Two Sunsets & a Sunrise On The Same Day

March 8, 2016

We woke up early and packed our bags for our departure from Sydney.  Rachel's washing machine was broken and the repair man was coming early to finish the repair with a new part.  Since she had to be at work, we waited for him to finish and then left the apartment.  It took a while to catch a cab, but we were leaving early enough to make sure we caught our flight back to Tucson via San Francisco.  We made it through security with only losing a small pair of cuticle scissors.  They were supposed to have been packed in the checked luggage.  Oops!

Then we had a long hike to our departure gate.  Along the way we went through the duty free shop and it was a good time to get rid of some Australian currency.  Gerry took what we had left and bought a bottle of Eau de Toilette spray.  It was cheaper than what she could have bought it in the US, so it was a win win situation for her.

Then the trek continued to get to our departure gate.  Why is our departure gate always the farthest from the entrance?  Finally, we made it to the gate and sat and waited for the flight home.

Our Qantas plane on the left awaits us.

 

Gerry patiently waiting to board with Sydney in the background.

 We finally departed Australia on time and had a 13 1/2 hour flight ahead of us.  The plane wasn't full and we shared three seats which worked out very well.  Each seat had it's own monitor and we settled in to watch 3 movies to kill time in between the dinner, snack and breakfast they served us.  It was a good flight with a minimum of rough patches so that was great.

We arrived in San Francisco and had a long walk to our next departure gate.  I mean a really long walk, except they had some people movers to help make it easier.  Our United Airlines flight was on a small airplane but once again we lucked out on the weather and we arrived on time in Tucson.  

Our friend Ron K was waiting for us and whisked us back to our motor home very quickly.  Thanks Ron for helping us out.  We crashed and went to bed a little early but didn't sleep very well.  It took us a couple days to get over missing a nights sleep and recovery was slower than when we flew back and forth over the Atlantic Ocean between Africa and the US.  Of course, that was a few years ago.  Age does have a way of creeping up on us.

As the title says, we saw two sunsets and a sunrise on the same day.  We left Australia on the 8th and arrived home about a hour clock time after we left.  Of course we crossed the International Date Line and had to set our watches back to Mountain Standard time.

We had a great time and loved visiting Australia and finally meeting the cousins and seeing a lot of the country.  Sydney was very interesting and the Great Ocean Road was superb.  Thanks to all the family in Australia who made this a super trip for us.  Now to get them to visit the US sometime soon so we can repay them for their hospitality.

That was our one hour day, how was yours?

 

Sydney Opera House & Things

March 7, 2016

We saved the tour of the Sydney Opera house for the last touring day during our 5 week stay in Australia and today was the day.  We caught a bus down to the Circular Quay where the Opera House is located and saw an unusual sight along the way.  Gerry snapped a photo and asked "is that what I think it is?"  At first it was a no and then another photo came in clearer and yes it was.  It was not something you see draped over a 60ft statue everyday.

A little further down the road all these banners appeared on light poles and it became clearer what the previous photo was all about.  It seems we will be missing the celebration later this month.  We wouldn't fit in anyway.

We've rode by Hyde Park a number of times and also walked there and had seen the large rifle shell statues but never had a chance to get a good photo of them.  Gerry managed to snap off a picture and got this photo.  It's a little blurry since we were moving, but you can see the size of the shells.  

The link below explains the meaning of the shells.

Shells statues 

 The trip down there started of badly when we just missed the bus and had to wait 30 minutes for the next one.  While we were waiting a young Australian couple appeared at the bus stop and started chatting with us.  They had just returned from a 6 month work assignment in New York City and were raving about how much they liked it there.  Of course we expressed how much we enjoyed Sydney and compared differences.  They got off the bus before we did and gave us a big wave goodbye.  The Aussies sure are friendly.

The our luck continued to be bad when we missed the tour and had to wait another hour and 15 minutes for the next tour.  We took advantage of that to sit in the Opera Bar and have a few drinks and an appetizer to tide us over.  As usual we had to order the drinks and appetizer at a counter, pay for it and then have it delivered to the table.  Gerry did bring the two beers so that worked out fine.

Gerry with the black/white blouse and white pedal pushers at the Opera Bar

There are a number of tours available and we chose the one hour tour of the beautiful building.  Each person was given a headset so they could hear the tour guide very clearly.  The first thing she said was that there would be around 250 steps on the tour, which wasn't too bad.

She went into great detail about the history of the Opera House, the 39 year old Danish architect, Jørn Utzon.  He designed the building to look like sails since it was on a point in Sydney harbor.  He wasn't an engineer and didn't know how they would actually build the Opera House, but they solved the problems along the way


The actual tour was a little disappointing since we couldn't take pictures of either of the two main concert venues.  We did see the main concert hall but the smaller one was totally off limits due to rehearsals.  

In addition to the main halls, there were three small theaters.  Although we couldn't take photos, we were able to enter one.  The stage was set for a performance including Kate Blanchett.  This particular one was built to accommodate many different situations.  The lower area in front of the stage could be used as an orchestra pit, raised for a larger stage or the backdrop could be turned for rapid scene changes.  We didn't enter the others since they were just regular theaters.  

We did see a number of areas which showed the construction of the building very well.

 

Gerry enjoying the view

The tour guide said that the Australian gov't set up a lottery with the express purpose of paying off the structure and it is debt free.  It is heavily used with concerts, plays and other events.  The Australians are very proud of their Opera House.  They should be since it is a beautiful structure.

I had seen this building a number of times and found it amusing since what I think of a chemist is different from the actual meaning of it.  As best I can tell it is a large pharmacy that sells a number of items.  The small banner below this photo explains it better than I can.   I found the "is this?" letters in small writing a little deceptive since it was so small that you could miss it easily.  I guess it works since they are very popular in Australia and have a large online sales division as well.

 I did pick up another geocache near the Opera House to add to my list of found caches.  This cache was an earth cache where you had to find a plaque with famous authors.  I hope to hit 1500 found caches when we return to Tucson.  Only 13 to go for that mark. 

 

We were worn out after the Opera House tour and all the activity from the last 5 weeks and caught a bus back to Rachel's condo where she had prepared a nice farewell dinner for us.  We sat around and talked for a long time and then finally went to bed.  Very tired, but satisfied with all that we had seen in Australia.  If we could fly there in a reasonable time we would love to return and explore more of the beautiful country.  Maybe after we rest up we can plan another trip.  Maybe!

That was our day, how was yours?

The Rocks, Sydney, Australia

March 6, 2016

We left Patrick and Vivian's home and took the highway into Sydney over the Harbor Bridge.  It is a quite impressive bridge with many lanes of car, truck, train and pedestrian traffic.  It was built at a time when steel girders were used heavily and is massive.

Harbor Bridge

 

Harbor Bridge

We were heading for a section of Sydney called "The Rocks".  The Rocks is one of Sydney’s most historic areas, a favorite of tourists and locals alike. As the oldest area of Sydney, The Rocks features a wonderful mix of past and present. The Russell was one of the first hotels in the rocks and maintains an emphasis on old world charm and personable service to this day.

The Rocks was the first European settlement in Australia, established by Captain Arthur Phillip of England in 1788. Originally settled as a penal colony, convicts were tasked with the job of erecting government buildings and housing for officials. These original buildings were built using hand-made bricks or blocks of local sandstone – hence the name “The Rocks.”

The Russell Hotel

 The Russell Hotel has been restored and is still in use today.  We didn't have time to visit it, but were impressed by how nice it looked.

 We snapped this shot of the Copenhagen building as we drove by.

1841

The Lord is Sydney’s oldest continually licensed hotel still trading within its original fabric.

On 29th June 1831 a man named Richard Phillips obtained a liquor license for the Shipwright Arms on the north-east corner of Kent and Argyle streets. The next year, because of the support of the seafarers and the workers on Observatory Hill, he changed the name to The Sailor's Return. In 1838 Phillips sold to a plasterer, William Wells, who lived on the opposite corner in a two - story colonial home he built in 1836 using sandstone blocks quarried from the area at the base of Observatory Hill. Wells continued to operate the pub opposite his home firstly as the Sailors Return, and in 1840 as the Quarryman's Arms.

In 1841 he sold The Quarrymans Arms and on 1st May 1841 he obtained a liquor licence for his home, which he had been slowly converting to a Hotel since March 1840. He called the hotel The Lord Nelson. The Wells family operated the pub for the next 30 years and the property stayed in family ownership for a further 18.
A photograph of the hotel taken in 1852, during the tenure of the Wells family, was used to complete a restoration of the building to its former grandeur in 1986. 

The Brewery was then added (including the addition of the word Brewery to the façade) and a significant upgrade to the Accommodation was undertaken in the 1990’s, giving us the pub as it is today.

Old Bottle in the Brewery

 We had a nice farewell dinner at the Kepos Kitchen right across the street from Rachel's apartment. It was the place where we had breakfast the first morning we arrived in Sydney.

Patrick, Vivian, Lara and Rachel joined Gerry and me for the farewell dinner.  It was a beautiful day and we sat out side enjoying the great weather.  It is a BYOB place and we brought two nice wines to enjoy with the meal.

After dinner everyone except Rachel left and we went back to her apartment.  She had a busy day planned for Monday and so did we, so it was an early to bed night.  We were tired from all the traveling and the early night was welcome.

That was our day, how was yours?

Canberra, Capital Territory, Australia

March 4, 2016

Canberra is Australia’s capital, inland from the country's southeast coast. Surrounded by forest, farmland and nature reserves, it earns its nickname, the "Bush Capital.” The city's focal point is Lake Burley Griffin, filled with sailboats and kayaks. On the lake shore is the massive, strikingly modern Parliament House, as well as museums including the National Gallery, known for its indigenous art collections.

We started off the day by visiting the Australian War Memorials.  They are located on a beautiful, serene setting and there are a number of memorials to Australians who served in their armed forces.  There are too many memorials to list on this blog, but I found a few of them more interesting than others.

Twenty-two years old, English-born and a trade union activist, John Simpson Kirkpatrick was an unlikely figure to become a national hero. Having deserted from the merchant navy in 1910, he tramped around Australia and worked in a variety of jobs. He enlisted in the AIF, expecting this would give him the chance to get back to England; instead, Private Simpson found himself at ANZAC Cove on 25 April 1915, and was killed less than four weeks later.
Simpson would not have made a good peacetime soldier, and he was recklessly independent in war. Instructed to recover and help the wounded he undertook this work enthusiastically. Famously, he used a small donkey to carry men down from the front line, often exposing himself to fire. The bravery of this "man with the donkey" soon became the most prominent symbol of Australian courage and tenacity on Gallipoli.

John Simpson and his donkey

Photo taken from the tomb of the unknown soldier looking down the ANZAC parade grounds.  In the background are the Old Parliament Bldgs and New Parliament Bldgs.   ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.  

Eternal flame in the reflecting pond in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The engraving on the tomb, pictured below, reads "He is all of them and he is one of us."  The whole area was very impressive and very solemn.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Beautiful dome above the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

One of four sections of stained glass windows in Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Panorama of Canberra

Australian National Museum

We wanted to see the new Parliament Buildings and went there after spending well over an hour at the War Memorials.  The Parliament building has roads circling it and it was confusing where to park.  Finally we noticed an underground parking lot and pulled in there and found an open space.

Mike at the Parliament House

Federal Parliament meetings were first held in Melbourne until 1927. Between 1927 and 1988, the Parliament of Australia met in the Provisional Parliament House, which is now known as "Old Parliament House". Construction of Australia's permanent Parliament House was delayed while its location was debated. Construction of the new building began in 1981. The principal design of the structure is based on the shape of two boomerangs and is topped by a 266 ft flagpole.
Parliament House contains 4,700 rooms, and many areas are open to the public. The main foyer contains a marble staircase and leads to the Great Hall, which has a large tapestry on display. The House of Representatives chamber is decorated green, while the Senate chamber has a red color scheme. Between the two chambers is the Members' Hall, which has a water feature and is not open to the public. The Ministerial Wing houses the office of the prime minister and other ministers.

Senate Chamber

House of Representatives

We visited the various rooms/chambers of Parliament and were very impressed with the design and grandeur.  We had to pass through a security check that was very thorough before we could enter the grand hall.  Once through that a docent approached us and offered some advice on what to see and what was open.

After 1 1/2 hours of touring the buildings we decided to hit the road for the long drive back to Sydney.  Mike and I sat on a bench while Gerry checked out the gift shop and she exited the area. We were near the entrance, but she couldn't go back that way.  She had to go to the main entrance and back through the security check so she could get to where we were sitting.  I think she had her eye on one of the young security agents, but she denies it.

The road back was very good and we made excellent time getting back to the Liverpool area where Mike lives.  He took us to the Australian Bowling Club for a fish dinner and a couple drinks.  After dinner Mike took us back to Patrick & Vivian's house for the weekend.  

Mike said we drove about 1100 miles and we saw a lot of Australia that an average tourist would never see.  He was a great tour guide and filled us in on the history of each area we traveled to.  Great job Mike.

It was an early to bed night for us since we had more things on tap for Saturday morning.  That was our day, how was yours?

Jindabyne to Canberra

We were up early again and went down to a full breakfast provided by the hotel.  Everything was good except for the eggs which were mushy.  I think they were powdered eggs that weren't mixed properly.  There was more than enough food so not having the eggs wasn't important.

There was a geocache near the Lake Jindabyne so we headed over to find it.  I don't think Mike understood why we were looking for the caches, but was more than willing to drive us there.  This cache was up a steep hill in a large pine tree and was an easy find.  Gerry took my picture through all the pine branches.

The lake was very pretty and looked to be well used by fishermen and sailboat enthusiasts.  The water was crystal clear.   

We stopped by the visitor center which was very well done.  It had a diorama of the Snowy River and surrounding mountains, along with a nice gift shop.

This old wagon was parked along side of the road advertising a local attraction.  It was quite unusual to say the least.

While Mike worked on the Snowy River project, his wife Angela worked in a hospital in Cooma.  He visited her on his days off and finally when his commitment was over, they moved to the Sydney area.   

They had nice plaques around a park with scenes of the different aspects of the building of the project.  There were flags from the nations of the workers also behind the plaques. 

 Mike was eager to get to Canberra so we basically stopped for a few minutes and continued on with our journey.  It was a good road and we made great time getting there.

It was just after lunch when we checked into our hotel and decided to go out for lunch.  The hotel clerk said there were restaurants about 5 minutes away and she vastly over rated our ability to walk it that fast in the heat and humidity.  It was more like a grueling 25-30 minute walk and it wore us out, especially me.

On the way back we passed by this bus parked in the park.  I'm not sure what the message was, but it looked like it had been there for a while.

We went back to our rooms and took it easy for a couple hours and then had a late dinner in the hotel.  After that we went back to the room and crashed.  Gerry and Mike did watch "Pretty Woman" and I worked on some photos and finally went to bed.

It was mainly a driving day without a lot of sightseeing other than the countryside we drove through.  That was our day, how was yours?

Tumut to Jindabyne viaTumbarumba, Cabramurra, Adaminaby & Berridale

March 2, 2016

The Elms Motel served breakfast in your room if you ordered it the night before.  Not knowing of any breakfast places in the area we decided to take advantage of this service.  $$  It was one of the better breakfasts we had while on the road and was worth it.

Shortly after breakfast we began the drive to Jindabyne via the Kosciuszko National Park.  Almost all of the Snowy Mountains Scheme is located within the boundaries of the Kosciuszko Nat'l Park.  The park covers more than 1,700,000 acres and encompasses Mt. Kosciuszko, the highest mountain in Australia at 7,310ft. Kosciuszko's alpine and sub-alpine areas contain plant species found nowhere else in the world.

The Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme is an integrated water and hydro-electric power facility located in Australia's southern Alps.  The Snowy Scheme has the additional distinction of being one of the most complex, multi-purpose, multi-reservoir schemes ever built.

Physical work began on the Scheme in 1949 and was completed in 1974.  Seven major power stations (two underground), 16 major dams, 50 miles of aqueducts, 90 miles of tunnels, a large pumping station were completed in all and now the Snowy Scheme has a generating capacity of around 3800 megawatts.

There were more than 100,000 workers on the project and 122 lost their lives in the dangerous job.  US, French and Australian companies worked together utilizing migrant workers from Europe.  The workers became "New Australians" once they completed their contract.  Gerry's cousin Mike was one of these workers.

We drove through large apple, peach and pear orchards along the way.  They also grow many vegetables, berries and other fruits.

 The sun is relentless and most of the orchards were covered with a white mesh.  It must be a tough job to cover the trees and maintain the mesh during the growing season.

 After driving a couple hours we decided to stop for lunch.  Well, actually lunch that day was a couple delicious Australian beers for Mike and me while Gerry behaved and had a coke.  Mike used to stop here when he worked on the Snowy project and said the bar was much the same but the place was much nicer now.

 On the way back to the car Gerry noticed an ice cream parlor and decided she needed an ice cream cone to carry her to the next stop.  It was full of bears hanging from the ceiling, walls and all over the place.  Plus, the ice cream was very good.

 We took the back road through the mountain and what a drive it was.  We were going up hill or down hill and around curves for about 45 minutes on a narrow road.  It was tree lined and difficult to see anything except in a few places.  Gerry saw these birds resting on the concrete and snapped off a photo.  The birds looked like cormorants drying off after a busy fishing day.

 Eventually, we arrived at Cabramurra which is at an altitude of 4900 ft.  It is the home to a number of Snowy Hydro workers and their families.  There is a general store, small cafe and community center for the workers.

 Mike enjoyed the view from the overlook of Cabramurra.  We were surprised to see so many dead trees in the mountain around this area.

 The plaque below shows the direction and kilometers to different cities and places in Australia.  At the time Australia used miles as their unit of measure so the plaque shows it's 220 miles to Sydney.

We continued our drive heading through Adaminaby and Berridale arriving at a T intersection with Jindabyne to the right.

We drove along this nice stream for a while and marveled how green it was here and just a few feet away the landscape was all brown.

 We arrived at the Banjo Patterson Inn and checked in for the night.  A trip to their nice bar was in order and Gerry was surprised to see a Canadian Club and ginger ale pump on the bar.  CC is her favorite drink and she said it was very good.  I wonder why this isn't more popular in the US.

 We went down to the dining room for dinner and they had a Wednesday special of flank steak, potatoes, salad and a glass of wine for $15 US.  It was very good and more than enough food for us.  

By this time it was sunset and we enjoyed the view over the lake.  Our room had a small balcony where we could sit and watch the sunset and the people coming off the lake after their outing for the day.  The drive was very tiring for Mike and he was ready to hit the hay for the night.  We were right behind him.

That was our day, how was yours?