Golden Beach (Caloundra) – Day 1 and 2 (Round 2)

Tuesday, April 28

We travelled from Cairns to Brisbane today – our flight left Cairns at 10 a.m. and we were served tea on the plane. It was a good flight, some cloud but I did get a picture of a small part of the Great Barrier Reef from the plane.

Great Barrier Reef

We landed at noon and then it took quite a while to pick up the rental car. Finally, we had the keys in hand and were off for Caloundra and our condo at Worldmark Golden Beach. We stopped for lunch at Macca’s (McDonald’s) and I noticed that they have a number of computer stations where you can order your food the way you want it – not sure if it’s going to happen elsewhere but you certainly wouldn’t need as much staff if it catches on (and what about the kids looking for minimum wage positions?).

A quick stop for groceries and we were at the condo. I love it here – the unit is pretty small (and the kitchen is miniscule) but all the units have a water view and a deck.

Our view from Golden Beach WorldMark

We went for a wander down the road and found a geocache along the Costigan Mangrove Boardwalk.

Costigan Mangrove Boardwalk

Not much more to report – we weren’t feeling too energetic. Oh, the wifi here (and in Sydney) connects through the tv. It’s a neat system – and the internet is cheaper than the first trip here (but definitely not as cheap as at home).

Golden Beach Living Room area

Golden Beach Kitchen and Dining Area

Golden Beach Bedroom

Golden Beach Bathroom

Wednesday, April 29

We must be in relaxation mode *s* The main entertainment today was heading to the Eumundi Markets, about 40 minutes north of Golden Beach. It’s advertised as Australia’s Premier Artisan Market – Make it, Bake it, Sew it, Grow it but we saw a lot of imported crafts. We did find a wonderful local artist, Michelle Pike, who was selling her quirky Australian artwork. She was very interesting to talk to and we spent a lot of time in her shop – in our opinion, it was the best one there *s*

Eumundi Markets sign

Once we finished browsing the market, we saw the signs for The Big Pineapple – who can resist a giant pineapple? (Not John!).
It wasn’t very busy there so we pulled in and took photos before we decided to find the Ettamogah Pub as we had seen lots of photos of it and it seemed like an interesting place. We were very disappointed to discover that, while the building is still there, the character has gone. It is now a no name pub with no interesting writing on the outside walls. It’s too bad since it was so well known.

Former Etamogah Pub

We drove around sight-seeing for a while and then found a great parking spot at King’s Beach where we could eat our picnic lunch and watch an awesome kite-boarder – he was getting big air time. We drove around a bit more (and tried to find an elusive geocache) before we came back to the condo to enjoy our view. It’s quite windy today and we’ve had a few short rain showers but none of the thunderstorms that were forecast.

John at King’s Beach

Tomorrow we are heading to Fraser Island for the day – we have an hour’s drive north to the pickup location (and have to be there at 6 a.m.). Lucky for us that we are still waking up early.

Sign at Aussie World pub

Cairns, Day 5 (Round 2)

We had a lazy sort of day today – but we did get up early hoping to catch a spectacular sunrise. Well, it wasn’t really spectacular but it was pretty.

There was a large pelican floating along the shoreline, trying to catch fish (which were doing well at jumping out of the way) and lots and lots of exercisers – walkers, joggers, people using the exercise stations. It was a pretty busy place for 6 in the morning.

Australian Pelican

Early morning fitness on the Esplanade

After doing some laundry (exciting, I know), we headed out for a drive and took a picnic lunch with us. We went north and investigated the beaches at Yorky’s Knob (no I didn’t ask why that name)

John at Yorky’s Knob beach

and Trinity Beach

Chris at Trinity Beach

and then headed south and checked out where the Worldmark in Cairns is located. Next stop was lunch and we found a kind of quiet spot near the northern end of the esplanade where we sat on the lawn and enjoyed the views.

That’s about it for today – we were going to go geocaching but that didn’t happen – maybe tonight, maybe not.

Tomorrow morning we leave for Brisbane airport and the drive north to Golden Beach at Caloundra.

Butterfly

Cairns – Day 3 and 4 (Round 2)

Saturday, April 25

John was awake before the crack of dawn and headed down to the park at the shore (2 blocks from our apartment) to be a part of the Dawn Anzac Memorial. He said the cars were double parked on the streets, some blocking other people in. Not sure how many people were there but the paper says over 5000. Later in the morning, there was a parade to another part of the park. We watched that from our apartment and then decided to go for a drive.

Anzac tribute

Navy League Cadets

Air Cadets

Veteran’s Motorcycle Club

We ended up at the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park and thought it must be closed for Anzac Day because there were no cars in the parking lot. To our surprise, it was open and there were only about 30 visitors. We wandered around taking in the demonstrations (Hunting and Weapons, Bush Tucker, Digeridoo, and a dance performance). John also took part in boomerang throwing.

John throwing a boomerang

It was an interesting look at the culture of the indigenous people of Australia. It took a couple of hours to see the exhibits and then we went looking for something for dinner (preferably, fish and chips). For a city that is right on the ocean, it is really hard to find a fish and chip shop – and then when you do, they use egg in the batter. Ok, plan B – in the morning we had noticed a sign on a fishing boat that they had fresh, cooked prawns for sale. They were wonderful!

After eating, we were watching out the window and thousands of bats flew by. A lot of the bats roost during the day in trees right in Cairns and they make a lot of noise (and excrement). Once the bats were gone (I did try to take a photo but couldn’t quite manage to capture them), we went down for a nice soak in the hot tub, or so we thought. Turns out the hot tub was less warm than the pool. Oh well, it was refreshing.

Weapons and hunting

Weapons

Digeridoo

Cassowary dance

Chris with the dancers

Sunday, April 26

Another wonderful visit to the Great Barrier Reef with Reef Magic Cruises. We had debated going with another company just to see what they might offer but, in the end, we went with Reef Magic. One of the reasons was that we had had such a good time 7 years ago when we went out with them and the other was that they offer snorkelling off an anchored pontoon instead of just off the boat.

Snorkelling platform on Marine World

It was a beautiful morning and the day was just as good. It takes 45 minutes to get to Moore Reef which is on the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef. When we got there, we were given a safety briefing and it was recommended that we rent lycra suits as it is still stinger season – we weren’t going to but then we had second thoughts. John paid for the rentals, and when I went to pick up my suit the staff person handed me and XS! I told him he must be joking, I’ve never ever been an XS so he gave me a small and said they stretch 🙂
Well, the small fit but the sleeves were about 12 inches too long!

Chris and John on Marine World

On top of the lycra suits, we wore life vests and I also had a pool noodle. We were set! I thought I might have a few minutes of panic as usual when snorkelling but I was floating around before John even got into the water. And yes, it was still like bath water in temperature.

John snorkelling

It wasn’t long before we were being amazed by the fish and the corals.

A short stop for lunch and we were back in the water. After tiring ourselves out (and drinking a lot of very salty water), we decided on a semi-submersible trip which was a lot of fun – even the old fellow who wanted us all to sing “My Bonnie lies over the Ocean” complete with hand actions and the other fellow who wanted everyone to sing Yellow Submarine.

Before we were ready, it was time to leave the reef. If anyone goes to Cairns, check out Reef Magic – they’re great.

Cairns, Day 1 and 2 (Round 2)

THURSDAY, APRIL 23

We left Chambers Resort about 8:30 in the morning and headed out to do some more exploring on the way to Cairns. We wanted to stop at the Australian Platypus Park but we were there before opening times so we drove on to Millaa Millaa Falls – a very pretty waterfall just outside of the town of Millaa Millaa.

After we had visited the falls, we drove back to the platypus park and were the first ones there. The owner told us an interesting story of how he had planned on having stocked fish ponds and he had brought in shrimp to grow as food for the fish. Just as he was getting going, some platypus moved into one of the ponds and thought they had their own all you can eat buffet. Not long after, there was a cyclone that killed almost all the fish but the shrimp continued to thrive and more platypus came. He has now set aside one of the ponds for the platypus and offers people an opportunity (for the princely sum of $5 for a lifetime membership) to see platypus up close. He doesn’t feed them so they are “in the wild” but they are used to people – in fact, you are supposed to talk around them so they realize you are not a predator on shore.

We stayed for about an hour and saw quite a few platypus. The pool we were at was inhabited by female platypus – apparently the males live in the more quickly running water and the females prefer the still pools.

When we got on the road again, we headed for Murdering Point Winery, just south of Innisfail on the coast. They have some unusual fruit wines and we were interested in trying some. We liked most of them 🙂 but came away with three bottles – a lychee fruit wine, a bottle of pineapple port and a mocha cream – which is made without dairy but tastes just like flavoured thick cream.

We got to Cairns about 4 and checked in to the Cascade Gardens – a self catering apartment hotel. It is very nice – quite spacious, lots of utensils and dishes and a comfy bed (although I had to discard one of my pillows as it was duck down and feathers).

One of the views from the Tablelands

The road keeps going and going….

A yarn bombed tree along the Esplanade in Cairns

FRIDAY, APRIL 24

I could just write – went on the Skyrail today – round trip from Cairns to Kuranda and back but it is an experience that deserves more than that. Most of you know that I really, really don’t like heights or trams but this one is not bad. The gondolas are just a short way over the tops of the trees so it really doesn’t feel like you are up high and I hid behind my camera and took lots of photos so I even managed to look down!

It takes about 1 1/2 hours to reach Kuranda (that includes stopping at both stations and wandering around on the boardwalks through the rainforest). Once we got to Kuranda, we browsed through some of the souvenir shops (a lot of imported products) and then decided to visit Kuranda Koala Gardens. The first display was freshwater crocs and they were looking at us like they could use a snack *s* We then saw some lizards and finally came to the koala enclosure. One of the koalas kept peeking at me and then turning her head away – silly thing. John asked if I wanted a photo with a koala and how could I say no. I was really impressed with the keepers – once the photo was taken, they invited John to stand with me and Tam and they used our camera to take a couple more photos. Even after Tam was back in the keeper’s arms, they stood talking to us for quite a while. Best experience for a koala cuddle out of the three I’ve done.

Chris and John with Tam, the 10 year old female koala

We got to feed some kangaroos and wallabies and then it was on to the reptile exhibit. I won’t post any photos of snakes on here or on facebook (just for you Aunty Pat) but I have to put a photo of a blue tongue lizard because I actually caught it with the tongue out (I love my new camera).

Blue Tongue Lizard

We browsed through a few more shops, bought a 1.5 litre bottle of cold water for 3.50 (other places had them for 4.99), and headed back to the Skyrail station. When I checked my watch, I was shocked that it was already after 2:00.

View coming back to Cairns on Skyrail

That was about it for today – except for a relaxing stroll to the waterfront just a few minutes ago. Tomorrow is Anzac Day (like our Remembrance Day) and it is 100 years since the first soldiers from Australia and New Zealand were sent to WW1. It’s going to be a big day in all the towns and a lot of stores are closed.

Wombat

Koala

John feeding an Eastern Grey Kangaroo

Atherton Tablelands

TUESDAY, April 21

We left Port Douglas and headed to the Atherton Tablelands. It was still a little overcast but didn’t look like rain. We drove north toward Mossman but turned off before we got to the town. Our first stop was at a lookout which was looking toward the Mossman River delta. We could see Crocodile Island (and see why it got that name).

Crocodile Island

We had heard of a place in Mareeba called Coffee World and thought we would go and see – it was pretty gimmicky and the displays looked like a garage sale. We browsed around for a few minutes but chose not to tour the factory for another $40. Off we went to find something else to look at and we spotted the Mareeba Museum and Info Centre. It was a fascinating museum with displays covering all aspects of Aussie life in that area. We really enjoyed it and a lot of the items were the same as at home.

Chris at Meereba Museum

The next town was Atherton – John had read about a place called The Crystal Caves. We were still unsure about visiting it but we stopped by – the young fellow at the counter gave us a good sell and then offered us the seniors rate and guaranteeing that we would love it or our money would be refunded. Well, he was right – it was fascinating. The guy who owns the Crystal Caves is the owner of the largest gem-quality amethyst in the world – the Empress of Uruguay.

Then we had a quick stop at Maccas for lunch and started toward the Chambers Wildlife Rainforest Resort but we got sidetracked by the sight of a platypus viewing area so we had to stop. No platypus in sight at that time, so we decided to go and find a geocache at the Curtain Fig Tree which we did fairly easily (other than getting caught by a wait-a-while vine).

We picked up a few groceries, set the GPS and found our way to the lodge. It was a rustic little place but very clean – the biggest draw for us was the nocturnal animal viewing platform. We were told that the possums and sugar gliders started showing up around 8 p.m.
It was so much fun watching them – we stayed for an hour or so and finally had to go back to our apartment as I was getting cold and my throat was irritated (probably from all the air conditioning).

Blue winged Kookaburra (he doesn’t laugh)

Victoria’s Riflebird

Striped Possum (the tongue reminds me of Anya!)

WEDNESDAY, April 22

Not too many plans for today other than some exploring and trying to see platypus. We drove to Malanda and spotted an info centre and waterfall so we made a quick stop to look at the waterfall and look at the info centre. When we got to the info centre, the fellow who was manning it told us that there was a nature conservancy trail across the road and we might be able to catch a glimpse of platypus and tree kangaroos. We took a walk but all we saw were some turtles.

Back to the car and off to explore some more – we saw a road sign for another set of falls – Dinner Falls and a place called The Crater. These were in an area where cassowaries are seen so it was another chance to find an elusive bird. No luck on the cassowary, but the Crater was very impressive (well at least John says it was – I couldn’t get close enough to the very high fenced edge to actually see it!). The falls were pretty too – guess it helps that it’s been raining here lately so the water was running freely.

John looking into the crater

In the crater

After making a circuit and ending up back at Atherton, we to head back to our room and make a picnic lunch to take to Lake Eachem Park. We had an observer while we were eating – think he was waiting for something to drop or for us to feed him.

Brush turkey

We were waiting for 4 p.m. since the receptionist at the resort had told us that the best time for platypus viewing was between 4 and 6. While exploring around Yungaburra, we came across a memorial for the soldiers who gave their lives in Afghanistan. It was a beautiful place, near the shores of Lake Tinaroo.

Memorial at Yungaburra

Finally it was time to go and watch for platypus. We walked up and down the creek bank, trying to be quiet and find a platypus. We spent almost 2 hours and then decided to head out. At the viewing platform, we paused and looked out – and a few minutes later, there were 3 platypus in sight. Just then, a bus load of sightseers pulled up as well as other people. One family was leaving at the same time as we were and told us of a place on the way to Millaa Millaa where the platypus had taken over a fish pond so that is where we are going on the way back to Cairns.

Platypus

Two platypus

PORT DOUGLAS – DAY 3

What a fantastic day! David, our driver from Daintree Wonder Tours picked us up at 7:20. To our surprise, the tour consisted of us and one other couple (Paul and Carrie) so we got personalized service.

On the way up to the Daintree, we saw miles and miles of sugar cane which will be ready to harvest next month.

Our first stop was an hour long cruise on the Daintree River. David handed us over to Lex, the boat operator and, after we were startled by a 5-spot archer fish spitting at us, we headed off to look for crocs. Lex was very talkative, telling us all about the crocs that live in that area but we weren’t having much luck in seeing any. Suddenly, Paul spotted the head of one but we were already past him so we continued further up the river until it was time to turn around. On the way back, the croc was still there so Lex stopped the boat and we got a lot of photo ops. Not as exciting as some you see in travel brochures but still pretty cool.

Saltwater croc – Daintree River

After the cruise, John asked where the Big Barramundi was so David took a detour and took us there before we headed to the ferry crossing – a cable ferry that goes back and forth as needed. It cost $24 for a round trip. David said we were time travelling by way of the ferry – apparently the town council doesn’t like it being called a primitive area so the tour guides have to be creative with their terms. By this time it had started raining so the stop at Alexandra Lookout wasn’t as impressive as some photos but you could still see for a long ways.

Big Barramundi

View from Alexandra Lookout

Then we headed to Cape Tribulation – with the passengers keeping watch for cassowaries. It’s a long shot to see them as there are only about 100 in the wild in the Daintree. Cape Tribulation was beautiful – and there weren’t many people on the beach. David took us for a walk along the boardwalks and pointed out many odd varieties of plants – especially the climbing vines – we saw a Wait A While vine, a Hairy Mary vine and a Scary Mary vine to name a few.

Chris and John at Cape Tribulation

Next stop was a walk that took you through the rainforest to a mangrove swamp and then back to the rainforest. Right near the parking lot, there was a Boyd’s Water Dragon hiding on a tree. David must have known that he always hangs out in the area, because he was looking for him as soon as we got out of the van. We heard lots of birds but couldn’t see them through the canopy. We also heard popping shrimp in the mangrove flats – and when David snapped his fingers, they answered back with louder popping sounds. We carried our umbrellas and it seemed to work the way it does at home – the rain stayed away 🙂

Boyd’s Water Dragon

Then it was time for lunch – at a little restaurant called On the Turps (because it is on Turpentine Road). The restaurant caters to tour groups and each group had their own buffet area – we had a choice of grilled barramundi, grilled steak or a vegetarian dish. Most of us chose the barramundi and it was really good. After lunch, we walked down to the creek below for a swimming opportunity. John and Carrie swam; Paul, David and I waded (or as David called it, paddled). It was a croc-free area (and we were told not to swim in warm water only in brisk water while in Tropical North Queensland – the crocs don’t like brisk water).

John swimming at Cooper Creek

Once back on the bus, we headed to the Daintree Ice Cream Company for dessert. I didn’t think I would be able to eat it but it was egg-free! You don’t get a choice of flavours – it comes as 4 small scoops in a cup and sharing was encouraged. One of the flavours is on the bottom of the cup (pineapple this time) and the other three were raspberry (tasted like the stuff I make at home), mango (a little sweet) and wattle seed (our favourite).

Ice Cream!

We were still watching for cassowaries, but luck wasn’t on our side. Back at the ferry again, we time travelled again back to modern times and a stop at Mossman Gorge. It is a pretty spot but not a lot different than our rivers on the Island (except for the vegetation of course). John took the opportunity for another short swim and then we were on to another nature walk with David.

The only cassowary we saw

At one point, Carrie and I joked that David’s last name should be Attenborough. He was a walking encyclopedia and definitely loves his job.

We were back to the condo at 5 p.m., tired but very happy to have seen the Daintree Rainforest.

Basket fern

David’s favourite tree

John inside David’s favourite tree

An inside view of the tree

Mossman Gorge

Port Douglas, Day 1 and 2

Saturday, April 18

Our shuttle driver was right on time this morning, and he only had a few stops to make so we were at the airport with lots of time to spare. I had checked in online last night, and since we had no printer, I had the boarding passes sent to my phone. When we got to the airport, we self-checked our bags and were finished with the paperwork in just a few minutes! That was painless.

It always surprises me that the Aussie airports are fine with liquids and gels being taken onboard, the only thing they want to see is aerosol cans and laptops at the security checkpoint.

Once on board the flight, we were surprised to be served breakfast as soon as cruising altitude was reached. And I was even more surprised that I had remembered to order a fruit plate meal! About an hour and a half later, a snack was served – all this included in our reasonable fares of about $225 each for a 3 hour flight. Wish that was the case at home.

The flight was pretty uneventful – there was a lot of cloud so we could only see glimpses of the landscape below. Just before we were landing, the captain gave us the weather report – it wasn’t what we had hoped for as there were heavy rain showers. It looks like the forecast is for more of the same for the next few days – it’s not really that bad since it doesn’t rain for a long period and it’s not cold rain.

Our rental car is a Mitsubishi ASX – a little larger than we usually rent but since we will be travelling around with our luggage, we wanted a car that would hold it without everyone seeing it. It’s a comfortable car and a little higher off the ground than a compact car.

Mitsubishi ASX

We had a few hours before check in at Wyndham Port Douglas so we stopped for groceries at a Woolworths in Smithfield. Once back on the road, we headed toward Port Douglas but stopped at Palm Cove – we didn’t find the part of the beach that is always featured in photos but it was a pretty spot.

John and Chris at Palm Cove

We brought our GPS (with an Australian map) and we’ve already managed to confuse it! At times on the road to Port Douglas, we were under a heavy canopy of trees (it really is where the rainforest meets the sea) and the GPS couldn’t get the satellites. Oh well, we finally got to the condo and it was 3:30. After being greeted by the resident parrot (Skittles) we were able to check in immediately and John’s prize package from Skyrail and Let’s Go Caravan and Camping was waiting for him. It has quite a few goodies in it as well as the certificate for the skyrail round trip.

Skittles

The one bedroom apartment is a little strange – it looks like two hotel rooms that were converted into a suite – the bedroom is as large as the rest of the apartment and it’s a little run-down. It is adequate though and has a full kitchen (even if the fridge is about one third the size of one at home). The brochure says that the air conditioner must stay on to help prevent mould growth – since I really don’t like air conditioning, it’s been a challenge to get it set so that we can be comfortable without turning it off or freezing.

Once we finished unpacking, we headed down to 4-Mile Beach (about a 5 minute walk) – it was beautiful there. We walked along the beach for a while but then the rain caught up to us again so we headed back to the condo.

There is free wifi in the public areas of the resort so I think we will just use that here.

Coconut on 4 Mile Beach

Living Room

Bedroom

Not only dangerous animals!

Sunday, April 19

Although the forecast was for more thundershowers today, we were pleasantly surprised by the weather.

This morning we headed to the park in Port Douglas for their weekly market. There were all kinds of vendors there – from those selling fruits and vegetables to crafts to palm readers and more. We wandered around for a while and found a fellow who made wood products from unusual woods that are almost extinct in the area – he told us they are not allowed to cut any of the trees down and a permit is needed to use the wood. The finished products were beautiful.

There was also a lady selling fruit poop – frozen mushed up fruits. The kids were lining up for her products. We did a lot of browsing and not much buying but I did buy some natural bug repellent (almost the same as Lalena used to make). We saw a wonderful boulder opal stand and when John showed the lady his necklace she said it was one that she had made! She put a new cord on for him while they chatted and I was browsing through her stuff and found a necklace for myself.

We headed back to the condo to put our purchases away and make some sandwiches for lunch. Once that was done, we headed back to town and went to a lookout overlooking 4 Mile Beach and the ocean. On the way up the hill, we saw the most beautiful blue butterfly – of course there was nowhere to stop and get a photo.

4 Mile Beach from Flagstaff Lookout

It was lunchtime then, so we went down to the town end of 4 Mile Beach and had our picnic and a walk along the beach. The swimming areas are protected by “stinger nets” which are anchored to the ocean floor and to the trees on shore. I guess it beats getting stung.
After that, we drove around trying to find a beach route back to the condo. There wasn’t one but there was a nearby geocache. It was along the beach and up a creek, which had us a little apprehensive that we might find a croc waiting for us along with the geocache but it was all good.

Stinger net

Once back at the condo, we had a refreshing swim in the pool (colder than I had expected!) and are enjoying being outside in one of the public areas. There are lots of them with comfy seating and internet.

One of the outdoor seating areas

Tomorrow is our tour of the Daintree – we’re really looking forward to it.

Sydney, Day 4 – Round 2

It’s our last full day here in Sydney, and when we woke up it was raining. Rain here in the fall isn’t like at home – it usually doesn’t last long and it definitely isn’t cold. As we were up early (getting up by 6 and to bed by 9:30), we decided to do laundry before heading out – partially hoping that the rain would stop.

It worked! We left the condo about 8:45 to catch the Sydney Explorer Hop On, Hop Off bus tour outside the Australian Museum. We could have just bought a bus pass but we really like the commentary on tours like this and it was an open top double decker. The ticket included two routes – the one through Sydney and one to Bondi Beach. We started with the Sydney tour and the commentary didn’t disappoint – Aussies call the Vital Statistics office the “Match, Hatch and Dispatch” office *lol* The bus went down some fairly narrow streets with lots of traffic. Lots of interesting buildings (but hard to take photos) and we discovered that the reason there are so many old buildings mixed with new ones is that Sydney has designated a lot of the old buildings to be heritage so they can’t be demolished to make way for high rises. Good on ya, Sydney! They’ve even designated an old Coca-Cola sign as heritage.

Heritage Designated Coca Cola sign, Kings Cross, Sydney

The Sydney route was supposed to take 90 minutes but with the traffic,

Busy streets

it was more like 180 minutes. We did meet some people from Calgary who were here to join a cruise back to Vancouver. We arrived back at Central Station, one of the stops where you could change to the Bondi route and didn’t have too long to wait for the bus. We chose to sit in the covered area for a while as the rain had started again and it was just a tad damp. It wasn’t long before it stopped, so we moved back to the top deck where the view is better. Once we got to Bondi, we decided to get off and find some lunch. The brochure recommended Bondi Surf Seafoods so we thought we’d give it a try. The store didn’t look like much but they had batter without eggs and the daily lunch special was 2 fish, 1 chip for $22.50.

Bondi Surf Seafood, Bondi Beach

Ok, it seemed a little pricey but we were hungry so we ordered. Imagine our surprise when we got that portion each for $22.50 total. This is one portion

Don’t really need dinner now 🙂

We spent about an hour at the beach – it was less windy than the first time we were there and there were people actually in the water.

Chris and John at Bondi Beach

We finished off the Bondi route and found that one of the stops was in the same place as we had started so we didn’t need to transfer buses again. It was fun to see some of the places that were beyond walking distance.

Tomorrow we will be up early to catch our shuttle to the airport at 6:30. Next stop – Port Douglas, Queensland.

Harbour Bridge from Rose Bay

Bondi Beach Mosaics

Bondi Beach Mural

Sydney, Day 3 – Round 2

Lots and lots of walking today – we headed out fairly early to visit the Royal Botanical Gardens and the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park. It was lovely in Hyde Park – although we were there to early to visit the Memorial building. No worries – we’ll go on the way back 🙂 We saw lots of commuters using the paths in the park as shortcuts, people walking their dogs, families out for an early outing before it got hot. And it did get hot today – 29 Celsius with 99% humidity.

We wandered our way down to the Botanical Gardens and saw the statues of Mathew Flinders and his cat at the New South Wales State Library. I had read a story by an Australian author, Bryce Courtenay, titled Mathew Flinder’s Cat so I was happy to see that the statue really did exist.

Statue of Mathew Flinder’s Cat

Once we got to the Gardens, I looked for my iphone to check some geocaching information only to discover that I had left the phone back at the condo. Hmmmm – did we really need the phone? We decided that we did so we headed back to the condo to get it (and for me to put on clothing which was more weather appropriate).

On our way back, the Anzac Memorial was open so we stopped to pay our respects. The museum section was open too and there was a very moving tribute to the soldiers of World War 1. There was also a new memorial (opened this year) to the Indigenous Soldiers at Hyde Park – the standing bullets represent the soldiers who came home and the fallen ones are the soldiers who gave their lives.

Memorial to the Indigenous Soldiers at Hyde Park

Because the temperature was heating up, we decided to catch the free CBD shuttle bus that apparently stopped on Elizabeth Street and George Street. Well, we walked almost all the way back to the Gardens and still hadn’t found the shuttle. So much for that plan. On our last visit to Sydney, we had visited part of the Gardens so we were interested in visiting other parts today – first stop was Government House – the grounds are open for viewing from 10 to 4. Unfortunately, they didn’t invite us in for tea *s*

Government House, Sydney

After we looked at Government House, we headed for Mrs. MacQuarie’s Chair to complete an earthcache.

John and Chris at Mrs. MacQuarie’s Chair

While on our way to the chair, we saw the set for the opera Aida. It is an outdoor production in the Botanical Gardens. I have a photo but it insists on being inserted sideways into the blog!

After 5.5 hours of walking, we were getting a little warm and decided to see if we could find the free shuttle bus at the Circular Quay station. This was much easier (although I think we could have walked faster than the bus was driving) and we managed to get off only 2 blocks from the condo.

Tomorrow is our last day in Sydney and I think we have decided to do the Hop On, Hop Off bus tour.

Water Lily at the Botanical Gardens

Sulphur Crested Cockatoo

Noisy Miner bird

Sydney, Day 2 (Round 2)

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day and decided to go on the Captain Cook Hop On, Hop Off tour of the Sydney Harbour. The ticket was good for 24 hours and as many stops at the locations as you wanted. We started at Darling Harbour and our first stop was Circular Quay where we looked for a “virtual” geocache involving the Sydney Writers Walk (we had to pick a plaque and take a photo with it to claim the cache find). After that we jumped back on a different ferry and met a very nice lady from Yorkshire, England who was in Sydney for her grandsons’ swim meet. She took this photo for us:

Chris and John on the Explorer Ferry in Sydney

There were 9 possible stops, but we didn’t want to go to the Taronga Zoo and a few of the others were not very big and there was quite a wait for the next ferry to arrive there so we stayed on the ferry and looked at

Fort Denison

Fort Denison, the Zoo, and Shark Island but we really wanted to go to Manly so we changed ferries at Circular Quay again and headed off to Manly. Manly Beach was quite busy as was the main walking area in town (The Corso) but it was a nice place to visit. Somehow, we managed to miss the ferry we were going to return on so we decided to find some lunch – we found a really neat little Mexican restaurant called Guzman Y Gomez and had some freshly made tortilla chips and guacomole – it tasted just like what we got in Mexico 🙂

Manly Beach

On the ferry, we were treated to a humourous commentary on the history and quirks of Sydney – our guide Peter was great and had everyone laughing at his descriptions, especially of the nude beach where he told us to refrain from waving as they may wave back with other body parts. After a wonderful day on the water (without getting a burn), we left the boat at Darling Harbour and headed back to the condo. On the way back, we came across a small used book store with something different – Blind Dates with a book –

Opera House from Circular Quay

Opera House from the harbour

Kangaroo Paw flower

Little Black Cormorant at Manly Harbour

And for something kind of crazy – we like to buy Hahn’s Premium Lite beer when we are in Australia. It always amuses us that there are trivia questions under the cap but today’s was the perfect one for Canadians on vacation:

Travels with John and Chris

A diary of our travels

Month: April 2015