Australia - 2007


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Australia - 2007

Day 1, Saturday: We Depart
The family truckster departed Rockport as planned at 11:30am for a stormy drive over to Houston. After one last Tex-Mex fix at Pappasitos, we boarded our flight from Houston to Los Angeles. Normally, the three hour flight in to LA would seem pretty long but, knowing what flight lay ahead, we barely took the time to recline our seat. After a four-hour layover at LAX, we boarded our Qantas flight for the long ride down under.


(Twelve) bags packed...ready to go.	Anxious to see how Aussies really eat, we stop at at an authentic Australian restaurant in Houston	Settling in for a 16-hour ride

Quote of the Day: "Beth, you were fun to travel with when you were about ten. But before that, and now, you're a pain in the ass."

Day 2, Sunday: Somewhere over the South Pacific
That International Dateline thing conspired with Ambien and a 16-hour flight with the sun to rob us of this day.

Day 3, Monday: Sydney
Our flight to Sydney was almost two hours late, which was actually a good thing since all of the earlier flights were diverted into Brisbane due to weather. We smuggled our contraband snacks through customs, hopped a bootleg cab into Sydney and finally, 32 hours and 27 minutes after leaving Rockport, we arrived at the Shangri-la hotel. Wisely avoiding the lure of the comfy beds in our hotel rooms, the four weary travelers headed out into Sydney to stay busy (and awake). A fantastic ferry ride (by the Opera House and under the Harbor Bridge) took us to Darling Harbor. There, we lunched on the requisite fish and chips, did some shopping, and toured the Sydney Aquarium (where we added a couple dozen creatures to our list of things to fear about while diving on the Great Barrier Reef next week). After a quick dinner at a pizza joint in The Rocks area of town, the Petersons turned in.


Preparing to land in Sydney	On the ferry in Sydney Harbor	Darling Harbor	See that one there? He'll swallow you whole.	Good advice on the Sydney Harbor Ferry	Will validates the "southern hemisphere reverse flush rotation" theory

Day 4, Tuesday: Sydney
A rainy downtown Sydney at rush hour probably isn't the ideal place to become reacquainted with driving on the "wrong" side of the road, but we rented our car anyway and headed for the Blue Mountains. After a "rooster roll" at the always delicious Red Rooster for lunch, we stopped at Featherdale Wildlife Park. The rain kept the crowds away, so we had over three dozen kangaroos, and almost that many koalas, to ourselves. We eventually were able to pry Elizabeth away from the koalas, and we headed further west to Katoomba and the Blue Mountains. It was a cold, windy 9 degrees up there, and even though that was 9 degrees celsius, it was plenty cold for us Texans in the middle of summer. We checked out the "Three Sisters" and rode on the "steepest ride in the world" at Scenic World. There are only 6 hours of daylight in Sydney this time of year, so our drive back into downtown was in the rainy darkness. Somehow, we found our way to the Hertz office to return our car, had dinner at the Quayside Brasserie in the shadow of the Opera House and, realizing that our 12-hour sleep last night didn't quite wipe out our jet lag, turned in early.


This koala tries to make an escape	Elizabeth and Will make friends with the koalas		Quick - take the picture before they realize we don't have any food!	No Elizabeth, you can't take him home	Will and some enormous bird-type creature


With the "Three Sisters" in the Blue Mountains

Quote of the Day: "Hey Dad, is that your hubcap?"

Day 5, Wednesday: Sydney
It didn't rain today in Sydney, but it was plenty cool and windy. We started the day with breakfast at Pancakes on the Rocks. Then, we hopped the ferry down to Darling Harbor where Will visited the Australian Maritime Museum, Elizabeth did some shopping, and the two bigger kids went to Star Casino. The good thing about gambling in Australia: when you lose a dollar, it is only about 85 American cents. We hiked over to the Sydney Fish Market for lunch where we had some great sashimi that - believe it or not - Will actually enjoyed. A monorail ride deposited us in downtown Sydney for some more shopping. We enjoyed the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Opera House this evening, and then had dinner at Waterfront - good food, but lousy service from Salim Dion.


Another ferry ride past the Opera House	Having some sashimi at the Sydney Fish Market	At the Opera House

Day 6, Monday: Sydney
Our last day in Sydney started with a stroll through Paddy's Market, where something like a thousand vendors were selling their mostly junky wares. We lunched on meat pies & mash from the famous Harry's Cafe de Wheels in the Haymarket area. After a little more shopping on our way uptown, we headed off for the Sydney BridgeClimb. After donning enough gear for extended space travel (jumpsuit, slicker pants, two jackets, two hats, gloves, hankie, harnesses light, radio - all attached to our bodies), we headed up for a fantastic 3-hour journey. It was cold, windy and rainy, but that added to the fun and we had a great time surveying Sydney at twilight from the top of the bridge. After dinner at a tiny Italian place in the Rocks, we headed back to the Shangri-La to pack up for our ridiculously early flight out of Sydney in the morning.


On the monorail, heading down to Paddy's Market	Doing a little shopping in the Strand Arcade	Obviously, someone didn't read the sign	Elizabeth bolts across the street after making a phone call	There we go up the bridge (actually, that's four other people, but that's pretty much what we must have looked like)	Climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge!


Sydney at night - from the top of the bridge

Day 7, Friday: Ayers Rock
The wakeup call came at a painful 3:45am, but we consoled ourselves with the fact it was actually about noon in Texas. It seems like it shouldn't take so long to travel halfway across an island, but an hour flight to Melbourne, another three-hour flight to Alice Springs, and then a five-hour drive to Ayers Rock (aka Uluru) took most of the day. At least the weather was spectacular: deep blue, cloudless skies, and dry, warm, clean air. We found the Outback to be all we had heard - endless, red, beautiful nothingness. We finally arrived at The Lost Camel Resort about 4:45pm, just in time to get ready for the "Sounds of Silence" dinner at 5:20. At the Sounds of Silence dinner, we watched the sunset on Ayers Rock over cocktails, and then enjoyed a long dinner including kangaroo, alligator, barramundi, and some other Outback tucker. With no TVs or other modern conveniences at The Lost Camel to distract us, and after a long day of travel across the Outback, sleep came easy to the four Yanks.


Yep, Elizabeth is in there somewhere	Will, Elizabeth and Miranda heading on the way to Melbourne		Welcome to Alice Springs!	Scenes from driving through the Outback	Bill and Elizabeth re-enact a Aboriginal ritual near Mount Conner


At Ayers Rock	Darkness falls on the bush	Mmmm...that's good kangaroo

Quote of the Day: "Hey Dad - why didn't we just take that nonstop to Alice Springs at 9:55am... or the one to Ayers Rock?" (Response: "Shut up, Will.")

Day 8, Saturday: Ayers Rock and Alice Springs
The only thing worth doing in Yulara is seeing Ayers Rock (and perhaps the Olgas rocks) but, as we learned, that's plenty. Yes, Ayers Rock is pretty to look at (as we saw from the air on our helicopter ride this morning). But you really must get on the rock to appreciate it. After our helicopter ride, we had lunch at the resort (by the way, the word "resort" is used rather loosely in Australia), and then headed off to the rock to go for a closer look and to climb to the top. Crikey - that thing is much bigger and steeper than it looks. After a couple of hours, we made it to the top and enjoyed the fantastic weather & views. We scampered down in about a half hour, tended to our blisters, visited the Aboriginal Cultural Center, and then started on the 450km jaunt back for Alice Springs. Dinner was at Bojangles in downtown Alice Springs, and then we turned in early to get ready for our 4:30am wakeup call tomorrow

Ready for takeoff	Flying over Ayers Rock	The Olgas from the air	At Ayers Rock	Taking a break during the climb	Will and Greta make a push for the top


Watching the sun set on a great day!

Day 9, Sunday: Alice Springs and Cairns
The balloon people picked us up at 5:00am and we headed out in to the bush. After testing the wind direction a couple of times, our pilot Franz picked a launch spot and inflated the balloon. It was about freezing when we took off, but the sun rose on this beautiful day and we really enjoyed our balloon trip over the outback. Most of the trip was at only 50-100 feet above the ground, and we spotted plenty of wild kangaroos bouncing across the red dirt. After a minor crash landing, we had breakfast of buttered raw toast, chicken (?), quiche, fruit, cheese, cake, and plenty of champagne drinks. After a little shopping at the Sunday bazaar in downtown Alice Springs and a quick stop at the camel farm, we headed to the airport for our 2:25pm flight to Cairns. Like all of our Qantas flights, we were right on time and everything was smooth. We strolled around downtown Cairns during the evening, had some dinner, and turned in for the big days that were to follow.


Airing up the balloon	Ready to go!	The other balloon that flew with us	Floating over the Outback	Elizabeth is digging this ballooning thing	A little more hot air


A beautiful morning in the Outback	Three of the many kangaroos that we saw	Crash!	It's unanimous: the most fun of the trip (so far!)	Will leaves a message to future ballooners in the Outback	Question: will 12 pieces of luggage fit in one rental car? Answer: just barely


Elizabeth makes a new friend	A tired bloke at the Alice Springs airport	The view from our hotel rooms in Cairns

Quotes of the day: "We're going down!", and "Man, Will sure is putting away that guava."

Day 10, Monday: The Great Barrier Reef
After a relaxing morning in Cairns and a breakfast including vegemite, we boarded the Spirit of Freedom and sailed out at noon. While sailing, our cruise director Shep provided a briefing of the trip and the 11 dives that were planned. In the afternoon, a couple of hours out, we anchored up at Norman reef for our first two dives. This area is heavily visited by day trippers, so the visibility was only 50 feet or so, but we had a couple of nice dives (including the last dive, which ended in total darkness). The Spirit of Freedom crew warned us that all we will do on this voyage is eat, sleep and dive, and they were not kidding - right after dinner, we hit the bunk beds to rest up for our five dives tomorrow.


One last phone call before we head out to sea	The sun sets on the Coral Sea Dive buddies	Will and Bill get rescued after the current didn't cooperate

Day 11, Tuesday: The Great Barrier Reef
After cruising all night, we arrived at Cod Hole and, after our early breakfast, we giant stepped in for our first dive at 7:15am. Visibility was 100 feet or greater, and we had a fantastic dive with the giant Potato Cod and beautiful coral. At our second "breaky", we noted how all nine of the crew members about the Spirit pitch in - we even saw the captain drying dishes. We descended into Cod Hole again, where we fed the giant Potato Cod, saw some giant claims, and scores of other wonderful critters. We then motored over to the Two Towers Reef for a fantastic wall dive, where we swam with sea snakes and several playful 18' Minke Whales. Later in the day, we dove at Challenger Bay - both an afternoon and night dive - and swam with Lion Fish, White Tip Sharks, Moray Eels, and endless beautiful coral. Five dives in one day - whew!


The "DIVE TIME!" command comes at 6:45am	Shep's briefing on the Cod Hole dive	There goes Elizabeth	Descending down the mooring line	Will lays out the plan	Greta, Elizabeth and Will head for the depths


Elizabeth, Will and Greta meet some giant Potato Cod			Some of the many large schools of fish that we swam with


Will chases a sea snake (which, as we found out later, is the most poisonous snake on the planet)	Yes, Elizabeth, you do look cool	Uh...Greta... those are barracudas, you know?	Minke whales!


These fish were waiting for us under the Spirit of Freedom	Will heads back up the ladder	On the lookout for more Minke whales	The sun sets over Challenger Bay	Ready for a night dive on Challenger Bay	There they go...into the abyss And


Elizabeth emerges from the night dive

Day 12. Wednesday: The Great Barrier Reef
We motored over to Pixie's Pinnacle overnight, and that was the location of our first dive. We started at about 100' depth and worked our way around this nice little site, observing huge schools of fish, a few Minke whales, and one lone reef shark. Then, it was over to Two Towers again, followed by Rob's Rock and the Snake Pit (and yes, there were lots of sea snakes there). After 11 dives it was time to turn in our scuba gear, enjoy a BBQ dinner on deck with our new dive buddies and the crew, and pack up for our departure tomorrow.


Ready for more diving!	Elizabeth takes the plunge	And there goes Will	OK, see you back on the boat	Elizabeth checks her depth...	,,,and cruises around the reef


Greta glides around some coral	Some of the cool creatures we saw...	...and more...	...and more...	...and more...	...and more...


...and more	Beth...don't look now, but there is an 18-foot whale right behind you	Will, we paid good money for that regulator - use it!	Bill heads down into the Snake Pit...	...where Will toyed with many sea snakes	Will snaps a picture of a bubble trapped in the coral


The dive deck of the Spirit of Freedom - always a welcome sight at the end of a long dive	The sun sets on the Spirit of Freedom

Day 13, Thursday: Lizard Island and Cairns
We awoke at 6:30am for a quick breakfast & some goodbyes to the crew, then we tendered over to Lizard Island. We hiked around Lizard Island for a couple of hours, killing time, until about 10:00 when we strapped on our life jackets and caught our 60-minute flight back to Cairns. We just spent the day relaxing in Cairns, shopping at the Night Market, having dinner at a pub near the hotel, and packing up for the long day of travel tomorrow.


The passengers and crew of the Spirit of Freedom	The crew of the Spirit of Freedom	One last look at the Spirit of Freedom as we tender into Lizard Island	Will checks out Lizard Island	Flying at 700 feet over the Great Barrier Reef	We made it!

Day 14, Friday: Heading Home
We woke up at 3:45am to catch our 5:45am flight from Cairns to Sydney and, after a quick layover in Sydney, we boarded our 13-hour flight to LAX and we saw our second sunrise of this day. Weather in Houston delayed our departure from LAX and extended our layover to 8 hours. Finally, we boarded our Continental flight to Houston and after the requisite stop at Pappasitos (note to Australia visitors - they don't have good Tex-Mex down under) and made the drive back to Rockport. Add to the trip an extra hour for re-routing due to flooding in South Texas, and the trip from the Shangri-la hotel in Cairns to Rockport took us 36 hours and 1 minute. One long day.
* * *
We loved Australia. The Australian creatures are terrific - lots of fish & critters that are found no where else in the world. The Australian terrain is wonderful - beautiful beaches, reefs, mountains, harbors, and deserts. The weather (at least during their winter) is very comfortable. Of course, there is no language barrier. The food...well, we weren't too impressed. But the Australian people are great: laid back and with a zest for life, but also very conscientious. And, almost without exception, they were polite and accommodating towards us. G-day, Australia. We hope to see you again soon.