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We set out on this trip to fill in parts of the World that we haven't visited before and to understand the customs and culture of of each area whilst avoiding herded excursions to so call places of interest. It is therefore an exercise in finding the real rather than the commercial places by discussion with locals in bars and cafes, then to visit them under our own steam. In the three and a bit months we have been on the road I think we have achieved this. We have driven over 7500km in S America, NZ, Tasmania and Australia but sadly the cycling distance is probably less than 100km but more of that later!
In a couple of weeks we will complete our time in the Southern Hemisphere and after over five weeks of kicking park benches and lifting toilet seats before sitting we are thinking about moving on. We have had a great time and really enjoyed the whole of South of Australia and our memories will be very different to those we had in the East Coast which we visited fifteen years ago and I think it is because we have had TIME. In the last thirty five years that we have been together we have never had more than 2 weeks and few days in any one lump to enjoy our trips even when we have previously travelled this distance. However, when you are doing a trip like this and visiting such a variation of different countries you are always looking around the next corner or planning it in transit and the Far East and Asia are our next stop in early May.
I do not want this to sound as though we can't wait to leave 'stralia we have fabulous memories of our time here but summaries I have written in previous countries have been viewed as being based around bars and alcohol. I am going to try to take a broader view here although there will naturally be some comments on those subjects.
Some of you will and some of you won't know that Jackie loves to watch birds and that is the feathered kind! The interest in S America was minimal and generally limited to large Hawks around the Andes. However, in NZ and Oz she has had a feast! The birds of prey have been ever present and that is not surprising considering the extent of 'road kill' we have seen. The sea birds have been of every kind and with the exception of Albatross I think we have seen all. Whilst here we have seen all types of parrot in all locations green and red that swoop in the streets of Melbourne, white cockatoos in Adelaide and a total mix of all in Perth. We have seen Kookaburra in Adelaide and Melbourne but one common feature has been a magpie type of bird in both NZ and Oz and they all have a complete variation of calls. Here in Perth there is a bearded and crested crow which has a dreadful call which is just like a crying baby!! Clearly not popular with the residents.
I have been a little cynical about Jackie and her enthusiasm for watching surfing both in NZ and here. I could not see the attraction of sitting on a board waiting for 'the wave' or watching it although one Australian guy told me that it gave him a chance to talk with his mates. This was until we got to Perth. I was enjoying my first swim and after surviving a couple of biggish waves I was proudly making my way back to the beach when Jackie, who was on the beach, started pointing. I turned and can only say that I was confronted by a 2.5m high wall of water. I tried to dive through it but was told that my feet appeared out of the crest. I have paraglided off the back of boats before which is exhillerating but I am sad that I am probably too old to start surfing now as it was exciting and felt just as though I was in a washing machine. I do though think my fear of sharks would prevent me anyway!
At the start of this trip I made a pledge to lose about 5kg in weight. In both NZ and here it is not seen as cheapskate to order one main course to share or two starters as the portions are large and if it is a main course a second plate is always provided. I believe this is contributary to there not being too many large people here. There is also a wealth of great restaurants here of all types and I believe this has helped me to lose about 3-4kgs whilst still having few beers and wines along the way. Water is king!!
We have had a great variation of cars along the way and these have generally been small and made in Korea or Japan. In some cases we have had up to 240,000kms on the clock but they have still been comfortable , fairly quick and more importantly economical. When I was growing up as a kid in the fifties I used to love to read travel books and dream of one day going to the places shown and Oz was one of those places. I remember seeing black and white photos of the outback and the vehicles were predominantly open back trucks. Well they still have them and there are a lot of 'old *****' like me who own them but they are now 8 cylinder 6.0 litre Holdens with straight through exhausts which sound fabulous. They call them UTES and I would imagine them to be great fun to drive but not exactly green . Petrol is too cheap!!
For the cyclists amongst you I have to say that I am screaming for a really good painful 35 miler. There seems to be a predominance of 3.0 metre wide two lane cycle paths with a narrow lane in each direction and these are shared with pedestrians and because of that the speed limit is 20km/hr. These follow the ocean so there is very little incline. There are a wealth of guys out there in full Lycra and with very expensive road bikes and the pedestians have priority. There are only a small number of climbs and those are small and in the resticted setup there is little chance for a good work-out but they still do. WHY??
A word of warning to anybody considering driving the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne to Adelaide. There is a big 300AuD surcharge for a one way journey which is levied by many car rental companies. It is only shown in the small print and not immediately clear. Beware, in retrospect we would have driven to Port Fairy and then back to Melbourne and flown to Adelaide which would have been cheaper.
We are clearly away at an important time politically and whilst we enjoy the news here it is a bit locally based and we are struggling to keep up with both the Mayoral election and more importantly the European Referendum. What we do get is what we do not want and that is constant updates on Trump! The saving grace was the Melbourne Comedy Festival which gave some refreshing international acts and we enjoyed two great evenings there with a total of eight separate acts.
Things we will miss about Australia:
- Sensible food portions and varied menus
- Fresh free chilled water everywhere
- Friendly bus drivers
- Waves
- 6.0litre UTEs
- Various birds and their noises
- Comedy Festival
- A Vegetarian Restaurant with a menu without prices-you pay what you think the meal was worth!
- Laid-back life style
- North Norfolk Island Pine trees
- Sunsets
I hope that this gives you a more varied view on life 'down under' we also hope that all is well with you. We will speak again in the Northern Hemisphere where the sun is in the right place and water drains the right way round. In the meantime I am still drooling for a noisy pick-up truck and craving for my bike and a good climb like Star Hill to Knockholt! See you soon and take care.
- comments
Dave Ince Jeff Thanks for your blog. I'm sure it's given many of us the inspiration to "fulfil a dream" - maybe any dream, not necessarily travelling! Your blogs bring back very happy memories of our trip a few years ago to see my best mate in QLD. One day we hope to return and see all of 'Stralia! Take care and send our love to Jackie. Dave
Steve Thanks for all the info you put into your contribution Jeff, I will know how to avoid surcharges on drives along coast roads when I get there which I don't think will be any time soon. Like your observations on aspects of Aus life. Too old for surfing and not enough biking? I suggest a pedalo which will facilitate both. You could pedal like mad to catch a wave and surf back in.....Result! Looking for ward to your next entries. Dull, potentially wet bank holiday here but it is warming up this week supposedly. You are lucky to be spared the elections, usual bun fight in both of them. Enjoy the next stage of your trip and the hot weather. Steve
Kate Heath Bank holiday Monday here and it is a dull cold day but perfect for a good bike ride somewhere. thanks for this blog it painted a great picture of how you are doing. Keep up the blogs. love Kate
Laura Great blog Jeff! Thanks for sharing. So pleased you are continuing to have the time of your lives. So insightful and inspiring. Just love it and so pleased you've taken this opportunity to have such an incredible adventure together. Hope you had a fun birthday Jeff. Han and I going out tomorrow eve for a belated 30th bday treat - we'll toast you as well! Love you guys XX