Photos

These are the last random photos I will post - some Aussie beach culture south of Adelaide. Yes, they drive right onto the beach for the day. Shon is in front of an outback pub which seemed to be the only business in Carrieton, South Australia! Colin looks at his new stuffy at the Vancouver airport and, lastly, a shot of my beloved river gums ( a type of eucalypt tree) which line many river beds (more often dry than flowing) in Australia. Water, or the lack of it, is a huge issue in Australia, with many reservoirs heading into the summer season at less than 50% capacity.

And that is it for our Aussie blog.

G'day, mates.

random photos

These photos show our pet wombat in Wilson's Promontory National Park southeast of Melbourne, an abandoned sheep station (ranch) by the Flinders Ranges in the outback about 400 km north of Adelaide, Deb and Greg Merrett (my exchangees) by a Peter Lehman vineyard in the Barossa wine valley north of Adelaide, and one of many fabulous seascapes along the Great Ocean Road west of Melbourne.

home again

We arrived home on Sunday night about midnight - sad that our vacation has ended but happy to see family and friends again. Jamie, Jenn and Colin, Chris and Megan all came out to the Vancouver airport to join us for dinner during our 3 hour layover. Lisa, Kynnan and Neko drove up to Vernon for lunch yesterday and Michelle popped in today - great to see them all again and share hugs in person! Shon reluctantly returned to work today and I am not eager for the first subbing call. We could get used to the life we have been living the last 7 weeks!!

The last few days of our holiday were as wonderful as the rest of it! When last I wrote, we were planning to buy fish for dinner. We ended up with marlin which Shon cooked in coconut milk. Very nice! Friday evening, the resort hosted a happy hour for guests with free beer or wine and appies - deep fried arrowroot (tapioca), prawns, and something similar to Yorkshire pudding with a sausage in the middle - all very tasty!

On the last morning, we drove into town to the Punanganui markets, a Saturday morning event that attracts locals and tourists alike. The marketplace consists of many colourful huts which open up to reveal booths full of brilliant tropical clothing, wooden carvings, shell crafts and jewellery as well as food and fresh produce stands. Live entertainment included an Island band and dancers - similar to the performance we had seen a few nights earlier. One of the photos above is from that evening performance when Shon, our intrepid leader, was called up on stage to dance. He was great and looked like he was having a lot of fun! (A couple of beer may have helped eliminate any stage fright!). The other photos show local flowers, the beach in front of our resort and the dancers at the market.

I will add one or two final posts from this holiday with a few photos which we wanted to add earlier but couldn't.

Cook Islands beauty

Those of you still reading our blog will, once again, have to be satisfied with words alone (which cannot do justice to this place). this time I remembered to bring the camera cord but now Shon is off wandering the town, with the camera, while I write the blog entry!! The blues of the ocean have to be seen to be believed - everything from deep sapphire blues to light turquoise and every tone in between. The wind has been strong the last couple of days so snorkelling has been more of a challenge but I am LOVING the variety of fish I am seeing right in front of our resort - no expensive boat ride to the reef here, it is all around the island! Luckily, one of the best snorkelling spots is in front of Palm Grove, our resort.
We went to an Island cultural night on Wed. Shon was chosen as the rep from our bus to offer a fruit sacrifice to the gods as we arrived at the marae (sacred place). He said his "Ae meitaki' perfectly (yes, thank you). there are videos for you to see when we get home! The food was excellent with meats cooked underground as the Maoris in NZ do. We both loved the creamed taro leaves but the taro itself (a starch like our potato) was very bland. The singing and dancing were exciting to watch - very entertaining with lots of hips (women) and knees (men). Well worth the price (which was not cheap!)
We are riding around the island on a scooter, brings back our teen years when Shon would pick me up for dates on his motorbike! It gives us the freedom to explore further without dying from the heat. Earlier we drove up a hill by the hospital then hiked up further for a view of the northwest part of the island from above. this afternoon we will watch an international rugby 7s tournament for a while then buy some fish to grill for our dinner. Had some lovely swordfish (called broadbill here)the first night so may try that again. Our resort has free beer and wine for guests tonight from 5-6 so we want to be 'home' for that!
Anne, I finished the book you sent with me - enjoyed it very much so thanks.
Melanie, I have found out that yes, the humidity is much higher from now to March. The wind has alleviated it somewhat the last two days.
The flame trees are just starting to bloom now. The island must be stunning when they are all in bloom as the hillsides are full of them. Brilliant red-orange flowers. The hibiscus, gardenia (plumeria) and bougainvillea also enrich the island - as well as other flowers whose names I do not know!
See you all soon. One more day to enjoy this island paradise!
Love Les and Shon

Avarua, Cook Islands

We are now enjoying the beautiful, but HUMID, Cook Islands. Got here on Sunday late aft and were met at the airport with leis and a ride to our resort. The island of Rotorua is 32 km around and we are about 17 km from the town of Avarua - took the bus in this morning to see the town. Yesterday, we snorkelled in front of our resort -lovely fish, sea stars and sea cucumbers galore. Lovely swimming, too. In the aft, we walked inland to a waterfall. Incredibly lush growth throughout the island. It is volcanic so has steep peaks inland and development is around the edges of the island. Little bird life beyond feral chickens (and noisy roosters) and introduced myna birds, which are equivalent to our starlings. Shon has now obtained his Cook Islands drivers license so we will rent a motorbike at least one day while we are here and explore the island and its beaches at our leisure. We have bought tickets to an Island night - similar to a luau with food and a traditional island dance show.
The weather here is very changeable but always warm. We have had numerous soft showers since we arrived and a couple of short downpours, including one while Shon was running this morning. We are soaked most of the time, but usually from sweat, not rain! The water sure feels good when we jump in the pool or the ocean! Melanie, was it really humid while you were here or is it the time of year?
This morning we ran into a girl from my Centergy class at the gym!! Small world.
All for now. I don't have the connector cords for the camera with me so no photos yet.
Only 5 more days in our holiday! Home late Sunday night.
Love to all
Les and Shon

good-bye, Australia

in the Barossa with Deb and Greg Merrett

At the Central Market in Adelaide. We went there last night with Deb and Greg - ate at the Asian food court then shopped. Tomorrow we board our flight and say good-bye to Australia - sad to be leaving for sure! We are just waiting for friends to arrive at Deb and Greg's for a Saturday evening barbie. Earlier today, we visited wineries in the Barossa - Greg was our DD and Deb suggested good wines for us to try - thought of you often, Joan and Rob, James and Louise, as we travelled roads that all of you enjoyed while you were here.

Got to go - guests are here.

Adelaide, part 2

Hi again,
We are still at Deb and Greg's and will be here until we fly out on Sunday morning. We would love to get emails from family letting us know how everyone is doing - how is school, Kynnan? Any work, Jen? When do you leave for Banff, Michelle? Are you going to be able to visit at the airport, Chris and Megan?
We went to Victor Harbour yesterday to see the little penguins arrive back home from their long day fishing. They are so cute - about 18" tall, blue backs and white fronts. It is fun to watch them hop up the rocks to their burrows.
Had a great walk this morning in Cobbler Creek gully - my favourite walking place when I lived here. Lots of colourful birds, too.
Must run - time to get ready to head downtown for museums and the zoo (perhaps). Some goons hurt a 78 year old flamingo at the zoo yesterday - the amazing part is the bird was so old!!!
Hugs to all,
Les and Shon

at Deb and Greg's

The photos - one is during a guided 4W drive tour through the gorges and hills of the Flinders Ranges, sometimes driving through dry creek beds lined with gum trees. The one of us is along the Great Ocean Road, the Twelve Apostles. The third is a koala in a eucalypt tree near Cape Otway on the Great Ocean Road. We saw many koalas there.

We are now in 'my' home - although extensive renovations make it a new, improved home. It is gorgeous! Deb and Greg have made us feel very welcome. It is so good to see them again. Of course, Ryan is no longer a little boy but a tall young teen. They have all headed to work and school and I am just awaiting the arrival of a former student who is popping over for a visit. Later today, Shon and I will drive south to Victor Harbour to see the little penguins this evening.

It feels good to be in Adelaide again. We are going to the school on Friday. Of course, my students are no longer there but at least two of them will come over near the end of the school day to say hi. It will be interesting to see them as adults - one of them is a parent as well!

Adelaide

Wow, I just realized how long it has been since I added to this saga! My excuse is that we are much too busy to find time to write. Sorry! I am on a dial up computer right now so no photos this time either but, hopefully, within a day or two we will be able to add some photos.
Since I last wrote, we have driven from the Flinders Ranges (Wilpena) to Adelaide with an overnight stop in Port Pirie to see an ex-teaching colleague from my time in Adelaide. Carolyn is now a principal in Port Pirie, has married and has one grandson and another on the way - some similarities to my story since 2000. We had a wonderful, but too short, time catching up!

We arrived here in Adelaide on the 24th and have been staying with Anne, a retired nurse and part of our exchange teacher group as her sister was on exchange to Adelaide the same year as me. Pam, you have a most wonderful sister! She has spoiled us rotten during our time here. She needs to watch out or we may just forget to pack up and leave tomorrow! We have also spent time with Robyn (my sister's ex-nanny), her husband and 2 year old Mahalia - a darling character like her mum! Saturday, we went to a folk festival to listen to her husband perform with his song writing partner, jen. We joined them again for dinner at a restaurant then Andy and Jen sang another set - wish you had been with us, Lisa, as I know you would have enjoyed them and other performers there. Last night, we had dinner at Robyn's and got to know Andy better - nice man! Today, we finally saw downtown Adelaide and spent some time shopping at Rundle Mall, a pedestrian mall. We have 5 more days to see the rest of the sights around Adelaide - fairy penguins at Victor Harbour, museums, the Barossa wine valley, etc. We will move to 'my' old house tomorrow and stay with Deb and Greg, my exchangees, for the rest of our stay.

I can't believe our 6 weeks here is so close to ending. It has been wonderful - we have seen, tasted, felt and heard so much and most of it has been terrific! We will miss our wake up calls by the birds and driving on the other side of the road and roundabouts and Aussie lingo and accents and ....... but we will be happy to see family and friends again, too.
Hugs to you all, Les and Shon

flinders ranges

Hi
Thiswill be short as it has cost me $2 just to sign on to this slwo computer. We are at 'wilpena poundin the flinders ranges norht of Adeliade. The scenery is stunning and ancient - some of the oldest rocks in the world and the folding of the mountains has left layers of rock exposed from eras as old as 650 million years. Some fossils, too. We took a 4wd tour today - expensive but worth it to see areas we couldn't access ourselves and to learn about the geology and flora/fauna. We have seen gorgeous parrots, emus, euros (hill kangaroos), red and grey kangaroos (some right by us), and rarer yellow-footed rock wallabies. definitely worth the drive north through the clare Valley (reisling country. All for now - my time and patience with this keyboard are running out.
Les

Nuriootpa

I just love saying that name! It is a lovely town in the Barossa wine valley - we are just passing through on our way to the Flinders Ranges. We arrived here about 6 pm and Shon saw a lovely linear park across the street so decided to go for a run before wine/beer/dinner. I was planning a walk but the musk lorikeets and rosellas in the park distracted me and I ended up bird watching instead!
Once again, this computer in the caravan park has no ability to handle USB or SD cards so no photos. I sure wish I could include some as we have seen so many wonderful sights along the way. We drove up beside the Coorong - a long stretch of 'sea' divided from the Southern Ocean by sand dunes. It has always been a haven for birds but their population is plummeting as the water recedes due to drought and overuse further upstream along the Murray River (which empties into the ocean by the Coorong. Rasmus and Joan, did it always stink along the Coorong? I don't remember that but it is now VERY pungent driving beside it! Shon had to slam on the brakes to avoid a kangaroo which bounded across the road in front of us - just like the deer by our place, Kynnan! It was a very close call! We also saw a pelican nesting colony through binoculars as it is on an island in the Coorong - lots of the big birds there! On a walk through the scrub land (mallee scrub) by the Coorong, we saw a couple of lizards commonly called 'stumpies' here - a short stumpy tail. There are two varieties - the shingleback and another but I don't know which one we saw. Hopefully, got some good photos though.
We passed through some very flat, dry, brown land today along the west side of the Murray River - not as green as 2000. The Eden Valley area still looked beautiful with big river gums and green grass - I love it!!
Time to make some dinner for the runner,
Love to all,
Les and Shon

Robe, South Australia

We are now on the South Australian coast, having driven the Great Ocean Road since we last posted a note. We spent a wonderful day in Melbourne, taking the train in from Upwey then back out to our car at the end of the day - road their tram, saw their Art Gallery and the new, ultra funky architecture of the Federation Square, had a Starbucks coffee, wandered through Chinatown and a pedestrian mall area, took a cruise on the Yarra River - busy, terrific day. We then drove south on the Mornington peninsula, stopping for dins then finally finding a cabin in a caravan park at 9 pm - the caravan parks (RV parks, usually with tenting spots) also have Jayco cabins available, with or without your own bedding. Cheaper than motels and with a kitchen. The next morning, we caught a ferry across the mouth of Port Phillip Bay (get your atlases out!) and started on the Great Ocean Road. Stayed at another caravan park, tenting this time, in Apollo Bay then, yesterday, stopped at 4 or 5 amazing natural limestone coastal features - the brillliant sunshine made it even more spectacular. Oh, before that, we drove to the Cape Otway lighthouse and, on the road in, stopped two or three times to watch koalas in the trees beside the road. they sleep most of the day but we did see a few moving around in the trees. Surprising that they don't fall out as they sleep! One baby was quite active, near but not touching his mom, trying to reach leaves to eat. He was soooo cute!!!!
After camping again last night, Shon went for a run this morning and got back just before it started to drizzle. Didn't last long but the day was dull until late morning - sure glad we were on the Great Ocean Road yesterday!!! the sun did come out and we saw lots of forest plantations in different stages of growth - read plaques about the fact SA started planting tree farms as early as 1870s - we are only a little slow in BC!!
Tomorrow, we plan to drive up the coast of SA, past the Coorong (a long inland salt water area with sand dunes separating it from the ocean) then skirt Adelaide to head north of the city to the Flinders Ranges. More on that later. No photos from this computer but we should have some good ones of koalas and scenery later from Adelaide.
Love to all,
Les and shon

the Dandenongs

Hello again from Stewart and Val's. Our wonderful hosts have just shown us their gorgeous part of the world! We spent the day east of Melbourne, starting with a long walk in the Sherbrook forest part of Dandenong National Forest. Incredible tall straight trees with an understory of tree ferns (about 10-15' tall). The tall trees are called mountain ash but are not like our mountain ash in Canada; they are a type of eucalypt. We ended our walk at a cafe where we had a Devonshire tea (tea with scones, jam and Devonshire cream) while watching the hordes of sulphur-crested cockatoos, crimson rosellas, galahs, and a kookaburra flock to the tourists to be fed - like mallards and seagulls at home. Next we drove to a viewpoint where we could see Melbourne in the distance - not a really clear day but we could see the city. Following that, we drove to the Yarra Valley north of here where we indulged in some wine tasting - good stuff! Shon, at first glance at the vines, wondered why they had so little growth, then it dawned on him that it is early spring here, not fall!! We stopped at a dairy for 'lunch' of their various cheeses, breads, quince jam and smoked trout. That was a lovely taste treat. The area around here has curvy roads with lovely treed lots and gardens - just beautiful. The Yarra Valley is a very green pastoral area once again. I guess spring is the time to be here as drought has kept the area brown most of the last few years - the reservoirs were UP to 51% in Canberra and are only at about 36% here!!

Val is currently making some pumpkin soup for Shon for dinner as we have not had any of this Aussie favourite yet. It is made with what we call butternut squash but they call it pumpkin here and do not have our orange pumpkins at all.

Dave and Jo, were there any videos downloaded from our camera onto your computer? We think we had taken some (more by accident in my case). No great worry - we just wondered.

Photos - kangaroos in a caravan park in Pambula, NSW and the mountain ash and fern trees from today - oops, just realized they are sideways so turn your head!

Tomorrow we will park our car at the train station near here, take the train into Melbourne for a day of exploring the city then catch a return train and head down the east side of Port Phillip Bay for the night. From there, we will catch a ferry across the mouth of the bay and start the Great Ocean Road for more awesome scenery. The forecast seems to be in our favour for some decent weather along that route.

I don't know where or when we will next find a computer so hugs to all of you until we do.

Love Les and Shon

we are in Melbourne

hi all,
We have made it to Melbourne - well, almost as we are at Stewart and Val's in Upwey, a little town about an hour from Melbourne. Stewart taught in Maple Ridge in 1996 and I met them when I was here in 2000. Since we left Canberra on Oct. 7, we have been to the Snowy Mountains (stayed at Jindabyne) then headed to the coast and have stayed in Merimbula, Marlo, Foster and Wilson's Promontory National Park. We borrowed a tent and sleeping bags from our friends in Canberra so have used the tent one night and the sleeping bags another two nights when we have stayed in campgrounds with small cabins that come without bedding. (Thanks, Geoff and Michelle!). We have been through so many different ecosystems - mountainous to warmer rainforests to very green rolling farmlands to windswept coastal heath - all very beautiful in their own way, all with their own unique sets of flora and fauna. Last night, we were thrilled to be up close and personal with a couple of wombats right outside our hut in the national park. This morning we went for another walk in the park and, on our way to another ocean beach, we walked through a grasslands area where we spotted a few kangaroos and an emu. All of a sudden, they bolted and we discovered there were between 50-100 'roos - an ATV had spooked the 'mob' and they were all bounding away from the sound of it. We were sad to see wildlife spooked like that but excited to see so many kangaroos all hopping at once!
I have asked Shon to add his memorable impressions/sightings to this blog and this is what he has given me, in no particular order (as of the first day out of Canberra)
-Syndey skyline at night
-our train ride into the Blue Mountains and back
-the array of boat traffic in Sydney harbour and how much fuel is used there each day
-instant coffee
-the number of visitors/foreigners in Sydney
-talking to two Year 12 girls on the ferry to Manly across Sydney harbour. One had lived in Ontario for 6 months in Year 10 and was thrilled to talk about Canada.
-sugar cane fields in Queensland
-passion fruit - we both love it
-thousands of fruit bats (flying foxes) in Sydney's Botanic Gardens
-the wonderful smell of frying onions as we arrived back at our hostel in Yungaburra. They had bbq dins for $10.
-dinner at Al and Cheryl Rummery's - prawns, chicken skewers, rice, potatoes and salad with lemon pie for dessert - yum!
-yabbies in the creek pond at Dave and Jo's

I am sure there are more equally memorable things since but that is it for now. We have walked so much and seen so much that it is hard to distill it into a digestible amount now. I have gone for quiet morning walks a few times to listen to the incredible bird song and, hopefully, spot the singers. Australia has such an amazing array of birds. The most frustrating is the whipbird which has the most noticeable call but which remains elusive when we try to spot it. We were excited to spot a lyrebird (female so no amazing tail feathers) in the Bemm River rainforest a couple of days ago. We also saw an echidna on an evening walk in Marlo.
The ocean beaches have been amazing along the south coast of NSW and Victoria states - I love to listen to the breakers. Each beach has had its own personality, too, which makes it interesting - squeaky sand, great shells, rock formations, etc.
I will try now to add a photo or two - last time was an exercise in frustration as the blog said it had finished uploading then would ask me to start again. I did that 3 times before I gave up and still no photos on the blog!!! AAAAAHHH!

Wilson's Promontory

This will be short as the computer time is running out on a very slow computer. we just had a 7 km hike to a viewpoinbt far above the ocean - very windy and a few drops of rain but now the sun is out. Beautiful area!!! Tomorrow we will be in Melbourne and I will hopefully be able to write more and add photos. We have now seen a live wombat and apparently can expect them to be under our hut tonight in the national park here. This park has gorgeous seascapes, too, and a bunch of squawking gulls outside right now! Also crimson rosellas and galahs. (parrots). More tomorrow!
Love to all,
Les and Shon

Canberra and kangaroos

We are now in Canberra with the Miles and Rummery families who stayed with us in Vernon - lovely people and great tour guides/hosts. We are staying with Geoff and Michelle Miles but Cheryl and Alan Rummery are feeding us dinners - yummy Australian cheeses and crackers for appies, prawns and chicken skewers, rice pilaf, potatoes, salad, and lemon pie last night. Tonight??? Today, Geoff and Cheryl, Kate and Damian (both 14), Matt and Claire(both 11) and Claire's friend, Stacy, were our tour guides as we drove to a nature reserve and saw lots of kangaroos and about 10 emus. We also searched for koalas but no luck! We enjoyed a lovely walk through the bush, though, as we searched. Our next stop was The Floriade, an annual spring flower show in a downtown park. It consists of themed flower beds - this year's theme was movies so each bed had been planted to show something from a popular movie. For instance, crocodiles for Crocodile Dundee or a piano keyboard for Shine. Very beautiful!! We also saw a black swan with its fluffy grey cygnets! Our last stop was at an aviary where Shon, the girls and I spent about an hour feeding many kinds of lorikeets, parrots, cockatiels, etc as they climbed on, over and around us, even nibbling our shoe laces. Fun!
I am planning to download the aviary photos at Cheryl's later for the girls so will add a photo or two at that time.
Our trip from the Blue Mountains to Canberra was uneventful - lovely countryside after we navigated our way out of Sydney in our rental KIA car. A few wrong turns and an extra toll payment after taking a wrong exit made it more interesting!
More later,
Hugs to all from 'the travellers'

the Blue Mountains

We are snuggly ensconced in Jo and Dave's house in Springwood, the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Jo was on exchange in Vernon last year. Shon is doing the dishes with Sam (12) and Zoe (10) while the wind blows outside. We lucked out today - spent a wonderful time in Katoomba -took a Skyway gondola ride then a cliff walk along to The Three Sisters rock formation. The weather held until we got back to the carpark then the rains came. We then drove to Dave's parents and the sun came back while we sat outside birdwatching as we drank tea and ate freshly baked Anzac biscuits (cookies). There are so many awesome birds around here! Dave is a photographer so I am going to attach his photos today instead of ours. His ones of Vancouver are incredible!

Yesterday, after we got here, we went for a hike down, down, down into a nearby gully, watched yabbies (fresh water lobster type creatures) in a pool, then hiked back up, up, up! Dave's parents then came over to watch the professional rugby league final - Manly defeated Melbourne 48-0 so it was a lopsided game but fun to watch a new sport (different style of rugby than Canada's). We then had a lovely Aussie bbq dinner of sausages, steak, and chicken.

Our last day in Sydney, we took the train across the bridge then walked back across to town and wandered around the Saturday market in The Rocks, an area similar to Gastown. Rain showers interrupted frequently but we just dodged from tent to tent. That evening, John Morellato (my former student at Davie Jones) and his wife picked us up at our hotel and took us to their area of town near the U. of Sydney (she is in dentistry, he in med school) to a dessert cafe. That area of town is very funky with narrow old streets and lots of alternate lifestyle people on the Sat evening streets - very interesting area!

Tomorrow we will take the train back to Sydney, rent a car and drive to Canberra for our next adventure. I am so glad to have seen the Blue Mountains this time. In 2000, my day trip here was shrouded heavily in fog and I didn't see the views.

The photos are of a King parrot in Dave and Jo's backyard and the Sydney harbour at night. I may also add a pic of Shon and me in front of The Three Sisters today.

Hope everyone is doing great and enjoying fall weather. Chilly and windy here tonight. Forecast to be 1C overnight in Canberra tonight! Maybe camping will be too cold!

Love Les and Shon

no pics

No luck hooking our cameras to this computer. Photos at a later date.

Sydney sights

For those of you Pacers who are reading this, Shon is out for a run on a rainy Sydney morning. His route will take him around the Sydney Opera House, and through The Domain, their main park. We were there yesterday in 35C heat - quite a change today! The Botanic Gardens in the park are chockers full of fruit bats hanging in all the trees, tens of thousands of them!!
We have been in Sydney since Wednesday afternoon and our feet are not happy with us. We have walked many kilometres since then. Wed aft, we wandered around town and ended up in Chinatown for dinner at a food court. The area feels more like Singapore than Australia. In fact, we have noticed throughout downtown Sydney that in many areas, we are in the minority as whites. Thursday, we took the ferry across to Manly, along with many teens on their school hols. The scene made me wish I was a teen again - long ocean beach with breakers rolling in, teens hanging out, playing soccer, frisbee or footy or just looking good! The whole town has a beach holiday feel to it. Our objective was the Manly Scenic Walkway, a 10 km path along the esplanade, past expensive houses then a bush walk through a section of the Sydney Harbour National Park. It was a beautiful walk, very hot in places but cooler in shady areas. We passed through different ecosystems, from very dry to wet, and saw many Eastern water dragons (a land based lizard that grows to 2 feet), beautiful spring flowers and many spectacular vistas over the harbour. We stopped for a picnic lunch at a small beach enroute and took our shoes off for a cooling wade in the clear ocean waters. Felt a million miles from the city! After our walk, we bussed back to Manly then made the most of our transit day pass by taking 2 or 3 more ferries to other parts of the harbour, ending with a night ferry under the famous bridge into the quay by the opera house.
Yesterday, we walked around town - Hyde Park, the NSW Art Gallery, the Domain (another picnic lunch), around the Opera House, a gelato by the Circular Quay (where all ferries come and go), transit train to another part of town, a real coffee (by Shon's Canadian standards of drip coffee) at Starbucks in Darling Harbour then the Aquarium. The aquarium is awesome, especially a plexiglass tube that allows you to be surrounded by sharks, huge rays, other fish and a loggerhead turtle as they swim over and beside you!!! After 2 hours there, we were ready to relax and found a happy hour pub by Darling Harbour where a Cuban Festival was starting for teh long weekend. Great music, good chatter with fellow patrons then we went next door and had a patio seat across from the festival stage so enjoyed the music and terrific people watching as we ate dinner - oh, and a wonderful fireworks show,too!! Tummies full, we strolled back to our hotel past lively Friday night crowds. Oh, our aching feet!!
Shon just popped in after his run - said it felt good.
Today, we will walk across the Syndey Harbour Bridge, check out a market in The Rocks area (like Gastown). Tonight, one of my former students from Pitt Meadows and his wife are picking us up for dessert and coffee in their part of town. They are med students and live near Sydney univ.
Tomorrow, off to the Blue Mountains west of here to stay with Jo and Dave, who were on exchange in Vernon last year.
Will send more from there. I will post this then see if I can add photos separately before my time is up. Thanks, Bev, for the tip on the RSL dinners. I had thought of them but weren't sure if just anyone could go.
Love to all, Les and Shon

On the Wallaby

We are here in Yungaburra, Queensland at a great hostel called On the Wallaby. The staff are very friendly, including a girl from Kingston, Ontario who has worked here for a year. The hostel organizes many activities every day. Last night we went on a night canoe trip to spotlight rainforest creatures near the shore of Lake Tinaroo - saw 3 types of possums, pademelon kangaroos, a 3 m python on the rocks by the shore, bandicoots, a tree kangaroo - and heard the wild, crazy cries of a large flock of roosting brolgas, a large type of crane. There were so many stars in the sky as we started, although it clouded over by the time we returned. The hostel also offers free platypus spotting before dinner at a nearby creek - we only caught fleeting glimpses of them last night but we saw many platypuses? platypi? this morning on an early walk before breakfast. At times, we were close enough to see his little feet paddling underwater!
Food here at the hostel is cheaper than anywhere we have found so far - dinner for $10 each (all restaurants are at least 18 for main courses) and breakfast for $5 each; our double room is only $55, too. We have been making our own lunches and breakfasts in most places - cereal or toast for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. Lots of local fruit, too, with pineapples, passionfruit and oranges from a Farmers Market. We even picked our own oranges at our lodgings in Chillagoe!
Today we drove around the Atherton Tablelands, a plateau to the west of Cairns. they are beautiful - rolling green farmlands with pockets of rainforest (it was all rainforest before farmers cleared it). The area is known for its waterfalls and we stopped at 5 of them, swimming under one of them! We had planned to post a photo of us under the fall but can't figure out photos on this computer.
Tomorrow we fly to Sydney. We will be sad to leave this area, which has so much beauty, so much interesting wildlife and SO many species of birds! I love the casual atmosphere of the area, too. It has been a wonderful week here with too many highlights to choose just one. My one disappointment is that we did not spot a cassowary, not surprising as they are rare but still disappointing.
Time for dinner. Love to all, Les and Shon

greetings from Mareeba

Hello, all, but special birthday greetings to Chris for today (Oz time) and to Jenn for a few days ago. We hope you both have/had special days. We are having a whole heap of special days here - swimming with the tropical fish on the Great Barrier Reef, birdwatching in the rainforest and in the Outback, trying new beer (Shon only! yes, Walt, Coopers is good). We saw a large croc during a Daintree River cruise. We have also seen our first kangaroos - mainly dead on the side of the road but also a few live ones.

Our flights were all on time and our luggage arrived with us - a good start! Our accommodations so far have not been deluxe but have been adequate. We sure enjoyed our dips in the pool at our Port Douglas hostel - humidity is high in the tropics! On the day we drove north to the rainforest (Cape Tribulation), we discovered why it is called a rainforest - we got drenched on a mangrove boardwalk trail!!!!!

This morning, we had a guided tour of some spectacular limestone caves in Chillagoe. Photos to follow.

I am trying out the idea of adding a photo to a posting. This is Neko in late July, wearing a toy of Kynnan's - isn't she a beauty?! The answer is, of course, yes!

G'day, everyone

In less than two weeks, we will be flying 'down under'. We intend to post regular updates of our travels - possibley with photos. We are starting in the northeast area near Cairns then will fly to Sydney before renting a car to explore between Sydney and Adelaide. At the beginning of November, we will happily fly to the Cook Islands for a week of relaxation before heading home.
Les and Shon