I just got back from a week-long adventure with Ray in Australia. We had a great time, with lots of interesting sites, sounds and experiences as we toured New South Wales. We did a little bit of everything as we covered almost 2500 kilometers in our rental car, from hiking remote bushtrails in the Budawand Mountains to walking across the Sydney Harbor Bridge with a thousand of our closest Aussie friends. We rode bikes through vineyards in Hunter Valley and spelunked through the amazing Jenolan Caves, camped with kangaroos and survived a downtown youth hostel with even wilder animals. We were amazed at the Snowy River's beauty, confused by Aussie slang, and befriended by nice people all around us. Some of the highlights:
-Wildlife! We were amazed to find animals and birds of every description, from the most colorful and exotic birds ever imagined, to kangaroos hopping across roads and past our tent early in the morning. We especially enjoyed a dolphin-watching cruise in Port Stephens and the amazing Sydney Aquarium, which showcased fish and wildlife from across Australia including sharks, giant turtles, penguins and exotic fish from the Great Barrier Reef.
-Driving on "the wrong side of the street." It took some courage and some constant vigilance, but we both figured out the whole driving thing. The trickiest part was remembering which side the turn signal and rear-view mirror was on (opposite than US cars) and mastering the ever-present Aussie roundabout.
-Hikes. We went on several walks and trails, but also tried our skill at two day hikes. We hiked to the summit of Mount Kosciusko, the tallest mountain in Australia and also Pigeon House Summit, and enjoyed many scenic views and vistas.
-Sydney. Wow! What an amazing city! We were excited to see the famed Sydney Harbor and iconic Opera House, but also enjoyed many other parts of the city, including Darling Harbor, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Government House, the Rocks, Bondi Beach, Botany Bay and so forth. We were lucky to be there as the Harbor Bridge celebrated its 75th birthday and joined in with a giant party across the city to celebrate. We also had great Thai and Japanese food and had a great time in Sydney.
-People. We met several very friendly Aussies through our travels, including a very kind couple, Selmar and Lisa Nebalung, who rescued us from near disaster when our rental car had two flat tires within a couple minutes time on a deserted dirt road. Very thankful!
We had a great trip Down Under in Australia!
Melvin
For a slideshow of our trip, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjJOhDwyJpU
