Now I'd heard Surfers Paradise was a built up place but I wasn't expect huge apartment blocks right next to the beach just like Benidorm. I mean the beach itself is gorgeous and incredibly long. It does seem odd that Australia has soo many great beaches with no-one on there and you arrive at another not-so-special beach to be confronted with thousands of people milling around.
We stopped one night and surfed the next morning before moving on, I got absolutely battered by the waves. It felt like being in a tumble dryer. They say Surfers has a harsh shore dump, meaning that if you're close to the beach when you're on a wave the likelihood is that you're going over the top of you board head first into the spin cycle in shallow water. Not a nice experience.
Paradise this is not. Maybe if you like shopping, and granted there are loads of bars here but we've been spoilt by Byron and many many many better places all over Oz.
In it's heyday in the 50's Surfers wasn't built up and was a prime surfer dudes hangout. There are still some around but this is now mainly tourist paradise and it seems other places in this state, Queensland, are heading the same way. Where ever the money will be the council will pass the plans for as many high rises as neccessary.
What did look cool though was the coming of the Indy 500. This is the American version of Formula One and here they race on the streets. It's a shame we'd be out of the country when that was on but you can't time everything right.
Driving out of Surfers with an air of disappointment we spotted 3 water parks that looked fab, but not for our wallets. Besides, the wicked van convoy was heading off to an island for some real surf action, we hoped.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Ballroom blitz
We screwed the van up to Brisbane to catch Tori Amos in concert. We bought the tickets in Perth when we saw a poster in our hostel for the tour 2 and a half months back.
Brisbane seemed a nice place for the one night we were there but we knew we would return as that's where we would fly out to New Zealand from.
Over a wide river is all the arts, music and theatre stuff of Brisbane. This is where the gig was even though it took us ages to find the actual venue. It was quite a large place and reminiscent of the Guild Hall in Preston, but on a grander scale.
One main reason we couldn't find the place was that there were loads of people dressed up milling around and we thought there must've been another event on. Turns out they were all watching Tori Amos. Now I've been to many a gig in my time but I've never seen soo many people wearing suits, ballgowns and general going out on the town clothes. We were probably the scruffiest people there. It was very odd to to a quite rock-based concert with a bunch of people really dressed up and acting a bit stiff to be honest.
Nevertheless it was a great gig and just brilliant to get out and see some live music on a large scale.
Next day we headed back south to Surfers Paradise to meet up with Matt and Casey for a surf.
The odd thing that struck me about the east coast of Oz is the constant complaining about the lack of water they have with seemingly little resolution. Before we arrived in Brisbane it had been in a state of flood and it rained whilst we were there very heavily. Not sure where all this water is going but it was forcing us into 3 minute showers at campsites damn it!
Brisbane seemed a nice place for the one night we were there but we knew we would return as that's where we would fly out to New Zealand from.
Over a wide river is all the arts, music and theatre stuff of Brisbane. This is where the gig was even though it took us ages to find the actual venue. It was quite a large place and reminiscent of the Guild Hall in Preston, but on a grander scale.
One main reason we couldn't find the place was that there were loads of people dressed up milling around and we thought there must've been another event on. Turns out they were all watching Tori Amos. Now I've been to many a gig in my time but I've never seen soo many people wearing suits, ballgowns and general going out on the town clothes. We were probably the scruffiest people there. It was very odd to to a quite rock-based concert with a bunch of people really dressed up and acting a bit stiff to be honest.
Nevertheless it was a great gig and just brilliant to get out and see some live music on a large scale.
Next day we headed back south to Surfers Paradise to meet up with Matt and Casey for a surf.
The odd thing that struck me about the east coast of Oz is the constant complaining about the lack of water they have with seemingly little resolution. Before we arrived in Brisbane it had been in a state of flood and it rained whilst we were there very heavily. Not sure where all this water is going but it was forcing us into 3 minute showers at campsites damn it!
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Beautiful Byron
I was dying to get to Byron Bay for the surf and we'd heard the town itself is pretty laid back and cool. On the way though there was a couple of things of note, sort of. We were entering Banana country so sooner or later we were going to see a large banana at the side of the road, obviously. The big banana we saw was outside a restaurant and was in fact the first 'big thing' in Australia. All others were spawned from this wacky start up. We also saw a huge oyster ontop of a car showroom, it couldn't have been more ugly. Oh yes and a big shrimp and a big prawn, the things people do to get the tourists in.
We ventured through a Scottish town on the way to Byron, Maclean. Every lamp post in town had been painted with a different style of tartan representing different Scottish families. This was also the only place in Oz where we saw a Spar shop!? They also have a Scotland day here, all quite surreal but alright. The area around is beautiful. Vast cornfields and a wide river suddenly become tropical forest as the banana growing areas really kick in. The more north in Oz you get the more bananas they grow, so we heard.
We stopped off at a couple of famous surf spots to watch the experienced guys do their stuff as well as take in more amazing looking beaches before arriving at Byron Bay.
First night we were not impressed, our campsite was a bit dull and the town seemed a bit snooty. A lot of people thinking they were uber cool.
The next day we changed sites, rented a surf board and the whole place began to make sense. In Byron there's a kind of hippy thing going on, lots of people walk around bare foot and dreadlocks and not washing seem quite popular. Admittedly the town didn't impress at first the main beach did. We watched the sun go down to the sound of Japanese drummers and the sight of very good surfers negotiating their way around a shipwreck. This could be pretty good.
The main bit of proper information I've got about Byron Bay is that it's got about 4 beaches, one around the corner which almost garuantees surf everyday on one of them. It's point, where the Lighthouse is, is the most easterly point of Australia so if see a map of Oz it's the bit sticking out on the far right half way up.
Upon leaving for the surf the next morning a couple we met in Port Macquarie came onto our site. Pretty cool as the guy, Matt wanted to come out surfing too. We agreed to meet up.
A cracking day in the surf, not too good on the teeth though. For the past 2 or 3 weeks I'd had hit and miss toothache. I think it started in Melbourne when I bit down on some cheap museli from a major Oz supermarket, Coles. There was a really hard bit that I wasn't expecting. Anyway, this came and went for a while and hurt most after and during food so it was becoming a pain. I thought I may have dislodged a tooth and was leaving it to see if it came right.
That night we ate some cracking food at a local pub and watched a bit of live folk music which was really good. My mouth was really hurting at this point though so enjoying the food was becoming difficult.
Our new campsite was more rough and ready but much livelier, and it was right on the main beach so you could walk to the surf. There's the odd rogue around town and very washed up and spaced out dudes too, dancing to shop music in the street and so forth. But apart from the odd wako it was pretty good, but expensive.
That day I went out surfing with Matt and his girlfriend Casey. It was tough going but not too bad. A good laugh either way, until I got back to the van. All of a sudden I got this monster pain in my mouth and head. This is probably the worst pain I've ever had and it wouldn't go away. We'd arranged to go out round town with Matt and Casey that night, along with another couple they'd met, so I didn't want to miss out. But it was time to go to the hospital.
At the hospital they advised us of the best dentist to go to in town the next day. I was thinking I may have to have a tooth pulled out!
I soldiered on that night, the booze definitely helped, and we ended up having a cracking night even if we did spend an insane amount of cash. One club we were in was tiny but still some strange characters were having a real life dance off! It was hilarious. One guy said to me 'this is how we do it you know, this is street.' I just couldn't stop laughing,
The next day I had to get to a dentist, the pain was obscene, and I didn't care about the money. Turns out the dentist was a Brit and a really nice guy. He checked my tooth and took an x-ray, with a finger tip size x-ray pad that showed up instantly on a monitor I could see, aswell as on his pc. The technology was way more advanced than England. He also used a small camera to look in my mouth that showed up on the tv screen. I was well impressed. He cleaned some enamel from my tooth and advised me to give it a few days. But then he asked my if my tooth was still hurting and I said yes. It all came down to me needing root canal. Or root therapy as he called it. He said I could put it off but as I'd soon be in South America this could be a dangerous mistake. I went for it. He drilled the inside of my tooth out and injected my gums about 8 times. This wasn't too bad but I could see on the tv screen the before and after shots. Tooth looking ok, tooth with giant hole in it! It was a bit like Clockwork Orange, I had clamps and rubber thingies shoved in my ever open mouth. Once he filled the tooth in again (he drilled it out to get rid of the nerve ending within which was under pressure causing me severe pain) everything was fine and although it was only temporary he said it might last till I get home. $200 Australian dollars was a small price to pay, and considerably less than England, so I hear, so it wasn't all bad. I couldn't feel my face but it was definitely time to go surfing!
A much better days surf, helped not having brain pain, at another good looking beach. The great thing here is that nothing is built up over two storeys so no high rise blocks exist and a couple of the beaches have nothing but a tree lined backdrop. Pretty lush. The hippy council here have a tight control on shops and things like apartment or holiday home building. They even stopped MacDonalds from opening a store here. That's all well and good, no large coporate companies ruining local business, but when you're on a budget it's a killer. The local shops charge what they like and more often than not it's extortionate. Where's a 7-11 convenience store when I need one!
A BBQ with the two Brit couples that night rounded off a good few days, I think we ended up staying 5 nights and it was really good to go out and have a laugh with some like minded people.
We went out surfing on some rough surf on the longest beach I have ever seen the next day. You could'nt even see the end of it. Unfortunately the rip was unreal and it ended dragging me and Matt way down the beach. We got out of the water and walked back for about 20 minutes just to get to the point were we got in the sea, dangerous stuff if you're not careful.
In the end we loved Byron. It was soo laid back and the options for a great beach were always there. It lived more up to the Austrlian dream than most places we'd seen so far but the amount of money we spent, and the fact we had to get to Brisbane for a Tori Amos concert, meant we had to move on.
Byron also seemed to be Wicked Campervan heaven, if you like that kind of thing. We must've seen 20 or so different vans all sprayed with various images from pictures of The Eagles and Iron Maiden, to The Simpsons and Eminem. At least we didn't stand out like a Jamaican at a Nazi convention here.
All good things must come to an end, although we do agree to meet up with Matt and Casey in Surfers Paradise to see if the name is all that it says it is.
We ventured through a Scottish town on the way to Byron, Maclean. Every lamp post in town had been painted with a different style of tartan representing different Scottish families. This was also the only place in Oz where we saw a Spar shop!? They also have a Scotland day here, all quite surreal but alright. The area around is beautiful. Vast cornfields and a wide river suddenly become tropical forest as the banana growing areas really kick in. The more north in Oz you get the more bananas they grow, so we heard.
We stopped off at a couple of famous surf spots to watch the experienced guys do their stuff as well as take in more amazing looking beaches before arriving at Byron Bay.
First night we were not impressed, our campsite was a bit dull and the town seemed a bit snooty. A lot of people thinking they were uber cool.
The next day we changed sites, rented a surf board and the whole place began to make sense. In Byron there's a kind of hippy thing going on, lots of people walk around bare foot and dreadlocks and not washing seem quite popular. Admittedly the town didn't impress at first the main beach did. We watched the sun go down to the sound of Japanese drummers and the sight of very good surfers negotiating their way around a shipwreck. This could be pretty good.
The main bit of proper information I've got about Byron Bay is that it's got about 4 beaches, one around the corner which almost garuantees surf everyday on one of them. It's point, where the Lighthouse is, is the most easterly point of Australia so if see a map of Oz it's the bit sticking out on the far right half way up.
Upon leaving for the surf the next morning a couple we met in Port Macquarie came onto our site. Pretty cool as the guy, Matt wanted to come out surfing too. We agreed to meet up.
A cracking day in the surf, not too good on the teeth though. For the past 2 or 3 weeks I'd had hit and miss toothache. I think it started in Melbourne when I bit down on some cheap museli from a major Oz supermarket, Coles. There was a really hard bit that I wasn't expecting. Anyway, this came and went for a while and hurt most after and during food so it was becoming a pain. I thought I may have dislodged a tooth and was leaving it to see if it came right.
That night we ate some cracking food at a local pub and watched a bit of live folk music which was really good. My mouth was really hurting at this point though so enjoying the food was becoming difficult.
Our new campsite was more rough and ready but much livelier, and it was right on the main beach so you could walk to the surf. There's the odd rogue around town and very washed up and spaced out dudes too, dancing to shop music in the street and so forth. But apart from the odd wako it was pretty good, but expensive.
That day I went out surfing with Matt and his girlfriend Casey. It was tough going but not too bad. A good laugh either way, until I got back to the van. All of a sudden I got this monster pain in my mouth and head. This is probably the worst pain I've ever had and it wouldn't go away. We'd arranged to go out round town with Matt and Casey that night, along with another couple they'd met, so I didn't want to miss out. But it was time to go to the hospital.
At the hospital they advised us of the best dentist to go to in town the next day. I was thinking I may have to have a tooth pulled out!
I soldiered on that night, the booze definitely helped, and we ended up having a cracking night even if we did spend an insane amount of cash. One club we were in was tiny but still some strange characters were having a real life dance off! It was hilarious. One guy said to me 'this is how we do it you know, this is street.' I just couldn't stop laughing,
The next day I had to get to a dentist, the pain was obscene, and I didn't care about the money. Turns out the dentist was a Brit and a really nice guy. He checked my tooth and took an x-ray, with a finger tip size x-ray pad that showed up instantly on a monitor I could see, aswell as on his pc. The technology was way more advanced than England. He also used a small camera to look in my mouth that showed up on the tv screen. I was well impressed. He cleaned some enamel from my tooth and advised me to give it a few days. But then he asked my if my tooth was still hurting and I said yes. It all came down to me needing root canal. Or root therapy as he called it. He said I could put it off but as I'd soon be in South America this could be a dangerous mistake. I went for it. He drilled the inside of my tooth out and injected my gums about 8 times. This wasn't too bad but I could see on the tv screen the before and after shots. Tooth looking ok, tooth with giant hole in it! It was a bit like Clockwork Orange, I had clamps and rubber thingies shoved in my ever open mouth. Once he filled the tooth in again (he drilled it out to get rid of the nerve ending within which was under pressure causing me severe pain) everything was fine and although it was only temporary he said it might last till I get home. $200 Australian dollars was a small price to pay, and considerably less than England, so I hear, so it wasn't all bad. I couldn't feel my face but it was definitely time to go surfing!
A much better days surf, helped not having brain pain, at another good looking beach. The great thing here is that nothing is built up over two storeys so no high rise blocks exist and a couple of the beaches have nothing but a tree lined backdrop. Pretty lush. The hippy council here have a tight control on shops and things like apartment or holiday home building. They even stopped MacDonalds from opening a store here. That's all well and good, no large coporate companies ruining local business, but when you're on a budget it's a killer. The local shops charge what they like and more often than not it's extortionate. Where's a 7-11 convenience store when I need one!
A BBQ with the two Brit couples that night rounded off a good few days, I think we ended up staying 5 nights and it was really good to go out and have a laugh with some like minded people.
We went out surfing on some rough surf on the longest beach I have ever seen the next day. You could'nt even see the end of it. Unfortunately the rip was unreal and it ended dragging me and Matt way down the beach. We got out of the water and walked back for about 20 minutes just to get to the point were we got in the sea, dangerous stuff if you're not careful.
In the end we loved Byron. It was soo laid back and the options for a great beach were always there. It lived more up to the Austrlian dream than most places we'd seen so far but the amount of money we spent, and the fact we had to get to Brisbane for a Tori Amos concert, meant we had to move on.
Byron also seemed to be Wicked Campervan heaven, if you like that kind of thing. We must've seen 20 or so different vans all sprayed with various images from pictures of The Eagles and Iron Maiden, to The Simpsons and Eminem. At least we didn't stand out like a Jamaican at a Nazi convention here.
All good things must come to an end, although we do agree to meet up with Matt and Casey in Surfers Paradise to see if the name is all that it says it is.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
From blue mountains to blue waters
We were halfway near the Blue Mountains anyway so heading there after Sydney didn`t take too long. Katoomba is the main town with the views of the `3 sisters`. These are a collection of vertical rocks that are alongside a cliff edge. You can walk down and out to them on a boardwalk, which we did, but we couldn`t stay for too long due to the extortionate parking fees there. Katoomba is an odd place. Its main industry from day one was tourism so they`re well versed in extracting cash from the thousands of people that visit here every year. In fact I think they`ve made soo much money, probably from parking alone, that they don`t know what to do with it. Just going to the toilet you notice the cubicles are solid granite. It`s a real shame because on the great ocean road you can visit the 12 apostles for free and look round at your leisure. Here they`ve got plenty of walks available but all at a cost. The view is stunning. It`s a huge canyon that is `blue`, sort of, due to the mist coming from the lush hills within.
We headed a bit farther north to see some views for free and have a walk round. Equally impressive were views from Blackheath. This is where you can walk, or bike, right down into the vast valley below. Unfortunately at the begining of the year a fire raged across the basin and most paths and tracks were closed. Astonishing views though, with the odd waterfall pouring down the void. Australia can`t help but impress on a natural level.
We were going to stay the night in Katoomba but it turns out all the caravan parks are locally run and overpriced. We headed back to Sydney and the coast, where it was much much warmer!
We drove into the night along the Princes Highway, a pretty cool road in itself. It got seriously bendy as the night came in and we realised that the state of New South Wales is the first state we`ve been in that everybody consistently brakes the speed limit and tail gates you. No relaxed laid back people here. But saying that we soon came accross a few and they were all partaking in what seems an incredibly popular sport, fishing. We stopped overnight in a fishermans haven, The Entrance. A strange name for a place but once the morning came it was beautiful. Loads of `tinnies`(small metal boats) were out on the pristine waters alongside plenty of beardy fisherman types on the shore. We ate breakfast by the water in the morning sun and, as quite often it seems in Australia, if the day starts sunny it ends sunny.
Over a low bridge and on through many a coastal town along one of the many `tourist drives`that are signposted along our route. One not so tourist town of which I cant remember the name, probably because we drove through it soo fast, was not a place i`d let the tourists see. A grim factory overshadowed the whole town and when stopping to let some odd looking, foot dragging, 3 toothed gawping local accross the road we realised this was not the place for us. Thankfully the tourist route took us right up to the flame spewing factory, oh good theres even a viewing platform where you can watch the flames and black smoke pour into the air. Nice. I think it was an energy plant or steelworks, not totally uncommon with it`s Biritish namesake down the road, Newcastle.
Newcastle was a large convict town, a large steel monument reading `convict` near the center lays testament to its past. And like Newcastle, the real one in England, its also a coal producer, or was I forget. The main difference between the anglo and the antipodean is the beach. Now Im sure i`ve heard that theres a beach and even surf near Newcastle but I doubt theres any days of the year when bikini clad girls and burly blokes hit the beach for a sunbathe and a bbq in England!
The aforementioned factory still loomed in the distance, along with the odd industrial ship. But the beach looked great. It was the strangest sand ive ever walked on, it actually hurt the feet a bit. It felt like walking on warm ice cracking underfoot if that makes sense!
We ended up in the small town of Karuah Jetty. Which was pretty much all there was to it, a jetty. Sun glistened crystal clear water veiws across a large bay which was also a mecca for fisherman. Karuah Jetty was a small but nice little place. As we left across another water hugging bridge we spotted a huge cock and balls drawn in a sandbank next to the bridge as a lasting reminder for all who pass through.
A few more towns passsed until we headed upto a place called Seal Rocks. This is where the largest fur seal population of Oz lives. We didn`t see any as they were round the corner from an amazingly beautiful beach. Getting there was an experience, driving for about 10km through tropical forest and all of a sudden the road is totally unpaved for 2kms and then paved again up until the beach. Odd. We walked along, me totally white from neck down, admiring the surf and the volcanic rock on the beach. A beautiful day, the water was so clear we even saw small schools of fish inside and jumping out of waves. It was perfect. Until. As we were leaving the beach I stubbed my toe and a bit of broken tarmac that served as the entrance to the beach. It took a sizeable chunk of flesh from my toe and I instantly began to go dizzy and almost faint. I lay in the van trying not to pass out, yes I know Im soft when it comes to seeing my own blood. Thankfully we have 2 first aid kits with us with gauze and antiseptic strips so all was soon sorted by Laura. Looks like surfing, driving and walking are out of the question for the next few days. A shame seeing as we`re about to hit more surfing country at Byron Bay.
For now we stopped at the strangely popular, and first apartment blocked town we`d seen, Port Macquarie. A nice enough place and seemingly a holiday destination for many, judging by the high prices! We met a cool British couple their too, also in a Wicked Campervan. Turns out not all campervans are total heaps, some even have doors that lock properly and aren`t cold at night. We were pretty jealous.
Alongside our campsite was a breakwall built by convicts. For some reason people had taken to painting the large rocks facing inland with various types of art or messages. Some funny and really good, others totally crap. We soon realised why Port Macquarie was soo popluar. After another morning sat watching the waves we took a look at two out of about 5 beaches and coves this place had. We took a short walk, hobbling with my injured toe, down to another desserted beach with a solitary surfer in on the waves. This is when we noticed the rather large lizard in our path. It slithered down the boardwalk and bounded onto the nearby rocks. We went for a closer inspection. It looked at one point that the lizard was watching the surfer, I got the photo to prove it. We then spotted something the surfer also spotted at the same time, a dolphin! I`d never seen one in the wild before let alone one jumping through waves next to a surfer. At this point our good old friend the lizard was joined by another equally large liazard. At the exact same moment both lizards turned to face us. We didn`t like the look of this. They can move fast and rock hopped their way over to us. We turned and made a sharp, hobble, back to the van. I don`t need this. The place is like a zoo, I know I keep saying it but it is! In England you can go for a walk and not even think about being attacked by wildlife! Way back in Mount Gambier and Aussie told us that Guanas, large lizards, crawl up you when they are afraid thinking that you`re a tree. His advice was to lie down so they run directly over you and don`t tear your eyes out. This was on my mind at the time all the way back to the van. It`s like walking on to the set of jurassic park sometimes, but with surfers!
At this point I wanted to get on up the coast to the hallowed Byron Bay. We`d read a bit and heard plenty about this place, shame that surfing may be out of the equation.
We headed a bit farther north to see some views for free and have a walk round. Equally impressive were views from Blackheath. This is where you can walk, or bike, right down into the vast valley below. Unfortunately at the begining of the year a fire raged across the basin and most paths and tracks were closed. Astonishing views though, with the odd waterfall pouring down the void. Australia can`t help but impress on a natural level.
We were going to stay the night in Katoomba but it turns out all the caravan parks are locally run and overpriced. We headed back to Sydney and the coast, where it was much much warmer!
We drove into the night along the Princes Highway, a pretty cool road in itself. It got seriously bendy as the night came in and we realised that the state of New South Wales is the first state we`ve been in that everybody consistently brakes the speed limit and tail gates you. No relaxed laid back people here. But saying that we soon came accross a few and they were all partaking in what seems an incredibly popular sport, fishing. We stopped overnight in a fishermans haven, The Entrance. A strange name for a place but once the morning came it was beautiful. Loads of `tinnies`(small metal boats) were out on the pristine waters alongside plenty of beardy fisherman types on the shore. We ate breakfast by the water in the morning sun and, as quite often it seems in Australia, if the day starts sunny it ends sunny.
Over a low bridge and on through many a coastal town along one of the many `tourist drives`that are signposted along our route. One not so tourist town of which I cant remember the name, probably because we drove through it soo fast, was not a place i`d let the tourists see. A grim factory overshadowed the whole town and when stopping to let some odd looking, foot dragging, 3 toothed gawping local accross the road we realised this was not the place for us. Thankfully the tourist route took us right up to the flame spewing factory, oh good theres even a viewing platform where you can watch the flames and black smoke pour into the air. Nice. I think it was an energy plant or steelworks, not totally uncommon with it`s Biritish namesake down the road, Newcastle.
Newcastle was a large convict town, a large steel monument reading `convict` near the center lays testament to its past. And like Newcastle, the real one in England, its also a coal producer, or was I forget. The main difference between the anglo and the antipodean is the beach. Now Im sure i`ve heard that theres a beach and even surf near Newcastle but I doubt theres any days of the year when bikini clad girls and burly blokes hit the beach for a sunbathe and a bbq in England!
The aforementioned factory still loomed in the distance, along with the odd industrial ship. But the beach looked great. It was the strangest sand ive ever walked on, it actually hurt the feet a bit. It felt like walking on warm ice cracking underfoot if that makes sense!
We ended up in the small town of Karuah Jetty. Which was pretty much all there was to it, a jetty. Sun glistened crystal clear water veiws across a large bay which was also a mecca for fisherman. Karuah Jetty was a small but nice little place. As we left across another water hugging bridge we spotted a huge cock and balls drawn in a sandbank next to the bridge as a lasting reminder for all who pass through.
A few more towns passsed until we headed upto a place called Seal Rocks. This is where the largest fur seal population of Oz lives. We didn`t see any as they were round the corner from an amazingly beautiful beach. Getting there was an experience, driving for about 10km through tropical forest and all of a sudden the road is totally unpaved for 2kms and then paved again up until the beach. Odd. We walked along, me totally white from neck down, admiring the surf and the volcanic rock on the beach. A beautiful day, the water was so clear we even saw small schools of fish inside and jumping out of waves. It was perfect. Until. As we were leaving the beach I stubbed my toe and a bit of broken tarmac that served as the entrance to the beach. It took a sizeable chunk of flesh from my toe and I instantly began to go dizzy and almost faint. I lay in the van trying not to pass out, yes I know Im soft when it comes to seeing my own blood. Thankfully we have 2 first aid kits with us with gauze and antiseptic strips so all was soon sorted by Laura. Looks like surfing, driving and walking are out of the question for the next few days. A shame seeing as we`re about to hit more surfing country at Byron Bay.
For now we stopped at the strangely popular, and first apartment blocked town we`d seen, Port Macquarie. A nice enough place and seemingly a holiday destination for many, judging by the high prices! We met a cool British couple their too, also in a Wicked Campervan. Turns out not all campervans are total heaps, some even have doors that lock properly and aren`t cold at night. We were pretty jealous.
Alongside our campsite was a breakwall built by convicts. For some reason people had taken to painting the large rocks facing inland with various types of art or messages. Some funny and really good, others totally crap. We soon realised why Port Macquarie was soo popluar. After another morning sat watching the waves we took a look at two out of about 5 beaches and coves this place had. We took a short walk, hobbling with my injured toe, down to another desserted beach with a solitary surfer in on the waves. This is when we noticed the rather large lizard in our path. It slithered down the boardwalk and bounded onto the nearby rocks. We went for a closer inspection. It looked at one point that the lizard was watching the surfer, I got the photo to prove it. We then spotted something the surfer also spotted at the same time, a dolphin! I`d never seen one in the wild before let alone one jumping through waves next to a surfer. At this point our good old friend the lizard was joined by another equally large liazard. At the exact same moment both lizards turned to face us. We didn`t like the look of this. They can move fast and rock hopped their way over to us. We turned and made a sharp, hobble, back to the van. I don`t need this. The place is like a zoo, I know I keep saying it but it is! In England you can go for a walk and not even think about being attacked by wildlife! Way back in Mount Gambier and Aussie told us that Guanas, large lizards, crawl up you when they are afraid thinking that you`re a tree. His advice was to lie down so they run directly over you and don`t tear your eyes out. This was on my mind at the time all the way back to the van. It`s like walking on to the set of jurassic park sometimes, but with surfers!
At this point I wanted to get on up the coast to the hallowed Byron Bay. We`d read a bit and heard plenty about this place, shame that surfing may be out of the equation.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Sydney sucks?
Staying a long way out of a city doesn't help its cause too much but when you're in a camper van you've little choice. A long commute into the centre everyday wears you down so initial thoughts of Sydney were poor. The city is just like any other except it's devoid of any notable character, things going on and general interest. It's all about the harbour. A stunning harbour it is too as nearly everyone on the planet has seen. But more on that later.
We arrived at the tail end of the APEC(Asia Pacific Economic Conference) with security still around and the odd fence up here and there. We wandered through the dull city to get to The Rocks. This is basically an old part of town that's been renovated with overpriced cafes and bakeries. The Rocks was once a run down and dangerous area and is the point at which Captain James Cook first landed in Australia. A lot of it was knocked down to build the now famous harbour bridge and now it's more upmarket than downtrodden with the plague and other ills. A bit dull though.
We walked across the harbour bridge and checked out the Sydney Opera house. Both pretty cool. The Opera house is tiled, which I never realised, so it looks slightly different up close. The guy who designed it has never seen it in it's completed form as he fell out with the council over the interior design. At that point he left the project and someone else designed the interior. Apart from the great looking main hall the actual interior of the Opera house is terrible. Roughly finished grey concrete slabs that wouldn't look out of place in a 1910 football stadium. But the exterior is classic and is great viewed alongside the harbour bridge with the sun beating down. After 2 days we couldn't see anything more to Sydney than the harbour but we gave it another chance.
Many people climb the bridge everyday, I don't quite understand why so I didn't think it was required, great views can be had all over the place.
Just watching people with personal trainers telling them to punch padded gloves and do laps around parks was comedy enough for me as I stuffed my face with cake.
Darling Harbour is another ok place to have a beer or two. A brilliant outdoor photography exhibition(the best cultrural thing we saw) was on here and we tried to see a bit more of it all each night, photos from the air over different parts of the planet. Loads of interesting facts included too. I knew Australians loved to eat meat but I didn't realise they were 2nd in the world table of meat eaters. I wonder what it will be like when we get to the country who eats the most meat, Argentina!
A pedestrian bridge crosses the Darling harbour and oddly so does a monorail, right above your head!
Catching the ferry across the water gives you great views all over the harbour and the islands that are in the huge inlet of water here. The ferry is like an excursion in itself and we took it to Manly, a small-ish town consisting of a nice beach and a laid back feel compared to the city. We also checked out on of the Presidents residences on the other side of the bridge, quite flash, and strolled around a few very good looking neighbourhoods.
On the last day we drove into town, the train ride is immensely depressing and we didn't want to miss the only bus back to our caravan park again, a shockingly early 10:20pm. Not exactly a city that goes on through the night.
After 6 days the place had grown on us. There´s a lot of bragging, read the plaques on the pavement near the Opera house, about how great Sydney is. One reads something similar to 'A man who does not like Sydney does not like life'. Rubbish. Sydney should be one of the greatest cities on earth, so we are lead to believe, but it just doesn't come close.
What did swing our opinion round though is the districts. Like major cities all over the world it's made up from a group of districts. Kings Cross was a seedy but not bad place which leads into flasher areas with finer dining and the even finer living of Darlinghurst. Surrey Hills was probably my favourite area, a large amount of rolling hills, tree lined streets and nice places to eat and drink mixed in with a huge Indian population supplying us with a great curry on our last night. Brilliant style houses that looked great places to live and great food smells wafting around most corners. Gleeb is another nice area that was much better to walk around than the city. In all, as soon as you got slightly out of the city the place got better. Melbourne absolutely batters the place on arts, culture, music and sports as well as just generally having much more things going on. It's a bit like Syndey has just said,"Well, have you seen our Harbour" and not bothered trying anywhere else. But then Sydney swings back with it's cracking beaches(although Bondi is massively disappointing and reminded me of a slightly cleaner Blackpool) and varied suburbs. Living around Sydney would be great, in Sydney not so. The iconic harbour bridge and the Opera House will always have one up on Melbourne on the tourism marketing stakes but for a more varied and interesting time Melbourne wins every time.
Saying that, Sydney is still a pretty decent place to be. On our last night we ate curry in the back of our van looking out onto the Opera House and the bridge, no restaurant has a good a view as this. Right next to the good looking botanical gardens. People go here to have picnics on the grass and drink champagne, not bad if you can afford it.
I'd go back but not before returning to Melbourne.
Next, Sydney pulls out another great draw card, The Blue Mountains.
We arrived at the tail end of the APEC(Asia Pacific Economic Conference) with security still around and the odd fence up here and there. We wandered through the dull city to get to The Rocks. This is basically an old part of town that's been renovated with overpriced cafes and bakeries. The Rocks was once a run down and dangerous area and is the point at which Captain James Cook first landed in Australia. A lot of it was knocked down to build the now famous harbour bridge and now it's more upmarket than downtrodden with the plague and other ills. A bit dull though.
We walked across the harbour bridge and checked out the Sydney Opera house. Both pretty cool. The Opera house is tiled, which I never realised, so it looks slightly different up close. The guy who designed it has never seen it in it's completed form as he fell out with the council over the interior design. At that point he left the project and someone else designed the interior. Apart from the great looking main hall the actual interior of the Opera house is terrible. Roughly finished grey concrete slabs that wouldn't look out of place in a 1910 football stadium. But the exterior is classic and is great viewed alongside the harbour bridge with the sun beating down. After 2 days we couldn't see anything more to Sydney than the harbour but we gave it another chance.
Many people climb the bridge everyday, I don't quite understand why so I didn't think it was required, great views can be had all over the place.
Just watching people with personal trainers telling them to punch padded gloves and do laps around parks was comedy enough for me as I stuffed my face with cake.
Darling Harbour is another ok place to have a beer or two. A brilliant outdoor photography exhibition(the best cultrural thing we saw) was on here and we tried to see a bit more of it all each night, photos from the air over different parts of the planet. Loads of interesting facts included too. I knew Australians loved to eat meat but I didn't realise they were 2nd in the world table of meat eaters. I wonder what it will be like when we get to the country who eats the most meat, Argentina!
A pedestrian bridge crosses the Darling harbour and oddly so does a monorail, right above your head!
Catching the ferry across the water gives you great views all over the harbour and the islands that are in the huge inlet of water here. The ferry is like an excursion in itself and we took it to Manly, a small-ish town consisting of a nice beach and a laid back feel compared to the city. We also checked out on of the Presidents residences on the other side of the bridge, quite flash, and strolled around a few very good looking neighbourhoods.
On the last day we drove into town, the train ride is immensely depressing and we didn't want to miss the only bus back to our caravan park again, a shockingly early 10:20pm. Not exactly a city that goes on through the night.
After 6 days the place had grown on us. There´s a lot of bragging, read the plaques on the pavement near the Opera house, about how great Sydney is. One reads something similar to 'A man who does not like Sydney does not like life'. Rubbish. Sydney should be one of the greatest cities on earth, so we are lead to believe, but it just doesn't come close.
What did swing our opinion round though is the districts. Like major cities all over the world it's made up from a group of districts. Kings Cross was a seedy but not bad place which leads into flasher areas with finer dining and the even finer living of Darlinghurst. Surrey Hills was probably my favourite area, a large amount of rolling hills, tree lined streets and nice places to eat and drink mixed in with a huge Indian population supplying us with a great curry on our last night. Brilliant style houses that looked great places to live and great food smells wafting around most corners. Gleeb is another nice area that was much better to walk around than the city. In all, as soon as you got slightly out of the city the place got better. Melbourne absolutely batters the place on arts, culture, music and sports as well as just generally having much more things going on. It's a bit like Syndey has just said,"Well, have you seen our Harbour" and not bothered trying anywhere else. But then Sydney swings back with it's cracking beaches(although Bondi is massively disappointing and reminded me of a slightly cleaner Blackpool) and varied suburbs. Living around Sydney would be great, in Sydney not so. The iconic harbour bridge and the Opera House will always have one up on Melbourne on the tourism marketing stakes but for a more varied and interesting time Melbourne wins every time.
Saying that, Sydney is still a pretty decent place to be. On our last night we ate curry in the back of our van looking out onto the Opera House and the bridge, no restaurant has a good a view as this. Right next to the good looking botanical gardens. People go here to have picnics on the grass and drink champagne, not bad if you can afford it.
I'd go back but not before returning to Melbourne.
Next, Sydney pulls out another great draw card, The Blue Mountains.
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