So, back to Brisbane on Tuesday and the hostel where Paul has been staying. Baby arrived on Saturday, so I was looking forward to seeing her. I settled back in and made myself some dinner. Paul and I had a good catch up when she returned from Baby House.
On Wednesday, I treated myself to a mini lie-in, taking advantage of not being in a YHA. Although, having the shower and bath taps inches from my head on the other side of the wall does mean that there's a couple of hours each morning where there's not a lot of sleeping going on. It was a lovely day so walked the 5km to see Baby and she is an absolute cutey! I sat there and sat there with her in my arms. She wriggles quite a bit and makes faces and then goes quiet again. I went with Paul to Coles to do some shopping - it's amazing how much 'stuff' you suddenly find you need once such a small person arrives in the house! We stayed for dinner which Paul cooked and made our way home.
Thursday morning we went into town for more baby shopping, including a pressie from me. It's funny looking at all the things, remembering how it was when my two were little, what they liked and so on. I'd been told what new Mum and Dad had their eye on so that was found and bought. Paul went over to see them all in the afternoon and, following my watery success of Monday, I went swimming.
The South Bank is a fabulous area. Up near Victoria Bridge there's the Art Galleries and the museum, along with the Performing Arts Centre. Further back in our direction, there's a wonderful area stretching along the side of the river. There's the Nepalese Peace Pagoda; a rainforest walk; gardens and playgrounds; cafes and restaurants; pools to paddle, play or swim; formal gardens; a picnic area. And it is so well used. During the week there are always families enjoying the facilities. There seem to be at least two universities adjacent to South Bank and the students take advantage of the beach by one of the pools, to lounge or play. I like the fact that in all the cities and places I've been to, there are always plenty of good, clean, free, functioning public toilets. And where there are public swimming areas there are usually showers and changing rooms available. In the nearby streets there are regular markets and lots of places to eat, drink and watch the world go by.
It was my turn to cook, but we survived. I caught up with Mike through the powers of skype for the first time since I've been away. It was nice to talk and hear his voice again. It's also weird trying to arrange a time for these things that works for both of you when there's a nine hour time difference.
Today, Friday was great fun. I headed off over Goodwill Bridge towards Old Government House. Completed in 1862, it was built for the Governor to live in and work from. And what a beautiful house. Graceful large rooms with high ceilings, beautiful architecture and all overlooking the Botanic Gardens. There was a group of school children visiting and they were good fun. Upstairs some of the rooms act as a gallery for the works of William Robinson. I wasn't sure about the pictures to start off with. I tend to think that if someone is drawing a thing then it should be accurate, and not with the legs sticking out in odd directions or the perspective all wrong. However, after a while I got to quite enjoy the pictures and found humour in the cows and chooks and goats, as well as the many self-portraits of Mr Robinson himself. There was also a nice tea room in the courtyard ;-)
Looking at my little guidebook, nearby 'attractions' included the Queensland Parliament and an Art Museum. I went through security at the Parliament building and enjoyed a tour led by Genevieve with only two of us in the group. We started in the modern Parliamentary Annexe and went through to the old, original building. This was designed by the same chap, Charles Tiffin who was Queensland's first Colonial Architect, as did the Old Government House. Again, another gorgeous and grand building. Parliament wasn't sitting so we were able to take photos and go into the chamber where the Legislative Assembly operates. The Upper House was abolished so the system is unusual in having only one chamber. That means the old physical chamber is unused for its original purpose but is still in operation for committees, meetings and tourist tours. I really enjoyed it, understanding some of the history of the building as well as the Parliament, comparing it with what we have at home.
And finally, the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Art Museum. It was small but interesting with mostly what I would call sculptural pieces mostly in wood as well as some furniture pieces. Ihave pictures which I shall attempt to post up for you. I do enjoy seeing where contemporary art is moving to and how things evolve and change.
And in amongst all that, a quick trip to the botanic gardens to photograph the water dragons.
Friday, 30 May 2014
Photos - don't get too excited
To 'celebrate' the return of cooperation by google+, I feel I have to share some photographs with you. Even though, they are not that exciting, you might find them amusing. They are shots from the hostel we've been (and currently still are) staying in in Brisbane. Let's say, it's been an interesting experience here but at least we know what the rules are. If it seems not too bad to you, consider also that the custodians live here at present and will turn the lights off while you're in a room and ask to turn the tv volume down when you can hardly hear it anyway. They break their own rule about using the kitchen late in the day and although we're required to keep the place clean, the cooker requires some attention shall we say. And when I returned from being away for 9 days the bin in our room still hadn't been emptied.
At least we know how to do the washing up properly, thanks to this helpful guide.
And would never forget to wipe things clean.
Drying your clothes is a challenge....
But, my hopes were raised when I found this in the 'herbs, spics & seasonings' cupboard. Unfortunately, it is a kiwi imposter. It even has sugar in the ingredients list.
Thursday, 29 May 2014
Photo catch up
Or it would be if google+ were cooperating. I am going to scream. I really don't know why it is that I can do the same thing on different days and sometimes it works and sometimes not.
I am continuing to put pictures on twitter. You don't have to sign up on there, just go to www.twitter.com and put @runningwomble in the search box (the one with the magnifying glass) and you should be able to make your way to the photos.
Aarrgghhhhhh
I am continuing to put pictures on twitter. You don't have to sign up on there, just go to www.twitter.com and put @runningwomble in the search box (the one with the magnifying glass) and you should be able to make your way to the photos.
Aarrgghhhhhh
Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Monday - it must be the Great Barrier Reef
My specification to the nice lady at the YHA desk who helps you book up your tours was "A trip to the reef without getting into the water". She showed me a brochure from a company called Reef Magic and I handed over the money. The trip was to a platform on the outer reef (at Moore Reef to be precise) where you could go snorkelling or diving, or see fishy things through glass in a variety of ways. Good. I'm the person who did a sprint triathlon with heads-up breast stroke because I can't put my face in the water.
So, on Monday morning I walked up to the Reef Marina. It was like checking in at an airport with desks for the different companies all taking people out into the sea to look at fish and coral. I was nice and early which meant I was among the first few people onto the boat (catamaran) and could pick my seat at the front and settle in for the 90 minute journey. We were warned that it might be a bit bumpy for some... I took the opportunity to practise relaxation as the sensation in my stomach was very similar to the plummeting feeling experienced in turbulence on a plane; and I'm not fond of that. I decided that although I think the sensation is in my stomach it's possible that I'm tensing it in response to a reaction elsewhere (which would be my ears I suppose). So focussing on not letting anything happen in the mid-region was quite interesting and something I managed to master. Being able to see out when in a boat also helps. I don't know that I've ever suffered with seasickness but it gave me something to do!
Sitting at the front, I got full benefit of the snorkelling demonstration as well as the diving briefing. There were various folk wandering about to get you to sign up for guided snorkelling or the diving activities ie take more money from you and I opted for a massage. They're very popular here, you can usually find them at street markets! This was a nice Australian lady rather than a small oriental person so I felt more sure of what I might get.
We arrived at the platform and I had a good look around. The snorkelling area was roped and marked off by buoys to stop you straying too close to the reef, or too far away I suppose. There was a little platform where you could put on your flippers and get in the water. The ocean. I had my massage which was lovely, although the first one ever where the masseuse has said nothing during the whole thing, and went to go on the glass bottomed boat trip. That was fun with commentary about the reef history and so on, as well as seeing lots of pretty fish. It wasn't good for taking photos but never mind.
Back at the platform, I changed into my swimsuit, collected a lifejacket and did it up tight, then picked a snorkel mask and some flippers. I was in that inspired by others place again, thinking you get some chances only once and this was one of them. Tentatively, I tiptoed down the steps to the jumping in platform. Put on my flippers, then my mask, then inserted the snorkel mouthpiece. Yes, I was sitting down, ankle deep in water, breathing through a snorkel in the open air. Ok, it worked. Now for the water. I moved forward to the edge where I could sit, legs in the water and gentle lapping of waves around my backside. I sat there for a while and finally made my move. I got in, holding very tightly to the platform with both hands. I looked down and saw a pretty yellow and black striped fish. Good, I've done it. Perhaps I could my face a bit lower so that it got wet? Ooohhhh. Still alive, I did that again and let my body and legs float upwards so that I was at full stretch on top of the water facing downwards! Still holding on, don't be silly. So I practised that for a bit, then the idea of movement hit me. This would involve moving a hand to the next bit of metal but I could probably do it, so that was the next step or paddle or something - it wasn't swimming. This was really quite something, I could see fish and I could breathe all at the same time. There was a snorkelling supervisor lady and she asked if I was ok and I replied that I was doing very well, thank you! I got out while the going was good and had lunch. I should point out here, that although I was fairly pathetic at the whole snorkelling thing, I got in without the need to put on a wetsuit because the water temperature was 'only' 25C. Seemed positively balmy to me. There were only about three people not wearing wetties :-)
Lunch was a buffet affair and not restricted as to how much you could have. There had already been 'morning tea' when we arrived at the platform so we were being well looked after. My next activity was the semi-submersible outing where you sit in the hull with glass windows down both sides of a fairly small boat. A slightly better view than from the glass bottomed vessel. Both these boats went around the local reef slowly, taking in different types of reef, with explanations and descriptions of all sorts of things. Amusingly, our guide's first language was not English and she called one creature a 'sea cumber' so every time after when a small child or older person spotted one it was "Oh look a sea cumber"..... I didn't want to upset anyone so kept quiet ;-) They're not too exciting to look at but were a big export item at one point as some people, the Japanese I think, eat them.
There was a fish feeding session back on the platform. That was amazing, all these fish showing a great interest and coming right up close, including Wally the Great Maori Wrasse. She's a very friendly, very large fish who likes to hang around the platform and actively invites stroking. All good fun.
Then I retrieved my kit and returned to the enclosure! It seems I hadn't had enough excitement! I repeated much of what went before and this time moved along the rail with slightly more confidence. Said hi to a couple who were resting up and laughed that I hadn't let go yet. The man was really kind and asked if he could help at all, hold my hand. I thanked him but declined - no need to drown two people on such a nice day. I practised lying there holding on with just one hand and then, finally, I let go! I was snorkelling! One of the big problems I have is a fear of swimming where I can't see the bottom. Here on the reef, I could see the coral and it wasn't too far down so I was ok (of sorts!). I grabbed back hold of the platform and laughed at what I was doing. And emptied the water out of my snorkel. I had another go and slowly, slowly I even started to manoeuvre myself around a teeny bit, starting to explore The Great Barrier Reef, or at least a very small corner of it.
There were so many different fish of a multitude of shapes and sizes. And the colours! Ask a small child to paint you some fish and this is what you get! The corals were pretty and I saw a huge clam in a really whacky colour combination so it wasn't just fish and cumbers. Absolutely incredible. I was grinning insanely, perhaps that's why water kept sneaking in.
Then I had tea and cake and yet again, the world was wonderful chez moi.
Back on dry land, I went and sought out the Night Markets about which I'd heard so much but, to be frank, seen one market, you've seen most of them.... On the other hand, as I walked back to the hostel at dusk I saw the bats doing their evening commute to the fruit growing area. What an amazing spectacle! Thousands of bats, flying, swarming, flocking whatever it is that bats do, filling a tract of sky. And when I say thousands, I mean thousands. Meanwhile, all the rainbow lorikeets in Queensland seemed to be having their AGM in one, large tree. What a racket!
What a perfect day.
So, on Monday morning I walked up to the Reef Marina. It was like checking in at an airport with desks for the different companies all taking people out into the sea to look at fish and coral. I was nice and early which meant I was among the first few people onto the boat (catamaran) and could pick my seat at the front and settle in for the 90 minute journey. We were warned that it might be a bit bumpy for some... I took the opportunity to practise relaxation as the sensation in my stomach was very similar to the plummeting feeling experienced in turbulence on a plane; and I'm not fond of that. I decided that although I think the sensation is in my stomach it's possible that I'm tensing it in response to a reaction elsewhere (which would be my ears I suppose). So focussing on not letting anything happen in the mid-region was quite interesting and something I managed to master. Being able to see out when in a boat also helps. I don't know that I've ever suffered with seasickness but it gave me something to do!
Sitting at the front, I got full benefit of the snorkelling demonstration as well as the diving briefing. There were various folk wandering about to get you to sign up for guided snorkelling or the diving activities ie take more money from you and I opted for a massage. They're very popular here, you can usually find them at street markets! This was a nice Australian lady rather than a small oriental person so I felt more sure of what I might get.
We arrived at the platform and I had a good look around. The snorkelling area was roped and marked off by buoys to stop you straying too close to the reef, or too far away I suppose. There was a little platform where you could put on your flippers and get in the water. The ocean. I had my massage which was lovely, although the first one ever where the masseuse has said nothing during the whole thing, and went to go on the glass bottomed boat trip. That was fun with commentary about the reef history and so on, as well as seeing lots of pretty fish. It wasn't good for taking photos but never mind.
Back at the platform, I changed into my swimsuit, collected a lifejacket and did it up tight, then picked a snorkel mask and some flippers. I was in that inspired by others place again, thinking you get some chances only once and this was one of them. Tentatively, I tiptoed down the steps to the jumping in platform. Put on my flippers, then my mask, then inserted the snorkel mouthpiece. Yes, I was sitting down, ankle deep in water, breathing through a snorkel in the open air. Ok, it worked. Now for the water. I moved forward to the edge where I could sit, legs in the water and gentle lapping of waves around my backside. I sat there for a while and finally made my move. I got in, holding very tightly to the platform with both hands. I looked down and saw a pretty yellow and black striped fish. Good, I've done it. Perhaps I could my face a bit lower so that it got wet? Ooohhhh. Still alive, I did that again and let my body and legs float upwards so that I was at full stretch on top of the water facing downwards! Still holding on, don't be silly. So I practised that for a bit, then the idea of movement hit me. This would involve moving a hand to the next bit of metal but I could probably do it, so that was the next step or paddle or something - it wasn't swimming. This was really quite something, I could see fish and I could breathe all at the same time. There was a snorkelling supervisor lady and she asked if I was ok and I replied that I was doing very well, thank you! I got out while the going was good and had lunch. I should point out here, that although I was fairly pathetic at the whole snorkelling thing, I got in without the need to put on a wetsuit because the water temperature was 'only' 25C. Seemed positively balmy to me. There were only about three people not wearing wetties :-)
Lunch was a buffet affair and not restricted as to how much you could have. There had already been 'morning tea' when we arrived at the platform so we were being well looked after. My next activity was the semi-submersible outing where you sit in the hull with glass windows down both sides of a fairly small boat. A slightly better view than from the glass bottomed vessel. Both these boats went around the local reef slowly, taking in different types of reef, with explanations and descriptions of all sorts of things. Amusingly, our guide's first language was not English and she called one creature a 'sea cumber' so every time after when a small child or older person spotted one it was "Oh look a sea cumber"..... I didn't want to upset anyone so kept quiet ;-) They're not too exciting to look at but were a big export item at one point as some people, the Japanese I think, eat them.
There was a fish feeding session back on the platform. That was amazing, all these fish showing a great interest and coming right up close, including Wally the Great Maori Wrasse. She's a very friendly, very large fish who likes to hang around the platform and actively invites stroking. All good fun.
Then I retrieved my kit and returned to the enclosure! It seems I hadn't had enough excitement! I repeated much of what went before and this time moved along the rail with slightly more confidence. Said hi to a couple who were resting up and laughed that I hadn't let go yet. The man was really kind and asked if he could help at all, hold my hand. I thanked him but declined - no need to drown two people on such a nice day. I practised lying there holding on with just one hand and then, finally, I let go! I was snorkelling! One of the big problems I have is a fear of swimming where I can't see the bottom. Here on the reef, I could see the coral and it wasn't too far down so I was ok (of sorts!). I grabbed back hold of the platform and laughed at what I was doing. And emptied the water out of my snorkel. I had another go and slowly, slowly I even started to manoeuvre myself around a teeny bit, starting to explore The Great Barrier Reef, or at least a very small corner of it.
There were so many different fish of a multitude of shapes and sizes. And the colours! Ask a small child to paint you some fish and this is what you get! The corals were pretty and I saw a huge clam in a really whacky colour combination so it wasn't just fish and cumbers. Absolutely incredible. I was grinning insanely, perhaps that's why water kept sneaking in.
Then I had tea and cake and yet again, the world was wonderful chez moi.
Back on dry land, I went and sought out the Night Markets about which I'd heard so much but, to be frank, seen one market, you've seen most of them.... On the other hand, as I walked back to the hostel at dusk I saw the bats doing their evening commute to the fruit growing area. What an amazing spectacle! Thousands of bats, flying, swarming, flocking whatever it is that bats do, filling a tract of sky. And when I say thousands, I mean thousands. Meanwhile, all the rainbow lorikeets in Queensland seemed to be having their AGM in one, large tree. What a racket!
What a perfect day.
Monday, 26 May 2014
Sunday - not *another* botanic garden please!
I know, I'm sorry but an English lady I'd talked to over dinner on Saturday night said she'd heard good things and it was easy to get to. Off to the bus place and the nice driver even dropped me between stops and pointed out the way. Cairns Botanic Gardens is more a collection of places rather than one gardens and it was very good. Perhaps it was the boardwalk through the rainforest; the formal botanical collection; the explanation of evolution of Australia; the Tank Arts Centre; the monthly market (you can tell I'm joking?); the lily pond; the giant bamboo or the saltwater and freshwater lakes. It was all rather good and well sign-posted.
The real highlights of the day, however, belong to several small boys. The first two were looking into a bucket of fish by a lake as I walked up. I asked the little one if he'd caught them and he replied "My Dad caught them" in such a lovely little voice. Their parents said it was ok for me to take a couple of pictures, so big brother tried to hold them all in one go (about 5 mullet) and little chap held one by the tail. It was magical.
Further along, there were three boys fishing on a bridge over the freshwater lake. Had they caught anything. No not yet but they'd just had a turtle which got away (oh yeah, trainee fishermen). I stayed and chatted to them for a few minutes, a turtle poked its nose above water! Wow! First time I've ever seen one outside a zoo or aquarium! Then one of the boys landed one but it wriggled violently and got back into the water. Crumbs! Too much going on! Then I saw big fish do the wriggle/escape routine before finally, another turtle was on the deck and unable to escape. The boys didn't actually want to catch turtles, they just liked the bait. They were very careful to release the turtle - "It's only a young one" - and I thanked them for letting me share the experience. They were lovely boys, friendly and willing to chat and explain what they were up to. No cheekiness or being cocky, just honest, polite and great.
After all that excitement, I walked back as it only seemed to be about 3km. I needed to prepare myself for the reef trip.
Some pictures from the park on twitter @runningwomble
The real highlights of the day, however, belong to several small boys. The first two were looking into a bucket of fish by a lake as I walked up. I asked the little one if he'd caught them and he replied "My Dad caught them" in such a lovely little voice. Their parents said it was ok for me to take a couple of pictures, so big brother tried to hold them all in one go (about 5 mullet) and little chap held one by the tail. It was magical.
Further along, there were three boys fishing on a bridge over the freshwater lake. Had they caught anything. No not yet but they'd just had a turtle which got away (oh yeah, trainee fishermen). I stayed and chatted to them for a few minutes, a turtle poked its nose above water! Wow! First time I've ever seen one outside a zoo or aquarium! Then one of the boys landed one but it wriggled violently and got back into the water. Crumbs! Too much going on! Then I saw big fish do the wriggle/escape routine before finally, another turtle was on the deck and unable to escape. The boys didn't actually want to catch turtles, they just liked the bait. They were very careful to release the turtle - "It's only a young one" - and I thanked them for letting me share the experience. They were lovely boys, friendly and willing to chat and explain what they were up to. No cheekiness or being cocky, just honest, polite and great.
After all that excitement, I walked back as it only seemed to be about 3km. I needed to prepare myself for the reef trip.
Some pictures from the park on twitter @runningwomble
Saturday 24 May - it must be Port Douglas
What a rather lovely hostel! Two of us in a room for four which was kitted out as two singles and a bunk, along an en-suite shower and a door out to a seating area at the back. And a fridge! And free wifi! The room was tiled and clean with cupboards and bedside lights, air-conditioning. All that was missing was room service and a television. On the other hand, it was strangely quiet. At 9.30pm on Friday night I went to the kitchen and no-one was about and the kitchen looked closed. I tried the door, which was open, found the light switch and made myself a free cup of coffee in this strange, clean space. So unlike Cairns YHA. Do stay there, Port O'Call Eco Lodge, if you're ever visiting Port Douglas.
On Friday evening, I had ventured up the road and into town to buy some food for dinner. I still can't get used to it being dark but early evening and warm. You never get those three together at home. I did one of those movie re-enactment things and walked back along the railway tracks! It was the old track used by sugar cane trains and now once a week for a volunteer-run steam train. I must have looked the right tourist...
Saturday dawned and there was this odd yellow thing in the sky. My plan was to walk around town and suss the place out - the usual Karen walkabout in a new place. And a jolly nice place too. A bit Bournemouth (well Sandbanks really) with the occasional reminder of Poole :-) The Port Douglas Carnivale was on and actually using the word close to its original meaning of being a meat-eating festival. The local yacht club seems very smart as does its marina. I found the old courthouse (closed despite a sign saying it should be open); an old lighthouse and then a look-out point which was up a very steep hill. The views were stunning once I got there and there were some gorgeous houses to have a sticky nose at. Apparently, they hide celebrities in such places if they're filming in the region. A bit like when Brad and Ange lived round the corner to us in Petersham for a while, I suppose.
The main street seemed to be full of places to eat, many of them possibly of the fine dining variety. I found somewhere for me despite that. I walked on and found the beach which I had inspected from on high and it did not disappoint. For once, there were actually people on it, families and everything, even going in the water (between the flags only of course). The sand was fine and I sat down a while, pondering life, the universe and everything. Not sure I have the answer yet though. Eventually, I returned to the hostel.
At the hostel, I logged in to the wifi, had a cup of coffee and wondered again where everyone was. As it got near to collection time I moved to sit out at the front, to wait for my bus to Cairns. Opposite was a tree with lots of bats in it. Then they started flying around a bit. Eventually, I caved in and video-ed (sp?) them. One day, I shall see if I can put it on that youtube thing. What a day. Then it was back to Cairns. Every silver lining has a cloud.
For pictures, keep looking on twitter by finding @runningwomble until I get back to some decent wifi.
On Friday evening, I had ventured up the road and into town to buy some food for dinner. I still can't get used to it being dark but early evening and warm. You never get those three together at home. I did one of those movie re-enactment things and walked back along the railway tracks! It was the old track used by sugar cane trains and now once a week for a volunteer-run steam train. I must have looked the right tourist...
Saturday dawned and there was this odd yellow thing in the sky. My plan was to walk around town and suss the place out - the usual Karen walkabout in a new place. And a jolly nice place too. A bit Bournemouth (well Sandbanks really) with the occasional reminder of Poole :-) The Port Douglas Carnivale was on and actually using the word close to its original meaning of being a meat-eating festival. The local yacht club seems very smart as does its marina. I found the old courthouse (closed despite a sign saying it should be open); an old lighthouse and then a look-out point which was up a very steep hill. The views were stunning once I got there and there were some gorgeous houses to have a sticky nose at. Apparently, they hide celebrities in such places if they're filming in the region. A bit like when Brad and Ange lived round the corner to us in Petersham for a while, I suppose.
The main street seemed to be full of places to eat, many of them possibly of the fine dining variety. I found somewhere for me despite that. I walked on and found the beach which I had inspected from on high and it did not disappoint. For once, there were actually people on it, families and everything, even going in the water (between the flags only of course). The sand was fine and I sat down a while, pondering life, the universe and everything. Not sure I have the answer yet though. Eventually, I returned to the hostel.
At the hostel, I logged in to the wifi, had a cup of coffee and wondered again where everyone was. As it got near to collection time I moved to sit out at the front, to wait for my bus to Cairns. Opposite was a tree with lots of bats in it. Then they started flying around a bit. Eventually, I caved in and video-ed (sp?) them. One day, I shall see if I can put it on that youtube thing. What a day. Then it was back to Cairns. Every silver lining has a cloud.
For pictures, keep looking on twitter by finding @runningwomble until I get back to some decent wifi.
Saturday, 24 May 2014
Where was I?
Ah yes, Cape Tribulation and the Daintree Rainforest. My tour started in Cairns, first stop breakfast, then a boat trip on the Daintree River to see 'wildlife' ie crocodiles. Oh that's so last month, darling. I've seen crocodiles like well, they're going out of fashion. Anyway, it was raining and murky, possibly even 'cold' so we only saw two crocodiles but, hey, they were in their natural habitat not being grown for their skins.
Onwards to a boardwalk through the rainforest. This was getting more interesting. The rainforest is so amazing: plants falling over themselves and each others to reach the top of the canopy where that special commodity 'light' exists. So many species inter-twined and co-existing in pursuit of that one thing. I was surprised by the lack of birds. Not like on film where there's always a parrot squawking its way towards you. The occasional cheep, tweet or chirrup but strangely silent on the avian front. It's all so lush and tangled up, you can't even start to think about how many different species of plant you have there before you. Some are really ancient species that were around at the time of the dinosaurs or earlier, fossilised records showing how little they've changed. Awesome is not normally a word I would use but it's appropriate here.
We were dropped off at our accommodation at lunchtime, to be retrieved/recovered/rescued/taken away 24 hours later. I discovered that the 'bistro' had not a lot of vegetarian activity going on which was no surprise so I enquired as to the local shopping opportunities. The answer was about a 9km round trip or "Oh yes there's somewhere a bit nearer, you can get there along the beach. There's a little bit of wading but... It's fine". Off I went, along the beach. Bit annoying that I could see, oh at least 30 other people dotted here and there, ruining my deserted beach story. That's 30 as far as the eye could see. Like Southend ..... I found the wading bit. You know, you can never tell how deep these things are but I decided to remove the super-thongs and made my way. It got deeper, and a bit deeper still. There was a group of people the other side and I joked with them that they knew where the shallow crossing was. They said No. I emerged, the tide-mark half-way up my shorts, and replaced my shoes. I was nearly there. On wondering how long this walk was taking, fording the river etc it occurred to me that my phone was in my pocket. My shorts pocket. Below the tide-mark. Oops.
I got my provisions and had a cup of coffee and a muffin across the road and confirmed that, yes, the phone was wet. I walked home the dry route.
The YHA is located in the rainforest. The buildings are linked by a concrete pathway but all around is jungle. Totally amazing. The chosen accommodation was a wood cabin of four rooms, each capable of housing five people. Marine and I spread out in ours. She was a lovely young French girl, not a swarthy forces person ;-) The en-suite was outside, up the path and in a different building. I must get new batteries for my torch.
The evening was fun. I blogged a bit in the wifi area by reception and then retired to the bar area and drank wine. The young people were being entertaining and life was rather good.
In the morning I discovered a cockroach in our room but that was about par for the place. It wasn't scurrying about and nowhere near the size of the spider in the bar area. That was hanging over the entrance to the pool area which I only found out when I was in the water. It had rained, heavily, during the night and the weather gods decided to continue playing their game with us. So the rain carried on unabated. I came up with the British response of 'sod it' and went for walk on the beach anyway. Our carriage returned to take us away from this idyllic location to a place where they sold yummy ice-cream.
We travelled on, wending our way Cairns-ward, and stopped off at the Mossman Gorge. A nice chap told us about spears, boomerangs, food and medicines, but again, I was left thinking it was all so superficial that really, what was the point? Then it was onto a shuttle bus to the gorge. We could swim there, carefully as the water level was fairly high because of all the bloody rain we've been having. I opted out of that and took pictures and went to explore the lookout point and suspension bridge. The latter was bouncy. Bouncy, scary, nasty. Why, if you're going to replace a suspension bridge do you construct one that is in eleven sections that bounce and wobble? I was not amused and didn't get further than about the first three metres.
After that, I was dropped off at this lovely YHA hostel in Port Douglas. More of that and Port Douglas tomorrow.
Onwards to a boardwalk through the rainforest. This was getting more interesting. The rainforest is so amazing: plants falling over themselves and each others to reach the top of the canopy where that special commodity 'light' exists. So many species inter-twined and co-existing in pursuit of that one thing. I was surprised by the lack of birds. Not like on film where there's always a parrot squawking its way towards you. The occasional cheep, tweet or chirrup but strangely silent on the avian front. It's all so lush and tangled up, you can't even start to think about how many different species of plant you have there before you. Some are really ancient species that were around at the time of the dinosaurs or earlier, fossilised records showing how little they've changed. Awesome is not normally a word I would use but it's appropriate here.
We were dropped off at our accommodation at lunchtime, to be retrieved/recovered/rescued/taken away 24 hours later. I discovered that the 'bistro' had not a lot of vegetarian activity going on which was no surprise so I enquired as to the local shopping opportunities. The answer was about a 9km round trip or "Oh yes there's somewhere a bit nearer, you can get there along the beach. There's a little bit of wading but... It's fine". Off I went, along the beach. Bit annoying that I could see, oh at least 30 other people dotted here and there, ruining my deserted beach story. That's 30 as far as the eye could see. Like Southend ..... I found the wading bit. You know, you can never tell how deep these things are but I decided to remove the super-thongs and made my way. It got deeper, and a bit deeper still. There was a group of people the other side and I joked with them that they knew where the shallow crossing was. They said No. I emerged, the tide-mark half-way up my shorts, and replaced my shoes. I was nearly there. On wondering how long this walk was taking, fording the river etc it occurred to me that my phone was in my pocket. My shorts pocket. Below the tide-mark. Oops.
I got my provisions and had a cup of coffee and a muffin across the road and confirmed that, yes, the phone was wet. I walked home the dry route.
The YHA is located in the rainforest. The buildings are linked by a concrete pathway but all around is jungle. Totally amazing. The chosen accommodation was a wood cabin of four rooms, each capable of housing five people. Marine and I spread out in ours. She was a lovely young French girl, not a swarthy forces person ;-) The en-suite was outside, up the path and in a different building. I must get new batteries for my torch.
The evening was fun. I blogged a bit in the wifi area by reception and then retired to the bar area and drank wine. The young people were being entertaining and life was rather good.
In the morning I discovered a cockroach in our room but that was about par for the place. It wasn't scurrying about and nowhere near the size of the spider in the bar area. That was hanging over the entrance to the pool area which I only found out when I was in the water. It had rained, heavily, during the night and the weather gods decided to continue playing their game with us. So the rain carried on unabated. I came up with the British response of 'sod it' and went for walk on the beach anyway. Our carriage returned to take us away from this idyllic location to a place where they sold yummy ice-cream.
We travelled on, wending our way Cairns-ward, and stopped off at the Mossman Gorge. A nice chap told us about spears, boomerangs, food and medicines, but again, I was left thinking it was all so superficial that really, what was the point? Then it was onto a shuttle bus to the gorge. We could swim there, carefully as the water level was fairly high because of all the bloody rain we've been having. I opted out of that and took pictures and went to explore the lookout point and suspension bridge. The latter was bouncy. Bouncy, scary, nasty. Why, if you're going to replace a suspension bridge do you construct one that is in eleven sections that bounce and wobble? I was not amused and didn't get further than about the first three metres.
After that, I was dropped off at this lovely YHA hostel in Port Douglas. More of that and Port Douglas tomorrow.
Thursday, 22 May 2014
Slightly pissed posting
Ok, I'll skip the bit as to how I got here. After my earlier bloggering, I retired to the bar area and procured myself a bottle of chardonnay with some semillon thrown in. Very reasonable at $18.
People were at their tables, joshing and joking. We had a gangnam style demonstration. A chap asked if it was ok to play his music on the beach. He later returned to thank the barman and asked if anyone else was going to join him - at the *other* bar in this area! This was all totally surreal. We are sitting here, under a canvas roof, it has chucked it down with rain, one or two eyelids were batted but generally we got on with life. There is a most incredibly beautiful beach just behind us. Next stop Chile if you were to swim for it. We are surrounded by primitive rain forest. People are worrying about music and alcohol.
Wake up and feel what's going on around you. It's amazing. Even as I walked to the wifi zone, a frog-a-like but probably small cane toad jumped across the footpath in front of me. There are crickets making noises in the jungle. There was a gecko in the bar area. The huge spider stayed in its lofty position, surveying us all and probably looking for its next meal. I can hear a waterfall somewhere nearby.
Ommmmmmmm
People were at their tables, joshing and joking. We had a gangnam style demonstration. A chap asked if it was ok to play his music on the beach. He later returned to thank the barman and asked if anyone else was going to join him - at the *other* bar in this area! This was all totally surreal. We are sitting here, under a canvas roof, it has chucked it down with rain, one or two eyelids were batted but generally we got on with life. There is a most incredibly beautiful beach just behind us. Next stop Chile if you were to swim for it. We are surrounded by primitive rain forest. People are worrying about music and alcohol.
Wake up and feel what's going on around you. It's amazing. Even as I walked to the wifi zone, a frog-a-like but probably small cane toad jumped across the footpath in front of me. There are crickets making noises in the jungle. There was a gecko in the bar area. The huge spider stayed in its lofty position, surveying us all and probably looking for its next meal. I can hear a waterfall somewhere nearby.
Ommmmmmmm
Wednesday - day off in Cairns
I don't know what I thought I would find as Cairns tends to have a fairly ropey reputation as being full of backpackers, hippies and divers. I suspect that a lot of money has been and is being spent in trying shake off that image. The streets are clean, the Esplanade area is lovely with a long walk, bathing lagoon, artificial beach and marina for fishing and cruising boats. But, there are still lots of shout-loud, cheap and tatty, seaside shops even if they are in a town that's generally warmer than Southend. There's something just not quite right. It's the main start point for trips to the Great Barrier Reef and there are trips for all pockets and ambition. You can snorkel, dive, look through a glass-bottomed boat, go sea-fishing, hire an upmarket boat for your own personal cruise. Anything. Plenty of seemingly upmarket hotels as well as lots of dodgy looking backpackers places. I've been staying in the YHA which is bigger and noisier and different from my experience in Darwin. Last night at midnight I thought the hostel had broken - I couldn't hear anything! There's usually loud talking, guitar playing, general noisyness.
That's not to say I didn't get any culture on my walkabout. There was the Cairns Regional Art Gallery, fairly small and not very exciting I'm afraid. I did enjoy the pictures by Andrea Huelin. The shop was better than the gallery. I went off to find the museum that the lady in tourist information said didn't exist; "...because Cairns hasn't been here very long there wouldn't be anything to put in it". I have to mention that she was English. To be fair, the museum that had existed (and was still on the map she gave me) has closed while the premises are being refurbished. Wandering about, I did come across the Centre of Contemporary Art and that was bloody brilliant. Interesting, thought-provoking stuff, both aboriginal and not. Loads to look at, the shop was fabulous and it's lucky, yet again, for my bank balance that I can't get things home with me.
Up early to go to Daintree rain forest and Cape Tribulation where this wifi is working (outside the reception office only and no mobile coverage) as I type. But I'll tell you about that tomorrow. Right now, there's a beer with my name on it.
That's not to say I didn't get any culture on my walkabout. There was the Cairns Regional Art Gallery, fairly small and not very exciting I'm afraid. I did enjoy the pictures by Andrea Huelin. The shop was better than the gallery. I went off to find the museum that the lady in tourist information said didn't exist; "...because Cairns hasn't been here very long there wouldn't be anything to put in it". I have to mention that she was English. To be fair, the museum that had existed (and was still on the map she gave me) has closed while the premises are being refurbished. Wandering about, I did come across the Centre of Contemporary Art and that was bloody brilliant. Interesting, thought-provoking stuff, both aboriginal and not. Loads to look at, the shop was fabulous and it's lucky, yet again, for my bank balance that I can't get things home with me.
Up early to go to Daintree rain forest and Cape Tribulation where this wifi is working (outside the reception office only and no mobile coverage) as I type. But I'll tell you about that tomorrow. Right now, there's a beer with my name on it.
Tuesday - Tjakupai & Kuranda
Packing in the action, Tuesday saw me visiting the Tjakupai Aboriginal Cultural Park. There was a nagging feeling at the back of mind as to how this might turn out and I think that was fed when I got there. The Tjakupai are the local aboriginal people and some of the people working there are from that population. Some are from neighbouring groups. The visit to the park is fairly structured, there are presentations, demonstrations and shows laid out for you to take in and learn more about the aboriginal way of life. This included a talk about the local art - it's not all dots that's the technique used in the centre around Alice Springs; didgeridoo playing; a talk about weapons and tools; boomerang throwing (I was useless); spear throwing (I didn't even try); a dance performance and a show and tell talk about food and medicines. But, it was all very superficial and brief, probably to cater to the attention span of the average tourist whose first language is not English let alone Australian with an indigenous accent. Any of these activities lasted 20 minutes at the most. I was left wanting more information and detail. It was all good entertainment, the didgeridoo player would make an excellent stand-up comedian if he ever wanted a new career, but it was lacking something. There is building and refurbishment work going on so hopefully it will change for the better.
After the Park, there was a journey in a gondola planned. I hadn't been in one of those since my skiing holiday. Next door was Skyrail, a 7km cableway (gondola to me) taking you up over the tree tops of the tropical rainforest to the aboriginal village of Kuranda. Unlike my usual experience, I got a gondola to myself. This meant I could take as many pictures as I liked of the rain and cloud-stricken scenery. There were a couple of stop-off points, our coach driver had helpfully suggested to give one a miss as that opportunity would come up again later. I took the first and went for a damp stroll on a boardwalk through some rainforest. Fascinating to see close-up the total chaos of vegetation, all lush and unusual to the eye used to the gardening section at Homebase.
It was a slow chug or glide up to Kuranda, no baying thousands of skiers impatient to get on their way, but we did arrive eventually. The village is in the land of the Tjakupai people and it became settled when a railway line was being built. I think the wikipedia entry is fairly succinct in describing it as "a vibrant "Village in the rainforest" with tourism being the current backbone of the local economy". It also says "...was popular with alternative lifestylers, a theme which still runs through the local community today". Yep, right on that one too. It's a small village, set upon making you spend more money. There's a mini-zoo, a butterfly sanctuary (I nearly went in but balked at the price of $19), a bird place, along with lots of retail outlets and galleries. To be fair, I did find a very good gallery with decent art in it, including some interesting ceramics by a local person. I even dithered long and hard over the practicalities of buying ceramics and getting them home unbroken; sense prevailed and my bank balance was happier. I didn't feel inclined to explore too much mostly because it kept raining on and off, so I may be doing the place a big dis-service. Possibly not.
The return journey was on the Kuranda Scenic Railway. Now this was good. An old train running from a beautifully restored station. The line runs down the side of two gorges with peeks out over some jaw-droppingly wonderful scenery. As suggested by Mr Coach Driver, the stop at Barron Falls was worth waiting for. I had heard it wasn't doing much but I think all the rain we've been having has woken it up a bit. We went across a bridge in front of another falls but I can't remember the name! I enjoyed the train journey far more than the Skyrail.
Overall, a pretty good day. When will it stop raining?
After the Park, there was a journey in a gondola planned. I hadn't been in one of those since my skiing holiday. Next door was Skyrail, a 7km cableway (gondola to me) taking you up over the tree tops of the tropical rainforest to the aboriginal village of Kuranda. Unlike my usual experience, I got a gondola to myself. This meant I could take as many pictures as I liked of the rain and cloud-stricken scenery. There were a couple of stop-off points, our coach driver had helpfully suggested to give one a miss as that opportunity would come up again later. I took the first and went for a damp stroll on a boardwalk through some rainforest. Fascinating to see close-up the total chaos of vegetation, all lush and unusual to the eye used to the gardening section at Homebase.
It was a slow chug or glide up to Kuranda, no baying thousands of skiers impatient to get on their way, but we did arrive eventually. The village is in the land of the Tjakupai people and it became settled when a railway line was being built. I think the wikipedia entry is fairly succinct in describing it as "a vibrant "Village in the rainforest" with tourism being the current backbone of the local economy". It also says "...was popular with alternative lifestylers, a theme which still runs through the local community today". Yep, right on that one too. It's a small village, set upon making you spend more money. There's a mini-zoo, a butterfly sanctuary (I nearly went in but balked at the price of $19), a bird place, along with lots of retail outlets and galleries. To be fair, I did find a very good gallery with decent art in it, including some interesting ceramics by a local person. I even dithered long and hard over the practicalities of buying ceramics and getting them home unbroken; sense prevailed and my bank balance was happier. I didn't feel inclined to explore too much mostly because it kept raining on and off, so I may be doing the place a big dis-service. Possibly not.
The return journey was on the Kuranda Scenic Railway. Now this was good. An old train running from a beautifully restored station. The line runs down the side of two gorges with peeks out over some jaw-droppingly wonderful scenery. As suggested by Mr Coach Driver, the stop at Barron Falls was worth waiting for. I had heard it wasn't doing much but I think all the rain we've been having has woken it up a bit. We went across a bridge in front of another falls but I can't remember the name! I enjoyed the train journey far more than the Skyrail.
Overall, a pretty good day. When will it stop raining?
Wednesday, 21 May 2014
Back in the world of slow internet - thanks YHA
I've had an e-mail exchange with the YHA who tell me that they are hamstrung by the provider of their internet access - Global Gossip - although they are hoping for an improvement. One day. So in the meantime, I'm short of photos to show you on here due to the tortuous route I have to take. I encourage you to go to twitter until such time as hell freezes over (or it stops raining in Cairns), you don't have to be a twit member, just look for @runningwomble .
So, caves on Monday. That was a good day. In my head it was a long trip, hopefully to see some unique rock formations. It turned out to include a breakfast stop at the Mareeba Wetlands which were only even conceived of in the 1990s. We'd driven up from Cairns, along twisty roads through tropical rainforest, generally making our way inland. Mareeba was a welcome break with scrumptious home-made biscuits and a cup of coffe which we were encouraged to take out onto the boat. Outside was a large lake, calm, beautiful....amazing. The boat made its way quietly with the five of us and the driver on board. He explained that there weren't many birds around yet due to the recent cyclone and that it still keeps raining a lot. This means the birds haven't yet been pushed to Mareeba by disappearing water elsewhere. There were little fish, lily pads (flowers ruined by recent rain), huge barramundi (but we didn't see those), wondrous scenery with hills around us, a few birds including darters and an intermediate egret. However, the overwhelming feeling was a sense of peace and serenity. It was verging on meditation. All so beautiful. We generally agreed that every day should start like that.
Back on land there were notices about the formation of the reserve and some Gouldian finches, in an aviary. These are really pretty and endangered. I think they're breeding them for re-introduction into the wetlands. I also spotted a small-ish carpet python in a corner near the birds. We mentioned it to the chappy and he asked if it was inside the cage and was pleased when we said no, outside! That way it wouldn't be after the birds. Outside there were wild emu eating grass in the car park. Aren't there always?
We drove on through the Queensland fruit bowl (I think that's what he said). The state is famous for growing sugar cane but it grows a huge number of other food plants. We saw: sugar cane, mangoes, lychees, bananas, coffee bean, papaya (aka paw paw), pineapple, tea tree (as in tea tree oil), avocado and, longan which is related to the lychee. There was a fair bit of roadkill too, usually wallabies. This meant birds circling to help clear up, mostly black kites but we actually saw a wedge-tailed eagle too. Incredible. The particular wallaby was fresh and in the middle of the road and the eagle wanted it but, as the body was still there on our return journey, we suspect that he worked out that it was too difficult to get to. There was also a peregrine falcon around for the same reason.
We weren't bored even though the day was going to include 300+ km of driving. We got nearer to Chillagoe, the location of the caves. The town of Chillagoe has seen better times. From a peak of over 10,000 the population is now around 300. There was a lot of mining activity and investment by the state to keep a smelting works open but once the mines closed there were no jobs. We visited the information centre, went to look at the old smelting works, some rocks, some marble quarrying (owned and jealously guarded by an unpopular italian) and had lunch at the pub. It seemed good to be putting some money into the place. Although they had just had their busiest weekend of the year as we'd missed the Great Wheelbarrow Race by two days. A typically Australian, make up your own entertainment, madcap sort of thing. Push a wheelbarrow 140km in teams over three days between Mareeba and Chillagoe. Bonkers!
Then to the caves. Famous internationally and unique in how the limestone caves were formed, we visited the Royal Arch Cave complex. Our two guides equipped us with individual lights and told us what to expect, including three types of wildlife living in the caves: bats (my heart leapt), cockroaches (it sank) and Huntsmen spiders (oh whooppee I keep hearing about how big those are). The bats poo, the cockroaches process the droppings and the spiders eat the cockroaches. Perfect. We were taken inside and, oh my, the caves and formations were spectacular. Huge caverns with massive stalactites and stalagmites, beautiful colours and shapes. And most of all, hundreds of bats flying around. You could have left me there all afternoon. There are eight species in the caves and we definitely saw two - the bent-wing and the horse-shoe. There are tales of them landing on people and I'm pretty sure one brushed my hair! Yes, I did see the other two creatures mentioned. The caves really were marvellous, even without the added bat excitement.
It was a long journey back to Cairns but broken quite nicely by a stop for afternoon tea at the Mt Uncle Distillery. Holidaying doesn't get tougher than this.........
So, caves on Monday. That was a good day. In my head it was a long trip, hopefully to see some unique rock formations. It turned out to include a breakfast stop at the Mareeba Wetlands which were only even conceived of in the 1990s. We'd driven up from Cairns, along twisty roads through tropical rainforest, generally making our way inland. Mareeba was a welcome break with scrumptious home-made biscuits and a cup of coffe which we were encouraged to take out onto the boat. Outside was a large lake, calm, beautiful....amazing. The boat made its way quietly with the five of us and the driver on board. He explained that there weren't many birds around yet due to the recent cyclone and that it still keeps raining a lot. This means the birds haven't yet been pushed to Mareeba by disappearing water elsewhere. There were little fish, lily pads (flowers ruined by recent rain), huge barramundi (but we didn't see those), wondrous scenery with hills around us, a few birds including darters and an intermediate egret. However, the overwhelming feeling was a sense of peace and serenity. It was verging on meditation. All so beautiful. We generally agreed that every day should start like that.
Back on land there were notices about the formation of the reserve and some Gouldian finches, in an aviary. These are really pretty and endangered. I think they're breeding them for re-introduction into the wetlands. I also spotted a small-ish carpet python in a corner near the birds. We mentioned it to the chappy and he asked if it was inside the cage and was pleased when we said no, outside! That way it wouldn't be after the birds. Outside there were wild emu eating grass in the car park. Aren't there always?
We drove on through the Queensland fruit bowl (I think that's what he said). The state is famous for growing sugar cane but it grows a huge number of other food plants. We saw: sugar cane, mangoes, lychees, bananas, coffee bean, papaya (aka paw paw), pineapple, tea tree (as in tea tree oil), avocado and, longan which is related to the lychee. There was a fair bit of roadkill too, usually wallabies. This meant birds circling to help clear up, mostly black kites but we actually saw a wedge-tailed eagle too. Incredible. The particular wallaby was fresh and in the middle of the road and the eagle wanted it but, as the body was still there on our return journey, we suspect that he worked out that it was too difficult to get to. There was also a peregrine falcon around for the same reason.
We weren't bored even though the day was going to include 300+ km of driving. We got nearer to Chillagoe, the location of the caves. The town of Chillagoe has seen better times. From a peak of over 10,000 the population is now around 300. There was a lot of mining activity and investment by the state to keep a smelting works open but once the mines closed there were no jobs. We visited the information centre, went to look at the old smelting works, some rocks, some marble quarrying (owned and jealously guarded by an unpopular italian) and had lunch at the pub. It seemed good to be putting some money into the place. Although they had just had their busiest weekend of the year as we'd missed the Great Wheelbarrow Race by two days. A typically Australian, make up your own entertainment, madcap sort of thing. Push a wheelbarrow 140km in teams over three days between Mareeba and Chillagoe. Bonkers!
Then to the caves. Famous internationally and unique in how the limestone caves were formed, we visited the Royal Arch Cave complex. Our two guides equipped us with individual lights and told us what to expect, including three types of wildlife living in the caves: bats (my heart leapt), cockroaches (it sank) and Huntsmen spiders (oh whooppee I keep hearing about how big those are). The bats poo, the cockroaches process the droppings and the spiders eat the cockroaches. Perfect. We were taken inside and, oh my, the caves and formations were spectacular. Huge caverns with massive stalactites and stalagmites, beautiful colours and shapes. And most of all, hundreds of bats flying around. You could have left me there all afternoon. There are eight species in the caves and we definitely saw two - the bent-wing and the horse-shoe. There are tales of them landing on people and I'm pretty sure one brushed my hair! Yes, I did see the other two creatures mentioned. The caves really were marvellous, even without the added bat excitement.
It was a long journey back to Cairns but broken quite nicely by a stop for afternoon tea at the Mt Uncle Distillery. Holidaying doesn't get tougher than this.........
Sunday, 18 May 2014
Friday, Saturday and Sunday 16-18 May
Ok, I've been busy!
Friday, I went off to do my own thing. Lauren was due to arrive so there was family time for Paul & co. I headed off to the wonderful South Bank Parklands area. Took in the Nepalese Peace Pagoda then went on to the Queensland Art Gallery . There I had another discussion about my small red bag and whether it is a backpack. This time reason prevailed and I was allowed to keep it with me - as long as I didn't put it over my shoulder......
The Art gallery was good and I spent some time wandering around taking in European, British, Oriental and Australian art, both modern and more traditional. It was mostly pictures but there were some sculptures and ceramics. I was probably most excited by a famous piece by Barbara Hepworth which I even recognised. It was "Orpheus" and I shall post up a photo when I have more time (it is on twitter if you go and find @runningwomble). As the staff had been so kind, eventually, I stayed and lunched at QAG too. A baguette of toasted halloumi with roasted vegetables and some green stuff, followed by the most deliciously creamy cheesecake set me up rather nicely for even more fun at the adjacent Queensland Museum.
I do love a good museum and I think I've already mentioned how fabulous I find Australian museums. This was no exception. An excellent section on the history of Queensland; loads of stuff about dinosaurs and the fossil discoveries in Queensland in particular; a poignant selection of photographs from the Great War "Remember me - the lost diggers of Vignacourt; local aboriginal history; a discovery section which had some live creatures. This last included stick insects, burrowing cockroaches (GROSS), leaf-tailed gecko (impressively camouflaged) and two amazingly beautiful small green snakes. I have photos of all these to follow soon. Off back to the hostel and Paul, lauren and I had a catch up over dinner. No baby.
Saturday, we sat on the veranda and put the world to rights again before going off to do some of the Saturday markets. Back to South Bank and the market was mostly clothes, jewellery and upmarket tat. That didn't take long at all and we walked up and over Victoria Bridge as we thought something might be on in the space on Queen Street. We were wrong. Empty on Adelaide Street too. Apart from Saturday shoppers. So we strolled along the Bicentennial Bikeway to Go Between Bridge and found the West End Saturday markets. At least they were there even though we arrived ten minutes after the advertised closing time of 1.30pm. This was more like it - fruit and veg, juice bars, coffee stands, fish for sale. Paul had a lemon and mint ice tea but I'm afraid I was holding out for a coffee. Following our noses and the occasional street sign, we got back to boundary Street, familiar territory and not so far from the hostel. I spied the vegan cafe I'd noticed on my first recce of the area and we went in. How disappointing, the coffee was dreadful. It really out me off any idea of returning to try the food, however interesting it sounds.
A late lunch back at base and we'd arranged for Kelly, Tristan and bump to come over for dinner at the pizza place over the road. We went in fairly early as these pregnant people get tired and it was just as well. There was a family birthday party of about 16 people who started to arrive not long after our little group of 5+. Anyhow, the place did not disappoint and we had another yummy meal. Paul and I whiled away the rest of the evening over the second bottle of wine - the world was definitely looking better.
Sunday - up before 8 to start sorting my bags before Paul conjured up these amazing, fluffy, thick pancakes for brekkie. And then it was off to the station to make my way to Brisbane airport and then, with the help of Virgin Australia, to Cairns. The flight was a lot smoother than last week and my ears seem ok. I'm now in the Cairns Central YHA and have booked myself up onto all sorts of tours. Tomorrow I'll be in some caves. Tuesday is the Tjakupai Aboriginal Cultural Park which will also feature a trip on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway hoho. Wednesday I may even see Cairns in daylight before going off for a couple of days to Cape Tribulation, Daintree Rainforest and Port Douglas. Monday next week, I shall see the Great Barrier Reef from the safety of a moored platform and a glass bottomed boat. None of that snorkelling nastiness for me, thank you.
I may even find time to write to you again. But now I must go to bed. I have to be up for a pick-up at 06.50.
Friday, I went off to do my own thing. Lauren was due to arrive so there was family time for Paul & co. I headed off to the wonderful South Bank Parklands area. Took in the Nepalese Peace Pagoda then went on to the Queensland Art Gallery . There I had another discussion about my small red bag and whether it is a backpack. This time reason prevailed and I was allowed to keep it with me - as long as I didn't put it over my shoulder......
The Art gallery was good and I spent some time wandering around taking in European, British, Oriental and Australian art, both modern and more traditional. It was mostly pictures but there were some sculptures and ceramics. I was probably most excited by a famous piece by Barbara Hepworth which I even recognised. It was "Orpheus" and I shall post up a photo when I have more time (it is on twitter if you go and find @runningwomble). As the staff had been so kind, eventually, I stayed and lunched at QAG too. A baguette of toasted halloumi with roasted vegetables and some green stuff, followed by the most deliciously creamy cheesecake set me up rather nicely for even more fun at the adjacent Queensland Museum.
I do love a good museum and I think I've already mentioned how fabulous I find Australian museums. This was no exception. An excellent section on the history of Queensland; loads of stuff about dinosaurs and the fossil discoveries in Queensland in particular; a poignant selection of photographs from the Great War "Remember me - the lost diggers of Vignacourt; local aboriginal history; a discovery section which had some live creatures. This last included stick insects, burrowing cockroaches (GROSS), leaf-tailed gecko (impressively camouflaged) and two amazingly beautiful small green snakes. I have photos of all these to follow soon. Off back to the hostel and Paul, lauren and I had a catch up over dinner. No baby.
Saturday, we sat on the veranda and put the world to rights again before going off to do some of the Saturday markets. Back to South Bank and the market was mostly clothes, jewellery and upmarket tat. That didn't take long at all and we walked up and over Victoria Bridge as we thought something might be on in the space on Queen Street. We were wrong. Empty on Adelaide Street too. Apart from Saturday shoppers. So we strolled along the Bicentennial Bikeway to Go Between Bridge and found the West End Saturday markets. At least they were there even though we arrived ten minutes after the advertised closing time of 1.30pm. This was more like it - fruit and veg, juice bars, coffee stands, fish for sale. Paul had a lemon and mint ice tea but I'm afraid I was holding out for a coffee. Following our noses and the occasional street sign, we got back to boundary Street, familiar territory and not so far from the hostel. I spied the vegan cafe I'd noticed on my first recce of the area and we went in. How disappointing, the coffee was dreadful. It really out me off any idea of returning to try the food, however interesting it sounds.
A late lunch back at base and we'd arranged for Kelly, Tristan and bump to come over for dinner at the pizza place over the road. We went in fairly early as these pregnant people get tired and it was just as well. There was a family birthday party of about 16 people who started to arrive not long after our little group of 5+. Anyhow, the place did not disappoint and we had another yummy meal. Paul and I whiled away the rest of the evening over the second bottle of wine - the world was definitely looking better.
Sunday - up before 8 to start sorting my bags before Paul conjured up these amazing, fluffy, thick pancakes for brekkie. And then it was off to the station to make my way to Brisbane airport and then, with the help of Virgin Australia, to Cairns. The flight was a lot smoother than last week and my ears seem ok. I'm now in the Cairns Central YHA and have booked myself up onto all sorts of tours. Tomorrow I'll be in some caves. Tuesday is the Tjakupai Aboriginal Cultural Park which will also feature a trip on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway hoho. Wednesday I may even see Cairns in daylight before going off for a couple of days to Cape Tribulation, Daintree Rainforest and Port Douglas. Monday next week, I shall see the Great Barrier Reef from the safety of a moored platform and a glass bottomed boat. None of that snorkelling nastiness for me, thank you.
I may even find time to write to you again. But now I must go to bed. I have to be up for a pick-up at 06.50.
Friday, 16 May 2014
More koalas - just because
The cute factor was overwhelming and I thought I may have short-changed you!
Thursday, 15 May 2014
Thursday - cute pictures warning!
Today I went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. I shan't bother with too many words other than to say that, in the following pictures you may see: wallabies, kangaroos, koalas, a tasmanian devil, a lace monitor, an emu, perentie, a kookaburra, a small green frog, wombats, my shadow, me.
Wednesday, 14 May 2014
Wednesday walkies - 2
Another Wednesday, another walk! This time to Mount Coot-tha overlooking Brisbane. The weather was a bit undecided between cloud, rain and sun but we bit the bullet after our lunch (vegemite & cheese sandwich mmm), braved the Brisbane roads and headed out. The plan had been to drive to a car park and walk upwards but we managed to drive to the top! What views - even in not quite perfect conditions you could see a long way: to the city and beyond, to hills all round. I was interested to see how far Brisbane sprawls and has absorbed other towns into its care.
We strung together a few of the trails/paths, starting with the J C Slaughter Falls. The vegetation and animal life were different to Morialta: the trees were very tall and straight, mostly eucalyptus; the birds few and far between; the undergrowth was mostly grass. Along the way, we took in an aboriginal art trail but unfortunately it hadn't been well cared for - the sign posts were lasting better than the art. It obviously hasn't been raining here too much of late, the Falls were virtualy dry and definitely not falling anywhere. We'd passed some boys running down one creek and they weren't even damp. As we neared the top of our walk, bemoaning the lack of birds and wildlife generally, we suddenly found these tiny brown wrens in a group, zipping about between the bushes and trees. Magical!
Anxious not to miss something even more spectacular, we then embarked upon the Honeyeater Trail. The weather started to look gloomy again and the walk was showing little promise of anything new, so we turned back. The cafe was quite appealing and we sat at a ringside table overlooking Brisbane and wonderful views, ready to enjoy our raspberry and white chocolate muffin, frangipane and coffee. There were two Australian magpies waiting patiently for crumbs. The weather in the end had been very kind to us and we'd had an enjoyable walk in good company (well I did!).
This evening's excitement has been planning the next leg of my adventure. On Sunday I shall be flying to Cairns.
Flowers, birds and a city ;-)
We strung together a few of the trails/paths, starting with the J C Slaughter Falls. The vegetation and animal life were different to Morialta: the trees were very tall and straight, mostly eucalyptus; the birds few and far between; the undergrowth was mostly grass. Along the way, we took in an aboriginal art trail but unfortunately it hadn't been well cared for - the sign posts were lasting better than the art. It obviously hasn't been raining here too much of late, the Falls were virtualy dry and definitely not falling anywhere. We'd passed some boys running down one creek and they weren't even damp. As we neared the top of our walk, bemoaning the lack of birds and wildlife generally, we suddenly found these tiny brown wrens in a group, zipping about between the bushes and trees. Magical!
Anxious not to miss something even more spectacular, we then embarked upon the Honeyeater Trail. The weather started to look gloomy again and the walk was showing little promise of anything new, so we turned back. The cafe was quite appealing and we sat at a ringside table overlooking Brisbane and wonderful views, ready to enjoy our raspberry and white chocolate muffin, frangipane and coffee. There were two Australian magpies waiting patiently for crumbs. The weather in the end had been very kind to us and we'd had an enjoyable walk in good company (well I did!).
This evening's excitement has been planning the next leg of my adventure. On Sunday I shall be flying to Cairns.
Flowers, birds and a city ;-)
Boats, botany & Brisbane
A lovely sunny day dawned in Brisbane so I thought I would go to the City Botanic Gardens. A little research found the Queensland Maritime Museum on the way so I went in there first.
The Maritime Museum makes a big thing of the HMAS Diamantina, a naval frigate which they have captive in dry dock. And to be fair, it is quite impressive. Pretty much all of the boat is accessible. You have to admire the men who worked on her, in such cramped conditions. She saw only a few months service in WWII and then was involved in a lot of exploratory and survey work around Australia and in the Indian Ocean. Fascinating to me was the hierarchy on board ship, with the captain having almost a suite, the second in command his own room, officers shared reasonable quarters and it keeps getting worse until you're time-sharing space to hang your hammock above the table where dinner is served. That's if you manage to keep any of your dinner on the plate on the way back to the mess from the galley which is on a different level.
There were other vessels, including a pink boat sailed solo around the world (although sounded like a small circle near the bottom end of the globe) by a 16 year old girl, Jessica Watson. You can read about the controversy as to why it isn't an official record on wikipedia (where else?). There was one of those headset guide things but I must admit I was bit info'd out before the end! The museum is run mostly by volunteers and at times it does show. There's a lot of great stuff but it could do with a real brush-up and injection of oomph! Or just bringing into the 21st century. If you love boats and are passing by, do go and visit.
Would you want to cook in here?
Some coffee shop ibis I made friends with at lunchtime. Nobody else even seemed to notice them. I think they're like pigeons, only bigger.
Would you want to cook in here?
Some coffee shop ibis I made friends with at lunchtime. Nobody else even seemed to notice them. I think they're like pigeons, only bigger.
And on to the City Botanic Gardens. They were nice but more like an upmarket park than what I think of as botanic gardens. However, I made sure to try and cover all the various areas in case I found something exciting. It was a kookaburra, my first of this trip. Sitting in a fairly small tree, seemingly minding its own business, this poor thing was being hassled by several other smaller birds of another species. There didn't seem to be a nest nearby or anything, but they kept swooping past or dive-bombing the kookaburra who looked agitated but didn't leave his perch. All very odd. By this point my camera battery was having a repeat bout of botanic gardens syndrome ie it went flat so I have no pictures.
A rainbow lorikeet in a Colville's Glory tree.
Continuing on, I came across a pond with a statue of Jemmy Morrill and the Brolgas (aka Australian crane) on a plinth in the middle of the water. Ok, a bit modern for my tastes but I gave it a look. Then I noticed two water dragons basking below, on this little island - much more interesting! Although, of course, all they did was sit there, very occasionally blinking. Little did I know that a friend of theirs was only a metre or so away from where I was standing, so I turned my attention in his direction for a bit. I walked away to the adjacent pond to see what that had to offer, which wasn't much, when I heard a splash. Land-based lizard had jumped into the water and was swimming towards the island where his chums were sitting! However, the larger of those two didn't seem to want company and jumped in for a swim too and headed for shore. Number one struggled to climb up the concrete (which was amusing as you always think animals can do these things) so it swam around the back and climbed up a bit of wood which was presumably there for the purpose. He stopped half way up, moved his head about and was generally a hyper-active lizard. Meanwhile, number three water dragon (the smallest) also decided to get active and took a few steps, ate some insects. All brilliant fun. Who says botanic gardens are boring? (Excuse the wonky formatting, sometimes I don't understand ipads at all)
I went and had a look at the mangrove bit down by the river but it was having a quiet moment so I headed off to Coles and bought a SIM card. Tomorrow I hope to be able to tell you that it and my phone are working as one....
That's not a monkey puzzle tree...This is a monkey puzzle tree!
Paul and I had promised ourselves we would eat out at the pizza place over the road from our hostel so off we went. It was great! We ordered our garlic bread and pizzas and cracked open the first of our BYO beers. The staff were lovely and friendly. Lent us their bottle opener and even offered to put the other beers in the fridge. We had warmed up with a couple of sundowners, so we were happy.The garlic bread came, plenty of it and goodness, it was yummy. The pizzas didn't disappoint either. Mine was funghi - really tasty mushrooms and cheese, Paul had Nepal which I think was pumpkin, and erm some other ingredients but equally delicious. I think we'll be back.
Yesterday's grasshopper.
Monday, 12 May 2014
Quiet day in Brisbane
We breakfasted on the veranda, chatted and watched the world go by. Shopping had to be done so we took ourselves off to Coles by foot. Interesting to shop with someone you don't see from one year to the next but can still agree on what food to buy. Over lunch, we made friends with a large grasshopper which sat on my drying shorts, basking in the sun and in no hurry to go anywhere. I'll post up his picture tomorrow, hopefully.
Despite the burgeoning clouds we thought it was a good idea to go out for a walk in the afternoon. We didn't get far at all before it started to precipitate. Oh well, it's not cold. We had gone to the river and were going to walk up the path by the riverside and back, aiming possibly for somewhere called Kangaroo Point. It was still raining but there is a free ferry, the City Hopper, which has some cover on-board so we saw the view from the water rather than the land. The ferry goes from one bank to the other and the river meanders so I got totally disoriented. Our decision as to where to disembark was finally made for us when the pilot(?) said we all had to get off so the boat could be refuelled and cleaned.
We did find that we'd made it to round the bend of Captain Burke Park and began our stroll. It started to rain. Again. It was interesting to walk along the path seeing things from ground rather than river level. Birds, cliffs, people climbing; modern architecture gleaming and reflecting its neighbours, old buildings nestling in-between. Runners doing their thing, cyclists making their way, all life was there (well almost, call it poetic licence). This is a modern but beautiful city.
We got back with seconds to spare before the sun disappeared and plunged us into darkness. It gets dark quickly and early here - at about 5.30pm. The evenings then feel really long! Beer on the veranda and we re-acquainted ourselves with the geckos which stick to the ceiling. They're small, pale and cute! Indoors, we have small to tiny lizards in the bathroom. Suitably refreshed, it was my turn to cook. Paul has lived (so far) to tell the tale.
No baby news as yet.
Despite the burgeoning clouds we thought it was a good idea to go out for a walk in the afternoon. We didn't get far at all before it started to precipitate. Oh well, it's not cold. We had gone to the river and were going to walk up the path by the riverside and back, aiming possibly for somewhere called Kangaroo Point. It was still raining but there is a free ferry, the City Hopper, which has some cover on-board so we saw the view from the water rather than the land. The ferry goes from one bank to the other and the river meanders so I got totally disoriented. Our decision as to where to disembark was finally made for us when the pilot(?) said we all had to get off so the boat could be refuelled and cleaned.
We did find that we'd made it to round the bend of Captain Burke Park and began our stroll. It started to rain. Again. It was interesting to walk along the path seeing things from ground rather than river level. Birds, cliffs, people climbing; modern architecture gleaming and reflecting its neighbours, old buildings nestling in-between. Runners doing their thing, cyclists making their way, all life was there (well almost, call it poetic licence). This is a modern but beautiful city.
We got back with seconds to spare before the sun disappeared and plunged us into darkness. It gets dark quickly and early here - at about 5.30pm. The evenings then feel really long! Beer on the veranda and we re-acquainted ourselves with the geckos which stick to the ceiling. They're small, pale and cute! Indoors, we have small to tiny lizards in the bathroom. Suitably refreshed, it was my turn to cook. Paul has lived (so far) to tell the tale.
No baby news as yet.
Sunday, 11 May 2014
Day 26 already!
Sunday and my first full day in Brisbane. Did some washing, checked out of my room as I'll be sharing with Paul for the coming week, and went out.
I headed off to the fairly new Boundary Street Markets as they were nearby and open. Not very big and fairly quiet. Perhaps everyone was out brunching with their Mum. There were clothes sellers, some furniture, knick knacks, African stuff (including some Tinga Tinga things which I've not seen for ages), jewellery and so on. I did buy something but I can't say more as it's a present for someone at home!
After that I headed off to the city, which seems to be mostly on the other side of the Brisbane River to where I was. I had an idea in my head as to how to do that but no actual map. I could also see the tall buildings sticking up so that was handy for orientation. I still ended up in slightly the wrong place but hey, as I've said before, when you're on your own it doesn't matter. I crossed using the Go Between bridge which is actually named after a Brisbane band from the 1970s. You know you've made it when they name a bridge after you! I then discovered the Bicentennial Bikeway. This is a shared but separate bike and walkway along the river, occasionally under a road and mostly actually over the water! I walked along there and finally found my way into what seemed to be the main bit of town. The shopping bit. Queen Street, Adelaide Street, their friends and malls, plus al fresco entertainment. I even did some shopping and bought some postcards (at 10 for $4 the price is improving), a new cossie and a sandwich.
Taking in the sights and trying to remember street names, while absorbing posters and signs can be very tricky but I did see that there was a big exhibition finishing today at the Gallery of Modern Art. But now I was on the wrong side of the river again! The cultural centre is on the south bank. So back I went to find the queue and decided not to join in. I had a cup of coffee and read some leaflets. I then decided, rather randomly, to go and see a free film at the State Library of Queensland. Called Yeelen, it was a Malian film from 1987 and I thought it was really good, despite being enjoyed through the medium of sub-titles. The library itself looks amazing. For one thing, it was open on a Sunday but there was so much going on and people using the place. Brilliant. I shall return. Also in the vicinity is a museum, a performing arts centre and an art gallery. At least.
As Paul by now had texted to say she was at the hostel, I pointed my feet in a southerly-ish-know-vaguely-where-I'm-going direction. A lady on reception at the library had given me a leaflet with a map of inner city Brisbane but it didn't quite reach 'home'. However, my marvellous sense of direction (!) and recollection of some road names meant that I followed a far straighter line than the outbound route.
We settled into our room, discussed the quirks of the establishment, sank a beer or two on the veranda and yes, well, life can be great at times.
I'm liking the look of the place and there's already a fledgling list of places to visit over the next few days/weeks.
I like Australians, they can be quite direct at times...
I headed off to the fairly new Boundary Street Markets as they were nearby and open. Not very big and fairly quiet. Perhaps everyone was out brunching with their Mum. There were clothes sellers, some furniture, knick knacks, African stuff (including some Tinga Tinga things which I've not seen for ages), jewellery and so on. I did buy something but I can't say more as it's a present for someone at home!
After that I headed off to the city, which seems to be mostly on the other side of the Brisbane River to where I was. I had an idea in my head as to how to do that but no actual map. I could also see the tall buildings sticking up so that was handy for orientation. I still ended up in slightly the wrong place but hey, as I've said before, when you're on your own it doesn't matter. I crossed using the Go Between bridge which is actually named after a Brisbane band from the 1970s. You know you've made it when they name a bridge after you! I then discovered the Bicentennial Bikeway. This is a shared but separate bike and walkway along the river, occasionally under a road and mostly actually over the water! I walked along there and finally found my way into what seemed to be the main bit of town. The shopping bit. Queen Street, Adelaide Street, their friends and malls, plus al fresco entertainment. I even did some shopping and bought some postcards (at 10 for $4 the price is improving), a new cossie and a sandwich.
Taking in the sights and trying to remember street names, while absorbing posters and signs can be very tricky but I did see that there was a big exhibition finishing today at the Gallery of Modern Art. But now I was on the wrong side of the river again! The cultural centre is on the south bank. So back I went to find the queue and decided not to join in. I had a cup of coffee and read some leaflets. I then decided, rather randomly, to go and see a free film at the State Library of Queensland. Called Yeelen, it was a Malian film from 1987 and I thought it was really good, despite being enjoyed through the medium of sub-titles. The library itself looks amazing. For one thing, it was open on a Sunday but there was so much going on and people using the place. Brilliant. I shall return. Also in the vicinity is a museum, a performing arts centre and an art gallery. At least.
As Paul by now had texted to say she was at the hostel, I pointed my feet in a southerly-ish-know-vaguely-where-I'm-going direction. A lady on reception at the library had given me a leaflet with a map of inner city Brisbane but it didn't quite reach 'home'. However, my marvellous sense of direction (!) and recollection of some road names meant that I followed a far straighter line than the outbound route.
We settled into our room, discussed the quirks of the establishment, sank a beer or two on the veranda and yes, well, life can be great at times.
I'm liking the look of the place and there's already a fledgling list of places to visit over the next few days/weeks.
I like Australians, they can be quite direct at times...
This is the city
And here are some Australians queuing up for a bit of culture
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