14/12/10
Flying out of Broome was a bit of a PITA. It’s not just a city that sleeps, but a city that hibernates! It’s like a total shutdown after November until the springtime. There’s not a great deal of activity going on, but you do get a feeling this place has a special party vibe when it is fashionable and in season. Given its purpose location between the beauty of the West Coast and the magnificence of the Kimberley, I have no doubt one day I’ll see that place in a new light. For now though I had to get to the airport (in the city centre!) and fly off to Tasmania for a bit more of the same. Starting at 5pm, and arriving at 11am the following day, I was shattered after three flights, four airports, and three time zones, but keen nonetheless. Here’s my Tasmania leg of the trip:
Hobart - quite an uninspiring city which seems to lack any charisma whatsoever. It has no homeliness of a Brisbane; no razz-matazz of a Melbourne’s artistic scene; and definitely no vibrancy of a Sydney nightlife. I immediately booked onto a 6-day tour of the island, but had to wait a day for it to start. Passing time in a city that I can say nothing more positive than “It has little in the way of a traffic problem” shows you I was clutching at straws to avoid boredom. I did find enough entertainment in the form of sitting with a case of beer watching the third Ashes Test get under way. The tour started the next day, and I happily left the city.
Over the course of a day or two I became very endeared to Tasmania. I had been rather unfair in comparing it to the scenic beauty of the west coast, but Tasy certainly has its own charms which are well and truly worth seeing. There are 60 short walks to do, and each seems to end with a beautifully tiered waterfall, or a tranquil lake, but always with something to make the short excursion worthwhile. We did our fair share, and probably saw the main island highlights in doing so.
The sleepy, but pretty towns we passed through on the way were all worthy of a little bit of time, but it is the driving and the national parks that are the most worthwhile stop offs. With Tasy having two breweries on the island as well, beers and other alcohol are a fair bit cheaper than mainland Oz. Needless to say, I took advantage of this fact!
Drinking aside, I would say the highlights of Tas are certainly Cradle Mountain. I had an absolutely fab day there just wandering around and pausing for the occasional photograph. It is quite honestly like being inside a fairytale with all the enchanting forest and little streams surrounding you. The odd piece of company from a none-to-shy pademelon or wallaby as well only adds to the fantasy. I had some great company as well to enjoy my surroundings (mostly from an American girl, Janet, and an English girl, Philippa, but also a highly entertaining Dutch couple and Chinese family, as well as several others), but unfortunately we had one huge burden in the form of a retired German woman who seemed to quickly become the butt of all jokes as she drove everyone crazy. Sometimes though, having a common release does help maintain group harmony, so I guess it wasn’t a complete bad thing. Myself and Janet often did step it up a gear though to put a safe amount of distance in between walks, and make the time spent within a group more bearable.
By Day 3, we had covered the West Coast of Tas, and had often been drenched for our efforts. It is a strange place though where the dull weather actually kind of suits it. It is a largely green island and is probably more reminiscent of say New Zealand than typically Australian. Unfortunately though, by this stage it was goodbye to Janet. I say unfortunately because she had largely been the one person Ankhor (the German woman) had made a bee-line for, and so often ‘took one for the team’. That left me, and indeed a whole host of others, a little more vulnerable for the second leg of the trip. I was in my element by this stage though, and used the huge amount of cheese on the iPod to remove any fledgling hope of conversation. From Cyndi Lauper to the Spice Girls, Annie Lennox to Take That (I probably shouldn’t admit to these contents, but it was locally popular on our bus) got us pretty much all the way back to Hobart with certain stops along the way. My favourite dedications to a certain someone included EMF’s ‘You’re Unbelievable’, and ‘She Drives Me Crazy’ by the Fine Young Cannibals; you see, I can be a bit of a b*****d at times, though this did get the targeted laughter from the shameless majority.
The blowholes and orange rocks of Cosy Corner were amazing to see, but my favourite stop off on the East Coast had to be Bicheno, where I saw the penguins coming up from the sea to their nests for the evening. This was a first for me.
Of course of all of Tasmania’s wildlife, there is one particular member that stands out, and you have to visit them. They are almost extinct now thanks to an incurable cancer sweeping through, but some of the aggressive beasts can be seen near Hobart. Highly carnivorous marsupials, that actually don’t do the whirlwind spin like the cartoon suggests, do make the devils a lot less than cute at feeding times, but that’s exactly what you come to see isn’t it?
After playing my role of a young David Attenborough, it was time for an evocative reminder of the nation’s macabre convict past at Port Arthur. The strong alienation techniques used do tend to give a feeling of cabin fever quite quickly, but for a dose of the past history, which is quite elusive in Australia, I can’t really think of many better examples to visit than here. I attended the guided walk and the boat trip to the so-called Death Island and enjoyed both, though that, and a short walk amongst the ruins, was enough for me. I walked back with a few others to the house where we were staying, and helped out a bit with preparing our final lunch.
The drive back to Hobart was via a couple more stop offs, but on the whole it was quite quick. We got back around 5pm, which gave me enough time to check in, get a shower, make a few new friends, and then go out for the evening for some cheap food and beer with everyone. It turned out to be a great evening for me, probably one of the best nights I’ve had in Australia, which isn’t bad at all considering that I was in two minds whether to go out or not. It just goes to show how a little bit of spontaneity can go a long way sometimes. I do hope to keep in touch with my new friends and see where the travels take us in the future.
Well there’s a fair brief of Tasmanian for you. As always I will endeavour to put the fuller day-by-day blog up when I get back on home soil via the usual travelling websites. I would certainly recommend a visit to Tasmania, as I’m sure many others who have been would. It’s a shame many backpackers miss this place off their itineraries, but I’m very pleased not to be one of them. I even kind of wished I’d spent Christmas in Hobart with the company of some friends I’d only just met, but Melbourne and the Ashes series was calling me.
Friday 24 December 2010
Monday 13 December 2010
And That's How I Got To Broome
11/12/10
That final sleep ended up being a pretty long one! Apparently people were pouring water on me to wake me in the morning, though that seemingly failed. I finally woke when the four corners of my swag started rising and I was carried into the breakfast area. Everyone was almost packed up and ready to leave as I powered down a bowl of cereal. Still highly inebriated, it was time for the hugs and kisses of goodbyes. It really is a shame to be separating this group, but that’s the way things go isn’t it? Fortunately the remainder of our group would be merging with another so we could ride in an air-conditioned bus to Pardoo Station. With this substitution to soften the blow, I exchanged phone numbers with Peter (we have already all swapped Facebook details and plan to form a new group to keep in touch on there) and should be meeting up again in Melbourne and Sydney for some cricket and, of course, drinks. Others will also be in those areas at overlapping times, so it does look good for meeting back up at some stages.
With nothing to do other than sleep off the rotten hangover I was sporting, I had a brief chat with the new group to introduce myself, and then slept a large portion of the journey to the melancholic Port Headland. The day was to prove to be just a day of covering ground as we were still a considerable distance away from Broome.
12/12/10
It had by now become a normality to be awake by daybreak, and so I rose from my stupor at the scheduled 6am with relative ease. It’s unbelievably uncharacteristic for me to be punctual, but that seems to have clicked in finally for me. Well better late than never I guess, though that problem has riled several people in the past, and I wonder how short-term this new me actually is; my best guess says very short-term unfortunately. I blame a substantial need for caffeine before I can function at all.
Well, that was it. It was just an entire morning of driving more or less. We had to get a couple of hours done on the road before we had a breakfast stop on 80 Mile Beach, where there is an abundance of huge shells which people chose to collect. I personally left the environment well alone as I get the feeling they won’t survive in their full glorious form in my backpack, but others got some absolute gems; the sort you might find in shops! You could already feel the early morning heat kicking in, and it was obviously going to be an incredible hot day. Broome was touching 40°C heat earlier and the week, and I suspected there would be no let up from that. We arrived for a late lunch at about 2pm, but surprisingly it was cooler as a gentle shower had knocked out a decent portion of the humidity. It made lunch on Town Beach quite a lot more pleasant than what I would have expected. With a final loop around town to get some bearings, we did the final drop offs at the hostels. I chose to stay on Cable Beach and away from the city, so I can have the option of what to do with my days in Broome.
We had arranged to meet up at 8pm for a final meal together before everyone goes their separate ways, and a few last drinks and a good feed was a perfect way to end the trip. A few said their final goodbyes before retiring for the evening, whilst some others bought a few extra beers to take back to the hostel; this group, of course, included me. Myself, Johan, Tammy, and Mark (the second guide) drank until the small hours before sneaking into the neighbouring 4 star hotel to use their significantly better pool. A little jacuzzi and a splash about was sobering enough for me, and I called it an end to the day at 3:30am. I was surprised to have any energy left at all after the last ten days.
13/12/10
My time in Broome has been spent largely on relaxing and refreshing. There's a fair bit to do in this sleepy town, but for me, I think targetting a better season is key. Most things are closed and it is a bit of a ghost town at the moment. I guess the severe rain and gales see to that. I'll be back here one day though, mainly to traverse the Kimberley, but also to dive the world renowned Navy Pier. That will be another happy travel.
With a 20 hour flight(s) to face tomorrow, arguably being a record for a domestic schedulle, it is time for a good thorough sleep before I do it all again in Tasmania.
P.S. The cricket has been fab, and the Aussies are seriously bad losers! They have little to no intention of sharing score updates or any news. It makes me quite smug.
That final sleep ended up being a pretty long one! Apparently people were pouring water on me to wake me in the morning, though that seemingly failed. I finally woke when the four corners of my swag started rising and I was carried into the breakfast area. Everyone was almost packed up and ready to leave as I powered down a bowl of cereal. Still highly inebriated, it was time for the hugs and kisses of goodbyes. It really is a shame to be separating this group, but that’s the way things go isn’t it? Fortunately the remainder of our group would be merging with another so we could ride in an air-conditioned bus to Pardoo Station. With this substitution to soften the blow, I exchanged phone numbers with Peter (we have already all swapped Facebook details and plan to form a new group to keep in touch on there) and should be meeting up again in Melbourne and Sydney for some cricket and, of course, drinks. Others will also be in those areas at overlapping times, so it does look good for meeting back up at some stages.
With nothing to do other than sleep off the rotten hangover I was sporting, I had a brief chat with the new group to introduce myself, and then slept a large portion of the journey to the melancholic Port Headland. The day was to prove to be just a day of covering ground as we were still a considerable distance away from Broome.
12/12/10
It had by now become a normality to be awake by daybreak, and so I rose from my stupor at the scheduled 6am with relative ease. It’s unbelievably uncharacteristic for me to be punctual, but that seems to have clicked in finally for me. Well better late than never I guess, though that problem has riled several people in the past, and I wonder how short-term this new me actually is; my best guess says very short-term unfortunately. I blame a substantial need for caffeine before I can function at all.
Well, that was it. It was just an entire morning of driving more or less. We had to get a couple of hours done on the road before we had a breakfast stop on 80 Mile Beach, where there is an abundance of huge shells which people chose to collect. I personally left the environment well alone as I get the feeling they won’t survive in their full glorious form in my backpack, but others got some absolute gems; the sort you might find in shops! You could already feel the early morning heat kicking in, and it was obviously going to be an incredible hot day. Broome was touching 40°C heat earlier and the week, and I suspected there would be no let up from that. We arrived for a late lunch at about 2pm, but surprisingly it was cooler as a gentle shower had knocked out a decent portion of the humidity. It made lunch on Town Beach quite a lot more pleasant than what I would have expected. With a final loop around town to get some bearings, we did the final drop offs at the hostels. I chose to stay on Cable Beach and away from the city, so I can have the option of what to do with my days in Broome.
We had arranged to meet up at 8pm for a final meal together before everyone goes their separate ways, and a few last drinks and a good feed was a perfect way to end the trip. A few said their final goodbyes before retiring for the evening, whilst some others bought a few extra beers to take back to the hostel; this group, of course, included me. Myself, Johan, Tammy, and Mark (the second guide) drank until the small hours before sneaking into the neighbouring 4 star hotel to use their significantly better pool. A little jacuzzi and a splash about was sobering enough for me, and I called it an end to the day at 3:30am. I was surprised to have any energy left at all after the last ten days.
13/12/10
My time in Broome has been spent largely on relaxing and refreshing. There's a fair bit to do in this sleepy town, but for me, I think targetting a better season is key. Most things are closed and it is a bit of a ghost town at the moment. I guess the severe rain and gales see to that. I'll be back here one day though, mainly to traverse the Kimberley, but also to dive the world renowned Navy Pier. That will be another happy travel.
With a 20 hour flight(s) to face tomorrow, arguably being a record for a domestic schedulle, it is time for a good thorough sleep before I do it all again in Tasmania.
P.S. The cricket has been fab, and the Aussies are seriously bad losers! They have little to no intention of sharing score updates or any news. It makes me quite smug.
Karijini National Park
08/12/10
Karijini National Park was our destination, and with a 5:30am start, we covered plenty of ground before breakfast. It is very abnormal for me, but I do feel such an hour has not been a problem for me at all. I surprise myself sometimes, though with an easy-to-please nature, I doubt that comes as too much of a surprise.
On the way to Karijini we bumped into a masochistic, Japanese cyclist who either had a death wish, or had simply taken a wrong turn in a race a few months ago. His plan was to cycle from Darwin to Perth. That takes over a month…. the nutter! Anyway I’d rather him than me. Our aircon had broken on the bus and that was frustrating enough without cycling in the blazing hot heat. Good luck to him, but I suspect one day soon, some unlikely trucker will find a seemingly abandoned bike surrounded by slightly fattened dingos.
We stopped off for a picnic in the park at Tom Price before entering the Hammersley Gorge for a dip in the pools amongst the striated rocks. It was a beautiful start to the best part of the trip. We caped inside the park itself, only needing a celestial blanket to keep us warm. I’d forgotten how many stars you can see in an Australian night’s sky.
09/12/10
With a day to explore the gorges, it was suggested that we do not go by an itinerary, and just leave each one in turn when we are ready for the next. We started in Weano Gorge amongst its generous beauty and I was pleased to be pretty trigger happy with the camera as what happened next is still painful. We’d finished lunch and were making our way to Hancock Gorge, where again the sheers drops of the cliff provided ample photogenic moments, but when you get to the trough of the valley, it can get quite deep in parts. We’d all given Peter our cameras to store in his trusty dry bag. He bag is fair to call “trusty”, but Peter…. maybe not so much. I think it doesn’t take too much to guess what happened, and obviously I was now camera less. I couldn’t blame Pete though; he’d been a huge highlight of the trip for me. We’d gotten on great right from the off and he has made me laugh right down to the point where my belly can get painful. We just have that overlapping humour, and our banter often provided fun entertainment for the group. I actually felt sorry for him as I knew he’d be feeling terrible about what happened - who wouldn’t right? In a funny way it meant we concentrated more on taking in the sights around us an storing a visual memory rather than an LCD screen, so it wasn’t a complete bad thing. However with that downer in mind, most people didn’t fancy that last hike to Joffre’s Gorge, but I believe that was to their loss. Talk about save the best till last. It was a trickier gorge to climb down, but highly rewarding. We all froze to let a snake run off, before climbing back out via the waterfall at the far end. This and Ningaloo Reef rank alongside the best days of my life!
10/12/10
Dale’s Gorge was our last one to see, but I believe this is the show piece of the park. Once again it was daybreak that woke everyone up, but that gave us an additional amount of time to see the visitor centre and the Aboriginal claims of the land. It was quite uninspiring for me, and I personally was itching to get back amongst the rocks and pools. We strolled over to the lookout for the lesser romantic view of the wider gorge, but as you scale down the ladders and rocks, you quickly learn the charm of the gorge lies upstream where the waterfalls are. The tiered effect can be quite mesmerising and I was happy to swim in the pools for a good few hours.
It’s so nice to lose the concept of time and order, and just eat when hungry; get out of bed at first light; and generally not care for time nor date, as the are simple inconsequential in places like this. I’d like a little more adjustment from the rat race and monotony of the 9-5 regime, but it is hard to impossible to adopt in civilian lifestyle; it’s a shame really.
For the evening…. we got pretty drunk, which in all honesty had been occurring a fair amount on the trip anyway. It gave us a good fun factor to it all, but this would finally give me an overdue sore head. At 3:30am, I finally succumbed to the fatigue of the long, energetic day.
Karijini National Park was our destination, and with a 5:30am start, we covered plenty of ground before breakfast. It is very abnormal for me, but I do feel such an hour has not been a problem for me at all. I surprise myself sometimes, though with an easy-to-please nature, I doubt that comes as too much of a surprise.
On the way to Karijini we bumped into a masochistic, Japanese cyclist who either had a death wish, or had simply taken a wrong turn in a race a few months ago. His plan was to cycle from Darwin to Perth. That takes over a month…. the nutter! Anyway I’d rather him than me. Our aircon had broken on the bus and that was frustrating enough without cycling in the blazing hot heat. Good luck to him, but I suspect one day soon, some unlikely trucker will find a seemingly abandoned bike surrounded by slightly fattened dingos.
We stopped off for a picnic in the park at Tom Price before entering the Hammersley Gorge for a dip in the pools amongst the striated rocks. It was a beautiful start to the best part of the trip. We caped inside the park itself, only needing a celestial blanket to keep us warm. I’d forgotten how many stars you can see in an Australian night’s sky.
09/12/10
With a day to explore the gorges, it was suggested that we do not go by an itinerary, and just leave each one in turn when we are ready for the next. We started in Weano Gorge amongst its generous beauty and I was pleased to be pretty trigger happy with the camera as what happened next is still painful. We’d finished lunch and were making our way to Hancock Gorge, where again the sheers drops of the cliff provided ample photogenic moments, but when you get to the trough of the valley, it can get quite deep in parts. We’d all given Peter our cameras to store in his trusty dry bag. He bag is fair to call “trusty”, but Peter…. maybe not so much. I think it doesn’t take too much to guess what happened, and obviously I was now camera less. I couldn’t blame Pete though; he’d been a huge highlight of the trip for me. We’d gotten on great right from the off and he has made me laugh right down to the point where my belly can get painful. We just have that overlapping humour, and our banter often provided fun entertainment for the group. I actually felt sorry for him as I knew he’d be feeling terrible about what happened - who wouldn’t right? In a funny way it meant we concentrated more on taking in the sights around us an storing a visual memory rather than an LCD screen, so it wasn’t a complete bad thing. However with that downer in mind, most people didn’t fancy that last hike to Joffre’s Gorge, but I believe that was to their loss. Talk about save the best till last. It was a trickier gorge to climb down, but highly rewarding. We all froze to let a snake run off, before climbing back out via the waterfall at the far end. This and Ningaloo Reef rank alongside the best days of my life!
10/12/10
Dale’s Gorge was our last one to see, but I believe this is the show piece of the park. Once again it was daybreak that woke everyone up, but that gave us an additional amount of time to see the visitor centre and the Aboriginal claims of the land. It was quite uninspiring for me, and I personally was itching to get back amongst the rocks and pools. We strolled over to the lookout for the lesser romantic view of the wider gorge, but as you scale down the ladders and rocks, you quickly learn the charm of the gorge lies upstream where the waterfalls are. The tiered effect can be quite mesmerising and I was happy to swim in the pools for a good few hours.
It’s so nice to lose the concept of time and order, and just eat when hungry; get out of bed at first light; and generally not care for time nor date, as the are simple inconsequential in places like this. I’d like a little more adjustment from the rat race and monotony of the 9-5 regime, but it is hard to impossible to adopt in civilian lifestyle; it’s a shame really.
For the evening…. we got pretty drunk, which in all honesty had been occurring a fair amount on the trip anyway. It gave us a good fun factor to it all, but this would finally give me an overdue sore head. At 3:30am, I finally succumbed to the fatigue of the long, energetic day.
Ningaloo Reef
06/12/10
I’m sure some of the peeps back at home will be happy to know I made the disappointing decision to shave and thus will not be growing the Rolf Harris-esque beard whilst travelling this time. I suppose I need the boyish look this time to combat the accumulating greys on my head. People are actually guessing my age in the upper twenties nowadays, and I can’t be having that can I?!
So for today we had some free time to fill as we pleased. I really wanted to dive in the Ningaloo Reef after all the hype that had been splayed on everything I’d read. It is said to be in the top 10 dive sites in the world, so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I donned the gear and sunk into Lottie’s Lagoon. It was nice enough without being as spectacular in terms of sheer numbers of fish life as that in say Indonesia, but for the price I paid, I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
The second stage of our package deal was far more satisfying. I’ve never seen wild Manta Rays before, but with a plane flying over head to pick them out for us, I saw an abundance and jumped into the water to swim close to the wings. Such a gentle giant, but with stealth movement to show off its elegance. I really enjoyed that debut. I would have happily of swam all day long if I had the energy, but with a lunch break and a second dive on the cards, I got out and ate. Unfortunately I drank too much tea as well, which served to make the next day rather more uncomfortable. I was swimming with Reef Sharks as well, and so didn’t have the guts to use the biggest of all toilets! Before the dive though we were treated to sightings of the masses of turtles in the bay. I couldn’t see them at all apart from when their heads popped up for air, but then the boat’s captain gave me his Polaroid glasses, or X-Ray vision glasses as I prefer to call them, I could see the abundance of them; it really is a beautifully varied area.
The second dive was fabulous. It was through a coral labyrinth and the amount of colour and life down there was superb.
07/12/10
With the diving box nicely ticked, I was content to snorkel the Exmouth seas for the second day, and squeeze in a trip to Yardie Creek. It’s these creeks and gorges that make the west coast so much more pleasantly scenic than the East. I would say to anyone going to the area to see them, see as many as possible; and take your time; the area deserves patience.
Snorkelling proved to be great as the Ningaloo Reef actually begins just a few metres off the beach, and you can see a variety of marine life in a relatively short space of time. The drift is strong enough to allow you to effortlessly float along and concentrate on correct breathing and seeing what actually is down there. I saw turtle and lots of other fish, but reef sharks aren’t rare for the area either. Good luck with that one though!
I’m sure some of the peeps back at home will be happy to know I made the disappointing decision to shave and thus will not be growing the Rolf Harris-esque beard whilst travelling this time. I suppose I need the boyish look this time to combat the accumulating greys on my head. People are actually guessing my age in the upper twenties nowadays, and I can’t be having that can I?!
So for today we had some free time to fill as we pleased. I really wanted to dive in the Ningaloo Reef after all the hype that had been splayed on everything I’d read. It is said to be in the top 10 dive sites in the world, so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I donned the gear and sunk into Lottie’s Lagoon. It was nice enough without being as spectacular in terms of sheer numbers of fish life as that in say Indonesia, but for the price I paid, I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
The second stage of our package deal was far more satisfying. I’ve never seen wild Manta Rays before, but with a plane flying over head to pick them out for us, I saw an abundance and jumped into the water to swim close to the wings. Such a gentle giant, but with stealth movement to show off its elegance. I really enjoyed that debut. I would have happily of swam all day long if I had the energy, but with a lunch break and a second dive on the cards, I got out and ate. Unfortunately I drank too much tea as well, which served to make the next day rather more uncomfortable. I was swimming with Reef Sharks as well, and so didn’t have the guts to use the biggest of all toilets! Before the dive though we were treated to sightings of the masses of turtles in the bay. I couldn’t see them at all apart from when their heads popped up for air, but then the boat’s captain gave me his Polaroid glasses, or X-Ray vision glasses as I prefer to call them, I could see the abundance of them; it really is a beautifully varied area.
The second dive was fabulous. It was through a coral labyrinth and the amount of colour and life down there was superb.
07/12/10
With the diving box nicely ticked, I was content to snorkel the Exmouth seas for the second day, and squeeze in a trip to Yardie Creek. It’s these creeks and gorges that make the west coast so much more pleasantly scenic than the East. I would say to anyone going to the area to see them, see as many as possible; and take your time; the area deserves patience.
Snorkelling proved to be great as the Ningaloo Reef actually begins just a few metres off the beach, and you can see a variety of marine life in a relatively short space of time. The drift is strong enough to allow you to effortlessly float along and concentrate on correct breathing and seeing what actually is down there. I saw turtle and lots of other fish, but reef sharks aren’t rare for the area either. Good luck with that one though!
Actually, posting the full blog is going to be a bit long winded without the photos to break it up a bit, so I'll post up the detail alongside that growing collection I have on the travel websites. I think I'll just cherry pick a few highlight and stories for this one.... just to keep the folks back in the cold of home satisfied but keen.
Now where did I leave off? Nambung National Park? Well, we can start there anyway:
03/12/10
On a quick scan of the full bus, the crowd was pleasing; it was an eclectic mix of nationalities and age ranges without being overbearing at the same time i.e. not overloaded with overexcitable youngsters, but not spoil-sport golden oldies either. Like I say, a fair mix to keep it interesting. Apologies from here on in, but I may have to refer to people without introducing them.
Our first major stop off was at the Nambung National Park to see the Pinnacle Sands. I’d seen these interesting limestone pretrusions before, but was interested to go back.
The Aboriginal dreamtime stories amused me somewhat, but I do wonder how much of the imaginative fabrication came in more modern times from a culture well known to have drug and alcohol problems. I guess that is the fuel for a good story still these days.
In all honesty, what excited me the most about Nambung was the possibility of chucking myself down a sand dune on one of those boards as I’d heard good things from many sources who had been, and, of course, that is exactly what I did. Lactic burn verses adrenaline rush…. When the balanced tipped in favour of pain reduction I had to stop, but it was great fun. Our overnight stay was in the tranquil, but highly popular Horrocks Bay.
04/12/10
Oh my god that dude can snore! I got the best part of no sleep, and an iPod on full blast could not nullify the arrhythmic roars of Mark. F***ing hell - honestly, I wasn’t even mad; I was impressed! The 6-bed dorm laughed it off quickly and it gave us a common conversation and joke from then on in, however, it is not an experience I ever want to repeat. The foetal recoil and following kick-out to the adjacent bed violently put an abrupt end to the previously worst encounter of a snorer back in Borneo a while ago, but we have a new record holder now! Anyway, we all got over that and dotted sleep on the bus to Kalbarri helped us all out. What was worse was the fact that after eating some toast I was informed the ravaged pack had been left out to show us that a possum had gotten a feed the previous night. Well that vermin flavoured toast was now resting in my stomach! I chose not to think about it too much.
Once again, similar to the Pinnacles, I had seen Kalbarri before, but in by no means was I disappointed to return. We arrived via the stunning Red Bluff and got to see our first dose of the friendliest of fish. I refer the dolphins which can be found in great numbers in the area. It was quite exciting for most of us children of all ages.
Once in Kalbarri, we walked up to the aptly named Nature’s Window for the well photographed view of the Murchisant River before hiking along the Z-Bend. Kalbarri, put simply, is a stunning National Park. The sleepy town of Denman was to be our base for the night.
05/12/10
Denman is just a 30 minute drive from Monkey Mia, so getting to Monkey Mia on-time for its most notorious attraction wasn’t a problem. The denizens of the area had all gathered on the beach expecting their morning feeding alongside the opportunistic herons and emus. The dolphin feeding is a MUST to see in the area and just to be in the mild water with them swimming around you is highly enjoying. I would recommend a visit to anyone.
We took a couple of stop off along Shell Beach and Hamelin Bay (famous for the collection of Stromatolites), and a very abrupt emergency stop to photograph a lizard, I kid you not, before reaching Coral Bay for the night. I played in the Twister competition, and still feel a bit hard done by. I was wiped out twice on route to the final few, but I doubt I’d had beaten Sue anyway who is highly accomplished in yoga. Good fun none-the-less.
Now where did I leave off? Nambung National Park? Well, we can start there anyway:
03/12/10
On a quick scan of the full bus, the crowd was pleasing; it was an eclectic mix of nationalities and age ranges without being overbearing at the same time i.e. not overloaded with overexcitable youngsters, but not spoil-sport golden oldies either. Like I say, a fair mix to keep it interesting. Apologies from here on in, but I may have to refer to people without introducing them.
Our first major stop off was at the Nambung National Park to see the Pinnacle Sands. I’d seen these interesting limestone pretrusions before, but was interested to go back.
The Aboriginal dreamtime stories amused me somewhat, but I do wonder how much of the imaginative fabrication came in more modern times from a culture well known to have drug and alcohol problems. I guess that is the fuel for a good story still these days.
In all honesty, what excited me the most about Nambung was the possibility of chucking myself down a sand dune on one of those boards as I’d heard good things from many sources who had been, and, of course, that is exactly what I did. Lactic burn verses adrenaline rush…. When the balanced tipped in favour of pain reduction I had to stop, but it was great fun. Our overnight stay was in the tranquil, but highly popular Horrocks Bay.
04/12/10
Oh my god that dude can snore! I got the best part of no sleep, and an iPod on full blast could not nullify the arrhythmic roars of Mark. F***ing hell - honestly, I wasn’t even mad; I was impressed! The 6-bed dorm laughed it off quickly and it gave us a common conversation and joke from then on in, however, it is not an experience I ever want to repeat. The foetal recoil and following kick-out to the adjacent bed violently put an abrupt end to the previously worst encounter of a snorer back in Borneo a while ago, but we have a new record holder now! Anyway, we all got over that and dotted sleep on the bus to Kalbarri helped us all out. What was worse was the fact that after eating some toast I was informed the ravaged pack had been left out to show us that a possum had gotten a feed the previous night. Well that vermin flavoured toast was now resting in my stomach! I chose not to think about it too much.
Once again, similar to the Pinnacles, I had seen Kalbarri before, but in by no means was I disappointed to return. We arrived via the stunning Red Bluff and got to see our first dose of the friendliest of fish. I refer the dolphins which can be found in great numbers in the area. It was quite exciting for most of us children of all ages.
Once in Kalbarri, we walked up to the aptly named Nature’s Window for the well photographed view of the Murchisant River before hiking along the Z-Bend. Kalbarri, put simply, is a stunning National Park. The sleepy town of Denman was to be our base for the night.
05/12/10
Denman is just a 30 minute drive from Monkey Mia, so getting to Monkey Mia on-time for its most notorious attraction wasn’t a problem. The denizens of the area had all gathered on the beach expecting their morning feeding alongside the opportunistic herons and emus. The dolphin feeding is a MUST to see in the area and just to be in the mild water with them swimming around you is highly enjoying. I would recommend a visit to anyone.
We took a couple of stop off along Shell Beach and Hamelin Bay (famous for the collection of Stromatolites), and a very abrupt emergency stop to photograph a lizard, I kid you not, before reaching Coral Bay for the night. I played in the Twister competition, and still feel a bit hard done by. I was wiped out twice on route to the final few, but I doubt I’d had beaten Sue anyway who is highly accomplished in yoga. Good fun none-the-less.
From Perth to Broome
Well here I am in Broome. I’ve made it and now, in stark contrast to the blazing 40°C heat we’d been driving through, maybe just an hour down the West Coast, I’m now sat in prime monsoon territory. It’s the off season here, but I fly to Hobart, Tasmania tomorrow, so it’s no biggy as far as I’m concerned. It’s been a great ten days edging up to this point from Perth with a abundance of highlights for any of my travels let alone an Australian leg, that the almost constant smile that I’ve sporting has almost left fossilised imprints on my cheekbones! Well, that was until I watched the highlights of the Everton game. Before I found out that we still cannot score goals for love nor money I was jumping around as happily as one of those berries from the old Ribena adverts! It’s true. Well I guess I should dwell on those and focus more on the superlatives of the Ashes tour; yes indeed, now I’m smiling again!
Ok - Here’s my ten day tour up the West Coast for you:
02/12/10
With a whole day at my disposal, I woke at 6:30am from a favourable outcome of jetlag. Granted, I was still pretty tired, but I would far prefer to be awake at that hour than a later one. With a scheduled 6:30am departure time for the next day, this would certainly prove to be preferable. I carried on lying in bed until a more suitable hour for opening times, and then went in search of my pick up spot for the next day at the Perth Sightseeing Centre. This didn’t take long, and I confirmed my place. I was informed that I had a full bus to enjoy the company of and hoped I get a good crowd.
With the rest of the day at my disposal, I spent some time at the rather dull Museum of Western Australia, surrounded by screaming school children, and the slightly more impressive Art Gallery. Now there’s one for you, I’ve become a bit of a fan of Aboriginal art. I find it quite alluring with all the vibrancy of the colours, and the uniqueness of the characteristic style, however, I’m just not sure about how skilful it actually is. For example, the artist will call a painting something like Ngurrantinti Jila; Wati Ngintaka; or Mumluda (all made up names by myself) and invent a story to go with it. It might be something along the lines of an enormous snake that defended a territory before dying, who then settled as a newly formed cliff edge or some rock equivalent or something. I say ‘invent’, but that might be disrespectful. I believe some of the stories are genuine Aboriginal historic stories, but the trouble today is nobody can tell which are authentic and which are pure fabrication; I believe artists cash in massively on this fact. Besides all that, are they really all that talented or just ridiculously patient? I’m sure I could Paint big white splodges in close proximity to one another all over a large branch and call it a galaxy or something. Maybe that’s my future money maker…. first I have to invent my Aboriginal name though. With all this firmly passing through my untrustingly little mind, I observed people rather than paintings to amuse my immature self. I heard a couple of old ladies comment “Oh I can really see the story in this one.” OMG I was so tempted to cough into a fist whilst saying “Bullshit” in that childish manner we all did in younger years. Luckily I accepted that I’m now in my thirties and that kind of behaviour is just not on anymore unfortunately. It’s not like it’s one of those dot pictures you stare at blankly for a few minutes and all of a sudden you can make out images of say Bob Marley for crying out loud. Hell, I have issues with those things too, and have never said I can see who or whatever is supposed to become apparent with prolonged stares. For me, that is total crap; you can see whatever image you wish to see by staring into a cloudly sky with enough imagination, and I believe those paintings to be much the same thing. I’m definitely a sceptic, but certainly a fan (of Aboriginal art).
A quiet night and a early evening rebound of jetlag ended my day. I just hoped I’d be in for a brilliant trip to remember over the coming days. At £958 for ten days, you should expect so. I managed a whole trip around Iceland, flights, food, and drink for far less than that.
Ok - Here’s my ten day tour up the West Coast for you:
02/12/10
With a whole day at my disposal, I woke at 6:30am from a favourable outcome of jetlag. Granted, I was still pretty tired, but I would far prefer to be awake at that hour than a later one. With a scheduled 6:30am departure time for the next day, this would certainly prove to be preferable. I carried on lying in bed until a more suitable hour for opening times, and then went in search of my pick up spot for the next day at the Perth Sightseeing Centre. This didn’t take long, and I confirmed my place. I was informed that I had a full bus to enjoy the company of and hoped I get a good crowd.
With the rest of the day at my disposal, I spent some time at the rather dull Museum of Western Australia, surrounded by screaming school children, and the slightly more impressive Art Gallery. Now there’s one for you, I’ve become a bit of a fan of Aboriginal art. I find it quite alluring with all the vibrancy of the colours, and the uniqueness of the characteristic style, however, I’m just not sure about how skilful it actually is. For example, the artist will call a painting something like Ngurrantinti Jila; Wati Ngintaka; or Mumluda (all made up names by myself) and invent a story to go with it. It might be something along the lines of an enormous snake that defended a territory before dying, who then settled as a newly formed cliff edge or some rock equivalent or something. I say ‘invent’, but that might be disrespectful. I believe some of the stories are genuine Aboriginal historic stories, but the trouble today is nobody can tell which are authentic and which are pure fabrication; I believe artists cash in massively on this fact. Besides all that, are they really all that talented or just ridiculously patient? I’m sure I could Paint big white splodges in close proximity to one another all over a large branch and call it a galaxy or something. Maybe that’s my future money maker…. first I have to invent my Aboriginal name though. With all this firmly passing through my untrustingly little mind, I observed people rather than paintings to amuse my immature self. I heard a couple of old ladies comment “Oh I can really see the story in this one.” OMG I was so tempted to cough into a fist whilst saying “Bullshit” in that childish manner we all did in younger years. Luckily I accepted that I’m now in my thirties and that kind of behaviour is just not on anymore unfortunately. It’s not like it’s one of those dot pictures you stare at blankly for a few minutes and all of a sudden you can make out images of say Bob Marley for crying out loud. Hell, I have issues with those things too, and have never said I can see who or whatever is supposed to become apparent with prolonged stares. For me, that is total crap; you can see whatever image you wish to see by staring into a cloudly sky with enough imagination, and I believe those paintings to be much the same thing. I’m definitely a sceptic, but certainly a fan (of Aboriginal art).
A quiet night and a early evening rebound of jetlag ended my day. I just hoped I’d be in for a brilliant trip to remember over the coming days. At £958 for ten days, you should expect so. I managed a whole trip around Iceland, flights, food, and drink for far less than that.
Wednesday 1 December 2010
Leaving For Australia
27/11/10
It probably was time to leave. I’ve had a good innings and managed a whole six months (minus a weekend break to Utrecht and a trip around Iceland) of staying relatively still. I can even say I’ve enjoyed my working time, but as with anything, as far as I’m concerned, it was time to head on out again. What better excuse than the Ashes Series to go and venture around Australia again? This time covering the last edges I failed to just under a year ago, and getting well and truly stuck into the diving of the beautiful reefs of the West and East Coast. I’ve decided to see a few new places this time, but cut the trip relatively short in comparison to previous ones, and restart my life in the city I love and consider home, Manchester. I’ve even been organised enough this time to get plenty of work booked in for my return, but disorganised enough to leave myself without a place to live; and I have just three days to fly back and find somewhere. That’s a problem for a later date, but I do have a few ideas towards solutions, if not a little short-term.
It’s fair to say I’m pretty well travelled by this stage of my life, and I’m starting to get the feeling a more constructed life will have to take over soon. For now though, I have what I need in place for a positive future, and with plenty to enjoy in the present, I’ve packed up and I’m setting off again. The first stop was to be St Albans to see my good friend Bondy for a couple of days, and leave the UK in customary British manner *Hiccup*.
29/11/10
With a helluva flight(s) to face in the pending hours, I really do feel like I’ve forgotten something….. Hang on, that’s because I have forgotten something; pretty darn major as well actually. I have left a tax return incomplete and unpaid, and after several phone calls to a brother [sic: cheers Simon, you’re an absolute star], showing far more use than ever utilised before, and a slightly desperate plea to the Inland Revenue, I get the feeling this could really come back to bite me in the ass when I’m supposed to be completely shut down to the realities of life. Normally I pay meticulous attention to detail and have an organisational skill that should leave me relatively problem free, however, I have one serious Achilles Heel in procrastination, which tends to cost me dear; I really must learn that lesson faster! Well as I sit onboard part one of a flight leaving at 11pm on a Monday night with an ETA of 5:30am Wednesday morning, I have plenty of time to contemplate my lifestyle.
Half way through the journey, I arrived a LCCT in Kuala Lumpur. I had managed enough patchy sleep to no longer feel the irrelevant GMT hour, but no way near enough sleep to avoid an inevitable future dose of jetlag >.< In my awakened hours I’d worked out I’d actually spent more time in Kuala Lumpur in the last two years than I have in the city centres of Nottingham, Manchester, and London totalled together. Now that’s some going; maybe it is time to see something new??
The second half of the journey was to be as inconsequential as the first. I tucked away my sixth Walnut Whip (a kind gesture of a leaving present from some staff I’ve had the pleasure of working regularly with) in the space of 24 hours (I have a seriously problematic sweet tooth which is only rivalled by the notorious Pringles theory of ‘Once you pop, you cant’ stop’) and arrived on the familiar territory of Perth, WA. I feel good that I know my way around this city pretty well, and so getting sorted out efficiently was an easy task to solve. I’ve told my body to ignore any hang-over effects of flying and I’m actually not allowing myself to be phased by jetlag as I have no time to recover. With a 6:30am pick up scheduled for the 3rd and a long trip to Broome already booked in, I just can’t afford a shut down just yet. Luckily, on the surface at least, I feel fine.
As for the day, I went out and take a few city snap shots to replace to lost ones from my previous visit (most notably up Jacob’s Ladder to Kings Park to see the city skyline at night), and pass some time with odds and ends. Tomorrow I can either re-visit Freo (Freemantle) or Cottosloe beach. I feel 30°C sunshine may be the better option over the Ned Kelly famed suburb. Hell - I’m ready for a lazy day on the beach after escaping the snowstorms of the UK. I do feel like I have a healthy fair share of responsibility for that though given my excessive carbon footprint (I have totalled in excess of 30 flights over a two year period. Sadly just shy of half of those were long-haul). How the hell with I neutralise that? I suppose all I can really do for now is apologise to low lying countries such as the Netherlands and Philippines and promise to get more house plants and eat more vegetarian options in the future. It’s all I’ve got at the moment unfortunately.
I’m going to wrap it up for now. I just wanted to let Bazza (my ‘don’t you dare call me Baz’ father (16,000km of safe distance gave me the courage to write that)), Mum, other F+F know that I’d arrived safely and I’m well. Over the coming weeks I’ll be gathering more relevant travelling stories from new experiences, so I’ll speak soon. The best observation I have at the moment is actually something I noticed, but failed to note last time: The Australians love one set style of sun glasses. You probably know the sort - the cheapo ones you win as a consolation prize on hook the duck at any fair ground. Huge, chunky, jet black frames rendering your world effectively colour blind. Well I guess even those are better than my replica Roy Bens - Kuala Lumpur’s finest.
Right, see you later; I have an insatiable craving for chocolate and now for Pringles to sort out. I just hope I can stream the iPlayer over here and mong out watching The Apprentice later. Wish me luck.
P.S. I remembered to pack a huge packet of Yorkshire Tea this time, so I won’t get too grumpy over the coming weeks!!
It probably was time to leave. I’ve had a good innings and managed a whole six months (minus a weekend break to Utrecht and a trip around Iceland) of staying relatively still. I can even say I’ve enjoyed my working time, but as with anything, as far as I’m concerned, it was time to head on out again. What better excuse than the Ashes Series to go and venture around Australia again? This time covering the last edges I failed to just under a year ago, and getting well and truly stuck into the diving of the beautiful reefs of the West and East Coast. I’ve decided to see a few new places this time, but cut the trip relatively short in comparison to previous ones, and restart my life in the city I love and consider home, Manchester. I’ve even been organised enough this time to get plenty of work booked in for my return, but disorganised enough to leave myself without a place to live; and I have just three days to fly back and find somewhere. That’s a problem for a later date, but I do have a few ideas towards solutions, if not a little short-term.
It’s fair to say I’m pretty well travelled by this stage of my life, and I’m starting to get the feeling a more constructed life will have to take over soon. For now though, I have what I need in place for a positive future, and with plenty to enjoy in the present, I’ve packed up and I’m setting off again. The first stop was to be St Albans to see my good friend Bondy for a couple of days, and leave the UK in customary British manner *Hiccup*.
29/11/10
With a helluva flight(s) to face in the pending hours, I really do feel like I’ve forgotten something….. Hang on, that’s because I have forgotten something; pretty darn major as well actually. I have left a tax return incomplete and unpaid, and after several phone calls to a brother [sic: cheers Simon, you’re an absolute star], showing far more use than ever utilised before, and a slightly desperate plea to the Inland Revenue, I get the feeling this could really come back to bite me in the ass when I’m supposed to be completely shut down to the realities of life. Normally I pay meticulous attention to detail and have an organisational skill that should leave me relatively problem free, however, I have one serious Achilles Heel in procrastination, which tends to cost me dear; I really must learn that lesson faster! Well as I sit onboard part one of a flight leaving at 11pm on a Monday night with an ETA of 5:30am Wednesday morning, I have plenty of time to contemplate my lifestyle.
Half way through the journey, I arrived a LCCT in Kuala Lumpur. I had managed enough patchy sleep to no longer feel the irrelevant GMT hour, but no way near enough sleep to avoid an inevitable future dose of jetlag >.< In my awakened hours I’d worked out I’d actually spent more time in Kuala Lumpur in the last two years than I have in the city centres of Nottingham, Manchester, and London totalled together. Now that’s some going; maybe it is time to see something new??
The second half of the journey was to be as inconsequential as the first. I tucked away my sixth Walnut Whip (a kind gesture of a leaving present from some staff I’ve had the pleasure of working regularly with) in the space of 24 hours (I have a seriously problematic sweet tooth which is only rivalled by the notorious Pringles theory of ‘Once you pop, you cant’ stop’) and arrived on the familiar territory of Perth, WA. I feel good that I know my way around this city pretty well, and so getting sorted out efficiently was an easy task to solve. I’ve told my body to ignore any hang-over effects of flying and I’m actually not allowing myself to be phased by jetlag as I have no time to recover. With a 6:30am pick up scheduled for the 3rd and a long trip to Broome already booked in, I just can’t afford a shut down just yet. Luckily, on the surface at least, I feel fine.
As for the day, I went out and take a few city snap shots to replace to lost ones from my previous visit (most notably up Jacob’s Ladder to Kings Park to see the city skyline at night), and pass some time with odds and ends. Tomorrow I can either re-visit Freo (Freemantle) or Cottosloe beach. I feel 30°C sunshine may be the better option over the Ned Kelly famed suburb. Hell - I’m ready for a lazy day on the beach after escaping the snowstorms of the UK. I do feel like I have a healthy fair share of responsibility for that though given my excessive carbon footprint (I have totalled in excess of 30 flights over a two year period. Sadly just shy of half of those were long-haul). How the hell with I neutralise that? I suppose all I can really do for now is apologise to low lying countries such as the Netherlands and Philippines and promise to get more house plants and eat more vegetarian options in the future. It’s all I’ve got at the moment unfortunately.
I’m going to wrap it up for now. I just wanted to let Bazza (my ‘don’t you dare call me Baz’ father (16,000km of safe distance gave me the courage to write that)), Mum, other F+F know that I’d arrived safely and I’m well. Over the coming weeks I’ll be gathering more relevant travelling stories from new experiences, so I’ll speak soon. The best observation I have at the moment is actually something I noticed, but failed to note last time: The Australians love one set style of sun glasses. You probably know the sort - the cheapo ones you win as a consolation prize on hook the duck at any fair ground. Huge, chunky, jet black frames rendering your world effectively colour blind. Well I guess even those are better than my replica Roy Bens - Kuala Lumpur’s finest.
Right, see you later; I have an insatiable craving for chocolate and now for Pringles to sort out. I just hope I can stream the iPlayer over here and mong out watching The Apprentice later. Wish me luck.
P.S. I remembered to pack a huge packet of Yorkshire Tea this time, so I won’t get too grumpy over the coming weeks!!
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