New Year’s Eve

Today we planned for a busy day in Sydney, to drive into the city and visit the “Taronga Zoo” that has the best views of Sydney as well as most interesting exhibits. We walked around the many different zoo areas, saw elephants, lions, tigers and a red panda as well as crocs, giraffes and koalas. In between the animal watching we took in the great view of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House as well as the hundreds of boats in the harbour already vying for the best spot to watch the New Year’s fireworks at midnight. Even a huge cruise ship that was moored at the pier earlier, was anchored now in the harbour to afford the passengers a better view of the fireworks display. It was very hot, about 32 degrees and sunny, so we needed a few breaks in between our walks. At the end of the zoo visit we took the gondola from the bottom of the promontory back up to the zoo entrance. It was a grandiose view all around. It was so great that we took another round trip in the gondola, so saw the views from up high 3 times!

 

After leaving Taronga Zoo we decided to drive up north to Manly and take the lookout loop around for more pictures. Unfortunately the loop was closed for cars, as New Year’s Eve revellers already started streaming in on foot for tonight’s celebration. We found one last parking spot down the road and ‘hoofed’ it in to the Manly Memorial Park. Not an easy feat, as it was about a 2 km trek one way in blazing heat. The officer at the road closure sign had told us that it’s only about 1 km in, but that was a very liberal interpretation of the distance in metric terms… Sigi suffered beyond words and let me know it in no unclear terms!! We made it nonetheless, found a grand view and an even better café for a much needed rest. 2 km back, luckily mostly downhill and into the car for our way back ‘home’. On the way there we went for dinner to the “Mai Tai” Thai restaurant in the Gymea district close to home which turned out to be excellent. Interesting that there was no alcohol served or any other drinks but water. Customers brought in their own drinks and paid just a corkage fee. This idea has recently caught on in Vancouver too. We finally arrived at our suite around 8.30 pm, just in time to take a shower and rest and start celebrating New Year’s Eve with some very nice Australian champagne!! We watched the Sydney fireworks on the telly as well as some smaller fireworks live over Cronulla Bay. There were boisterous parties going on all around us on patios in neighbouring houses with funky music and lots of laughter. We didn’t stay up much longer after midnight, being royally wiped after a long impressive day.

Mittagong to Lilli Pilli or formerly known as Port Hacking (south of Sydney)

We got up rather early and were on our way shortly after 9 am. It was RAINING!!! We didn’t expect that. It was rather cool too, only 14 degrees.

Went from Mittagong along even smaller country roads than the day before through mountainous areas that got us onto serpentine roads with switchbacks that made your hair stand up!!! Luckily we didn’t encounter any large trucks or campervans coming towards us on the opposite lane. No idea how to handle something like that …

We hitched up with the freeway towards Sydney and a stretch on the Great Pacific Highway that we had driven the other way before. The clouds were hanging really low, and rain and drizzle didn’t stop until shortly before arriving at our destination. We found the address and house thanks to ‘Oscar’, and met our lovely hostess Nona. She gave us the ins and outs of the place, advised us on good restaurants and which public transit to use if we were interested. 

Apollo Place is a most inviting place with a lovely garden and path winding down to the water of Cronulla Bay. Owner Richard’s pride and joy is the upkeep of his garden with many exotic plants, trees and flowers. Various birds inhabit the many trees and are singing their little hearts out. I took many pictures of a huge gum tree with deliciously smelling yellow flowers, hibiscus flowers as big as dinner plates and other exotic plants. Below our suite is Cronulla Bay with its blue water and yellow sandbars, many boats and hills across the bay. What a view. We certainly didn’t expect this. Our suite has large picture windows overlooking the garden and bay below. 

 
After settling in we went up into town and ate dinner at an Italian restaurant which was very good. Home cooked, fresh and hot. While waiting for dinner on the terrace we watched 3 big white cocatoos fighting for territory and swooping down on to the patio of the restaurant. One of them had the audacity to pick one of the little sugar bags out of the container, open it with its beak and devour the sugar in no time. It knew exactly what to take, not the brown sugar, not the Equal but just the snow white stuff... Needless to say I took many photos of those birds entertaining the guests …

Canberra to Mittagong in the Southern Highlands

We had to leave Canberra today to make our way to our next destination, south of Sydney, called Lilli Pilli, where we plan to spend the next 3 days.

On our way there we took the long route through the so-called Southern Highlands, going north of Canberra through mountains and hilly pasture lands. What a different vista it was: Cows, sheep on the meadows into the distance, a few farm houses sprinkled into the picture and narrow winding roads through tiny villages and towns. We just loved it to be far away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities for a while.

We found the “Melrose Motel” in a town called Mittagong where we got an old fashioned  small room taken right out of the fifties. Ate at the local RSL club again because everything else was closed.

Canberra

A fully planned out day in Canberra awaited us. We went straight to the National Museum of Australia to dive into the world of the beginning of this vast continent. All the aboriginal tribes were introduced, and there were many different ones! Apparently it took almost 200 years (from 1788 till 1988) before all indigenous people had even met white people.

We wandered around the very modern museum that offered many exhibitions of various eras, presented in different ways: Pictures, paintings, videos, sculptures and even a revolving movie theatre…

Before heading out to the Botanical Garden we had lunch on the museum’s patio, overlooking Lake Griffin, and working on the computer. Off we went to the Botanical Garden to spend a few educative hours immersed in the Australian plant life. The weather was hot (about 31 degrees), and walking through the Garden with lots of shade and some sunny areas was a perfect balance. We took many photos again, see photo gallery, and had some nice rests on the many benches scattered throughout the Garden.

Later in the afternoon, when the light got better, we went to the Australian Parliament, to be seen from almost anywhere in Canberra. We walked around the very large front area, had a peek inside but decided against a tour when we saw how tourists were scrutinized the same way as at an airport with scanners, shoes off and x-raying of backpacks. We took some pictures of the Australian War Memorial just opposite the Parliament some 2 km down the hill. From afar the road leading up the Memorial looked like a groomed park path of Versailles. We drove there on that very wide avenue leading up to it. The massive architecture of Canberra and its official monuments was indeed very impressive.

We needed a cool-down after this hot sightseeing day and went straight to the very inviting hotel pool. Splashed around for some time until our stomach reminded us of dinner. We went to the same restaurant strip as last night and chose a Korean place to eat the always tasty bimbimbap with authentic Kimchee and homemade honey ginger tea. Delicious!

Tomorrow we will be off into the mountains overnighting once before heading to Lilli Pilli (south of Sydney) where we booked a suite till the 2nd of January.

Wodonga to Canberra

We got up to a beautiful day in Wodonga and had a hearty home made breakfast. After a nice chat with the motel owner who had immigrated to Australia from England years ago we drove off on the Hume Hwy. towards Canberra. Took a few breaks along the way and lunched in a small village called Jugiong in a lovely park with all the amenities you can think of: Swings for the kids, 3 pools, big trees for shade, picnic tables under roofs and well kept washrooms. Families of all ages came out to enjoy the park and eat or walk their doggies, play with the kids. It was quite amazing for us to see how well equipped these public places are even in small communities far away from the large tourist centers. We also observed that All toilets in Australia that we have seen, whether private or public, have 2 flush buttons, one for number 1, the other for # 2… Very environmentally conscious and much more modern than toilets in North America …

After our relaxing lunch break we got back onto the highway, this time the Barton Hwy. that led us directly into Canberra. We found the “Pavilion Hotel” on Northbourne Avenue in a jiffy thanks to “Oscar”, our I-pad GPS! The reception clerk found our internet reservation from the night before without delay and checked us into our room. We freshened up, rested for a bit and marked on the map that we had picked up from the Visitors’ Info Ctre. before, the points we still wanted to see today. Very fast we realized that Canberra can only be seen by using a car or public transit. The distances between points of interest are WAY TOO LONG, impossible to walk from one to the next. Canberra is a very different city than Sydney or Melbourne. There isn’t a distinctive city center but many areas with monumental government buildings or museums etc. They are all connected by 4 to 6 lane highways or ring roads and huge roundabouts. The whole city takes your breath away just by its sheer size, its massive buildings and no people to be seen. They are all in cars or buses, or in the museums or galleries. The city feels a bit disconnected because of that.

We took a first impressions tour through the city and to most of the sightseeing points which were all closed because it was after 5. The civil servants aren’t in town anyway because of the Christmas holiday and won’t be back till next week, Jan. 2nd. Therefore it all felt a bit empty. Nonetheless we saw the parliament (quite pompous), government house, The National Australian Museum and The National Film Museum, The Telstra Tower and the area with all the international embassies.

Since there isn’t a real downtown with restaurants and cafés in one area we consulted “Oscar” for a place to eat dinner. It came up with the “Dicksen” shopping area close to our hotel (not in walking distance though), where we found a kind of strip mall with lots of different restaurants. We decided on an Indian place called Taj Agra where we had superb food like chicken Lahori, naan bread and Raita (mild yoghurt with cucumbers) to cool down the hot spices. That together with the Aussie beer called VB (Victorian Bitter) made for a very satisfying meal.

Back at our hotel we opened a bottle of red wine and made a plan for our in-depth visit of the points of interest tomorrow.

Apollo Bay to Wodonga

We left the Seafarers’ Motel in Apollo Bay this morning around 10 in sunny weather and drove inland away from the coast towards Canberra. It was the mountain road with very different vistas than the coastal route. Rolling hills, trees, sheep, cows as far as one could see. Blue skies and puffy white Cumulus clouds abound that made Sigi nostalgic for soaring… The road was winding as the coastal one but in much better condition. Less bumpy because of less heavy bus traffic!

We made our way first to the freeway M 80 to drive around Melbourne, then on the M 31 (Hume Freeway) towards Canberra. Halfway there (after about 350 km) we decided to overnight in Wodonga that offered several motels. We picked one off the beaten path (Border Gateway Motel) with a nice swimming pool, big room and bath as well as some kitchen amenities. After checking in around 6 we drove into Wodonga for dinner and found a great Thai Restaurant on the main strip that served authentic food in a very nice setting and friendly service. We both ordered the “Volcano Chicken” – mild, mind you – although the name made us wonder… It was excellent. After dinner on the way back to the motel we shopped for some food stuff at the local Safeway. On the way here we had bought some local fruit from a road side vendor already. Tomatoes, figs (as big as baseballs!) and apricots. All in season here and very good!

Back at the motel we checked the status of the Sydney to Hobart Sailing Race that got underway today. (‘Wild Oats’ was front runner out of Sydney Harbour and still is at the moment, ‘Ragamuffin’ second).

Tomorrow will be the last leg to Canberra (about 350 km), and we plan to arrive there in the late afternoon. Have already booked a hotel room in Dicksen (2.5 km from downtown) in the “Pavilion on Northbourne”. Apparently Canberra is quite large and drawn out, even downtown, therefore not very suited for pedestrian exploration. We will know more tomorrow.

Apollo Bay

Merry Christmas!

The sun was shining this Christmas morning, the wind blowing and the waves were crashing onto the beach. The temps were on the cool side (only around 22 degrees), reminding us of cold weather at home…

After breakfast we took a leisurely drive east to the next big city called Lorne to explore, walk and eat lunch there. Great views on the way there, around every serpentine curve of the Great Ocean Road. About 25 big tourist buses were passing us on the opposite lane of the road going west to see the 12 Apostles… We wouldn’t fancy being there TODAY.

Arrived in Lorne around 12.30 pm, just right for lunch. There were any number of restaurants on the main sea promenade but unfortunately most of them closed which was to be expected on Christmas Day. We managed to find an open Turkish Bakery that sold good sandwiches and a strong café latte. Long line-ups though but fast service nonetheless. We ate our lunch outside on the patio with a lovely view of Lorne Bay and many people of different cultures walking by. They all celebrated the holiday at the beach, most of them picnicking with their families.

We decided, after consulting the “Lonely Planet” to drive towards Torquay and the surfing paradise Bells Beach. There they have surfing competitions like the world famous “Ripcurl”. This name, as well as “Quicksilver” is now the well known and popular brand for surf-, skate boarding- and snowboarding apparel sold in many sporting stores around the world.

Bells Beach has all the amenities for watching surfing competitions from wooden platforms built on top of the dunes with a great view out to the ocean. We walked around and took in the magnificent surroundings.

We decided to make our way back to Apollo Bay and enjoy the view from our own patio to the sea, have a glass of champagne before dinner and get on Skype with my sister in Germany later in the evening.

Tomorrow, Boxing Day, will be the day of departure from Apollo Bay in the direction of Canberra.

Apollo Bay, Otway Rainforest

The weather has gotten back to more moderate temperatures of mid twenties. Perfect for our planned outing into the Otway National Park Rainforest which is located between Apollo Bay and the Otway Lighthouse Park.

The ‘Mait Rainforest Park’ as it is officially called is superbly laid out for visitors – there are groomed walkways and boardwalks with sturdy bridges over streams and gorges. All around us were huge ferns in various green shades that looked like big palm trees and even bigger Ash trees, some over 100 m high and 300 years old. It was absolutely breathtaking. The play of light and shade in this thick green jungle was a photographer’s delight. Breathing in the fresh clean air a relief for our lungs.

After our rainforest walk we drove back to Apollo Bay for an al fresco picnic in the town’s park, watching the goings-on all around us: Tourists like ourselves enjoying the beach, wind and waves, kids playing in the park’s playground, inhabitants rushing to shop for last minute Christmas presents.

After dinner we took another long walk on our house beach, taking lots of sunset pictures. We decided to stay here another day and leave for Canberra on Boxing Day.

beach bumming in Apollo Bay…

What a day!!! Everywhere in western, southern and eastern Australia there was a mini heat wave that translated into 40 to 45 degrees (Celsius!) and very high fire danger in many areas. Close to Adelaide there were some bush fires already burning, and they could flare up in the other regions too. Lucky us, still staying in Apollo Bay on the ‘Great Ocean Road’ at the ‘Seafarers’ Motel’ and only suffering mid thirty degrees heat. The breeze off the ocean made it bearable. We decided to stay in for a bit, do computer updates and some housekeeping, i.e. laundry …

Later in the afternoon we decided to go down to ‘our’ beach just below the motel and chill out. Decked out in bathing gear, hat on, SPF 30 suntan lotion on the skin and a shirt draped over the shoulders to be on the safe side (“slip, slap, slop” as the Aussie slogan goes) we went down to the yellow-white beach and the turquoise waves. The sand was so hot you could bake an egg on it – our feet too… We walked along both sides of the beach, feet in the cool water – east and west – until the rocks on either side prevented us from going any further, too many barnacles on them!!! Back to our bay and into the water. Nice and warm but not too bath-tubby. Sigi went in first, I did the watching for any shark fins on the horizon! Then it was my turn. We had a splash and were glad to have taken a slow day, postponing our intended trip to the Rainforest in Otway National Park to tomorrow.

After beach bumming we went into town to shop for dinner at the local Food Mart. Got some salad ingredients, pasta and sauce and a nice balsamic vinaigrette in a bottle. We were already getting a bit tired of eating out every day, therefore the home cooking tonight. Usually breakfast and lunch are homemade anyway, if staying in a motel with the amenities of a kitchenette, but even dinner out can become too much of the same every day. Had a great meal on the patio with a super Australian Shiraz by McWilliams and an even better view! That’s the life! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, everybody is running around like a hen with the head chopped off for last minute preps, and we are COOL!!!

YEAH!!!! 

in Apollo Bay…

Today we took our good ol’ time in the morning to get our mails and blog sorted as well as some house keeping … Around noon we started our day trip back to the Cape Otway Lighthouse Park that was unfortunately closed already when we went there on Thursday. We bought 2 entrance tickets for “international seniors” that are called “concession” tickets here, got a great map and went off to explore the park. The lighthouse was built in 1848 and had the same keeper for 30 years. He had to fire the lights first with whale oil, then kerosene and later with electricity. We climbed the stairs up to the top to enjoy the fabulous view all around. There were many other buildings to walk through, i.e. the lighthouse keeper’s assistants digs, as well as aboriginal huts and an art’s centre. We had an ice cream and a “long black coffee” (that made your heart aflutter) and just enjoyed the scenery, sitting down on benches with a great view over the ocean.

On our way out of the park we couldn’t help but stop in the Eucalyptus grove again and watch the koala bears. This time many were in a fighting mood (must have been over territory, namely keep out of my space, buster!) that made the koalas quite aggressive and very noisy. They have a very loud hoarse grunting voice that echoes all over the forest. Amazing. We got some excellent pictures of the lovely creatures, one in particular, a young one who came down low in the tree to munch on a good supply of leaves. It’s really hard to resist these animals, one could just stay for hours watching them.












On our way back to Apollo Bay we turned into the marina to check out the harbour with its serious fishing vessels as well as a few pleasure boats like big sailing boats fit for this rough ocean. There were 2 huge breakwaters to protect the harbour from large waves.

Back in the village we got some food supplies at the local IGA to make our own supper tonight for a change. First things first though – happy hour on the patio with a nice cold beer, supposedly Australian but made in the USA by the “Hopfen Und Malz Brewing Company” in San José, California, for the Kirkland brand of Costco… Cheers!

Great Ocean Road, 12 Apostles, Koala Bears and a Kangaroo…

We went along the Great Ocean Road from Apollo Bay to Marengo and out into the countryside on narrow winding roads up to the Otway Lighthouse Park. On our way there we had to drive through a forest of Eucalyptus trees, and whom did we encounter there?? You guessed it – koala bears hanging in the tree branches munching away on the leaves or sleeping. What a great sight.

Needless to say, other tourist had spotted the cuties as well, and everybody was taking oodles of pictures of the these lovely creatures. On went to the Lighthouse Park, taking in the flora and fauna of the region and the great view of the sea.

On our way back to the main road a small kangaroo hopped across the street right in front of us. And then took a break on the other side to let us take some pics of him. Thank you!

On we went to the famous “12 Apostles” of whom there are only 7 or 8 left due to the erosion of the sea. They are sandstone formations with various and changing shapes that look like “London Bridge”, an “Arch” or a “Grotto”. We visited them all and took pics along the way. There were helicopter flights available as well to see these yellow-red formations from the sea side as well.

Our trip took us to Port Campbell and Peterborough where we turned around and drove back to Apollo Bay. There we picked up dinner at “George’s” in town and went home to eat and relax on our terrace by the sea.

Adios Melbourne – Great Ocean Road here we come!

After checking out of the Victoria Hotel we left for Costco to stock up on essentials. Yes, there is a Costco in Melbourne. And it’s COOL. They stocked freshly shucked raw oysters and presented them on beds of crushed ice in a cooler. What a sight! Loads of other seafood as well since the Aussies’ traditional Christmas dinner seems to be fish and seafood thrown onto the barbie. It was crowded with pre Christmas shoppers but we found what we needed fast and were most delighted about the good selection of booze in the store. Take that, Canada!!! How we’d like to have that option back home too!!! We picked a few bottles of great Aussie wine and beer and went on our way south and west towards the famous “Great Ocean Road” on the Southern Ocean right across from Antarctica.

Weren’t we just there last year….??? Somehow we found our way out of Melbourne, hit the M1 and drove via Geelong, Anglesea and Lorne towards Apollo Bay. There, right on the ocean we found the “Seafarers’ Motel” and booked a suite with kitchenette and all amenities till Christmas Day. Great view of the sea from our room and fabulous terrace. Friendly helpful owners, everything cool and relaxed, just up our alley…

in Melbourne ...

Sun, blue sky and about 25 degrees – that was the forecast for this day. Off we went in light summer clothes and our good ol’ Tilley hats, sunglasses and sunscreen in the bag. Breakfast on the way to “Federation Square” where we found free wireless net access and e-mailed to our hearts’ content. Federation Square is a hyper modern building with an Art’s Gallery, shops, cafés and an open theatre similar to Robson Square in Vancouver. This is where the action in Melbourne takes place. Whether it’s conventions, performances or demonstrations of all kinds, it’s happening at Federation Square.

After our internet session we made our way to the historical red tram on Russell Street that operates every day for free and is called the “City Circle Tour”. On the way to the tram stop we got caught up in a huge crowd, police control, barriers, helicopters above and a steady line-up of fancily clad people moving towards the main entrance of St. Paul’s Cathedral. It hit us then – we had heard that very morning on the TV news that there would be a memorial service for Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, who had died at 103 a few days earlier. She was the mother of Rupert Murdoch, the infamous newspaper tycoon who got into big trouble in England last year. Needless to say we stayed put with the hordes of media filming, commenting live on air from across the cathedral, watching all the dignitaries arrive etc. The service was broadcast on huge screens outside. Apparently Dame Elisabeth (yes, with an “s” instead of a “z”!!) was a great Australian philanthropist who gave support to many charities in the country, most of all to the Murdoch Children’s Hospital Foundation. She was very revered and loved, therefore all the flags on official buildings were flown on half staff today.


We finally jostled ourselves away from the masses and took to the famous red tram that stops at intervals throughout the city. It went around to the city’s most famous places like the Immigration Museum, Aquarium, Botanical Garden, Harbour Esplanade and the Docklands with its new shopping mall. There we got off and wandered around the harbour to the marina and to the mall for lunch and a spot of shopping. Just as we came out of the mall area we spotted the red shuttle bus that also operates for free and takes you on a bigger tour around Melbourne. We hopped on and off we went, listening to most interesting historical facts and stories told by the lively female bus driver. We loved this tour as much as the tram ride in the morning.

By the time we arrived back downtown it was almost 5 pm. We went to the hotel for a bit of rest and uploading of our pictures. At about 8 pm we went for dinner around the corner and a nice evening stroll through the still busy neighbourhood with many shops and restaurants still open.
Melbourne is a great city with great vibes!! We love it and don’t know which is better, Sydney or Melbourne. It’s a real toss-up. One could easily live here or there, and we might have, were we younger and just starting out. The only disadvantage (?) is the far distance from the rest of the world …

Sigi told me that I might want to pare down my lyrics a bit, so the honourable reader’s attention is not stretched to the limit… I am trying to stick to the most important impressions! 

Wednesday was a day for taking it all in by way of absorbing the sights and sounds of Melbourne. We took the red free tourist shuttle bus around the bigger parameter of the city that went on for almost 2 hours. We got out at the National Victoria Art Gallery and went in to do our e-mails and posting of the blog. Had a spot of lunch at the gallery’s café and went on to Federation Square to do more computer work since the server at NVAG was way too slow. Afterwards we meandered through the city, sat on one of the many park benches and did some people watching, eating our obligatory afternoon icecream.

drive to Melbourne

We drove quite a long distance yesterday and therefore only had about 350 km left till Melbourne. Sigi had booked us on the computer into the “Victoria Hotel” in Melbourne for the next 3 nights on the advice of Wilma, so we didn’t have to worry about accommodation. Again it was a lovely drive with ever changing nature around us. It got flatter and less fertile, rather brown and dry. As we approached Melbourne we realized that we were back in civilization with rush hour and traffic chaos. Wilma already warned us about this. Thanks to “Oscar” our i-pad GPS we got into town alright but just at the last stretch right smack in the middle of the city Oscar gave up it’s ghost and refused to tell us where to go. For him it was always “200 m straight ahead”… Thanks to Sigi’s superior navigation skills (I think I mentioned this before!) we somehow ended up in ‘Little Collins Street” in front of the Victoria Hotel. Phew!! Made it!! Traffic was hell, there were buses and many trams all around, still driving on the left and the police out in droves directing traffic although all lights were in full working order… ???
Got checked into the hotel OK, fine room on the 7th floor smack dab in the middle of Melbourne, all attractions and points of interest just steps away on foot or the free red tourist tram as well as the free red shuttle bus. Do we have free tourist transportation in Vancouver, I wonder? Would be a good idea if it isn’t already in place…

Having been installed in our room and taken a little rest we started walking around our area, down to the water, across various fabulous bridges taking pictures all the way. Found a great outdoor restaurant in Southbank with a view on the Yarra River where we had steak, frites and beer.

Ambled back to the ‘Victoria’ for a nightcap and a very good night’s sleep.

drive from Bateman’s Bay to Lakes Entrance in the state of Victoria

 We got a good start Sun morning from the Comfort Inn to the village for breakfast outside on a patio with view of an inlet, lots of boats and oodles of sunshine.

The drive down the coast towards ‘Lakes Entrance’ was lovely, varied and very impressive nature wise. At times our surroundings looked like the Allgaeu in Bavaria, only much bigger. Rolling green hills as far as the eye took you, fields, streams and a few trees here and there and the omnipresent smell of eucalyptus which was the only reminder that we are actually in Australia. Memory wise it took us right back to northern California…

We arrived at ‘Lakes Entrance’ around 6 pm and found a very comfy motel, called “The Hibiscus” – there were tons of blooming hibiscus hedges in all colours surrounding the motel, hence the very fitting name. We met Wilma, the owner, who was a wealth of knowledge and information as well as very generous re. washing machine and dryer and laundry detergent that she offered me for free. She also advised us where to go for dinner, the RSL around the corner. That’s the ‘Royal Southern Legion” which offered a great assortment of food and drinks.

Back at the motel we did a week’s worth of laundry (an old ‘Fisher and Paykel’ machine was in our apartment). We had a bedroom and a living room with kitchenette. All very practical. Wilma even included free wireless and gave us splendid advice where to stay in Melbourne where we would be headed the next day.

to Bateman’s Bay via Wollongong

Breakfast and check-out at the hotel, on to do some food shopping at the famous Woolworth’s and out of the city in the direction of Wollongong. It wasn’t easy to find the highways and byways but thanks to our GPS and Sigi’s superior navigation skills we got on to the right road and followed the commands. Lots of brush box wood on the side of the road, up the hills and as far as one could see. Here and there we connected with the sea, lovely sandy bays and beaches or rocky cliffs with huge waves. We did a spot of lunch high above the beach with a great view of the ocean and freighters in the distance. Later in the afternoon we arrived at Bateman’s Bay and checked in at the very nice Comfort Inn to a room on a small lake with lots of frogs in it and rolling meadows all around. Dinner was had in the village of Bateman’s Bay where we were able to watch a great sunset.

rental car pick-up, driving on the left…

Today is the day – picking up our rental car. We arrived by taxi around 9.30 at the Budget agency and got our black (!!!) Mitsubishi ASX on the spot. We hadn’t ordered an SUV but the smaller Mitsubishi Lancer. That one wasn’t available, so we were upgraded to the SUV. Better for us – higher seating, better view. That’s especially necessary for driving on the left side of the road. Sigi did a fine job and found the way back to the hotel in no time. He didn’t once stray to the right side of the road. Funny thing in these cars is the reversion of blinker (on the right) and windshield wiper handle (on the left). It took Sigi a few times to indicate the direction correctly on the right instead of using the wiper blades… Now it was on to conference for Sigi. He had to deliver his presentation this afternoon. I planned to  go on the monorail for a bit and see the city.

Around 3:15 Bettina heard roaring and seemingly never ending applause coming from the conference centre of UTS: Aha, Sigi must have just completed his technical presentation! Later this afternoon at around 5 pm our friends from Vancouver who spend the Canadian winter each year in Australia (visiting family and vacationing) will pick us up from the hotel and take us for dinner. Looking forward to it.

Shopping again at Darling Harbour and listening to the early afternoon youth orchestra on the promenade with an ice cream cone was another special treat for me before heading back to the hotel. Sigi came ‘home’ around 4 pm after his presentation and official wrap-up of the conference. We had time for a quick rest and shower before meeting Leigh and Bob downstairs who came to pick us up in their car.

Leigh navigated from the back seat by way of an i-pad GPS and Bob chauffeured us to Rushcutters Bay close to the Speeds’ hotel, and from there we walked through a lovely park down to the marina where the million dollar yachts were moored. Many of them were actually out on the bay sailing the Friday afternoon race. One of the big sail boats moored at the marina was one that will take part in the upcoming Sydney to Hobart regatta. Leigh and Bob took us to the yacht club for dinner on the patio, where we had a delicious meal, beer and a blast with 2 other Aussies at our table who were most entertaining and informative for us northerners We didn’t quite understand everything they said but got the gist of it. All around us were Christmas parties going on or TGIF celebrations. The atmosphere was contagious, and we just enjoyed the pure ‘joie de vivre’ all around us. These Aussies know how to live it up. Good on them, mate…
We got back to the hotel around 9.30 and packed our cases to be ready for tomorrow’s check-out and trip down the coast in the direction of Melbourne.

Sydney Opera House

Today was the big day for me – I had planned a guided tour through the Sydney Opera House while Sigi was at conference. He left early again, I shortly thereafter for a quick bite at “Dendu’s” for breakfast, then on to the # 555 free shuttle bus from Central Station to Circular Quay. I had to walk on foot first down Harris Street to George which turns into Pitt Street then right into Eddy to the bus stop. No problem, I found my way and waited patiently for about 20 min. for our bus. Arriving at the Circular Quay I got a ticket for the 1 hour tour at 11 am and paid the price for an “International Senior” (over 60)… Our guide James handed our group of about 25 people earphones and explained the “ins and outs, do’s and don’ts” of the tour. We all had to park our bag packs in cubby holes and weren’t allowed to take pics inside the various theatres. He made us aware of the roughly 200 stairs we had to climb, in case anybody wanted to bow out… Then the tour began. What a marvellous architectural structure – inside and out. Everything is super modern, Danish in design with light birch wood, steel and concrete. The seats in the theatres were super comfortable but looked hyper modern, being made from light wood and red upholstery. Very ergonomical indeed!! One can imagine sitting in those for hours on end.

James explained the history of the Opera House, mentioned the Danish architect Joern Utzon who won the design competition for the opera in the late fifties, the problems along the way of construction and the millions of budget overruns. In the end, Utzon was released from the contract, he resigned, and a team of Australian architects and engineers finished the project. It took almost 14 years to do this, and in 1973 the Queen officially opened the Sydney Opera House.

I can very well imagine to see Puccini’s “La Bohème” opera or “Swan Lake” ballet in these grand theatres. Unfortunately all is sold out and has been for months.

Back at the hotel I met Sigi – we rested up for the conference banquet at 7 pm. This was a very well organized affair with a champagne reception and a very delicious dinner. Entertainment was given between courses by engineering students who had artistic talents of piano playing and opera singing. Very animated and professional!! We were all delighted by the charming performances! After dinner a competition was held for the location of the next conference in 2014 at either Brisbane, Wollongong or Byron Bay (Southern Cross) Universities. All conference participants had one vote, after each presenter introduced the high academic achievements and particular benefits of their university as well as the superior recreational possibilities of their region. In the end Southern Cross University in Byron Bay won.

Another entertainer, hailing from Hawaii, took to the stage and warmed up the crowd with rock, blues and jazz songs that didn’t keep Sigi and me on our chairs. We got up and danced, very much to the pleasure of the others… I got a lovely fragrant lei from the singer as a small thank you for livening up the show!

It was a great day with many interesting events and fascinating people. We got ‘home’ to the hotel at midnight.

shopping at Paddy’s Market

Sigi’s first full day of conference at UTS. He left around 8 am while I took my good ol’ time to read the “Sydney Morning Herald” from front to back – nothing better to find out what makes the locals tick than to read their local paper.

After a nice breakfast at “Caffetinis” I strolled down to Paddy’s Market to explore the booths and the goods. Found a pair of very light flowing cotton pants and a similar gauzy type of blouse/cover plus a small evening bag. We hadn’t counted on going to the reception and banquet dinner put on by the conference organizers, therefore I didn’t pack anything elegant for myself. Sigi is ALWAYS elegant in his silk/wool suit plus lavender shirt with matching tie….
We met again at the hotel in the late afternoon, Sigi exhausted by the many lectures and discussions, myself tired from the growing heat and shopping at the market. After a good rest and shower we took dinner at the Chinese restaurant beside the hotel where they now know us by now.

We then went on foot back to Darling Harbour, Sigi taking the tripod and camera along for some artistic sundown pictures. It was fascinating to watch all the goings-on along the various harbour promenades, people from all over the world congregating, families with kids and grandparents, eating, laughing, playing, taking pictures or just sitting with a glass of wine…