Time Travel

Our flight departed at 10:15 for Los Angeles so it was an early start this morning.  We were all excited to be heading home but also had heavy hearts as we knew we would miss all the wonderful friends we made here and would not be back to this beautiful country for some time.

The flight was uneventful but it did seem like time travel.  We arrived in Los Angeles before we even left Sydney.  The international date line sure messes with you -  We landed at 6:40 am on April 26 in L.A.; into Calgary at 3 pm and finally landed in Winnipeg at 9:30 pm.  According to the clock we made really good time, less then 12 hours, but our bodies did not agree with that.

We crashed in a hotel for the night and Ray was there in the morning to pick us up.

What an AMAZING ADVENTURE this has been!

Bondi Beach

We were up early and headed into Sydney to return the car and check back into our hotel.  Once that was all taken care of, we took the train out to Bondi Beach - likely the best know beach in Australia.  It is the closest beach to Sydney and is known for its great surfing. People go there to surf, hang out on the beautiful fine sand beach, swim in the ocean pools or visit the many pubs and cafes along the street.

We had a leisurely day there.  We took the train to Bondi Junction then hopped on a bus that took us to the beach.  The bus dropped us off right along side the beach.  The first thing Aiden spotted was the trampolines and McDonalds.  Of all the nice cafes around, we end up having lunch at McDonald's.  Life with a kid!  Even with a full belly, Aiden wanted to try out the trampoline.  He has always loved to jump and had a blast.

We wandered around for a bit and spent most of our time chilling out on the grassy knoll above the sand.  We did walk a short distance down the Bondi to Coogee trail to take in the scenery of the ragged cliffs and surf.  We found the ocean pools an interesting concept but didn't think that they would be very nice to swim in as they were rough from the waves coming in.  The pool was fairly busy so most must not mind it.  We tried to get in to take a closer look but only members were allowed.

Scenic World

After we packed up and had breakfast, we drove to Katoomba to spend the day at Scenic World.  We took in all four attractions:  The Railway, the Walkway, the Cable Car and the Skyway.  We rode the railway down to the valley floor.  The Railway was quite the thrill at a  52° incline and the steepest passenger railway in the world.  The railway descends 415 m through a cliff-side tunnel, emerging into rain forest at the Jamison floor valley.

The walkway was an elevated boardwalk through a Jurassic rain forest.  At the far side of the walkway, we took the cable car back up to the main building.

We had a bite to eat at the restaurant. After lunch we went on the Skyway, which goes between cliff tops.  It is 270 m above the valley floor and has a glass bottom floor so you can look at the valley below.  It provided awesome views of the 3 sisters and Katoomba falls.

We stayed in the area that night.  The next day was an uneventful day where we traveled from the Blue Mountains back towards Sydney.  We ended up at a campgrounds in Wollongong. It was a nice place located along the beach and it even had a pool.

The Blue Mountains

We had a lazy start to the day.  We rented a vehicle near the hotel and headed west to the Blue Mountains.  The Blue Mountains, part of the Great Dividing Range, has some fantastic scenery.  The blue haze, which gives the mountains their name, is a result of the fine mist of oil given off by the eucalyptus trees.

We reached Blackheath mid afternoon and went to Govetts Leap Lookout and walked from there to Barrow Lookout.  The views at Govetts Leap is some of the most breathtaking in the Blue Mountains.  The panoramic views across the immense Grose Valley, surrounded by huge, vertical sandstone cliffs and waterfalls are very impressive. Bridal Veil Falls is certainly not a very wide waterfall, but it’s the height (180 metres) and the impressive surrounding scenery that make it such a beautiful place. It was an easy 15 minute walk to the top of the waterfall (crossing Govetts Leap Brook) and to the Barrow Lookout, from where you can see the waterfall very clearly.

We found a campground in Blackheath and set up camp, cooked supper and hung out for the night.  

Sydney

Today's mission was to hit a few of the iconic tourist sites of Sydney. We had arranged for a motel stay near the airport to rest up and recover from all the last minute effort of cleaning up and packing (or in Aiden's case, visiting and playing) and so we caught the train into the heart of Sydney 10 km away. The harbour is more than just the centerpiece for the city, everything in Sydney revolves around it.  We had been told that only the bravest / craziest drivers try their luck at driving around Sydney with its unplanned streets scattered like a maze around the bays, rivers, creeks and harbours that inundate the city. The public transit on the other hand is efficient and reasonably priced. For the low price of $17 per adult and around $9 for Aiden, we had unlimited travel on all the trains, buses and ferries in the Sydney area on a day tripper fare. Given one way taxi fare from the airport to the city is around $45, we thought that it was a steal of a deal and way faster to boot.

On Frank and Sylvia's recommendation, we started off with a ferry ride to Manly. It starts in the heart of Sydney and begins by heading out between the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. There were great views of both attractions from the ferry. We spent a couple of hours in Manly playing on the beach, watching surfers and enjoying a good feed of fresh fish and chips. We then headed back downtown, explored the Rocks and listened to some talented didgeridoo players. The Rocks is on the west side of Sydney cove an is an interesting area of narrow cobbled streets, colonial buildings, pubs, restaurants, cafes and shopping.

Our next visit was to the highest point in the city, the Sydney Centrepoint Tower which rises 260 m above the city or about as tall as 60 giraffes apparently. A visit to the tower is packaged with an experience called OzTrek which is a multimedia show that highlights the attractions of Australia. The show at the end involved an amusement park style ride with moving seats as you fly over the Outback or underwater at the Barrier Reef. Not sure we would have paid for it separately but it was mildly entertaining. Fortunately it was over in time for us to get up to the observation deck to take in many stunning views of the city before the clouds rolled in and reduced the visibility to about 100 m. When we headed back down to ground it had decided to get serious about raining and we had dinner before heading back to the hotel for the night.

While it was only a quick flavour of Sydney and hardly enough to do it justice, it was about all the city us country folk can handle for a while. Tomorrow we are looking for a car and heading out of the city for a bit, do some camping perhaps if the weather cooperates and see something else besides the largest city in Australia.

Sydney Bound

...on and on it goes, saying good-bye to friends and places and views and food and things and .....(loop back to line 1).

The bags are packed, with no room to spare, but every one is UNDER the weight . Sean, such a pessimist didn't think we would do it ;-) The house is spic and span and we are ready to head out. On last short climb up the rocks behind the house as a final farewell. We will miss this place.

The Buckman's made it easier by driving us to Melbourne. We enjoyed a few geocaches on the way in and a lovely evening meal out. Roz's parents were gracious enough to put all of us up for the night. They have a cozy little house in the suburb of Melbourne and a flat out the back.

Monday morning came way too quick. Buckmans drove us to the Melbourne Tullamarine Airport and helped us in with our six over stuffed bags. Since we were flying domestic to Sydney they were able to come right up to the gate with us and wait until we boarded the plane. The plane was late due to fog over Melbourne so we were able to enjoy a few more minutes together. Aiden and Joseph along with Grace and Tyler have been getting in every minute they can. Aiden stayed over at Buckmans both Friday and Saturday night. It worked well for us, Aiden was happy and entertained while we did not have him underfoot while trying to pack and clean. The only downfall was we had a very tired and sad boy on our hands. The time finally came where we had to say good-bye to the Buckmans. It was a heart-wrenching, gut-wrenching moment. Plans were made for visiting in a few years. We will start a Aussie fund when we get home. Donations anyone???

We were finally in the air around 12:30 after having to wait another 15 minutes while they found the luggage of someone who decided to not take the flight. It was a short flight to Sydney and we were out of the airport by 2 pm. We don't have any plans for Sydney yet, other than a day around the harbour and possibly head out to the Blue Mountains.

Stay posted as the adventure unravels.

Fond Farewell

Practically every hour we do something for 'the last time' and we talk about home, and the shift back home. Sometimes it gets to be enough and we need to turn it off and just enjoy the last moments here at the Grampians. It has been such a good home to us. I can't believe we will leave it.

And I try to take pictures of everything, so I don't forget it. Last year was easier, we had the second rotation in our back pocket and it made the leaving easier. We don't have a third to ease our pain - although some jokes have been made about us returning...

Parks had a farewell for us on Friday night. What a great send off. It was very sad to say goodbye to all the friends we have made here. From a mothers piont of view it was most heart wrenching to see Aiden's best mate, Joseph almost in tears as he and a few of his school mates stood up in front of the crowd and each said a farewell and told Aiden what they will remember fondly about him. All and all it was wonderful evening spent with friends that we will miss.