Nice to not be on super hikes for a change. Bought some more gifts and now headed to hotel to see what comes up, lol. But stopped by macca’s to steal some free WiFi. Lovein it.

No pics today as it was mostly airports and then hotel and those are not blog appropriate (Mom and Dad are reading!). So until tommorow I will say Happy Groundhog Day to those still in winter (except i read it was 70 in Raleigh today).

XOXO

Packed my gear and headed out to Feycinet National Park. This was a two and a half hour drive from Hobart. Used real map this time as the Bitch in my GPS is a frickin liar, lol.

Rainy drive but clearing. Stopped a few times at some lovely little towns. Swansea was especially nice. Grabbed more coffee and bought books for my nephew JR.

Then when I got to the park it was drizzly ands overcast but the views are worth it. The pics will not do it justice for many reasons, not just the lighting issue.

First part I went to was Friendly Beach. I love a friendly beach, we need more of them! Pure white sand, massive boulders, ultra blue water and massive surf crashing and making huge blows. As my usual these days, I skipped the regular paved walk and took the rough trails through scrub down to the shoreline. There I climbed the rocks, walked the shore, found some cool shells and got a rock for Steve. Watched the surf crash for about an hour. Also climbed some rocks in the sea. Had to take shoes off and time it just right between waves, dash across a bit of sand and scurry up before the next set of waves came in. Up there I sat at peace with myself and the world for a little while longer.

To use a Lost Quote: ‘some people can be told what to do, others need to stare out at the ocean for a while’.

Then back to car and down the road to the main visitor center and main walking trails. Checked in with ranger and listed my plans. These are/were to hike to the Coles Bay Lookout, then Wineglass Bay Lookout, then on to Wineglass Bay itself.

Hike was about 3 hours round trip. Included major rock steps. About 10 thousand of then I think, lol. Grueling. No flat sections, all up or down. But at least the final 20 minutes was all down!

So the view of Coles Bay and Wineglass Bay were stunning as expected. Wineglass Bay and it’s beach, fantastic! There were a couple of Wallies on the trail, and even the cutest one on the beach. This one was looking for handouts, so it was easy to get close. Took great couple of pics. The bay gorgeous.

All along this hike are the giant Pink Granite Peaks that form the centerpieces of this National Park. Amazing, again. These are called The Hazards. My walk to Wineglass Bay took me between Mt Mayson and Mt Amos.

Next stop was a drive down Cape Tourville Road to what else, Cape Tourville. From here there is a nice walk around a lighthouse, unmanned, built in 1971 to guide ships along this rugged coastline. From here there are magnificent views of The Hazard Range, but this time it is Mt Parsons, Mt Baudin and Mt Dove. Also great view from different side of Wineglass Bay. A set if large rocks in the sea are called The Nuggets. Lots of sea birds nest here. In the far distance off Cape Forestier is a large rock sparking in the friskilating dust light called Lemon Rock. Gorgeous.

Then it was back to ranger station to check in and head the two and a half hours back to Hobart. Stopped for Dinner and coffee in Swansea again.

Coolness for the day, an Echidna crossing the road in front of my car. Almost hit the cutie, but apparently they can move quick if the have to. No harm done, just a great sight. Also lots of wallies on the road, dangerous drive back to town. Also got gas in town of Sorrel, barely made it. Gas stations are far and few between here, plus everything closes early outside of Hobart or its immediate suburbs. Whew!

So that makes wild sightings of Kangaroos, wallabys, platypus, echidna, kookaburra, and countless other birds so far.

So Maria Island National Park tommorow. My last full day in Tazzie, sad. You have to take a ferry there, no cars allowed. Also need to bring all your food and water as no facilities at all on the island. But it’s supposed to be filled with wildlife, Wombats in particular. Will try to capture one for Martina’s sister Ellen.

XOXO

I officially need sleep! But oh we’ll, time for a flop in Cairns. Woke at 6:00 am, ate, showered, shaved and headed to macca’s for coffee for the hour and a half drive to the Maria Island National Park ferry. It leaves at 9:30 sharp and is only one heading to the island. Then only the 5:00 pm ferry returns you to the Tazzie mainland.

No cars on the island, except two ranger vehicles. Also no fresh water taps outside the ranger station by the docks, and no food available. So it’s bring your own. They ferry clerk even checks. You have to show your water, etc or they won’t let you come.

Toarra Marra Monah is the Aboriginal name for Maria Island (pronounced ‘ma-Rye-a’). The island was named in 1642 by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman (hence Tasmania) after Maria van Diemen wife of Anthony van Diemen (hence Van Diemen’s Land), the Govenor General of the Dutch East Indies in Batavia. For more facts, hit the web. I’m tired of typing on my iPhone, lol.

The ferry took about 45 minutes to cross over. Upon arrival, it is check in time as there is only one ferry out they need to find you if you don’t show up. Unless you are camping on the island, which a lot of people do. There are great longer walks and it takes about 3-5 days to see the whole of the two islands (one island really, but two islands connected by a long isthmus). Mt Maria dominates the island. But this has major geological sites, amazing world recognized fossil deposits and wildlife/bird watching. There is also a fault running through both islands.

Reading about its geology reminded me of Ken back home. Specifically his first novel. As there are extensive Quaternary deposits of alluvium and Aeolian sand forming the isthmus.

First hike was to the Painted Cliffs! Simply beautiful. Once again showing how creation is so much better than anything humans have made. Since we arrived about 30 minutes after low tide, it was perfect time to see this spot. Walking these cliffs and exploring the tide pools were great. Anemones in there, as well as crabs, bivalves and interesting sea plants. Only have pics on camera, not phone so out of luck, the colors are much better in person anyway.

Then walked along white sand Hopground Beach past stands of she-oaks (not oaks at all by the way), and tons of Cape Barren geese. Cool geese with bright yellow/green almost flouresent beaks and grey bodies. Also Pied oystercatcher birds as well as many parrots.

Then a highlight. A Wild Wombat! So cute and furry. Got great pics. Ended up seeing two of these today, the second actually let me pet it. Amazing! Also saw a King Snake, yikes! Also more Wallies, Native Hens and Forrester Kangaroos. Could also hear tons of Kookaburra birds in the trees.

This hike went about the island before returning to Darlington. The historic town that was the original penal colony that was closed and moved to Port Arthur as too many escapes occurred. The water here was easily swim able. Not enough sharks I guess. Just dolphin pods in the area.

Then off to the Fossil Cliff hike. This took us past amazing cliff views to the Fossil Cliffs. Layer upon layer of marine fossils. So cool. You can see bivalve fossils still looking like intact clams, etc. as well as scallop fossils and other types.

Then I headed back to the pier to catch the ferry, after checking back in with the rangers. The 45 minute ferry back to Tazzie had a real treat, a pod of dolphins riding the bow wake, jumping and splashing all around the sides and back of the ferry as well!

Then the drive home. There I had to pack for my flights to Cairns/Great Barrier Reef as well as the northern rainforests!

I did stop to wash and vacuum the rental out as it was a muddy mess inside. Hope it doesn’t cost too much, even after my cleaning.

So until tomorrow, Groundhog Day (which of course has zero meaning in the Aussie summer) I’ll say…

XOXO