Australia in One Month

Sydney Harbor and Opera House Australia

Chris and I spent a wonderful month in Australia. Many of the things we did, and the sights we saw, we knew about before we travelled here. The lovely Sydney Opera House, the Harbor Bridge, Bondi Beach. Visiting friends in Adelaide and Melbourne. Seeing the outback and Uluru, and of course diving in the Great Barrier Reef. But so much more! The convict sites that tell the history of settling Australia, the free parks and museums, camping….

Sydney
Sydney!

Once we disembarked from our repositioning cruise and started talking to people and tour guides, we saw so much more of Australia. After a few days in Sydney, we rented a camper van for a month and started off. We visited the Blue Mountains, named for the blue haze that arises from the eucalyptus oil catching dust particles. Very pretty (and fresh smelling!). We visited the fashionable parts of Melbourne with my friend and local Melanie, trying new eateries and going for walks around St Kilda. The Great Ocean Road, along Shipwreck Coast, was incredible. The effects of wind and waves on sandstone cliffs is beautiful. There are more than 1200 ships under those waves!

We visited our friends Ben and Jo in Adelaide, that we had met in Galapagos over our Christmas break, and staying at their house and tried some Vegemite. Ben took us to visit the fairy penguins, feed kangaroos, and hug koalas. Jo took us to four wineries to sample southern Australia’s wines, and we had a lovely picnic. While we were there we actually saw a koala in a tree in their front yard- a sight that they assured us they had NEVER seen before (koalas usually do not come too close to towns).

We drove out into the outback, staying a night in an old opal mine in the mining town of Coober Pedy. Then we made it to Uluru, the ancient red rock in the center of Australia. A very sacred place for the aboriginals. We stayed in Alice Springs for a couple of days, then headed east to Cairns. We stopped off at a place called Devil’s Marbles along the way and played around on the huge boulders. We watched the stars, the eclipse, the full moon, and the international space station from the moon roof in our campervan. Sleeping in the outback is awesome.

Before settling in at Cairns, we went to the Daintree National rainforest….. The oldest rainforest in the world. This place has a staggering abundance of animals and plants that are found nowhere else. We did some driving bits, some walking bits, and a crocodile-spotting cruise. No beach time, because of the crocs and the jellyfish.

Finally, Cairns. This place is like spring break year round. Fire dancers! Pools! Nightclubs! Concerts! Our hostel is a bit wild. But for three days we went on a live aboard dive trip to the reef, and loved every minute of it. We saw massive turtles, heaps of fish, about a dozen sharks, and my personal favorite, the Maori Wrasse- it’s called that because the markings on the fish look like tribal tattoos. And they’re huge! Like four feet long. Friendly, and curious about us humans.

So…… Now we leave Australia, headed to New Zealand. Check back in 3 or 4 weeks for details!

Repositioning Cruise to Australia

Upon the advice of some friends, we looked into a repositioning cruise to start our world trip.  As luck would have it, we found one leaving around the same time that we wanted to travel, going from LA to Sydney, Australia.  So we figured we’d start our journey there and eventually work our way back.

After staying with family for three days in California, we boarded the Carnival Legend in Long Beach and immediately set sail for Puerta Vallarta, Mexico.  We enjoyed a day of walking around the Malecon and downtown areas, stopping for cervezas and ceviche when we got too hot.

Then out to sea for a week.  We skirted tropical storm Norbert, and crossed the equator.  Eventually we landed in Tahiti, the capital of French Polynesia.  We teamed up with another couple, Kirk and Tricia, and rented a taxi for the day and had a great 7 hour tour.  Lots of Captain Cook history, beautiful surf spots, and tropical vistas.  The next day we docked at Moorea, an island just 14 miles away, and enjoyed a lovely second day in Paradise (French Polynesia).  We took a small minibus tour and visited some Polynesian temple sites, a look out at the harbor, and a fruit juice plantation.  Then we got dropped off at the local beach and enjoyed the crystal clear water.  And our last day in French Polynesia was at Bora Bora. Instead of a tour, we decided to just relax at the Hotel Intercontinental beach and gaze at their fabulous over-the-water-bungalows.  And sample tasty tropical rum drinks.  Amazing.

Back to the boat, and another few days at sea, crossing the international date line- we completely skipped the 15th of September!  We docked at Suva, Fiji, on a day when they were having elections for the first time since a military coup.  Luckily we were able to still do a short tour, to a village, an eco resort, and a waterfall.  Most of the downtown capital city was closed for elections, but we got a feel for the place.

Fiji Waterfall
Fiji Waterfall

After International Pirates Day (a very fun party on the boat), we landed at Noumea, New Caledonia.  Part of France, they are supposed to get independence in 2 1/2 years… but 1/3 of the world’s nickel comes from Noumea, so I wonder how that is going to go.  We visited their extremely cool architectural cultural center, and visited a lookout and a church, had some food, and enjoyed our day there. In the capital they had a monument to the US for their help in World War II.  We sampled their local beer (Number 1!) and then it was time to get back on the boat.

Tchabau Cultural Center, New Caledonia
Tchabau Cultural Center, New Caledonia

We enjoyed our cruise very much.  We took dance classes each day, attended a few art classes (bought two paintings at an auction!), used the gym, swam in the the pools, and ate our weight in all kinds of food.  It was certainly a relaxing way to get to Australia. I’m glad we chose that as a way to start our journey.

Sydney Harbor and Opera House Australia
Sydney Harbor and Opera House

Next post: Australia.