Back to the City

Saturday:
We decided to make a last trip into the city as Tim wanted a few things but this time we went by ferry.
We caught the bus to Manly then the slow ferry across the harbour to Circular Quay. The wind was very strong and the sea a little lumpy. There were yachts out racing in different parts, some coming quite close. 

Circular Quay, the ferry terminal, lies between the Opera House and 

the Harbour Bridge.

The City was busy with shoppers looking for Black Friday bargains and we had a look around some of the Victorian arcades that now contain many smart shops as well as the giant Westfield centre. 

We then went for a walk around the Opera House before it was back on the ferry to Manly then bus to Dee Why.

Christmas Trees on the beach

Thursday:
Tim was working from home today, so in the morning we went out for coffee with him, then in the afternoon left him nursing his laptop and mobile and went for a walk to the beach, then walked along the shore to Long Reef, the sky was blue, a lovely day.

Friday:
The haze was back today, the smell of smoke from the bushfires hung in the air.
We decided to go back to Manly to revisit some of the places from our previous trip.
We set off along the coast path from Manly Cove towards Fairlight, the haze almost obscuring the southern side of the harbour. Along the path there were some amazing hibiscus, frangipan, jacaranda and other plants, we also saw a pair of kookaburras.

We decided against following the path to Spit Bridge so turned back and got some lunch in Manly. We sat on a bench on the front and were attacked by a flock of seagulls after our food, one even landed on Claire's hat.

We moved on to Shelley Beach where the brush turkeys were up to their antics before returning to Manly Beach where Christmas Trees were being advertised for sale, then it was back on the bus to Dee Why.

Not a cloud in the sky

Wednesday:
There was not a cloud in the sky and it stayed that way the whole day, though the breeze did pick up later in the day.
We decided to walk along the coast, initially to Curl Curl, the next suburb to the south but it was so pleasant that we carried on, past Harbord Diggers club to Freshwater.

 Curl Curl

Freshwater

We had planned to stop for some lunch in Freshwater but decided to press on to Manly and walk along the promenade. We bought lunch and went to sit in the shade overlooking Manly cove, watching the ferries come and go, until it was time to catch the bus back to Dee Why.

Tuesday:
A lovely morning, went outside and it was like walking in front of a giant hairdryer.
We caught the bus into the city, then made our way through the concrete jungle to the State Library where we had seen the Lynley Dodd (Hairy MaClary) exhibition on our previous trip. We were directed to a free tour that was just about to start, interesting but perhaps a little too cultural for us, there are only so much time that you can spend looking at paintings of early settlements in Australia.
Then it was into the adjacent Botanical Gardens, we noticed that the cloud had come in whilst we had been in the library and we had not gone far when a few spots of rain fell. fortunately  we were close to the Caylx, a building containing a café and exhibition of carnivorous plants. By the time we got there the wind had strengthened and the rain was falling in bucket fulls!
We stayed there whilst the storm raged, not too long but enjoyed the 'Plants that bite' exhibition. The news on TV this morning says the storm only last about 10 minutes with winds up to 100kph. It has caused considerable damage throughout the city.

There are also a number of painted Koalas around the gardens rather like the Cirencester hare trail.

From the gardens it was back into the city as we were looking for 'Morris's' the wool shop that we went to last time. We found QVB, the amazing Victorian shopping arcade with the Swarovski Christmas tree.

Then it was on to the wool shop before catching the bus back to Dee Why.

Monday:
Looked like it was going to be a lovely day, not quite clear skies but pleasantly warm and a light breeze so we decided to go back to Manly on the bus. We walked along the promenade to Shelley Beach where we sat to enjoy the views. This is our favourite beach, the sand is rather coarse but the scenery makes up for it. 
A group of school children were on a day out at the beach and had left their bags along with some McDonalds boxes on a bench. A group of brush turkeys were wandering around and one found the food, it was very pleased with itself and kept going back until all of the chips were finished, then ran off with a tub of sauce.

We went for a paddle, there was a shoal of fish in the water, quite close to the beach.
As the afternoon drew on dark clouds appeared to be making their way up against the wind and a few raindrops fell so we made our way back to the wharf as the rain began to fall heavily. We waited for it to ease and made a break for the bus stop.
On the journey back to Dee Why the rain got heavier and when we got off it seemed that we had to cross four streams as well as the road to get back to the flat, so much water was running along the gutters of the dual carriageway.

Sunday:
The blue skies seem to have deserted us but its still very warm (in 20s). Went to the outlet centre at Birkenhead Point to get Tim some new shirts, then headed east across the city to Double Bay.
Double Bay is home to the 18 foot skiff club and they race on Sunday afternoons.
When we arrived and parked we wandered into the park, rather like wandering around the pits at a motor racing event. 16 of these formula 1 of the sailing world were in various stages of preparation on the grass.

At 2 o'clock the spectator ferry arrived at the jetty to take the crowd out to watch the action. (We choose to stay ashore), then around half past the crews carried the boats down on to the beach and launched, setting out into the harbour.

The skiffs went across the harbour so little could be seen from Double Bay so we drove up to Point Piper where there was a small public garden overlooking the water and watched the action from there. The wind was fairly light, only force 2 - 3 even so the skiffs were not hanging around as they criss-crossed the harbour.

Then it was back to Dee Why for dinner.

Thursday:
The smoke/haze was quite heavy this morning so we decided to go to the mall at Warringah as it is air conditioned. This mall makes Cribbs Causeway look small, its massive so we were able to wander around, look at the shops and visit the food court.

Friday:
Off to the city, we arranged to meet Tim at his office, so we caught the bus and then walked to Darling Harbour to meet him. Then it was off to the Rocks, an historic area of Sydney where they hold markets three days a week. Christmas has already come to the Rocks and its still November - bah humbug!
In the Rocks is  a café that provides knitting for customers to add to whilst enjoying cream teas.
We had coffee and Claire's best smoothie of the trip at a small café in the Rocks before walking across Circular Quay to the Opera House. Very windy in places and overcast but still warm enough for shorts and T shirts, great views of the harbour and bridge, before catching the bus back to Dee Why.

On the bus we noticed the sky getting darker, it began to rain lightly, then got heavier. By the time we reached our stop it was hammering down so we got off the bus and stayed under the bus shelter for a while before picking our way from shelter to shelter back to the flat.

Saturday:
A quiet day in Dee Why, wandered down to the beach and around the shops.
In the evening Tim took us to the Harbor Diggers, a sort of British Legion club on steroids, its massive with bars, restaurants and lots more. We had a pleasant meal to end the day.

Tuesday:

When we woke up there was a strange smell in the air, looking out there was a haze in the  sky, the TV news informed us that it was the result of the bushfires and was covering the whole of Sydney.
We decided to spend the day in Manly, where Tim was living when we came previously, so we were adventurous and caught the bus. The haze was across the harbour, you could not see the southern shore, but we walked along from the wharf to Little Manly Bay, then Collins Flats, both lovely beaches.

 The view from the Wharf

The sun and wind gradually seemed to clear the haze and it was very warm.

We revisited a number of places from our last trip before catching the bus back to Dee Why.

Wednesday:
No smoke/haze today but after yesterday's excursion we stayed closer to home in Dee Why. Walked around the local botanical gardens before going back to the coast. Watched the local school children have their surfing lessons before adjourning to a café for coffee and a smoothie. Whilst we were there the shark alarm sounded, one had been spotted in the  bay and the lifeguards cleared the water. 
enough excitement for today.

Out and about in Dee Why

Sunday, the weather looked ok although the forecast was for thunder storms. Tim took us for a walk to the sea front here at Dee Why, about a mile away, on the way back the forecast was proved correct. The rain began with big drops and very quickly turned into an absolute deluge, now we know why they have such big gutters along the roadside. We were fortunate to get to a bus shelter with several others as the rain hammered down for about 15 minutes. Streams ran down both sides of the street. As soon as it stopped we made our way back to Tim's flat.

Today, Monday, Tim was back to work, he got up at 5.30 to go to the gym before going on to the office.
We decided to explore Dee Why, we walked back to the beach then along the sand to Long Reef, there were groups of school children having surfing lessons for their PE. We even paddled in the surf before making our way back to the flat.
Tomorrow we plan to go further afield.

 PE Australian style.

First Day in Sydney

Yesterday was our first full day in Sydney on this trip. Tim took us to the market at Potts Point for breakfast and to do some shopping from the stalls before we walked down to the shore at Elisabeth Bay. The Jacaranda trees are out and the scent in the air around them was delightful.

 Potts Point Market

Jacaranda Trees, just a couple of the many.

From there we went on to Rushcutters  Bay and walked along the path that overlooked Sydney Harbour, watching the ferries carve their way through the fleets racing out on the water.
It was then back to the Northern Beaches to visit one of the many large malls that are to be found around Sydney for more shopping before returning to the flat, the weather was pleasantly warm, shorts and T shirt weather, rain forecast for today.

We are in Sydney, we left Canberra this morning and drove for about three hours through the wide open countryside, stopping off enroute to stretch our legs in the 'historic' town of Goulburn, the mainstreet still has many buildings that are from early 20th century if not older, it looks rather like a frontier town but with cars.

Goulburn

From there it was on to Bowral where we looked around then a visit to a wine estate as Tim wanted to get a couple of bottles before making our way to another wine estate for lunch.

Having eaten it was back on the freeway, there was noticeably more traffic and this increased further as Sydney approached, by the time that we reached the airport both carriageways were solid and the view of the city was obscured by a haze of what smelt like smoke from the bush fires further north.

We are now in Tim's flat and looking forward to exploring Sydney again starting tomorrow,

Today we have enjoyed bright blue skies and been in shorts, though there has been a stiff breeze. We walked from our apartment along beside Lake Burley Griffin to the National Museum of Australia where we looked around, had lunch then walked back.
Tomorrow we travel back to Sydney on the last leg of our road trip.

Tuesday:

Left Pambula and the kangaroos and headed further up the coast towards Batemans Bay, after yesterday in the green tunnel that was the Princes Highway through the bush we decided to take scenic routes where available. The coastline is so scenic, reminiscent of north Cornwall, rugged outcrops punctuated with deserted  long sandy beaches and blue seas.
We stopped of for coffee at Bermagui and added seals to our wildlife list, there were groups of them lazing together just off the rocks.
The wind was very strong and forecast to get stronger and we were mindful of the reports of bushfires, fortunately not in the area we were headed for.
Batemans Bay is a popular seaside resort, like others on the coast long sandy beaches and wonderful scenery. We actually stayed the night in Batehaven, just south of the bay.

Wednesday:

We began the day by driving into Batemans Bay and walking along the waterfront, watching the pelicans and a massive stingray in the shallow water. Then we set off for Canberra, leaving the coast behind and heading inland, climbing across the coastal range then crossing the wide open spaces with few towns to the capital with a clear blue sky above.

We arrived earlier than we had expected so went to the Australian War Memorial which looks down a wide avenue to the capital building. It also houses an impressive museum which tells the story of Australian involvement in conflicts since the Boer War and houses among its exhibits a Lancaster bomber, Spitfire and German First World War Albatross biplane I could have spent all day in there and still gone back again.

We are staying in Canberra again tomorrow so plan to see more of Australia's capital city.

The access to Wi-Fi in Airbnbs can vary, hence no posts for a couple of days.

On Monday we left Lakes Entrance and headed out on to the A1, Princes Highway, this road could take us all the way to Sydney should we choose that route, but for the day it was to be our route to Pambula.

This far from Melbourne, and Sydney the traffic was light, if not at times virtually non-existent, like driving through a green tunnel a highway carved through virgin bush. We stopped at Cann River for coffee and briefly joined the local remembrance ceremony for the silence around their war memorial, before heading back into our ‘green tunnel’. We followed the same car for an hour and a half.

Although there were road signs warning of the local wildlife we saw only the odd roadkill until we approached Eden where a lone emu was grazing in a field.

At Eden we stopped for lunch, by now it was getting hot, in the 20s. The views out over the coast were  the strong wind was taking the tops off the azure blue waves.

On to Pambula, as we turned into the holiday park that was to provide our stop for the night there was a field full of kangaroos, they roamed freely around the site. After unloading the car we decided to go for a walk, the site was located just behind the dunes of a magnificent sandy beach, as we came through a gap out to sea we could see a number of whales breaking the surface of the water, we watched for a while, there seemed to be at least 4 of them.

 

                                               

Saturday, we left St Kilda (Melbourne) and headed south along the Mornington Peninsular, sadly the weather wasn't kind to us, a strong wind was blowing and we had intermittent rain showers. The area was not looking it's best, when the sun is out it must be lovely, for us, less so.
We stopped for coffee in Sorrento, then headed back up the other side to Hastings where we spent the night in a small Airbandb. During the night the heavens opened and the wind blew.
Today, Sunday, we began our journey along the coast, spending much of the time on the freeway where you can go for miles without turning a corner.
We began ticking off our wild life list, an emu in a field next to the freeway, then when we reached Gippsland we took a detour to Paynesville and caught the ferry to Raymond Island where there is a Koala trail.
We thought that we might be lucky and catch sight of a koala in the tree tops but they were everywhere, as we walked along we saw several just sitting in the trees, wild and free.
We spotted an echidna shuffling along among the trees, it came right up to Claire as if she was not there, we saw a couple more echidnas as we walked on.

From Paynesville it was back to the freeway and on to Lakes Entrance, our home for the night, the view from the road as we approached was amazing, this is where the Gippsland Lakes meet the sea.

We move on tomorrow, the weather forecast is better and maybe we will see some kangaroos?

Our last day in Melbourne

Yesterday was our last day in Melbourne before we set off on our road trip up the coast.
Tim came and collected us for breakfast, it seems to be a big thing out here, we went to a busy café 'Kettleblack' and enjoyed a substantial meal before setting off on a tour of the area. There is so much space, many of the homes still have a colonial look, often the façade has been preserved but behind is something which would not be out of place on Grand Designs.
Tim had a little work to do so we found ourselves in another café for coffee whilst he made a few calls then it was off to Melbourne South Market. A covered market with the most amazing array of stalls, fresh food and other items.
It was then back to Tim's friends to cook dinner whilst the weather deteriorated, it rained hard followed by hail stones, almost like being back home!
Off to the Mornington Peninsula today.

Today we decided to try the public transport system here in Melbourne, so armed with our myki cards we boarded the tram and set off for the city centre. Like most big cities Melbourne was busy, especially so as this week is the Melbourne Cup Horse racing meeting, a bit like Cheltenham Festival. Today may have been Ladies Day as we saw many 'well dressed' ladies in skimpy summer dresses wearing fascinators - not ideal as it rained heavily during the afternoon.
Melbourne is a mix of modern and colonial buildings, though the skyline is littered with tall cranes as there is so much redevelopment going on.
After a walk around part of the centre we headed for the Shrine of Remembrance, a massive tribute to Australia's war dead, teeming with school parties and harassed teachers.

Part of a display made of thousands of hand knitted poppies.

From there we headed into the nearby Botanic Gardens. 

 We wandered around for a while then retreated to the café as the rain started. An oasis of green right next to the city centre, the rain eased, or so we thought but as we headed back to the city centre the heavens opened so we retreated into the National Gallery of Victoria, sometimes I am confused by what people describe as art, today was one such day.

Fortunately the rain eased and we went to explore some of the main and side streets. They have some amazing cake shops and we were not disappointed. Fortunately you cannot absorb calories by looking.

As the rain got harder we headed back to the tram and the hotel.

A long day travelling yesterday, Changai Airport for 8.00am then on to Melbourne and didn't reach our hotel until gone 11.00pm local time.
Changai is an amazing airport, so modern with large floral displays as well as a butterfly house where you can wander around and see native butterflies flying and feeding.
Check in is all done by machine, which is fine when it works!
A good flight, we were upstairs on a new Airbus A380 and we arrived slightly ahead of time, however the baggage seemed to take an age to arrive, then we were pulled over by immigration. They are very strict, its rather difficult not to tick the box asking if you have been near water in the last couple of weeks when you live in the Cotswold water park and had been sailing, still we got through.
We were a bit confused when we emerged and could not see a taxi driver holding a board with our names but then Tim appeared. He had driven down at the weekend to surprise us. Tim drove us to our hotel, he has to work in the Melbourne Office for the next couple of days so we will not be seeing him again until Friday, but it was a lovely surprise.

Today we are feeling rather Jet lagged, we walked into St Kilda (a district of Melbourne) to get breakfast, then this afternoon we have walked along part of the shore of Port Phillip Bay though it has been very windy with sand blowing into you eyes. In the distance we could see the towers from the city centre.