Kia ora everyone, from across the Tasman Sea. Yes I am in New Zealand now at the start of 6 weeks of (hopefully) mad and exciting things - such as ..... well, you will just have to wait and see :)
OK, this week I have been right to the top of the country, right up to Cape Reinga (pron. Ray-angger). The Kiwi Ex bus went up to Paihia (pron. pie-hear) and it is a tourist town with not a lot in the town, but is 2km from the place where the Waitangi agreement was signed between the English and Maori (pron. marlee) people. The Base Hostel was not exactly a bundle of laughs in terms of comfort, and was full of UK teenagers whose sole aim was to get off their head with drink until about 3am, but anyway, that is life on the road on a budget.
Anyway, I wasn't there for the hostel! On Thursday I had to be up at 6.00 (yet another early morning start), and thankfully the rain and mist of the day before (just like the UK in the winter) had gone away to bring a lovely sunny and blue-sky day. The Kiwi Ex partners, Awesome Adventures, collected us. The driver seemed to have springs for legs as he bounded everywhere! We drove for about 4 hours up SH1 (State Highway 1) which runs right from the Cape in the north to Bluff (by Invercargill) in the south (about 2000kms!). Eventually we got to Cape Reinga and had about 1km walk to the Cape. The walk was worth it - it is beautiful. Very high cliffs, headlands off to the left, in the Tasman Sea, with interconnecting deserted golden beaches and lines of surf rippling in ribbons onto the long shallow beach, and to the right in the South Pacific Ocean, just miles of cliffs and beaches.
BUT the most fascinating thing was actually seeing the 2 oceans meet. From the left the Tasman Sea came in from left to right, and at the "junction" in the ocean, the South Pacific waves broke from right to left - yes you could actually see that in the white tops of the waves breaking. It is hard to explain in words, but it was as if there was a huge dip in the sea and the oceans collided and went down the dip, taking the white tops as they went. Quite amazing.
What I thought was interesting is that no food or drink is allowed on the Cape. It is regarded as the most sacred site for Maori people, where their spirits go after death and so the site is kept as pristine as possible. It also means (in practical terms) that you don't get tourists dropping all their litter somewhere, and for a site with so much human traffic every day, that has to be a good thing.
Well we left there, sun still shining, and went down the Te Paki stream, literally driving down a shallow river ... to the SAND DUNES for proper sandboarding. Yes this time we had body boards, and the dunes were about 100m high - very hard on the unfit legs to climb up. We had to lie face down on the board, grip with wrists and elbows, and push off down a slope of about 80degrees! The highest speed on the slope has been clocked at about 75kmph, but I didn't get that fast. Feet are used as a brake and steering and on my second go (yes I trudged up that slope twice) I misjudged the steering and got a complete faceful of sand - eyes, ears, mouth, hair, down my top front and back, in my underwear (AGAIN!). However it was great fun and felt a lot safer than the one in WA, in that I could control the steering this time! One guy went so fast he ended up in the stream at the bottom and got a dunking!
And finally for the day, we drove along Ninety Mile Beach (well about 65 miles actually). It was low tide and so we got all the way along, at about 70kmph and bouncing around the sand-ripples and into the small streams coming down from the land-side. Great fun and such a wonderful stretch of sand.
Back to Auckland today, where the sun has come out again, after more rain in Paihia.
Starting my journey south tomorrow, first top Whitianga/Mercury Bay and the Hot Water Beach.
Kia Ora for now
Friday, 25 January 2008
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
Trip to the red Centre - update as promised
OK I know I am going back to Oz for this entry, but I did promise you an update of my visit to the Red Centre, so here goes:
On getting into Alice Springs AP, we didn't have an aerobridge and so we had to walk down the steps from the plane, into the heat that felt like it was coming out of a fan oven! Even the wind was hot. The AP was very modern and had AC but I could imagine what it was like as an airstrip with old wooden buildings and the town a patch on the vast landscape - I call it the land without end.
I always had the impression Alice was on a dead flat plain, but in fact it is sheltered from the south by the McDonnell Ranges - red/orange rocks, tilted almost upright by geologic forces. By mid afternoon the thermometer in the pool area of the YHA was showing ... 48degrees C!!! and even at 9pm it was only down to a balmy 36degs. In the "cool" of the evening I went up to Anzac Hill which gave good views of the surrounding areas, grid plan town, modern buildings against the hills. It only exists due to the need to get a telegraph line from Adelaide to Darwin, respectively 1502km and 1550km north and south of the town!
Wednesday 16th: I had to get up at 0500 today to be collected the The Rock Tour. It is not just a walk in the park to get to Uluru et al - it is 441km southwest of town. On the way we saw lizards and snakes on the roads, and a huge wedge-tailed eagle rose up in front of us, no doubt looking for dinner. Its wingspan is at least 2m (6ft 6"). We got to Kings Canyon and the heat there in the shade was 43degs. We walked along an exposed path to the "river valley" - dry of course but the river runs underground, evidence of which is the mulga and eucalyptus trees as well as unusual grasses and feathery, purple-tipped fluffy flowers. The rocks smelt metallic, and as if we were being cooked by them as we walked in the ever-narrowing canyon. At last we got to the head of the valley and could see the layers of sandstone, and the vertical drop in the rock ahead which created the "canyon". As we turned away we saw a cycad, which strictly speaking should not be there as the environment is not right for it, but it survives by using water effectively and has done since the age of the dinosaurs.
After a touch of heat-stroke on my part I decided to walk back to the van and rest in the shade. Not good.... but I recovered after getting lots of water inside me
On the way back to the camp area for the night, our guide had a treat for us. In the cattle station there was a genuine, fully-chlorinated pool and we could get in!!! We couldn't move fast enough as the heat of the day and all that walking had been a little too much. Oh the relief of getting into a cool pool and messing around - loverly!
We had a long drive to Yulara now. The landscape varied between widely spaced trees, low bushes and green/yellow grasses to semi-arid desert land with scrubby plants against the deep red and/or ochre coloured rock and in some places huge red sand dunes, held together by spinifex and hardy tree roots.
The guide suddenly stopped driving the in middle of NOWHERE to advise us that as we would be camping in the bush and cooking on a bush fire we would need firewood, which we needed to collect. Not just piddly little branches, but whole LIMBS of trees, which he and the guys yanked across the sand, branches and twigs twanging off into the sand! This was all loaded onto the top of the trailer and we set off for the bush camp, again in the middle of nowhere.
The camp: the swags were unloaded and put in a circle, the fire was made in the middle and we had chilli and rice and veg, all cooked over the fire wood. Outside the light of the fire, the bush was dark, and moon rose and the stars came out. Swags were unrolled and thrown down directly onto the earth.
As the moon went down overnight, the true beauty of the stars came out - the Milky Way was as clear as a ribbon across the sky and Orion (upside down to us northerners) and the Southern Cross complemented each other. I could see the Magellanic cloud of galaxies and other masses of stars within the Milky Way, and I stayed awake most of the night to admire what we in the cities and light-polluted UK miss so much. However it wasn't totally pitch black overnight as the starshine was so bright and I could also see mars, Betelgeuse and Sirius.
Thursday: up early again to go to Kata Tjuta - 36 domes, translated as "many-headed" in the Ananga langauge. The valley sides were vertical and we walked 2.2 km to get to the Karinanga viewpoint which gave views over the rest of the domes - it looked like a "promised land" - plain of green trees, light colored rock, domes in the distance. The Kata Tjutas are made of conglomerate rock, which means that close up they have red, blue, orange, yellows in the rocks, in a patchwork quilt type of formation, due to earthquake and volcanic compression forces. In the evening, after another swim we walked round the base of Uluru, and got insights from the guide into the significance of the caves, the paintings, the sacred spaces and places within Uluru. I also got close up pics of the sandstone and its now vertical layers - did you know that at least 2/3rds of Uluru is still buried under the ground - now that it is a BIIIIIGGGGG rock!!!
Sunset: the sun seemed to race down the sky, getting lower behind us and the colours on the rock changed with every second, from bright orange to reds, oranges, golds, browns as the sun sank lower. The fissures in the sides deepened into shadows and the colours of the trees darkened and they went into silhouette. The sky behind the rock (i.e. in the east) went a deeper blue,, shades of violet, and the sky to the west went a brighter yellow as the sun went down to see you in the UK. The beauty and the majesty of the place was wonderful and can't really be captured in words, but I hope the pics I took do, and can be shown later.
Friday: up at 0430 and watched the sunrise. Long trip back to Alice and Saturday took the flight back to Adelaide.
The decision to go to Alice etc was one of the best I have made on this trip. It shows that spontaneity and travelling alone has its advantages and wonderful outcomes.
OK, I am in Auckland now, and will be OTR again tomorrow up to the north of the North Island, Paihia and Cape Reinga. See you soon
On getting into Alice Springs AP, we didn't have an aerobridge and so we had to walk down the steps from the plane, into the heat that felt like it was coming out of a fan oven! Even the wind was hot. The AP was very modern and had AC but I could imagine what it was like as an airstrip with old wooden buildings and the town a patch on the vast landscape - I call it the land without end.
I always had the impression Alice was on a dead flat plain, but in fact it is sheltered from the south by the McDonnell Ranges - red/orange rocks, tilted almost upright by geologic forces. By mid afternoon the thermometer in the pool area of the YHA was showing ... 48degrees C!!! and even at 9pm it was only down to a balmy 36degs. In the "cool" of the evening I went up to Anzac Hill which gave good views of the surrounding areas, grid plan town, modern buildings against the hills. It only exists due to the need to get a telegraph line from Adelaide to Darwin, respectively 1502km and 1550km north and south of the town!
Wednesday 16th: I had to get up at 0500 today to be collected the The Rock Tour. It is not just a walk in the park to get to Uluru et al - it is 441km southwest of town. On the way we saw lizards and snakes on the roads, and a huge wedge-tailed eagle rose up in front of us, no doubt looking for dinner. Its wingspan is at least 2m (6ft 6"). We got to Kings Canyon and the heat there in the shade was 43degs. We walked along an exposed path to the "river valley" - dry of course but the river runs underground, evidence of which is the mulga and eucalyptus trees as well as unusual grasses and feathery, purple-tipped fluffy flowers. The rocks smelt metallic, and as if we were being cooked by them as we walked in the ever-narrowing canyon. At last we got to the head of the valley and could see the layers of sandstone, and the vertical drop in the rock ahead which created the "canyon". As we turned away we saw a cycad, which strictly speaking should not be there as the environment is not right for it, but it survives by using water effectively and has done since the age of the dinosaurs.
After a touch of heat-stroke on my part I decided to walk back to the van and rest in the shade. Not good.... but I recovered after getting lots of water inside me
On the way back to the camp area for the night, our guide had a treat for us. In the cattle station there was a genuine, fully-chlorinated pool and we could get in!!! We couldn't move fast enough as the heat of the day and all that walking had been a little too much. Oh the relief of getting into a cool pool and messing around - loverly!
We had a long drive to Yulara now. The landscape varied between widely spaced trees, low bushes and green/yellow grasses to semi-arid desert land with scrubby plants against the deep red and/or ochre coloured rock and in some places huge red sand dunes, held together by spinifex and hardy tree roots.
The guide suddenly stopped driving the in middle of NOWHERE to advise us that as we would be camping in the bush and cooking on a bush fire we would need firewood, which we needed to collect. Not just piddly little branches, but whole LIMBS of trees, which he and the guys yanked across the sand, branches and twigs twanging off into the sand! This was all loaded onto the top of the trailer and we set off for the bush camp, again in the middle of nowhere.
The camp: the swags were unloaded and put in a circle, the fire was made in the middle and we had chilli and rice and veg, all cooked over the fire wood. Outside the light of the fire, the bush was dark, and moon rose and the stars came out. Swags were unrolled and thrown down directly onto the earth.
As the moon went down overnight, the true beauty of the stars came out - the Milky Way was as clear as a ribbon across the sky and Orion (upside down to us northerners) and the Southern Cross complemented each other. I could see the Magellanic cloud of galaxies and other masses of stars within the Milky Way, and I stayed awake most of the night to admire what we in the cities and light-polluted UK miss so much. However it wasn't totally pitch black overnight as the starshine was so bright and I could also see mars, Betelgeuse and Sirius.
Thursday: up early again to go to Kata Tjuta - 36 domes, translated as "many-headed" in the Ananga langauge. The valley sides were vertical and we walked 2.2 km to get to the Karinanga viewpoint which gave views over the rest of the domes - it looked like a "promised land" - plain of green trees, light colored rock, domes in the distance. The Kata Tjutas are made of conglomerate rock, which means that close up they have red, blue, orange, yellows in the rocks, in a patchwork quilt type of formation, due to earthquake and volcanic compression forces. In the evening, after another swim we walked round the base of Uluru, and got insights from the guide into the significance of the caves, the paintings, the sacred spaces and places within Uluru. I also got close up pics of the sandstone and its now vertical layers - did you know that at least 2/3rds of Uluru is still buried under the ground - now that it is a BIIIIIGGGGG rock!!!
Sunset: the sun seemed to race down the sky, getting lower behind us and the colours on the rock changed with every second, from bright orange to reds, oranges, golds, browns as the sun sank lower. The fissures in the sides deepened into shadows and the colours of the trees darkened and they went into silhouette. The sky behind the rock (i.e. in the east) went a deeper blue,, shades of violet, and the sky to the west went a brighter yellow as the sun went down to see you in the UK. The beauty and the majesty of the place was wonderful and can't really be captured in words, but I hope the pics I took do, and can be shown later.
Friday: up at 0430 and watched the sunrise. Long trip back to Alice and Saturday took the flight back to Adelaide.
The decision to go to Alice etc was one of the best I have made on this trip. It shows that spontaneity and travelling alone has its advantages and wonderful outcomes.
OK, I am in Auckland now, and will be OTR again tomorrow up to the north of the North Island, Paihia and Cape Reinga. See you soon
Sunday, 20 January 2008
Bye Bye Australia
Well it is the end of my last day in Australia. Highlights and lowlights include:
Highlights:
Becoming an Auntie :) - on the day I arrived in Perth :(. Baby and sister doing very well
Keeping in touch with family and special friends by text, email and, best of all, by phone at Xmas and New Year
Sunbathing alone (and top..ss) and playing in the waves of the Southern Ocean on the 3 mile long D'Entrecasteaux beach in WA
Swimming with no fewer than 3 manta rays at Coral Bay, WA, and then snorkelling over the coral Ningaloo Reef the same day; drift snorkelling at Turquoise Bay the next day
Taking a natural mineral water spa under the stars near Monkey Mia on the Western Exposure WA trip
Meeting and getting to know cousins and relations I haven't seen since 1970 when they came out as 10 pound poms to Perth
Coogee Beach, Sydney, watching the huge rollers created by the tropical cyclone up north coming in from the southern Pacific
Manly Beach: walking above the bay, texting home, and photographing flora and fauna
New Year's Eve in the Botanic Gardens in Sydney, watching the awesome fireworks
Creative photography in Sydney, especially of the Opera House and Bridge, and The Rocks area, as well as many plants and flowers in the Botanic Gardens at sunset
Adelaide: seeing my first koala, about 3 ft away from me, and then making acquaintance with many of his 'cousins' in the trees of the Wildlife sanctuary.
Seeing many platypus on nocturnal walks
Sunbathing on Glenelg beach, with a surprising outcome
Making the snap decision to go to Uluru, Kata Tjuta and King's Canyon and having the best 5 days since New Year.
Sunset AND sunrise at Uluru this week
Sleeping in a swag under the stars and moonlight in the bush camp in the Red Centre
Lowlights:
Rain, rain, rain in Sydney for the first 5 days I was there :(
Missing out so much scenery in WA as I didn't do my research properly!!
The Wildlife sanctuary not quite turning out as expected, but that has its advantages too (went to Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon via Alice Springs instead!)
Saying goodbye to a friend in Adelaide
Accomodation in order of quality
Aunt's house in Perth!
Swag in the desert
Adelaide YHA
Sydney YWCA, Hyde Park
Augusta YHA
Albany YHA
Coral Bay YHA
Pemberton YHA - do not even mention that dump
OK, that's it. I hope you have enjoyed reading my Australia posts.
Tomorrow I go to New Zealand for 6 weeks, on the road with Kiwi Experience. For my route see www.kiwiexperience.com and find the ticket named "The Whole Kit and Kaboodle", starting in Auckland
G'Day and see you soon
Highlights:
Becoming an Auntie :) - on the day I arrived in Perth :(. Baby and sister doing very well
Keeping in touch with family and special friends by text, email and, best of all, by phone at Xmas and New Year
Sunbathing alone (and top..ss) and playing in the waves of the Southern Ocean on the 3 mile long D'Entrecasteaux beach in WA
Swimming with no fewer than 3 manta rays at Coral Bay, WA, and then snorkelling over the coral Ningaloo Reef the same day; drift snorkelling at Turquoise Bay the next day
Taking a natural mineral water spa under the stars near Monkey Mia on the Western Exposure WA trip
Meeting and getting to know cousins and relations I haven't seen since 1970 when they came out as 10 pound poms to Perth
Coogee Beach, Sydney, watching the huge rollers created by the tropical cyclone up north coming in from the southern Pacific
Manly Beach: walking above the bay, texting home, and photographing flora and fauna
New Year's Eve in the Botanic Gardens in Sydney, watching the awesome fireworks
Creative photography in Sydney, especially of the Opera House and Bridge, and The Rocks area, as well as many plants and flowers in the Botanic Gardens at sunset
Adelaide: seeing my first koala, about 3 ft away from me, and then making acquaintance with many of his 'cousins' in the trees of the Wildlife sanctuary.
Seeing many platypus on nocturnal walks
Sunbathing on Glenelg beach, with a surprising outcome
Making the snap decision to go to Uluru, Kata Tjuta and King's Canyon and having the best 5 days since New Year.
Sunset AND sunrise at Uluru this week
Sleeping in a swag under the stars and moonlight in the bush camp in the Red Centre
Lowlights:
Rain, rain, rain in Sydney for the first 5 days I was there :(
Missing out so much scenery in WA as I didn't do my research properly!!
The Wildlife sanctuary not quite turning out as expected, but that has its advantages too (went to Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon via Alice Springs instead!)
Saying goodbye to a friend in Adelaide
Accomodation in order of quality
Aunt's house in Perth!
Swag in the desert
Adelaide YHA
Sydney YWCA, Hyde Park
Augusta YHA
Albany YHA
Coral Bay YHA
Pemberton YHA - do not even mention that dump
OK, that's it. I hope you have enjoyed reading my Australia posts.
Tomorrow I go to New Zealand for 6 weeks, on the road with Kiwi Experience. For my route see www.kiwiexperience.com and find the ticket named "The Whole Kit and Kaboodle", starting in Auckland
G'Day and see you soon
Uluru
Well I decided to get out of the city, so on Monday I booked a 5 day trip to Alice Springs, Uluru, Kings Canyon and Kata Tjuta with www.therocktour.com.au.
A full update will be put on here when I have time, but just to say it was the best trip one could have taken. The scenery, the walks, the "spirituality" of all the places, the Ananga peoples' tales, the sunset over Uluru and the sunrise from the same point, were awesome, incredible and amazingly beautiful. I slept out under the stars in a swag for 2 nights, and the southern night sky is wonderful (with Orion upside down and the Southern Cross clear in the sky, although on its side. We collected wood by the roadside and cooked dinner and breakfast around a camp fire, and got up and went to bed with the rhythms of the days. Wonderful.
Back to Adelaide for a lazy day today - all that travelling and walking has really taken it out of me and the pain issues have reared their ugly heads again today. I am back on the road tomorrow, going to New Zealand (where it is currently raining :(), so will update this as and when I can.
Back soon
A full update will be put on here when I have time, but just to say it was the best trip one could have taken. The scenery, the walks, the "spirituality" of all the places, the Ananga peoples' tales, the sunset over Uluru and the sunrise from the same point, were awesome, incredible and amazingly beautiful. I slept out under the stars in a swag for 2 nights, and the southern night sky is wonderful (with Orion upside down and the Southern Cross clear in the sky, although on its side. We collected wood by the roadside and cooked dinner and breakfast around a camp fire, and got up and went to bed with the rhythms of the days. Wonderful.
Back to Adelaide for a lazy day today - all that travelling and walking has really taken it out of me and the pain issues have reared their ugly heads again today. I am back on the road tomorrow, going to New Zealand (where it is currently raining :(), so will update this as and when I can.
Back soon
Friday, 11 January 2008
Adelaide again
Hi, yep I decided to leave the Sanctuary a couple of days early and am back at the YHA in Adelaide for a few days before going to NZ next week.
The weather here is still amazing - clear blue skies and decent tolerable temperatures today (mid 20s) rather than the 42degs we had yesterday. I was literally gasping for air, even when I came into the city to go to the beach - the beach was hotter than in the hills!
Will keep updating blog when I can
The weather here is still amazing - clear blue skies and decent tolerable temperatures today (mid 20s) rather than the 42degs we had yesterday. I was literally gasping for air, even when I came into the city to go to the beach - the beach was hotter than in the hills!
Will keep updating blog when I can
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
Koalas
Hello after my first full day of working here
We began this morning with trying to find the guy who is directing our work ... and he was trying to find us - well this place is 35 acres!
Our task for the day was clearing up the leaves and bark falls around the eco-cabins. The trees here (for various environmental and survival reasons) peel their bark off, especially in the very dry weather this area has been having for years. As a result the ground is littered with peelings of red bark, like dried up orange peel but thinner. The length of ground to be covered was about 800 metres and we did this all day till 3.00. Piles and piles of the stuff, and leaves, dust, stones, rubbish that people leave around after staying in the cabins overnight. We trucked away 4 loads, and by the end of the work, I certainly was glad I do a lot of swimming and am strong!! I think I will feel it tomorrow :)
Once the work is done and the "supervisor" finishes at 3.00 we have time to ourselves. I have just been down for a 2-hour walk in the Sanctuary by myself, no crowds, kids, staff etc and the most amazing thing happened: I got within 6 feet of a male koala and got some great pics of him. He was sitting on the ground, grunting to himself and when he saw me he decided to go up a tree - as you know they don't move very fast and so I could get close ups of him, his face, his white tufty ears, his oval black nose, his light brown/dark brown/white colours etc and he just SAT THERE!!, gently grunting as though working himself up to a full-throated roar to proclaim his territory. Wow!
The weather is heating up and we are due for another 41degs day on Thursday. It usually feels like the air is coming out of a fan oven and we aren't allowed to work on days like that. I feel another day of sunbathing coming on :), or walking in the "temperate rainforest" at the bottom of the sanctuary - all ferns and shady trees - and damn great big pattymelon wallaby which jumped out at me just now!!
See you soon
We began this morning with trying to find the guy who is directing our work ... and he was trying to find us - well this place is 35 acres!
Our task for the day was clearing up the leaves and bark falls around the eco-cabins. The trees here (for various environmental and survival reasons) peel their bark off, especially in the very dry weather this area has been having for years. As a result the ground is littered with peelings of red bark, like dried up orange peel but thinner. The length of ground to be covered was about 800 metres and we did this all day till 3.00. Piles and piles of the stuff, and leaves, dust, stones, rubbish that people leave around after staying in the cabins overnight. We trucked away 4 loads, and by the end of the work, I certainly was glad I do a lot of swimming and am strong!! I think I will feel it tomorrow :)
Once the work is done and the "supervisor" finishes at 3.00 we have time to ourselves. I have just been down for a 2-hour walk in the Sanctuary by myself, no crowds, kids, staff etc and the most amazing thing happened: I got within 6 feet of a male koala and got some great pics of him. He was sitting on the ground, grunting to himself and when he saw me he decided to go up a tree - as you know they don't move very fast and so I could get close ups of him, his face, his white tufty ears, his oval black nose, his light brown/dark brown/white colours etc and he just SAT THERE!!, gently grunting as though working himself up to a full-throated roar to proclaim his territory. Wow!
The weather is heating up and we are due for another 41degs day on Thursday. It usually feels like the air is coming out of a fan oven and we aren't allowed to work on days like that. I feel another day of sunbathing coming on :), or walking in the "temperate rainforest" at the bottom of the sanctuary - all ferns and shady trees - and damn great big pattymelon wallaby which jumped out at me just now!!
See you soon
Monday, 7 January 2008
Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary
Good Monday evening to you. Been up at the Sanctuary (WWS) since Saturday and it has been a mixed experience.
Bethany and I got the bus from Adelaide up into the beautiful Adelaide Hills - rolling vistas, tree-lined roads, VERY expensive houses (lots of $$$$ up here) and got off at Stirling, a quite large village with cafes, traditional stores like butchers, florists, greengrocers etc and were collected by a member of staff from WWS.
We are staying in eco-cabins, which are essentially made from canvas and wood, out under the trees and with no artificial light around, the night skies are beautiful (Orion is upside down here!). The cabins get very hot during the day but I have to have a quilt on at night as the temperature really goes down with the clear skies. Saturday, we had a short intro to the place by the owners, and then were pretty much left to our own devices, nothing planned, no work. A fire ban (temperatures over 38degC) meant that we were not even allowed down into the Sanctuary, so the time passed very slowly and both of us felt exhausted with the heat and rising humidity so slept for quite a bit of the afternoon.
The good thing about later in the day was that I joined a Nocturnal Walk and saw loads of wildllife: potoroos, bandicoots, wallabies, of all sizes and colours, Western Grey and Red Kangaroos, many platypuses in the lake (which was a total bonus as they are very shy creatures and don't like human company), and turtles, and then....a male koala, making a huge snorting and grunting noise (a cross between a pig and a walrus!!), and sitting about 5ft away from our group. He was amazing to see: white and brown coat, white on nose with a black tip to it, white tufty ears, claws like razors and just sitting there, snorting away at the other one high in the tree!.
Today Monday we had an intro to some of the work we will be doing. Unfortunately the spec that we were sent by our agents has been changed radically by WWS and both are disappointed that we won't be working with the animals as much as expected. We have to do a perimeter fence walk/patrol of 3 km, to check if any animals have got caught in the electric fence, and it is a nice way to pass the time, and see all of the WWS and its various habitats. I think it is also a quiet time here with the school kids on holidays (no school camps etc). I will assess what I do later in the week, but may be leaving here earlier than I had expected. We'll see, but I may also be seeing more of Adelaide than I had anticipated (which is good as it is a nice city).
Will contact people by email later but I have run out of time on here.
Bye for now
Bethany and I got the bus from Adelaide up into the beautiful Adelaide Hills - rolling vistas, tree-lined roads, VERY expensive houses (lots of $$$$ up here) and got off at Stirling, a quite large village with cafes, traditional stores like butchers, florists, greengrocers etc and were collected by a member of staff from WWS.
We are staying in eco-cabins, which are essentially made from canvas and wood, out under the trees and with no artificial light around, the night skies are beautiful (Orion is upside down here!). The cabins get very hot during the day but I have to have a quilt on at night as the temperature really goes down with the clear skies. Saturday, we had a short intro to the place by the owners, and then were pretty much left to our own devices, nothing planned, no work. A fire ban (temperatures over 38degC) meant that we were not even allowed down into the Sanctuary, so the time passed very slowly and both of us felt exhausted with the heat and rising humidity so slept for quite a bit of the afternoon.
The good thing about later in the day was that I joined a Nocturnal Walk and saw loads of wildllife: potoroos, bandicoots, wallabies, of all sizes and colours, Western Grey and Red Kangaroos, many platypuses in the lake (which was a total bonus as they are very shy creatures and don't like human company), and turtles, and then....a male koala, making a huge snorting and grunting noise (a cross between a pig and a walrus!!), and sitting about 5ft away from our group. He was amazing to see: white and brown coat, white on nose with a black tip to it, white tufty ears, claws like razors and just sitting there, snorting away at the other one high in the tree!.
Today Monday we had an intro to some of the work we will be doing. Unfortunately the spec that we were sent by our agents has been changed radically by WWS and both are disappointed that we won't be working with the animals as much as expected. We have to do a perimeter fence walk/patrol of 3 km, to check if any animals have got caught in the electric fence, and it is a nice way to pass the time, and see all of the WWS and its various habitats. I think it is also a quiet time here with the school kids on holidays (no school camps etc). I will assess what I do later in the week, but may be leaving here earlier than I had expected. We'll see, but I may also be seeing more of Adelaide than I had anticipated (which is good as it is a nice city).
Will contact people by email later but I have run out of time on here.
Bye for now
Thursday, 3 January 2008
Adelaide first impressions
Hi from Adelaide, South Australia.
Got here midday today. Flew in from Sydney (where it is due to rain - he he he!! I don't care now that I am here!) and went through clear blue skies over HUGE expanses of nothing - flat land, usually no trees, deep red/pink soil and rocks, salt pans, dry river courses, cultivated blocks of trees, the occasional large river wending its way, and then into Adelaide, tucked down in front of the Ranges and sandwiched in by the deep blue Southern Ocean.
The City is on a grid plan, and you would have thought that it would be easy to navigate. However I think my sense of direction is on holiday too as I got totally confused about which way to go! and headed north instead of south this afternoon - doh! Eventually hopped on the tram to Glenelg (a palindromic name, you notice) and got to the seaside (again - what a surprise!). It is a lovely little place, walking is on the flat, and the Ocean is right at the end of the tram line. Pedestrianised walkways, cafes, restaurants, and then the beach, gently sloping down to the water - little waves lapping on the shore, a gentle breeze, deep blue, clear blue sky, not a cloud to be seen, and the sun going down into the ocean for sunset.
As I only have tomorrow here before I go up to Warrawong, I may go down to Glenelg again and have an easy day. It is far too hot (although nice dry heat and not humid) to do much walking during the day, so perhaps a good book and a snooze sounds like a good idea. My L foot is playing up again due to all the standing and walking I had to do on NYE and back to the hotel in Sydney, and it is hard to walk much these days. Hopefully a bit of a rest will give some relief.
see you with the kangas and wallabies, and bilbies, and potoroos and KOALAS!! at Warrawong. If you google that name, you will be able to see where I am and which animals I will be working with. Altogether now - aaaaahhhh! :)
Got here midday today. Flew in from Sydney (where it is due to rain - he he he!! I don't care now that I am here!) and went through clear blue skies over HUGE expanses of nothing - flat land, usually no trees, deep red/pink soil and rocks, salt pans, dry river courses, cultivated blocks of trees, the occasional large river wending its way, and then into Adelaide, tucked down in front of the Ranges and sandwiched in by the deep blue Southern Ocean.
The City is on a grid plan, and you would have thought that it would be easy to navigate. However I think my sense of direction is on holiday too as I got totally confused about which way to go! and headed north instead of south this afternoon - doh! Eventually hopped on the tram to Glenelg (a palindromic name, you notice) and got to the seaside (again - what a surprise!). It is a lovely little place, walking is on the flat, and the Ocean is right at the end of the tram line. Pedestrianised walkways, cafes, restaurants, and then the beach, gently sloping down to the water - little waves lapping on the shore, a gentle breeze, deep blue, clear blue sky, not a cloud to be seen, and the sun going down into the ocean for sunset.
As I only have tomorrow here before I go up to Warrawong, I may go down to Glenelg again and have an easy day. It is far too hot (although nice dry heat and not humid) to do much walking during the day, so perhaps a good book and a snooze sounds like a good idea. My L foot is playing up again due to all the standing and walking I had to do on NYE and back to the hotel in Sydney, and it is hard to walk much these days. Hopefully a bit of a rest will give some relief.
see you with the kangas and wallabies, and bilbies, and potoroos and KOALAS!! at Warrawong. If you google that name, you will be able to see where I am and which animals I will be working with. Altogether now - aaaaahhhh! :)
Wednesday, 2 January 2008
New Year Fireworks in Sydney
Just a last update from Sydney before I move on tomorrow
Well the fireworks were absolutely awesome on NYE. I was at a key point where I could see the Bridge, the Opera House, the River and the skyscrapers and all 4 points had fireworks from them all through the displays. The atmosphere was amazing and 22000 people were in the Botanic Gardens alone. 1.5 million around the foreshore!!
Weather stayed fine on NY day and today and so I headed for Coogee again. Feel a bit under the weather and sick so just had 2 lazy days ahead of going to Adelaide tomorrow.
Ok, once agian running out of time on this PC. Will update more on my voluntary work at the Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary when I can
Well the fireworks were absolutely awesome on NYE. I was at a key point where I could see the Bridge, the Opera House, the River and the skyscrapers and all 4 points had fireworks from them all through the displays. The atmosphere was amazing and 22000 people were in the Botanic Gardens alone. 1.5 million around the foreshore!!
Weather stayed fine on NY day and today and so I headed for Coogee again. Feel a bit under the weather and sick so just had 2 lazy days ahead of going to Adelaide tomorrow.
Ok, once agian running out of time on this PC. Will update more on my voluntary work at the Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary when I can
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