Kangaroo Island

This past weekend I met my family on Kangaroo Island.  As soon as I landed and walked across the tarmac, okay, more like a driveway in the middle of the field, I was greeted by my family and our private Kangaroo Island Wilderness Tour adventure guide. 

Our first stop was Seal Bay on the southern coast of Kangaroo Island.  Seal Bay is actually the home to a large colony of sea lions.  Seals don't actually inhabit Seal Bay.  We got to just sit on the beach surrounded by sea lions about ten feet in front of us.  Most of the sea lions were sleeping because they tend to go our deep sea fishing for about three days and they are very exhausted after this adventure.  But there were some sea lions awake and playing with each other.  It was a very cute site. 

After Seal Bay we drove along the island keeping our eyes on the lookout for wallaby's and kangaroos.  We saw a few wallaby's on the side of the road peeking out behind the brush.  Quite shy, so too hard to take a picture. 

Our next stop was a koala walk where we spotted koalas in the wild high up in the tree tops.  There were also some kangaroos hopping around at the koala walk.  After the koala walk we headed to Finders Chase National Park for a barbeque lunch.

This was a very fancy bbq.  Our tour guide set the picnic table with a tablecloth and actual silverware and plates.  He then grilled up some delicious steak which was marinated to perfection.  We also had salad, bread, potatoes and a delicious dessert.  Dessert was local Kangaroo Island Sheep’s Milk Yogurt with a poached pear with honey.  It was a wonderful lunch - and quite an exquisite picnic in the middle of a national park.

After lunch we went to Cape de Coeudic where we saw a bunch of seals.  The seals were mostly resting but two very cute baby pups were playing.  After taking in the sites of the gorgeous landscape we went to our last stop, the Remarkable Rocks.  This is a group of rocks in nature which have created some "remarkable" shapes!

After a full day of adventure we went back to our lodge, Seascape Lodge on Emu Bay.  An absolutely beautiful home.  The home was set right on Emu Bay and had stunning views from every room and the home was beautifully decorated.

For dinner she started us off with a sheep’s milk cheese and asparagus hors d'heuvre, followed by the main course of a lightly broiled whiting fish with potatoes and salad.  Our final course was a lemon pudding cake which was quite tasty!  What a perfect way to end a delightful day.

Breakfast did not disappoint with the fresh fruit, pancakes, and yogurt.  Once, again, all delicious and the table beautifully set.

With a few hours to spare before our ferry off the island we proceeded to Prospect Hill and climbed about 450 steps to take in the beautiful sea and rural hill views.  Prospect Hill is the highest point on Kangaroo Island.  Afterwards we went to Pennington Bay beach which was a very serene beach.  It was beautiful in every respect.  And best of all, it was like a private beach as for most of the time, we were the only people there.  A perfect end to a wonderful weekend. 

Kangaroo Island is definitely a special place and I'm glad that even in the middle of busy season I was able to go away for a spectacular weekend. 

How To Fly Aussie Style

This past weekend I went to Kangaroo Island (details to follow later).  Kangaroo Island is an Island in the state of South Australia, about 3 hours south of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia.   My weekend involved three flights, over three days, on three different airline carriers for a spectacular weekend!

 In order to get to Kangaroo Island from Sydney I took a bus from my home to the center of Sydney.  Then I took a train to the airport which was quite simple.  Not having flown domestically in Australia, I decided to get to the Sydney Domestic Airport an hour and a half before my flight since that is what we are accustomed to at home.  Well I clearly did not need that much time. 

When I got to the airport, I printed my boarding pass for my Quantas flight right from a self service kiosk.  I proceeded to security, where there was no line.  It was pouring rain Friday night, so I still had my jacket and scarf on.  I did not have to remove them for security.  I also did not have to take off my shoes.  Additionally, no one cared about the sizes of the liquids I was carrying in my carryon so I just left them in my bag and I didn't have to pull them out.  And the craziest part, was that no one ever looked at my ID or my boarding pass at security.  Since security took me all of 35 seconds, I now had a lot of time to hang out in the airport.  When it was time to board, the gate attendant, did scan my boarding pass , so that was the closest airport experience to home so far.  Our flight was slightly delayed due to the torrential rains in Sydney and the gate attendant, the pilots, and the flight attendants all apologized numerous times - much nicer than EWR!

My Quantas flight got me to Adelaide late on Friday night and my flight to Kangaroo Island was early Saturday morning.  My flight to Kangaroo Island was on Regional Express.  Since this was a different carrier and a different airport, I decided to get to the airport a little over an hour before my flight, just to be sure.  Once again, I experienced the same security measures, or lack there of.  The best part, was that my flight from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island was only 20 minutes so I could see the beautiful landscape and water for the entire flight. 

After an amazing weekend on Kangaroo Island we took the ferry back to the main land of South Australia.  After the hour ferry ride, we had about a two hour drive from Cape Jervis to Adelaide for my flight back to Sydney on Jetstar.  Once again, the same lack of security measures were in place so I had plenty of time to waste in the airport.  Not sure how I feel about the lack of security, but I guess it just means that Australia is a safe place according to authorities.  After landing in Sydney, I took a train back home-so my Sunday was complete with planes, trains, automobiles, and ferries and no one ever looking at my ID - so weird!

Can you climb 1,802 steep stairs in less than an hour? We can!

Sunday turned out to be another perfect day in the Blue Mountains.  We all had good intentions to get up at 6:30am to see the sunrise over the Three Sisters but that didn't quite happen.  Instead we started our day off after 9am by walking into one of the Three Sisters via the Giant Stairway.

At the top of the stairway it says it is approximately 800 stairs to the bottom of the valley.  The entrance sign said this walk was only for the strong walkers, so we took up the challenge and began the descent.  We were told the way down would take us about 40 minutes, but even with brief photo shoots and rests to take in the views, we made it down in a little less than 30 minutes.  We made it to the bottom!

After enjoying the peaceful scenery at the bottom, we geared up for the hike up which we knew would be much more difficult.  The anticipated time for the hike up was estimated at 50 minutes.  You didn't realized how narrow and steep and sometimes slippery the stairs were on the way down but you could definitely feel them on the way up (and in your thighs a day later!).  And we all made it to the top in about 30 minutes!!  Being the accountants that we are, we decided to count the steps to see how true the sign was because at the bottom of the stairway the sign said approximately 900 stairs so there was a discrepancy between the top and bottom.  And what do you know, the actual stair count was 901 each way.

After we caught our breath from the race up and got some water, we proceeded to the entrance of Scenic World.  Scenic World is a trio of a scenic Cabelcar, Cabelway, and Railcar rides.  All three methods of transport give you spectacular views within  the valleys and above the mountains.

After a quick lunch in Leura we went to the Leura Cascades to walk through the peaceful trails.  The Luera cascades reminded me so much of New Hampshire.  It was very Waterville Valleyish.

Once again, we found ourselves racing against sunset so we rushed to Wentworth Falls.  The Wentworth Falls were gorgeous and we took the Undercliff trail to get to the middle base of the falls.  This trail was so adventurous.  It involved steep climbs down stairs of rocks, walks through caves, tip toeing across muddy paths, scampering under the slight drops of a spill off of a small waterfall, and a final walk across a wooden bridge to reach our final destination.  Once we got to the falls, the sun was just about to set so we raced back up to the top to catch the final glimpse of the blue illuminations over the mountains before heading back to Sydney.

To end a great weekend, we had some fun at Hibachi in the Paddington section of Sydney for dinner.  Hibachi in Sydney is different than at home.  Instead of just catching a zucchini piece in your mouth, we caught an egg in a bowl, and then we caught our rice as well!!   Now that was interesting!


All in all a fun experience and fantastic weekend!  Already looking forward to our next adventure!

We Hop Fences for Better Views

After playing with kangaroos and a little more driving we finally arrived in Katoomba which is a town in the Blue Mountains.  With daylight not on our side, we breezed through a few main sights of the Blue Mountains. 

First stop was the Three Sisters.  The  three beautiful peaks were surrounded by hundreds and hundreds and of lush green trees.  The mountains and valleys were breathtaking and went on forever in every single direction.  After taking in the views from Echo Point of the Three Sisters we began one of our first descents into a valley to encounter a waterfall up close and personal.



Before we got to the main Katoomba Falls we stopped at a small cascade. After a brief photo shoot it was down more natural and man made stairs to the large falls.  Finally with all the hiking our heart rates rose so we could actually appear in pictures this winter without coats on!  These natural structures are so massive and beautiful that the camera doesn't do it justice -as you can see how tiny we look in the pictures!

In order to get the best views of Katoomba Falls it involved us crossing a fence (notice no chain link pictures in our pictures!).  Once we all made it over (me with a little help since I'm not an avid fence climber), the next photo shoot began - at times covering cameras due to the water falling down on us.  In looking at the clock, daylight was quickly leaving us so we had to literally race up the hundreds of steps and inclines and run back towards Echo point when we got to flat land. 

And the running was absolutely worth it because when we got to the last glances of sunset at Echo Point we saw for the first time the blue coloring over the Blue Mountains.  The blue is created by the eucalyptus oils that are emitted from the trees and mixed with light particles.  It was postcard picture perfect!

Once the sun set, it was time for dinner.  In Katoomba I had my best dinner in Australia by far.  We ate at a fantastic Italian restaurant and all got the filet mignon dinner special.  The filet was seasoned in a fantastic peppercorn sauce with a side of roasted potatoes and fresh vegetables.  It was absolutely marvelous.  After a quick visit to a local Katoomba bar it was time for bed to rest up for Sunday's adventures which were much more strenuous and exciting that today's.

Cuddling with Koalas and Kangaroos

On our way to our weekend getaway in the Blue Mountains we stopped at Featherdale Wildlife Park to see some authentic Australian animals.  But before we get to the animals - an adventure with driving on the wrong side of the road on the wrong side of the car.

Australia, like England, drives on the left side of the road and the driver side is on the right side of the car.  Therefore, everything is reversed for us.  Even the directional signal and windshield wiper switches are on the opposite side.  Even though the windshield wipers were used as directionals a few times in the beginning, our fearless drivers did a great job and got us to and from the Blue Mountains in one piece with not a scratch on the car!

First up was posing with the koala.  The koala was unphased by all the people petting him and posing for pictures.  He was so soft and quite content on eating his leaves.

After spending a few moments with the koala we chose to spend the bulk of our time with the wallabies and kangaroos.  For two dollars we bought kangaroo food to hand feed the wallabies and kangaroos.  They literally ate out of the palms of our hands.  They were also enjoying their carrots.  Like the koalas the kangaroos had no problem with people petting and cuddling with them.  We all took turns lounging with the kangaroos.  It was an enjoyable beginning to a great weekend!

After we were out of food and done lying on the ground with our new kangaroo friends (as we all realized we had to wear the pair of jeans we were in for the remainder of the day and Sunday too) we did a quick walk by of crocodiles, penguins, pelicans, Tasmanian devils, and some birds. 

After a quick walk through the souvenir shop it was time for the Blue Mountain adventure to begin.

Pacific Highway

In a 17 minute walk along Pacific Highway from Wollstonecraft to St. Leonards its amazing what you can see.  We live on a tiny street off of Pacific Highway in Wollstonecraft which is a very small community of Sydney on the other side of the Sydney Harbour bridge from the CBD (Central Business District).  And when I say highway I mean semi busy street - nothing like the Garden State Parkway, Turnpike, or even Route 34. We actually live directly across from a hospital and three weeks into living here I have yet to hear a siren - which is a good sign!  Actually, it took us over one week to actually see anybody else in our building of 68 apartments. 

The past few days I have been working in the Chinatown section of Sydney and although the bus right outside our apartment on Pacific Highway is very convenient to get to in the morning and would eventually get me to Chinatown after some transfers I decided to start taking the train to see if it was quicker and easier.  Wollstonecraft does have a train station but it is a 25 minute walk west of our place apparently (I still have yet to wander through the residential streets to get there).  However, there is a central hub train station 17 minutes north of our place along Pacific Highway in St. Leonards so I have been trying that out because I'm on the train from start to finish and no transfers are involved. 

I'm pleased with the ease and quickness of traveling via train from St. Leonards.  It's also nice to have that nice walk at the beginning and end of the day after sitting at a desk for 7.5 hours. And thanks to the "My Multi" pass it is an economical way to travel as well!  We can use the "My Multi" on any bus, ferry, or zone 1 trains.  On my walk to the train this morning I noticed we have a plethora of unique business combinations on our baby highway. 

On a leisurely stroll from Wollstonecraft to St. Leonards you can see:

10 mattress/bed frame stores - not quite sure how they are all still in business because it certainly seems like a lot of competition
14 restaurants (2 pizza places and the remainder are a combination of Indian, Thai, and Japanese restaurants)
2 wedding dress shops
2 dance schools
2 fitness centers
2 convenient stores which are only a couple doors apart
2 funeral directors
1 car detailing shop
1 hotel
1 costume shop (Halloween all year long??)
and 1 Girls High school

There is a smattering of other stores and many vacant store fronts.  I wonder if there were more mattress shops and they went out of business because there were 10 other stores??!!

Pacific Highway from Wollstonecraft to St Leonards certainly has a unique combination of stores!

Watsons Bay to Vaucluse

And on the tenth day the rain drops finally stopped falling from the sky.  To celebrate the first day in what seemed like forever without an umbrella we took the 324 from Circular Quay to the Macquarie Lighthouse, the first stop on our five mile walk.  This lighthouse is a replica of the original lighthouse that was first built in 1818. 
Throughout the walk we saw a variety of ocean and harbourside terrain and views.   We continued the walk along the coast which is part of Sydney Harbour National Park. 






This walk was a little more adventurous than the Bondi walk because at times the path was non existent and we were climbing up make shift steps from rocks or walking through the brush pushing aside branches to avoid the large rain puddles left in the middle of the road by the week plus of rain. 




As we continued along through Gap Park we reached Dunbar's anchor.  The anchor marks the location of Australia's worst maritime disaster.  The Dunbar ship crashed into the rocks and there was only one survivor.

 As we continued on we reached Watsons Bay.  In the summer Watsons Bay would be filled with sunbathers and boaters.  Since it is still winter all the boats were docked and there were just a few brave scuba divers in full wetsuits.  The most adventurous part of the Watsons Bay portion of our walk was the sprint across the beach.  High tide was in full effect as we set foot on what little sand remained on the far right of the beach.  Timing the waves we walked at a fast pace to try and reach the curve which signified the end at which point we would rejoin the wooden path alongside the cliffs leading to Lady Bay Beach and Hornby Lighthouse.

However, about half way through the tide and waves were inching closer to our toes.  At this point the running began.  Two of the girls made it safely to the other side because they had a head start in the beginning.  The rest of us got a later start (due to photography) and the running was not timed very well with  the ever approaching tide.  Lucky for us this was the part of the beach where there was a raised wooden ledge and fence.  Two of us made the jump fast enough to climb along the side and escape the water but one ended up with a wet left foot and calf.

  But by the end of the five miles waiting at a bus stop on a dark curvy road which felt like the middle of no where all were dry and just hungry for dinner. 

The next stop was the Hornby Lighthouse which marks the entrance to the harbour.  

We then ventured toward Vaucluse which brought us through an exclusive neighborhood.  We wandered along the curvy streets and admired all of the beautiful multi million dollar homes that were behind locked gates with access by keypad.  It was a very quiet and beautiful neighborhood. 

As dusk was nearing we finally reached the long awaited Vaucluse House which was surrounded by very beautiful gardens. 

Two guided walks down and two to go from the Sydney guidebook.