Train Byron Bay to Sydney

After a 7am departure on a bus for 2 hrs then a 10 hr itrain ride we finally got to Sydney. The train was called The Country Link the name says it all it stopped at every small station and travelled no more than 50km an hour so we really saw the country side which was very nice and as green as Ireland again due to the rain this summer. As evening time came we saw Kangaroos in the fields we did not expect that surprise. We were served lunch, Devonshire afternoon tea and supper and met alot of Australian seniors who avail of the cheap travel deals they get on trains. Kevin has decided he has enough long train journeys to last a lifetime Yea! We arrived at 10pm to our apartment and walked down the street to discover around the corner is the famous Sydney Bridge and Opera house they were all lit up just lovely we now look forward to exploring Sydney for the next week. MR&K

Byron Bay

We went by bus that took 21/2hrs on a busy 6 lane highway most of the way. This is the Gold Coast/Surfers Paradise area of Australia very popular for week-enders and holiday makers. Byron Bay has sheltered beaches and is known locally as the Byron Bubble a sort of intangible atmosphere that seems to set it apart from the rest of the world. There are a huge variety of cultures in the Bay everything from the dedicated hippie to the ultra wealthy, from blue collar to rainbow sarong , from professional to surfie dudes. It is also a place of healing for hundreds of years. The Aboriginal people made regular pilgrimages and considered Byron a sacred place of meeting and transformation. There are a wide range of retreats and spa's influenced by ancient health practises from around the world.
We had planned this portion of our trip for R&R after our rigorous three week adventures.  We are spending alot of time on the beach and taking in the local sights and sounds by day and night. Sunday Trish and Pete (friends from Cornwall) drove from Coffs Harbor a 3hr drive to have lunch with us at The Rails it was great to see them and catch up over a few pints of Ozzie beer they return to Sydney on Friday.  Pete and Kevin are golfing in Cronulla next Monday while Trish and I swim, shop and later have supper with Helga,Woody and Ryder. By Monday Byron Bay had worked it's magic and we had a burst of energy which allowed us to tackle a hike over two small mountains along the coastline to the Byron Bay Lighthouse located on Cape Byron the most easterly point of Australia. The entire hike was 10.5km 6 of which were uphill!!  It was a tough climb with amazing views and the view from the lighthouse was breathtaking Along the way we met a few different lizards and numerous beautiful butterflies. On our 2.5km descent we walked thru pre historic rain forest and giant ferns called Burrawang which were would have been eaten by dinosaurs. An approaching thunder storm but pep in our step and we made it back to town before the heavens opened. This storm lasted thru the night with very high winds and has lowered the temp considerably so today will not be a beach day as planned but we will walk along the beach to town and have a last look around before leaving in the morning for Sydney at 7:30am on a 2hr bus ride  to Casino which passes thru Lismore (Kevin was born in Lismore Co Waterford Ireland ) then a 10hr train trip to Sydney - Kevin loves trains.....  The final 8 days of our trip will be spent exploring Sydney and visiting two of Kevins cousins Frank and Michael Tierney from Galway and my cousin Philip Quigley. Up to a few months ago I never knew I had any family in Australia so looking forward that.  MR&K

Brisbane

Brisbane was a very pleasant surprise on our first night we discovered the South Bank quite by accident after we took a ride on The Wheel. This area was completely flooded by the recent floods and its gardens and walkways are been restored slowly. We were amazed by the amount of work that is already completed. This is the artistic area of Brisbane where the art Galleries,concert hall and museums are located as well as a huge variety of restaurants. The view of the city across the river on the north bank after dark was spectacular. The following day we explored the down town area but the very heavy rain drove us into the casino where we played the slots and lost once again. There is a beautiful pedestrian mall in the centre of town most of it outside with overhead cover from the rain. By now I needed some retail therapy Kevin went for a walk and off I went. I bought some tops had my hair cut and felt normal again and ready for our Beach holiday in Byron Bay. We ended our stay in Brisbane with a lovely meal on the pedestrian mall watching how the people live down under. MR&K
Mary Rose

Port Doiglas and Daintree Rainforest

Our first morning in Port Douglas was spent having breakfast with the birds at     the Wildlife Habitat they were everywhere even on our table but did not bother us. Afterwards we walked around the Habitat on a guided tour. Kangaroo's and Emus were eating from our hands fresh water and seawater crocodiles ignored us and we  saw the Southern Cassowary in its striking colours which is the most endangered bird in Australia with only approx 1000 left in Queensland. We spent the afternoon   looking at the town and Marina and discovered an artisan market where I got to shop.  Back at our resort we cooled off with a swim in a lovely pool in a garden setting with waterfalls.
Next morning we were collected at 8:30am and first stop was back to the wildlife habitat where this time we saw Koala bears and tree kangaroos that live only on tree tops. Then it was off to the Daintree Forest. Our very knowledgable guide brought us thru the forest pointing out various plants and trees. A brush turkey crossed out path he looked like our wild turkeys but         much smaller. We were very interested in the strangling tree that begins it's life from the top of its host tree and over a period of couple hundred years it surrounds the host tree choking it to death. After lunch at a rainforest lodge we went to Cape Tribulation the only place in the world where a rainforest  meets a coral reef. We walked on the beach but could not go into the water due to jelly fish been abundant.  After this we took a boat trip on the Daintree river where we saw a few young crocodiles basking in the sun. The guide on the boat was an expert on mangos and was able to point out the subtle differences between the various species. A very interesting day   MR&K

Mary Rose

Great Barrier Reef

We took a 90min Quicksilver wavepiercing cateraman to the Outer Barrier Reef.  The weather was perfect calm seas with clear blue skies and temp of 32c. We arrived to the Quicksilver reef activity platforms that are moored at the outer edge of the reef and first went to the underwater observatory which was cloudy saw a few nice fish go by. Then we had a lovely lunch on the catamaran and were ready to explore the reef. We went on a semi-submersible that was like a submarine inside this adventure was great we weaved our way thru the coral  which was like an underwater secret garden busting with colours of every hue of purples blues yellows greens and reds. These colours were matched by the tropical fish darting thru and fro individually and in schools big and small in many colours. A guide on board was pointing out what to look at. Kevin really enjoyed this experience. Next it was my turn to snorkel Kevin decided not to do it. I got into my Lycra suit which was recommended due to the huge amount
of Jelly fish which we saw from the submersible. When I later saw a photo of myself it's diet time for sure when I go home. I was concerned I would not be able to see without my glasses I was lucky they had one pair of goggles that were very close to my prescription I had perfect vision. Next I got my fins and took Brideen's advise and got a life jacket  At first I was nervous and not sure what to do then the instructions the lifeguard had given came to me and I was off. I could not believe what I was seeing I was close to the platform with lots of other people and wanted to go out further it was then my swimming skills from my youth in Salthill kicked in and off I went to the outer edge. First the fish swimming all around me was amazing then I started to look at the reef words cannot describe how beautiful it is the colours were even more beautiful than from the submersible  I felt I was in an aquarium the water was crystal clear with the sun rays shinning all the way to ocean bed. I was hoping to see Nemo I think he went by very fast but I did see his cousin the Clown he swam right in front of me  I lost all track of time Kevin told me I  was out over an hour it was one of the best moments of my life. All the while I was snorkelling Kevin was following me from the platform to make sure I was ok as I was alone and not with a group. I will remember this day for ever. After I got showered and dressed we had a lovely cool beer watching the reef for one last time. Back at our resort we had another lovely swim and packed our bags ready to leave at 7am for our flight to Brisbane.  MR&K





Mary Rose

Alice Springs

Our morning was taken up with getting the laundry done and cleaning up after our week on the road. After lunch we were collected by John a local guide for a tour of the town and surroundings. Our first stop was the Aboriginal culture center of Alice Springs where we saw the most vibrant water colour paintings and example of Dot painting a technique popular with native artists.  I want to try this type of art it could be my style. Next stop was to see the operation center of the Royal Australian Air service. The first planes were operated by the Queensland And Northern Territories Air Service now known as Qantas !  We heard one of the operators monitoring a rescue mission that was in progress while we there. The salaries for all the staff are paid by the government but they rely on fundraising to purchase the aircraft and all equipment. Every home outside an 80km of Alice Springs is entitled to their services and are given a medical kit of medication in numbered packages. So when a person in distress calls in they are given the number of the medication that is suited to their symptoms. One man was told to give his wife a no 9 medication when his wife got worse the doctor discovered he had run out of no 9 and gave her a 4 and a 5 instead.  Then we went to the School of the Air which was established in the 50s to provide education for kids on isolated cattle stations as far as 1000km away thru radio. Today it is a highly technical operation involving interactive computerized lessons provided by a staff of 15 teachers. They are flown into Alice Springs 3 times a year in order to socialize with other kids as many of them are the only children on the station. On our way to telegraph station museum John gave us a running commentary on local gossip but he was interrupted by a mop of Kangaroos that ran across the road in front of our car finally we got to see live kangaroos in the wild it was worth the wait. The telegraph station was very interesting it's establishment marked the beginning of Alice Springs. The following day before our flight to Cairns we walked around town I got to do some gift shopping and we relaxed by the pool with cool beers. Our flight was a 2 1/2hrs flight with  Qantas they gave us free drinks snacks and a hot meal just like the old days a pleasure to fly with them. We got a shuttle from Cairns to Port Douglas 50km and arrived at our resort at 10pm to find a note pinned to the reception door welcoming us which said phone Johnny for directions to our room and complete the registration form in the drawer underneath the phone where we found the key to our room. By now a tropical rain storm had started. Johnny told us go past the pool turn left and left again and we couldn't miss our room luckily we still had a flashlight from the camping trip to guide us to the room which we finally found and were soaked thru but it was hot rain so we just laughed it off and settled in for the night.   MR&K

Mary Rose

Final Adventure

Day 6
We woke up to an amazing Australian desert sunrise and after breakie we set off for Kings Canyon. The scheduled hike began with an uphill climb of 65 degree incline. We climbed half way up for the view then back down to the base for a 4km hike thru the canyon floor itself. We were dwarfed by the towering walls each side of us and enjoyed the peaceful setting of the running streams an waterfalls on our path this was again the result of the unusual weather brought to the area by Cyclone Yasi.  We met a dragon lizard by a waterhole which we discovered later was a very dangerous animal but lucky for us he was more interested in drinking water!!  We had lunch back at the campsite and started our final leg of our journey to Alice Springs. This was a 41/2 hr journey in 38c heat.  Of course Murphy's Law struck as the air conditioning was unable to cope with the oppressive heat generated by the high temps and 24 sweaty bodies. Never the less the good humor and resilience of the group got us thru this ordeal. There was not one complaint from the group but quite a number of bush pee stops due to the excess amount of water been drank.  We arrived in Alice at 6pm to a lovely cool hotel room where we had a quick shower before joining our new friends at a Backpacker pub/restaurant for a special Backpacker dinner for $10 which was excellent. Later we moved next door to the outback saloon where we danced and caroused the night away. We then said our fond farewells to everyone and retired to bed exhausted but very happy after having an amazing experience.  MR&K

Coober Pedy to Uluru and Kings Canyon

Day 4/5
Driving thru the rugged desert country the low temperatures held much to our relief. On the way we saw a family of Emus in the wild and further on a solidarity female Emu which looked magnificent in her natural surroundings. We finally did get to see a big red Kangaroo but unfortunately it was one of many dead on the side of the road the thunder and lightening had driven them across the highway into traffic mainly the Road Trains pulling up to four trailers on 66 wheels they did not have a chance. We stopped for lunch at Marla the town sign boasted of a population of 1.5 million sheep, 30 human beings and Frank!  nobody  knew who Frank was!!  We arrived at Yulara in time to watch the sunset at Uluru.  This was quite spectacular with various shades of red emerging as the sand stone reflected the rays of the setting sun. We toasted the occasion with champagne and congratulated ourselves on surviving the journey so far. That night we stayed at a campsite and again we were fortunate to get upgraded to a tent with proper beds electricity and a fan. After supper we had saw the Southern Cross and the Milky Way in a fantastic clear cloudless sky. Unfortunately we had to go to retire early as we faced a 3:45am wake up call in order to catch the sunrise at Uluru.
As it turned out there have been better sunrises as the morning light had to struggle thru storm clouds on the horizon. We took the base hike after sunrise which was a 10.5km walk but we managed to shorten this to a mere 7km by taking a trail thru the outback to the Culture Centre. Here we saw beautiful Aboriginal art and artifacts and we met some of these native Australians. Photos were forbidden at many places on the rock which were sacred to the men and  women of the local mob (tribe) which were used for secret cermonies and rituals.  We were also advised not to take pictures of the Aboriginal people out of respect of their right for privacy. After lunch back at the camp we set off for Katatjuta (the Olgas) here we hiked thru a crack in the rocks called the Walpa Gorge, a 90min hill walk. The gorge was very beautiful and serene and peaceful. The recent rain  resulted in arid springs and pools springing to life frogs which had been dormant under ground waiting for this moment were lively and noisy everywhere.  Flowers and plants seldom seen were in full bloom providing sweet nectar for the many butterflies and bees. A garden of Eden for sure. We were told that only 4% of tourists ever witness this this helped compensate for the missed and cancelled hikes earlier in the week.
On our way to Kings Canyon we stopped at Mt O'Conner which is a huge rock 36km around it's base not a lot of information on this place. It was on this leg that nature hit is with a vengeance Ben had to cope a thunder storm the likes of which we have never seen and drive thru flash flooding and the red mud across the road but this too did pass and we were guided to our campsite by some amazing rainbows promising sunny days ahead. The last 5km to our Bush campsite was a winding narrow and twisting dirt road where Ben decided to demonstrate his rally driving skills!!  He then proceeded to cook a great evening meal of wild Australian fare as well as chicken satay and chicken cacciatore this was the best and last meal of our trip. Once again the Southern Cross was in full view in the night sky as we settled in for the night and once again a very early start.    To be continued.     MR&K

Coober Pedy

Day 3
Coober Pedy is a mining town for Opal. It is mined by independent miners who all live underground as we did for the two nights. We visited an underground home and then explored a mine and saw seams of opal and opal cutting demonstration. Needless to say we had plenty of opportunities to view and purchase opals and of course I got one.  Opal is basically minute water droplets trapped in cyclone the size and number of these droplets determine the colour of the gem. Later after supper we went to a Kangaroo orphanage. A couple take injured Kangaroos nurse them back to health and return them to the wild there is a network of people across Northern australia that do this and they rely on donations to care for them  Naoise and Tiaran guess what I got to cuddle a 3 month old baby Kangaroo I have lovely photos to show you  We moved to our hotel underground for the 2nd night much to the cat calling and teasing of our new young friends. It was pure luxury the temp is a constant 23c summer and winter underground and our room had all the modern conveniences incl a big screen satellite TV.  We had a great sleep until 4:30am when we set off for our 850kg to Uluru (Ayers Rock). By now I have been up nearly every morning before 5am my body has gone into shock. Nancy I don't know how you do it everyday.  To be continued ...  MR&K

Mary Rose

Quorn to Coober Pedy

Day 2. We arrived in quorn where we stayed at the Mill. Quorn is an old railway town pop 300 we started the evening with an Australian bar-b-que of Kangaroo, Water Buffalo and Camel!!! Although we had yet to see a Kangaroo we sure enjoyed eating them!!!  Seriously the food was excellent yes for those who know me well I actually eat everything. After a good nights sleep in our private room we were up for breakfast at 6am. We were greeted by the news the rains had struck again and only one road open to the north consequently we missed a hike in the Flinders Mountains and left for Coober Pedy instead of spending a second night in Quorn as planned.
We had lunch at Woomera an old army town this was the center for the development and testing of nuclear weapons on the 50s and 60s it is now in decline with a huge number of empty lots complete with paved driveways and no houses. Homes were moved 60kg to the north to a new US army base. Our next stop was to walk on an ancient salt lake,long since tried up and what remains of the inland sea that covered the Australian interior at one time eons ago. This is where the Australians and Europeans attempted to launch satellites in the 60s unsuccessfully  Perfectly crystalized salt is on the surface and is pleasant to taste. Because we arrived in Coober Pedy a day early our room at the local hotel was not available.  Soooo we slept in an underground bunkhouse with our group of 21separated by a curtain!! with sandbags holding back the flooding outside. Very interesting but fun and we woke fresh and ready to tackle a hearty Auzzie breakie.
To be continued......    MR&K



Mary Rose

Adventure Experience

Feb 5   Adelaide to Quorn:    Very early start at 5am!! we were picked up at Backpackers Oz close to our hotel. The coach was a 24 seater Mitsubishi Rosa bus.  by 7:30 all pickups were done and we met our traveling friends for the first time.  It was an eclectic group from all over Europe - Germany, Holland,Denmark,Switzerland,Italy,Solvenia, France plus 3 Canadians and ourselves.  We were the oldest the ages ranged from 18 - 42 with the majority under 27.  It became apparent that this was one energetic bubbly and good humoured group characteristics that were to get us throught the six day adventure with flying clours.
We had been told to expect very hot and humid weather high 45-50c  however, mother nature had other plans as the remains of the cyclone came into play with rain and cooling winds so our first four days were quite cool and comfortable.  We were in Ulura before we had 30c  Enough of the weaher.
Our first day took us North through the Clare Valley which is the centre of the wine region of South Australia. We stopped for a rest break in the town of Clare were we learned that the region is famous for its Shiraz the vineyards were intoduced by the Jesuit monks  in 1879 and they still tend one of the largest wineries in the area.  Brad Pitt travels there specially to buy his wine!!   Unfortunately it was too early to sample any of the wines.
Back on the coach we were begining to get more comfortable in each others company.  Ben a 3rd generation Dutch/Australian was our guide, driver and cook he was 26yrs and n perfect tune with the group.  Our next stop was at Melrose where were to enjoy a short hike across a swing bridge and enjoy a view of Mt Remarkable this proved to be impossible due to the trail being flooded but we did get to cross the swing bridge that was all of 4ft above a small stream!! the younger ones had a ball trying to knock each other of the bridge.  Our next scheduled hike to the top of Devils Peak to view Spencer Gulf and the Flinders Range was also cancelled because of the rains washing out the trails so we settled for a quick trip to Port Agusta a town that was appeared to be deserted due to all the stores closing at noon on a Saturday!!!!    We continued on to Quorn our stop for the night total km travelled 450km 
To be continued..........     MR&K

Adelaide

We are getting ready to leave Adelaide in the morning. It has not been our favorite city so far we walked all over and took another free bus tour and sorry to say I have not taken to this city at all.  On a positive note we loved the Murray River cruise to-day very relaxing and interesting then we drove thru the Adelaide Hills and some saw lovely wine and olive oil groves and I had an excellent red wine for lunch Kevin had a beer! we did not make it to the ocean which I hear is very nice here.  The weather has been very hot 44c and humid to-day it is dropping to-morrow to 24c due the cyclone speading out all over the country. We still have not seen any Kangaroos Kevin says one must need a few pints and then you see them !!  hopefully we will see them on our 1350km drive to Alice Springs.  Today we saw a sign that said Montreal was 17450km and Dublin is 17040km so we are almost dead centre between our two homelands!!  On a sad note I just heard my dearest cousin Eleanor in Ireland passed away after a very short illness I will be thinking of her on our overland trip it was one of her dreams to come to Australia.  Patricia thanks for letting me know I am unable to email you directly at the moment. 
We are now startin Vac no 4  Cheers MR & K

PS  Wes I will go into more detail in next email specially for you

Perth goodbye

Well we are now leaving Perth and would have liked an extra few days we fell in love with it. Yesterday was lovely we got a free guided tour of Kings Park the views were lovely and learned so much about the western Australia trees and flowers. No luck at the casino but quite the place you were right Ann Marie about Perth. Looks like we will make to Cairns they did not get as much damage as Mission Beach which is further down the coast. We start our Land treck on Saturday won't have much access to the Internet average temp ahead is 44c plus we are looking forward to vacation no3. MR&K

Perth

Arrived here on Monday at 11am after 4hr flight from Melbourne and a 3 hour difference.  Perth is a smaller city reminds us of Thunder Bay years ago more old fashioned.  We really like it here have walked all over the downtown and again loads of shops and things to see. Once again free buses all over the city so we hop on and off to explore great system the locals also use them to get around.  Yesterday we took a ferry to Rottnest Island  which is 1hr 1/2 from Perth out in the Indian Ocean. There are no cars on this Island (June rem Fire Island ?)  it is amazing the coral reef, blue ocean were we went swimming I did not want to leave.  We saw a "Quokka" they look like smal Kangaroos they are not to be found anywhere else on the world !!  We met a guy on the boat from Ottawa left the same day we did.  Kevin has walked again all over and finding all sort of neat places.  Today we are going to Kings Park and doing a tree top walk and this evening going to Burwood Casino to try our luck!!!  we may never go home if we win big.  Tomorrow we fly to Adelaide for two nights taking a Murray River day cruise on Friday then starting our overland 7day land treck to Alice Springs and everything in between.  We are over a week on the go already time is flying I dont want it to end. Cheers for now MR & K