Rainy day in Bundy

Of Bundaberg, walkabout says: 'Bundaberg is located on the Burnett River 14 m above sea-level, 20 km from the coast and 371 km north of Brisbane. It is a typical subtropical city with an annual rainfall of 1159 mm and average daily temperatures ranging from 22°C in winter to 29°C in summer. The name 'Bundaberg' is a combination of 'Bunda', the name of the local Aboriginal tribe, with 'burg', the Saxon word for town. '

Lonely Planet, on the other hand, is more lyrical: 'Not much has changed in this typical Australian town The main strip, with wide streets and towering palms, is positively gracious and the extensive suburban development is still dominated by stoic old Queenslanders.'

One of the brochures put out by Tourist Info describes Bundy as 'the salad bowl of Queensland.' A lot of fruit and vegetables are grown in the area and a lot of backpackers come here for the casual work. Bundy is also famous for Bundy Rum - the distillery is nearby. There is also a Ginger Beer factoryproducingng Ginger Beer, SasparillBeer andnd Lemon and Lime Bitters. I've just samplesome of thehe Ginger Beer (bought in the IGA supermarket on Woongarra Street) and it is very tasty.

I arrived here on Sunday. After my brief blog entry at Bundaberg Aqua Scuba (cracomputer withth slow connection, crap keyboard and erratic mouse) I was taken to the house owned by the company. Jim, father-in-law of Julian, the boss, took me there via the IGA supermarket,where he suggested that I might need to get some food for the night and the following morning. The house was pretty basic. Shared accomodation in a smallish house. There were 3 people already staying there: two young Korean women, Mai and Jin,and a young Japanese man called Tomei. They were all in their early 20s. There were also two other young men there, who were just visiting: another Japanese man and a young Dutchman called Bartek. All were dive students. Bartek is doing his Dive Master training and was in fact assisting on the course today. I was to share a room with Jin, who was leaving the next day. Mai invited me to harere their meal - cooked by Jin. It was a good meal of pasta, prawns and different meats and I really appreciated it. Another two young Koreans joined us for the meal, but they spoke no English.

Mai (aged 22) commented that I must be more her mother's age, but they were all shocked to learn that I am 50 and have a grandchild! Mai said I must have a 'pretty cool personality' to be travelling on my own as her mother liked to go on holiday, but with friends or with her family - she would never go alone.

After the meal I went to lie down as I was feeling pretty tired after the day's travelling, but also struggling to find some common ground other than diving, and we'd exhausted that for the moment. In fact Mai suggested that Ishould take a rest as I looked tired. I took her advice and went to bed. It was 8 p.m. - very early for me! I told them not to worry about noise and put my earplugs in firmly. The room that I was sharing with Jin was a windowless room in the centre of the house, leading off the living-room,which was also Tomei's bedroom. The air conditioning system was in the living-room. Once the bedroom door was shut it was hot and airless in there -just a ceiling fan to circulate the hot, stale air. I woke a couple of hours later needing the loo and found the house empty. I had just got back into bed and was about to replace the earplugs when I heard a banging on thr door - the two Japanese lads had gone out without a key, expecting the others to still be there when they came back. Lucky for them I'd woken when I did and taken the earplugs out!

I woke around 6.00 a.m. next morning determined that I would find somewhere else to stay. I actaully had quite a heated debate with myself about this. On the one hand I thought that I should stay; that this was all part of the take-it-as-it-comes travel experience. On the other hand, the place was a tip, the other occupants were much younger than me, all good friends and into partying - and I didn't have to stay there. I had spent far less money that I'd expected to because I'd not spent anything- or very little (the cost of overnights in caravan parks) on accomodation in the previous 2 1/2 weeks.

Lonely Planet listed the Lyelta Lodge as being very reasonably priced accomodation and it was only a few blocks away. I walked round there at about 8.00 a.m. and enquired. Single en suites were priced at $45 a night. I was actually given a double room (with a double bed and a single in it) for $170 for 4 nights, and the landlady (another Mai) said I didn't need to pay a key deposit as she could trust me not to run off with the key. It's not exactly luxury accomodation, but it has air conditioning, a TV, fridge and kettle. And it's all mine I don't have to share it. I can snore to my heart's content! After the house on Barolin Street it seems like luxury. It even has a window, though you can't open it, it lets in the minimum of light and there's no view (it's ground floor, looking out onto the fence that borders the pavement). I went back and got my bags immediately.

I had an odd moment as I trudged along between Barolin Street and Lyelta Lodge (on the cornerof Maryborough and Woondooma) with my rucksack on my back - suddenly getting a sense of being a long, long way from home. When I unpacked, I spent a little while looking at my photographs and had a little cry. I'm glad I'm here, but it is a long way from home and a long way from friends, family and all the usual reference points. I wish Paul was here too. On the other hand, I also like having time to myself. 'Do I contradict myself? Very well, I contradict myself! I am vast; I contain multitudes.' (Walt Whitman).

I went to sign up for the diving course at lunchtime yesterday. The others had all started in the morning,but I have already completed the theory, so did not have to start until today. At 2.30p.m. we were taken in the minibus (driven by Roger who is one of our tutors) to Linden Medical Centre for the dive medical ($55). I passed- whoopee! One of the tests is a hearing test. This is done in order to establish a baseline, so that they can measure whether your hearing has been affected by diving at alater date. Apparently I have lost some hearing in my left ear - in the higher range.

There are 5 of us on the course and I am the oldest by far. There are 3 young Israelis (I couldn't work out what language they were speaking but I knew it sounded familiar- was a language I'd heard before and spent sometime around) from central Israel: Daniel, Sara and ?. They are all beautiful - as young Israelis seem to be. Daniel and Sara are bronze-skinned, Sara with thick black ringlets that she plays with all the time, twining them around her fingers. They didn't deign to speak to me until today. Interestingly, Daniel was a bit freaked out yesterday when we were all asked for a urine sample. He wanted to know exactly what we were being tested for. The 5th student is another Daniel, aged 28, from southern Germany (near Bavaria). He is really friendly and good to talk to. He has recently graduated in engineering (I forget what type) and is doing some travelling before going home to get a job. He is hoping to find work in Berlin, but his girlfriend, Eva, is currently living elsewhere in Germany,though she has just been made redundant from her first job, after only 2 1/2 months (last in, first out).

The tutors are Roger and Daniel (the 3rd Daniel), assistedby Bartek. Today we went to a pool to do all the confined water skills stuff. I was free after we'd finished and rinsed off the equipment. the others had an afternoon of theory.

I'mnotvery impressed by Bundaberg Aqua Scuba. The equipment is in pretty poor condition. My first reg free-flowed and the second leaked a smallamount of air continuously. My BCD jacket was barely hiolding together and also leaked: whenever I inflated it it slowly (or not so slowly) deflated - not much use if your life depnds on buoyancy!

I had an hour's siesta after lunch, then went for a walk around. Browsed in another 2nd hand bok shop and got some interesting books by Australian authors. Also found some internet cafes closer to where I am staying. I'm in one of these now. Then I bumped into Daniel (the German one). We went for a drink - I had coffee and he sampled Bundaberg Rum and coke-which comes on tap, ready-mixed. After that we hung out for a while, chatting. I showed him where the IGA supermarket was. Bartek had invited us all round to watch Monty Python videos and Daniel wanted to get some beer. I declined the offer. We went for fish and chips from the Busy Bee on Targo Street. Nice fish but the chips were battered too and very greasy. We ate them sitting under the palm trees in Bourbong Street, with Lorikeets squalking noisily above.

Then I came here to write this. It's now 10.00 p.m. (Tuesday) and the place is closing. Night night.

Bundaberg

Well here I am in Bundaberg.  in Bundaberg Aqua Scuba actually, waiting for the shop to close at 5 p.m. (5 mins) so that they can take me to my accomodation - a shared house for dive students.  Bruce says it's quiet at the moment - not many there.  I hope this is so.

 

This feels a bit like the ends of the earth at the moment.  A 2 hour plane ride, a 4 hour hanging about stint in Hervey Bay, then a 2 hour bus ride.  Where am I?  Why am I here?

 

There's a wall of heat outside.  It was raining when the coach stopped for a rest break, but the heat was still unremitting.  About 8 women bikers pulled in to the petrol station and services ('servo'?) where we'd stopped.  I've seen quite a few men with bushy beards and lots of sugar cane. Oh, and lots of termite mounds.

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Sunday 26th Feb - Sydney airport

 Waiting to board flight to Hervey Bay.  Departing 9.10 a.m.and arriving at 9.55 a.m. - they are an hour behind in Queensland.  Then got to get from airport into Hervey Bay town.  but got a lot of time to spare as bus to Bundaberg isn't until 2.25 p.m.

 

Still not feeling well and didn't sleep well.  I used to have no problem with sleeping in shared dorms (after all, I got used to it at an early age!) but these days I  just don't sleep well.  I think I probably got about 5 hours sleep in all.  I hope the hostel in Bundaberg is good - maybe I'll see if I can get a private room - it's worth paying the extra to get some rest.

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New South Wales and ACT tour, part 3

Tuesday 21st

Left Cootemundra at around 5.30 p.m., after clearing up all workshop stuff and re-packing van. Set off for Tumut, where we planned to spend the night. Went via Gundegai in order to drop off some statues and leaflets with someone there, who is opening an Arts and Crafts centre in the old theatre building (dating from 19th century) there. My African woman was left there too, to be part of the display. I took a parting photo or two. I hope she didn't fray too badly at the edges! Gundegai is famed in song and story - mainly for the story and statue of the dog on the tucker box, which I didn't see. This is a piece of classic Australiana apparently - so I read somewhere - waxing lyrical about farmers and their loyal dogs. There is also a song called 'Along the Road to Gundegai.'

We stayed in Tumut that night, beside the Snowy River.

New South Wales and ACT tour, part 2

We stayed overnight at Vic and Tova's on Saturday 18th - friends and ex work colleagues of Wendi and Derek's. On Sunday morning, Wendi and I set off early for Canberra, travelling on the Hume Highway. We had a coffee (and cake - pecan pie and ice cream for me) stop at the Old Bakery in Berima ('historic village') and arrived in Canberra in the middle of the afternoon, going straight to Barbara and David's flat. They are old friends of Wendi's. In fact, Barbara and Wendi were pen-friends from the age of 10 and first met in 1973, when Barbara visited the UK.

On Sunday afternoon we went to Parliament House in Canberra and took the free guided tour. This was surprisingly interesting - seat of Government and all that. It's a beautiful building, well-designed and crafted, with beautiful woods and marquetry panels. In fact, Canberra itself is surprisingly interesting - perhaps because of its artificiality. It was created for a particular purpose - to solve the battles between Melbourne and Sydney over which should host the seat of Government and be the capital city. When I told Sarah Hanson that I was intending to visit Canberra with Wendi, she was incredulous. When I said that both Mark and Wendi had recommended a visit, she said, 'Are they Australian?' in a tone which implied that no Australian would ever suggest a trip to Canberra. After Parliament House it was a quick trip to the National Museum of Australia (3 themes - land, nation and people) including the Circa - rotating cinema - which gives an overview of the themes using film (multi-screen) and other media. I liked the Museum too and could have happily spent longer there, but it was closing time. After this we drove up to the top of Mt Ainslie to look at the views over Canberra and Lake Burley Griffin, and the plains and mountains (the Snowies)beyond.

After a meal with Barbara and David, Wendi and I went to the cinema in Manuka to see Brokeback Mountain. It's a good film and very true to the book, which I read a few years ago. I've been thinking about it on and off ever since - the mark of a good film.

We spent the night in the Canberra Motor Lodge, on the edge of the Black Mountain Reserve. As the film didn't end until after 11.00 p.m. it was midnight by the time we parked up and set up the van for sleeping.

On Monday morning (20th) we went to the Australian Botanic Gardens and took the free guided tour there. It's very different to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne and Sydney, in both layout and content. Apparently it's the only botanic gardens in Australia which is stocked solely with native, indigenous plants (with the exception of an Acacia from Japan or somewhere).

Canberra: green, open spaces, water, light, reflections, order.

After Canberra it was on to Cootemundra, via Murrumbateman and Yass having a main street which has national heritage status - beautiful old, colonial style buildings.

I've already written a bit about Cootemundra - see earlier post. I participated in the Wrapertoire workshop that Wendi delivered there on Tuesday (21st), creating a statue of an African woman, holding a basket (there weren't any drums so I couldn't do that which was of course the preferred option, and there was no time to improvise). I enjoyed the workshop, though I always get scared about doing anything 'artistic' - scarred for life by art lessons at Sibford, which were routine humiliation if - like me - you couldn't draw or paint.

We had parked the camper van in Gemma and Tony's drive at Cootemundra. We woke on Tuesday morning to the sound of something hard hitting the roof of the van, followed by further hits and also sploshes in Hughie's paddling pool which was nearby. Wendi said they must be walnuts from the tree that we were parked under (for the shade). I got up to go to see what was going on. Just then Tony came out of the house - about to set off for work - and clapped his hands loudly, putting to flight the flock of cockies that had been attacking the walnuts.

Me and my Jacaroo hat

It seems a long time now since I met up with Suzen in Manly, swam (well, paddled) in the Pacific as the storm swept in from northwards, and bought a Jacaroo hat - very Australian! It was only last Thursday - 16th. That was the first time I'd been in the Pacific. I was aware of how lacking in confidence I feel about doing anything physical these days - ever since my slipped disc and frozen shoulder. The injury and trauma threw me off balance and I've not recovered it yet.

Suzen said the Jacaroo was a good hat and suited me - not a 'daggy' hat like the first one I tried on. It's served me well has that hat! I've been embellishing it with silk scarves. Today it's shades of pink and blue. Yesterday it went bushwalking naked, without embellishment, and I dipped it in the billabong and then put it on my head. this was wonderful! cold water down over my head and down my back, and the damp hat kept my head cool for ages. On Thursday the hat went up Mt Kosciuszko, with a sunflower yellow and red scarf tied over it, bonnet style, to stop the wind snatching it off my head. Coming down from Kosciuszko the crown of it was hot enough to fry an egg.

Railway Square YHA, part 1

I am pissed off with this computer and this blog. I just spent 15 minutes writing an entry only to lose it when I tried to spell check it - because this computer blocks pop-ups. So now I have to start again and try to recreate it...

Got here at about 7.30 p.m. after 2-hour train journey form Katoomba ($11.40 - equivalent to about 4 pounds - amazing value!) My rucksack felt very heavy as I walked up Katoomba Street to the station in the late afternoon sun. I've been spoiled by travelling about by car (or rather camper van) for the last week. It's the first time I've had to carry my bag since arriving at Wendi and Derek's on 13th!

This hostel is situated in a former parcels shed next to Central Station in Sydney. some of the dorms are in re-created rail cars, on what appears to be a platform, complete with left luggaage lockers! I'm in room 102, which faces the rail cars, across the platform.

Left hostel around 2.30 p.m., thinking I'd walk to Echo Point and to Scenic World. It didn't look far on the map, but turned out to be a brisk 20-minute walk to the end of Katoomba Street, into Lilianfells Avenue then down to the Prince Henry Cliff Track. I gave Echo Point a miss and set off towards Scenic World instead (cable cars, railway and forest boardwalk). This was apparently a 45 minute walk (5 km by road). After about 20 minutes I got to a cable car stop (Skyway) so took that to Scenic World. I bought a ticket for the Skyway and Scenicender cable cars and the Scenic Railway, then went to get postcards in the shop (which I wrote on the train journey.)

Scenic World is tourist heaven - everything is packaged, even the rainforest. As the cable cars and the rail cars start to move you are treated to muzac with a voiceover telling you in icky tones how wonderful it all is. After 5 minutes in the shop I began to lose the will to live and headed for the Scenic Railway which takes you to the valley floor (or to the boardwalk). This is 'the steepest railway in the world' - its origins go back to the days when coal was mined in this part of the Blue Mountains. The descent was accompanied by oohs, aahs and screams. The performance was repeated regularly as I walked the 20-minute boardwalk to the Scenicender, which takes you back up to the hell that is Scenic World. The boardwalk is punctuated with information boards and displays, telling you about the plants and about the coal-mining history. There were walk options to other places further afield, but I didn't have time to explore (I never saw Govett's Leap or any of the other famous Blue Mountain landmarks!).

I emerged from Scenic World into the blistering heat of the car and coach park (only 25C today I believe - if the YHA information board can be believed) to find that I had a 20-minute wait for a bus back to Katoomba. Then I spotted a man with a motortrike ('Trike Tours') and asked how much he'd charge to take me back to the YHA. he suggested $5 and I agreed. It was an exhilarating --and cooling - ride and much more fun that the Scenic Railway!

By the way, the room that I shared with Viv at Blue Mountains YHA last night was called 'Serendipity'! That is just so appropriate for this trip and how my life is at the moment!

Well I've now used up 50 minutes of internet time and I still haven't written about the camper van tour that Wendi and I took - around 2000 km in 5 days.

I think I might be hungry now - it's around 9.40 p.m., but I'm still not feeling 100%. I'll log off and buy some more time later.

I have to be up early again tomorrow - to get the airport shuttle bus at 6.55 a.m. I'm getting the palne to Hervey Bay, then a bus to Bundaberg.

New South Wales and ACT tour, part 1

Saturday 18th

The temperature hit 40C. This was HOT! And humid too in Sydney. The heat hits you like a wall and all you want to do is sit in a pool of cold water. Wendi, Derek and I had to go shopping in Hornsby to stock up the camper van. Later on, we set off Vic and Tova's house in South Maroota - about 40 minutes drive away, through the Galston Gorge. I travelled in the Volvo with Derek. Wendi still had to finish packing up the camper van for our trip so she left after us and drove up alone. We drove with the top down through the fierce heat. Derek pointed out a thunderhead of cloud building up and later on we had a view of sheet lightning over on the horizon from Vic and Tova's house.

As we drove through Galston Gorge, Derek told me that when north Sydney is hit by bushfires - as it was about 5 years ago (bad fiires - covered a lot of acreage) - Galston Gorge is closed to traffic in order to allow emergency vehicles access. Everyone else has to go the long way round to and from home.

Blue Mountains walkabout

Viv and I went on the Blue Mountains Walkabout yesterday. This is described as an eight hour 'at times strenuous' bushwalk. It was led by Evan, who runs the company. He is of Aboriginal descent. There were 4 of us on the walk, plus Evan. Evan is a mine of information on Aboriginal culture and stories. We learned about bush tucker (no, we didn't eat witchetty grubs, though we did suck sasparilla leaves and eat the berries, and suck nectar from flowers. It was very strenuous! I just about kept up and was relieved that the only man on the trip (John, from South Africa) was far less fit than me. We clambered and scrambled up and down paths and over rocks and across creeks (one time crossing by a fallen tree trunk - this was a test of my balance which has been pretty poor since my slipped disc). At lunchtime we stopped by a billabonng. We were shown traditional meeting places, including the place where the Tribal Council would have been held and the place of the Corroboree (music and dancing). It was great experience and I recommend it, but next time I'd make sure I was fitter and had a decent backpack with less stuff in it! We were told to take 2 litres of water and we needed it. Both Viv and I had dehydration headaches last night and this morning. I was very hot too. I'd worn my long-sleeved hoodie as I wasn't sure whether we'd be going up higher where it's cooler. Also I've got a patch of sunburn above my right elbow - I must have missed it with the sun cream on Mt. Kosciuszko!

The trip so far, part 1

I've just booked another hour on the internet here at the YHA in order to try to bring this up to date. I used up an hour's worth this morning just checking and responding to emails and trying to book the bus from Hervey Bay to Bundaberg tomorrow. I'm staying in the Railway YHA in Sydney tonight, then getting a flight up to Hervey Bay (Fraser Coast) early in the morning. Arriving in Bundaberg 4.40 p.m. They are an hour behind here. My scuba diving course starts on Tuesday, but I'm going for the medical on Monday.

It's 1.40 p.m. now and I've only left the hostel to get coffee from the bakery next door (at breakfast time) and just now to go to Coles supermarket to get some salad and stuff for lunch and dinner. I've just had a good lunch, my bread, cheese and salad added to by some free food left by other hostellers - butter, salt and a tea bag. Unfortunately I put some mayonnaise on my sandwich (another freebie from the leftover section of the fridge) and then couldn't eat it all - too greasy and tasted more like salad cream. I'm feeling a bit crook today. I've had a busy time these last 10 days or so - no real rest days. In fact no rest days since I got here I don't think!

I want to walk up to Echo Point (view point) and to Scenic World before I leave here today. Having spent yesterday in the bush I haven't rally had a view of the Blue Mountains at all. They were shrouded in mist when Wendi and I travelled past last Sunday, and when Viv and I set off to get the train to Faulconbridge for the bushwalk yesterday.

So here's an outline of the trip so far:

Arrived at midnight on 7th Feb. (time difference GMT + 11 hours)

8th-13th Feb - stayed with Mark and Kim (and Sam, Jack, Lucy and Emma) in Melbourne.
13th - 18th Feb - stayed with Wendi and Derek in Hornsby Heights, N of Sydney
19th - 22nd Feb - Wendi and I took off in the camper van for my tour of New South Wales, taking in Canberra (Australian Capital Territory on the way).
24th-25th Feb - Blue Mountains YHA Katoomba (about 150 km west of Sydney)

I hadn't seen either Mark or Wendi for 35 years. I got in touch with them though Friends Reunited. Mark and his family used to spend holidays in the village that I lived in as a child. He later went to the same school - Sibford Friends School, near Banbury in Oxfordshire. This was a co-ed Quaker boarding school, where I was sent aged 10. Wendi also went to Sibford and was in my year - but she didn't start there until the fourth year.

Blue Mountains YHA, Katoomba, NSW

Arrived here after midnight on Thursday - actually Friday! Wendi and I had driven 600 km from Thredbo in the Snowies. We'd left Thredbo at 4.30 p.m. after climbing Mt. Kosciuszco earlier that day - 13 km walk to summit and back from chairlift. We'd intended to make an early start on the first chairlift at 9.00 a.m, but had to hang about in Geehi (our overnight stop) waiting for someone to get us started with jump leads as we had a flat battery! Then to the service station in Thredbo, where we were lucky to find that they had a battery (one of two) of the right size and voltage. If they had not had one in stock we might have had to wait for up to 3 days for one to be delivered! There are a lot of 'ifs' in here: if two cars had not come along shortly after the battery went flat at Scammell's Spur Lookout ... ; if we hadn't managed to turn the camper van around to face downhill and then bump start it ...; if there had been noone camped at Geehi with some jump leads ... But luck was with us and we did all that we had set out to do!

Met up with Irene and Viv over breakfast yesterday. They had been here since Monday or Tuesday. Irene left after breakfast to go on to her cousin's at Dubbo (where Viv is going on to today). I then moved into the bed that Irene had vacated in their private room (with en suite bathroom). This was a great improvement on the 4-bed dorm I'd shared the night before, where someone had poked me in the middle of the night to stay 'you're snoring'! Bear in mind that I'd arrived after midnight and had to get into a top bunk - and make it up - in darkness, only to be woken up after a couple of hours sleep. Trying to get out of the bunk to go to the toilet was interesting as someone had hung their clothes over the accessible end so I had to access my bunk via the end which was pushed up against a wardrobe!

Wedding photo

Thought you might like to see the wedding photo - Paul sent it to me the other day. Isn't computer technology amazing. I pick up the email in Australia and mail it on to you!

Anna x

Cootemundra

Arrived here in Cootemundra late yesterday afternoon. I drove the camper van for the last 60-70 km! Wendi is doing a Wrapertoire workshop here for 4 women today (including Gemma whose house the workshop is being held at). We are camped out in Gemma's back yard. Spent a good evening yesterday with Gemma, Tony and Hughie (aged 3). They're a great family. Moved back here a couple of years ago after trying to make a go of it on a farm for 4 years, but defeated by drought (there have been several years of drought here). We talked for hours over spag bol, chardonnay and coffee. Gemma and Tony have just bought the Ibis Hotel in Cootemundra - a B&B and function place, opposite the arts centre.

We came down here via South Maroota (barbie on Saturday up in the Hawkesbury area, near Wiseman's Ferry), Canberra - where we went to Parliament House, the Museum of Australia and the Australian National Botanic Gardens, visited Wendi's friends Barbara (her pen friend since age 10!) and David, and saw Brokeback Mountain at the cinema in Manuka. We also went up Mount Ainslie to see the views across Canberra to the plains and mountains beyond.

On Sunday night we camped up in the Canberra Motor Village on the edge of the bushland of the Black Mountain Reserve. We came on here yesterday, via Yass.

Went on the (free) guided tour of the botanic garden yesterday. They are beautiful and the only gardens to have just native flora. Beautiful rainforest walks, varieties of eucalypt and banksias.

Spot the swamp wallaby!

Picture taken in Ku-ring-gai on 14th.

If you're reading this ...

... and I know you it would be great if you'd add a comment. At the moment it's very much a monologue and I've no idea if anyone is reading it. Even if I don't know you you're welcome to comment if you want to. Someone please say something, even if it's just 'hello'! (Thanks for your comment early on,Irene)

Irene and Viv

Irene and Viv arrived in Sydney from UK on Thursday evening. Irene and I met at Bradford College in 1982! when we were both doing the Diploma in Education Studies. We met up yesterday and wandered around the Royal Botanic Gardens, looking at flying foxes and getting harassed by ibises.

It was a very hot and humid day - we're talking dampand sticky!

This picture was taken in the gardens, near Bennelong Point, with the Opera House and Harbour Bridge in the background.

Bridge Climb photos

Three pictures taken on the Bridge Climb on Wednesday 15th

Swamp wallabies at Ku-ring-gai

It's been an action-packed week here, although I still haven't managed to do things I'd intended to do. I've been to West Head and Garigal in the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, I've climbed the Harbour Bridge and been to the Royal Botanic Gardens. I didn't get to do the tour of the Opera House or see the Aquarium or any of the museums and galleries.

On my first day here - Tuesday (arrived on Monday afternoon) Wendi drove us up through the Ku-ring-gai NP, up to West Head where there are amazing views of the harbour and islands. We drove up past the Hawkesbury and Pittwater - familiar names to me from reading Peter Carey's '30 Days in Sydney' before I came out, but places I never expected to actually be near! We drove past Waratah, which Wendi pointed out as being the place where Skippy (the bush kangaroo) used to live and where the series was filmed. After looking at the Views from West head we drove to Garigal and went for a walk. There are quite a few Aboriginal rock engravings up there and we went to look at these - pictures of people hunting and of their prey. Ku-ring-gai is a vast area - there's just bush as far as the eye can see. Though the Bahai temple was just visible as a white blob on the horizon.

We had just rounded a bend in the track when Wendi let out an exclamation -there was a wallaby in a small clearing to the left of the track. It sat there, motionless, watching and listening. I took a photograph before it hopped off. Then as I turned around to face the direction we were walking in I caught a flash of black as an something moved across the track in front of us just around another bend. When we came around the bend, there was another wallaby grazing on gorse blossoms at the side of the track, just a few feet away from us! I looked in the Lonely Planet wildlife guide when I got back and it said that swamp wallabies are 'occasionally' seen at Garigal. I saw two! Later that evening, back at the house in Hornsby Heights there were two possums in the garden. They are very fond of carrots occasionally. There seemed to be a territorial dispute going on between them.

King parrots

It's Thursday morning, around 9.30ish. I rang Paul and my Mum at around 7 a.m this morning (i.e. 20.00 GMT Weds). Paul's keeping busy by sorting out stuff in the house - great! I said I'd have to go away more often. My Mum was thrilled to hear from me. I thought it would be good to reassure her that I am safely ensconced here in the heart of civilisation, rather than off in the outback on my own with a billy can and short rations of water.

Breakfast on the patio, by the pool. A pair of King Parrots came and perched in the trees.

Going into Sydney shortly and will meet Suzen this afternoon in Manly. Back to Sydney later for a meal with Wendi and Derek at City Extra on Circular Quay.

Sarah Hanson rang yesterday evening (ex Bradford Council Safer Communities performance management). She actually lives in Hornsby, just down the road from Hornsby Heights where I am. I'm meeting her tomorrow evening, when she has finished work.

Storms forecast for today. Humidity around 87%.

Bridge Climb!

Hooray, I did the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb today (i.e. Wednesday 15th Feb)! I've got photos and the T-shirt to prove it. Amazing views of Sydney and the harbour. And the QE2 came into harbour this morning - an added bonus (if you like that sort of thing, which a lot of people do). I just love that bridge! I crossed it 5 times today in all: in Wendi's car on the way in early this morning; on the Bridge Climb; twice on foot later in the afternoon - to north shore and back; then by train on way back to Hornsby (fare only $4). I'm bridged out!

Wendi met me near the station and we came back here to the lorikeets squabbling in the trees at the front of the house. I can hear the cockatoos starting up out back now.

A sticky day - high humidity.

Off to get a Chinese takeaway now.

Tomorrow I'm getting the ferry to Manly in the afternoon and meeting Irish Suzen (from CCI) who I last saw in Scotland 2 years ago.

And the rest ...

It's now 1.10 p.m. It took a while writing and spell-checking that last bit of blog.

On Saturday I went to Pickwick House with Mark. This is the shop that he and Tim own, supplying hardware and restoration materials for Victorian and Edwardian houses (of which there are a considerable number - at least in this part of Melbourne). This is of course where he usually is when we 'chat' or exchange emails. Here I met Tim, who I still think of as about age 10 or 11 (Jack's age) and who has no memory of me whatsoever. On the way back to the house we bought Spanakopita and Baclava for lunch. Tim came round for a meal later on and we ate the beef that he had brought back from the country the previous weekend. I've been eating a lot of meat! My stomach seems to be coping. I don't think I'd eaten beef - other than minced - for over 30 years. It was actually very good. I think my body must need meat at the moment.

On Saturday evening Mark, Kim and I went to see their favourite band, the Prayerbabies, at the Railway - about 10-15 minutes walk away. We got there for about 10.30, when the band comes on. They were brilliant! Lots of cover stuff, but in their own style - don't know what you'd describe it as, never having been good on musical style. My regret is that I didn’t get up and dance. I would have a couple of years ago. I feel heavy and unfit at the moment. But that is going to change! We got home around 1.30 a.m. on Sunday. Actually, part of the problem this week has been that I have kept having spells of feeling overcome by tiredness - so that I can hardly keep my eyes open. Perhaps still the after-effect of jetlag (the 'lag' bit in fact).

Yesterday, Mark and I spent the afternoon at the Royal Botanic Gardens whilst Kim and the kids went to a family party. The Gardens - alongside the Yarra (or Birrarung) River - contain a wealth of plants and shrubs. There are over 700 varieties of eucalypt you know! There are black swans on the lake and bell birds calling from the trees (an odd chiming kind of sound). I'll definitely go back there next month for another look. We went to look at the Exhibition Centre too. Mark wanted to show me some of the paintings from the Heidelberg School, but these have been moved to the Ian Potter place in Federation Square (where I'd intended to go on Thursday but didn't stop because the Aboriginal Art exhibition was closed). We looked around the art gallery then had tea in the cafe.

I got up early this morning, in order to see Kim and the kids before they left for the day. I’d given Emma (7) a 50 p piece at the weekend. She was proudly taking it to school for 'Show and Tell'. She told me last week that she'd asked Kim if she could take me to Show and Tell!

Before coming out this morning I re-packed my case. I've sorted out some stuff to leave at Mark's until I return next month. The case still feels ridiculously heavy, but I can't leave anything else behind. Be warned if you're thinking of buying a 'travel pack' - they are heavy before you put anything in them!

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Internet cafe - 633 Rathdowne Street, N Carlton, Melbourne

It's around 12.10 p.m. on Monday - ignore the date above this - I think that's USA EST and there seems no way of altering it!

 

I had the bright idea of ringing the library this morning and trying to book some time on the computer, but the library doesn't open until 1.00 p.m. so that was out.  I am leaving around 2.00 p.m. to get a flight to Sydney (1 hour 20 minutes away).  I looked in Yellow Pages and found this place, just down the road from the library and only about 15 minutes walk from the house on Amess Street, where I've been staying with Kim and Mark (and Sam, Jack, Lucy and Emma). 

 

It's about $5 an hour for internet access here (approx 2 pounds).  I was going to start writing this blog in Word, saving it to my USB key and spell checking it before loading onto Blogger, but I've still not found a computer with an accessible USB port.  I then realised that I can email to the blog.  This is useful because some places (airports for example) offer free email facilities, but not free internet access.  The added bonus is that Yahoo emails are a lot more user-friendly than Blogger.  For some reason the spell-check on Blogger won't work and the font keeps changing, so that I end up with about 3 different fonts in an entry.

 

On Thursday I got the tram into the city - but I've already said something about this (last entry).  On Friday I walked along Rathdowne Street to the Melbourne Museum in Carlton Gardens and spent the afternoon in the Museum.  There was so much to see that I never got around to going to the Exhibition Centre (adjacent) which was at one time the seat of Victorian Government or walking around the Gardens.  I will go back there when I'm in Melbourne again at the end of next month.  The Melbourne Museum also has an Imax - which is (of course) showing some of the same films as the Imax in Bradford - for example 'Sharks' and the 3D moon one.

 

The Forest Garden at the museum is like a large greenhouse, with tropical plants, water and woodland.  It was restful wandering around there - especially the woodland bit with plaques and displays of how burning regenerates the forest - but also how this impacts on people (e.g. Ash Wednesday).

 

My favourite bit of the Melbourne Museum was the Bunjilaka Gallery, which has displays of Aboriginal history and art.  The displays use a range of media, including video and photography as well as the more traditional museum displays of artefacts - possum skin cloaks, basketwear, spears, boomerangs, shields - and of course didgeridoos.  Apparently didgeridoos were so named by a white man, referring to the sound produced.  They were called 'yidaki' in north-eastern Arnhemland and were used by the Yolugu people.  Their origins are said to be 'sacred and secret to Yolugu men' (sic.)

 

A story which stuck in my mind from the Bunjilaka Gallery was a videoed reminiscence of an incident relating to 'Aunt Lillian'.  Aunt Lillian had been taken away to camp miles away from her family settlement.  Probably one of the 'stolen generation' of children.  At some point the family were told that Lillian could visit and that she would be arriving on a particular train.  They went to meet the train, but there was no Lillian.  Her bags were deposited on the platform however.  On enquiry the family found that Lillian had died during the train journey and her body had been left in Sydney whilst her bags were sent on to the destination.  No-one had deemed it necessary to tell the family.

 

Another video was made by Ken Thaiday Snr a Torres Strait Islander from Darnley.  I was struck by how he described Christianity coming to Darnely - saying that with the gospel 'light came'.  The islanders are now apparently Christian, but still perform the traditional ceremonies and dances.  To me of course this seems odd - this acceptance of the religion brought by outsiders.  Although it is in no way unusual for indigenous peoples - all over r the world - to incorporate religious practices into traditional rituals, or vice versa.

 

Between the Forest Garden and the Bunjilaka Gallery were exhibitions of paintings by Lin Onus and Ray Thomas - both Aboriginal artists.  My favourite Lin Onus painting was of Butterflies in Sherbrooke Forest, 1993.  I could feel the light and humidity.  Oddly enough, Mark mentioned Lin Onus later on in the day when talking about something else - he knew him.  Ray Thomas is another Melbourne artist (born 1960).  I loved his style, which was a mixture of English landscape painting and indigenous patterns and symbols.  Of his work he said: 'I have now developed a more personalised signature style with peeled back corners and floating objects overlayed with traditional markings and patterning from my Gunnai heritage.'  This description reminded me of how Milan Kundera describes the technique of the artist in his novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being (which I adored when I read it in the early '90s).  He uses it as an analogy for the magic realist style of writing - rips in the canvas showing something behind, underneath.  The Ray Thomas exhibition was called Gunnai Yukai [mother] Stories.  My favourite picture was the one of Bataluks [lizards] Coming and Going - loved the patterns and movement.  I think I took a photo of this.  I liked the series of paintings of Whale Rock at Wilson's Promontory too - light and water.

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Day 3

Friday - late afternoon

I think it's day 3! I've been losing track of time a bit. and the time difference is very difficult to get used when calling people in the UK, or sending text messages. Apparently, I woke Puaul twivce the other night with text messages. sorry Paul!

I haven't had the opportunity to update this until now. I'm in Carlton Library in Melbourne. I manged to get some time on the comoputer because the person who'd booked it didn't turn up for their session.

Yesterday I caught the tram into the city (ting ting). I started off in Federation Square and was going to follow the Lonely Planet walking tour - a circular walk from the Square, across the Yarra and through Victoria Gardens. I'd thought I might even make it to the Royal Botanic Gardens too. But it wasn't to be. it was pretty rainy yesterday (in fact a guy in the cafe where I had lunch said wryly (in response to my accent) "You've brought the weather with you ... thanks.'

I crossed the Yarra and turned into Victoria Gardens and the clouds immediately opend again. I put on my kagoule, but my trouser legs were soaked in seconds. I sheltered under a large spreading tree until the rain lesseneed then decided to head for the Immigration Museum on Flinders Street instead. I was immediately struck by the aromatic scent as I entered the park. I couldn't identify it - I knew it wasn't blossom, although there were many flowers and the scent was vaguely floral. Eucalyptus of course.

Out of time - library closing.

HEATHROW

At Heathrow, baggage checked in. Breakfast overdue. Journey from Kings X to hotel yesterday evening took longer than journey from Leeds to London, due to trains not running past Acton town - bus service only.

That behind me now. Have to sort out phone - discovered I couldn't make international calls on it yesterday evening. eeek, money running out. Off to get food and coffee. OVER AND OUT!

Bon voyage!

The day of departure is finally here! Well, I'm off down to London today - not actually leaving the country until tomorrow. It's been an odd week - nothing has seemed real. I've not been at work all week - being now redundant (voluntarily) and superannuated, but so far of course it just feels as though I'm on leave. I texted Imran (former work colleague) a couple of days ago to get his address (to add it to my postcard labels) and he immediately rang me back. In the course of the conversation he told me that 'my' office chair had been seized by someone else on the team as soon as I left, without a by your leave or any reference to anyone else. It was a very expensive chair which I was bought as a result of a workplace H&S assessment for my whiplash-related problems. Anyway, I felt somehow removed from the whole issue. I agreed that the chair should go to someone assessed as needing it, but didn't really feel that it had much to do with me - which of course it doesn't any more. Thanks Imran! - For bringing the awareness of having left the job and detached from it closer to my consciousness. I am in the process of leaving it behind me.

Oh, a vital piece of news to add to this verbal jigsaw, although I've already emailed it all over: Paul and I got married on 28^th January – a low-key, last-minute do in Leeds Town Hall, with my son, Dan, and his girlfriend, Cat, as witnesses. The suspension went on my car immediately afterwards and we came home in a tow-truck, but that’s another story! We’ll be having a party sometime in May to celebrate.

When we went to register the marriage, the registrar asked if we were having a honeymoon. We looked at each other, and then Paul spoke: 'Anna is,' he said. We went on to explain and said that we were meeting up in Thailand at Easter.

So ... I’m off on my BIG ADVENTURE! This will be the first of many, now that I’m retired from full-time employment. We're going cycle-touring in Europe in August for 3 1/2 weeks - cycling from southern France into northern Spain, ending up in Barcelona, and then getting the bus back from Roses. We're travelling on Bike Express.

I'm planning a trip to Lebanon next Spring to see where my ancestors, the Shakoors, came from. This was inspired by finding a whole chapter of a book about my great, great aunt Luceya Shakoor (or Luciya Shakkur) on the internet - see Chapter IX of link. this names the place that they lived in: Ain Zhalta in the Chouf mountains, south-east of Beirut. Since finding this I did a bit of research on the history of the area in the mid-nineteenth century. Amazingly, all of the Shakoors - who were Christians (originally Maronite, but converted to Protestantism) seem to have survived the 1860 massacres. According to newspaper reports of the time, 7,000-11,000 Christians were massacred by Druse between April and June 1860.

I digress! I must go and unpack and re-pack my bag. It's ridiculously heavy. What can I leave out?

I need to practice being present and in the moment on this trip. Already I'm planning the next but one trip and I've not started this one yet!

I've had lots of 'bon voyage!' messages lately - by text, email and phone.