Australia Trip Report with Pictures May 2013
 

We've been back for a month now, so it's about time I get to doing this trip report. It took 2 weeks for me to adjust back to our time zone. Maybe because we packed our days full and returned so happy, but so exhausted too! I'm posting links to some of my photos also. Hope it works, I use a Canon 5D.

Our trip to Australia was from May 7 - May 26, 2013. We live in Ohio and began our trip May 2 with a few days spent in Yellowstone, then flew on to Southern California where we grew up. It helped with a few hours adjustment to our body clocks, and we were so impressed with how much Southern California has improved since our last trip there 10 years ago. We are in our late 50's, born, raised and married in Southern California. We left 35 years ago though so it hasn't been home for quite a long time.

We flew on United airlines direct from Los Angeles to Sydney round trip, using FF miles. I booked the tickets on line, 9 or 10 months prior. Thanks to everyone on Fodors who helped organize our trip plan.

This report will rely heavily on some of the photos I took, they tell a better story than I can. Each day I'll summarize what we did, where we spent the night and our highlights.

May 9 Thursday, we arrived in Sydney at 6:45 a.m. Our flight was a bit late in arriving because of a mechanical as we were to leave Los Angeles. Ha, a woman wouldn't sign off on the toilets functioning properly, so we need to wait for someone to remove the paperwork from the area. Much better than an engine problem I'd say.

Our flight was fine, and comfortable as we had the middle seat free. The flight was not fully booked and time went quickly.

We wanted to buy the MyMulti1 Pass for our time in Sydney and not buy a ticket for the expensive ($15.80 each one way) airport train when we arrived. I found this information for the way to do this: http://www.cityrail.info/tickets/which/mymulti

CHEAPEST way to get in & out of Sydney Airport & get around Sydney for next few days is to fly in
pick up your bags then go downstairs & buy a
MyMulti 1 WEEKLY Ticket $44 from the underground Airport train station
but - DONT catch the train at the Airport - It will cost extra.

Head back upstairs & catch the 400 bus in either direction. (Get off at the first train station stop). Bus 400 left the airport at area 22. We took it to Mascot. Driver was helpful in showing us were the train was. It was quite simple.

The MyMulti 1 WEEKLY $44 gets you unlimited trips 24/7 on
trains around the inner suburbs also
all private & government scheduled buses,
all Sydney Ferries & light rail for all suburbs of Sydney for
7days for $44 including to & from the airport on 400 bus only. (not airport trains)
The system here are trains, not metros like in Paris. You need to check for the right platforms. The train took us right to Circular Quay without needing to transfer. From here it was a short walk to our hotel, The Russell Hotel in the Rocks. http://therussell.com.au/

Our room was very nice, but small. We choose a room with the bathroom in the hall. It was a shared bathroom by 2 rooms, and anyone else that chose to use it. I really dislike sharing a bathroom, but it did cut our hotel cost. Sydney is very expensive for us, the U.S. Dollar was very weak to the Australian dollar, although the AUD did drop as our trip progressed. The location is excellent, the staff quite friendly and breakfast buffet, which is included is also excellent. It's served in the downstairs Wine Bar.

The Carnival Cruise Ship Spirit was docked at the Ocean Terminal. We didn't find out until the next day that two passengers were missing, and lost at sea. I don't think the ship even realized this until everyone had left the ship. Sad news. "Surveillance camera footage showed the couple was outside their cabin when they fell more than 65 feet from the ship's mid deck Wednesday night, Police Superintendent Mark Hutchings said. At the time, the ship was about 65 nautical miles off the coast of Forster, a city 185 miles north of Sydney".

Using our transportation pass we took the ferry from Circular Quay to the Taronga Zoo. The ferry trip is beautiful, and are all the ferry trips we took. Once we arrived at the dock, a bus was waiting to drive us to the entrance of the zoo. We bought 2 zoo tickets, $44 each, at the entrance. I noticed later that the tourist booklet we picked up at the airport as we were walking to customs (there are piles of them along the way in the terminal), included a discount coupon for the zoo. Unfortunately I didn't notice this in time so we paid full price for our tickets. These tickets included the skyrail trip back down from the zoo to the ferry landing. The zoo is nice, but no nicer than many zoos we've been to. The bird show was excellent, as were the views across the harbor from the stands. I enjoyed seeing the city views behind the elephants and giraffes.

It was here we met the first of so many very friendly people who welcomed us to Australia. It must not have been too difficult to notice that we were visitors, because on several occasions people would stop and tell us much about this country they love so much. It was wonderful. We learned much from them.

We wanted to take the 2:30 I'm Free Tour of Sydney http://www.imfree.com.au/ . It met at Town Hall Square. The tour is a bit too long, but very thorough. The idea is to tip the guide what you think it was worth at the end. We stayed for 2 hours, until the mid break and were very happy with the guide. We were so exhausted, since this was our first day, it was time to go take a nap before dinner. We highly recommend this tour.

Dinner was at The Lord Nelson Brewery in the Rocks. http://www.lordnelsonbrewery.com/ The location is in the Rocks, but not as centrally located as The Russell. It was a bit of a walk there, through a dark underpass, and along a busy road. Once we arrived, we needed to wait awhile to snag a table downstairs. The pub was packed with locals, most drinking, few eating. We finally got a table, the best one next to the window, and placed our order at the bar for dinner and drinks. The food is fine, but not as good as other places we ate in the Rocks in the following days.

Below is a link to our pictures from the first day, posted on Flicker. Hope it works!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634393019518/

LOVED the pix. Great report!

Images - what great timing you have. We will have 5 days in Sydney in December at the end of our trip " down under" and these practical details are just what we need - thanks!

lovely pics too!

Thanks. You're going to have a great trip annig! Australia is just wonderful. Hope to get to NZ someday also. My husbands Dad was stationed there in WW2.

May 10 Friday

We considered taking the morning tour of the Sydney Fish Market but realized we could never be there before 6:40 a.m. when the tour leaves. http://www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au/A...2/Default.aspx
Instead, we toured it ourselves, after a large breakfast at The Russell. The fish market is located off of the metro light rail line. This line is included in the MyMulti1 pass. We took the train to Central, then switched lines. It's a bit hidden, so ask where the stairs are to the upper level where access to this rail line is. http://www.metrotransport.com.au/ind...il/home-2.html We crossed the street, once we arrived, and followed a path to the market, or rather a working parking area, busy with trucks, and deliveries. It's fine to be here, just keep walking, I believe there is a marked line to follow until you see shops. We enjoyed the lots opening to the parking and delivery lot even more than the ones indoors. Indoors there are plenty of shops selling retail and tables both indoors and out to sit and enjoy any purchases you make. It was morning but we did buy some sushi, so fresh. Others were already eating large meals.

Returning to the light rail line, we took it to Darling Harbor. For some reason I didn't have high expectations of this area. To touristy maybe? I was pleasantly surprised how nice Darling Harbor is. We wandered around the harbor, but didn't have time to go to the inside exhibits of the museum here. The outside boats, which are included in the museum ticket are fine to stroll by, but without a ticket you can't board them.

Some high school girls were taking tourism surveys, as part of their studies. We had fun talking with them, and helping with their survey, but they couldn't answer our questions as they weren't from Sydney themselves. There are plenty of restaurants in this area to dine at. The far side of the harbor there is the ferry terminal. We hopped on the ferry back to Circular Quay, then changed ferries for the trip to Watsons Bay. I love this ferry system! On this trip we sailed right past Luna Park, a great opportunity for close up pictures. Luna Park is almost directly at the foot of Harbor Bridge on the opposite side of the harbor from Circular Quay. It's open and operating.

Before we left for Australia I asked for suggestions for walks along the harbor or parks. Watsons Bay was high on everyone's list. This ferry ride is perfect. We stopped at another beach before continuing on the Watson's Bay. Doyles fish restaurant is right at the pier. There are other restaurants a short walk up to the small town, across from the park. A simple park, nice to spend some time here, or on the small beach on the harbor side. We decided to take the walk first. It is straight ahead, through the park, and across the road from the pier. First we walked to the left, along the gorgeous coastline of the sea "The Gap" views. The views back to the city are incredible. The we walked to the right. Both are not to be missed. Just watch the times of the return ferries, as we took the last one back this late afternoon. I guess the other option would be to return to Sydney by bus.

Sunset pictures were incredible tonight. There have been fires in the Blue Mountains, so the views there haven't been as good as usual we were told by a father and son who lives there. The light smoke in the air made for incredible sunset colors west of the Dawes Point Park area, where we took our sunset photos on this evening.

Dinner tonight was at the Opera Kitchen. Oh, how we love this bar with food. It's directly at the foot of the Opera House, on the lower level outdoors. (Take stairs down to this area before arriving at the Opera House). The views are incredible, atmosphere incredible, and food and wine very good also.

Tomorrow we were planning on making the trip to the Blue Mountains, but with so much more to do in Sydney, we skipped the mountains. With the smoke being a problem there, we didn't regret our decision.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634391280495/

May 11 Saturday

A walk in the Botanical gardens was a must for me. It's a very long walk from The Rocks, all the way around to the front of the Opera House, to the location of the entrance gate to the gardens. Once inside, we met a couple from the suburbs, who came into town for the day to see the gardens and the Art Museum. Again, they were so excited to share lots of information about their country with us. These conversations have so much detail. They are not just a nicety. It's very interesting, but hard to break away also. I think the wonderful people who live here would love to share every detail they think important with us. We felt badly ending our conversations after usually an hour at least!

We spent a few hours just strolling and enjoyed these huge gardens very much. They only problem was, we needed to walk all the way back. Probably taking a bus back would be a better idea. Our feet were so sore.

Next we took another ferry, resting our feet, to Manly Warf. We had lots of advice to visit Manly. There is a grocery market here, so once we left the ferry terminal we went shopping for lunch supplies. Walking through the shopping stalls between the terminal and the beach, I wasn't very happy with the scene. I've included pictures so it's clear that this is like a craft show in the U.S. Once on the beach, we pulled out our picnic supplies. This was a mistake, the seagulls weren't about to let us eat, they swooped in, hitting me in the head trying to feed on my lunch. These gulls were SO aggressive. OK, we put our food aside, and watched the surfers for awhile. The beach didn't seem to clean, and it was cloudy. We just didn't like this beach very much. Guess we should have done the Manly to Split walk, but really didn't have enough time for it. Our advice, if you come to Manly don't do so for the beach, but plan a walk instead.

Time to return by ferry, to Circular Quay. We had a bit of time to visit the Discovery Museum in the Rocks and browse through a few of the Saturday Market booths. The purpose of the museum is to tell the story of The Rocks from pre-European days to the present. It's quite interesting, although small. This is a free museum.

At 6 p.m. the I'm Free Tour company does a 1 1/2 hour walk through the Rocks. We joined in but found this tour not really very informative, but still a fun way to see the area. http://www.imfree.com.au/sydney/rocksat6.html

Dinner and drinks tonight at The Argyle in the Rocks was great. We really enjoy this restaurant/bar, eating outdoors in their patio. I'm very surprised how dressed up people are for dinner in Sydney. http://www.theargylerocks.com/

A few photos from today:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634399281938/

I'm thoroughly enjoying your report and beautiful photos Images2.

Thanks Melnq8

May 12 Sunday Mothers Day

Waking to fog didn't dampen our spirits. As it turned out, the fog burned off by early morning.

Yes, it's Mothers Day in Australia also. Their gift to us was a free museum visit with an on line coupon. We headed for Hyde Park Barracks but noticed that the big event in Sydney on this day was the Mothers Day Classic which is a run, walk, to raise funds for breast cancer research. We cheered them on and then headed to the park to watch the after race activities. St. James Church is located near Hype Park Barracks and we went inside as the church service was beginning. In the basement is the Children's Chapel.

Once the Barracks opened, at 10 a.m., our free ticket was accepted and they offered us another. We used our second ticket for the Museum of Sydney located at the corner Phillip and Bridge Streets. Both museums are excellent. Yesterday we met a father and son in the Botanical Gardens who told us about every ship wreck in the harbor. They recommended we visit the Powerhouse Museum, but we need to save that for another visit.

The 383 bus to Bondi Beach left from a stop on Phillip street next to the Museum of Sydney. It took us directly to Bondi Beach, without changes. This beach we loved. Perfect in every way. There are shops here and an IGA grocery market on a side road. We bought picnic supplies again. I've included pictures of the beaches along the coastline here. We spent several hours at Bondi, then took the coastal walk passing MacKenzies Bay and onto Bronte Beach. What a perfect Mothers Day this was. We caught a bus above Bronte Beach back to "The City" as they call it, but needed to change buses at Central Station.

This evening we climbed the Harbor Bridge, walked across, taking more photos at sunset. The museum here was closed, so we'll just have to return someday.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634405725959/

May 13 Monday Flight to Cairns then to the Atherton Tablelands

Today we leave Sydney for our Virgin Australia flight to Cairns. We're sad to leave Sydney as we have loved our time here. There are hard choices to make when booking a first trip to Australia from the United States. In the end we're very pleased with how we split our time available.

When planning this trip I used webjet.com to find the available flights within Australia, and the prices on each date. Prices can vary considerably by date, so this did influence my schedule. I booked the flights on the web sites of the carriers we chose, not on webjet, since they charge a booking fee. We prepaid our luggage charges. Our luggage was always under the weight limit, even on Jet Star.
http://www.webjet.com.au/flights/

We took the local train back to Mascot, then transferred to the 400 bus after a 15 minute wait, same way as we arrived, but went to the Domestic Terminal instead of International. Our flight was on time, arriving in Cairns at 12:10ish p.m. It was hot and humid. I was so excited after seeing the Daintree River emptying into the ocean from the plane. We weren't driving north to the Daintree yet, but south to the Tablelands today.

Driving south from the airport towards Innisfall, (only sign that I saw) we turned left and easily found the Gilles hwy just past Gordanville, where we turned off for the tablelands. Before reaching this highway there was an IGA market, ( at Charlotte Close exit) where we bought more supplies.

Alan helped with his suggestions for the day. He was a big help as I had over planned our time. Here are his tips: http://www.alanswildlifetours.com.au/

Cairns Drive south as far as Gordonvale and turn west on the Gillies Highway. You could have a swim in the Mulgrave River at Ross & Loche picnic area if that is your thing. Stop to admire the view on the drive up the range which has nearly 250 bends in 19 kilometres and gains about 900 metres in altitude. This is mostly through eucalypt forest. At the top and before you drop down onto the Atherton Tablelands there is a turn to the right to the Cathedral Fig, this is a larger version of, in a different shape to, the more famous Curtain Fig at Yungaburra. Drive to Lake Barrine and do the short 600 metres walk which will take you passed the Twin Kauris. Drive to Yungaburra and check in. Yungaburra via the Curtain Fig . Pick up the town walking guide and explore the village, ending up at Allumbah Pocket with some light left to watch for Platypus. Ask Peter where they have been seen most regularly, as in upstream or down from the suspension bridge. Be prepared to wait at a pool for about 5 minutes to see if there is any activity. They are usually down for about 35 - 55 seconds when feeding and only up 5 - 10 sec. There is good interpretive material at the shelter shed at Allumbah and at the Platypus Viewing Platform by the road bridge. The females are only about 14 inches long in north Queensland.

If you are interested in bats go under the road bridge after dark as the Large-footed Myotis which are a fishing bat live and hunt from there.

On leaving Cairns I hoped to see wallabies as someone else had seen several in this area. We missed them but eventually found them when we returned to the airport a week later. They are at the Lawn Bowling site next to the Smithfield mall, just outside of Cairns. There is a field with horses, next door to the lawn bowling. The items that look like hay bales in the field are actually wallabies. Plenty of wallabies!

We stopped at the cathedral fig tree, oh my, it's amazing, then at Lake Barrine for the rainforest walk. We saw the Twin Kauris trees. It's so green here, beautiful, and the sounds of birds just wonderful. I took a few great bird pictures in this area.

After checking into our hotel in Yungaburra, Kookaburra Lodge Motel , not the Williams Lodge, as originally planned, we found our way to the Platypus viewing platform where we saw a cow, but no platypus on this evening or the next morning. This Motel is very simple, but clean, and the owners are just wonderful, friendly people. For one night, it was perfect.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634414090308/

Your photos are just stunning. Bookmarking for trip planning for 2014.

Thanks, you'll not regret going to Australia. We're ready to return already! Coming up is Cape Tribulation, Port Douglas, Kakadu, and Ayers Rock.

May 14th Tuesday Atherton Tablelands to Mossman Gorge

I used http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/list.php?region=60 to find close up maps of the areas we toured in the Tablelands. It was vital to bring our own detailed maps of this area.

We again followed Alan's suggestions:

Yungaburra, it is a small town with a grocery store and a few restaurants. It was a fine place to stay. We began our day visiting the Curtain Fig, which is huge and is surrounded with an excellent walkway. Visit Lake Eacham, perhaps doing the 3km walk around the lake. Heading south to do the waterfall circuit call into Tarzalli Lakes Fish Farm to see Platypus if you did not get satisfactory views the day before or early this morning. After the Millaa Millaa Falls circuit head up to the lookout and on to Mt Hypipamee where there is a large hole in the ground and a pleasant walking track down into the headwaters of the Barron River. North towards Atherton and visit Hasties Swamp. Not sure there will be much wildlife there but this is a strange year and there are a lot of western birds there now despite the high water levels. Call into Granite Gorge for the Rock Wallabies but also keep an eye out for the very cryptic Frilled-neck Lizards on the trees once you get off the red basalt soils. If you have not seen Eastern Grey Kangaroos by now call in at the Golf Club in Mareeba near the start of the road west. Do ask permission before heading out on the course if you need to to get a close look.

We missed Tarzalli Lakes Fish Farm, drove right by. It would have been nice to stop. The waterfall circuit was enjoyable, but we accidently ended up on the Old Palmerston Highway which was very slow going. It's not worth the time required to drive on this road. Hasties Swamp had several birds, but the bird hide was being renovated and was closed the week were there. Hasties Swamp National Park is 4 km south of Atherton on the Atherton–Herberton Road. Turn left into Hastie Road and then right into Koci Road. The bird hide is 1.3 km along this well-formed, gravel road.
http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/hasties-swamp/

We had no time to see the Rock Wallabies at Granite Gorge, but did stop at the Mareeba Golf Club where we saw our first Eastern Grey Kangaroos. We asked permission in the office and they asked for $2.50 each to walk out onto the course. The kangaroos were in the tree line on the right side of the golf course.

We spent the night at our favorite bed & breakfast of this trip, Mossman Bed & Breakfast. The owner was friendly, home lovely, a large indoor area and garden + pool is for the guests only. Breakfast is served outdoors on a covered deck with Kookaburra on the railing.

http://www.bnbnq.com.au/mossgorge/

For dinner we joined the other couple staying the night and ate at MoJo's in Mosseman. The food and company were excellent.

http://www.mojosbarandgrill.com.au/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634417926406/

May 15 Mossman Gorge, Daintree National Park/Cape Tribulation

Kookaburras were waiting for us when we arrived on the covered deck at Mossman Bed & Breakfast this morning for breakfast. Mandy served them breakfast also! The view was serene, looking toward the Gorge Park. Wish we were able to spend more than one night here.

The Mossman Gorge visitors center is modern and operated by the Eastern Kuku Yalanji, the Traditional Owners of Daintree National Park. You can either take the shuttle bus from the parking area to the park, which departs every 15 minutes, between 8.00am and 6.00pm for $6 each, or walk. The walk is long, and really you should save your energy for the walk/hike in the Gorge itself. We hiked the longer hike and it took quite awhile. There is also a swimming hole along the river which looked very refreshing. If we did this again we'd take the shorter walk, as this hike wasn't very interesting to us. The boardwalks in all the parks are quite nice. Most of this hike is not on a boardwalk.
http://www.mossmangorge.com.au/
http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/da...mossman-gorge/

Leaving the Mossman area there are many fields of sugar cane and sugar cane rail cars sit among some fields. Crocodile crises and Daintree River cruises are also located before you arrive at the car crossing for the Daintree River. Belchers is a highly recommended option. It is south of the river crossing. We stopped and spoke to them, but the next cruise wasn't scheduled until an hour later. We decided to return on Friday on our return since there is so much to see once we cross the river, and don't want to arrive in Cape Tribulation after dark. Our goal was to always drive only during daylight hours. Running into wildlife in the dark is common.

http://www.daintreerivercruises.com.au/

Another option is The Solar Whisper. This was recommended to us by Mandy. I believe it is north of the Daintree river crossing.
http://www.solarwhisper.com/Home.3.0.html

The road splits, westward to Daintree Village and East to the River Crossing. Note this, because it can be confusing. We missed the split and drove into Daintree Village looking for the ferry crossing. We paid around $23 for a round trip ticket on the car ferry.

http://www.daintreeinfo.com/region_g...onSubjectID=13

Once across the river we stopped at the Alexandra Lookout. The view is outstanding and there is a sign explaining what you see from this point. Parking is adequate here. The drive through the rainforest is stunning. Our next stop was Jindalba Visitor area where we ate our picnic lunch, picnic shelters and bathrooms are here, then took the pleasant 700m boardwalk through the rainforest. This is very near the Discovery Centre. We saw the famous signs for the Cassowaries here, but didn't see any in the wild. The bird center in Kuranda has 2 and we saw them here.

The Daintree Ice cream Company is a small stop, with delicious cups of ice cream with 4 flavors, chosen by them. We were not able to choose our own flavors, but it's still great. They have a garden and even a green tree frog if you can spot it! This seemed a popular stop for van tours. I think it's up for sale.

Next was Thornton Beach with it's wonderful, wide, almost empty beach. There is a cafe here also. This is where the mouth of the Copper Creek is located. Signs warn of crocodiles, since they are located in the creek. Marrdja Boardwalk, down the road, had its entrance closed for construction, but the exit was open. Just do the walk beginning at the exit, then walk back out the same direction instead of walking a loop.

Arriving in Cape Tribulation was exciting. We easily found our Bed and Breakfast, Cape Tribulation Exotic Fruit Farm. The owners, Alison and Digby Gotts are down to earth, friendly couple. They have run this fruit farm for many years and built the bungalows themselves. We loved it here, but there are a few things to know before booking. The bungalows use solar. This means you can't use a hairdryer, there is no air conditioning, neither is there a fan. The windows are screened, but there is only a slight breeze. We did get a bit warm. They have a visitors book with ideas from other guests who have stayed here. This is a good way to choose from the activities offered in the area.

Breakfast is served each morning on the covered deck area, delicious fruit from their farm and a choice of a hot dish. We enjoyed omelets, potatoes, etc.

This evening we had dinner at Cape Tribulation Camping Area. The pizzas are great here taking 15 - 20 minutes to cook. There is a large variety to choose from. There is a bottle shop in this small town, where we bought wine. There is also a small grocery store, and PK's looked like a great place to play pool or have dinner. Everything is expensive. We had a good amount of food from earlier grocery shopping which helped for the few days we were here.

http://www.capetrib.com.au/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634430469342/

May 16 Cape Tribulation and Snorkeling on the GBR

After another delicious fruit and potato breakfast we were picked up by Ocean Safari GBR snorkeling trip. We prebooked this on line 2 weeks prior ($123 each), but most people booked and paid for their trip while staying in Cape Tribulation. The following day was going to storm, so our trip was fully booked as was a second trip in the afternoon. We were dropped off at Ocean Safari's booking office, which is next to the Boardwalk Cafe, across the road from PK's.

http://www.oceansafari.com.au/

Most people rented wet suits for the trip, but we opted for stinger suits instead. They were lighter in weight and fine for our needs. This trip was a highlight of our lives. We rode 25 minutes out to the reef, snorkeling at Mackay reef, which was fantastic. The reef is healthy, teaming with fish and live coral. Visibility is superb. Huge schools of fish, a couple of turtles, bright colorful coral, just awesome.

We've snorkeled a good bit in the past, but nothing can compare with this experience and the variety and numbers of sea life we saw this day. No other boats were anywhere to be seen, so the 20 or so of us were unobstructed in our swim. Most everyone used noodles for buoyancy. We spent about an hour here, then back in the boat, we rode to a 2nd spot, only 5 minutes further, Undine Reef. It wasn't far, but the water was deeper. Immediately I saw a reef shark. It was far enough down that I wasn't worried. When we snorkeled in Bora Bora and Moorea we saw many more sharks. Again some saw turtles. I did see jelly fish deep down on rocks, but none floating. We spent 45 minutes snorkeling in this location. In all the trip was about 3 hours.

Once we returned, the Ocean Safari people drove us back to our Bed & Breakfast. After showering and changing we took a walk through the fruit orchard. Digby was doing a fruit tasting this afternoon for people that are interested in the fruit they grow. They have also tagged a walk through the orchard with blue ribbons to lead the way. We tried following them, but kept getting lost. It was awfully funny how badly we followed those blue ribbons but eventually we made our way out of the orchard, down a trail, in the humidity, to town.

We had a late lunch on the beach, taking away food from the Boardwalk Cafe. They have great hamburgers. After a relaxing rest on Cape Tribulations beach, we hiked down the beach to the campground area, (where it's possible to rent canoes) back up to the main road, and to the Dubuji-Myall boardwalk. It was quite a hike. The boardwalk didn't hold our attention, guess we've walked enough of them by now, so we turned around, walking back to the Exotic Fruit Farm.

Each evening it's very dark in the fall, so we didn't venture out, but relaxed and read in our bungalow.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634432657796/

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your trip with us. There is much valuable information to be gleaned and I have bookmarked many sites for our upcoming trip at the end of the year. Your photos are very professional!

Hi,images2. Thank you for sharing your report and your beautiful photos. They have brought back memories of great trips my DH and I have taken. Looking forward to further instalments of your report.

Thanks everyone. Have great trips dottyp this summer!

Where are you going Maggi? Glad this is of some help.

I think I'll have time tomorrow to post more.

I am leaving at the end of August for a 3 week trip with my adult daughter to Eastern Australia and your notes are really helpful-thanks for posting!

We are doing a cruise, focusing mainly on New Zealand, but will be in Sydney five days beforehand and one day in Auckland afterward. Thanks again!

May 17 Cape Tribulation to Port Douglas

We are staying in the rain forest in Cape Tribulation, and listened to the sounds of heavy storms overnight. The air cooled, the sound of rain was beautiful and stopped the noisy ground-dwelling orange-footed scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt. These birds are quite noisy during the early morning hours running around the base of our bungalow.

This is the last night of our stay in Cape Trib, we were ready to move south to Port Douglas. I was a bit worried about the rivers crossing the roads, we wanted no problem leaving the area. Alison assured us the roads would be fine, but they have pulled a car over the river in the past when the water was too high.

After another delicious breakfast we said our goodbyes then drove to the end of the road a bit to the north. I believe you must have a 4 wheel drive vehicle to continue north on this road. The inland route is the main route to Cooktown. Driving down to Cow beach before crossing the Daintree river by ferry, convinced us the weather wasn't going to clear for a few hours. The Daintree Tea Plantation is located north of the river also, but not much was operating. I took a photo and we continued south. Belchers told us not much was seen on the river this morning, so we decided to save our crocodile spotting for the Kakadu area.


Carnival in Port Douglas was beginning this evening. There is going to be a local parade tonight and beach activities tomorrow along 4 mile beach. Some roads were already closed to traffic, so it took us some time to find our way around to our small hotel. We were thrilled with our accommodations at By the Sea Hotel on Macrossan Street. This is a main road on the west end, with restaurants and shops, but on the east side where we were, it's a short 1 minute walk to the beach. Perfect location and affordable. Port Douglas can be very expensive for accommodations, this is a good affordable small hotel. It includes bike rentals, DVD's, ipads, beach chairs and towels, all included. A small kitchen is also in each unit.


http://www.bytheseaportdouglas.com.au/


As we walked through town the songs of birds filled the air. I'm amazed at the number of parrots in the trees. In the evening bats flew overhead. The beach is long and wonderful. A stinger net is in place for swimmers.

We have lunch at recommended Salsa restaurant. Besides the menu there were several specials for today. The food was great, fans cooled the air. Town is setting up booths, and readying for 2 weeks of Carnival. This evening we watched the small local parade. Port Douglas is a great place to spend a few days.


http://flic.kr/s/aHsjGyZyia
 

May 18 Port Douglas to Kuranda Barron Falls

Carnival activities today in Port Douglas, but we were more interested in going to Kuranda. We decided to drive ourselves instead of taking the train and skyrail. It was the right decision for us, although many enjoy seeing the rainforest by rail.

http://www.birdworldkuranda.com/

A car had driven off the road near an overlook along the Captain Cook Highway, so we were detained for awhile while a tow truck recovered a quite battered car from the cliffside.

Barron Falls is located 3.5 km before Kuranda, driving from the coast along Barron Falls Road, following the signposts to the Barron Falls car park. This is the access to the Barron Falls lookout. There is a walkway to the overlook at the falls with several levels. We enjoyed seeing this in our own timeframe, and walking down to an area with Ulysses butterflies landing on a few flowers. They fly quickly so it's hard to photograph them. From here we drove to Kuranda and went to Birdworld and the Butterfly house. This village is filled with shops.

Along the Highway we stopped in Palm Cove, which is a much smaller town than Port Douglas. We wanted to compare the two towns. They both have beautiful beaches, but the size of the towns differ considerably. Ellis beach, near Palm Cove looked wonderful. If you have a camping car this is an excellent beach to stay on.

Returning to Port Douglas we enjoyed seeing the sand sculptures which were built during the day.
This evening we watched a French film we checked out free from our hotel's collection. The wifi works very well here also.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634469483276/

Next up we'll fly to Darwin and visit Kakadu for two days, then go to Katherine for the gorge, and a trip on The Ghan to Alice Springs.

Hi, images2. Thank you, we will have the most amazing and memorable time over the summer. So looking forward to it now that it is neary here and all my school commitments are almost finished!
Interested in reading about Northern Territory section of your trip.

May 19 Port Douglas to Darwin

Our last morning in Port Douglas, and it's market day along the port. We quickly wandered the booths then drove south to Cairns for our Jet Star flight to Darwin. This time I noticed the wallabies in the field just north of Cairns, so we stopped so I could get some pictures. How fun.

Now, we are pretty sure Darwin is in Australia, so we dropped our rental car off and walked to the Domestic terminal. There were no Jet Star agents to be found. Every kiosk was closed. We looked on the flight board and our flight wasn't listed. Panic was setting in. We showed an agent of another airline our email confirmation. He promptly told us we were here on the wrong date. What, no, we assured him, this is the right date. He acknowledged he had the date wrong and was miss dating everything he had done so far today. Oops.

Another couple walked up, trying to find the same flight. Finally we discovered this flight to Darwin was considered an international flight. We all hustled over to the International Terminal, which was quite a walk, and had a good conversation with the agent for Jet Star. We asked her how many flights one could connect to Internationally from Darwin. She proceeded kindly to list all the flights one could connect to in Darwin! Now, she knew we were barely going to make our flight at this point, but like most other Australians, she was just as friendly as could be and was just trying to be helpful!

Security for our flight from Sydney to Cairns was almost nonexistent. They hadn't even checked our id. This flight was another story. Security was at least as through as in the U.S., and then they thought one of our bags needed a 2nd look. Just being overly cautious they explained. All checked out, but we were very tight in time making this flight to Darwin. Jet Star is a discount airline. Most of the flight time the flight attendants spent selling food or drink. All was I was interested in was a cup of water. No, I never even was brought any water. Expect tight seating and NO service on this airline, but we safely arrived on time.

We booked several of our car rentals with Discovery Car Rental, an Australian rental consolidator. They found the best rates, this is a GOOD TIP. They found lower rates than I could directly.

http://www.discovery-carhire.com.au/

Our rental from Darwin to Katherine had a $175 drop off fee, and this can't be waived. It makes for an expensive rental of a few days. I begged for relief. We already had a low daily rate, lower than their special offer for this day, but the company decided to wave my over mileage fees. 100 kilometers a day is the normal allowance, which is not many. It doesn't hurt to request, and this saved us $150.

The drive into Darwin from the airport is short. We wanted to see the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory before it closed so we stopped there first. This is a free museum which is excellent. The exhibit on Cyclone Tracy, which struck on Christmas Day 1974, is a highlight, as are the boats, in a separate building. Darwin was destroyed in this storm, and little did we know, Moore Oklahoma would be hit almost as hard a few days later, in the United States. We have extended family in Moore. They have seen far too many storms.

http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/museums/aboutus/

The drive out to East Point, at the northern end of town didn't take long from the Art Museum. This is a beautiful area and is the largest park in the city. Anti Aircraft gun emplacements and a museum are located here also.

We stayed at the Travelodge Mirambeena in Darwin. It is dated, but was fine for one night. I wouldn't call it a resort as it is described. There is a good sized grocery store across the road from the hotel, which was very convenient.

http://www.travelodge.com.au/travelo...-resort-darwin

Dinner was at Tims Surf and Turf which has good trip advisor reviews. We found it friendly, but the food was very basic, not fine dining. The street it is located on was almost deserted. It was a bit unsettling walking from the Travelodge to this restaurant, since the streets were almost deserted. I'd find another option next time.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634482664413/

<I wouldn't call it a resort as it is described.>

This was a recurring theme on our road trip in the NW of WA. I get the feeling Darwin and the northwest of WA have a lot in common.

Enjoying every morsel of your report Images2.

You're kind. I'm not a writer, but hope the links are of help.

May 20 Darwin to Kakadu

Sunrise over the water in Darwin was at 6:58 a.m. and I wanted photos. Actually I'd love to have early morning photos from Fogg Dam, but that was impossible as it is too far out of town and we can't leave while it's still dark. We have a full day planned. Beginning at the Esplanade we walked through Bicentennial Park, the Government House and monuments. Driving around gave us a different view of Darwin. More time would have been good.


The drive from Darwin to the Arnham Hwy takes a bit more time than we expected. There were no signs leading the way until it was time to turn left. We wondered if we had gone too far. Finally a sign appeared, and we headed west.


One option as I trip planned was to spend the night at Eden B&B, near Fogg Dam, but that wouldn't allow us any time to see Darwin since our flight arrived around 3 p.m. If time permits it would have been a good choice. We enjoyed the Fogg Dam area so much. There are several walks in the area and many, many birds. Song birds overhead are so wonderful to listen to. Some birds we saw were Comb crested Jacana, Crimson Finch, Masked Lapwing, Black Tailed Native hens, Australasian Darter, Magpie, Black Shouldered Kite, among others. The road to Fogg Dam is 10 km off the main road, the Arnham Highway, Route 36. It is well marked.


To enter Kakadu you need a $25 each, park pass. Ours were never checked, but it's required to purchase. There is not an entry ticket office when entering the park. I bought our passes on the Kakadu web site before we left. This way we didn't have to bother with stopping somewhere on the way to buy this pass.


http://www.foggdam.com.au/

http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/kakadu/


Once we were finished at Fogg Dam, we stayed on the same road, circling around to Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile Cruise. The road out to their location is long and straight. We drove slowly, but sped it up on our return. What a fun way to spend 2 hours. The owners are very friendly and have lived in this area for years. Theirs is the only small boat and the only boat in this location. It holds 20 people but we had less. It was easy to walk back and forth, left to right on the boat to take pictures of the crocodiles. Cost is $35 each. We also saw birds on this trip.


http://www.adelaiderivercruises.com...._crocodile.htm


Windows on the Wetlands, Free open 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Window on the Wetlands Visitor Centre Travel approximately 60km from Darwin along the Stuart and Arnhem Highways. The parking is a distance from the visitor center. The building is outstanding, but interior isn't very interesting. There is a good overlook of the area from the uppermost level.
We stopped at The Bark Hut Inn for the Ranger Lead Walks guide, lunch, bottle of wine (none available in Kakadu park), and a small animal pen in the back with emus. Road trains stop here also. There were several on the road as we drove, but never were any problem for us.


Mamukala overlook and walk. There is a good bird hide here and a nice walk. It's a great short stop.


Gungarre walk: The starting point lies 10 km before the Mamukala turn off, near Aurora Kakadu Resort. This 3.6 km walk will take you through woodland, monsoonal forest and along the edge of Anggardbal billabong. This was closed as were some other walks and areas. It had been a very wet season earlier and the season was still off. It was very humid, not dry while we were in Kakadu.


Bowali Visitors Center is excellent. The staff is a great help here. Make this your first stop when planning your time in the park. They have several brochures also.


We stayed at the Jabiru Holiday Inn. The hotel and facilities are excellent. The dinner food service is horrible.


http://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels...gg/hoteldetail


My notes on this: Jabiru hotel is very nice, but the downfall is the dinner food service. If you don't order the $45 buffet service, they won't serve you a la carte service until the buffet service ends, after 8:30 p.m. We had big issues with this and were shocked at the denial to let guests dine in the dining room, or even bar, until we insisted on at least bar service for dining. It was a very tense situation. There were several empty tables in the restaurant.

The bakery across the road from the hotel serves very good food, and is a good alternative.


Kakadu bakery, right near the gas station across the road from the Holiday Inn is excellent. We bought breakfast pastries here each morning and even pizzas and sandwiches.



Darwin and Fogg Dam photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634493851615/

Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile Cruise photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634495825891/

Entry from the Northwestern side Kakadu

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634510726987/

May 21 Center of Kakadu NP

Jabiru is the heart of Kakadu. It is a small town with a grocery store in a small strip mall, hidden along one road. I'm always happy when we can find grocery stores to stock up on supplies. There are neighborhoods further down the road.

Beginning our day at Nourlangie Rock, we met a Park Ranger for the morning walk. It was a 15 minute walk to the location of the walk from the car park. The talk was informative, but a little dry, so once the first talk (of three) was over, we went ahead on our own. We did meet up later with the ranger and heard more information on this area, and the families who live here. The interaction among family members is very interesting. The rock art is just amazing. The art is layered over each other. Some is up high, since the higher the art, the less likely it would be covered with new art.

I downloaded park maps before we left on this trip, which were very helpful in planning our time. There is so much to see, entailing a lot of walking. Several sites were closed in May as the previous season had been very wet, and the water was still high in many areas, making it unsafe. There are signs warning of crocodiles near the water. Along the road I saw a lovely lily pond. There was no area to pull over near it, but I hopped out of the car to take photos, hoping no crocs were nearby.

Anbangbang Billabong was closed which was disappointing.

Nawurlandja Lookout was a bit steep of a climb, but we managed fine and loved the views from this lookout. The clouds in the North were so dimensional. I don't think we've ever seen such beautiful clouds.

The walks in the East Alligator River area were closed. The shop was closed. No activity in this area yet, this early in the season. Twin Falls and Jim Jim Falls were also still closed.

We drove to Yellow Water and inquired about the cruise. The man working here didn't give us much detail and said there was no problem going, they didn't have many on it. We decided since we had seen so much already along other rivers, water buffalo, crocs, birds, we needed our time at Ubirr instead. The weather was turning bad, a storm was rolling in, so this was the right decision for us. I have included a couple pictures of the outdoor area of Gagudju Lodge Cooinda, where the cruise left from. The regular area was closed, as was the Yellow Water Walk. The Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Center was slightly interesting. It's not large.

Driving back north to Ubirr was pretty. It's at least an hour, probably more to Ubirr from Yellow Water. The storm arrived just as we did. The art at this location is amazing. We walked the area on our own, but heard several guides for other groups describing what we saw. We climbed up to the overlook in a driving rainstorm. Our plan was to meet up with the Park Ranger for the walk, but two rangers were taking cover and encouraging us on verbally. It was slick and I tried to hold an umbrella to protect my camera, so it was a bit challenging scrambling up. The views were amazing, but we quickly realized there would be no sunset this evening. Unfortunately we missed sunset, but were happy we didn't need to drive back to Jabiru in the dark.

We bought dinner at the Bakery this evening, eating it back at our hotel. We weren't going to argue about eating in the dining room again. Wifi is available for a limited time in the hotel's lobby free of charge, or there is a charge for all day usage.

Kakadu Maps:

http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/.../qr/index.html

Nourlangie Rock and Nawurlandja Lookout photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634531035952/


Ubirr and Yellow Water area photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634529164375/

May 22 Kakadu NP Southern Road and Katherine with Nitmiluk Gorge

Rising with the sun this morning, we needed to arrive in Katherine in time for the 11:00 a.m. 2 hour cruise to the gorge. The drive through the remainder of the park was beautiful, but we had little time for stops. A wild boar ran across the road, which we were lucky not to hit. I loved seeing more tall termite mounds. Mary River Road house is located along this route. I hoped to buy some crafts here, but not much was available. It is still early in the season.

Hoping we could at least see a bit of Pine Creek I was disappointed noting that it was a right hand turn, away from Katherine once we arrived at the Stuart Highway Rt. 1. We had no time for the detour.

Driving into Katherine we noticed the sign announcing that Cadel Evens was born here. I was very excited, as I actually photographed Cadel last year, cooling down after a stage in the Tour de France. What a thrill to see the town he was born in. It's not much of a town today though. The Ghan train stops here on its route from Darwin to Alice Springs. We booked tickets in the Red Class for this portion of the trip. These are just like airline seats, but with much more room between the rows. The seats were comfortable, and food in the dining car was actually pretty good. There is a shower also available for the Red car. Most people travel in upper class cars with excellent service, but we were keeping costs low and found the overnight journey just fine.

Nitmiluk was absolutely beautiful. The gorge trip was two hours long and stopped at one spot, where we needed to walk to the next gorge. There we transferred to a different boat for a continuation on the trip. We saw only two crocodiles, but many birds (blue faced honey eaters were most common) and the gorgeous canyon walls and views. Again, we met wonderful people full of stories and information about Australia. We love how so many retirees travel for extended periods of time, exploring Australia. Two were even professional cyclists in the past.

Leaving the boat we noticed the staff was setting up numerous tables for passengers of the Ghan who were about to lunch here, then go on their own cruise.

We drove to Springvale Homestead, which is the oldest station homestead in the Northern Territory. Only a few buildings remain. It was time to return our rental car in Katherine at Knotts Landing resort. From here we taxied to The Ghan and waited in the indoor waiting room for boarding. We were able to check our luggage and only brought a carryon bag with us onto the train.


The Ghan, Great Southern Rail:

http://www.greatsouthernrail.com.au/site/the_ghan.jsp


Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park:

http://www.parksandwildlife.nt.gov.a...egion/nitmiluk


Kakadu Southern section Jabiru to exit near Pine Creek

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634548323876/

Katherine Gorge and The Ghan red service

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634552700926/

What amazing photos Images2. Really enjoying your report.

Thanks, I have many to sort through! Next up is a bit of alice springs then onto the center, which is amazing, so amazing, black flies and all.

May 23 Alice Springs and drive to Uluru

To tour this area of Australia, we'd need a week. Unfortunately we only have a few hours until we drive across part of the outback to Ulura. Once off the Ghan train, there were transfers waiting for the passengers. We paid about $16 for two of us to transfer to the Crowne Plaza Hotel where we were to pick up our rental car. The bus stopped at several hotels in Alice. The Ghan only spent a couple of hours in Alice, so if passengers want to see this town and area they must overnight here.


Once we arrived at the Crown Plaza, we discovered it's no longer a Crown Plaza. No problem, our rental car agency had this as our pick up location. There was an Avis desk here, but no agent. After waiting for awhile, I asked the hotel desk clerk if he knew where the Avis agent was. He hadn't seen one at all today. He grudgingly called their airport location and was told we needed to go to the airport to pick up our car. Showing our paperwork, with this location listed, we insisted Avis bring our car to us.


The woman who delivered it was a new employee, polite, but her boss, was arrogant and rude to us on the phone. We wanted some compensation for our 1 1/2 delay, but she refused. This rental wasn't off to a good start. Because of this delay we couldn't see all we wanted to in Alice, but we made the best of it.


No time to see the West MacDonnel range, Simpsons Gap/Standley Chasm specifically, or Desert Park, I wouldn't have to decide which to see. We grabbed lunch and drove up to the Overlook to eat. The views are vast, but the town of Alice isn't very picture some. From here we went to the Telegraph Station Historical Reserve and location of the original Alice Spring. This is a very nice location, with a park area adjacent.


Standley Chasm:
http://www.standleychasm.com.au/


Road conditions:
http://www.ntlis.nt.gov.au/roadreport/

Desert Park
http://www.alicespringsdesertpark.com.au/



As we left Alice for our drive to Ulura we noticed the Ghan was also leaving town, heading south to Adelaide. The last area of the train hauled automobiles.


I debated whether to go to Kings Canyon on this trip. We almost did, but the accommodations have been so poorly written about the last several months, we decided to limit our trip to Ulura. I think it would have been difficult to add all the extra driving without having 2 more days for the Kings Canyon area. The Stuart Highway is paved, the drive takes about 5 hours along the Stuart and West on the Lasseter Highway. We stopped twice along the drive, at Stuarts Well, and at Eridunda where we saw the Way Out Back Van. I early on considered using this company for our trip, but decided against it in the end. It was great having our own transportation.


Finally Ayers Rock came into view. How exciting it was. A little bit later there is a pull out where there is a great spot for photos and toilets. One couple was collecting firewood and planned to spend the night here in their camper. Back on the road, the rock disappeared. We didn't see it again until we arrived. This lead to a bit of uncertainty on our part. Did we take a wrong turn, miss a turn off? The road went on and on. The sun set, we knew we were driving in the right direction, so on we drove.

Thankfully the resort finally appeared. We had reservations at Desert Gardens Hotel. They had a special room rate, with breakfast included, on the Resorts web site shortly before we left. I cancelled our cabin reservation at the campground and booked this wonderful hotel. The whole resort area is wonderful. It was a highlight of our trip. There are many excursions available, but all are very expensive. Having a car, we had the freedom to go anywhere at any time, and it was much less expensive than depending on the tours offered. Wifi was available at an extra charge, but was free at Sails in the Desert Resort. This was about a 10 minute walk from Desert Sails Resort, so we went to their lobby to connect.


The shopping center area has a couple of restaurants. Gecko's Café was outstanding. The dishes are affordable and very good. We had dinner here this evening and carried out Asian food from the take away next door the next evening.



http://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/accommodation/



Alice Springs to Uluru photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634569203670/

May 24

This morning on our walk to Kata Tjuta we came upon a Kangaroo with a Joey in her pocket.

This is the first time we've seen this. Needless to say I was very excited!


http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634564740973/

Breakfast buffet at The Desert Gardens Hotel is extensive. It's the best breakfast buffet I've seen. One can order omelets or eggs any way you wish, plus the buffet offers real French pastries, meats, cheeses, fruit, Asian, potatoes, yogurts, on and on. I've seen nothing like it in the past. No lunch is needed after eating breakfast here.

Deciding to go to Kata Tjuta first we paid our $25 entry fee, which covers 3 days of touring, and drove the 48 kilometers. We enjoyed the morning view of Ulura as we began the day. The park was open from 6:00 am to 7:30 p.m. Along the way were two viewing areas. Kata Tjuta Dune Viewing area has a 360 degree view and Uluru is also seen from this location. Both are good stops. At the second, we encountered the first flies. Not too bad here, and really none while we hiked along the Olgas. There are several hiking options at Kata Tjuta. If we did all of them, it would have taken the whole day. We chose to walk part of the Valley of the Winds walk. The full circuit is 4 hours. Since we were going to walk the whole base walk at Ulura we only walked some of the Valley of the Winds.

http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/uluru/index.html



Kata Tjuta Pictures:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634565724897/

Again, really beautiful pictures.

How fun to see the joey in the pocket!

Loving your photos Images!

Have a great trip Toucan to Australia! Yes, it was so cool seeing the joey. I pointed it out to an Australian couple behind us, who thought it was pretty large to still be in the pocket.

Thanks Melnq8, now to go through all the Uluru pictures. I took so many doing the base walk. The flies were quite bothersome there, but couldn't take away from our sense of accomplishment in completing the walk.

On our return to Sydney we were quite surprised with the Vivid festival!,

I so hate the flies. Worst thing about spring and summer in OZ. Well, that and the unbearable heat.

Thankfully we only had flies at the center. A few people had fly hat coverings, but we just dealt with it. It's so worth putting up with them to see Uluru and Kata Tjuta. The weather was so fresh there, we needed jackets. May was the perfect time to visit. Darwin was very hot and humid though.

Uluru


Time for our visit to Uluru and its base walk. We followed the suggestions on the web site to start at the Kuniya carpark in the afternoon. The first stop is the Mutitjula Waterhole, then we spent 3 1/2 hours walking around Ayers Rock. This walk isn't difficult, but it is long. Flies are the most annoying occurrence. We met several people along the way, but it wasn't crowded. Water is only available in one spot that I can remember. It had rained two days ago so the plants were green and a few water puddles remained. We weren't interested in climbing the rock, but regardless, it was closed to climbing on this day because of wind at the top. I wouldn't want to do this whole walk again, but am so thrilled we had the opportunity to do it once. The section that swings away from the walk is boring, and tiring, but the remainder is very interesting. Each area is different, with new formations at every turn. Being so tired we skipped the walk into Kantju Gorge, but returned to do this the following morning.


The Cultural Centre is located on the road out. We spent a little time here before going onto the car sunset viewing area where I set up my tripod and waited for the sun to set. The parking area for cars never filled. I choose a spot near the end of the parking area because there was little vegetation blocking the view. Our shadows grew long which was a bit hard to deal with, but once the sun was low enough they disappeared. Some of the people watching sunset stay inside their cars. One woman asked me to move my tripod so I wouldn't block her view. I complied but was surprised they didn't want to come outside, the weather was very nice, to experience this beautiful sunset. To our surprise, the moon rose from behind Uluru, quickly. We were so excited to have this bit of extra beauty this evening.



Uluru photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634584166380/

May 25

Uluru and Vivid Sydney

I've added our photos for this morning to the Uluru folder.

Yesterday we didn't have enough time or energy to walk into Kantju Gorge, which is part of the Mala walk, so we wanted to return. On our return trip into the park we stopped at Kata Tjuta but not at sunrise, which was just too early for us. The breakfast buffet is not something to miss. Desert Gardens Hotel extended our check out time since we have an afternoon flight to Sydney. The airport is so close to Uluru, if one just flies here instead of drives from Alice Springs it would be a simple trip.


Each day at 8 a.m. a ranger leads a 2 hour Mala Walk to Kantju Gorge. The evening before we visited with a couple who took this walk a day earlier. They said it was so cold, and the ranger stood in one spot for much of the time, that they left the group and went on their own. They needed to move around to stay warm and had lost interest in the talk.


The Gorge walk is short and easy, it was nice to return and see the area in the morning. The light is different at different times of day. There is some Anangu rock art along the way and water in the pool and small creek. Grasses were green and flowers bloomed because of the rain two days earlier.


The shopping center area at the resort is full of useful shops. Grocery store, photo shop, post office and gift shops, besides several restaurants. We shopped at a few and drove around the rest of the resort, checking out the camping area, which was very well kept, except the bathrooms are a bit too far from the cabins. That would have proven difficult during the night.


Avis car rental has a drop off parking lot outside of the airport terminal. We parked our car and dropped the keys inside. The agents were busy helping arriving passengers. Our Virgin Australia flight departed at 2 p.m. and arrived in Sydney at 5:35, just as the sun was setting. The flight was great. This airline is very good. Security at the airport in Uluru was tight. The fork I used during the whole trip was taken away. I'm glad it was fine during all the other flights as we bought much of our food in markets along the way. Oh, to that point, my pet peeve on prices in Australia; one example, diet coke. It's $4 for a single serving bottle, and $19 for a 24 pack of cans. Now, for Americans, that's 3 times as expensive as home. I paid $5.99 yesterday for a 24 can pack! All food was 2 -3 times more expensive than it is in Ohio.


We planned on a shared transfer van from the airport to our hotel on our return to Sydney. The shuttles are in an out of the way area. We would have never found them without help. We booked a return trip when we arrived, since we have a morning flight to L.A. tomorrow. The shuttle dropped off many of the other passengers before us, so it took a bit of time, but was interesting to see where other people stay.


We found a good rate on Booking.com for the Castlereagh Boutique Hotel. It's very near St. James train station. It was perfect for our stay, & had a bathroom inside the room!!! but breakfast was not included. Wifi was, and worked intermittently.


http://www.castlereaghboutiquehotel.com/


Having loved the Opera Kitchen during our first days in Sydney, we returned. We exited the train and couldn't believe the number of people along the harbor. Easily there were triple the number of people here now. We were a bit dismayed at the crowds. Walking towards the Opera House we discovered an incredible event. Sydney was celebrating Vivid Sydney. There was a light show as we've never seen before in progress. I plan our trips quite well, but had missed this event completely. What a thrill and surprise we had. Unfortunately I hadn't brought my tripod, it was back in the room, but no matter, the colors were irresistible and the pictures turned out pretty good. We shared a table at Opera Kitchen with several revolving couples, as we enjoyed their company and the beautiful lights of Sydney.


Australia is an incredible, beautiful country. We loved the people and the nature. Hopefully one day we can return and see more of it.


Thank you everyone for your help in planning this trip.


Vivid Sydney photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4701158...7634591578749/