Australia: Day 22 - Back to Melbourne and Home

Oct. 7th

I woke up super early, well before our wakeup call, which actually turned out to be a wakeup knock. We were ready nearly immediately and ran down to check out of the hotel. They called us a cab, and we were whisked off to the airport. We were so early that we had the option of taking an earlier flight, but we opted not to for some reason I don’t really recall. The Canberra Airport is very nice – airy, clean, and comfortable. While waiting, we proceeded to get rid of a lot of our Aussie change in the vending machine, enjoying chicken-flavored crisps and other delights. The actual flight on Qantas was lovely, too, with an extremely friendly crew and treats in the form of apples, cookies, and juice. Once we landed in Melbourne, we collected our luggage and went over to Thrifty to get things settled as best we could. I felt a bit like they blamed us for the accident, but we eventually straightened things out somewhat. Then we headed across the street and checked into the last hotel of our stay. It was a luxury business hotel, and honestly, after what we’d been through, we more than deserved it.

It was only mid-day, and we didn’t want to waste our last moments in Australia just sitting around re-living what had happened the day before. There were still a few more things we wanted to see in the Melbourne area, and frankly we didn’t like the city enough to want to come back, so it was now or never. On a whim, I decided to check the Luna Park website to see if there was any chance at all that the Scenic Railway roller coaster might be running. It sounded pretty grim when I’d talked to the staff several weeks ago, considering they were remodeling the entire façade. Well, it turns out that we happened to be back during spring break, and as such, they decided to run the coaster after all! I could not believe our luck! We caught a bus to a depot downtown where we caught a tram that took us directly to Luna Park. We bought our ticket and headed right over to the Scenic Railway queue. It was a bit overcast, and somewhat drizzly, and we were informed of the danger that they may shut the ride down due to rain. We waited 45 minutes to ride, nervously watching the skies, talking to the extremely excited little boy and his sister in front of us in line (his excitement almost rivaled mine!) and reading all the warning signs about people with neck injuries not riding. I was sore. Unbelievably so. But I wasn’t going to miss out on the chance to ride the oldest continuously-running roller coaster in the world, and the last remaining coaster with a brakeman. This thing was happening, whiplash or not. When it was finally our turn, we were ushered into the third seat back and began our ride.

And what a ride it was! I really wish I remembered more of it, but I spent most of the time struggling to keep my head upright. I just didn’t have the strength to do so, and my head was knocked around like mad, which is weird because it wasn’t a particularly complicated layout. At the bottom of each hill, it was excessively rattly, and I braced myself each time as best I could. I spent most of my time concerned with that, and not really paying attention to the ride itself, sadly. Still, the ride was basically gentle, circling the perimeter of the park twice, clockwise, as we flew through tunnels. We'd listen to the brake lady as she'd tell us when to brace for rough spots and when to put our hands up. As for her, she stood the entire ride! What an experience!

After riding, we took some more pictures of the park and headed down to Craik’s, an Irish pub, to get a bite to eat in the form of fish and chips and beer. Then we wandered down to the pier with the intent of waiting for nightfall to get some nice pictures of a lit-up Luna Park. What better way to spend our time than a leisure stroll along the water? Weren’t we surprised to discover signs indicating that this very pier, so unassuming and regular, was a reserve not only for the fairy penguins we missed out on seeing at Kangaroo Island, but also for a native water rat known as the rakali! The signs indicated that these animals would be more active toward dusk, so as evening set in, we swept back and forth along the pier, peeking in every rock crevice we could find. Then we heard a slight commotion from some other people. We hurried over to their spot to discover a little fairy penguin, hiding amongst the boulders, just awaiting nightfall. The more we looked, the more penguins we spotted!! We also saw a few rakali, both foraging on shore and swimming expertly in the sea, searching out shellfish for dinner. What an awesome treat, and a great end to an overall amazing trip. After seeing lots and lots of awesome wildlife, we took a brief stroll in a nearby park, returned to the pier a second time to look for more critters, and took a final stroll past Luna Park to enjoy the brilliance of all its lights before catching our rides back to the hotel. It was an amazingly perfect end to our trip.

Our long flight home the next day was uneventful. Lots of movies to watch, and we also discovered that adult beverages were available at no extra charge, so we made sure to enjoy ourselves. We got home in one piece, a bit sore, but full of memories to last a lifetime. We both eagerly look forward to our next big adventure.

Australia 2011 Day 21: Canberra and Car Crash

Oct. 6th

We woke up at a reasonable hour and decided to spend our morning exploring the National Museum of Australia, only a short walk from our hotel. We really didn’t know what to expect here, but were pleasantly surprised, and I honestly think I could have spent several more hours exploring. There were exhibits of all sorts, ranging from history to wildlife to movies to culture to you name it. If it had anything at all to do with Australia, you would find it discussed here. Some of my favorite exhibits included a reconstructed skeleton of a Diprotodon, the largest known marsupial to have existed in Australia. Resembling a giant wombat, this creature stood about 6.6 feet high and was about 10 feet long. They also had a skin from a Thylacine, which was of interest to me after having possibly seen one on the road a few days prior. Since the last known one died in 1936, it was about as close to seeing a real one as I could hope for. They also had exhibits discussing the problems associated with invasive species, with which Australia has had many a battle. One of the neatest exhibits was an insect collection collected by Charles Darwin himself, complete with labels he wrote! That about made my day.

After having spent at least four hours at this fascinating museum, we knew we had a long way to drive this day, so we hit the road by early afternoon. Once we got out of the confines of Canberra proper, we started noticing signs for wineries, and we decided to try to find one that was open after our lack of luck the day before. We decided to skip the first, and the second was closed. We came upon the third, and were in the right turn lane (equivalent to a left turn lane in the States) to access its road when we heard horrible squealing tires…I turned, horrified, to look at Nate, and an instant later we were hit at high speed from behind, whirling into oncoming traffic. As I watched this play out in slow motion, I calmly and somewhat fearlessly wondered what was going to happen…would we be hit? Would we be injured? I didn’t let myself get any further than that thought when we were hit again by an oncoming pickup truck. All the cars came to a stop as quickly as they could, and I remember stating the obvious to Nate, that we had to get out of the car, fast, not knowing if the thing would catch fire or who knows what. Our car had been accordioned, so much that we couldn’t open the doors. Nate had to kick out his door, and I exited on his side. Nate’s glasses had flown off, and our trunk was smashed in, leaving stuff all over the street and a trunk in our backseat. Holy crap, anyone back there would have died. We’re lucky we didn’t.

Once out of the car, we were both in a rather stunned state. We made our way to the side of the road as other cars just stopped, unsure of what to do. I luckily noticed my computer case had landed in the middle of the road, and cars were gingerly driving around it. I ran to grab it, and by some miracle the computer was unscathed. Some drivers asked if they could do anything, and I just asked them to call for help, which it turns out many had already done. Then Nate and I stood, dazed, at the side of the road and waited for help to arrive. We had some witnesses offer to let us sit in their car, out of the drizzly rain. In talking to them, we were able to find out a bit more about what happened at the scene. From their account, we had been sitting in the right turn lane on a straight stretch of road with no obstacles to block the view of people coming up from behind. I guess the car behind us (quite a ways back, considering we were stopped for over a half minute before impact) wasn’t paying attention and was speeding, and the people behind him were riding his tail closely. The squealing we heard was him swerving around us at the last second, and the guy behind him didn’t have time to react and smashed into us at, by estimation, about 55 mph. From what we understand, the swerver was the son of the guy who impacted us. Neither of them spoke much English, so we couldn’t get any information from them at the scene. The guy who hit us was injured along with his wife and possibly a grandchild, and while their car was likely totaled, it was nowhere near as bad as ours.

An ambulance eventually arrived, and I let them look me over, but declined a trip to the hospital, as did Nate. Of course the people that hit us were all about hospitals and injuries. Well, if you’d drive safely, maybe you wouldn’t be in this predicament, hmmm? After we were checked out, Nate went off to give the police his statement, while I just stood out in the rain, still stunned. I was given a blanket and just watched as the cars went by, not quite letting the gravity of what just happened sink in. Eventually, our tow truck driver showed up and got the car hooked up to the truck. We had a few last words with the police who gave us their contact info, and climbed into the truck.

Sandwiched between Nate and a jovial but foul-mouthed, rather racist Aussie, we had an awkward drive back to his scrap yard, listening to his rants about Julia Gillard (the current prime minister) and various other things I’d rather not get into here, as we laughed nervously and hoped his reckless driving wouldn’t result in the second accident of the day. Once at the yard, we got our bearings and bade farewell to our loyal and now unrecognizable Tiida. Our driver drove us back to the central business district of Canberra where he dropped us off at the bus depot. There, we were assured that all buses were gone for the day, and that the station would be closing, so we’d have to make arrangements for accommodations. I sat in the station with the luggage while Nate ventured out, desperate to find us a place. He wound up settling for a rather pricy establishment next door, but it afforded us comfort and internet service, so it was likely worth it. That left us with the problem of how to get back to Melbourne in time for our flight in two days. I was lucky to get that night’s original hotel reservation cancelled, and Nate took on the task of finding us transportation. We were fortunate to find two seats on a flight down the next morning, so thank goodness! The last thing we wanted to do at this point was drive anymore, and it wasn’t like our rental company was around to help us much anyway.

I ultimately wound up with left-sided whiplash, and my pain increased as the day went on, being downright awful this evening. Beyond this, I really wasn’t phased about the whole thing until I started thinking about that backseat. What if someone had been there? I can’t think about what ifs, but still. It ate at me all night long. Our Tiida served us well, though. Oh, Nate lost his shoes, and we lost an Aussie Smurf Happy Meal toy, but I think that’s really it. At least no one lost their lives. Still, we were dazed, angry, and in shock…and did I say angry? I had some serious anger issues once I really thought about what their carelessness could have resulted in. I still do at times.

Anyway, we hadn’t eaten at all that day, so we decided to venture out, aches and pains and all, to find some sort of food. We limped down to the nearby McDonalds, and while they managed to screw up my order consistently, it really did hit the spot. Then we came back and got some drinks at the hotel bar before retiring to our room for a rather fitful night.

Australia 2011 Day 20 - Wollongong and Canberra

Oct. 5th

So why Wollongong? Of all places, what drew us to this location when we could have just made a bee line to Canberra? Well, back when I was thinking about studying abroad, the University of Wollongong was actually my first choice school! I was enamored by the water features and ponds, of all things. I know, a silly reason to choose a university, but it also did have a good biology program. Looking back, I’m glad I went to Murdoch instead because I met some great people, and I got to see a part of the country that few Americans visit due to its remoteness. Still, I wanted to see what I may have experienced had fate rolled the dice differently.

We woke up quite early and made our way to the University. Doing so was easier said than done, due to some confusing roads and bad directions from the Garmin. Eventually, we made it to campus and attempted to snag a geocache or two at the school. Doing so was a great way to see the grounds, including a lovely botanical gardens that was part of the school. We also saw some of the beautiful water features that had caught my eye to begin with. I imagined the school would have been much larger, but I also think that we may not have seen more than a fraction of it. It actually did remind me a lot of Murdoch, though it’s hard to say how. Perhaps the architecture was similar. It felt about the same size, too. Very comfortable, though as a four year student, I think I’d have preferred something larger (like U of I, go figure!).

After wandering around and finding a single geocache, we were back on the road again, en route to Canberra. I’d heard a lot of things about the capitol of Australia, and none of them were really good. Essentially, the running opinion is that Canberra is boring. Its main purpose is governmental, it’s a preplanned city with very little history and rather sterile architechture, and there isn’t much to do there. I had no idea what to expect, but I like to form my own opinions. What a shame it would be to miss out on any city while we were here! We HAD to see Canberra.

As cities go, this one was right on par with what Nathan and I both wanted. There were things to see and do, and it was DESERTED! Really, it seemed like the only people around were public servants and a few occasional tourists. It was easy to get around in this geometrically-planned city, and we found our way to our hotel quite easily. We had a reservation at a University housing area, and while waiting to check in, I noticed that I somehow chipped a tooth! It didn’t hurt at all, but it was rather surprising and unnerving . I’m not sure how that happened, but all the tooth chattering from sleeping in the car probably didn’t help matters any.

We checked into our room, which was actually a nice suite with a bathroom and living area. We dropped off our things and headed out the door to do some exploring. We opted to do it all by foot, and Canberra proved to be a rather pedestrian friendly city, much to our delight! There were lots of manicured park areas and bike trails on which one could also walk. We headed over the bridge, noticing a Ferris wheel and wondering what that was about (we’d find out later that a private plane crashed into a Ferris wheel the next day while people were riding it, and we assume it was that one – how scary!). We did some light geocaching and found two. Unfortunately, the pen we used to sign logs exploded in the pocket of my new jeans, so that was a mess. Still, that didn’t deter us from delving further into the sights of Canberra.

Our first stop was the art museum, the National Gallery of Australia. It was an impressive place featuring all manner of art, including Indigenous pieces. One of my favorite displays was a series of light bulbs whose filaments were sculpted to form all manner of shapes including physical objects and states that would glow intensely at random intervals. We spent a lot of time there, and I really enjoyed it! After that, we hoofed it down to the House of Parliament where we learned more about Australian political structure and got to climb to the grass-covered roof and view the surrounding countryside. We got some great pictures of the town and could see the war memorial directly across the lake from us. One of the neat things about Canberra is that they made it a point to incorporate native plants into the area, so there is no shortage of greenery. Many of the roofs are planted with grasses, as well, and the city in general tries to be as green as it can. It felt clean and fresh and comfortable here. And we rather liked it!

Once we’d had enough of the House of Parliament, we walked over to the War Memorial. It appeared there had just been a service, and it was an absolute madhouse, so we saw what we could and then walked back to our hotel, going through some peaceful residential neighborhoods and seeing a lot of exotic birds up close. I could really see living in Canberra. It just felt good. I think, coupled with Alice Springs, this was one of the best cities on our trip!

Exhausted from quite a bit of walking, we made it back to our room where I showered and got ready for dinner. We walked down to the CBD where we found a nice sushi restaurant. It was a pleasant meal, and it was good to have some food in our stomachs again. After that, we found a pub (which we found out later was known for being rather rough and occasionally dangerous) and had a drink. At one point, a strange woman came up to me and asked me to accompany her to the bathroom. I really didn’t feel comfortable about it, but I did anyway because she seemed scared of something. I’m pretty sure she wasn’t all there, and I made sure to make eye contact with people along the way just in case I needed help, but she left me alone after she was done and, weirded out, Nate and I hurried to finish our drinks and get outta there. That was rough enough for me!

Australia 2011: Day 19 - Gold Coast through Sydney

Oct. 4th

While we enjoyed our brief respite in one place, we knew the road was calling us again, and we still had a lot to see along the way. We had a long drive this day, heading south and not really stopping for much beyond getting gas and attempting to visit a few wineries that either didn’t exist, or were within 10 minutes of closing and didn’t want to bother with us. Rude!

On our travels, we noted the lack of expressway systems across Australia. While the US has interstates spanning from coast to coast, Australia’s main roads are merely two-lane highways, and therefore getting around seems to take longer. Our drive between Brisbane and Sydney was no exception. It took an eternity, and the two of us were getting really frustrated with not seeing anything on this long drive.

We really had no intention of going to Sydney, considering how stressful city driving and crowds can be, but since we hadn’t seen much on this leg of the trip, Nate suggested we attempt to at least see the Opera House, since we were going to be so close. It would be a shame to come all the way to Oz and not see its most famous sight. Plus, by the time we’d get there, it would be so late at night, surely the traffic wouldn’t be too bad. I agreed wholeheartedly, and we altered our route slightly, taking us right into the heart of Sydney.

The drive there wasn’t too bad until we really started getting to the downtown area, or central business district (CBD) as Aussies like to call it. The sudden road changes and some confusion between the Garmin and our real-life road perceptions kept us on the edge of our seats, but somehow we managed to make it there around 9pm. Once the Garmin indicated we were in the right vicinity, we parked at the first garage we could find and walked down to the harbor where we admired the bridge and the Opera House from afar. We took a lot of pictures, and we were doubly excited when we were able to spot Sydney’s Luna Park across the harbor. It was aglow with thousands upon thousands of brilliant lights, looking like something out of a bygone era.

We headed around the harbor toward the Sydney Opera House and were delighted to discover it was open for people! So we went inside and explored as much of the lobby as was accessible. We also walked around outside and took pictures of the stunning architecture. I was so glad we were able to see this incredible structure up close! After we’d seen all we possibly could, we headed back to our car around 11pm. Upon arriving at the parking garage, we were met with a rather startling find. The gate was closed and our car was locked away! Oh no!! There was no obvious way of accessing it, and we started to worry about where we’d sleep that night. Luckily, we were eventually able to track down a number, and they opened the gate for us. Relieved, we retrieved our car and headed back down the road.

I’d attempted unsuccessfully to find us an open motel, but we resigned ourselves to the fact that nothing would be available, and we decided to continue on down to Wollongong and find a place to sleep in the car. By the time we arrived, it was well after midnight, and we were, as always, exhausted. We drove around in vain, trying to find a place to pull off and sleep, but we wound up just sleeping on the street in a residential area, hoping no one would complain. It was a cold, uncomfortable night, but at least we didn’t have to waste money on a motel room!

Australia 2011: Day 18 - Warner Bros. Movie World and Surfer's Paradise

Oct. 3rd

I had the hardest time getting up this morning. Was all this travel finally catching up with me? Nah!! The air conditioning kept going on and off, and that eventually got me out of bed. We’d been trying to decide how long we wanted to stay in the Gold Coast, and determined we’d stay another night. So we headed down to the lobby to extend our stay. Then we went on a mission: to find a shuttle to Warner Brothers Movie World. When Leah and I visited, we went to all three major amusement parks in the area and somehow managed to get a shuttle to each one, considering we didn’t have a car. Surely it would be that easy again, right? Well, it turns out you needed reservations well in advance, and since we didn’t, we were out of luck. Not a big deal except that meant we’d have to drive again – something we sincerely wanted a break from after all this. Luckily, Movie World wasn’t extremely far away, so back into the saddle we hopped.

When last I was in the region, of the three parks we’d visited, Movie World was my second favorite, just under Dream World and better than Sea World. It was an interesting place, featuring many movies and actually allowing us on the set of a few including Riddler’s Lair from “Batman Forever,” which was quite impressive. My only disappointment was its size – there wasn’t all that much to do. Well, such was the case on this visit, though there was more than in 1998. I had told Nate about the backstage tour, but sadly that had been discontinued, as had the Gremlin ride, which was a lot of fun. Instead, we were treated to a few new roller coasters, and I was able to drool over the new Green Lantern coaster that was being built in the parking lot. Speaking of the lot, we were excited to discover that parking was free! That’s always a nice treat. Inside the park, the lines were ridiculously long, so although there wasn’t much to see, it would certainly take an entire day.

One of the best attractions was the Superman roller coaster, a launched ride that had you soaring above the park. It was fantastic. It was also the one ride with the silly rule that you couldn’t take anything on it with you, even if you put it in zipped up pockets. They required you to rent a locker and store things there. It was a pain, but what can you do. I guess the ride was worth the extra charge. I’d have loved to have ridden it again, but with the lines as long as they were, time would not permit.

There was also a really cool Scooby-Do themed indoor Wild Mouse that starts out with an elevator lift, and drops you onto the track backwards, so you’re speeding around, not knowing where you’re going. That was a lot of fun. I’m counting their water ride, Wild West Falls, a roller coaster because it’s on a track and features a coastery move or two. That was a blast as well. Then there was Lethal Weapon: The Ride (which, since we’ve returned, has been renamed Arkham Asylum). Back when I rode it last, this Vekoma SLC (suspended looping coaster) was so much fun that I rode it five times in a row. Other coaster enthusiasts would ridicule that, saying I was crazy for liking an SLC. But I swear, this ride was really good back then! How would 13 years have treated it? Well, let’s just say that I spent the entire ride wondering if I would bust an eardrum, have brain damage, or snap my neck. It was the most painful, horrendous ride ever, and they need to tear it down! I’m amazed no one’s been bashed to death on that thing. I’m pretty sure my brain was bleeding once we got off the ride, and yet I heard people in line saying “This ride is great!!” Ummm, I think my brain damage prediction came true for some of them.

Beyond this, we watched the stunt car show, which I think I’d seen all those years ago, did the Batman simulator ride, which is one of the best simulators around, and rode the Road Runner roller coaster. Despite the lines and being such a small park, we had a fun time. I really wish we’d have had time to revisit Dreamworld, which I sincerely think is the better park. Plus they had even more new coasters!! Yet another reason to go back, not like we need one.

After the park, we attempted to do dinner at Dracula’s Redrum Cabaret dinner theater, but sadly it was closed on Mondays. Instead, we headed back to Surfer’s main drag and toured a five-storey haunted house that featured things like walking through Australia’s former prime minister Kevin Rudd’s digestive system. That was pretty cool, actually! From there, we did the Infinity Attraction, something we’d never seen before. Essentially a light and mirror maze, full of special effects, this 40 minute attraction was unique and dizzying. Very cool, and definitely worth experiencing at least once.

From there, we decided to have dinner at a Thai restaurant that was a bit off the main drag. It was absolutely lovely – they kept filling our water without having to request it, the food was superb, and they had individual champagne bottles full of the tastiest bubbly, and served with a raspberry. So wonderful! The atmosphere was great too. It had an island feel, and we were seated right next to a tranquil koi pond with a waterfall. *sigh*

We ended the night with an ice cream and a romantic walk along the beach. It was a wonderful end to our stay in Surfer’s Paradise.

Australia: Day 17 - The Australia Zoo!

Oct. 2nd

We woke up, showered, and hit the road as early as we could again. We drove about 3.5 hours south to the Australia Zoo, one of the most anticipated sites on this trip. I remember when I was studying abroad in Perth in 1998, my friend Jeanine would ask me if I’d seen this zoo or met the Crocodile Hunter. At the time, I had no idea what she was talking about, but now I more than knew. I’m not much affected by the deaths of any celebrity, but when Steve Irwin died, it really seemed to bother me. I mean, honestly, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner considering the risks he would take, but at some point he almost became super human. As a biologist, he held a certain fascination for me, and now, being back in Australia, we’d have to go see the zoo that he made famous.

Once we parked, we quickly grabbed our Garmin and headed a few hundred feet down the road and across the street to snag a geocache in the woods. While there, we picked up a travel bug in the form of a stuffed koala that came from the US and wanted to ultimately wind up at the Australia Zoo! We took it in and made sure to get lots of pictures of it with its koala brethren inside before taking it back with us to the States to see more zoos.

The Australia Zoo itself was an interesting place. It was a moderately-sized zoo, and I have to say I expected more of it. There were a lot of aspects that could have used work – better exhibits, more updating, better signage, etc. It just didn’t seem as spectacular as you might expect, but it was still quite an enjoyable and solid zoo. Of course, the main feature was native Australian animals. They had plenty of the obvious creatures: kangaroos, koalas, emus, cassowaries, tassie devils, wombats, crocs, and the like, but one aspect of the Australian fauna that you rarely if ever see is the vast array of nocturnal animals. Again, we were disappointed. Creatures like possums, bilbies, quolls, numbats, and all manner of lesser known or night-dwelling marsupials were overlooked, and that was a shame. Considering Steve Irwin’s passion for reptiles, their reptile house wasn’t really all that impressive, either. Beyond Australian animals, they also had an Asian and an African exhibit, though they were almost one trick ponies. Not to say they weren’t impressive, they just weren’t the focus of this zoo.

Wandering around, we came across a number of native animals that I had hoped to see in the wild but didn’t. Because of this, I broke my rule of not taking pictures of animals in zoos because I feel like it’s cheating. In this case, I just wanted to have documentation of some of the animals on which we’d missed out. I snapped a perentie lizard, Australia’s largest, a cassowary, a wombat, an echidna, and a tassie devil, amongst others. Crocs, however, were on prominent display. While they do have freshwater crocs and American alligators, their main feature are the infamous saltwater crocs. They have 15 residing at the zoo, each one a rescue from a populated area where they may have come into conflict with people. Each day, they have a feeding show in which keepers enter the enclosures and feed the crocs by hand. In some ways, it feels exploitative, but if you consider the fact that these animals are rescues, they are now able to help educate the public about their species. We watched the heart-stopping show, and it was quite interesting. My main concern was the small pools in which they now reside. After having had freedom all their lives, I’m sure their small pools are a bit confining. Still, it’s better than the alternative, and you can tell they’re well cared-for.

Hungry, we decided to grab a bite to eat at the food court. Interestingly, the food court didn’t offer the typical American foods like hamburgers and hot dogs. Rather, they had barramundi fish and chips, meat pies, and dim sum. Nate had a feta and spinach roll, and I had the barramundi, both of which were pretty tasty. While dining, we were visited by Australia’s answer to squirrels. In the States, it’s commonplace that you’ll be approached by squirrels and chipmunks at zoos, as they beg for any food you may be willing to share. Well, Australia doesn’t have native squirrels, but that doesn’t mean that other animals won’t take over these niches. Instead, we were followed around by water dragons and bush turkeys. Our first water dragon hung out right under our table, just waiting to see what treats we may produce. The bush turkeys, on the other hand, were spotted everywhere throughout the zoo, foraging and pecking around. It was fascinating!!

We slowly worked our way over to Roo Heaven, a many acres-huge attraction featuring 9 species of macropods, or kangaroos and their kin. A petting zoo of sorts, we were able to get up close and personal with a lot of these animals, and actually pet some. It was really neat to walk around with them at close range, and although this seems to be common in Australia, it’s next to unheard of in the States. The roos have plenty of room in which to bound about, and they also have private areas where they can retreat to escape the grabby hands of people. It was a really neat area to experience.

We also visited the ornate Asian area featuring white tigers and Asian elephants, as well as the new African section featuring cheetahs, rhinos, zebras, and giraffes. Africa reminded me a bit of a smaller version of the San Diego Wild Animal Park, since the animals had a large area in which to roam. Asia was full of ruins and fountains and felt more unnatural. Still, they were both impressive. Oh, and an interesting feature they offered was the ability to, for an added charge, meet some of the larger animals up close! People could pet cheetahs and Tasmanian devils and all manner of other critters. What a neat added feature!

Of course, the one thing that the Australia Zoo made sure never to forget was the legacy of Steve Irwin. Everywhere you go, his memory persists. Be it sculptures and statues, to cutouts and an entire museum documenting all he’s done from birth to death, his memory will never be forgotten. While there, I offhandedly thought it’d be interesting if his family might be on site. I blew off the thought, however, figuring they’d have better things to do, despite still running the place. Well, wasn’t I in for a surprise? Nate and I were perusing one of the gift shops, and I noticed an awfully long line near where I was browsing. I figured they were all in line for checkout and didn’t really pay much attention to it. Once we left, Nate was all, “Did you see who was in there?” I looked back through the window, and there, signing autographs, were Terri, Bindi, and Bob – Steve’s wife and kids! What do ya know?! I half considered getting one myself, but I figured, as a biologist, perhaps I’ll meet them on professional terms one day. Still pretty cool, though!

After spending several hours and seeing as much of the Australia Zoo as we could have (and petting a wombat and koala!), we hit the road again, bound for places south. Leaving the Sunshine Coast just to Brisbane’s north, we looped around the city and made our way into the Gold Coast, specifically Surfer’s Paradise, within 2.5 hours. The sudden surge in traffic wasn’t very pleasant, and we were faced with the stress of figuring out what to do about a toll we ran (a pass is required and there are no booths), though we were able to go online and get that worked out. Finally, after much traffic stress, we made it to the hotel we’d reserved in Surfer’s. We chose the place both due to price, internet access, and the fact that it shared a building with the New Mexico Restaurant! How could we resist?? Well, the price was accurate, but the internet was a bust…but how about the restaurant? We decided to give it a go and determined…it was salty. Of course it was nothing like New Mexican cuisine, not that we expected that, but the food, despite the salt, was decent. I’d always wondered about Australian Mexican, and it wasn’t too bad. The margaritas didn’t hurt, either!

After dinner, we decided to walk around Surfer’s Paradise. Back in 1998 while studying in Perth, my friend Leah and I decided to travel to Surfer’s over our spring break holiday. It was so cool to be back there again! Really, not much had changed. It seemed mostly the same, from the beach to the shops. Nathan and I walked along the dark beach, enjoying the stars, writing our names in the sand, listening to the surf, and avoiding the occasional other person or two we’d encounter along the way. We took pictures when we could, and eventually found our way back to the Baskin Robbins at which Leah and I used to eat back in the day. It was still there!! For old time’s sake, I got my chocolate mousse royalle, and we sat there enjoying our ice cream. Dying of thirst, we stopped at the Hungry Jack’s (Burger King) at which Leah and I later switched to for their 30 cent ice creams and got a soda. We explored the area, visiting the local arcade that I’d remembered from before, and gawking at the weird guillotine game they had. We also got a laugh out of their Route 66 bowling game that had pictures posted of things like Mt. Rushmore, the Seattle Space Needle, and Devil’s Tower that are not actually anywhere near Rt. 66. We people-watched outside the local hotspot, talking about how the last thing we’d want to do is go clubbing, and marveling at all the well-dressed women going in with slovenly guys. We wandered some more – it really is a madhouse at times, but fascinating, too. It’s a total tourist town, and often times that’s where we feel most at home! Once we’d had our fill of exploring, we stopped at a bar for a beer before heading back to the motel and calling it a night.

Australia: Day 16 - Great Barrier Reef and Queensland Coast

Oct. 1st

We got up around 7:30 and headed east toward the coast. We’d been hemming and hawing about which route we wanted to take, and just how much of the coast we had time to see. We wanted to at least view a part of the Great Barrier Reef, so we looked into the southernmost place to see it. We knew it wouldn’t be in all its glory, but at least it was something. We steered our wheels toward the Rockhampton area, particularly the suburb of Yeppoon, which was right on the coast, and offered a number of ways to go out and see the Reef. Nathan was getting beyond exhausted from all the driving, and I couldn’t blame him. It was exhausting being a passenger, too, though I have to say my travel endurance is rather uncanny. We made it to Yeppoon a little after noon only to discover that the last cruise that would be suitable left at 9am. We considered staying another day, but really, time was of the essence, and we decided we’d see what we could and consider coming back in the future. After all, much of this trip was meant as a scouting exercise in which we would discover what we’d like to come back and see more of. The Great Barrier Reef is just one of those impressive things for which you have to make the time. Instead, we did a hike up to Double Head, an extreme lava outcropping that overlooks the Pacific. From there, we were able to see the dark patches in the ocean that were part of the Reef, so in a way, we did see it, just from afar. After that hike, we headed down to a protected bay where we waded in the Pacific waters. While out there, we saw a number of dead shrimp, lots of crabs, and a stingray! We had fun just splashing around for a bit, cognizant of some of the Aussie dangers like the ever present, hypodermic-needle-barbed stonefish. Luckily, we emerged unscathed. It was a nice, relaxing time, and it was good to stop and see some sights for once.

Late afternoon started to set in, and we headed down the coast in search of our one meal of the day. We really craved seafood, and what better place to try some than the coast of Queensland? Most of the places we tried were either closed or nonexistent, but we pressed on. We wasted quite a bit of time in rather large towns trying to find something, and going well out of our way in search of it, but luck finally smiled upon us in the little town of 1770, named such because that is the year Captain Cook sailed past the area. We found a lovely little restaurant on the coast called The Deck, and made it just in time because, had we arrived any later, we may have had to contend with a large party and may not have had a table. Settling in around 5:30, we had a beautiful spot outside, and were joined by a blue faced honeyeater who watched our every move. This restaurant featured incredible island drinks, and our main courses were out of this world. Nathan immensely enjoyed his squid stir fry, while I was absolutely floored by the shrimp and scallop pasta I had. It was probably the best meal we had in Australia! So fresh, and better than any seafood I’d had anywhere else, and as a fan of seafood, that is a stellar compliment. We were so lucky to have found this place. It was worth the detour.

Refreshed and recharged, we continued on until about 7pm when Nate was starting to fade from all the driving, especially considering there wasn’t much to see on some of these forested country roads. Luckily we were just upon the town of Bunderberg. We tried two hotels in hopes of finding a room, but both were booked. Luckily, the second hotel got us in touch with one that wasn’t quite full yet, and we were able to get a quite luxurious ensuite room for a decent price. On top of that, we had internet! We were glad to stop, rest, and relax for another evening.

Australia 2011 - Day 15 - The Great Trek East

Sept. 30th

Today wasn’t much of a respite from the insane amounts of driving we’d been conquering. Poor Nathan was getting so exhausted from all the driving, all of which he had done up to this point. I finally caved in and offered to take over, to which he gladly agreed, despite my horrific first attempt back in Melbourne. Luckily, in the middle of nowhere, we probably wouldn’t have as many issues. I probably helped to drive about 300 miles total in two stints, which really isn’t much considering we drove about 8,000 miles altogether. But it helped, though I think we were both happier when he was driving. Driving on the other side of the road was an interesting experience. It definitely took a lot of getting used to, and I had to consciously think about where the car was in relation to the center line. After a while, it got easier, but things like turning onto a new street required a bit more thought. The most distracting thing was definitely the reversal of the turn signal and windshield wipers. You’d casually go to turn the signal and all heck would break loose! I’m sure it’d get better with time, but it was somewhat confusing.

We continued east along the Capricorn Highway. Pockets of civilization increased a bit the further along we went, but it was still extremely desolate for the most part. We drove near the area where the famous Aussie ballad “Waltzing Matilda” was written and first performed, but we sadly didn’t have time to stop at the Waltzing Matilda Museum in Winton, western Queensland’s self-proclaimed tidiest town.

In Longreach, the self-claimed friendliest town in Australia, we decided to stop and visit the Qantas Founders Museum. Due to our ever limited time, we didn’t really get to explore the museum, but we were able to get a tour of some of the aircraft parked outside. Although we were able to board a few smaller craft, the main attraction was the 1979 Boeing 747 christened “The City of Bunbury.” I was excited that, when they asked if anyone knew where Bunbury was (all planes are named after a city), only I and one other person (who was more brave and answered) knew the answer – Western Australia, of course! Though I never visited, having lived in that state, I was familiar with Bunbury. Too cool! We were able to explore the plane in its entirety, visiting the cargo hold, climbing up to the second story which was reserved for families during its heyday, checking out the cockpit, and seeing where the black box is located (at the rear on the left side of the craft). They position the black box (which is actually bright orange) at the perceived safest part of the plane in a crash, so take that into consideration when picking out your seat on a flight. For an upcharge, you could also walk out onto the wing, but we declined that on this visit. It was really a fascinating time, and I’m glad we did it. It was also nice to get out and break up the driving for a bit.

Continuing onward through vast tracts of grazing land, we eventually happened upon the small town of Barcaldine, QLD. Driving through, we were about ready for a break, and we needed to fill up the tank, too, when we noticed a very strange sculpture of sorts in the center of town. It looked like a gigantic tree with long dangling wooden pieces for leaves. We had to check it out. It turns out we stumbled upon the Tree of Knowledge, an historically important entity in the region. Under this once-living tree, it is said that Australia’s Labor Party was birthed. 200 years in age, the tree was starting to suffer dieback in the early 1990s, but the final nail in its coffin was due to vandalism. Someone poisoned the tree in 2006, and when it died, the tree was considered important enough that it was preserved right down to the roots and is still on display for all to see. Before it completely died, however, cuttings were taken, and parts of this tree have been planted around town so it still lives on. We marveled at the charismatic branches, and I was especially fascinated by the roots, visible through glass in the ground. It was really a neat thing to see, and another nice way to break up the drive through northern Queensland.

Pressing on, outside of Barkaldine we were subjected to something called a Speedo Check, which Nate and I found immensely amusing. Essentially it’s just a way to test your actual speed versus what your speedometer is reading based on indicators on the road. Not what we were imagining, but cool nonetheless! We were also stopped at a random checkpoint by some friendly cops who, upon seeing we were foreign, let us go without a second thought. Very cool!

Further down the road, we happened upon a father emu and a number of babies. It turns out male emus are the ones that care for the young, which we never before realized. The juveniles were too cute – about the size of large turkeys and sporting spots.

Eventually night descended upon us, and we found ourselves driving through more lush and wooded locales. At one point, one of the most exciting things happened. We’d been very watchful for animals dashing out in front of our car, mostly expecting to see roos and wallabies. Well, the thing that leaped out in front of us and bolted across the street was neither of those. It was approximately dog-sized, but as far as I could tell, it wasn’t quite dog-shaped. In fact, it was shaped a lot more like a Thylacine or Tasmanian tiger. It had a long, thick tail and fawn-colored fur. It was gone in an instant, and in the dark, there was no way I could have gotten a better look, but oh my goodness, that was a rush!! For those that don’t know, the last known Thylacine died in captivity in 1936. Since then, there have been a number of possible sightings, both in Tasmania and in Western Australia, but nothing absolutely confirmed. Considering the vast tracts of uninhabited land in Australia, it wouldn’t be surprising if a few have managed to hold on, and considering how barren much of Queensland is, that could be a possibility! I was so pumped about our sighting, even though neither of us could really confirm anything, I’m content in thinking we may have, in fact, spied one of the elusive remaining Tassie tigers.

A gemstone mining area, we’d hoped to have time to search for sapphires in the area around Emerald, but that would not come to fruition unless we were willing to stay in the area another day. (Note to self and anyone contemplating doing a crazy trip like this: you need a minimum of 4 weeks to really see as much as you might like, and even that is probably not enough!) We rolled into the town of Emerald well after dark, but we were still able to get a room at a motor inn that caters to seasonal miners in the area. Our room was small and cramped, and we had to share a bathroom with others on the floor, but at least we had a comfortable place to sleep. Hungry and anxious to not sit still any longer after that long drive, we inquired about local eating establishments and were directed to a pub across the street. It was rather nice, actually, and we enjoyed our meal of the day – I had chicken parmesan, and I forget what Nate had, but we both enjoyed some Queensland beers, particularly a brand called XXXX. We’d been wondering how you’d pronounce that. Turns out, it’s just “Four Ex.” Thanks, local pub, for increasing our beer knowledge!

From there, I’d been pretty internet deprived, so we attempted to drive around and find a signal, particularly trying the local library, to no avail. Our little adventure was not for naught, though! While sitting in the parking lot of the library, we noticed some drunk guys causing a ruckus by the trees just behind us. Observing them, we realized they were harassing strange flying creatures living in the canopy. Could it be? Could it really be?? After our disappointment at not seeing any flying foxes in the Darwin area, lo and behold, there was a treeful of them right here in Emerald! So we waited in the car until the drunks moved on and descended upon the trees ourselves.

Located on some medians on a relatively quiet street, these trees were asquawk with noise! Dozens of gigantic bats were causing quite a commotion in the leaves. On occasion, you would see one fly off, leathery wings aflap. We moved from point to point under the canopy, trying in vain to take pictures of something, though it was so dark, we had to blindly point and click, hoping for the best. Even the ones we did see, we only managed to glimpse. Cars would occasionally drive by, no doubt wondering what was up with the two nutters who were desperately trying to photograph what was assuredly the equivalent to a squirrel or pest of some sort. We did wind up getting a few relatively good shots, however, so it was well worth it. Another Australian creature was checked off our list!

We returned to the motel, happy, but exhausted. We ended our night watching an Australian movie called “Charlie and Boots,” which featured Paul Hogan, better known as Crocodile Dundee. We were both watching, trying to figure out where we knew him from. He’s really aged!! The movie featured an epic road trip involving a father and son, and we were excited to see some of the places we’d visited featured, including that giant koala back near the Grampians. Good times!