Last hoorah at Wirrimbirra

DAY 20
Location: Campbelltown/Kirrawamba
Temp: 17 C
Weather: Sunny!
Activities: Family outing to Wirrimbirra Flora and Fauna Sanctuary
Accommodation: Last night at the Selby resort

Yes, yes, I'm guilty! I'm writing this almost two months after this day actually happened, but I'll try to report it as accurately as possible.

I believe this morning was the one I joined Paul and his family to their pregnancy check-up at the local hospital. Cath, who has since had a healthy, beautiful little girl! (Congratulations, sweetheart!), was a bit anxious at the time--even impatient to have her baby which I found understandable. This one was her first and apparently the firsts are the trickiest ones, often going past due dates and whatnot.

This hospital trip was particularly educational to me and my host family were all too happy to illuminate the finer details of child birth which I also hope helped keep their minds a little freer of anxiety. Cath and her bub checked out just fine, if a bit late on the due date. I kept wondering what would happen if Cath gave birth while I was there and how I would just be in the way; never mind if I was mentally able to witness a birth. I could have managed house sitting, I think. It really magnified just how hospitable this family was to me. I love you guys!

After the check-up, we debated on what to do. We all went down to a visitor center (I believe) in Campbelltown to come up with some idea of what to do and Cath or Cath's mother picked up a brochure for Wirrimbirra Flora and Fauna Sanctuary which sounded like a lot of fun! They had emu, wallaby, kangaroo, wombat, and dingo exhibits to explore. That would be next on our itenirary.

First we swung around to what I believe was the Campbelltown Arts Centre which showcased the artwork of mental patients at the time. Some of the pieces inspired real base feelings. One that really stood out to me was an image of a single girl with her back to us, standing alone in this swirling vortex of scratchy lines. It won a prize. I agreed with that.

We also visited a modest Chinese garden on the lee side of the arts building which again, reminded me of home. Clean swept zen gardens, oriental buildings, koi fish. It was a lovely place!

Afterward we ran around to McDonalds for dinner (Paul and his were uber generous and treated! Thank you!!) and piled in the car to hit the Wirrimbirra Sanctuary. It was a fun drive too with Paul's family telling me about the board games they liked to play, games I'd never heard of. I enjoyed watching the scenery roll by in that late afternoon

A pair of emu hanging out by the fence line. I half expected to get pecked at.

A couple of wallabies gorging on good eats.

Most of the wallabies scampered out of reach as we walked by. This one leapt off the trail and turned back to watch us.

On the left is the Australian Grey Kangaroo, and on the right is a wallaby! The kangaroo has bigger ears and a bit more of what I consider a 'horse face.' They're also much larger than wallabies. I was ready to box if it came to that.

Here we have a wombat. Or more precisely a wombat's backside. This fella was big! I thought wombats were the size of guinea pigs, but this one was as big as a medium sized dog! Wow!

No, that isn't a burn, etching, or pen marking, this 'scribble' on the tree bark is actually the larva of the aptly named Scribbly Gum Moth that burrows in these Scribbly Gum trees. 

This is the Australia's flower, the Golden wattle!

I really enjoyed the park which was free. They welcome donations of course and I scrounged up a couple gold coins for my contribution. On our way out we chatted with the lady in charge of the place and she spoke of their plans for Wirrimbirra. It was neat to get the insider dish on the park.

The family headed home and we played Skip-Bo, a card game somewhat similar to Uno, well into the night. The game involves closing out 'decks' of cards while trying to block other players from getting rid of their cards--there is a lot of strategy involved and there's a steep learning curve with this family! We had a lot of fun! I was treated to warm coffee and Tim Tams for dessert, so sorry I was slated to leave the next day already.

Gone chasin' waterfalls

DAY 19
Temp: 18 C
Weather: Partly cloudy
Activities: Mount Keira, Six Daughters of the West Wind, the Abbey, Carrington Falls in Jamberoo National Park, the Yellow Sand Road to Belmore Falls and Fitzroy Falls in Morton National Park, Rainforest Loop Walk in Budderoo National Park,
Accommodation: Selby residence 

Contrary to TLC's advice, I did go chasing waterfalls with my host, guide, and cook Paul all over Morton National Park. I think we hit a total of five or six falls by the end of the day in a race against the sun and night chill.

The morning started off leisurely enough with a feast of pancakes, real butter, and sweet maple syrup with homemade ice cream. I thought I could stop at one and ended eating two after all was said and done because it was just that delicious. (Thank you Cath!) Then Paul and I packed up the car for the day's activities including a bodyboard and fins, lunch, water, towels, GPS, and cords, piled in and headed off.

We left around 10:30 a.m. or so and headed down the road toward the national parks, but Paul, being who he is, decided to take a sharp detour to Mount Keira when he pointed it out and I leaned out to see it. We swerved off the main road and drove the winding one up to the peak where I got to take in the sweeping views of Wollongong, its suburbs, and the vast Pacific Ocean. The Wollongong Botanic Garden on the mountain summit was where Paul and his sweet wife had their reception. We did the bush walk to the other lookout and braved the cliffs for another view of Wollongong and its jungles. This spot had several pyramids of sticks in a semi-circle called the "Six Daughters of the West Wind" which was pretty neat. We had a run about race before heading off to the parks.

We rolled along down the highway and off the major road and still in the spirit of that spontaneity we went off to see this quiet little church Abbey. But we stopped on the road when I spoke aloud about the gorgeous trees wearing their fall colors. I haven't seen an autumn in years and Paul pulled off the road right then to let me get some shots and just be out in it. It was lovely! He's very picture happy himself which suits me. We kept on until reaching the Abbey, walked down the colorful path to the craft house and poked around. Lots of religious things around naturally and they did have Paperback products which I love! (But I really have enough notebooks for the moment.)

After the Abbey and its spangled road of color, we continued on to Morton National Park but did yet another spontaneous stop at the Illawarra Tree Top walk--which would have been totally awesome but not for $24. Nah. But the place was very peaceful as it was in the Abbey. So I can claim I've been there but haven't actually gone through it. The pictures of it looked very nice though! We had falls to see anyway.

Having reached the park for Carrington Falls, Paul and I staked camp on a picnic table for a well-deserved lunch around 1:20 p.m. or so. Bringing out the buttered rolls, cheese and assorted vegetables, Paul realized he'd never packed the lunch meat. He tried to palm off the blame on me because I am pretty distracting, but having been blamed for my share of things for simply being a 'Yank,' I finally had my own ammunition. About time. What a ham!

After lunch, we walked along the path to Carrington Falls which was as impressive as it was high--some 98 meters. The falls were full and broad and absolutely  beautiful. Three runners spilling into a single, massive royal. Beautiful. A little chilly with the wind, but Paul and I ran along the path, jumped the fence (Paul had to pull me over, but it worked because he's a giant) and spirited over the rocks above the falls. Paul is crazy--he loves to perch himself over the edge of the rocks, I didn't. Having been silly in the Grand Canyon can humble you. So while he went nuts, I hopped around enjoying the sun and rushing water from a distance.

After Carrington, Paul and I went on through Robertson township hunting for the Fitzroy Falls and ended taking a detour to the Belmore Falls. There were some men putting down some yellow sand to sure up the path, but they were gone when we got back. This place again had the sweeping view but of mountains and country and with the shadows lengthening in the winter sun. We could hear the falls from where we'd entered the walk and went off the track again to enjoy the view before racing off to find the falls. Belmore was not as wide as the Carrington but it tumbled down in two sections--the first dropped into a pool midway down and the second crashed into the beyond because we couldn't see the bottom. Altogether, the falls added up to about 78 meters. Still quite a drop! We literally skipped back to the car. We stopped when we came up to a path of yellow sand and Paul told me to stop. He took a picture and simply said: "Yellow brick road." Indeed, it was my journey through Oz! I asked him if he wanted to be the lion, the tin man or the scarecrow, and I settled on the giant that was also in the story. The big one.

On the way out of Belmore, we crossed a bit of the road where the water spilled over and, feeling a natural high from nature and the power of the waterfalls, I jumped right out of the car and ran down to the water to feel it. To feel that rush the water must feel before taking that plunge. It wasn't as cold as I thought it would be. I'd be excited too.

Winding out of Belmore, we finally reached out intended destination at the Fitzroy Falls around 4:10 or so. It cost us a gnarly $3 to park (I really think we could have beat any parking lot police roaming about in our brief tour), and we went through the visitor's center and its restaurant to reach the path--a quick 150 meters later we were standing over the falls on this wooden platform. I'll admit I shrank from the edge because this platform was precariously perched right over the edge. We tossed some eucalyptus leaves over the side to watch them flutter and I lost my nerve and edged back. Respect. But these falls were lovely too! Solid as it crumbled over the edge.

We saw there were a few more falls not too far down the path (about 1200 meters) and beat out way down the well-groomed path. We came across a local and her sister touring the area and I volunteered Paul to take their picture together, which he did, then they offered to get a shot of us. We kept them company all along the way to the Twin Falls, which were separated by some stretch of rock wall, chatted a bit with our new friends, then took off at a run to get back to the car. I took the lead leaving Paul to puff and heave in my wake and slowing only until we reached an upward section of stairs. Stairs. We ran a good distance and took the rest of the walk at a fast step as the sun set.

Settled back in the car, Paul drove us back--stopping only to get gas--and got us home. I had a proper sandwich then as I was very hungry from the lunch we'd had hours ago. This was to tide me over as we waited for the homemade pizza Paul made us. I caught up with Cath and his mother Laurice while we all waited for the grub that was totally worth the wait. Cath popped in a video where we watched Paul and a group of folks under the power of Steven Spellmaster. It was quite funny to say the least. I choked on my pizza at one point. We each got a whole pizza. I got onion, bell pepper, chicken, cheese, and spices and it was absolutely delicious! So delicious that I ate the whole thing but for one slice.

I meant to stay up to watch Ocean's Eleven since I've never seen it, but as midnight rolled around, I was done. Completely done. I went through my night routine and dropped off to bed immediately after a full day of adventure! Whew!    

Easy day in an easy way

DAY 18
Location: Cambelltown
Temp: 17 C
Weather: Sunny
Activities: Walking the Noorumba Reserve, shopping general relaxation
Accommodation: Same house

A bit more of a relaxing day today.

I still slept in until 8:30 a.m., tumbled out of bed, and had some simple tea and toast with Laurice, waiting for the others to rise and shine. It was an unhurried morning of talk and discussion. After everyone had eaten, we drove down to the nearby reserve to go on a morning walk through the bush. The monstrous ant hills were a little unnerving, but there were a couple peaceful billabongs along the way. I got some lessons in the local flora and chewed on some tree sap that didn't really taste like much but had a chewiness to it. I spent a good deal of the walk subtly trying to spit out what had stuck to my teeth.

After the nice walk, we edged back toward the house and settled in for a cooked lunch of wings and chips and salad. I chowed down because YAY real food!

A little time after lunch, we went to the MacArthur shopping complex nearby to check out the dollar store for any more souvenirs I might need and just window shop. But I also got the opportunity to purchase some food stuffs I might use later for snacking--which I will probably save for the flight back as I'm being fed proper now. Then we headed back home!

One of Paul's friends came over as we settled into a game of Skip-Bo, a type of card game I've never played before, and we all got introduced before returning to it as we waited for dinner to finish. I didn't do too well in the game as I grappled with strategy--losing my usual chance at beginner's luck. We, Paul's wife and I, gave up as dinner came to the table.

Tucking in to a pasta, I ate my fill and kept up with the general conversation.

The easy morning went into an easy night--another late night for me as I'm still behind in my blog by a day!--trying to catch up. I'll keep you posted.

Sydney Writer's Festival

DAY 17
Location: Sydney
Temp: 21 C
Weather: Sunny!
Activities: Sydney Writer's Festival and meeting Paul!
Accommodation: A real house

I meant to attend the writer's festival at 9 a.m., but with having to checkout, store my bag, and get to the free shuttle to Circular Quay--which doesn't even start until 9:30 a.m., I was running to class late.

I indulged in a rather large apple cinnamon danish for breakfast to keep me going, unsure what to expect on the other side of the bus ride. I had a general idea of where I was going, but not precisely sure where the meetings would actually take place. All I could do was head for the Piers.

I wanted to attend the "Coffee and Papers with the Sydney Morning Herald" from 9 - 10 --one which I completely missed unfortunately. I would have liked to rub elbows with some Aussie journalists. By the time the bus turned up around 9:48, drove the loop, and I still had to walk to the Piers on the west side of the Harbour Bridge (a good fifteen minute walk from the stop), I'd missed it. Ah well.

The first of my four classes on the schedule was "Fantastical Tales" and started at 10. I hurried through the streets in a northwesterly direction where I knew the Piers to be and, ducking through one suspicious narrow alley, I came out on the other side to see the orange and white banners proclaiming I was in the right place. Now, where to go? I headed across the street toward the Piers and looked and asked and eventually found my way to the Philharmonia Studio where the  I think I ran in around 10:30 a.m. or so and was lucky to find a seat. The 'class' mostly consisted of three female authors sharing about their books and why fantasy is so important in the modern day as a means of escape, to enter the world of the other, or simply love of story. It was interesting and once again turned the flame of my desire to be published on high, but I also could see it was half a pitch of these authors' books. Fair enough. I was granted inspiration nonetheless.

The 'bell rang' and we were released to move onto the next venue and was the place crowded! I was elbow to elbow, shoulder to shoulder trying to work my way through to Pier 4/5 and stand in line for the "Research and Writing." It really did feel like being back in high school or college as all of us rushed to get to our respective classes. I spoke with a bloke from Sydney who had attended the festival the day prior and he admitted he was a bit disappointed with the workshop but hoped today would be better as he was working on a screenplay with his son. This vaulted us into a long-winded exchange about writing and travel and weather and everything you can talk about in the half hour we waited for the 11:30 class to start. Unfortunately, my new friend and I were in the 15 or so sectioned off in standing room only. (That's just how packed this place was.) And I did stand expecting to learn about research on writing. To my not-so-surprised expectation, it was another series of book pitches rather than tips and tricks on the art of interview and research to uncover details about writing books. Also, this particular venue was more geared toward Non-Fiction. Understandable, but I was still hoping to hear a bit more in the way of actually going about gathering research rather than "I interviewed X people about my story and this and that happened" anecdotes. Again, interesting, but more of a book pitch. All female writers again. While the floor opened up to questions I slipped out to get lunch as it was about 12:20 p.m. by this time.

I hurried on my way to snag lunch as when I wanted to before the research class the line was horrendous, now there was none! I had banana bread for lunch. Sweets and reads. I would need something of real sustenance later.

I stood in line for my next class "The Art an Pleasure of Reading" at 1 p.m. back at the Philharmonia Studio. I stood there a good half hour roasting in the sun and picking through the brochures I'd collected over the course of the day until they finally let us in to sit. MORE book pitches, but this venue was a bit more informal with the authors jabbing and sparring a bit with each other all in good fun as they discussed why reading was so important to them. I didn't take away too much from this one either--they unearthed philosophies and beliefs that I've thought of myself at some point. But the male author actually did a hilarious reading of Goldfinger; Ian Fleming's not as great a writer as I once thought. Huh.

Afterward, I wanted to try and find a class with practical application discussing dynamic main characters but I simply could not find where they were supposed to meet! The 2/3 Pier just seemed to open to nothing even as 2 p.m. rolled by. So, having to meet my Aussie friend Paul from way back at 4, I promptly gathered up my things and hurried back to the Museum of Contemporary Art to check out the MCA Zine fair. It was a collection of basically mini magazines printed and put together for a small fee, but having spent a great deal of coin yesterday, I wasn't disposed toward spending more on these...unusual pieces. I did get one free and went away with it. I would have checked out the DYI zine table if I'd had a bit more time, but ended up moving on to eat a proper late lunch.

It was 2:30 or so by now and I walked to the McDonalds to grab a bite only to see the lines out the door. I went to the Hungry Jacks (Burger King) across the street and stood in line a full minute before deciding I really didn't want to eat a burger at all and I walked right out of line again, peered around the corner, and spied the free 555 line loading people. I sprinted across the street for the bus. Leaping into the doors I snagged an open seat and we were off.

I wasn't quite sure where I needed to stop the bus, still being new to the city and riding the bus back in this direction for the first time, I had to pull out my tourist map and really watch the streets. But I did find the right one, snuck off, found a Subway up the street and bought a sandwich to stuff in my mouth, recall my bag from WakeUp!'s free day storage, and get back on the bus to Circular Quay to get to the Opera House (again) to meet Paul. I swear, I can't get away from the Opera House and frankly, I don't mind it. I loved being there.

So I sat in the hallowed halls of the house and waited to hear from my friend online so that we might finally meet face to face. He dropped me a line and I went outside to find him. I looked and looked and finally he decides to walk up to me with the gall to tell me I'm super tourist and 'easy to find' while I gawked up at this giant of a man. I hadn't expected Paul to be this monster guy.

We chatted a bit on the steps to the Opera House before moving on to board a train, which I stumbled with trying to feed the ticket into the machine, but eventually figured it out. As I have with most of this journey through Oz. The train came, we stopped off at Kingsgrove, disembarked about twenty minutes later. Then we took a walk through the park along this waterway and drove a long way out of Sydney, while still being in Sydney, to a suburb of Sydney where Paul lives. I got to meet his lovely family who welcomed me with open arms. Honestly, I was shocked to even be granted this immense show of generosity with Paul's wife clearing 40 weeks of pregnancy! I fully didn't expect to be extended a place to stay in so tense a time! But I was given bed and bath and food. FOOD. REAL FOOD! I'm finally eating properly and there's nothing greater than a home cooked meal. Perhaps second only to a hot shower. Wow.

I stayed up later than I meant chatting with Paul's in-laws, lovely folk, but eventually got to bed under a heap of blankets because yes, it is cold!!! But they had the foresight to give me plenty of blankets. I used every one. Fed, warm and happy, I had no trouble going to sleep. A real proper sleep what I haven't had in a long time!

Sydney, Sydney, Sydney!

DAY 16
Location: Sydney
Temp: 22 C to 16 C
Weather: Glorious sunshiny day
Activities: Paddy's Market, Chinese Garden of Friendship (from the outside), Harbourside, Sydney's Visitor Center, Sydney Opera House for Henry 4 play, Royal Botanical Gardens, Vivid Lights show, long walk home
Accommodation: WakeUp!

It's already been an adventure since I boarded the bus from Newcastle that would take me to Sydney.

The two-and-a-half hour ride was perhaps my shortest drive between cities and my head was twisting left and right for the last half hour as we snaked our way into Sydney. I spied this massive blue bridge that simply could not be any other than Harbour Bridge in the distance, and I hoped beyond hope that we would cross it. We did. And I picked the right seat because I saw the Sydney Opera House there flashing her brilliant Vivid Live show colors before Sydney Harbor. To say my excitement was through the roof would be an understatement. This sprawling city is huge. I tried to remember a store or two that might capture my interest, but quickly lost their location as we dove into the concrete jungle.

But as soon as we crossed the bridge, the rain started. Heavy rain, pouring rain, chilling rain, and I knew I was going to have to walk in yet another 'pissing down' downpour to find my hostel--in the dark--as our bus pulled up to the major transit station in Sydney Central. All I knew was I had to go left once I got off. I proceeded left and hugged the building as long as I could before being forced out into the rain, hunting and hunting for Wakeup! I found the Sydney Central hostel right away, directly across from the transit center and knew my hostel was just up the street...somewhere. It was hard to see through the rain. At nearly midnight. Avoiding being completely soaked by all the traffic.

I reached the end of the street, dripping with cold, and couldn't locate Wakeup! And ultimately decided to go back to the Sydney Central I saw to ask for directions. But as I walked up the street, I saw the Wakeup banners lining the corner building and realized I'd stumbled upon it. I took shelter in one eave next to one girl and asked how to get in. "You want to go in?" She swiped her magnetic card and away I went--grateful to finally be out of the rain.

I got checked in and secured my key, a map, and vouchers for the local Side Bar on the bottom floor, and proceeded up to my 8-bed dorm.

A bunch of noisy kids, was the first thing that popped up into my mind when I entered, which either betrays my age or my exhaustion at this point as these barely out of high school kids watched videos on their devices and pumped music right there in this high-ceiling room. I dropped my stuff and promptly went to shower, planning how I could be just as inconsiderate in the morning as they were being now, but came back to a dark room. Shocked, but not complaining, I went right to sleep!

I set my alarm for 7 a.m. but didn't actually roll out of bed until 8, figuring the free bus around town didn't even pick up folks until 9:30. Besides, I had a few hours before I had to appear at the Opera House to catch my show. The weather showed mercy on me and the sun beat away the clouds. Though it was still a crisp morning, it would eventually be a warm day!

I walked out with my map securely stowed and headed for Chinatown, where I knew I could purchase the things I wanted on the cheap. Paddy's Market was a godsend. I'm so glad I waited until Sydney to buy any souvenirs. I got some clothes, some toys for friends, postcards, etc, and didn't break my wallet doing so--so that was great! I did get suckered into a massage by one of the Chinese guys though and wish I'd been more firm about my position--that cost me a fast $20! I continued on to check out what else was nearby as I headed up Harbour St. (Sydney is very good about having maps of where you are and persuaded me to continue onward) until I came across the Chinese Garden of Friendship.

Turns out you can put a price on friendship. Still stinging from the massage fare, I rejected the garden admission and checked out the Sydney Visitor Information Center and Harbourside instead, where I found out about the Vivid Lights show and fireworks that would be hosted right there at Harbourside this evening. Glad now to see an early show at the opera, I checked the time and had to beat back to the hostel to change into proper opera attendance clothes.

I grabbed McDonalds for lunch (should have been $3 something instead of $5.50! AHH!), ate to the brazen leer of a particularly hungry and large ibis, and hurried back to the hostel to change. It was almost 11:30 a.m. by this time and my show was scheduled for 1 p.m.

Back out the door, I made my way to the free shuttle stop, the green 555 bus, and struck up conversation with my fellow passengers while we waited. A pair of ladies were headed to this conservation type of event and I shared I was going to the opera house for a show. They were as excited as I was! They hopped off the bus which granted me some time to make certain of where I was and get off at the right place, but I didn't need to really study my map as half the bus passengers got up at the Circular Quay.

I headed directly for the Sydney Opera House and had to swallow a squeal when the pretty little thing came into view. I took my pictures and made for the box office only to be told I had to go downstairs to the playhouse. I wanted so vainly to have attended an opera while I was here. "Carmen" was on last month and a rendition of Beethoven's symphony was last week. I tore my hair for missing both. But hey, a modernized version of Shakespeare's beloved work isn't too shabby either! I got downstairs and secured my ticket then went to sit and use the opera house's convenient free WiFi to boast precisely where I was and what I had planned on Facebook, before the theater opened.

I got in somewhat early and found my seat with no problems--looking out on a stage set with a jukebox, double car seat bench, cheap plastic furniture, and a giant Union Jack made of colored plastic crates--until I watched in dumbfounded awe as the theater filled. Who says theater is dead? I think only the last two rows had a few seats left open, otherwise the theater was full! Full!

Henry 4 was a bit surprising because while it's set in a modern time, the language was still Shakespeare. I really had to buckle down and listen in the first ten minutes to get fluent in that old dialect again, but I was rolling with the audience in no time; at once funny and profound, as with most works from the immortal bard. It was a three-and-a-half hour show with a 20 minute intermission, and the time just flew by. The actors did a wonderful job in their roles , though one of the characters was so "British" in her speech, I didn't catch a meaning in any of her garbled speak. "The rascal blurdy blur twixt a cockney gurdy goo" and so on. But yes, it was a nice show and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon!

By the time the show ended around 4:50 p.m. the sun was already on its way down and I still wanted a picture of the opera house and the Harbour Bridge together, so I practically ran around the Royal Botanical Gardens to get the shot, ducking and shooting between pedestrians to beat the shadows as I watched the horizon line climb the skyscrapers. It's a bit dark, but I did get my picture and made a more leisurely way back the way I'd come. I veered off the path to get a few photos of the gardens and was forced to boomerang my way back to the opera house--which I have been unable to leave since I arrived. In encroaching darkness, I saw the full moon rise off the opposite horizon of the sunset and felt a real sense of completeness at so simple a phenomenon. I arrived at the new moon now here at the end of my journey was the full. Never mind that solar eclipse right at the start. I accept your blessings heavens!

I started to make my way back to the bus stop to get back to Harbourside for the show, only to see a mass of people lined up against the railing along the harbor. Now what could they possibly all be here for? Oooh, the Vivid Lights of Sydney! And I paused. Pictures of the harbor and opera house would look way cooler than anything Harbourside would have to offer. And, accepting I would miss the last free bus at 6 p.m., I turned back to find a space along the rapidly filling rail.

I stood around a good half hour until 6 p.m. and watched the light show consume the city skyscrapers, the P&O Cruise ship and the Opera House and I knew I'd made the right decision. I watched the opera house loop (about 10 or 15 minutes) and went inside to locate the Bistro Mozart I'd read about for dinner. Going for the gusto, I ordered lamb rump (which I never eat) and happily had vegetables for a side, and a glass of cabernet sauvignon for a treat. I seriously have dropped more money in Sydney in one day than I have in the last week. I can calm down tomorrow though at the Sydney's Writer's Festival since all of those events are free. The bus is free! I just need to eat eventually.

But wow. One day in SYDNEY and the world's your oyster!

Nuances of Newcastle

DAY 15
Location: Newcastle
Temp: 15 C--Feels like 8 C with wind chill
Weather: Partially cloudy, raining, windy as all get out!
Activities: Newcastle ocean baths, Hunter Street Mall, West Newcastle, Civic Park, Queen's Warf Tower
Accomodation: WakeUp!

I actually did get the 4-bed dorm to myself last night! And, since it was a quiet, restful night, I didn't feel all that rushed to hurry out of the room. Having paid for some net access, I updated a few things before leisurely eating breakfast (back to my meager fruit bar ration), getting ready, packing up, and checking out. I dumped my bag in the day storage and finally walked about this unorthodox YHA. It really is like an old English school, complete with dorms, communal bathrooms and showers, fireplace commons, huge common area with pool table, computer lab, kitchen. All it needs are the classrooms. Even the furniture here screams Ye Olde English pub.

Having my fill, I walked out of the YHA and into the wind. The kind of wind that you can lean into with some force and not fall flat on your face. Mean wind.  Vengeful blustering gales. Good morning to you too, Newcastle!

I made my way to the beach and the ocean was all whitewater; just rabid with froth as the wind whipped the seas to the shore. The cloud I saw roiling in was actually saltspray. But with the sun on my back I pressed on past the empty skate park, the crumbling cliffside, and down to the ocean baths carved especially for this navy rear admiral. I didn't even know they were there and stumbled upon them while watching the furious sea pound its breakers on the rocks below. I was at least twenty feet up from the rocks, but the waves exploded up to where I was standing. I got wet. It was amazing!

My eye on the threatening rainclouds out to sea, I beat a retreat back up the coast and wandered into to town for lunch. I went up and down Hunter Street Mall in search of a bite and passed a place called One Penny Black; this coffee shop with a lot of character. I passed it twice and found I kept coming back to it. Before I could walk in though, the petite woman ahead of me commented about the clothes on the street and I remarked I couldn't afford them and she knew instantly I was foreign and extended a formal greeting. Nice lady, but she made me think of a witch. A nice witch! Is that awful? She was very kind though and we parted on good terms as I doubled back to the One Penny Black for an apple-soaked-in-blueberry danish and a moccha: $10. INSANE!

The nice thing about Hunter Street is the city provides two hours of free WiFi! So I posted several backlogged pictures of my journey to Facebook, checked mail, etc. All the my heart's content, before moving on to find the local Woolworth's for a cheap lunch and to pick up some incidentals that I'd run out of. (Floss and shampoo among them.)

It was a good twenty minute walk to West Newcastle but I walked past Civic Park, the Newcastle Council building, and a bunch of other shops. Hunting for some travel-sized goods (and finding none) I ran into the witch lady again! It's a small Australia indeed. We chatted about sports awhile, surprisingly she's a fan of some American tennis players, before parting again and I walked back to Civic Park to eat yet another bag of Caesar. A sharp whistle on my left announced  the intentions of a hungry local bird as it eyed me and my lunch. It pecked around my feet for some old chips and I watched in a removed bemusement as it hopped beneath my legs and back again. Fearless.

After lunch, I returned to Hunter Street to eat up my free WiFi minutes and this homeless guy came to sit next to me on the bench. He carried a smoke, a guitar and a drink--which I thought was illegal in Australia--drinking in public like that. And it seemed he was already drunk. He played me a song when I asked him about the guitar, something by Neil Diamond, and I played an Irish song for him and then he begged me to give him a kiss. Really? He hadn't kissed a girl in six months. Can't help you there, partner. He was extremely insistent and I took that as my sign to leave--which I promptly did. All righty then, Newcastle, what else you got for me?

I went up and over the street to the Queen's Warf Tower, found it open, and climbed up the 30 meters to get a panoramic bird's eye view of the city. It also took me out of the beating, relentless wind and I had the tower to myself for the entire time I was up there. The whole thing swayed because of the wind though, which was a bit unnerving--and probably the reason why I was the only one there! It served as my refuge for a good long while before the setting sun prompted me to come back down and start walking back to the YHA. The wind swept me right back into a chill as I walked along the harbor and finally back to the YHA.

It was a full day of walking and sights and tonight I catch the late bus to Sydney. The last!

Wandering Coffs bluffs and the road to Newcastle

DAY 14
Location: Coffs Harbour/Newcastle
Temp: 20 C
Weather: Beautiful clear morning, to rainy afternoon.
Activities: Walk to Muttonbird Island, and another long bus ride
Accommodation: YHA Newcastle

I got up late in attempt to recover from the evening prior but remembered I still needed to check out. It was 8:30 a.m. and I woke my roommates, my two new French friends, just before 9 to give them a running start as well. I packed up and went to the kitchens to eat where I ran into my Japanese friend and we ate breakfast together. I now had toast and he shared his butter and milk. These guys, they were just so great!! I gave them some momentos from Hawaii and they loved them.

I gave my friends hugs and said I hoped to see them in the islands someday before going to check out.

Thank God I had the milk because I went on quite a walk to Muttonbird Island on the far end of Coffs Harbour. The morning was beautiful and I wasn't about to waste this little blessing after the inclement weather yesterday. So I took off down the road around 9:30 a.m. or so, walked through the park, over the Coffs Stream, through the south part of the park and through the boating harbor to the island. The ascent was pretty verticle but manageable and I walked over this narrow brick trail hunting for Shearwater birds, only to learn they'd all gone for the year. But the whales would be here instead. I followed the path until it ended on the very eastern end of the island in an overlook. I watched the waves crash on the rocks awhile before going to sit on the bench and debate whether to buy lunch here or get it somewhere during the bus ride at 2:00 p.m.

I spotted a puff white over the sea in the distance and there were whales breaching out there! They were breaching like crazy! Every few seconds I'd see a body and a splash of white. It was neat to watch even though it was a little hard to see since they were so far out. I frowned on a fishing boat spying the commotion and arcing toward the gentle giants. I headed up and out of the island then and back on the far side I saw the boat had reached the spot the whales were playing, but the whales were no longer breaching. So fishing boat, take a cue and leave the whales alone--you ruined their fun with your noisy dingy.

I wandered back and at around 1:20 p.m. I popped into the reception to see if the man in charge was ready to take me back to the bus station. He told me to come back in 15 minutes and I went to the restaurant in the corner where I asked the girl at the counter if she could have a meal out in short order. When did I have to leave? I had 10 minutes to eat lunch. Yeah, I knew it was impossible, but she stopped me and pulled a chicken parmigini off the line and pushed it into my hands where I thanked her profusely for allowing me to cut ahead of the waiting lunch pack like that.

I tucked in to my meal, grateful to eat something instead of hoping for the best and cleaned my plate. Then I headed back to reception where Frank was ready and out we went to the stop. I inquired a bit about the money woes he seemed to be having and he told me about his grand designs for the Howie Mowie. I'm not normally all that interested in business, but his ideas were fascinating.

I thanked Frank for the ride because it was pretty far from the hostel and lugged my things down the walk to drop them next to the other backpacker waiting for the bus. It had been late yesterday, it certainly would be again today. And it was by 45 minutes. But I was fed and made a friend, so I'm not complaining.

The bus was supposed to show at 2, it came at 2:45 p.m. and we piled in for the long haul to Newcastle due to arrive at 9:10 p.m. We stopped at a BP for a dinner break and I got a burger. I just wanted some meat to tide me over to tomorrow, and I sat down with my friend from the bus stop to eat where a new girl joined us and I discovered we were both going to the same hostel. Sweet! I didn't have to walk Newcastle alone at night!

Despite the delay, we actually reached Newcastle on time and didn't quite know which way to go. I went over to some backpackers down the way to ask directions and they pointed us down one street. My Netherland friend and I went that way and could not find the street, but some guy walking up the street asked us if we were lost and led us to a hostel on Pacific St, where I knew the hostel was located. But we went in and the guy at the counter said this was not the YHA and directed us a little further up the street. We finally found it, yay! Normally I would have been agitated by the whole thing, but I just rolled with it, surprised and happy to have received so much willing help.

This YHA is cool! It's like this old English style school building! I was supposed to be in a 6-share, but got upgraded to a 4--and there's NO one here but me! I might actually have the place to myself tonight. Yeah! I'm really excited to check out Newcastle tomorrow. I'm glad I cleared up some time in my schedule to get a rough n' tough idea of the place before hitting Sydney.