Monday 10th March

Thank you for the e-mails we’ve picked up since we got here. It’s great. We have free internet access for as long as we like – another reason for staying the extra night and catching up on the blog and mails. We also have breakfast included, which is quite unusual, but very good – plenty of cereals, juice and toast and tea and coffee, so we started off the day well. They also do the laundry for $5, so we left a bagful and it’ll all be done when we get back this evening.

First off, we went to the Billabong Koala and Wildlife Park on the way to Wauchope, west of Port Macquarie. We got to stroke a koala! They’re lovely. Very dense fur, more so on the male than the female we’re told – the female feels more like sheep’s wool. The other koalas were eating or sleeping, but the one on display was obviously more used to being petted and just looked bored by the whole thing. Then we went on to walk in the kangaroo and wallaby enclosure and stroke some of them too – no keeper here, and there were about 6 animals loose. One had a joey in her pouch but he/she wouldn’t poke its head out – we only got to see an ear, a foot and a bit of a tail! There were other kangaroos in pens around the enclosure, some albino ones too – all of whom were being treated for some ailment or other. It was at this point that I couldn’t resist falling into the arms of a handsome Australian chap. They had a reptile house and I plucked up the courage to go inside! Those of you who know me well, will realise what a feat that was. I am terrified of snakes and even sit with a cushion in front of me when they come on the TV – I know, that won’t save me from them, but it’s a self-preservation thing. Apart from turtles, a small crocodile, and some lizards, there were Inland Taipans (the most deadly snake in Australia), Coastal Taipans (second most deadly), some kind of adder (third) and another poisonous one – I’d reached my limit by then, as well as 3 or 4 pythons of varying types – I don’t mind them quite as much as they’re bigger and don’t move so quickly. Wasn’t I brave?

After that pulse accelerating experience, we got back in the car and drove to Timbertown another few kms further west. It was originally a logging camp but has been recreated as a visitor attraction to show how the loggers lived and worked. It is very authentic as all the buildings have been built with old timbers, and original items have been donated from families whose ancestors were involved in the logging business. It’s an 87acre site and has over a km of narrow gauge railway line running round it with a little steam train that runs every hour. We also sat through a bullock team demonstration – 8 bullocks pulling a load of 3 tons, which in their terms is not a lot so to add a touch of realism, the brakes are kept on the cart. The bullocky (driver), Craig Lockwood, was a really interesting speaker and told us about the animals – they all have names and different personalities, so have their correct places on the team, and all about how they were used, and are still used in places like Tasmania, to extract timber from the forests. When you stand next to one of these huge beasts, it makes you realise how puny we are in the scheme of things.

It was time then to make a quick dash back to Port Macquarie to the Koala hospital to see more koalas, but we just missed seeing them being fed and in fact only saw one on his branch so that was a bit disappointing, but at least we got to stroke one earlier. Tom drove us down into town for drinks and a snack (the perceptive among you will have noticed that we didn’t stop for coffee and stickies today – we’d had a good breakfast and just bought bottles during our travels) as we were starving, after which we found a hairdresser and Tom had a haircut. Mine needs doing too, so I shall have to find a salon in the next few days.
On the way back to the motel we stopped at a sewing shop, but it was closing so I couldn’t buy anything – boo, hoo! Still, there’s always tomorrow………..Dinner this evening was Chinese just a quick walk down the road and there was so much, we have enough left for dinner tomorrow night as well. So now it’s time for bed. I’ve caught up with all the blogs now so Tom can’t nag me any more – but he will anyway – so I can go to bed with a clear conscience.

Goodnight all once again.

Sunday 9th March

Another lovely morning dawned, and we were on our way to Port Macquarie – but first we had to attend the Oyster and Wood Festival. We’d said we would (!!) and we didn’t want to let anyone down! Before we left the motel, we asked the owner what bird had woken me up early in the morning – it was singing a very tuneful melody. Turns out it was a magpie. I’m sure it can’t be the same as our UK magpies – do they sing nicely? Do any of you know? To prove it was, he called this pair of birds down to take food from him. He said the birds come every morning early, then again about 10.30am when it’s coffee time as they know there’ll be food for them. They looked larger than our magpies and have more white markings on their feathers. Because of all the rain of the night before, the festival ground was a quagmire and although lots of sawdust from all the logs that had been chopped the previous day had been laid on the boggiest bits, it was still a bit spongy. I met a lady who emigrated from Islington in 1961 and had never been back to England since. She asked lots of questions about “home” so still considers it as such even though she now holds Australian citizenship.

There were a few stalls around selling the same sort of things you get at our village fairs – I picked up some little gifts for home, then we stopped for about 45 minutes to watch some of the wood chopping. Some of these men went through these 18” diameter eucalypt logs like we’d cut a slice of bread – and in about the same time too. One was giving away a 76 second advantage, and STILL beat all his opponents. Watching them standing on the logs and chopping between their feet was almost more than I could bear – one slip and you’d lose half your foot or even worse. We would have liked to stay and watch the tree felling but that wasn’t on until 12 noon (or thereabout). We couldn’t stay around to watch the oyster opening competition either – the excitement would have been overwhelming!!

So off we set, onwards and upwards - well on the map anyway – and we decided to go on the coast road not the Pacific Highway. We’re suckers for punishment! Once committed to this road, that’s it – there’s no going back, unless you do go back of course. And it gets bumpier and lumpier with every passing kilometre – and there are lots of them before you can get off again! We bumped our way through Bungwahl, round Smiths Lake, past one of the largest caravan parks we’ve ever seen, through the Pacific Palms regeneration project and through Booti Booti National Park eventually reaching Forster and Tuncurry. These are really one sprawling town divided by the narrow inlet from the Tasman Sea into Wallis Lake. By now, thoroughly tired of the bumpy roads, we saw from the map that we could cut inland a little further north back onto the Highway and continue on (hopefully) a better road. We almost missed the turning – yet another failing of Oz roads is the poor signposting – or perhaps we’re just too picky!

Anyway, we had no further problems and came off the Highway for the last lap of today’s journey to Port Macquarie, as its name suggests, right on the seafront. Our motel here is the Koala Tree, within walking distance of the town but nice and quiet. It’s been refurbished and is very clean and comfortable. Once we’d sat down and had a look at what there is round here, we’ve decided to spend another night. As we’d arrived just after 4.00pm, we got ourselves sorted then took a walk into town. It’s enjoying a lot of regeneration with plenty of new shopping areas and a very tidy seafront. It’s an old convict town so the history is displayed on plaques all over the place. We had a very pleasant walk about then headed back to the motel. By now it was dusk, and we were amazed when hundreds of lorrakeets flew up the road, and settled in the trees. The locals ignore them, just as we would ignore starlings settling down for the night. We thought that was amazing, but further on as we passed the park, thousands of bats suddenly took off from the trees, and flew overhead in a great black swarm. We've never seen so many in our lives.

After Tom had taken some great video of them, we continued back to the motel where I conjured up another dinner from the scraps in the fridge!

Tomorrow is wildlife and local history day with plenty of walking and photos. Night night, once again.

Saturday 8th March

Overnight, we had the daddy of all thunderstorms – continuous lightning and cracking peals of thunder for hours. The rain came down in buckets and I had visions of the lake overflowing and we’d have to paddle out in the morning, but, no, it was ok and had dried up almost completely before we set off.

We followed the Elizabeth Bay coast road up past Lake Munmorah and rejoined Highway 111 towards Newcastle. To get there, you have to pass through Swansea and Charlestown, and bypass Cardiff and Wallsend. One of the suburbs of Newcastle is Gateshead, so it was almost like being in the northeast – except the roads were worse! We’re not too impressed with the roads north of Sydney so far. Main highways are not too bad but side roads are full of lumps and bumps.

We found a pay and display car park near the tourist information but stopped in to an antiques centre and café for the usual ritual of coffee and sticky (I hasten to add that we don’t both always have a sticky and sometimes we share, so for those of you tut tutting about my sugar intake, don’t worry – I’m not overloading on bad things – not all the time anyway!) The antiques centre was huge, a bit like the Gloucester harbour antiques place only all on one level, but it was very pricey, so no purchases. Then off we went to the tourist office.

When we told the tourist man where we were parked, he told us there was free parking all over the town after 1.00pm on Saturdays and we’d chosen one of the only pay parks around! Sounds just like us! Not to worry, we’d only paid for 2 hours so we used up that time in having a wander up Darby Street where there are loads of cafes and smaller shops. We also paid a visit to the Art Gallery, which is meant to have one of the largest collections of art outside of Sydney – I think we may have found the wrong gallery as there wasn’t a lot there, and some of it was closed off anyway as there had been a party the night before and at 2.00pm the next day they were still putting lights back up and rearranging pictures – is this Aussie laidbackness in action?

Back to the car, we moved it along the sea front to one of the now free car parks and set off on the Newcastle Heritage trail. As with Napier in NZ, the authorities are making an effort to retain as many of the old properties still in existence to preserve the heritage, but many have already fallen into disrepair and look fairly sorry for themselves. However, it was a very interesting walk, and we went past Nobby’s beach and Fort Scratchley to name but a few oddly named places. There are some lovely buildings in the town centre, but as with most towns, street level frontages are modern and similar to any other towns. It’s only when you look above that you see original workmanship. As we were wending our way back to the car, the normal traffic sounds were drowned out by the roar of hundreds of motorbikes making their way to the sea front. We don’t think the local police knew they were going to be there, as one police car turned up after the last bike arrived with the driver looking very perplexed!

We had booked into a Motel in Karuah, about 35km north of Newcastle, the Comfort Inn. There are no AA accommodation guides here as there were in NZ. Jason’s guides are hard to find, but each Tourist office has lists of places to stay if you tell them your budget. We’ve found the best guide for our price range is the Budget Motel Chain. They seem to have 1 or 2 motels in most of the largest towns or nearby and the two that we’ve had so far have been very good. Having been caught out in NZ and scrabbling around last minute to find a room for the night, we’re booking 1 or 2 nights in advance, gauging the stops on how far we’re likely to get or want to get in a day, depending on how many sight-seeing stops we make on the way. There is also a law in Oz regarding cooking in motel rooms – unless the motel has a special licence and fulfils strict health and safety regulations, NO cooking is allowed, so you may get a microwave, toaster and kettle but that’s it.

The Comfort Inn has 12 rooms and is just off the main road, but still very quiet and very clean. We took a wander down the main street and found the tourist office still open. Although we already had most of the booklets about the area, the lady told us that there was a wood chopping competition in the RSL (Retired Servicemens League) club that evening and as we were going there anyway, Tom went back to our room to pick up his video – we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to catch local life in the raw!

The club was busy and the family room was all set up for the competition, which was actually for cross cut sawing, not chopping. Well, the excitement was overwhelming! Lots of sturdy young(ish) - and not so young too - men showing off their muscles. As we’re learning, a 6.30pm start means some time after that, when they’ve all chatted and met their neighbours, etc, the do might get going. There were to be 2 heats with 2 pairs of sawers, then a final with the winners of each heat. After all the build up, the actual sawing took about 30 seconds!! And even then, one pair on each heat had a few seconds advantage. The talking took longer then the sawing! It was quite amazing how these huge saws made very short work of getting through logs about 24” across.

When the competition was over, the organisers opened it up to any of the ladies present who might want to have a go – NO, NO I did NOT volunteer, and Tom would have been dead if he’d tried to volunteer me. But 4 ladies did and were paired off with some of the men. They were given some training first then got more applause that the competitors when they got going. After that, it was the turn of the celebrities………we retired to the dining room for our dinner at that point – too much excitement in one evening is bad for us!!
One of the ladies selling raffle tickets told us that the whole weekend was their Oyster and Woodchopping Festival, held on the banks of the bay so we decided we’d pay it a visit before setting off on Sunday. It’s all part of the new adventures we’re experiencing during our holiday. I have to admit I didn’t have any problems getting to sleep after my exciting evening nor with the anticipation of the next day’s events.

Part 2 of the Great Adventure - Friday 7th March

After our intermission in Sydney, here we are into the second part of our tour. And it started in sunshine so that was a good sign. Suitcases packed and the car loaded, we said our goodbyes and set off at 11.00am. Getting out of Sydney suburbs was no great problem, but it did seem to take ages to leave built up areas behind – then suddenly we were in the countryside, with bush on both sides of the road. The vegetation is so different from NZ, mostly gum trees of varying types and hardly any ferns. We had decided to go up the coast road on the way north. The Pacific Highway and Freeway 1 travel almost exactly the same route for much of the way and, for part of it, we had to join the freeway as the highway was closed. Their road signing can be quite confusing especially if you are not familiar with place names along the route. After rejoining the road we wanted at Mooney Mooney (no kidding), we ended up in Terrigal on the coast about 80km from Sydney for coffee. It’s a pretty, friendly place and we watched a group of schoolchildren having a surfing lesson and sent some postcards to Amy and Andy.

Back on the road again, we just had to make a detour into and take a photo – how could we resist such a crazy named place? Then we drove to The Entrance – yes, that IS the town’s name and it is the narrow entrance to a sprawling harbour, stretching north and south,. We got there just in time to see the pelicans being fed – there were loads! It’s become quite a visitor attraction and the pelican feeders give a talk on how the custom arose and how they look after injured birds too. Having decided to stay in the area overnight, we found the Tourist office beside a great water play area for the kids and asked for help. Would you believe it? There was a Country Music Festival on over the weekend and nearly all the accommodation was full! How do we manage to do it? However, we did get a unit at the Hibiscus motel 20km further north at Budgewoi – we thought NZ names were funny but Oz is running them very close and we’ve only just started here! It was right beside a lake and very quiet.
We had dinner in our room and settled down for our first night back on the road.

Thursday 6th March

Today was our last full day at Cheryl and Matt’s and we had arranged to pick up our hire car in the afternoon. I did the last lot of laundry and hung it out to dry then Matt took us to the ferry and off we went for our last trip on the Rivercat into Sydney. It was another roasting hot day. We walked from Circular Quay to the Opera House and this time, we could get access to the steps so walked all the way round, taking lots of photos. We didn’t have time to do a tour of the interior so had to satisfy ourselves with peering into the areas we couldn’t get to. We hadn’t realised until now that the entire opera house roof is covered in ceramic tiles. We don’t know how many, but there must be hundreds of thousands of them. We then walked around the bay to MacQuarie’s Point and Lady MacQuarie’s Chair where you can look back towards the Bridge and the Opera House together. Apparently, it’s THE view of the pair, and we had our pic taken by a nice lady who was sitting in the sun. There were so many people jogging round the gardens we felt quite exhausted just being passed by them! Not only were they jogging in the full heat of midday, but they were running UP the steps from the park too! Needless to say we didn’t join them.

Having taken the photos, we headed back into the city to find a thank you pressie for Cheryl and Matt, who have been marvellous hosts and a pleasure to be with. Tom did his usual navigating bit and we ended up at the Queen Victoria Building where the shops are wonderful. Firstly though, we had to have our coffee and sticky, and we also drank a couple of large glasses of water to rehydrate after our exertions – it’s a long way round the bay then back into town.

Suitably refreshed, we explored the QVB, where there are four storeys of shops, all very nice and some very expensive. Eventually, we found a lovely French shop where they had candles of all sizes and colours but no containers. However, the concierge of the building sent us to Myer’s department store where we found exactly what we wanted – lovely glass containers just right for the candles we had bought.
(The décor of the interior of QVB is fantastic – all the floors are beautifully tiled, in different patterns; there are stained glass windows at each side of the main staircases, and there are two huge, ornate clocks hanging in the centre atrium. It’s all airconditioned and a pleasure to be in after the heat of the street). That done, we then walked to William Street to Europcar to pick up the hire car. This was the only Hire company who had a vehicle available for the dates we needed and at a price we could afford. It’s worth booking these things in advance we realise – even in a city the size of Sydney, hire cars at this time of year can go quickly, and you also get better deals doing it on the internet. Anyway, we have a Hyundai Accent in silver, only 10,000km or so on the clock and perfect for our needs. My navigator wended his way through all the city traffic out to Ermington with no mishaps – he’s quite useful at times!

Having decided earlier with Cheryl and Matt that we would have a bbq at home for our last evening, we all went out to choose our meat and Tom and I also shopped for a few basic provisions for our journey. The evening was a mixture of laughter and a few tears as we were really sad to be leaving. We have had such a good time with them and feel we have known them for a lot longer than just over a week. I know we’ve met Cheryl before on several occasions but this is the first time we’ve got to know her – they were such great hosts. The candles and holders were a success and looked very good on the patio table.
And so to bed before the next stage of our great adventure……..

Wednesday 5th March

Having arranged with Lorna and Brian that we would have a day out together, they picked us up at 10.00am and we drove along the Paramatta River (or as close as we could get to it) into the city. It was roasting hot again. So Brian dropped Lorna and me off near the Aquarium and he and Tom went off to park the car. Even though we haven’t seen much of each other for the past 30something (!!) years, our friendship was so easy to pick up again. Of course, a lot has happened to both of us during that time so there was plenty of catching up to do. Neither of us has kept in touch with many people from school but on the whole, they are the same ones. Although we hadn’t met Brian before this holiday, we all got on really well and the conversation never flagged.

Sydney Aquarium is just sensational – it knocks Kelly Tarlton’s Underwear (!! See Amy’s comment on 23rd February) World into a cocked hat! It’s several times bigger and there are lots more species of aquatic life there, held in beautifully clean tanks – there were divers constantly cleaning the inside of the underwater viewing tunnels and the huge tanks, all the time – Lorna said that is normal. There are some scarily large sharks and all manner of fantastic fish, including a Great Barrier section where you have to see the fish to believe the colours. It was quite hard to tear ourselves away.

As we walked back to the car, Brian gave us snippets of information on the Rocks area, which, as the name suggests, is built on great slabs of natural rock. Like many other rundown waterside spaces, there is a constant rebuilding programme in progress. Most of the area round the harbours and quays has already been developed, but one area which used to be the terminal for the Tasmanian ferries is now undergoing a complete facelift. Yet more luxury apartments are to be built there several storeys high, blocking the view of many of the existing buildings, including some historical old terrace houses, which are some of the oldest buildings in Sydney. Such is progress!!

We piled into the car again and drove to just under the approach to the Harbour Bridge - still in the Rocks area, but closer to Circular Quay. We had some lunch at a small but very popular café near the Tourist Office – very yummy - then set off to climb one of the towers of the Bridge. Climbing the Bridge itself is meant to be one of the “must do’s” of a visit to Sydney, but no way was I going to torture myself, or show myself up, and at a minimum cost of AU$179, it is expensive, so the lookout tower is the next best thing. There are 137 steps from the start of the climb near the Tourist Office just to get to bridge level, then a short walk to the tower, Picton Lookout. Once inside, there are 70 steps to the first level and pay desk (very crafty having that part way up so it whets your appetite) where you have to pay AU$9 for the privilege of testing your endurance up the rest of the way. Another 79 steps get you to the shop, then a further 53 agonising steps await before you can look out on some brilliant views of Sydney. It was worth it! With the wind whistling through your hair, you can watch the poor s**s putting themselves through the bridge climb, all roped together and clinging on to the handrails. The traffic thunders past underneath but you don’t feel it in the tower at all. You’re surrounded by a nice tall, solid stone balustrade topped with a thick glass barrier with platforms to stand on around the edge so you can see all round but still feel no pulling over – those of you who suffer from vertigo will know exactly what I mean. It was almost a shame to have to come down!

Once down at bridge level, Lorna, Tom and I walked to the centre of the bridge where there is a seat so you know you’re right in the middle, then we walked back – so, in effect, we walked over the bridge. Brian had gone back to the car to top up the fee as we’d spent longer than we thought on lunch and the climb, so we rejoined him and made a quick visit to the oldest church in Sydney, before setting off for their place. Brian drove back yet another way so we could see more of Sydney – there are so many places we didn’t get to see, but you’d have to spend several weeks here to even visit half of the historical or interesting places.

We spent a nice relaxing evening being fed and watered, meeting their son, Graham, and taking photos of 2 rainbow lorrakeets who come every evening into their garden to be fed. The conversation never stopped and it was with great difficulty we had to leave. They drove us home at about 9.30pm. They will be home in UK in June, so we will hopefully be able to return their hospitality then.

So that was the end of yet another memorable day.

Tuesday 4th March

Today, with more sunshine and cloudless skies, we had a lovely day out with Matt, Cheryl and Verity. After a breakfast of scrambled egg, toast and tea, we set off for Bondi Beach – you can’t come to Australia and NOT go there. Matt drove us on a conducted tour, pointing out places of interest on the way. We went over the Harbour Bridge, through the city, down to Woolloomooloo (where Russell Crowe has a harbour front property) and Kings Cross (the disreputable area!), down Oxford St where the Mardi Gras parade had been and on to Bondi. ( I’ve probably got the order wrong but we saw so many places, it’s difficult to remember them all). The views on the journey of the bays and the sea are tremendous. The land is quite hilly and just about every rise has a water view – and, of course, lots of people travel by ferry from A-B as it’s so quick and more relaxing than fighting with the road traffic.

The waves at Bondi are even longer and bigger than at Manly but again, disappointingly, there weren’t many surfers. We had a coffee sitting just above the beach, people watching and taking photos, before going on to Watsons Cove for lunch at Doyle’s famous fish and chip shop – the food was fantastic, and that was just the takeaway. It was roasting hot even though there was a sea breeze, and we ate outdoors at a picnic table, watching the ferries come and go. There is a small beach there but as it is the landing point for the catamarans, swimming isn’t recommended but Verity went for a paddle and loved it, falling down several times and ending up wet through. There were more views to enjoy, as we ate our lunch and wandered back to the car, out towards the city skyline.

We drove a different way home, over the Anzac Bridge and through more outer suburbs. After another day of sun, sea air and a little walking, we were all tired when we got home - except for Verity, whose paddle had obviously woken her up. So we had a lovely lazy afternoon, snoozing and watching more cricket – Australia v India, the second match and having pizza for tea. The cricket got really exciting in the evening (and yes, there was another streaker – this one was shoulder charged by one of the Aussie batsmen and completely floored! – more about this later), with India winning by 9 runs. Since they have now won 2 of the 3 matches, the third one won’t be played, so Adelaide have missed out on a match.

Bed called after the match had finished so that was the end of another perfect day.
(The streaker – the tackle by Symmonds has caused a great deal of controversy. Some people are calling for him to be charged, and there was talk on the news on Wed morning of the streaker suing him. Most sane and sensible people reckon that if the chap was daft enough to streak, knowing he’d be arrested and removed from the pitch, then he deserves everything he got. If we hear anything else, we’ll be sure to keep you posted).

Sunday 2nd and Monday 3rd March

A lazy day today after all the excitement of yesterday!

Cheryl and Matt went to a wedding yesterday so are feeling a little fragile this morning, and their friends, David and Linda and their daughters who babysat, stayed overnight too so it was a full house. David cooked us all a splendid breakfast although Matt couldn’t face it and retired to bed! Then we just lazed around – lovely!

On Monday, the sun shone again and we were ready to have another busy day so Matt drove us to the ferry and we went into Sydney. This time we found the Tourist Office in The Rocks and picked up some good info for our future journeys up and down the coast. We’d bought a road map on Saturday, so now we were ready to make some more solid plans.

Since we hadn’t explored The Rocks area on Sat, we decided to spend an hour or so there before catching another ferry to Manly. Tom needed yet another bit for his gadgets, and I wanted some more glasses cleaning wipes. Australia has not caught up with us or NZ in this respect. You can buy the spray and cleaning cloths but no-one has heard of the individually wrapped wipes, either pharmacies or optometrists. The equivalent of Boots doesn’t seem to exist. There are lots of pharmacies, some quite large, but none that we found had as extensive a range as Boots or even Superdrug. So we failed in our quest for the wipes despite some very helpful assistants.

We caught the 2.00pm ferry out to Manly, which is northeast of the city. It’s a pushme-pullyou ferry, with two sharp ends, no blunt end and a propellor at both ends, so it doesn’t have to bother about turning round at each terminal. It only takes 30 minutes, but crosses the harbour heads and can be a bit rough there as you cross sideways on to the current. You are warned about this, so Tom decided to go inside for this part of the crossing. As it happens, it’s only for about 5 minutes as you cross the harbour mouth so he needn’t really have bothered.

Having docked at the pier, we found the Tourist office right beside it and got a map of the town and some info on what to do in the 2-3 hours we’d decided to spend. The main attraction is the beach which is long and clean. The waves come in in long lines and there were lots of surfers, although not many really good ones, which was a disappointment. For a country that warns about the dangers of sunbathing, there were an awful lot of bodies lying on the beach, but I suppose many of them were visitors. However, there were 2 who had obviously heard the warnings, and were well covered up.The area safe for swimming was a very small slice at one end of the beach, (this varies according to the number of people on the beach and the number of lifeguards available, as well as the actual state of the water) and the rest of the beach was teeming with would-be surfers. We strolled most of the way along Marine Parade then cut through to the town and walked back down towards the centre, calling in at an Op shop on the way where we bought some books to last the rest of our holiday. It was really hot so we had a gigantic ice cream and went to watch the surfers. Tom took some hilarious pics of a couple of young Chinese girls who were trying to have their picture taken leaping in the air on the beach. They must have been exhausted by the time the photographer got it right! People watching can be such fun!

Manly consists of little beyond the beach and the tourist shops, bars and eateries. It’s pleasant enough but we found 2-3 hours was long enough to spend there. Tom couldn’t resist having his photo taken next to the street sign, then it was back to the ferry and back to Sydney. It was rush hour when we arrived at Circular Quay and hordes of bodies were waiting for ferries – it must be better than waiting underground in London for the next train, at least you’re in the open air. Our Rivercat wasn’t too full and it took a different route back to Meadowbank so we saw some different views. Arriving at our stop, there were no taxis to be seen so we walked to the railway station. There were no taxis there either. So we walked to the main road, Victoria Road and started to walk in the direction of Ermington. There were no taxis there either, nor any buses! Tom was fast becoming my least favourite person but I was adding to my 10,000 paces for the day, so I carried on. Then I saw the signs of where we were – extreme sense of humour failure!! 3km at least to home!! Then there were the signs that the footpath was about to disappear as there was no footway under the railway bridge AFTER we’d started to walk that way – so we had to backtrack to the last pedestrian crossing. I’d had enough by now and walked to a petrol station to ask about taxis when, lo and behold, a taxi materialised and my “hero” flagged him down! The driverwas a very nice man – but then he was being paid to be a very nice man – and took us to the shopping centre near to home where we bought a few little necessities then – walked home!! Only about half a kilometre this time!

Cheryl and Matt couldn’t believe Tom had made me walk so far, but at least we were home for the night. I explained that we had tried to ring earlier from the city but they weren’t in, and Tom hadn’t left a message so they had no idea of our whereabouts or timings.
After dinner, we all sat and watched the cricket – I’m becoming quite a fan, especially as there seems to be a streaker at each of the matches that have been on TV. Bedtime was fairly early as all the sun, sea air and exercise had worn us out. Tom still had not regained the title of “flavour of the month”, but a few Pimms had mellowed me a little!

Friday 29th February and Saturday 1st March

Friday still was not particularly good as far as weather went. We went out for a walk with Matt and Verity in the morning while Cheryl was at work – it was warm in the sun and quite chilly in the shade. It was another day of R&R for us and to be in a home environment instead of a motel room was much appreciated. In the evening, I had arranged to meet up with Lorna, my old school friend from Bridgnorth Grammar School, and her husband, Brian. We had a lovely dinner at the Silverwater Club about 10 minutes away from Matt and Cheryl’s house. Every club you go into, you have to show ID to get in as a visitor, although you don’t have to be a member of any affiliated club to sign in. But you do have to live more than 5 km away otherwise you must join as a member. UK address qualifies as being more than 5km away!! Food and drink at the clubs are cheaper than most other restaurants and the quality is very high. All of this is subsidised by the profits from the gaming machines, which is why you have to formally sign in as a visitor or member.

Saturday dawned bright and cloudless and, after breakfast, Matt drove us to the ferry at Meadowbank where we caught the Rivercat into Sydney city. It is a lovely trip with houses all along the riverbanks and loads of inlets, and we’ve never seen so many boats of all shapes and sizes, either moored or out on the water. There are marinas and private berths as far as you can see. The ferry takes 40 minutes to get to Circular Quay and from Darling Harbour, you pass under the Harbour Bridge and moor up almost beside the Opera House.

The sight of these two landmarks is as wonderful as any of the pictures we’ve seen. I had to pinch myself just to make sure I was awake and really there, not just dreaming. We met a sailor from bygone times on the quayside – he tried to persuade us to take a harbour tour on a sailing boat – but when we explained we had just arrived, he was very pleasant and didn’t try to pressure us.

We firstly found out which bus we would have to catch back to Ermington then tried to find Tourist Information for city maps, etc. No-one seemed to know where it was, but Tom did find a city map at the ferry booking office so off we went. First stop was to the Opera House. No tours were taking place and the front steps were cordoned off for a skateboard competition, so we walked round the gardens overlooking the steps and took piccies. The Botanic Gardens begin near the steps and that was on our “to do” list. It’s difficult to believe that you are virtually in the heart of the city as it is so quiet and peaceful there. Winding paths with beautiful trees and bushes take you from one lovely view to another and you are encouraged to walk on the grass. The harbour borders part of the gardens and you look across it to the north side of the city. The trees are all identified with a little bit of historical information as well and although there are not flower gardens as such, it’s a really well laid out park. As we were about to stop for a coffee, we noticed people looking up and, as you do when that happens, we also looked up – and gasped! There were bats by the hundred hanging in the trees. Big bats, and despite all the blurb that says bats prefer to stay in dark, quiet places during daylight and only fly at night, these bats had obviously not read the right books!! Many of them flew around making their funny squeaking noises before heading back to a perch and hanging upside down (that bit is certainly true) in the trees. After we’d had our coffee and stickies in the Gardens café, we saw even more of them. They seem to favour some of the trees over others as some trees had no bats at all.

We didn’t do the full tour of the Gardens but headed into the city, taking photos of the fantastic skyline on the way. Tom got an Australian sim card for the phone, so the new number for contacting us is – 0061 4 2434 1174, this includes the Oz dialling code. If any of you are already in Oz, just dial 0 instead of 0061.

The city is like any other busy city in that it has lots of traffic and lots of shops. Although there are quite a few lovely old buildings, the majority are quite modern especially in the business district. The skyline is amazing – we’ve seen it on postcards and on TV but it has a feel all of its own. Even without the fantastic Bridge and Opera House, when you see the buildings outlined against the blue sky, it almost feels unreal. Shopping malls are hidden, more so than in UK. You can easily walk past the entrance to a mall without realising it. One of the biggest is in the Queen Victoria building (QVB) which is typically ornate on the outside and a warren of shops inside. There aren’t the same big department stores as in UK but lots more smaller individual outlets. We found the Chinese area more by luck than planning, but I bought a floppy hat for 2/3 the price I had seen similar ones earlier, and Tom had a back and shoulder massage for the equivalent of £8. By the time that was finished, we were both feeling peckish, so went to the food court in QVB, which is the entire lower ground floor, and shared a hot pork roll – delicious!

We then hopped on the Monorail, which is a continuous loop around the central shopping area and harbour, and did one and a half time’s round, looking at the city from above. You can get on and off anywhere if you buy a daily ticket, but if you just buy a single, you can go round and round as much as you like as long as you don’t go through the turnstile. It’s not very good for taking photos though as the windows are meshed, but gives you a good overview. We decided to get off at Paddy’s Market and it is huge! We only had time to go once round the ground floor as the stands were starting to be packed away (4.45pm), but time enough for Tom to buy a sleeveless reversible jacket with cotton/fleece for Au$13 (the Au$ is roughly 2.2 = £1). He did see a programmable belt buckle he liked but by the time he’d decided to go back for it, the stall had been closed!! We may be going back!!

The transport system is very central with bus and train termini by Circular Quay so that the constant stream of ferries that arrive have instant connections to other areas. We wanted to catch a bus home in the evening so had checked which was the correct one, only later realising that we didn’t really want to go back to Circular Quay to get it. Then we found out that all the information booths around the central district were closed for the day! Eventually we found a very nice bus driver who told us which route our bus took.

Saturday evening was the start of Mardi Gras, a highlight of the gay community, and we’d read articles about what a spectacle it was, so we had to see it! We did see several groups of people dressed in colourful costume, as well as individuals, while we were wandering round so Tom found us a good vantage point for the parade, which started at 7.45pm – it was now 5.45pm, so 2 hours to wait – not too bad, or so we thought at first. The lookout he had chosen was on a corner looking right across where the floats would appear – brilliant! Except that as the sun started to go down, the wind got up, and it began to be very chilly. We had taken a light cover up with us, imagining that it might get cool as the evening progressed, so on that went, but it wasn’t really enough, but, being British and showing true British grit, we weren’t going to move and lose our vantage point just to get warm! Everyone around us was suffering the same so there was a good camaraderie. Let me tell you, 2 hours on a street corner, in a biting wind is no joke. We were being sporadically entertained by the Police, Fire and Ambulance Services as they set up their command posts, right beside us – and there were some very presentable firemen walking about, so there was something to look at! We then had the “Dykes on Bykes” lorry arrive – right in our line of sight! (We realised after a while that they were going to lead the parade so would be moving away). Then the motorcycles began to arrive – and there were hundreds of them, most dressed in some of the most outlandish gear you could imagine, but the bikes themselves were beautifully turned out and sounded great.

When the parade eventually began, the lead lorry set off followed by the motorbikes – then came the worst parade I think we’ve ever seen. Very few of the groups had made much of an effort to dress up and seemed totally disorganised. The ones that had dressed up were very good but were in the minority. By this time, the little camera I had wouldn’t focus because there wasn’t enough light so I couldn’t take pics, even if there had been something worthwhile to shoot, although Tom’s video camera was still able to take both video and stills. We stuck it for 45 minutes, which I think was pretty good, then we gave up. My knees felt as if they were locked in position and as we fought our way through the crowds, I must have looked very strange hobbling about! I was starving and just dying to get home and put my feet up. We found a street booth and had one of the best kebabs we’ve ever eaten, walked to our bus stop and, 30mins later caught our bus back to Ermington.

We got home about 10.30pm, having wasted the time from 5.45 when we could have been at the Aquarium or Wildlife World, both of which open late. Mardi Gras anywhere else has nothing to worry about – it’s said that the Sydney one is the third largest in the world but I don’t know how they can class it against our own Notting Hill Carnival far less Rio or New Orleans. It’s definitely more of a political statement than a festive occasion. The local parades we’ve seen in Spain would blow Sydney’s minds if they ever came here! But never mind, it has been another experience to add to our travels.