Get your own Free Home Page
Email me at lamachine@oocities.com
Please come back soon and visit me. Have a nice day ;-)
Hello from down under! On the trip finally, and having a great time. The people are all great and the city of Sydney is truly beautiful. A quick peek for those who have not seen it. First me standing casually a hundred meters or so above the water. Next, one with one of my local guides, Tony. He is Susan's hubby, and a hell of a nice guy. More on that below.
Tues, 7 Nov. Sydney, NSW, Australia
G'day all. Been here a week now, and things are good. The weather has been rather miserable, with rain every day, but only showers for a few hours in the afternoon. I do have to say that the hospitality here is the very best part.
Last week was a whirlwind. I took the river cat down river from where I am staying into the center of the harbour. A beautiful trip. Got a personal guided tour from one of my local guides, Julie. Circular Quay (pronouced Key) was very cool and Darling Harbour nearby was also specacular. Walked for hours through the city and along the waterfront.
As you can see from the pics linked above, I climed above the harbour on TOP of the bridge. It was spectacular!!! Looking down on the opera house and seeing all the way down the harbour to the sea. Words fail me, and as those who know me can attest, that is saying something. The bloke I climbed in with (FOAF) Tony is a roofer, so he set a good style and pace in fearless travel across the catwalks. All I had to do was act the same way and I looked like a pro. But it was FLIPPIN' high and narrow!
Here are a bunch of pics that go with the info below, but not linked yet. Check 'em out if you like, or wait for the links. I know this is not my usual quality of web design, but whilst on the other side of the world, I am effectively working standing on my head to get the page to look right in the good ol' US of A.
Here they are! Select the previous link for the list of them, or use specific links below.
A pic of me near the opera house, with the harbour bridge background.
The Opera house, with me WAY overexposed. Finally read the instructions on the camera, the pictures will get better.
A view of the skyline, with one of my guides, Julie. This was taken by another of my guides, Kim. I was sort of waiting for more dark, but it started getting cold, and we had walked around the city a lot, so grabbed the shot and dashed.
Pen's kids in a mall in Surfer's Paradise. We had just gotten doughnuts, and were outside during a brief break in the rain. They were both great kids.
This is me and Pen just taking off on a rollercoaster at Sea World.
Pen, me, and Julie at the airport.
The entrance to the zoo. It was spectacular. The animals were almost secondary to the breathtaking views of the harbour and city.
Views like this.
Round another corner, there is another view. I was guided through here by Julie, Kim, and Kim's sister Vanessa. Nice to have friendly natives to translate some things.
A view from North Head, the cliffs that form the north end of the inlet to the Sydney Harbour. You enter the harbour several miles from Sydney. Cliffs border an entrance about a mile wide.
A natural blowhole on the south beaches. Details on the picture below.
Me, standing in front of said blowhole.
Kims family, with (look closely) Kim in the background! She really does not like having her picture taken, but I got her with the family shot thing.
A raindy view of the lush Kangaroo Valley on my drive about. Note the car ahead on the left side of the street. Scary driving. Also note the pic is taken from the left side of the car. No, I did not pull a Secret Squirrel, that is the passenger side down here.
The big Merino (sheep).
Stencils of hands. It was quite impressive, but no idea how old, or what the significance was. This was at the aborigional site "Hands on Rocks."
The fields of Mudgee. Found some really nice wines, and this place was the best of the lot.
The blue mountains, with Kim's car. We put a LOT of kilometers on that thing, and it never complained.
The blue mountains. Not sure if it shows in the pic, but there is a definite blue haze there.
The three sisters. A justifiably famous rock formation in the Blue Mountains.
A closer view, showing the bridge from the path to the first rock.
Me, on that bridge. Went down quite a long staircase (the top portion of the Giant Staircase) just to reach this point!
Just a shot of downtown Sydney. Had to take advantage of the bit of blue sky I got.
I took a trip up to Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast to meet another web friend, The Poison Pen. She was great. We went out to the best club in the town, spent a day at Sea World with her two kids. Thats the way to go, borrow some good natured kids so you can see the kid stuff! It was a lot of fun. The area is a resort town, and they play that role well. Wish there was some sunshine so I could have done some beachcombing. Also had a California style pizza at a little Italian place. Grilled chicken and sliced mangos, just like home *wink wink*. It was acutally very good, and a nice red wine that I plan to get a case of shipped home. If you read this page, ask and I will share a bottle with you.
Thursday, 9 Nov.
The trip south and wine country Oct 6-9
Drove south along the coast, leaving the freeway for less travelled local highways and roads. First stop was to see the blowhole at Kiama- Australia's tidest town. It really was picturesque, and probably the biggest difference from the states, aside from the lack of traffic, was that there was no trash in the streets, or blowing around the parks or shore. I watched the blowhole for about 10 minutes, grabbing a pic of a large spray from it, at about 15 ft high. Then wandered down to the point. On the way back up the path, the blowhole shot 30 or 40 ft high and actally got the path wet. I got my camera out, and then next spray was 10 ft. So it goes... you should 'a seen the one that got away ;-)
Kims mum phoned and said they had already eaten, so it was fish'n'chips at the seashore. Nice nice. Back on the road, and finally arrived at Sussex Inlet, meeting Brian and Jules. They made me feel VERY welcome, with dessert, a nice cuppa, and a warm and open attitude. As the evening wore on, it turned out Brian had a taste for ports, and he shared a taste or three with me. Best of the lot was a Brown Bros. Very Old Port. Smooth as a you know what!
Next morning, breakie (and no, they don't have luncho, I asked), Kim's brother and family came over, we chatted for a few, then Kim and I hit the road. We had changed out objective to the wine area of Mudgee. The road led up through the mountains and down through Kangaroo Valley. It was very lush and almost tropical, but (of course) raining. I was constantly on the lookout to see a 'roo in the wild. So as not to build up too much suspense, the final talley was about 25 as roadkill, and that was it. Very dissapointing for the distance we drove.
Coming down from the mountains, we stopped in Goulburn for a look at the "big concrete sheep." That is an understatement. This thing was HUGE, with a shop built underneath it. I really hope the pics come out. We then looped out through Yass, up through Cowra, Conowindera, and over from Wellington into Golgong. Total time was about 10 hours, with only a couple short stops. Spent the night in the Ten Dollar Hotel (though the price was a wee bit higher). I reccomend it.
Thursday started very early, and we were on the road by around 8 AM. First stop was the Hands on Rocks aborigional site. Getting there included about a 1/2 kilometer hike into the bush, just enough to leave the cars and road noise behind, and really enjoy the birds and various flora. The site inself had beautiful handprints stenciled on a dramatic rock overhang, but no signs or explanation of their age, or meaning. I was less than enlightened leaving, and still on the lookout for some genuine Koori cultural education, and wild kangaroos.
Next were the wineries of Mudgee. Poets Corner were the best wines, and the best informed people serving them. Napa has me spoiled, I guess. The biggest dissapointment is that wines cannot be shipped to the states effectively. The cost is about $30 for a two bottle carrier, or $200 plus for a full case. Kind of slowed down my buying. I still managed to buy 10 bottles. Not sure how I am going to ship them. Best wine of the day was also one of the cheapest. A '98 Poet's Corner blend; Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc (fyi, Shiraz is called Syrah in the states). Less than $10 Australian, putting it close to $5 US.
Took a series of shots that will eventually be a panorama. They are the Blue Mountains, from the western side. They were finally blue! Its sort of a blue haze, caused by the Eucalyptus oil. Very cool.
Last stop of the day was in Katoomba. We went to Echo Point, and looked at the Three Sisters. The valley is a lot like the pictures of the Grand Canyon, but with trees (and not as deep, I think). There are a ton of hiking trails in the area, but there was not a lot of time. I did bop a little way down the Grand Stairs to walk across a little bridge to the first of the sisters. The view was stunning. Then into the car and back to Sydney.
Horse riding in the Megalong
This section gets a bit long winded because of the time I had free to write my travel log.
Monday, Nov 13
Kim drove me up to the Megalong valley in the morning. The trip was estimated at 45 minutes, and we left at 8:30. When it was not raining down buckets, it was fog thicker than sea poop… *harumph* pea soup, that is. Really crazy stuff. The drive ended up taking nearly 90 minutes, and I thought I would arrive to a waiting horse and an annoyed group. Instead, with the weather, they were not ready, and informed me that I would be going on the half day ride, with lunch at the main house, and then on an afternoon ride. We headed out at 11:20 with two guides, my, and a group of 4 Brits from London. The ride leader was normally kitchen staff, and was rather quiet, so it was fortunate that these other chaps were along. Three were fun to chat with, and one had the rest of us laughing the entire trip. He said he had an understanding with his horse… if so, he was under and the horse was standing. We went up hill and down dale, through beautiful country, even if we could not see the top of the valley from the fog and rain.
Back to the main house, where we got a lovely steak lunch. After lingering for a while, I was told they were ready for the afternoon ride. After continuous rain since my arrival down under, I was ready with my shell jacket. We took off up the hill with two guides again, and me. The rain began coming down heavily again, and although the ladies said we could go for the full ride, they both looked wet and miserable, so I said we could go back. This ride ended up being nearly an hour short, and never really left the pastures around the main house. But on the plus side, I finally got to see live Kangaroos, in the wild. There were two or three really big greys hopping through the brush. I took a picture, but not sure how good it will turn out.
Notes to self whilst writing this down. Being stalked by a HUGE peacock, probably looking for a handout. Never buy a cockatoo, their screech is unreal, and loud. Ginger beer (suggested by my hostess) is nice and refreshing at the end of the day, especially if there is no real beer available.
After dropping the horse in the corral, I got the walk through of how to use the heater, and the sat. TV (only about 20 channels of nothing on), and were the tea and coffee were. Dinner was served in the lounge in the back room. I could have sat in the dining room, but it was really strange, because it turned out I was the only guest. I enjoyed a really nice baked perch dinner. Just after dinner, the hostess (and manager, I believe), suggested I take a walk through the pastures before it got completely dark. She then asked if I needed anything, and locked up the front of the main house, and retired to her own house, leaving me alone.
At dusk, I put on my boots and rain jacket and headed off to the upper pastures on foot. It was nice, with everything loosing color and no traffic or airplane sounds, just birds and rain and wind. It didn’t really strike me until I reached the top of the road. The birds are completely different than the in the states. There were Cockatoos screaming, and Kookaburra laughing (they predict the rain, profound as I slogged through the mud) and other tropical sounds. The fields were covered by a heavy mist, and then I saw kangaroos, about a dozen, hopping silently across. They would stop, and look straight at me, although I could barely see them in the waning light. It struck me as very surreal and kind of Jurassic Park. Made all the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Very cool, and the sort of thing I love to come across.
Tuesday, Nov 14
There is a god! Up with sparrow’s fart (Aussie slang for really early) because I had gone to bed at 9 PM, I wandered around and found the office open already. I was scheduled for a ride at 9:30, and it was only 7:30 after a slow rise from bed, and a leisurely shower. Not only was the office open, but they had an espresso machine! I got a café latte in a mug, and settled on the porch to watch the farm come to life, write my notes, and enjoy my coffee. It was raining moderately hard at this point. An hour and a bit later, I got a breakfast of the best eggs I have ever had, fried easy with ham and bacon crisp. I met Jack, my guide, and helped (very little, actually) get the horses ready. While he was replacing an missing shoe on my horse, I helped shovel some ditches and clear a drain as the now heavy rain was overflowing the existing channels and cutting ruts in the roads. It was a nice warm-up, because I was just a bit sore. After the other hands on the site got organized, I was replaced and watched the rest of the work from the front of the barn. It came down buckets. Rain like I have not seen since Florida.
When the work was done, Jack came back to finish getting ready, and there was a bright flash and a roll of thunder. I thought that was it, but Jack said that he would go out in anything. I found this was only partially true later. He finished shoeing my horse, and we were off on our ride. We started out into only a minor deluge. He proved to be the highlight of my trip to the Megalong. Jack has been a stockman for many years, and explained the flora and fauna, Aussie history, the development and equipment of the stockmen, and some of the differences between them and the American cowboy. This was the real tour, but we were limited. The steeper trails down to the river were not stable enough for the horses (at least with basic skilled riders) to descend safely, and he had headed our hoping that the rain would let up. It did not, and in fact got heavier at several points. In spite of the restrictions, Jack made my trip, and I will certainly return if he is guiding. Highly recommended. Also, kudos to Big Red, my horse for two of my three rides. Big, sure footed, well mannered, and smooth riding. We returned to the barn about an hour or so early, and even this time included a tour of the shearing shed, but Jack’s wit and wisdom made the price worth while.
Email me at lamachine@oocities.com
Please come back soon and visit me. Have a nice day ;-)