Outback Roadtrip

Outback sunset at Mundi Mundi, Silverton.

In desperate need of a break, a jumped in my car and took off - far off! This is too much to put down into 1 blog entry, so this will be the first. My plan, if you would call it that, was to drive to Adelaide via Silverton (outback NSW) to see my friend Nick for his birthday, and to see a bit of the country - both new parts and re-visited.

Broken Hill from the hill.

Filled up?

A moon in the afternoon.

4,300kms, 7 days, 3 states and 2 time zones, 1 man. Yes, these are the numbers, but what's better is the story behind it. As I couldn't wait to get away from the daily hum-drum that is life, I hit the road on Thursday afternoon on the 17th  - along with half of Sydney. Being a long weekend, everyone gets Friday and the following Monday off, so it is the great exodus of the city. Well, I knew it would be bad getting out of the city, but it has to be done - and in the end wasn't too bad. I was heading West towards the mountain, and most people were either heading North or South along the coast.

Just keep driving...

I passed through a few places before my major stop. I won't mention them all, but a cool little place worth mentioning is Orange. About 3 hours out of Sydney, it is your typical country town. Wide streets, plenty of free parking, pubs, pubs and more pubs! There is always a pub called The Federal and The Commercial in Australian country towns. While driving through town on Thursday afternoon, all I saw were girls in boots driving utes! Well, so I didn't see the boots, but they were country girls and they were driving utes, and my imagination did the rest. Orange is always good for a night out - but leave the line dancing out please!

A whole lotta nothin'!

Broken Hill 'Living Sculptures.'

Broken Hill Miner's Memorial.

Broken Hill (also known as "The Silver City," "The Capital Of The Outback," and "Oasis Of The West") is 1200kms from Sydney, so I did get a head start on Thursday afternoon, but it took till midday to reach the town (after a 5:30am start on Friday). Yes, a lot of driving - but if you want to see things in this country, you have to. Not much along the way, but dead-straight roads, and a pancake-flat landscape pocked with only a few low shrubs. The longest stretch of straight road I cam across was 50kms - no curves, corners or deviations... where else but the Australian Outback! Broken Hill is in the far North West of New South Wales, and is basically a mining town; it was found in 1883 after the discovery of silver and lead - the largest and richest in the world. Australia's huge mining company (and the world's largest), BHP (Broken Hill Propriety Company) was founded in 1885, and has since grown and diversified and now produces Australia's steel. Although in the Outback, and surrounded by arid land, Broken Hill has a population of 18,000 people, as well as green parks and gardens. The Living Sculpture display are just 11kms out of town, and are quite interesting - artist from around the world came and carved the orange stone on a hill overlooking nothing. It was just me visiting at the time - no overly excited, but some interesting rocks, and lets face it, a great view from the top!

The 'Big Bench' in Broken Hill. Harder than it looks to get up there!!

Another attraction of Broken Hill is the Miner's Memorial, on top of the 'Broken Hill.' This shows the 800 odd miners that have lost their lives in mining accidents since the mine opened. Sadly, there are many deaths - the plaques show the miner's name, age and how he died. Although mining has always been a dangerous occupation, surely some of these deaths could have been prevented with some simple safety measures - for example, 16 year old Edmund Humphreys was run over by a truck in 1893; numerous 'fell down shaft,' and even more heart attacks. On the upside, in the last 50 years the number of deaths has been cut to what used to happen every year. In one year there were more than a dozen deaths. On a happier note, on the hill you can climb and sit on a large park bench, which is to mining scale - it has been roped off, but I ignored it as I had driven so far, and let's face it, I'm not a baby who's going to cry to the council if I fell off... although it was a big drop!

The famous Silverton Hotel.

The Silverton Municipal Chambers - one of the few remaining buildings.

Just 25kms outside of Broken Hill is Silverton. Although a few people passed through the area, including aboriginals, Major Thomas Mitchell (a NSW Surveyor), the explorer Charles Sturt (who named Broken Hill), and even the famous Burke and Wills (before they died on their momentous trip from Melbourne to The Gulf Of Carpentaria), it wasn't until the 1850s that people started settling here. In 1875 silver was found, and the population boomed to 3000 people in 20 years. By 1901 the population was only 300 people, and in 1915 a New Years Day train was robbed by an Afgani man in what is called the Battle of Broken Hill. Today, the town has about 50 people - a far cry from the 3000, 10 pubs and 5 churches 100 years ago. The Silverton Hotel is the only surviving pub, and is now famous for the movies and many beer ads that were filmed here, including the 2001 movie Dirty Deeds with Bryan Brown, Toni Collette and Sam Worthington, Prescilla Queen of the Desert, and of course Mad Max 2 was filmed here, and just around the corner at the Mundi Mundi lookout.

A relic from the Mad Max movie.

Not much to look at now, the town is full of old ruins and flies. It doesnt take much imagination though to see it like it must have been. The real Wild West of Australia - guys in beards walking around with loaded revolvers, drinking in 1 of the 10 wood and corrugated iron pubs. I'm sure there were shootings over money and silver, horses, and maybe a woman or two. Last time my friend Nick came up here, he saw a guy pull up on his horse, tie it up, and go straight into the pub. He came out a few hours later, wobbled back to his horse, and went home. Where else do you see that? Before camping for the night, we headed up to the Mundi Mundi lookout to watch the bush sunset. Up on a high hill, the same place Max crashed his car, we sat there with a few beers and the dog (and about a dozen tourists), and chilled out. Sunsets are great, and even better in outback where it is just the sun and the horizon line.

Bush sunset at Mundi Mundi, Silverton.

Now, before  end this post - can anyone answer a question for me? Why are country people so NICE!! It's a good thing, don't get me wrong, but it's true! While driving on the road, guys in utes and trucks with give me the, what I call, 'reverse two finger salute.' We all know what the 2 finger salute is, but this was a quick 'G'day' while driving. Drivers would do this as they passed you on the outback roads - not tourists mind, only real country folk - I tried to initiate it, never work, so stuck to just having my hand ready to reciprocate!

Native Australia

Dingoes at the park... and someone's backyard well within howling range.

Featherdale Wildlife Park is 40kms outside of the Sydney CBD in a suburb called Blacktown. Now while this part of Sydney isn't anything special, the park is. One of the few places in the world where you can get so close to animals and feed and touch them in a safe and friendly environment, it is truly something to appreciate! My advice though - don't hang around Blacktown... there's no reason to, and besides, the wildlife at the park is much friendlier and far cuter!

Everyone loves a cracker!

A pretty peacock.

At Featherdale, it is all about native Australia animals. Everyone has heard of a Kangaroo or a Koala, but have you ever heard of a Quokka? What about a Wombat or an Echidna? I will get to them later, but first I want to tell you about the more common, but no less loveable or interesting animals. As soon as we walked into the park, we were met by some very inquisitive, and slightly hungry, wallabies. Now, everyone knows that the Australia Rugby Team goes by this name as well, but these cute, furry little animals are nothing like their 6ft human counterparts. Hopping around casually, these miniature kangaroos eat out of your hand, and also love a belly rub. There are a few different species of wallaby, but all are herbivores, and come out to feed in the early morning or late evening when its not too hot. Most wallabies live in rocky areas of Australia, and are known to climb high rocky outcrops, or hop into caves to escape predators - mothers often leave their joeys (a baby wallaby or kangaroo) in the safety of caves while they go foraging for food.

Mine!

Koalas are often mistakenly called 'bears.'

Then of course, there are the Koalas. Everyone's favourites - and well, why not? They are cute, furry, and half asleep all the time so easy to pat! The park has quite a few of these little leaf-munching marsupials. There are the enclosures for the koalas, which provide shelter for them, and then there is 'centre stage.' This is where they pose (while eating usually) with tourists (yes, I did it too...), receive hugs, pats on the bum (it's far enough away from their mouth that you don't get bitten... yes they bite!), and high-powered camera flashes in the eye every 10 seconds. The life of a star. Koalas weren't always so adored - in fact, they were hunted heavily for their furs in the 20th Century before being classified as protected. Now there are numerous Koala sanctuaries (such as the one in Port Macquarie that I have visited), and koala numbers have somewhat stabilised. Their habitats are still threatened, mainly by agriculture and urbanisation - the usual suspects.

Tawny Frogmouths pretending to be statues... and doing a swell job at it!

If I don't move, you won't be able to see me...

Don't look at my backwards feet!

Now, what are Echidnas? Are they a porcupine? Are they mammals or marsupials? And what is a marsupial anyway?! Well, let's tackle the marsupial business first. Echidnas are actually a totally different classification called a Monotreme. A mammal is warm-blooded and gives birth to live young, and the echidna is warm blooded BUT lays eggs. Marsupials are mammals they keep their young in pouches, which the echidna also does - so you see why they need a whole new group to belong to? The Platypus is also a Monotreme - and together they make up the only 2 in the world! The spikey little creatures are again, very cute (as most Australian animals are), but also very practical. They have a tongue that is 20cms long (all the better to eat termites with!) and spines all over their back for protection, and if that isn't enough, they are also excellent diggers, and can dig a hole very quickly, get in it, and 'spike up' to keep hungry dingoes off them. I must add that their back feet and actually pointed backwards - front ones for digging, back ones for shovelling dirt out... genius! To add to this strangeness, but also practicality, their pouch is also facing backwards - why? So the little one resting in the pouch doesn't get a full face of dirt when mum is making a new home. Who thinks up all of these things!!!

What do you mean there's no more?

gimme!!

Now the Quokka is an animal that I had no idea even existed! The Quokka is a small, rat-like marsupial, only found on Rottnest Island, just off the coast from Perth in Western Australia. The island was originally named 'Rotte Nest' by the Dutch explorers who found the island, and this comes from the Dutch word 'Rattennest' which means 'rat nest.' About the size of a domestic tabby, these little creatures were extremely friendly, and came straight up to say hi. We fed them of course, and they never seemed to get enough. At the same time, belly strokes and hand holding (the cutest little paws you've ever seen!!), as well as a bit of nose rubbing were perfectly allowed - as long as there was food. Are all Australians the same?

I ssssssee you... a snake in the reptile house.

GIven a bad rep by the Madagasgar films...

It's just how things are done for a bat!

Although there was a storm that day, we weren't deterred and forged on ahead to see the penguins and some bats. We all know about penguins - small, black and white birds that look like they're wearing a tux, so I won't go on about them. I love them all the same though! I will mention a few things about Flying Foxes - the type of bat we get in Australia. Now, any travellers to Australia will know what I'm talking about - you get scared every time you see a few flying over you somewhere in cities (big populations in Sydney and Brisbane), and you think that all bats suck blood. Shame on you! These 'foxes' are lovely creatures, if not just a little noisy at around dusk time. They spend their time hanging upside down in fig trees, eating, screeching and pooping, all the wrong way up. Although they can be little biters, I did pat the soft belly of a few, and a couple of leathery wings as well. They do cause a lot of noise, and a few problems (especially in the Botanic Gardens), but they are native and protected... and besides, who doesn't like bats? They are actually classes as 'superbats,' as they can weigh up to 1kg, and have a wingspan of 1m - pretty super for a little furry bat. The mothers are good mums - they do everything, including fly, with their baby attached to them under the wing! A problem for these little dears though are power lines - they often get zapped and die, leaving orphans - if you see one, call WIRES and they will come and rescue it.

Is is Monday already? Where did the weekend go?

A good day out - it may not be as big as Taronga Zoo, but it does have a certain 'hands on' experience that you just can't get anywhere else really. Kids or adults, you will have a good time at Featherdale!

Sun 'n Sea in Sydney

There is nothing like Sydney on a warm summer's day - being on the Harbour, breathing in the fresh salty air, soaking up the rays of the sun (with sunscreen of course!), and just enjoying the all-round beauty that Sydney has to offer. This was the first weekend in about a month hadn't rained, so I had to get out there - my trigger (camera) finger had been itching for far too long, and there is only one way of fixing that - get snapping!

Sailing ships off North Head.

There is always a long list of place to go in Sydney, and places on the Harbour is no exception. Manly is always a popular destination, with the added treat of catching a ferry. This time I decided on Watson's Bay, in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, as the place to ease my eager (camera) finger. Some people say taking pictures on a cloudy day is best, as you get even light, but I think cloudy weather gives a white, cold light, and not very good light at all. I much prefer sunny days, but with clouds mixed in to make the sky more interesting. There is nothing like warm light (especially sunrise or sunset) to make a nice better great. The day didn't disappoint!

The little beach at the bay - not bad for a city beach, and a Harbour beach at that!

View of the city from Watson's Bay.

Watson's Bay will always remain in my memory, as it is very close to my heart. I have many happy memories here - swimming in the caged-off baths, playing on green grass on the park which backs straight onto the beach, and running around the cliffs and headland that Watson's Bay is situated on. And of course, there is Doyles, probably the most famous (and most expensive) seafood restaurants in the city. 

Just around the corner - Camp Cove.

The oldest Lighthouse in OZ.

It is also home to The Gap, the South Head of the Harbour, famous for people jumping off the cliffs to their death. Walking along the cliffs, I can't imagine why you would want to jump, as I just don't think it is a sure way of doing yourself in... and of course the view in too good to take in on what would be a very short trip to the bottom. We started from the oldest lighthouse in Sydney (and Australia), Macquarie Lighthouse, which has been running since 1883 (yes, so OLD!!). To be fair, the has been something there since 1791 (A big pole with a fire stuck on top), and the first lighthouse was built in 1818, but started crumbling by 1823 and was replaced by the current one. We then walked down to the bay along the cliff's, keeping an eye out for potential jumpers. My heroic skills were not put to the test thankfully, and made it down to the beach without any incidents.

One of the many gun emplacements on South Head.

All along the headland, there are remnants of WWII fortifications. At that time, Japan was posing quite a threat to Australia. Numerous gun emplacement were built on both Heads, as well as an anti-submarine boom net. This net failed to stop 1 Japanese midget submarine getting into Sydney Harbour in May 1942 - shortly before the net was fully operational. 2 submarines were detected by the Navy, and the pilots of these subs scuttled their vessels and committed suicide rather than being caught. The one that made it through sought to sink and destroy the USS Chicago, but occidentally sunk the HMAS Kuttabul killing 21 sailors. This midget submarine wasn't found until 2006 when amateur divers discovered it on the bottom of the Harbour.

Old canons guarding the harbour.

Although it was getting on to 12 o'clock, and my belly was starting to rumble, I thought that if I stopped for lunch now, that will be the end of me! So, out group headed off to walk around the headland, doing a big loop to come back to Watson's Bay for a fish and chip lunch. On the way to the point, we had to go past Sydney's famous 'Nudists Beach,' Lady Bay Beach. While not a beach where you have to go naked, you should be ashamed if you don't really. It was all 'au naturale,' hair down and letting it all hang out. Out and proud in the sun - and why not! Shame to those 2 boys that kept their boardies on!!

Rain off the coast of Sydney... How's the weather New Zealand?

Hornby Lighthouse.

Rounding the headland, and passing pretty little Camp Cove, we came across the Royal Australia Naval Base, HMAS Watson, named after the ship of the same name. At this naval base, closed off to the public of course, they train up sailors in sonar, naval warfare and eventually to become officers. We also meet our second lighthouse here -  also an oldie - built in 1858. Hornby Lighthouse came about after the wrecking of the Dunbar on the rocks of South Head. Quite a sad story really - the ship was coming back into Sydney, and was a regular here due to the boost in trade since the Gold Rushes. There was a storm, and visibility was low, and the captain thought he had passed The Heads of the Harbour already, and so turned straight into the rocks... maybe he was drinking, who knows? But the sad thing was that only he survived (found 2 days later), the remaining 21 crew members all drowned. 

Horn(b)y Lighthouse.

Finally we made it back to Watson's Bay proper - not a long trip, but a beautiful and scenic one. Also quite a hot one, and there was sunburn to be had all round - have to share the love! Fish and chips was had in the park overlooking the beach. And so another lovely day out ends, and while everyone and their dog headed off to get the ferry back, we took a lovely little drive through the Eastern Suburbs and back home. I must note that Sunday seems to be the day that everyone puts out their used (but still in great condition) furniture in Vaucluse - worth driving by and grabbing something - we did!!

Sydney CBD to Middle Harbour to Manly.

Sunday Stroll In The Mountains

The Blue Mountains National Park.

Need to get away from the busy city that is Sydney? Need that 'mini-break' from the rat race? Some people hit the coast for camping and swimming, but there is nothing like the fresh mountain air for me! The Blue Mountains, part of the Great Dividing Range which runs top to bottom all along the east coast of Australia, are only an hour's drive from the heart of the city. There are many pretty little villages to call in at, but my favourite is Katoomba.

The 3 Sisters - Meehni, Wimlah abd Gunnedo.

The witchdoctor turning the sisters to stone.

Frozen forever in stone.

The Blue Mountains are one of the city's top tourist attractions, and are visited by bus loads upon bus loads of (mainly) Korean and Chinese tourists. The reason for this - The 3 Sisters. Not actual sisters, unless you believe the Aboriginal legend. 3 Beautiful sisters fell in love with 3 brothers from another tribe, and wanted to marry them. This of course was against tribal law, as the 2 tribes were feuding - West Side Story style. Anyway, the sisters, Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo, were from the Katoomba tribe, and the brothers (no names, as only the pretty ones are remembered) were from the Nepean tribe. One day, the brothers decided to ignore the law, and tried to steal the woman away, which caused a battle between the tribes. A helpful witch doctor from the Katoomba tribe took it upon himself to help, and so turn the sisters into stone, to protect them from harm. Unfortunately the good doctor took a spear, or possibly a boomarang, to the head (maybe) and died. As only he could reverse the spell, the 3 sisters remained as they were, and now stand at Echo Point, a short distance from the village of Katoomba.

Katoomba Station - your ticket to fresh mountain air!

Normally I drive up, as it's quick and convenient, but this time I was going with my English class, and decided on the train for the relaxing trip and the view along the way. That and my class wouldn't have fit in my little clown car... The train from Central takes 2 hours, running from the CBD through the Western Suburbs and over the Nepean River which marks the edge of Sydney. You can fully appreciate what a big city it is on this trip, as it seems to stretch forever and it gets your full attention as you're not battling the traffic. After crossing the river, the train snakes it's way up the mountain, 1000m above sea level, and through small towns and villages, following the highway. Getting out at Katoomba station, you are immediately hit with fresh air, quiet streets and a more subdued pace to life - just the way I like it!

The 3 Sisters from Echo Point.

The original 1950s cable car, which the Orphan Rocker's rails in the background.

The view from Scenic World.

Most people head straight for Echo Point and the 3 Sisters, and I don't blame them. There is much more to see in the area, but who doesn't want to see 3 900m tall women? There are all throughout the National Park, but as the stairs had been damaged in a recent landslide, we were limited to walking along the cliff-top. This trail, hugging the cliff on one side and looking down to a 300 meter drop on the other, is the best way to see it - not in a car. An easy walk though! We walked from Echo Point to Scenic World. This place, built in 1958, is still running and now bigger than ever. Originally it ran the Scenic Skyway, a cable car that goes right out over the valley and offers a stomach dropping view. Before it opened up as a tourist attraction, it had a 'railway' to haul up coal, which later became the Scenic Railway. This railway is one of the steepest cable-driven funicular railways in the world at a gut wrenching 52 degrees incline!

The Skyway going over the valley and past Orphan Rock.

The first Sister, and the only one you can get on.

In 2004 they replaced the old Skyway car with a brand-newie - yes, they had been running that old bucket for nearly 50 years... and yes, I did go on the old one, but haven't been on the new one - I don't think it would be the same! In 1984 they started building a roller coast here, called the Orphan Rocker, which was to run around the cliff face, and hammer around corners and scare the life out of people with its rails going within a meter of the 300m straight-down drop. It never opened sadly, but you can still see the train running around the grounds, and they are still talking about finishing it... not that I would ever go on it!!

As we didn't have a car, we had to walk everywhere. This wasn't a problem, but the weather was very warm, so it was a bit tiring. We stopped off for lunch back in the village (as I hate paying Tourist prices!). Katoomba is a chilled out place, with some trendy cafes and arts & crafts shops as well as a few antique stores too. If you look closely enough, you can tell that the village had it's hay day in the 20s. Neo-Gothic 20's buildings can be seen, an old cinema which is now a cafe serving all-day breakfast, to the more obvious Carrington Hotel - a grand old building restored in 1998 to it's former 'Outlook Hotel' style grandness. It was first built in 1883 and served the wealthy Sydney folk with somewhere to get city comforts in a country setting - Im happy that its back, even if I can't afford to stay there.

The Blue Mountains - one of my favourite places in the world.

 The day was drawing to an end, and so we had to hit the stations and jump back on the train, back to the rat race of the Big Smoke. It was a lovely day out, and it was great to share it with my students - I am so happy that they make the most of their time in the country by going out and doing this all the time, and even spending a bit of time with their (cool) teacher! Thanks guys!!

My and my cool students!