Australian Overland Adventure

We had such an amazing overland trip in Australia – a truly worthwhile side trip! We sailed into Sydney Harbour early on the morning of March 13^th and docked between the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge – the perfect spot to dock considering that is pretty much all we got to see of Sydney! I was a little nervous because I had been told there were 13 people going on the trip, flying on March 13^th to Ayers Rock, and when we checked in at the airport we discovered that our flight was leaving from.....gate 13!!! Happily a head count revealed that we were a group of 15 plus our guide, Anne. Whew! As we were landing at the airport near Ayers Rock we got some fabulous views of The Olgas (Kata Tjuta) and of the Rock (Uluru) itself. Our guide told us that the first thing we were going to want to do at the hotel complex would be to buy ourselves a fly net, and we discovered why within two minutes of deplaning.....the flies in Australia's interior are insane! They are literally everywhere, and without the fly net you would go absolutely bonkers. Our hotel rooms weren't ready when we arrived, so we headed off immediately for a tour out to Kata Tjuta, and then to Ayers Rock. We caught a break with overcast skies, so we didn't bake to death...yay! The scenery was stunning and the rock formations very impressive – everything was so red! Ayers Rock was constantly changing colours, even without the sun beating down on it. Because of the threatening rain our buffet dinner under the stars out at Ayers Rock was cancelled, but we ended up going to a local restaurant where we got to try kangaroo and crocodile. The crocodile was delicious, and honestly actually does taste very much like chicken! We were also very thrilled with our hotel room – so much space after being cooped up on the ship for the last two 7 weeks! We almost didn't know what to do with ourselves!

Day 2 found us back out at the Rock for a talk given by one of the local aboriginal women. Her husband then demonstrated how to use a spear thrower, and we were given time to tour the cultural centre and to shop for some souvenirs. We then hit the road for the drive to Alice Springs where we got to view the ever-changing scenery. We saw some wild camels running alongside the road and stopped at a camel farm where we got to see an emu, a dingo and some wallabies – so cute! We also watched a very interesting documentary about a grouping of kangaroos which then led to tears (on my part) when one of the young ones was killed by dingos. Too sad for my vacation! We checked into another very lovely hotel and then dined at The Overlanders Steakhouse where we were forced to act as part of the evening's entertainment by using wobble boards and singing Australian songs, complete with hand actions – great fun was had by all!

Day 3 we got to sleep in – Happy Birthday to me! After a leisurely morning we headed to the Alice Springs Desert Park where we were set loose to wander. The sun finally came out today, so we were sweating it out, coated in suntan lotion. Now THIS was how I had imagined Australia to be! We were able to see some kangaroos and all kinds of interesting creatures in the nocturnal house, including the thorny devil, my new favourite kind of lizard. Our next stop was at the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, which reminded me so much of what I do back home I almost felt like I was back at work! Finally if was off to the airport where we said goodbye to our bus driver Adam and caught our flight to Cairns. Our hotel in Cairns was lovely, situated right on the waterfront, and the view from our balcony was wonderful. We had dinner in the hotel restaurant, and despite the unbelievably slow service (3 hours for dinner!) the food was fantastic. The group surprised me with a candle in my dessert, a birthday card and a gift, and they sang Happy Birthday to me – so sweet!

Day 4 was a lot of fun. Despite news of an approaching cyclone we were given the go-ahead to venture out to the Great Barrier Reef. Mum decided she had best stay behind as the trip out was supposed to be quite rough – good choice on her part! At least half of the boat was sick on the trip out to the pontoon, including several people who claim to never get seasick. I felt perfectly fine and I sat up top getting soaked by the spray and by passing showers. It was rough when we first got out to the pontoon, but it quieted down some after lunch. The sun came out and I took a ride in the semi-sub to get a better look at the reef. I then spent most of the afternoon swimming and snorkeling, which was amazing! There was so much to see and the fish were so bright and so close. I even saw some jellyfish. Truly an excellent way to spend the day! The trip back in was almost as rough, and I was soaked from head to toe by the time we arrived back at the harbour, but I didn't care! After a wardrobe change back at the hotel our group walked down to a restaurant on the waterfront. Mum spent her day shopping in Cairns and doing some clothes ironing of all things – not exactly my idea of fun, but she enjoyed herself!

Day 5 was another truly excellent day. We took the train from Cairns up into the rainforest to the town of Kuranda. The train ride up was a lot of fun, and the views were spectacular. We saw several waterfalls (which I love!) and got some great views down over Cairns. We spent some time shopping in the village and just looking around. I bought some gorgeous coasters that I hope will make it back to Canada in one piece! On our walk to the skyrail station for our trip back down we got caught in a downpour – I never really imagined Australia as being so wet! We then took cable cars back down the mountain, stopping at a couple of different stations for a nature walk and a view of Barron Falls. I saw some GIANT spiders that looked like the rubber spiders we used to play with as children....gives me the shivers just to think about them! Once again we had amazing views over the rainforest and down into Cairns. When we were all safely back on the ground we proceeded to Tjapukai Cultural Centre where we had lunch and then met our guide, Colin. After Colin painted our faces we walked across the bridge into the cultural village where he told us how to make a didgeridoo and then played one for us. An aboriginal girl then talked to us about traditional medicine. We were then taken to another area where we were shown how to throw boomerangs and spears. It turns out that I am awesome at throwing a boomerang – far better than anybody else in our group! I was invited to join the tribe based on my amazing skill – luckily the invitation was issued before I tried to throw a spear because I confess I am not great at that! With that our visit was pretty much done, and it was back across the bridge (where we saw a bunch of turtles sticking their heads out of the water!) for a video presentation and a stop in their gift shop, and then we drove back to the hotel. As soon as we entered the lobby we ran into our friend Ted Curtis who traveled up to Cairns from Sydney to see us – so good to see a familiar face! We had coffee and made plans to spend some time together the next day. After dinner at a restaurant specializing in aboriginal cuisine mum and I accompanied another group member to the night market to help him find the perfect boomerang. He eventually found one that satisfied him, and then it was back to the hotel.

Day 6 we were basically free to do what we wanted. The ship sailed into Cairns at about 7:00 am. We had breakfast at the hotel with Ted and then our group was taken to the ship so we could drop off all of our luggage. This also meant that it was time to say goodbye to our guide Anne, who was truly wonderful. She took such good care of us, and she knew everything about everything. We found out we had the same taste in movies and music, so she gave me a list of Australian movies to watch and I gave her the names of some bands for her to listen to. This whole trip turned out to be so much fun, and all of our group members were so nice and got along so well. Really it was a wonderful break from the ship – it was nice to just have our small little group, much more intimate. After dropping our stuff in the cabin, we walked back to the infinity pool on the Esplanade to meet Ted. We walked up into the main shopping district and had lunch at a wonderful Greek restaurant, and then did a bit of shopping at the mall. After a final coffee we made our way back to the ship where we said our fond farewells, and then it was back to our home away from home. It's a little sad to be leaving Australia behind, but what a wonderful trip!