Guday Mates 3/21/08

                                                                

                           Sydney, Australia

                                                          and Headed North

3/21/2008

Well, now its on to the more tame part of the trip. As I indicated in my last e-mail we all arrived safe and sound back in Sydney on the 11th after a 5 hour flight from Nadi in Fiji. The flight and the drive was rather uneventful, but it was interesting being thrown back in to a civilized world. Bob and I bought a couple of phones at the airport so as to stay in touch as well as assisting us in making reservations while heading up the coast.

Our B &B was located in a lovely ( I get over here and start talking "lovely" and "brilliant" just like the locals do) section of Sydney right in the heart of the "backpackers" and youth hostel area. While the kids were paying $20/nite we were living in the lap of luxury for $180. Actually, it was a fine spot, located just down the way from an underground stop. We got checked in and headed off for a look around Sydney Harbor. We walked down to the Harbor thru the park just opposite the Opera House and our first look at the Sydney Bridge. If you are willing and able they will "let" you for a charge now of $175.00 climb to the top of the bridge. Bob climbed it with his son for $50 just a few years ago. I was glad not to have had the extra money so I could easily opt out of the climb.

Turned out to be a gorgeous day for a walk about the city. We ended up at the Opera House for a beer and a snack before heading home on the underground. Did an excellent job of negotiating the rails with not a single hitch. We decided that tomorrow we would purchase an all-day ticket that would include discounts on some of the museums as well as unlimited underground and bus rides.......ferries were also included in the price.
That evening we ate at one of the local restaurants in the area and found the food to be quite good, but very expensive. That first nite set the tone for the rest of our trips.......regardless of where you were entrées were $29 per plate and a bottle of wine about the same. It didn't take us too long to get a bit tired of these $100/nite meals. Bob had difficulty not tipping but even he succumbed after a few too many of these hundred dollar meals. Tipping did seem to be limited to 5% or less but the overall costs began to put a damper on our exuberance to "feed" the local economy.

The 12th found us out and about after a breakfast that included Vegemite (I love Lucy) if we so desired. At days end we had become quite proficient at riding the underground and made good use of our ferry tickets that took us around the harbor as well as out to the famous Manley Beach. The museums that Susan and I seem to hit always seem to concentrate on the immigration side of life and the tales, pictures and accounts of all those who made the 5000 + mile journey from Europe. I marvel at those families who came by choice.....................the prisoners who ended up here didn't have much say in the matter. It would have been quite a step to uproot your family, travel that distance, and then step off the boat with out a place to stay or a job to support your family.

Dinner that nite consisted of a bargain plate of spaghetti. bread and wine down the street mingling with the kids. After several additional glasses of wine and dessert our cheap meal became rather expensive once again. The next day found us searching for a vodafone store as Bob's phone had died during the nite as well as looking for an electronics store to repair Susan's Nintendo game she had carried along. Both hunts proved quite a challenge and one of the reasons is that very few locals know there own city. They don't know streets as they do all of their traveling underground so that to them the city of Sydney is just one big "blue", "red" or "yellow" loop and they couldn't tell you what the next street over is to save their lives. The other difficulty is that the number system is not consistent from street to street. We could be standing in the 300 block of George Street, then go over one street and we would be in the 900 block of the street paralleling where we just were. After the repairs were completed.....Susan needed an adapter and Bob's phone need re-booting we were off again.
Bob was still up in the air as to whether to rent a car or travel by train. He finally overcame his hesitancy to drive on the wrong side an opted for a car. I'll admit the big cities are a bit uncomfortable even having Susan as my great navigator. Susan and I had decided to pick up our car on the 12th so as to get an early start of the 13th which seemed the right thing to do until we couldn't locate the rental car agency. Same problem with the numbering system, but did manage to locate the Europcar Agency in the base of the Mercure Hotel just as they were closing. They seemed a bit upset that we weren't there earlier, it was only 4pm and assumed they would be open till 5pm. Got the car and Susan planned our assault across town to the B&B just at the height of rush hour. At my age, I'm really not comfortable with my left and rights which adds an additional bit of excitement to the driving experience. We survived rush hour and nursed our rental car into the hotel's $20/nite parking spot.

The next morning, after a wonderful few days and good weather in Sydney, Susan and I parted ways with Bob and Debbie to begin our adventures up the coast. Our goal was Cairns (Cans) and Bob and Debbie would go only as far as Brisbane (Brisbun). We were going another 1000miles but did have an extra 10 days. With nothing in mind we joined the rush hour traffic thru Sydney to hit the open roads to the north. It seems like it would be pretty straight forward since we were to follow Highway One 1700 miles straight up the coast for the next 20days. I had assumed since it was the coastal route we would in fact be on the coast...............not so as most of the traveling was quite a distance from the water such that any trip to the coast meant a sidetrip away from A1 and then finding our way back.

We made good headway our first day and after a few sidetrips ended up at Dutchie's Motel at Port Stevens in Nelson Bay. We made contact with Bob over cocktails and found them to be a ways behind us and overniting in a rather raggedy motel that Debbie was not to fond of. Our place built in the '50 was located on a quiet cove with a wonderful swimming beach and was just a short walk to town. Every nite about 5pm the parrots come alive with their screeching and flying about. I did get a "money shot" of two parrots sitting on stump that should make me some money and fame in the world of nature photography. Had a great meal in town.....................but again it was $29/entrée with a $2 per person corkage for a wine we had purchased down the street for $10.

The next day we made contact with Bob and Debbie and found them to be on a great beach front area overlooking the water at Port Macquarie. The place they were staying was a "time share" that took overnighters and the price was certainly right for what we got. Bob had lucked out and made amends for his motel selection the night before. The place was gorgeous and as he said right on the beach with a balcony offering up some great views. Some time spent on the beach then a walk into town for another prison story museum. It seems as every city had some connection to the penal industry.

The four of us departed ways the next morning with the Marquis' staying put for another day. A few hours to the north we found Emerald Bay at Coffs Harbor. Not a lot of accommodations so we thought we would try a "caravan park" sans caravan. For $90 they provided an airconditioned trailer complete with kitchen and living room right off the beach. By the time we had our walk on the beach both restaurants in town were closed and we were forced to drive up to the main highway and search for something. We settled in at a gas station with a mini mart and purchased two dried out sandwiches. Our selections were limited as there were no Adm's about and we were low on cash. Took our "meals" home and retired for the evening.

Our next stop was Byron Bay, another beachside resort catering to the young and the restless. Much to Susan's disappointment, we have given up searching for the perfect B&B and have contented ourselves with the cleanest motels that we can find trying to stay in the $90/nite range. In Byron Bay the motels were astronomical but we did find something that was suitable, well located and near the beach. Bob and Debbie would follow us into this same motel a few days later. There hasn't been a lot of must sees in this part of the trip. The roads have been good and for the most part divided. The weather could be better. The coastline when we see it, is spectacular.

Our next challenge for the trip is Brisbane to the north. We made the fatal mistake of not having reservations prior to our arrival in Brisbane. With horrendous traffic, one-way streets and virtually no parking we were at a real disadvantage searching out a place to stay. I dropped Susan off at what we thought was the Info Service and I managed to find the last parking place in all of Brisbane. After some confusion we made our way to the Info service and they booked us at what they claimed to be a reasonable and clean, well-located hotel ............................the George Williams............aka............the Y..........M...........C............A........! The "Y" at $125/nite was a bit much but it was clean and well located......small with one window so it was a bit claustraphobic.
We did two nights in Brisbane with the 2nd nite to celebrate our anniversary. The first day was out on the city bus tour and to the local attractions. Our favorite was the botanical gardens where Bob informed me that when they visited it saw a python on the loose in the gardens. Missed that guy! Then completed our bus tour of the city another prison museum and immigration museum then down to the river to tour by boat. The 19th we celebrated with a big night out. I found some long pants and we set out for the "Treasury Bld" in the center of town which just happens to be the largest casino in Brisbane. A gorgeous old building with private rooms for the high rollers and a stunning main gambling hall. We had a gourmet dinner at the Marco Polo restaurant then downstairs for some gaming. I managed to pay for dinner winning $200 + on the black jack tables and Susan "had fun".
I'll leave you there for now as that catches you pretty much up to date as we continue our assault on the Sunshine Coast on our way to Cairns.

Cheers, Mate(s)...........................................gb