Australia, 2009

We go

We see

We eat

We go some more

We begin the story at 30,000 feet, still two hours by air from Sydney. It is a 15 hour flight all told, going west across time zones and the international date line. We leave Los Angeles at 10 PM on Saturday night, and when we deplane in Australia it will be around 8 AM on Monday morning.

The cabin lights, which have been dark for the last 8 hours, are just being turned back on. If we were still in Fargo it would be lunchtime on Sunday.

Rita's Melbourne Photos

There is a story to tell, of course -- but first, some photos.

After flying 16 hours we are picked up by a driver who sits on the other side of the car
We record the hotel fixtures since they are different down under
We meet my second cousin Sheila who is a most gracious host.

(left) We stop at a scenic overlook (above) and have a snack at the 'skyhigh' park overlooking Melbourne on a hazy day.
Sheila makes all kinds of dolls with knitted exteriors stuffed with cotton batting.
The nearest station to where Sheila lives (six consonants and five vowels).

Leaving Los Angeles

Leaving Los Angeles, that is the story of the trip so far.

We arrive at Fargo Hector International Airport way ahead of our flight. There is no line for tickets, there is one person at the United Airlines counter. We check our bags, eat lunch, sail through the security checkpoint, and go to gate 5 (the pride of the newly expanded airport).

There is no announcement or explanation, but somebody notices the sign over the door has moved back from 1:20 to 2:30. This is distressing, but we look it over and decide we can still make our connections.

Later, again without explanation, the flight is delayed again. We are told to go down to the booking agent, and they change our itenerary from Fargo-Chicago-LA to Fargo-Denver-LA. When I learn there is a later flight, that is shorter and more convenient to us, I have my first doubts about the professionalism of our travel agent. Wouldn't you think we would be on this flight to begin with?

The people at the United Airlines desk appear to be very professional. They explain there is bad weather in Chicago delaying incoming flights, and they rebook our trip and reroute our luggage. It is only later we learn they have made a 'lucky mistake'.

Denver Airport

We fly to Denver and walk from gate 88 to gate 32. This is a long walk, and I realize I have made another of my life-long luggage mistakes. We have each got a 'personal item' and one 'carry on' item, and not one of these four peices of junk has a rolling wheel. Denver does not have 'sherpas' so we walk a longer distance, hauling more stuff, than either of us are comfortable with. There are moving sidewalks and we make it okay, but it takes a while, and exacts a toll.

For years now we have developed the habit of looking for rolling stock to help with our luggage. We refer to these devices as Sherpa, and we are grateful and even willing to pay for the use of one. Denver airport has no Sherpa.

Along the walk I notice the Denver airport still has their famous 'smoking lounge'. There is no time. We fly to LA without incident.

Los Angeles LAX Airport

It is another longish bit of walking, without benefit of Sherpa or moving sidewalk, across the LA airport. After we are settled I approach the ticket agent. We have under two hours before our flight to Sydney.

On previous international trips we have been asked to unite with our luggage and go through a Customs screening before departing. Somewhere I have heard this is needed now because of Australia's stringent import and quarantine laws. I want the ticket agent to re-assure me that everything is fine.

Everything is Not Fine

The ticket agent looks at me, perplexed. She is holding my boarding pass and passport, and says
"Where did you come from?"

Where did we come from, indeed. After it was all over, I write the following message to our travel agent:

Did you know that a visa is required for visiting Australia? Luckily we were diverted from Chicago to Denver because of the weather, so I asked about our luggage when we finally got to LAX. The luggage was fine. BUT.... They told us we needed visas to get into Australia, and we we did not have any. We ended up paying $25/each for them. The visa worker told us, if we had not inquired, but just flew through to Sydney, we would have been detained in Australia, and then deported back out of the country on the next flight (12+ hours each way!!).

We have new doubts about our travel agent.

Imagine the scenario. You have flown 16 hours to Australia, where you are detained and deported back to the US on the next flight. Then you are faced with the prospect of booking new round-trip tickets to catch up with your itinerary and taking another 16 hour flight back to Oz.

If you are like my wife, and you cannot sleep on an airplane, you would need at least a day between to sleep or you would be going without for three straight days. By the time you got back on schedule with your hotel reservations, you would have burned up half a week, and wasted hundreds of dollars paying for missed transfers and connections -- enough to irritate the Buddha.

Sydney to Melbourne

Sydney airport is probably much like many others around the world. I do not really remember. We got off in good order and along with some others from our plane figured out where the gate for our Melbourne connection was located (nearby, thankfully).

It was early morning in Sydney, and the airport was not busy. We walked through areas I have no memory of, and up an escalator, until finding a spot near Gate 51 with chairs and tables and both a snack bar and a currency exchange nearby.

I put down my stuff and pointing to the snack bar said to Rita, "Do you want some water or a soda? It looks like they might have Gator-Ade. Except down here they probably call it Croc-Ade."

Funny stuff.

I bought some water and exchanged some money. It is colorful in Australia, with a 'see-through' panel. According to http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/currency.html

Australia was the first country in the world to have a complete system of bank notes made from plastic (polymer). These notes provide much greater security against counterfeiting. They also last four times as long as conventional paper (fibrous) notes.

Our flight to Melbourne is delayed and we wait to get on. It is delayed again waiting for a planeload of people arriving from San Francisco. Finally we fly to Melbourne where we are met by a man with a sign saying "Brian Slator" who drives us to our hotel. At last we are at a destination and we can start taking photos.

On the ground in Melbourne

We get to the hotel just after noon.
Rita is 'knackered' after all those hours awake, and she dives straight into a nap.
I need to buy a few things I forgot to pack and, well-rested, I am ready to go. I collect myself and head out into 'the city' of Melbourne for some shopping (they call this section of central Melbourne 'the city').

My first friends in Melbourne help me find the Bourke St. Mall, and explain the trolley system.
The Southern Cross railroad depot is right across from our hotel, the Vibe Savoy. The depot has a pharmacy, a flower store, and a 'sock' store, among other amenities.
The trolley stops every couple of blocks. You buy a 2-hour, full fare, zone 1 ticket inside from A$3.80
The Bourke St. Mall is a vital shopping area with many stores, and a smattering of street musicians.

I stop at the 'information booth' in the Mall, and get directions to take the '96 trolley' down to St. Kilda's Beach
As I ride the 96 trolley, I take photos out the door when it stops. This is a very old looking government building
This is a view of the Yarra River from a trolley stop on a bridge. The buildings are actually seen through the plate glass of the trolley stop
I ride to the end and get off near this intersection.

There are buildings here that are old and classic looking.

I return to the hotel, and find a note under the door from my cousin Sheila. We are to call her. We call and agree to meet on the morrow.

We eat dinner. Lamb for me. We have the place to ourselves. The waitress is a charming delight. We eat and go to sleep shortly after dinner.

Kilsyth

Melbourne is surrounded by suburban towns with their own identities. Kilsyth is one of these, where my cousin Sheila lives. Our grandmothers were sisters (see Mary (b. May 31, 1894) and Anastasia (b. 188?) Nugent in the Slator Family Tree at http://www.angelfire.com/mn2/slator/Descendants_Nugent.htm).

Rita and I ride the Lilydale train to meet with cousin Sheila in Mooroolbark. The train system was designed by an Australian, and it is not easy to navigate. We miss our first train because of how it is labeled. We arrive about 30 minutes later than we planned. Sheila is waiting.
Sheila meets us and picks us out of a crowd.
She takes us for 'Devonshire Tea' which is two huge scones served with rasberry jam and clotted cream, which tastes much better than it sounds.

After tea we visit the gift shop. These are the first boomerangs of the trip. Sheila shares the secret 'they do not come back'.
Rita holds her first digeridoo (sp?). All across Australia they are 20% off this week.
Rita admires the Tawny Frogmouth because of their wide frog-like mouths. We think these have eaten recently, they're stuffed.
Sheila takes us for a drive up the Yarra Valley.

I buy fresh batteries and use the camera zoom from across the street.
This is an unusual mailbox that caught my eye.

The Australian Brush Fires of 2009

Although we do not get much news of Australia in North Dakota, the brush fires of 2009 are international news. Fast moving fires, fed by dry conditions and high winds, devastate a large portion of southeast Australia. Hundreds are killed and as of early March dozens are still reported missing.

Entire communities have burnt to the ground, and military personnel patrol the roads, blocking entry until the situation is under better control. There are reports of looting.

The fires are mainly under control by the time we visit. We drive up the Yarra Valley, but many of the side roads are still closed.

We drive up the valley. You will notice the car is on the left hand side of road.
First we come across acres of green vineyard.
Then we pass through seeming miles of burnt devastation.
But there are green places along the way, like this hillside of grapevines

But followed by more scorched earth like this, devoid of any vegetation.
We visit a big cemetary, with this small section devoted to children.
We stop at an overlook with a view of the dam, now hidden by the trees.
Sheila and Rita, the world's best women by a dam site.

William Rickerts Sanctuary

We walked up and down the trails of the 'sanctuary'. The carvings were very detailed. There was a short documentary about the life of the artist. He was a lonely soul.

We stop at the William Rickerts Sanctuary. Sheila wanted to go to a different place (in Maryville) but it was destroyed by the brush fires.
The William Rickerts Sanctuary is a botanical garden and sculpture park.
Rickerts was a friend to the aboriginal people and tried to capture their religious stories in sculpture.
This was my favorite -- a pipe dream from the look of it.

Pumpkin Soup and Family Matters

We dined at Sheila's, which was a home-cooked treat.

This is Sheila with her daughter Allison. We are second or third cousins, we think.
Allison and her mother Sheila
Rita, Allison, Brian

A Day at Large in Melbourne

We have some time in the morning, to check email etc. Then we walk to the Southern Star depot to buy a phone card and some postcards. Then we walk to the post office on Collins St. Then we walk to the edge of 'the city' to catch the free 'circle the city' tram.

From the 'circle the city' tram we see the 'infamous' Waterside Hotel where we eat lunch later.
This is the oldest pre-gold rush building in the city.
Interesting light fixtures outside Parliament (photo taken from aboard the 'circle the city' tram.

Marching through 'the city' of Melbourne

First, we learn, it is not pronounced "mel-born" despite the spelling, it is pronouced "mel-bern".

We elect to spend our second day in Melbourne at the famous acquarium, reputed to feature Great White Sharks and Giant Sea Turtles. The ads show these creatures, and a glass tunnel system where we walk under the sea. Looks awesome, we go.

The Melbourne Acquarium is in 'the city' down by the river. It looks promising from the outside.
Inside there are fish swimming all over, and stationary sharks (presumably because the water is moving)
It is tough to take photos in there, but here we see Rita kissing a shark as it floats by. This is only the first shark Rita will see on this trip.
Afterwards we walk our legs off trying to find an Irish pub.

We look for a pub on the south bank, and are told to cross over to the north, where they tell us to go south again. We give up, and collapse on a bench. I photograph a building with the reflection of another building centered on it.

We stop at a pub on the north bank, then make our way back to the hotel, stopping at a 'kebab' shop (where the young lady talked to us about her year at school in Pennsylvania), and at a wine shop for a bottle of dry white wine. We are tired, back at the hotel, and sleep early.

Off to the Outback

We get an early ride to the airport for our flight to the outback. I am SO looking forward to this. We have a rented 4WD vehicle waiting for us, and the plan is to get off the beaten track.

I know it is a myth, but I want to find that tavern where Mick and Donk drink beer from giant chilled mugs.

Rita's Alice Springs Photos

The main road leading into Alice Springs, looking toward the information center on the crossroad from somewhere near the Bo Jangles bar.	On the road towards the 'gap' into Alice Springs there is this upheaved sedimenatary outcrop.
We go to ride camels, and I loan my pen to this very nice man. He has not returned it yet, but I am sure he will someday soon.	The earth from the back of a big male camel. You can see your house from here.	Bunny ears on camel back from Australia. Does it get any better than that? I do not think so.	We traverse a dry river bed lined with what are called 'ghost gum trees'.
After the camel ride there is a dinner. On this table are camel lunch meat and kangaroo sausage. We had one bite of each, thank you very much.	We decide to drive 900 kilometers to see Ayers Rock. This is not it, although we think it is, at first.	These are the red sands of the outback, and what looks like a salt lake bed.	Wild dogs in Australia are called Dingos. Here you see two in the shade, sizing us up for a meal.
Ayers Rock is hard to photograph, it is so big. Here is one end of it.	The Heavitree Gap Motel is pretty basic. It is located in a 'caravan park'	In a caravan park you see people coming and going, but also find people who are essentially rooted there and living year round.	The Alice Springs airport is one where you walk out onto the tarmac to board the plane. A pretty long walk in this case. We are both limping by the time we climb the stairs.

Alice Springs, Northern Territory

We fly from Melbourne to Alice Springs, leaving early in the rainy morning. We are renting a 4WD vehicle to explore the outback.

The Alice Springs airport is pretty small time.
But we have rented this awesome outback vehicle.
It is hot and dry in the outback. We find the Bo Jangles Bar. I say to Rita, "Honey, we're home."
They make an "Aussie Burger" at the Bo Jangles Bar. It is a bacon cheeseburger with veggies AND A FRIED EGG on top. THIS IS GENIUS!!

See for yourself and visit the Bojangles Saloon online at http://www.bossaloon.com.au

We have 4WD and TWO spare tires, one on the back and a second one you can see strapped to the top of the vehicle. We are ready for ANYTHING. We can go deep into the brush and back again. We are obscenely well equipped.

The Gift Shop at the Bus Station

This is for Richard.

To the left you can see the Alice Springs Greyhound bus station. If you look closely you will see an Australian Leather Hat store combined with a Clothing store, and Secondhand Book store. Anangu is the collective name of the Uluru tribes. The 'manguri' is the head ring used to carry the 'piti' on the head. I have been dispatched to the Alice Springs bus station in order to buy a human hair 'manguri' for Richard's 'piti'. The very nice woman in the bookstore laughed when I said "1995 or so".

The bus station in Alice Springs has moved three or four times in the last ten years. It has been in the present location for a year or two. The woman in the bookstore was about my age, and a lifelong resident of Alice Springs. A very nice lady. She remembered when "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." was on TV. She could not remember where the bus station was in early-to-mid 1990s.

A human hair 'manguri'? She suggested visiting an aboriginal art gallery on the new Todd Mall.

Later that week we strolled the Todd Mall. No luck.

We might see a photo here, later, if I can pull it together. A substitute, you will see, Manguri-Lite.

Take a Camel to Dinner

There are a million wild camels in the outback. They double in population every seven years. According to the people we spoke to, camels are more of a nuisance that either kangaroos or dingos.

We are taking a camel to dinner. Us and these french people.
We are a motley crew.
Rita explains to me, we are dining out with a camel, we are riding a camel to get to dinner.
Ah! I get it.

We are loaded onto the camels
and go for a walk
approximately 1 kilometer round trip
along a dry river bed

and then back again, for dinner.
The next day we drive into the outback. This is an Australian 'roadhouse' along the way.

The ride out to Uluru

We picked up this awesome vehicle, and we are driving to Uluru	I pull over to photograph the long open spaces. If you are going to start driving on the left, this is a good place to practice -- the middle of nowhere	We spot this rock formation in the distance and mistakenly believe it is Ayers Rock	I climb a sandy hill to photograph the distant features
Meanwhile, there is a dry lake bed in the other direction ...	... and this is looking back at our awesome truck, parked down the hill.	We visit the Uluru Interpretive Center, and look around ...	... then we drive around the rock, and find a pack of Dingos
We take a zillion photos of this huge rock, and one final shot as we leave to go back	At one point we are 10 K out from the road house, and Rita takes the wheel.	The best $7 ever spent. We buy fly nets to keep the pervasive outback flies off our faces.	Back in Alice Springs we see these two native guys trying to sell rolled up paintings to galleries, without success.
Once you know about the Swagman, you see him all over the place	For research purposes we visit the "Alice Springs School of the Air"	Which was originally inspired by the "Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia"

Cairn (Queensland)

It is with some regret we leave the outback. We liked the people, learned to drive, and felt at home on a number of levels.

When we turned in the car and presented ourselves for departure, we learned some painful facts about international travel and luggage limits. The wages of weight descended upon us. We solve these problems with a combination of luggage shifting and wallet waving. Soon we are in the air, bound for the rain forest and the Great Barrier Reef.

The Kewarra Beach Resort in Cairn

We check into a pretty nice place outside Cairn. The Kewarra Beach Resort

Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef

The very next day we are up early to catch the shuttle to the water.

I think they call this the fantail of the ship. It is the aft portion. The backside as we move forward.
This is a 'store bought' photo of Nemo the Clownfish, which has become endangered since the movie, if the crew is to be believed.
This is another 'store bought' photo. We saw several of these fish, hanging around the ship
We passed this vessel on the way out.

Rita is suited up and ready to snorkel
Rita is leaving the water after an eventful snorkel experience.
As we return to port there is a speck on the horizon ...
... which is revealed by the fantastic zoom capabilities of the camera.

Rita's Cairn Photos (group 1)

Brian, Rita	Coral	Coral	Brian, Rita
a fish	Brian, Rita	Rita	Brian
Rita	a boat	This is what you look like after you have come face to face with a big shark. Fearless! Bring it on!