AUSTRALIA REVISITED (PART TWO)

As we passed through the initial culture shock presented by the very beautiful world class city of Sydney, with its centre couched at the very heart of the amazing waterway known as Sydney Harbour and all of its beautiful beaches, Coves, Points, Bays, Yacht Clubs and remarkable homes, we decided to step out of it for a while and head south. 

Stoddard very kindly lent us his Audi A4 and off we headed down along the South East coast of New South Wales with its myriad of enticing names ……. Thirroul / Woonona / Wollongong /  Jamberoo / Gerringong / Cambewarra and so on, and so on ………….. a seemingly never-ending collection of ‘roo’s, gong’s and warra’s, all made that much more inviting and pleasant by the fact that we could simply put the car into cruise control at 100 kms/h and not have an entire herd of pumped up drivers trying to overtake us at every opportunity.  We had heard that the cops were everywhere in Oz and that you had better obey the rules or suffer the consequences. Well, in over 4000 kms of motoring we never saw a single cop, and travel became an absolute pleasure because all of the motorists simply obeyed the speed limits. 

We have always loved the open road - it really is all about the journey rather than the destination, and the NSW coast offered a never-ending supply of gems to store away in the memory banks. We stopped to look at geysers, water caves and various other interesting phenomenon as we drove - there was no hurry - and our first stopover was in a delightful village called Tilba Tilba.

These Galah's are a typically Australian phenomenon

Typical NSW countryside

Upon arrival in Tilba we made a two night booking through Airbnb and found ourselves in a Mongolian Yurt that the hosts had erected in their garden. Extremely comfortable - and definitely something quite different from the norm. The only hassle was having to trek through to the main house to use the bathroom, but our hosts were very gracious, and it was never a problem.

Our Yurt in Tilba Tilba

The Dromedary Hotel - Tilba's version of the Bathurst Pig and Whistle

The Leather Store where I bought my Akubra

The village itself was right in the countryside, and very beautiful with Jacaranda lined lanes and byways. There was a very cool pub at the Dromedary Hotel and we were able to get some basic grub there as well. There was a fantastic little Leather store  along the main drag where I found my Snowy River Akubra hat …………….. I had always wanted one since seeing the Snowy River movies, and they were available at Cavendish Square in Cape Town, but the price was prohibitive ……….. here I picked mine up for a fraction of the cost.

On the way down to Tilba Tilba we had passed a small Oyster hut close to Narooma just before turning inland towards Tilba, so on our first morning we backtracked a little with a bottle of ice cold dry white and went and breakfasted on oysters just outside Narooma village in what we discovered was Batemans Marine Park - what a pleasure! 

Best Breakfast Ever (Oysters and cold White Wine)

The Man from Snowy River

Something we have continuously questioned is why, at an exchange rate of less that R10.00 to the $ in both Australia and America (at that time), we could get lovely fresh oysters at $1.00 a piece, whereas in South Africa we were obliged to pay double the price, and I believe it is still very much the same today?????

Any way, here at this same park we watched a school of dolphins swim up the river, and were able to enjoy their antics within about 30 meters of where we sat enjoying our repast.

Moving on south from Tilba we  crossed the border into Victoria and headed for the Lakes where we turned inland and up into the foothills of the Snowy River mountains in search of a farm where we had made another Airbnb booking. The farm was a beautiful setting with very gracious hosts who had taken it upon themselves to prepare a lovely dinner for us. After the terrible fires that wiped out most of this area in 2019/2000 we have often wondered if their farm survived. All in all a lovely little sojourn in an area that I had fallen in love with after seeing “The man from Snowy River”,  and the sequel.

The Lakes

Our Farmhouse stay in the mountains

A Large Monitor Lizard on the farm (A Varanoidea I think)

The next morning brought a notice from Airbnb stating that our pre-booked host in Melbourne was unable to accommodate us due to the fact that her mother had fallen ill in Adelaide, but they had credited our account and found us alternative accommodation for the same period at no cost to us. Wow! What an organisation ……….. and we have been booking through them ever since with nary a hitch ever.

What we found upon our arrival in Melbourne was not what we might have chosen - run by a Chinese family that could barely speak a word of english, but who were desperate to ensure that our stay with them was perfect. It was clean, neat, and they too absolutely insisted on us partaking of their meal that evening.

The next morning we looked up a friend made some time previously in South Africa when I had project managed the building and delivery of three 40’ daysailer catamarans to Mauritius for Jim Keelan from Melbourne who was establishing a tourism business on the island. Dave Pratt worked for Jim as a skipper in his yacht charter business in Melbourne, and came across to SA to take delivery of the first Cat and sail it from Durban to Mauritius. We became firm friends, and Dave made himself 100% available to show us around this beautiful city during our stay there. 

Pat with Dave and his Mauritian wife Jenny

Melbourne Icons

Melbourne Cricket Ground

He took us to the Skydeck at the top of the Eureka building - at that time Melbourne’s tallest building. Now those of you who know me well know my fear of high places, and while Pat thoroughly enjoyed the deck, I spent all of my time up there in a state of “vrees” with ice cold prickles down the middle of my spine………………but it did provide me with practice for NYC a few months later, and allowed me to allay most of my fears once we tackled the Top of The Rock and the Empire State.

The Eureka Centre

The MCG with the Rod Laver Tennis Centre in the foreground

The most important part of being at the top of the Eureka was that one got this amazing overview of the city and its very extensive sporting attractions - the MCG and the Rod Laver Tennis Centre (among others)………….. which is where we parked the car the following day to walk across to the MCG specifically to watch Shane Warne make his comeback to 1st Class Cricket in the very first match of the new Big Bash 20/20 series. 

I'd never seen a sports cameraman on one of these

Chris Gayle - out for a duck

Shane Warne in action

The Melbourne Cricket Club - able to hold 100,000 - only about 28,000 the day we were there.

We had never seen Warne in action - and I sure as hell wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.  What an experience - we saw Chris Gayle go out 1st ball for a duck - watched a very young David Warner slam over a hundred off about 61 balls, and watched and listened in awe as the Australian Rock Star came on to bowl. The stadium erupted into chants of “Waaaarnie - Waaaarnie” which continued throughout his bowling spell. We thought that this might be because he is a Melbourne Native …………… but no! When we went to watch the second in the series at Sydney Cricket Stadium a couple of weeks later he was greeted in exactly the same manner. Warne is indeed a Rock Star in every sense of the word and commands the love and respect of Australian cricket lovers everywhere, irrespective of which team they might be supporting.

And so ……… after three days in this really lovely city we took off for the Great Ocean Road ……….. but more about that in Part Three.

Thanks for reading if you got this far, and please stay with me for the next leg of this amazing trip.

AUSTRALIA REVISITED

The sixth of December will mark the 10th Anniversary of our last (and only), visit to Australia, and despite the passing years memories of the trip are still extremely vivid for both Pat and I.

Primarily, the focus of the trip was to meet our second Australian grandchild, Ben, and to re-engage with Bella and with Stoddard and Noleen as parents in their own environment, rather than as very short term visitors to SA as they were when we first met granddaughter Bella. 

Stoddard and Noleen with Benjamin shortly after our arrival

Ben enjoying one of his first "ocean" swims

In addition, we made the decision to spoil ourselves while there, and to see and do as much as we were able to in the six weeks that we allowed ourselves ……….. and that (with the help of Nols and Stoddard), we certainly did.

This entry then will be the first of a few structured around some of the really amazing experiences we had ‘Down Under’, and why so many of those memories continue to (and will probably always), linger in our collective consciousness.

 

A few faces of Isabella

First and foremost (obviously), was the reunion at the airport, followed by the indelible sighting of the Sydney Opera House as we drove across Sydney Bridge ………… then down across the Spit on our way to Manly and their home right near the junction of Manly and Freshwater, with both beaches just a few minutes walk away. In no time at all we were happily ensconced in Bella’s bedroom, which I believe she surrendered not without protest at having to move in with her brother for the duration of our stay.

First impressions: One of the houses overlooking the Spit - just a foretaste of things to come in the Sydney housing stakes

Pedestrian Mall in Manly

Both Stodds and Nols really went out of their way to show us around and introduce us to the Sydney way of life. We visited many of the beautiful beaches, including Manly, Manly Cove, Freshwater, Curl Curl, Dee Why, Narrabeen and Mona Vale………..all the way up to Palm Beach at the Northern Tip of the Pittwater where they now have their home. Pittwater is like an extremely large version (20 or 30 times), of Langebaan, with the most beautiful blue water stretching South just a little bit inland along this beautiful peninsula roughly a third of the way back to Manly. At the time, when on a separate trip up to the viewpoint on the West Head above the Pittwater, I recall thinking (and perhaps mentioning),  that that finger of land just across the water over there is where I would like to live if Sydney were my hometown.

Looking across to the northern most point of the Pittwater from the West Head view point

Two different views of the Pittwater

Shots of various beaches in and around Sydney

A highlight on a couple of occasions was the Manly Ferry into the city and that incredible approach to The Sydney Opera House with the Bridge just slightly behind and to the right. Boarding the Ferry then was another shock to my South African senses. There were literally hundreds of bicycles parked at the terminal by people commuting into the city, and apart from one or two which stood out like sore thumbs, the rest had no locks or chains. There were also a large number of motorcycles parked at the terminal, a large number of which had their owners helmets hanging from the handle bars, and quite a few of which I noticed also had their ignition keys dangling from their slots. Can you imagine that degree of trust here? 

The Manly ferry at a distance - and with us on board  doing a crossing to the city

Until one has had the experience of both crossing and sailing in Sydney Harbour very few people are aware that it has more than 240 kilometers of coastline with everywhere a variety of unspoiled beaches, beautiful terraced areas with amazing homes, little pockets of forests and numerous yacht clubs. We soon discovered that the yacht clubs were open to all-comers who lived more than 5 kilometers away - you simply sign yourself in and make the best of the facilities, which in a city where dining out at any level is a pretty expensive business, proved to be the most cost effective means of getting a good meal at an affordable price - particularly in SA Rand terms…………and on the water too nogal!

The tip of the Iceberg ....... one of the huge liners that pull into Sydney Harbour on an almost daily basis

Bella on a day out in the city with Pat and I

During our first few days there Stoddard booked me a ride on Australia 21 - an America’s Cup Challenge yacht from a few years earlier. There were a few tourists on board who weren’t sailors, but for those of us who were it was the experience of a lifetime. As it happened there was an Open Class Harbour Race about to begin as we went out and the Skipper decided it would be fun to join in ………….. right up my alley! The wind piped up to around 20 knots and made for a really glorious three hour experience on relatively protected flattish water which, in Table Bay, would have been quite unpleasant, but which in this amazing harbour had us speeding along at a comfortable 21 knots downwind, and around 15 - 16 knots upwind. With just myself and another old-timer working the coffee grinders we weren’t the most efficient boat out there, but managed a very credible second behind a really modern 60 footer. Certainly a day to remember …………. thanks again Chum for getting me on board. It really was the very best way to get a feel for this amazing harbour, and enjoy a rollicking good sail at the same time.

Racing on Australia 21 ......... fantastic!

One of the things that Pat and I were very aware of was the number of really fantastic little fresh fish shops that were evident in all the suburban shopping centers and main streets. Without exception all of their wares would be laid out in the most beautiful fashion - all fresh and pleasing to the eye - just waiting to be bought and enjoyed……………….and then of course there was the Big One - the Sydney Fish Market in Blackwattle Bay on the South West side of Darling Harbour. What an absolutely incredible experience - what an assault on the senses - pristine in every sense of the word where one would expect the smell and offal of a Hout Bay or Kalk Bay harbour  - tiny little things in comparison to this amazing market which must take up at least four rugby fields of floor space. Here we bought a “walk around” meal which was simply as good as it gets.

Sydney Fish Market

There were of course a number of other amazing experiences in Sydney …………. Christmas with the family - New Years Eve and the fireworks which we were lucky enough to watch from the Prime Position of the platform base of the Sydney Mast on Bradley’s Head ………….. and the Cicadas that heralded our arrival at the Head that wonderful evening as we walked down through the forest from the bus station. Also our flight on the Sea Plane above the harbour and around to Bondi Beach - and the start of the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. But more about these next time.

Parked off on the mast Base of the HMAS Sydney on New Years Eve waiting for the fireworks - we got there early to secure a prime spot - and boy oh boy did we have one. The blue umbrella is ours ............ but more about that next time around