G’day Mates,
Welcome to Australia the “Land Down Under”, the largest country in Oceania and the sixth largest in the world. It is about the size of the continental U.S. The population of 25 million is highly urbanized and mostly located on the eastern seaboard.
A highly developed country with the world’s 13th largest economy, it ranks tenth in per capita income as evidenced by the astronomical real estate prices in Sydney where the average home price is $850,000!
After traveling 32 days by sea for a total of 10,260 nautical miles we were delighted to start our adventure in Sydney with its population of nearly 6 million, living in an area which extends about 43 miles from the city center. It’s huge . . . and expensive, but boasts the most picturesque harbor in the world, along with notable sites such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, The Royal Botanic Garden and over 2 million acres of national parks.
I can tell you that sailing into Sydney Harbour and passing by the Sydney Opera House and under the Sydney Harbour Bridge was breathtaking. When sailing under the bridge we looked up and saw what looked like ants climbing on the top arch of the Bridge. The next day we would be two of those ants!
The Sydney Harbour Bridge, opened in 1932, is the tallest steel arch bridge 440 feet from the top arch to the water. It accommodates vehicles, rail, bicycles and pedestrians and Wallenda wannabees!
BridgeClimb Sydney is billed as “360˚ of Unforgettable” and so it was. After suiting up with coveralls, safety harnesses, headphones for the narration during the climb and tethers for hats and sunglasses, our group of 11 performed an indoor practice climb including important advice about clipping on to the safety cable.
After our guide was satisfied, we clipped on to the cable, exited the building and began our 1332 step journey to the bridge summit. At that point, we were under the bridge road surface and about 40 feet above the road and park below walking on a catwalk of two 2 x 12 planks. I started to sweat and was happy that I wore nothing but Tommy Johns under my coveralls. The climb up the narrow ladders to the arch itself was nerve wracking, especially for someone who would rather dive at 175 feet below the ocean surface or dive with sharks than climb a step stool!
Our guide was informative and kept the group engaged as we climbed up in the 30 knots of wind and finally reached the summit and enjoyed the view, hoping a strong gust wouldn’t make me plunge the 430 feet to the water below. We did manage to smile for the photo though!
The total experience lasted 3 ½ hours, but we had a great time didn’t we!!
The next day we took the Ferry from Circular Quay (pronounced “Key”) next to the Opera House for the 15 minute ride to the Taronga Park Zoo.
Along the way the scenery of the harbour with the residences bordering it is amazing. Contact your local Sydney real estate agent if you’d like to drop 5 to 50 million on a place to lay your head.
After arriving at the dock we took the Sky Safari, a tram ride to the Zoo entrance, from there it is an easy stroll back down to the waiting ferry after you experience the wonders of the resident animals.
Some of the highlights were the indigenous, Koalas, Kangaroos, Wallabees and, of course, the Platypus. The Zoo is undergoing considerable renovation with new exhibits suggesting that a return visit may be appropriate.
We used the ferry system to return to Barangaroo on Darling Harbour, south of City Center. From there we walked the ½ mile back to our hotel located in the business area and Sydney Town Hall.
Sydney is a very busy city with lots of traffic and hills. Construction of a Center City tram line on George Street which bisects the city will join rail and ferry lines in an attempt to alleviate congestion. The scheduled completion date was 2019, now estimated to be March 2020. Hopefully, it will function as planned.
BLUE MOUNTAINS
The Blue Mountains derive their name form the blue haze created by sunlight at it reflects off of the oil from the vast Eucalyptus Forest. The region borders the Sydney Metropolitan area and was inhabited for millennia by the Aboriginal people. The area encompasses 3,900 square miles and is a tourist mecca for its stunning vistas, rock climbing, mountain biking and hiking.
We woke early for pickup @ 6:50 for the Blue Mountains with Diamond Tours. Tim, our guide, driving a Mercedes Benz Sprinter with only 12 aboard provided insightful information. We benefitted from the fact that he has lived in Sydney for over 30 years and is extremely knowledgeable. He kept us entertained and herded properly for over 10 hours.
After driving about two hours out of the city, our trip took us to several points of interest including Lincoln’s Rock, Echo Point, Scenic World, Cahills Lookout and the Three Sisters near Katoomba. We varied our modes of transportation by using a glass floored Skyway car, a cable car, the world’s steepest inclined railway and our feet. Following that, we had time for lunch in a lovely hotel in the small town Lapstone.
To top it off, we visited the Featherdale Wildlife Park with its collection of indigenous species and the ability to get up close and personal with Koalas and Kanagaroos. Robin spent most of her time feeding her new kangaroo friends.
Ever want to cuddle with a koala? Since they sleep for 20 hours per day, we had to give “Duke” a bit of a nudge to wake him up for this photo.
After a long and incredible day, we took the Ferry back to Banagaroo on Darling Harbour and walked back to our hotel.
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is no doubt one of the most iconic buildings in the world. The construction of this truly unique performing arts center was started in 1959 and completed in 1973. The structure is magnificent and wondered at its features during a comprehensive tour and learned that there actually 5 performance halls.
We had booked the opera performance of “Werther” months ago and after the tour we had dinner at the Opera Restaurant overlooking the Sydney Harbour and the Harbour Bridge where I nearly fell to my death only three days ago!
While dining we were entertained by a number of young Asian females taking selfies in every possible pose for the entire hour. This would be something we would witness during the entire trip in Australia. By some freak of nature we didn’t get impaled by a selfie stick, but it was close. Where in the hell do they send all of those pictures?
Attending an Opera in one the world’s great venues was very special, but you know the story. . . I love her, she married someone else, so I’ll kill myself! Isn’t opera fun!!
New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria
Over the next few days we will criss-cross Eastern Australia travelling from Sydney in New South Wales to Hamilton Island just west of the GRB in Queensland to Melbourne in Victoria and finally through Brisbane the largest city in Queensland on our way back to Tampa. Our travels will have taken us to three of Ausralia’s six states.
Travel to Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays on Virgin Australia, treated to spacious cabin and comfy seats with flight attendants so stunning they would make a grown man weep. I think I have found a new favorite airline!
Part of the Whitsundays and in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef, Hamilton Island is a family-oriented holiday destination. It is known for its pristine beaches and access to the GBR with its variety of coral and marine life.
From the airport our luggage was delivered to our hotel room and arrived before we did. Transportation on island is only by Buggy (golf cart) or the frequent air conditioned shuttles. The weather here was very similar to spring or autumn in Sarasota. 90 degrees and high humidity. . . I can breathe again!
Great Barrier Reef
After enjoying the fabulous view from our balcony we had arranged for a trip on a fast cat to the Great Barrier Reef. The Reef, as you know is the largest barrier reef in the world and is about the size of Japan.
Cruise Whitsundays maintains a Pontoon (barge like structure) moored to the reef about 50 miles to the east on Hardy Reef which is part of the GBR. We took the 300-passenger power Trimaran along with its 26 member crew to the Pontoon for the 1.5 hour trip with orientation along the way. I was scheduled for a two- tank dive. Robin planned on snorkeling.
Well-organized and efficient, the crew managed the 120 guests with ease. Most of the participants were new to diving and/or snorkeling so there was plenty of entertainment!
There was also plenty of excitement to go around as stinger suit clad snorkelers enjoyed their day. The stinger suits are necessary due to the presence of Irukandji. They are a group of jellyfish that can cause potentially serious injury. The stinger suit is a full body lycra suit that includes a hood and gives all the protection that you will likely need. The height of the jellyfish season is November to May. Robin heard this and immediately signed up for the semi-submersible sub to eliminate the possibility of Cnideria attack.
The diving was enjoyable, but not as great as I had hoped; the visibility was only about 30 feet, the reef was devoid of color and about 30% of the coral growth appeared to be dead or dying. I was told that the coral growth is actually improving. Let’s hope so.
The trip back was comfortable on this huge cat with great scenery as we motored through the Whitsunday Islands. The water color and islands can be likened to the Abacos in the Bahamas, but with mountains.
Whitsundays, Whitehaven Beach
The next day we joined Cruise Whitsundays again for a trip to Whitehaven Beach. The 100 passenger, 2 deck Power Cat whisked us to the beach on the largest of the 74 Whitsundays. . . Whitsunday Island, which makes sense. Whitehaven Beach is billed as one of the most beautiful unspoiled beaches in the world. With its white sand and 7 km (4.3 mile) beach it’s easy to see why. Spectacular!
We spend our time walking the National Park Trail and strolling the beach, taking in the magnificent views on a beautiful Queensland morning.
When it was time to return, the Cat had a boarding ramp extending to the beach itself for easy passenger loading and they power-washed your lower extremities of sand to keep the boat interior civilized.
We enjoyed lunch at a sandwich shop near the marina, took the shuttle back to the Reef View Hotel and relaxed by the pool before we prepared for yet another trip on Virgin Australia. Oh, yeah!
Hamilton Island to Melbourne
The amount of luggage we were toting was a concern, but the Hamilton Island staff came to the rescue once again and made the airport check in a breeze. We were again greeting by a beautiful and friendly Virgin Australia staff who managed to have the 737-300 aircraft boarded and ready to go 30 minutes before schedule. Imagine that!
On our arrival at Melbourne, Australia’s second largest city with about 5 million people, we were greeted by a driver who helped us schlepp our belongings to the awaiting MB People-Mover van for our 30 minute trip downtown. We were staying at a hotel in the Theatre District which is in Chinatown. After settling in, we took a stroll around the area and scoped out local options. We took advantage of the free trams and trolleys with their city tours. There are the iconic laneways or alleys with shops and restaurants, tantalizing food and a dynamic arts and entertainment scene. One thing for sure, we won’t go hungry.
The first thing we accomplished early the next morning was to buy theatre Tickets to “Muriel’s Wedding”, a cheeky new Australian musical, based on a popular film of the same name. It was playing in the historic Her Majesty’s Theatre just steps from our hotel. The show was vibrant and fun and we were awed by the magnificent 1700 seat theatre originally built in 1886; it currently exhibits a classy art deco style. A thoroughly enjoyable evening was followed by a short walk to the hotel to prepare for our last tour of the trip, The Great Ocean Road.
The Great Ocean Road
Fred from Oceania Tours arrived at 7:45am and loaded the van with a total of 9 guests. This is one fantastic guide. He also had plenty of bird feed on hand to attract the cockatoos and parrots.
Fred’s narration was non stop and very informative. He arrived in Melbourne as a boy and his Aussie humor was on display along with his bush hat and quick wit.
In addition to the usual great attractions such as the Loch Ard Gorge and Twelve Apostles (there are only 8), Fred sought out locations we would like such as Kangaroo and Koala hangouts so we could get up close and personal.
We had an action packed day topped off by a drive to the Crown Casino on the Yarro river downtown so we could witness the hourly fire show. . . Wow! After a 13 hour tour we had to face final packing for the flights home.
The 6:00 am limo arrived on time and we were off to the airport. As usual the Virgin Australia staff was very helpful in getting our bags check all the way through to LAX so we wouldn’t have to deal with them in Brisbane. All flights were pleasant and on time. The Brisbane to Los Angeles leg was only 12 hours, an hour less than our day with Fred! We left Melbourne on Thursday at 8:00 am and arrived in LA on Thursday at 7:00 am. We picked up the day we lost crossing the International Date Line.
The LAX International Terminal is a horror show. Even with Global Entry I was a victim of White Profiling. I should have worn facial jewelry and sported a neck tattoo if I wanted to be ignored. After pushing two carts full of luggage that would make a Sherpa’s eyes roll, we finally arrived at the domestic departure area. There was no availability in the Sky Lounge so we were forced to wait with the unwashed masses for three hours to board our flight.
Unfortunately, LAX does not have enough seating for the crowds and the bathrooms were backed up like halftime at the Superbowl. The flight, however, was on time and we paid up for better seats so we were delighted to arrive in Tampa after 28 hours, 18 of which was spent in an airline seat.
We spent the limo ride home discussing our travel plans and the return visit to Australia and New Zealand, which is for sure. . . they are amazing countries with wonderful people. Speaking of wonderful, thank you for coming along and we hope that you enjoyed the trip nearly as much as we did. Hope to see you all soon, maybe in the Whitsundays!
Best regards,
Bobby Di
On Day 29 we arrived at the city of Wellington, New Zealand’s culinary and cultural capital. With its population of only 200,000 it is a compact city with a mix of culture, history, nature and cuisine.
We’ll have another three sea days and 1225 nautical miles crossing the Tasman Sea until we arrive at Sydney. When we are about 450 nautical miles east of Australia the Captain announced that due to a medical emergency affecting a crew member, we will arrive in Sydney earlier than planned. He then cruised at the max speed of 20.5 knots which brought us to Sydney a day ahead of schedule.
Our young, affable guide Dustin oriented us about the day planned, which included 4 ½ miles of kayaking on the beautiful Wailea, the only navigable river in all of Hawaii. This was to be followed by a 1 ½ hour hike to the Secret Falls which features many streams to cross and plenty of ankle-deep mud to keep it interesting.
After a leisurely stroll through hotel gardens ,we enjoyed a cocktail and a delicious lunch at Tropics Bar and Grill on Waikiki on a perfect warm, sunny day with a light breeze.
After getting our share of rain on our golf cart outing we sampled another restaurant and were convinced that Green Turtle Club was the place to be. The staff was friendly and efficient and the food excellent. I just started a “Conch Burger Tour” and the contenders will have a tough time measuring up to the one at Turtle Cay.
