Cairns (Aug 24-26, 2009)

Photos

July 2009

• Having been back to the U.S. for over a month, I got itchy for a new adventure.   I have been thinking about visiting Australia for months - initially, April, and then, June (before or after my India trip.) Finally, the opportunity presented itself. The airfares were so ridiculously low, that I couldn't resist. (Kedar and) I will be going to Australia next month. Details are being worked out!
• My friend Nitin has lived in Melbourne for the past several years, and recently, he had been inviting me to visit Australia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia).
• What do we know about Australia? Not much. The Outback - hot, dry, red barren desert lands, the Great Barrier Reef, kangaroos, and G'day Mate.
• That's all true, but that's not all. Armed with Fodor's Australia travel guide, and Let's Go Australia, a backpacker's guide, I began my study of the continent/country. I started with a list of places to see/things to do, and asked Nitin for his input.  Also, one travel agent sent me a sample 21 day itinerary describing in detail what one could do in that time frame.
• Most of Australia’s population lives in the state capitals of its six states - Sydney (New South Wales), Melbourne (Victoria), Brisbane (Queensland), Perth (West), Adelaide (South), Hobart (Tasmania), and Canberra (ACT), the country's capital. About 75% of the 21 million people live on the east coast. They are proud of their beaches and their sports.  They have their natural wonders and their aboriginal heritage. There is a lot to do and see depending on your interests.  And if driving is one of them, the country - about the size of continental US - has plenty of roads - paved or not - and hardly any people on them.
• Melbourne is the southern-most city on the continent, and it is about the same latitude as San Francisco. Winters in Melbourne are about as cold as winters in San Francisco, six months apart.  Northern cities such as Cairns and Darwin stay warmer, and get hot and humid during Summer (December-January.)  September 1 is considered the start of Spring in Australia, and is definitely a great time to visit. There are not many tourists, children are in school, and temperatures are moderate.  Cairns was 80 degree F, Sydney 70, Melbourne/ Hobart 60. Perfect!

August 2009

• Flying to Australia naturally meant flying on QANTAS (Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service) - they had -and still have as of Sep 2009- great deals of US $999 for round trip to Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. To sweeten the deal, they also include 3 free domestic flights including Tasmania, in that price. You have 21 days to complete the trip. That was perfect for us.
• When I actually started planning, that itinerary just wouldn't work out - from the days we wanted to fly, time to spend at each place, etc.  Accidentally, I stumbled up on the Air New Zealand deal of US$404 round trip (US$681 including taxes.)  We could then plan our domestic flights as we wished – for about the same $1000 total.
• We flew to AKL on Friday, August 21 night.  From AKL (Auckland - pronounced Oakland) onwards, we were in Australia for three weeks - from Sunday August 23 through Sunday September 13.  That worked out very well.
• AKL and MEL (Melbourne) are approximately the same latitude - 1650 miles apart. This 3 1/2 hour flight goes much faster compared to the first flight of 12 hours. Of course, with on demand movies, flight time goes a lot faster than before. We reached MEL around 10 am on Sunday, August 23.
• Our plan was to make Melbourne our base, and visit the East Coast (Cairns, Sydney) during the first week, and Tasmania the last week, hoping that it will be a bit warmer and less rainy. The second week would be in Melbourne. Although I was fully prepared to get rained out 1-2 days, we really got wet just once - in Launceston, and that too only for a couple of hours.

The itinerary was as follows:

• Aug 24-26 Cairns - Great Barrier Reef, Kuranda Rainforest (2 days)
• Aug 27-28 Sydney - city sightseeing, Blue Mountains (2 days)
• Aug 29 back to Melbourne for Ganapati Visarjan
• Aug 29 - Sep 6 - sightseeing in and around Melbourne (Phillip Island, Penguin Parade, Cape Schank, Great Ocean Road, Grampians, etc.)
• Sep 7 -11 Tasmania (Launceston, Bakers Beach, Cradle Mountains, Lake St Clair, Mount Wellington, Mount Harz, Airwalk, South Cape Bay, Port Arthur - Eaglehawk Neck, Hobart) (4 days)
• Sep 12 Melbourne socializing, shopping
• Sep 13 return

On average, we walked/hiked about 12-15 KM per day, so having a break every 3-4 days worked out well.

Sun August 23, 2009:

Though the flight was on schedule leaving AUK, and the weather was fine for the most part, high winds near MEL delayed our landing by a few minutes. That gave us a chance to see the entire metropolitan area from a bird's eye view. Sprawling on all sides for miles, and the bay to the south, Melbourne is nicely laid out - not unlike any other metro areas.

Getting through immigration was a breeze.  There was no discussion about our visas (ETA.)  Both Kedar and my passports are several years old. Looking at my passport photo, the immigration officer commented "looks like you have lost some weight."  Later, looking at Kedar's, he said "and looks like you have gained some."  Whatever you may think of the comments, I was happy to see that he was in a good mood, and there wouldn't be any hassles with immigration.

Customs was another interesting experience. For some reason, the bags were delayed and we were all waiting. The customs form was confusing - if you had ANY food with you, you had to check YES. Also, if you had any soil INCLUDING on your shoes, the answer was YES. Not knowing how picky the customs were going to be, OR what they would do with either the food or the soil, we (other passengers also) were bracing for some hassles. But then, even before our bags arrived, the customs officer came walking around checking our forms. When we told him that the food we have is some candy and cereal; and glancing at our shoe soles, he signed off our forms. Customs completed! Of course, there was a long line to return the customs form and get out of the customs area after we got our bags.

In the end, we got out about an hour after landing.  My friend Nitin was waiting for us.  Being a Sunday, there was no traffic driving back home.  We drove past downtown Melbourne, and then further east to his home.

That day being Ganesh Chaturthi, Nitin's wife had prepared a special feast with all things we like. The day was spent chatting, and catching up on 30 years of life events. At night, we went to one of their family friends' for religious celebrations, and of course, more food.

The next day, we had an early (6 am) flight to catch from Melbourne (MEL) to Cairns (CNS), with change of plane at Brisbane (BNE).  Because of jet lag, getting up early didn't make a difference for us, but our friends had to get up way before their normal waking time. The taxi showed up on time, and for $95, we got dropped at the airport an hour before departure. (You don't have to tip in Australia for cabs, restaurants and hotels!)

Mon August 24:

To Cairns: Being a domestic flight, passengers showed up just a few minutes before departure (Virgin Blue DJ 303/779). Since we weren't familiar with it, we followed the airline rules - be there on time, carry-on should be of a certain size and weight, no free check-in bags, etc.  As it turned out, no one checked your bag size or weight.  People were carrying coats, pillows, laptops, shopping bags in addition to their carry-ons.   There was no restriction about taking liquids (e.g. water bottles) on the plane, but they did check the aerosols - even the shaving cream.   No one asked for our IDs - ever.  The airlines had strict rules about NOT substituting passengers in less than 24 hours before the flight; but again, no one checked.

The day was clear for the most part, the weather was fine.  Planes fly higher in Australia.  My first photo of the trip was sunrise from the plane - the sun peeking through clouds - was at 40000+ ft.  Later, I noticed that most flights went from 39000 to 44000 ft. Considering that the lack of air traffic in general, I suppose fuel efficiency must be the reason.

We were about to land at Brisbane, when at the last moment, the pilot changed his mind and kept on flying.  Later, he explained that there was a rather large piece of rubber (tire, I assume.) on the runway.  When he looked at it up close, he decided not to take a chance and aborted landing.   After making one loop, we landed 15 minutes later. That gave us another bird's eye view - this time, of Brisbane.

Australian airlines follow the same ticketing structure as in Europe.  At the bare bones level, your ticket just gets you from point A to point B.  Everything else - checked bags, extra weight, assigned seat - costs extra.  They don't even serve water on the plane.  You can purchase it (or other beverages and food, of course.)  There are no water fountains at the airport either.  No restaurants will bring water unless you ask for it; some carry ONLY bottled water.  When we realized that we were permitted to carry as much as 5 liters of liquid, we started carrying water from then on.

Our next flight was in 90 minutes.   The layover passed quickly, and we were off to Cairns. The distances between cities are quite large. MEL (Melbourne) to BNE (Brisbane) and BNE to CNS (Cairns) are about 1500+ kms each.  On the way back, CNS to SYD (Sydney) is 2000 kms and SYD to MEL about 900 kms.  Outside these major cities, there is hardly any population.  Driving or riding trains would have been interesting, but too time consuming.

CNS Airport is just 6 KM north of the city.  City buses go everywhere, but not to the airport. Cabs do their primary business to the airport.  For A$18, we got dropped off at our hotel. It took may be 10-15 minutes.  We got our room.  A nice large corner room, with a balcony overlooking downtown on one side, and mountains on the other.  We could also see the sun setting in the evening.

After settling down, we left to explorer the town - and to find a place to eat.  We happened to be on the streets where we didn't find many choices.  Finally, we went to the only casino in town and had lunch there.  Prices seemed high, quantity of food limited, and also limited choice.  Afterwards, we found everything we were looking for - the library and internet cafes, restaurants including McDonalds and Subway, Ice cream shops, and Reef Teach.

Reef Teach is highly recommended BEFORE you visit the Great Barrier Reef, if you want to know what you will see there and recognize the fish you see.  From 6-8 PM, ocean experts do a slide show presentation.  Unfortunately, they are closed on Mondays; and we were going to the Reef the next day.

We also checked out where we needed to be the next morning for our boat cruise to the Barrier Reef. Jet lagged, we returned to the hotel and slept early.

Tue August 25:

Ocean Spirit Cruises is one of the larger companies to the Reef.  They were the only ones who included all day cruise to the Reef on a catamaran, snorkeling at two different locations, and one free introductory scuba dive for one low price.  Light breakfast, lunch and evening champagne are also included.  Competition does drive down prices.

We reached the dock by 8 AM.  After registering for the intro dive, we had some breakfast and tea.  About an hour into the boat ride, all the divers were gathered together for instructions and demonstrations.  Being inexperienced, most of us were beginning to feel worried about the dive.  But everyone did join.  We were given dive times - we were free to snorkel until then.  We were recommended not to eat until after the dive.

We went near the first location.  After docking the boat to permanent anchors already in place, all of us were asked to go snorkeling.  One lifeguard was circling us in a raft, making sure we were not wandering too far.

Swimming in the ocean water is really easy.  The water was very calm, hardly any waves.   Not letting the salt water go in your snorkel/mouth is the toughest part.  It is hard to imagine how salty the water is, and how little water it takes to make you feel queasy.  Once you get beyond that, you can really enjoy the Reef.  The water was very clear.  The ocean is shallow - may be 25-30 feet deep max. The coral is piled high on white sand - in places, we could almost touch them with our hands and fins.  The ocean appears blue where the sand is, and green where the reef is.   It is such a colorful, intricate world of corals, and fish - small and large - are everywhere.  We saw EVERYTHING we had seen in the brochures - turtle and starfish as well.  Hundreds and thousands of them.  A true awesome experience - almost like looking in to an aquarium - except much larger!

Our dive time was 11:30 AM.  On the dive deck (which is at the water level), we wore our body suits (A$5 extra), and then were equipped with the compressed air tank and lead weights to help us sink easier.  For one group (of four divers,) there is one instructor/guide. We jumped in the water - after which the weights didn't matter - and were led to the handle bar on the side of the boat. After rehearsing how to breathe through the air tank, how to take out and put back the mouthpiece, how to remove water from the mask, etc., our instructor led one person at a time to the handle bar 5 ft lower, and then another 5 ft lower. She made sure that we were able balance the inner ear air pressure.  Diving is the exact opposite flying - change in altitude causes air pressure imbalance, until you pop your ears.  Of course, water pressure is much higher, so the experience can be painful.  After several tries, Kedar couldn't get his ears to pop and wasn't able to experience the scuba diving.

Our instructor, Claire, had two women on her right and I was on the left. She was constantly checking and adjusting our gauges, so we could concentrate on our dive. Underwater cameraman took our pictures. Claire then guided us to a nearby coral where we saw Nemo in soft coral - just like in the movie. She then took us to a giant oyster - may be 2-3 ft long and a couple of feet round. She asked us to gently land on our knees in the sand around the oyster. The oyster was open, until Claire touched the inside of it, when it quickly shut. Claire then took us around some more and then brought back up.  The whole experience was about 20 minutes, but it was mesmerizing.   I felt like I was in a trance.

Felt a bit shaky after I got out of the water.  They asked if we wanted to go snorkeling again, or go inside and have lunch.   I wanted to do neither.  Already feeling a little bit of motion sickness, and add to that the salt water I had swallowed.  They had environmentally friendly sickness bags available at the counter.  Many people needed to use them - me included.  After using, we were asked to twist it shut and toss it overboard.  "Fish Food" they said.

I felt much better after a little while. I had some lunch - but it didn't taste good.

The first location was aptly named Oyster Reef.   Here the water was deep enough for the boat to park almost on top of the reef.  The second place, Upolu Reef, was shallower.  The boat was parked about a 100 meters from the reef.  Of course, we had to go snorkeling again.   We could have done another scuba dive, but none of us were ready to do it again. We had good chunk of time to snorkel, but after some time, I started to feel nauseated again.  So I came out.  Kedar stayed in until they called everyone back.  That was a good, long, enjoyable experience of the reef.  We were satisfied.  The rest of the trip back was restful.  Most everyone was tired, the wind was getting cooler, and at the same time, the sun was beginning to burn.  Half the people didn't even take the first glass of champagne.

This is a daily routine for these cruise companies.  It was off season, yet there must have been 25 boats from different companies taking tourists out to different locations.  They all leave around 8 AM, and return around 4:30 PM. So as we were heading back, all the boats were lined up 100-200 meters apart - like the airplanes landing at a busy airport.

After returning to the dock, we picked up a pizza and milkshakes, and walked back to our hotel.  We were flying out to Sydney the following evening, so I went out to print boarding passes and check emails.  We were tired and still somewhat jet lagged.

Wed August 26:

When I started planning for Cairns, I was looking to take day trips to different places.  After speaking with a friend who had just been to Cairns, I realized that we can do them on our own, at our own schedule.   So we took the city bus from our hotel to the Skyrail to Kuranda. Kuranda is a town about 30 KM by road/train, but only 7 KM up by skyrail.  This gondola service runs continuously from 8 AM to 5 PM.  During peak season, they recommend pre-purchasing tickets for specific time slot.   Many people (and the tours) take the scenic train from Cairns to Kuranda, which stops at a couple of scenic stops on the way up, and take the Skyrail on the way back, which also stops at a couple of points.  The common stop for both is Barron Falls. The train leaves only twice daily.  We therefore decided to take Skyrail both ways for time flexibility. http://www.skyrail.com.au/

The gondola normally seats six during peak season.  We were just the two of us in ours, so we could take plenty of pictures in all directions.  As we climb up, we see Cairns far off, and ocean right behind us.  We climb just above the tree tops - some times within feet - observing how the forest changes with change in elevation and rainfall amounts.  Their pamphlet is very informative. (http://www.skyrail.com.au/brochures/skyrail-english.pdf)  It shows the entire terrain from one end to the other.  Each support tower is numbered.  The pamphlet tells you what you'd expect see in that tropical rainforest.  At the first stop, you walk a boardwalk through the rainforest.  At the second stop, you visit an interpretive center and a view of the Barron Falls.  Since the dam is built on the river, Barron Falls are more like a trickle these day; though during rainy season, it has more water. We could see the train stop on the other side of the river valley, which had a much better, closer view of the falls.  We decided to hike to it from Kuranda.

Kuranda village has two main shopping areas - about 10-15 minutes away.  A free shuttle bus takes you there.   There is also a koala park, butterfly sanctuary and bird aviary.  On the other side of the Skyrail/Train station, there is boat ride through Barron River.  And of course, there is shopping. Not being interested in any of those, we hiked along the Barron River, through the rain forest and then surface streets to Barron Falls. The hike was longer than expected, but well worth it. From the train stop at Barron Falls, the view was much nicer. On our way back, we ran into many hikers like us trying to find their way to Barron Falls.

Back in Kuranda, we had lunch at the famous pie place, watched candy making, and walked back to the Skyrail. We had to be back in time to pick up our bags and go to the airport for 7 PM flight. We took more pictures on the way back. The previous city bus was running late, so we got it within 5 minutes of getting to the bus stop. Otherwise, we would have to wait for half an hour.

Well, we got back too early. We had time to sit by the ocean for a couple of hours, have dinner and back to the hotel to be picked up by airport shuttle. Shuttles charge A$10 for the first person, A$12.50 for two. Another thing about Australia is that there is two people discount at many places, and even more for family (2 adults, 2 children.)

CNS airport is being remodeled. So you end up getting dropped off at one place, then check in bags / get boarding pass at another place (one building), then walk to another building (gates.) Since the gates are also being rebuilt, you have passengers getting off by ladders and then walking through scaffolding and construction zones to enter the arrival /departure lounge.

Our Virgin Blue flight DJ 1428 left on time at 7 PM, and reached Sydney a little before 10 PM.

Sydney (Aug 27-28, 2009)

Sidney:

• (Wed 26th evening flight DJ 1428 reached SYD around 10 PM.)  All the books and websites recommended taking train from the airport to downtown.  It works well in many cities (San Francisco, for example.)  It is great for one person, and during the day.  For two people, cab or airport shuttle works just as well.  Since we were staying at a hotel south of the city, closer to airport, taking city streets was definitely the shortest way.
• The place we stayed in Cairns was Rydges.  This chain owns several locations in each city.  There were other Rydges locations that were more centrally located - had I known BEFORE I made that reservation.  However, based on the description of the Cairns Rydges, I figured staying with one chain - if location, price, etc. was comparable - would be convenient.  So I selected Capitol Square Hotel (managed by Rydges.)  The only trouble was that it is not known as Rydges.
• So the cabbie took us to the other Rydges and then brought us back the correct one.  I was certain that the cabbie was taking us for a ride (he wasn't.)  I was afraid of being dropped off at the wrong place and then having to walk around to find the hotel - in a new place, late at night.
• As it turns out, Sydney is buzzing with activity even late at night.  Restaurants and bars - as well as sidewalks/footpaths full with people.  Just like San Francisco.  I loved it.

Thu August 27:

• Purchased a bus pass at a convenience store.  
• First stop, closeups of the Opera House (skipped the tour A$35).  That building is impressive no matter which direction you are viewing it from, or how close you get.
• Walked to the far end of Royal Botanical Garden for nice panoramas of the Sydney Bridge, Opera House and CBD skyline.  
• Walked the Bridge on the Eastside with views of the Opera House from the other side.  For mere A$180 per person, you could climb up the arch of Sydney Harbour Bridge.  We saw a group of people half way up the arch.  It is a steep price to pay where YOU are doing all the work!
• Next was Bondi beach.  We took Bus 380/382/L82 from Circular Quay, and reached around 2 PM.  Bondi Beach is famous for surfing, but it was fairly quiet today.  We later heard that half the Hollywood was here that week.  We didn't see anyone.
• Hiking path on the right goes a few kms from beach to beach to the cemetery.  We didn't go that far.
• Walked around Darling Harbour/ Chinatown on the way back to the hotel. 

Fri August 28:

• OZTRAILS.COM.AU offered a special day tour for A$68 which included a river cruise back to Circular Quay.  It covered all highlights of the Blue Mountains including the three sisters, scenic Skyway through rainforest, hike to Wentworth Falls, and return trip on a cruise on Parramatta river.  It was getting dark when we returned so we got some (fuzzy) pictures of the Opera House.

Sat August 29:

• Early morning 7:45 am flight (Virgin Blue DJ810) brought us back to MEL by 8:45 am.
• Airport Connect ($12 pp) 

Melbourne (Aug 23- Sep 13, 2009 total time in Australia)

Sun August 23, 2009:

• As noted earlier, Melbourne was our point of entry/exit to Australia, and our base for 3 weeks.  After spending Sunday with friends, we were off to Cairns (CNS) early next morning.  
• Visiting Cairns and Sydney during weekdays, we were back in Melbourne on Sat Aug 29.  After spending a whole week in Melbourne, we were off to Tasmania from Sep 7-11 and back for another day in Melbourne.  We returned to the US on Sep 13.

Thu August 29:

• We stayed with my friend Nitin in a suburb of Melbourne 10 miles east. Since we had arranged our schedule to arrive/depart on weekends, he came to pick us up and drop off at MEL airport about 25 miles north of the city.  All other times, we used Melbourne's public transportation or airport connection as appropriate.
• With him and his social friends, we were able to celebrate Ganapati festival, and other socializing on weekends.
• Nitin took a few days off during this week to show us around.  The rest of the time we were on our own.    

Sun August 30: 

• Today was set aside for sightseeing Melbourne - mainly Albert Park Lake.

Mon August 31:

• About 75 miles south is Churchill Island.   You have to drive on a dirt road and cross a bridge from Phillip Island to get to Churchill Island.  Nice place for a picnic.
• On the Philip Island, there is Koala Reserve.  Eucalyptus tree grove with plentiful of Koalas - most asleep, of course, but close enough to get nice pictures,  We saw wallabies around as well.  No kangaroos here. 
• It was late in the afternoon.  We had tickets for the Penguin Parade at dusk, so we had time.
• We drove to the far (west/south) end of Phillip Island to view of Seal Rocks.  There are hundreds of seals on those rocks, but you can't see them with naked eyes from the visitor center - you need powerful binoculars (or an underwater camera!)  This was a great idea.- Underwater camera gives you four minutes of viewing, and you may purchase any pictures you take.  This is the first time I had seen so many seals in one place.  The closest prior experience was at Pier 39 in San Francisco,  (Or middle school field trip to Año Nuevo State Park in San Mateo County to see elephant seals during their mating season.)
• Around dusk, we settled on the bleachers at Summerland Bay beach, waiting for little penguins to arrive,  The Little penguin is the smallest species of penguin. It grows to an average of 13" in height and 17" in length.  They are mostly found on the coastlines of southern Australia/Tasmania and New Zealand.  When it gets dark, they begin to return from the ocean - just a few in the beginning and then a whole lot of them.  They waddle up the beach, pass by and under the bleachers and disappear in their nests behind.  That was an experience.  The parade lasts about an hour.

Tue September 1:

• Not too far further west from the Phillip Island we visited yesterday, is Cape Schank on the Mornington Peninsula.  On the way, Arthurs Seat State Park is a nice spot to view Port Phillip Bay.  Rising a thousand feet above the Peninsula, Arthurs Seat is the most familiar of all Port Phillip Bay landscape features.  Gondolas weren't operating, but you could drive to the top.  There are lookout points in all directions.
• Continuing on, Cape Schanck, named after an English Navy Captain, a contemporary of Matthew Flinders, is another quiet hiking spot.  Lighthouses always make great pictures.  The one here helped navigate ships in and out of Bass Strait.  Due to GPS and other navigational aids, lighthouses have been out of business.  You can walk up to the water, but the beach is rocky.  Surf was high and the water was bouncing off the rocky terrain with force.  The skies were cloudy though.
• We HAD to visit the London Bridge in Sorrento, 20 miles northwest - almost to the end of the peninsula.  It is the hollowed out sea stack that can be viewed from a lookout at the end of London Bridge.  During low tide, you could walk up to/under the London Bridge itself.

Wed September 2: 

• Today was absolutely clear, sunny day.  We visited St Patrick's Cathedral, Parliament House, Royal Exhibition Building (we found out that there were daily tours at 2 PM.  We were too early for that.), and CBD.  Yarra river has many pedestrian bridges to cross from one side to the other.  Near the Royal Botanic Gardens are Queen Victoria Memorial, King Edward VII Monument with a giant flower clock in front - all close by.  Finally from the Eureka Tower (Tallest in the Southern Hemisphere), we had a view of the entire city including Port Phillip Bay, Cricket stadium and Olympic venues. 

Thu September 3:

• We took one day Great Ocean Road and 12 Apostles tour from 7 am - 9 PM.  It took us 4 hours to get there.
• First stop - Great Ocean Road sign.  There are other Great Roads in other parts of Australia.  This road reminded me of California's Highway 1 - which runs much closer to the ocean than this one.  Regardless, the scenery was very pleasing.
• The Great Ocean Road officially begins at Torquay, a famous surf town of gorgeous, sandy beaches.  There is a memorial for WWII Veterans near the road sign.
• Driving along the coastal landscape, we stopped at Apollo Bay for lunch before continuing on to the Twelve Apostles—a grouping of massive limestone pillars that rise up out of the ocean.  Only 9 remain, but newer ones are being created by pounding ocean waves.  Clouds and sun were creating ever changing scenery from the same landscape.
• Then there was London Bridge, this time on the Great Ocean Road.  One wonders the fascination of Australians with London Bridge. 

Sat September 5:

• Yet another one day tour - to the Grampians National Park.  Each way drive was about 3 hours with plenty to see.
• Large sheep ranches were along side of this two lane road - for miles.  Passing by Ballarat, 1850s Gold Rush town, and Moyston, the birthplace of Australian Rules Football, we reached Grampions -- considered a mini version of the Grand Canyons in the US.  Two arms of Grampions with a valley in between surely looks like it.
• At the first stop (Halls Gap?), there were wild kangaroos all around in a eucalyptus forest.  As we took pictures, they hopped away.
• Next was McKenzie waterfall - this cascading waterfall had plenty of water.
• Then there was Jaws of death - a giant wrench, if you wish.
• After a brief rain shower, we even saw a rainbow over the valley.
• Returning to Melbourne, we were dropped off at Flinders Street Station, main terminus of Melbourne's train system.  From there, we took tram back.  

Sat September 12:

• Last chance for shopping in Melbourne.  We also HAD TO see the Victoria Market - a major landmark in Melbourne, and the largest open air market in the Southern Hemisphere.  We reached there fairly early, so it wasn't crowded.  We didn't have anything specific in mind.  A souvenir boomerang and wonderful flowers carved out of a soap were plenty for us. 

Sun September 13: 

• Our noon flight from MEL with a two hour layover in AKL will return me to SFO around 12:45 PM the same day. 
• We were lucky to have clear warm weather in both Cairns and Sydney.  Back in Melbourne, we heard, that it rained pretty hard, but cleared just in time when we returned.  Of course,  I took full credit for making the (good) weather happen wherever I went!  The weather was more cloudy and cold in Tasmania (except on September 10 which was mostly clear and sunny), but not enough to interrupt any of our plans. 
• All in all, great experience. 

Tasmania (Sep 7-11, 2009)

 Tasmania:

• Where the heck is Tasmania?  I had only heard about Tasmanian Devil - but didn't even know what kind of animal that was.  Tasmania is located 150 miles south of Mainland Australia - separated by Bass Strait.  Until the strait was discovered, explorers didn't know that Tasmania was an island and ships navigated around it thinking that it was all Australian continent.
• Known for its natural beauty, we had to set aside enough time to explore Tasmania.  Given the remoteness of places we wanted to visit - and it wasn't even tourist season yet - our best bet was to rent a car and drive around.  Roads were nicely paved and for the most part, devoid of (m)any cars.  Driving on the opposite side of the road was not much of an issue.
• Supposedly the world's best hiking is Overland Track - starting near Cradle Mountain, this six-day hike leads adventurers through some of the greatest mountain landscapes in the world.  It ends at Lake St. Clair.  There are no facilities along the trail, so hikers will need to bring everything needed to survive. 
  - We did not have that much time - and a lot more to see, so we drove to the starting point, Cradle Mountain, hiked around there.  Then drove to Lake St. Clair the same day and hiked there the next day.

Mon September 7:

• Left early morning, taking airport shuttle for 8:20 am flight from MEL (Jetstar JQ735).  Reached the runway and stopped because a bird had hit the plane.  Luckily, everything was OK and we reached LST (Launceston) on time.  It was cloudy.  We got off the plane using ladders both in front and back exits.  Interstate quarantine meant sniffing dogs were walking around checking our bags.
• Budget car rental was right next to baggage claim.  Rented a Nissan Tiida with 41000 km (with some hatch damage.)and drove 1185 km in 4 days.  It started raining and got worse as we drove.  This was my first experience driving in Australia (on the left side of the road), but having experienced roads in Australia for two weeks made it a bit easier to visualize.  Also, the traffic was so light in Tasmania that it wasn't a big issue for the most part.
• First stop Cataract Gorge - right in downtown, 14 km north of LST airport.  It was raining so there was no one in the park.  Nice quiet place.  Took the longest cable car ride - it was too slow, so we got very wet.  Ditched the return ticket and walked back instead.  Saw a lot of peacocks along the way.  Crossed the bridge and walked back to the car.
• Next, Bakers Beach - about 77 km Northwest of LST, an hour away.  Not much of a beach, but favorite camping and picnic spot.
  - Purchased a Tasmania National Parks Pass - $56 per vehicle (up to eight passengers, valid for up to eight weeks.)  Adjacent Narawntapu NP had walking tracks and abundant wildlife - wombats, wallaby and kangaroos.  Listened to singing frog recording.
• Around 4:30 PM, drove to Cradle Mountains.  Stopped at Latrobe for lunch half an hour later.  Another one hour drive brought us to Cradle Mountain region.  Wanted to go up to the park entrance, but it started raining.  Hotel Cradle Chalet Boutique Luxury Lodge was half an hour before the park entrance.  A separate cottage with own parking spot.  A king bed, spa tub/shower/heat lamps.  Continental breakfast was included.  No dinner unless ordered before 10 am.  So we skipped it.

Tue September 8:

• Cradle Mountain NP - left room at 7:30 and reached park at 8 am.  Park Center opens at 8:30 am.  So we drove on to Dove Lake.  This is the starting point for Overland Track, which runs 65 KM from here to Lake St Clair.
  - The famous Cradle Mountains were beyond the lake - sprinkled with snow from last week and partially shrouded in fog.  We did a two-hour Dove Lake circuit hike - it was very cold and sometimes windy.  Boardwalk most of the way.  Some snow on the ground, water puddles in some places.  Not too many hikers around.
• Left the park at 11 am and drove to Queenstown.  Stopped for a quick lunch (1 to 1:30 PM), filled gas (360 km/28 liters) and then drove to Derwent Bridge.
• Stopped at Nelson Falls on the way.  Wonderful falls at the end of nice boardwalk.  No one was there.
• Further down was Donaghys Hill Nature Trail - supposedly great views but not worth the hike.  So we continued on.
• Went to Lake St Clair visitor center - decided to walk around the next morning.
• Returned to Derwent Bridge Wilderness Hotel, a basic hotel but welcoming host.  Twin beds with electric blanket - shared bedroom, common showers, breakfast included.

Wed September 9:

• Woke up at 7 am, took a shower and had a plentiful breakfast (cereal, toast, eggs, yogurt, fruit, tea/coffee)
• Left at 8:45 am and drove to Lake St Clair Visitor Center.  Hiked around the lake for two hours - to Watersmeet, Platypus Point and End of Overland Track.  Then drove to Hobart - Mt Wellington.
• It was very windy, foggy, cold and drizzly.  Took pictures of snow on top of Mt Wellington.  But there was no view of Hobart to be seen until we drove down below the fog line.  We were merely 10 km from Hobart, where we will overnight tomorrow.
• Drove down to Tahune AirWalk, a steel canopy walkway located in the Tahune Forest area that sits over the banks of the Huon River.  Nice but expensive ($22) views of the surrounding valley and Hartz mountain.  You are 150 ft above in the canopy, but the walk is not anything about the trees.  By itself, this is a good day for picnicking / hiking.
• On the way back, visited falls near the summit of Hartz Mountain.  The road to the summit beyond the Park Entrance was all dirt (or gravel or unsealed) road.  Traffic on that road was giant trucks carrying wood logs.  The road was pretty treacherous - wet and slippery.  Quite unnerving, actually!  From the end of the road, you could hike to the top, but today wasn't a good day for that weather wise.
• Returning to the main road, drove to Dover further south.  The only hotel in town was Dover Hotel which had rooms available.  A$70 - common showers and toilets.  Dinner at the restaurant - our first dinner in Tasmania.  Good meal - sufficient food.

Thu September 10:

• Left Dover around 8 am.  Shared showers was no issue because only two rooms were rented.  Reached Cockle Creek - south-most point of Tasmania (and therefore, Australia.  Still 2000 km from Antarctica though.) in about an hour.
• Nice views along the way.  It was partly sunny - and mostly clear later on.  Only one car had signed in the park register in the past two days - and that was also from CA, USA.  People come here to walk to the South Cape Bay (the same reason we were there.) - the south-most point on the island on foot.  We walked through the woods, and then followed the boardwalk several hundred meters through flatlands, before reaching a hill, just beyond which was the ocean.  That's where we hit the deadend - fallen trees blocking the trail.  Couldn't find any trail around, and so returned disappointed.  We were almost there!
• Drove back up 22 km on gravel road to Southport and had a nice sit down lunch.  Debated between revisiting Mt Hartz (too far inside, climb afterwards to reach the top), Mt Wellington (was clear today vs foggy yesterday, and could drive up to the top, but decided against it), Eaglehawk Neck (something new, but additional 90 km driving - ended up here, a great choice.)
• Tessellated Pavement is an interesting natural phenomenon - a brick-like pavement on the seashore.  Further south 4 km are the Tasman Blowhole, a collapsed cave, Tasman Arch and Devil's Kitchen - all close to each other.  It was late in the day, but there was plenty of light.  There was very little walking and no crowds.  We got some great pictures.
• Fog was rolling in as we drove back to Hobart.  It was getting dark, and headlights were shining in our eyes, making it difficult to drive.  Luckily, we didn't hit any animals (had seen plenty of roadkill in the past three days - poor wallabies.)
• Nearly 200 km to the north is Bicheno, where we could watch Penguin Parade as they return home at dusk and parade back to their nests.  We had already seen one in MEL at Phillip Island Nature Park.
• Filled up gas, reached Hobart.  Stayed at Rydges (best Rydges so far compared to Cairns, Sydney) - we had a suite with one king bedroom, another with two doubles, kitchen, shower. And a nice breakfast included.  Helps to travel during non-peak season.

Fri September 11: 

• No plans for this morning.  Swimming pool wasn't heated and spa was out of order.  It was too cold anyways.  Just had breakfast, showered and headed to the airport for the return trip.  
• During this trip, found out that Rydges provided decent overnight accommodations at a decent price.  Returned the rental car (AU$177 for 4 days during which we drove 1185 km.) Jetstar JQ706 at 12:40 PM brought us back from Hobart (HOB) to MEL.

The Aussie Experience

Things we didn't do:

Due to vast distances and lack of time, we had to take a pass on many things.

• Gold Coast and resort islands (Fraser, Hamilton, Whitsundays) near Brisbane - East coast of Queensland faces the 1600 miles long Great Barrier Reef, which includes 2900 individual reefs and 900 islands, and caters to tourists, honeymooners and wedding parties in style. There are people who explore/scuba dive in different locations - shallow reefs, deep reefs, inner reefs, outer reefs and so on. You can never see them all, and after a while, it would become repetitive I suppose.
• Uluru (The Ayer's Rock) - At the center of the country, and far away from everything else. Aboriginals request you to respect their religious beliefs and not climb this 1200 ft high, city of London sized rock. If not climbing, might as well see it in an IMAX movie - Right?
• Crocodiles in Darwin and elsewhere - not a fan. Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin has shown us plenty of them.
• Swiming with Sharks at Exmouth - wrong season, and too far to north west.
• Canberra - the capital. Built halfway between Sydney and Melbourne because neither wanted the other to become the capital.  Buildings and museums - seen plenty in Washington, DC.
• Travel coast to coast on Road Trains (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_train)
• Travel long distances by trains - this could be fun if you have the time. Backpackers frequently get a three or six month pass for train or bus, which is a very inexpensive way to travel.

Visa to Australia (ETA):

• Tourist visa to Australia from the U.S. and several other countries is available instantly (almost!) and free (almost!) ETA is in fact a registry that is made available by the Australian Immigration to airlines as a proof of visa. There is no stamp on your passport (only arrival and departure stamps,) and there is no charge from the government for the visa.
  - To get the ETA, of course, you have to go through one of the many agencies - mostly from the U.K. - who would charge for their services. Prices vary - so shop around. The lowest I found was USD 12. You fill out the information online and pay, and within 24 hours you get a confirmation email that provides you with the ETA information. No one ever asked us about our ETA, though I would recommend carrying a paper copy of the confirmation email with you.
• Alternatively, you can do it the old fashioned way and send your passport to the Australian Embassy. Allow one month for this process.

Airport Security:

• International security procedures seem to be consistent everywhere (100ml or 3 Oz. liquids, aerosol, etc.) though we didn't have to take off our shoes anywhere.
• Domestic security was just like it was in the U.S. prior to 9/11.  No one asked for our ID at all, and only boarding pass was required at the gates.  Local airlines had strict rules on paper about no change of passenger names within 24 hours of the flight, etc., but anyone could fly with a valid boarding pass and no ID.  Similarly, airlines insisted on the carry-on baggage size and weight limits, as well as the number of pieces of carry-on.  No one seemed to have any problems - even when the flights were full (which all of ours were.)

Language:

• I was prepared for "G'day Mate!" for the entire trip, but most of the times, I was greeted with Good Morning, and only in the rural areas, I was called a Mate - may be 6 times during the entire trip.
• Australian accent was very much influenced by the English/British (Naturally, the Queen is still the head of the Australian Commonwealth. The appointment of the elected Governor is rubber stamped by the Queen - even today.)  Some words are pronounced differently, but understanding wasn't a problem after a day or two.

Driving:

• It takes a while to get used to driving on the other side of the road - especially while turning. My rule was to turn towards Kedar (in the direction of passenger side.)  Getting used to Roundabouts (traffic circles) is tricky.  Even on a major highway, at small crossroads, everyone suddenly gets equal right of way, and that causes traffic on the major road to back up.  However, in general, traffic wasn't a huge problem even in big cities like Sydney and Melbourne.  Everywhere else, it was a non-issue.  

Airline announcements:

While we don't really seem to pay any attention to them, subconsciously we DO listen to the announcements at the airport and on the plane.  Since we are used to a certain way of announcements in the U.S., it sounded funny /different in Australia. For example,

• When paging the last few stragglers to the aircraft, they would announce "Final boarding call. Mr. and Mrs. John Doe, please proceed to Gate XX for your flight XXX to XXXX." - just like we are used to. And then they would add "All other passengers are already on board and they are waiting for you."
• When advising about opening overhead compartments after the flight, rather than "the items may have shifted during the flight," they announce, "the bags may fall on you or other passengers." I suppose that IS true.
• Other popular phrase is "Federal regulations require ..."  They repeat the phrase so many times, from keeping the window shades open during take off and landing, and having the armrest down, in addition to seat belts, seat backs and tray tables.
• Lastly, they make far too many announcements - and long ones at that.  They would advise you that all passengers are on board, about the ground crew, flight crew closing and cross checking doors, and so on. Who cares?

Other Miscellaneous:

• The conservative political party in Australia is called - guess what -"Liberal.' And the liberal party is called "Labor."
• While the Australian road system is very good and similar to the U.S. (on the opposite side of the road, of course), I didn't notice a single traffic light with motion sensors. The lights are timed, so the light remains green even if there are no cars in that direction, and turn signals will change to red even if not all cars have gone through. Annoying.
• To keep speeds and red light runners in check, they supposedly have cameras all over the place.  At least, there are signs to that effect everywhere.  If you are caught, a ticket is mailed to your home address.  No wonder, I didn't see too many traffic cops pulling people over and ticketing for speeding.  In fact, I was concerned that in the 1200 kms I drove in Tasmania, I must have amassed many, many speeding tickets.  Since I haven't received one from the rental company thus far, may be I escaped!
• GPS to the rescue - if you have updated GPS maps, your navigation system alerts you with a beep when approaching a fixed location speed camera (radar detector, of sorts.)  I haven't noticed it in the U.S. Have you?
• Process Excellence / Lean??? - To improve turnaround times at the gates, airlines - Virgin Blue, in particular - has the first 13 rows board and off-board through the jetway.  Back rows are boarded from the rear.  Yes, the back rows do get off the plane faster, but they have to climb down steps at the plane and climb back up to get into the terminal. That can be a pain, because most passengers only have carry-ons, which can be heavy.  Also, since the airlines don't seem to assign front rows to elderly or families with young children, there is always someone from the back of the plane trying to use the jetway in front, and vice versa.  Is there a better way to fill up the planes, faster???