Pre-Cruise Trip Journals - Australia

Day 01 -  02 - Tuesday April 4 thru Thursday April 6, High Bridge, NJ to Sydney, Australia

At the appointed hour of 5:30 AM our limo driver took us off to Newark Airport for our 8:45 AM flight to LA. We had to show up at the Continental baggage Check in Counter for passport screening and get rid of the luggage. We had three suitcases to check plus our carry-on's. At one point I was thinking of checking my bags only to LA and then re-checking to Sydney. After seeing the task of moving all this luggage around, I was glad I didn't have this option. They automatically checked it to Sydney. The flight to LA was crowded and uneventful. One of the passangers mentioned to mom that Gena Davis was in first class but we didn't see her. Due to heavy headwinds we were delayed landing by 45 minutes. A call to Ken Stutt on the cell phone revealed that they were waiting at the ground transportation area and that they had arrived there just as I called. Their flight had had s light delay too. Ken had reserved a day room at he Embassy Suites close to the airport and it was a good place to relax for the day. Besides at 5:30 PM they had a free happy hour. Our flight to Sydney wasn't scheduled until 10:30 PM. We arrived at the Qantas lounge at around 7:00 PM and spent about three hours being pampered there while waiting for the boarding. They had a happy hour there of their own. We had business class reservations on a 747 with seats in the upper decks of the plane. The seats were made to fold down into a bed during the flight but the controls to get it there were a bit much. To maneuver the seat into position for sleeping, mom counted 17 positions on the panel and not all of them did anything. You picked your way to get the seat to move. However it was a comfortable seat and did allow us to get four hours of sleep during the 14.5 hour flight. The food in Business class was excellent. The phrase "Airplane food" doesn't apply here in business class at Qantas.  we were served an evening meal within the first two hours of the flight which took off at 11:00 PM LA time. We also filled in our request for the breakfast which was served about two hour before our 6:05 Sydney arrival time.

When we arrived in Sydney the sun had just come out and by 7:30 AM we had passed through the immigration and customs process. We had declared our prescription drugs and other items which might be quarantined. They did take a look at our prescriptions but who at our age doesn't take pills. There was a sniffer dog wandering around the baggage area and one woman's carryon was selected by the little beagle. He is obviously trained to pick up food stuffs along with illegal drugs. The lady had tucked an empty cookie wrapper on the side of the bag and the dog went right for it. If you didn't declare you ha drugs or any other items, they re-xrayed the bags on leaving the area so you took the chance of getting picked up here. All in all the immigration process was easy. We had to wait for the Stutt's to arrive as their flight was connecting thru Auckland, NZ. We couldn't  get frequent flyer rewards in business class all on the same flight. Their plane touched down just as we entered the Sydney Airport welcoming center. By 8:30 PM we were all joined up again although Ken and Jeannes checked luggage had not made the connection. It had stayed behind but was later delivered to our hotel. The room at the Hotel Stellar in downtown Sydney was not ready until 2:00 PM so we left all the luggage at the hotel and went sightseeing. we took a ride on the 4 killometer monorail around city center, went up the 76 story Sydney tower, saw an I-max film on Australia titled the Oz-Trek, and had a delicous crepe lunch at the international food court. The views from the tower were spectacular on this sunny day. The room/apartment was not ready until the appointed hour so I did take the opportunity to visit St. Mary's Cathedral about 4 blocks from the hotel. It is a beautiful cathedral. I crashed around 5:00 PM. I just couldn't stay awake and be civil any longer.   

Waiting for the plane in Newark

Ken and Jeanne arrive in Sydney

Harbor view from the tower

Another harbor view from the tower

Sydney tower shadow

Sydney tower from a city park

St. Mary's Cathedral from the tower

Interior of the St. Mary's Cathedral

Day 3 April 7, Friday,  Blue Mountain Tour from Sydney

Our day started out with a 7:00 AM pick-up at our hotel from the tour company. The vehicle was a 16 passenger 4 wheel drive van with narrow but soft seats. Each seat was equipped with a seatbelt and the guide, Justin, explained that in Australia all busses have seat belts and that when they are there, it is required to wear them. After making other pickups at other hotels, we had our 16 passengers and were off on the tour. Of the 16 people about 8 people including us were from the USA. Our first stop was the Featherdale Wild Animal Park where we had breakfast in the cafe while a guide from the park carried a Koala among the tables for petting. After breakfast we were free to roam the park for about 45 minutes to view the native animals of Australia. The kangoroos basically had a free run of the place and could be hand fed with feed provided by the park. We saw many animals including, the roo's, fairy penguins, dingo's, koalas, tasmanian devils, and birds too numerous to mention. The wombat however would not come out to play. From Featherdale we headed up into the Blue Mountain National Park while the Justin filled us in on the history of Australia and the origins of the park.

We stopped at a cliff lookout after driving on a dirt road to get a view of the Gross Valley penetrating the Blue Mountains. The early settlers had thought that the rivers and valleys would be the key to crossing the mountains but in each case such attempts always ran into box canyons. Eventually a crossing was found with the discovery of an old aborigine trail. The views of the valley were great. From Gross Valley overlook we headed further into the tourist area of Blue Mountains to have lunch at a small hotel. From lunch we headed to Gavetts Leap which was the box canyon end of Gross Valley. From there it was on to the Three Sisters area for a tram ride down into the canyon floor and a walk thru the rainforest. The cable car ride up was scary as it ascended at a 54 degree angle. The cable system was originally set up for the coal mines in the area but with the demise of the coal industry in this area, tourism took over the facilities. On the floor of the canyon there was evidence of an old abandoned coal mine. From Three Sisters we headed to Euroka Plain where we were treated to walking amongst wild grey kangoroos as well as a champagne/juice/water break while Justin explained and demonstrated the playing of a diggeridoo. Our tour ended with a cattermaran type ferry ride which dropped us off at Circular Quay with spectacular views of Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. We were lucky to catch the first bus back to our hotel and were exhausted from the day.  It was a spectacular day.  

Petting the Koala, the fur is really soft

A herd of Roo's at Featherdale

This ones for you Connor, tiny penguins

The "Taz" at Featherdale

This is the infamous "Dingo"

Gross Valley from first lookout.

Gross Valley from Gavetts Leap

Coal Mine at Three Sisters

Three Sisters

Lazy man's lunch at Euroka Plain

Grey Roo's at Euroka Plain

Justin the Guide playing his diggeriddoo

River Scene from Cat Ferry

The famous Sydney Harbor Bridge

The famous Sydney Opera House

Day 4- Saturday,  April 08, Sydney to Alice Springs in the Outback

Our three night, four day tour of the Outback in the Northern Territories began with a 3 hour flight from Sydney to Alice Springs. The flight was at 9:30 AM and required a 7:30 AM pickup to the airport. Since we were coming back to Sydney, there was no sense to bringing our cruise luggage along for just a ride. We were lucky to have a great cruise director in Ken as he had found the hotel that would keep our bags in storage until we returned next Tuesday afternoon.

At the airport we were met by a coach driver from Tailormade Tours and transferred to our hotel, the Alice Springs Resort and after checking in the same coach came back and picked us up for our tour of Alice Springs. The tour started out with a ride up to the top of Mt. Anzus which overlooks the town with a population of 27,000. On the way in from the airport, The guide explained that while tourism is a big part of the local economy, it is also a government center and a major aboriginal peoples area. Besides that there is a 2000 strong contingent of US government employees working at a satellite tracking station. At the top of Anzac Hill there is a monument to the soldiers from Australia that had participated in the bloody battles of Gallipolis during World War I. The landings in Gallipolis in Turkey have a special meaning for Australians, as it was the first battle that Australians fought as an independent nation, having been granted independence in the early 1900's.

From Anzac Hill we toured the famous Royal Flying Doctor Service. The RFDS was created to provide emergency medical service for the outback where there are no medical services. The RFDS maintains a communications center which via radio and telephone puts the persons needing assistance in touch with a doctor within minutes of the call. A methodical questioning of the symptoms determines if a doctor is dispatched via plane or if a nurse would be sufficient for the job. The aim is to get a doctor on scene if required within a 2 hour period in an area encompassing about 2.5 million square kilometers. Each of the outback cattle stations has a case containing medicines which are numbered but not labeled. Each station also has a body diagram which the doctor uses to diagnose the areas affected. After the questioning, the doctor advises which numbers of medicine are to be administered to the patient.

From the RFDS we went to the School of the Air. which has nothing to do with airplanes. The outback had a problem organizing an education system in an area where there were no schools and no possibility of providing adequate schooling without separating the children from their parents into a boarding school at a very early age. To overcome this, a system of education utilizing two way radio and mails was first initiated which now is supplemented by internet communication. The school is in Alice Springs which communicates with 85 students in the outback area. A tutor or parent at the cattle station has to monitor the progress of the students on a daily basis. After the age of 12, the students are required to board in Alice Springs to finish their education. The area that the school covers is as large as the RFDS.

After these two stops we finally got to see the origins of Alice Springs as a town. During the 1870's, the development of the telegraph required that repeater stations be built every 375 kilometers. A telegraph repeater station was built at a place that was discovered to have water. The first name of the wife of the chief telegrapher was Alice and the person discovering the water source thinking it was a spring, decided that it wouldn't hurt his career if he named it after his bosses wife. It turns out that the spring is really a collector of surface water but the name stuck. The telegraph station buildings are very nicely restored to their 1900 appearance.

From the Telegraph office we visited a gallery of aborigine art where the driver went into great lengths about the aborigine view of world creation. He also explained the symbolism of the many paintings that had been done by the aborigine peoples. A very interesting gallery. After dinner downtown we wandered back to our motel and simply crashed. It was a long and wonderful day. One more thing, there are small black/green flies that swarm all around you. They don't bite but they get in your eyes, nostrils and ears. Annoying little buggers. Lots of people wear netting over their faces to defeat the beasts.

Our worthy tour director

Inside Alice Springs airport - no jetways here

View of Alice Springs from Anzac Hill

War memorial on Anzac Hill

Communications center for Royal Flying Doctor Service

Mural outside for School of the Air

Studio used nowdays for schooling 85 kids

Alice Springs Telegraph Station

The "spring" at Alice Springs

Shopping mall at downtown Alice Springs

   Day 5- Sunday,  April 09, Flynn's Grave, Simpsons Gap, Standley Chasm

Today our tour guide picked us up at 8:40 AM for our tour of the West MacDonnell Ranges west of Alice Springs. Being Sunday this was a nice time for a pickup. We will not be as lucky tomorrow as we will have to be ready to get on the road by 6:30 AM. Going on the tour today were 10 people. Two young women from Switzerland, four Britts and the four of us from the USA. The tour started out again with visiting Anzac Hill and then proceeding to Flynn's Grave. Along the way in town the driver pointed out the presence of the American Embassy - McDonalds with the golden arches.

Flynn was the founder of the Royal Flying Doctor Service in 1928. Strangely the service did not get permission to attach the "Royal" to the monicker until after Queen Elizabeth visited Alice Springs in the 1950's. Flynn's Grave is on a slight incline above the highway and consists of a low square monument topped with a large round stone. The stone has a history. The original stone was acquired from a site 400 kilometers away, called the Devils Marbles and was black in color. It had stayed on location for years but eventually the aborigines from that area complained that the stone had been removed from a sacred place. After years of wrangling, a court decided that the stone should be returned  to its original setting. Local aborigines supplied the stone that is in place now and nobody's karma is disturbed any longer.

From Flynns grave we drove through aborigine land to a place called Simpsons Gap. Along the way the guide pointed out the places where aborigines had established homes with government aid. The government gives them a money payment along with providing housing. Many are considered unemployable because they do not speak English. Simpsons Gap is a split in the soft red limestone ridge which is very scenic. We took a walk in the old river bed to the cut in the rock wall. The red rock walls start closing in on you as you get to the pool of water at the end.

From Simpsons Gap we drove to Standley Chasm which is another gap in the ridge but much steeper and higher. While the walk through Simpsons Gap was a level walk over a sand path, the path to Standley Chasm was rocky and dangerous in spots. Mom said that she would never do it again but she made it to the end and back without any problems. I however slipped on a wet rock in a damp area and in doing so injured my big toe by tearing on the toe nail. The walk was tough but the view at the end was beautiful. After the walk we had a picnic lunch provided by the tour company. We cancelled our participation in the afternoon Alice Springs Desert Park visit and headed back to town. We were walked out.  

Flynn's Grave

Simpsons Gap in distanced

Simpsons Gap

Simpsons Gap

On the trail to Standley's Chasm

Path to Standley's Chasm

Standley's Chasm

Standley's Chasm

Path to/from Standley's Chasm

Aborigine land west of Alice Springs

Day 6- Monday,  April 10, Alice Springs to Yulara

Today's itinerary for the tour was to leave Alice Springs at around 6:30 AM for the 220 mile kilometer drive to Yulara where Ayers Rock or Uluru as the aborigines call it is located. According to our bus driver it was 50 degrees outside but it didn't feel that cold at all. It was strange to see people with woolen hats on but I guess it is what you are used to. It is hard to imagine the vastness of the outback. for miles there is nothing but grass and low desert brush and trees. There are no visible signs of inhabitation along the road except for the service areas which are generally 50 or 60 miles apart. the rest areas have a gas station, a small motel and food facilities. Between Alice and Yulara we some of the buildings from a cattle station. The cattle stations are large ranches some of which are over 2500 square miles. It is also surprising how green the outback is. While the average rainfall in outback is only 10 inches annually and all the riverbeds are dry, the trees and shrubs along the road are green. The driver explained that there are plenty of undrground aquifers and that the aborigines got their water by digging into the ground with their spears. Some of the trees also have root systems that go down 60 feet.

Our first scheduled stop was a rest stop where we could get a hot meal and also see a camel farm. Camels were brought into the outback by Afganistanis when they were used to build the Ghan railroad from Adelaide to Darwin. Prior to the railroad, camels were also used to haul in the heavy goods. After the railroad was built, the Afghanis were ordered to take their camels into the outback and shoot them but in most cases the camesl were just turned loose. Now there is an annual roundup of camels which are then sold to the middle east United Arab Emirates. Strange that camels are sold to the middle east not bought from the middle east. At one spot along the road we did see a large herd of the wild camels walking in the open fields.

At the camel farm you could ride a camel for $5.00. Once around a path. Mrs. Stutt took the ride but Mom refused. We arrived at Yulara around 12:30 PM and checked into the Outback Pioneer Hotel and shortly after that our bus picked us up again for the tours of the day. Our plan was to visit the Kata Tjua Mountains(The Olgas) and then go to the sunset viewing area on Uluru(Ayers Rock). According to aborigine dreamtime legend, the Olgas were populated by the poisonous snake people while Uluru was populated by the carpet snake people. The two peoples did not get along and fought many battles. While Uluru is a single huge sandstone rock formation, Kata Tjua is made up of multiple rock formations. Both are red sandstone/limestone which glow red in the sunlight but turn to a purple hue when sunset falls across them. At Kata Tjua we got to take a walk into the gorge which was a 2.6 kilometer walk over some rough stones Mom opted out to the walk, she had way too much fun at Standley's Chasm the day before. It was a tough walk.

From Kata Tjua we drove to see the sunset on Uluru. It reminded me very much of the sunset celebrations at Mallory Square in Key West except that there are no jugglers here. However, wine and finger foods were available and the party was on. Sunset was scheduled for 6:34 PM with the best picture times between 6:20 and 6:34. The guide instructed us that we should listen for the helicopter as they generally tour the sunset at the peak shooting time. Sure enough, at around 6:25 a helicopter was hovering around Uluru. I took about 50 shots of the sunset and am still wondering how to catalogue it. After sunset we were returned to the village square where we grabbed a light supper and headed of to bed. It had been a long tiring day.

Some people go to Mecca, others Jerusalem and yet others come to Uluru. It is almost a pilgrimage. Yulara as a population center only exists because of the rock formations. There are approximately 4 fairly big hotels and a campground in Yulara to house the burgeoning tourist trade. To support all these tourists, 5000 people live in the small town which has no other reason for being other than the tourist trade. Ayers Rock also sports an airport that Qantas services with jet service to Sydney and other cities. It is one big business to look at a rock.

Jeanne riding a camel

Aborigine Art for sale at a rest stop

The outback from the bus window

Mt. Connor, bigger than Uluru but less famous

Kata Tjua from east

Kata Tjua from west

The trail to Kata Tjua gorge

Uluru Before Sunset

Uluru Just before sun set

Uluru at sunset turning purple

Day 7- Tuesday,  April 11, Yulara (Uluru to Sydney)

Today we were being picked up at 5:50 AM for the ride back out to Uluru to watch the changing of the colors with the sunrise. After sampling some hot tea or juice and some biscuits we turned our attention to the rock. In my estimation and moms also, the effect on the rock was not as dramatic as sunset. It turned from a brown to a red to a yellow/red in short order. It was still beautiful. On the way to Uluru I had purchased fly nets because the little buggers were worse here than they were in Alice. We looked like bee keepers but then so did everyone else. After sunrise we took a two short walks around the base area of Uluru and headed for the aborigine cultural center. We were given about 45 minutes in the exhibit but were out of there in about 5 minutes. The crush of people was so thick that it was not possible to read any of the exhibits. We did learn that Uluru is a sacred site to the Aborigine people and that while on aborigine land, the federal government has leased Uluru back as a national park. The aborigines however hold 12 of the 15 seats on the park council so they basically run the whole show. One of the options for the day was to climb Uluru up a very steep path with chains to pull yourself up. Today however there was threats of rain so the climb option was not available. The aborigines try to discourage climbing as much as possible and at certain times climbing is forbidden due to cultural reasons.

We arrived back at the hotel by 10:30 AM to catch the shuttle to the airport. Our flight was at 12:00 noon. When we arrived at the check-in all our carry-on bags were turned to checked baggage as they were "too heavy" to be put in the overheads. We were back in our Sydney hotel at around 4:00 PM. Tomorrow we will relax.

Uluru at Sunrise

Uluru at Sunrise

Just to prove we were here

Uluru

Mom and me in our fly netting outfits

Day 8- Wednesday  April 12, On the bum in Sydney

Having been on the go for the past 5 days with tour guides, there was no specific plans for the day other than taking things easier and at a slower pace. After a late breakfast and disposing of some post card sending duties, we headed to Circular Quay to take a ferry ride over to Manley. Manley is a beach community north of Sydney. We arrived shortly before ferry departure and after a quick 15 minute ride in the cattermaran type of ferry, we were there. The street directly opposite the ferry terminal was a shopping arcade which led to the beach. We stopped for lunch at a food court where Mom had a grilled baramundi lunch while I had hake. The weather was a beutiful warm sunny day. The beach had a lot of people on it and some of the girls were wearing only one piece of a two piece bathing suit. They obviously didn't like tan lines above the waist. While the ride over was on a faster cat boat, the ferry back was the old type of ferry but the trip was only lengthened by 10 minutes. I was able to get some gorgeous shots of the Sydney Opera House from the ferry. Ken and Jeanne had taken the Opera House tour on a previous visit to Sydney so they returned to the hotel while mom and I signed up for the 3:00 PM tour of the famous Sydney Opera House.

The Opera House is one of the most famous and recognizable buildings in the world. The chief architect Utzon from Denmark started construction in the 1950's but after severe cost and time overruns was replaced after 7 years without having started the interior work. By this time he had spent 30 million on a building estimated to be 5 million. Australian architects were assigned to finish the work which took another 7 years into the early 1970's. By this time close to 100 million had been spent. The building interior and exterior is an engineering marvel. I can not describe it so I will let some of the pictures do the talking. On our tour we entered two of the performing halls. The opera/ballet hall had ballet practice going on so we were able to watch a small portion of a rehearsal. We also visited the large concert hall which was being readied for a religious concert/choir performance tomorrow. We were not able to photograph any of the concert hall interiors, but they are beautiful. There are numerous stairways in the buildings and I noted that there were not any noticable handicapped access provisions. I asked the guide if the building was as handicapped unfriendly as it looked and the only thing he would say is "very much so".

We have also learned that the famous Sydney Harbor Bridge can be climbed for a fee. You have to get strapped into a safety harness and them you get to climb the arches of the bridge. According to someone we talked to at Uluru, it was a fun thing to do. Looking at the bridge from the opera house you could make out human forms ascending the arches. One however is not allowed to bring any cameras on the trip but they will gladly sell you a picture they took. We opted out of this adventure. Only in Australia.

Our humble abode in Sydney at the Hotel Stellar

The bridge in the background can be climbed

Aborigine art in store window in Manley

The beach at Manley.

shopping arcade at Manley

Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House

Interior of Sydney Opera House

Main Concert Hall from Official web site of the Opera House

   Day 9- Thursday,  April 13, Shopping in Sydney

Today was a relaxing day spent in shopping at Paddy's Market. A huge flea market style shopping area with a large mall above the flea market. We sampled both. It rained in the afternoon and we stayed in for the afternoon. In the evening we went to Holy Thursday mass at St. Mary's Cathedral. There were two cardinals in attendance. The choir was beautiful.

Australia Trip Summary           Home