Tasmania - Day 1 and 2

After three months of working through our second busy season of 2011, A, M, and A's friend T and I began our Australian holiday adventure.  We arrived in Hobart Sunday afternoon around 5pm on the 9th of October.  We explored a little bit of the Salamanca Waterfront area along with Princes Park which is full of cherry blossom trees which was really beautiful.  Then we had an early dinner at a restaurant which was voted the best seafood restaurant in Hobart.

Monday was a fabulous first full day in Tasmania.  We got picked up around 7am for a full day adventure tour.  Our tour guide was fantastic.  His name was Jeremy and he was full of information and more than willing to take photos for us at all the great photo op points!  Our first stop was at Spring Bay and Raspen Beach which looked out onto Moriah Island.  The morning was cool, but the views were amazing.  There is so much water in Tasmania, between seas, bays, rivers, oceans, etc...really really beautiful. 

After that we made a stop at Spikey Bridge and Spikey Beach.  The places are named Spikey because of Spikey Bridge which is a bridge that is built out of natural stones which have spikes all along the sides to keep the cows and sheep in and not fall off the side of the low lying bridge when being herded across. 

The next stop was Friendly Beach which had amazingly beautiful white sands.  When we had gone to Hyams Beach in Sydney we were told it was supposed to have the whitest sand in the world, but I think Friendly Beach has even whiter sand.  Also, there wasn't another person on the beach so it was just us, so it was nice and serene and peaceful. 

The next stop was Coles Bay and the Hazards for some more breathtaking views. 

Now that it was lunch time we stopped at Honeymoon Bay to take in the views and eat our sandwiches. 

Next on the agenda was Sleepy Bay which was full of adventure.  We hiked around a bunch of rocks to take in even more beautiful views, it just kept getting better.  We also crawled in and out of a cave which was really fun. 





The last part of the day before our 3 hour drive back to Hobart was a visit to Kate's Berry Farm.  Here we had a fabulous late afternoon snack.  I had a wonderful apple and raspberry pie with vanilla icecream!

On our way home back to Hobart there was a beautiful full arch rainbow with every color visible - a perfect end to our our first full day in Tasmania!

Long Weekend in Melbourne

Unlike the US, Labor Day weekend for New South Wales Australia is the first Monday of October, not September.  So we took advantage of the long weekend and went to Melbourne for the weekend. A quick one hour flight away to the state of Victoria.

After arriving late Friday night we began our tour of Melbourne on Saturday.  It was time for our Penguin Tour on Phillips Island after a quick view of Federation Square.  We took a tour bus to Phillips Island (2 hour drive each way) to see the March of the Penguins.  At dusk every night, hundreds to thousands of penguins basically body surf out of the ocean and waddle up the beach to their borrows to mate/feed young and rest after a long day of fishing.  It was really cool to see all these penguins walking in little lines up the beach.  You can't take pictures though because about 10 years ago there were a lot of penguins dying and they realized it was because they went blind, and couldn't survive because they rely on their eye sight so much.  Due to all the camera flashes, the penguins went blind.  So no photos for penguin eyesight sake!  We got back from this around 10pm and went to bed after a quick dinner because our Great Ocean Road Tour started at 6:45am the next morning and this was a 14 hour tour so we needed to be rested.  And on top of this it was day light savings time and we sprang ahead so we lost an hour of sleep!  It's weird to spring ahead when I know it's fall at home, but everything is reversed below the equator. 

The Great Ocean Road is a beautiful 300 kilometer road that hugs the coast line with beautiful features.  We stopped at numerous touristy photo op points.  First we stopped at Bells Beach, a famous surfing beach.  Then we stopped at the famous Great Ocean Road sign. 

Following that we went to Kennett River followed by Ottoway National Rainforest for a brief walk.  The next stop was the main site - the 12 Apostles.   
We took a 10 minute helicopter ride over them and that was amazing.  They are named the 12 Apostles because they are rock features that are naturally formed in a beautiful structure except there aren't 12, there used to be 9 and now there are only 8 because one crumbled into the sea.  

After seeing the 12 Apostles from the sky we briefly saw them by land before moving on to Loch Ard Gorge (to the left).  

The last and final stop on the Great Ocean Road Tour before driving 300 kilometers back to Melbourne was the London Bridge.  We got back very late again and had some dinner and went to bed.

On Monday it was our first chance to explore the city of Melbourne so we pretty much just spent the day exploring the cafes, shops, alleyways, beach area etc.  Melbourne was nice, but definitely not my city of choice.   All in all, a fun long weekend!

Sydney Catch Up

So it’s been a while because we have been so busy.  So let’s see…

The last weekend in August we went on a Sydney Harbour boat cruise for a coworker’s farewell.  It was a four hour cruise around the harbor with a nice dinner buffet. 

The next day we did the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb.  It was a three hour climb up to the top of the bridge.  We did the twilight climb so we went up in day light and came down in dusk and eventually the dark.  It was the perfect time to climb because we got to see Sydney by day and by night from atop the bridge. 

The next day we finally took the ferry to Manly and did a 10k walk around Manly.  The ferry ride is talked about by all and it was indeed beautiful. 

The first weekend in September was a work trip to Hunter Valley for wine tours.  Hunter Valley was about a two hour drive north of Sydney and we stayed in fabulous villas and bonded with coworkers.  It was finally one of the first weekends where I didn’t have to wear a coat so spring was finally showing its face. 

September weekend number 2 was a visit to the Paddington Markets, Chinese Garden, Paddy’s Market, manicures and pedicures, and Bondi for the Festival of the Winds – a day of kite flying.  We had a great Sunday secondee dinner of Japanese BBQ where we grilled our own food at the restaurant!    Somewhere in here was a visit to the Opera House to see a traditional Opera sung in Italian - La Boheme - it was a very talented cast and crew and quiet an enjoyable evening that started with lovely tappas and dessert at the Opera Bar.

This past weekend was full of adventure.  On Saturday we rented two cars and drove 200k about 3 hours each way to get to Hyams Beach which has the whitest sand in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records.  Unfortunately the weather forecast lied to us.  It was supposed to be 80 and sunny but instead it was chilly and very windy and quite cloudy.  Nevertheless we tried to make the best of it and bundled up and enjoyed the picturesque views of Hyams Beach while we had a nice picnic.    
 To warm up a bit we changed locations to see what else was in the area.  We decided to go to Murray Beach and upon driving to Murray beach we spotted a wallaby in the wild.  It was so cute and posed for us.  We walked around Murray beach for a bit before driving back.  And it was my turn to experience driving on the wrong side of the road.  Not only was I driving on the wrong side of the road, but the wrong side of the car, in an unfamiliar car and an unfamiliar territory without a GPS in the dark.  Even though I hadn’t driven in over two months it was almost natural and never once did I hit the windshield wipers for the directional (as they are on opposite sides too) so I was quite proud of myself. 

Then on Sunday we went to Manly for surfing lessons.  All of us secondees took the lesson and were all successful in standing up and catching some waves.  But who knew how sore you could get while surfing because today we are all in a lot of upper body pain – apparently surfing requires a lot of upper body strength and using muscles that we aren’t accustomed to.  Then to top off an amazing weekend we went for a wonderfully delicious dinner in Darling Harbour at the Meat and Wine Co.  It is so great to finish off a great weekend with amazing friends with whom we have created some amazing memories with on this secondment experience.   I don’t know what I’m going to do in November when I’m back in Monmouth County – my Jersey girls are going to have to start taking weekend adventures with me because I’m accustomed to being on the go all weekend long! 

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.