Thursday 8th December 1994
Weather: 7C, wet, windy.
David and Lindsey picked us up at 0730. I thought it was only 0645, as Martin had taken the batteries out of the clocks, so I had a little panic. Every thing was secure, a quick double check and off we go! The traffic was very busy and quite slow. We arrived at Heathrow at 0910. David, Lindsey and Stephanie dropped us off and went to park the car. Martin and I took the bags and went to check in. Unfortunately without Stephanie we couldn't check in, so Martin went off to find her. Mum and Peter turned up to say goodbye. Martin returned with Stephanie and we went to check in again.
The QANTAS ground stewardess asked us if we had any gas bottles in our luggage, to which the answer was "yes". We had a gas bottle for my hot brush, which we hadn't packed properly, so we had to open our case and re-pack the brush. Finally we weighed our bags in and off they went.
As everyone was up early, we all decided to go and get some breakfast. David had a full breakfast. Mum and Peter had a bacon sandwich. Martin, Stephanie, Lindsey and I all had croissants and jam, followed by a nice cup of tea.
We said our goodbyes, then Martin, Stephanie and I went air-side at 1015. There were loads of shops' air-side. We bought Jeans perfume, and some sweets for the flight. We sat and waited keeping our eyes on the flight schedule monitors. Then at 1130 our flight number appeared. Gate No. 21 was open. We walked up the travelators to gate 21 and boarded our plane. It was a QANTAS 747-400. We had seats row 51 A, B, and C, right next to the window. Stephanie chose the window seat, with our bags all stowed and our seat-belts fastened we were ready for takeoff! We all had a pre-flight drink, apple juice, and then TAKE OFF.
Stephanie's and my stomach felt a little ikky, but once we had levelled out at 37,000 feet, our tummies settled. We settled down for the long flight, reading our books and watching our progress on the video screen, which showed our height, distance from departure, and hours to destination. The first movie was "The Scout" it was a bit boring, but they have to cater for all tastes.
After a while you could smell the dinner being prepared, the stewardesses never seemed to stop. Our meal was a mixed salad for starter, followed by beef stroganoff or chicken stir fry, served with rice or tagliatelle, broccoli and carrots, with a roll and butter. Then for sweet we had black cherry pie with cream, cheese and biscuits, with tea or coffee. It was nice and hot, just the right amount and very tasty.
The next filmwas"Andre"it was a lovely film about a seal called Andre. Stephanie loved it, peace for a couple of hours. After the movie we had tea and cake. It was now time for a little nap. Stephanie was so full of beans that none of us got any sleep. After about 6 hours of sitting I became a little uncomfortable. There was no getting away from it I had to use the loo. They are very small and very noisy, but I didn't get locked in so all was OK.
Next we had breakfast, strawberry yoghurt, fresh fruit salad, chicken sausages, hash browns, with mushrooms in a tomato sauce; a roll and strawberry jam, tea or coffee and orange juice. As we neared Bangkok, we saw the sun rising. The sky was aglow with reds and oranges. The stewards brought round fresh face flannels so we could freshen up prior to landing. Finally we landed. It was fast, but smooth, and very noisy. The flight took us over Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, then finally to Thailand, taking a total of 10 1/2 hours and covering 9546 Km.
Friday 9th December 1994
Weather: 24C, sunny, humid.
The time was 0045 GMT and 0745 local time. We only had an hour here, so it was a mad dash across to the other side of the airport, via the loos. It was very hot and humid, glad we were not staying long. At 0815 our gate was open, gate 23, here we go again! At 0845 our plane, a 767, was ready for take off. This time we had centre seats; row 44 D, E, F. The take off was a bit bumpy. Goodbye Thailand.
We settled down for the remainder of the flight. A drink from the bar, followed by another movie "It could have happened to you" It was quite funny. We had another breakfast; tropical fruit cocktail, peach yoghurt, chipolatas with spinach and leek quiche, bread roll, jam and butter, fresh orange, champagne and tea. We managed a little nap, then the stewardess woke us for yet another meal. This time it was lunch, chicken and cucumber salad, stir fried rice, prawns and noodles or roast turkey breast with apricot, served with braised leek and carrots. Roll and butter, cheese and biscuits.
Our first sight of Australia was from 37000 feet. It was very large and very red. You could see Shark Bay and Monkey Mia. The sky was very clear and blue, the sea was blue, the beach was golden yellow and every thing else was very very bright red. We were about 1 hour away from Perth and Stephanie had finally fallen asleep. She managed to open one eye and have a quick peek. The stewardess broughtflannelsround just before landing, a quick wipe of the face and neck to wake yourself up. The landing was very bumpy that made Stephanie giggle. She was now wide awake and full of excitement. This part of our flight was mostly over water we passed over Kuala Lumpur then finally Australia it took 6 1/2 hours and covered 5318 Km,after a total of 18 hours travelling we had finally reached our destination.
Weather: 35C, very hot, very sunny and very dry.
The time was 0805 GMT and 1605 local time. As we left the plane, we could feel the heat squeezing through the gap between the plane and the air bridge it was like opening an oven door. Glad to be in the air-conditioned terminal, we passed through immigration without any bother. Next we went to collect our luggage. Thankfully it had made it, it was just starting to go round on the carousel.
Our next task was customs. On the plane the steward gave us a list of goods that where not allowed to be brought into Australia, this included all wooden products. Stephanie had a wooden handled hair brush, so we thought we had better play safe and declare it. The customs officer found this very amusing, saying only a Pom would declare a hair brush, but he would just check with his boss to be on the safe side. He came back and joked with Stephanie that she could take the bristles but not the handle. Every thing else was O. K. so we continued through to land side.
We found the Avis desk with no bother and Martin sorted the paper work out for the car. The lady gave us the keys and we made our way to the car park. Once outside the terminal we could really feel the heat. It was a wonderful day, bright blue sky, a slight breeze, and a lovely 35?C. Our car was a white Holden Commodore Executive with an automatic V. 63. 8 injection engine.
Our first job was to find the hotel, we only made one wrong turn. The only trouble was there were no roundabouts so it took us quite some time to turn around. We eventually found our hotel, The Bel-Eyre Motel. We checked in and we got our keys. Our apartment had two rooms, with en-suite bathroom, full air conditioning and a fridge containing a nice jug of cold water. We all took a shower and had a change of clothes, before venturing out into Perth.
We found a deli (a corner store come take-away) and bought a few things, then went for a walk along the swan river as the sun set. There were some unusual clicking sounds coming from the bushes, so we didn't venture too close. There were some trees that looked like giant pineapples (cotton palms). As we were hungry, we found a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet, sticking to what we knew, the only problem was that large chips meant gigantic chips. We took it back to our hotel andonly managed to eat half. We went to bed at 2100 and fell straight to sleep.
Saturday 10th December 1994
We woke at 0500 but lay in bed until about 0600. Started the day with a nice cup of tea followed by a nice cool shower. Packed our cases then handed our keys back, made our reservations for the night of the 14 th and then went to the deli. We bought some fruit for breakfast and some cold drinks and water for our long journey. The deli is also the local post office so we bought some stamps and a phone card. We found a call box and tried to phone home, the only problem was that the phone didn't accept the card, so we gave up.
We started our 950 Kmjourney to Monkey Mia, going via the domestic terminal, where we confirmed our flights for Ayers rock. We only got lost once and eventually found Route 1 (Brand Highway) heading north. Once outside the city the speed limit was 110 Km/h. The roads were black with a hard shoulder of red dirt then miles and miles of flat land with a few green bushes here and there, after about 150 Km there was little change, except the hard shoulder, it may have been a bit redder.
The roads were very long and straight, Martin tried to stick to the speed limit, but as he over took the odd truck he must have gained a bit of speed. In front of us in the distance was a small blob, as it got closer we could see that it was a local police car with its blue lights flashing. As it passed us, it did a "u-ie" so Martin pulled over and got out of the car. The policeman asked to see his driving licence and pointed out that Martin was doing 125 Km/h in a 110 Km/h limit. Martin did a bit of grovelling and got away with a written caution, something to show the folks back home. Martin said it was a set up.
Continuing on our journey there was little change, very few cars, lorries, not even many houses. Themost noticeable thing was the dead kangaroos by the road side, after about 4 hours of driving we came to a town called Geraldton. It was a small town with a shopping centre, so we parked the car and went to stretch our legs. We bought some ham salad sandwiches for lunch and a few more drinks then tried to find a card phone. We had no luck. We started off again and drove to the next road house where we refuelled. We tried the phone box, but again no luck. The roads were still straight and long. The borders were redder and the bushes seemed to be thinning out. After about 2 hours we saw a phone box by the road side, we stopped and yes it was a card phone, the only problem was that it was out of order. We carried on the very, very, very long and straight road seeing very few cars or lorries, the few drivers we saw seemed very friendly and gave a wave as we passed. The road stretched for miles and miles, with only a few small bends and no junctions, except the odd dirt track that lead of into the emptiness.
Ahead of us in the distance we saw a large kangaroo hop across the road. We could see the Indian Ocean. It was a brilliant blue. Time was getting on and we had to arrive before dark because the animals liked to sleep on the road asthe dark bitumen retains the heat of the day. After 8 1/2hourswe reached Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort. It was worth every second of the long drive. Our chalet was beautiful, made from cedar wood, inside it had beds made of pine, a small kitchenette, a pine table and a small bathroom.
We went for a walk as the sun set. It was so peaceful, lovely warm sand and very few people. We saw a pelican on the beach only a few feet away. We bought some lasagne and chips from the cafe and ate back at the chalet. After dinner we went for another walk and found a phone box, it accepted our card and we managed to phone home, it was about 1100 back home. We also phoned Rex, forgetting that Australia has different time zones, he was already in bed. Then we made our way back to the chalet, had a shower and were in bed by 2100.
Sunday 11th December 1994
We woke up at about 0500 it was already beginning to get hot. At about 0600 we went down to the beautiful sandy beach. There was no one else around except for the odd pelican. We just sat and enjoyedthe peacefulness, looking out to sea, waiting for a glimpse of the dolphins. About an hour later a few more people came down to the beach, everyone there waiting silently for the dolphins. There were people from all over the world, France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan and even a few locals, about 30 people in all.
At about 0815 two bottle-nosed dolphins came swimming into the shallows. A park ranger came down to the beach to make sure everyone behaved properly. Altogether 4 dolphins came in, a mother and her 2-year-old calf, a male who had white scars all over his back caused by sunburn, and a very shy dolphin. The dolphins swam right up to people, eager to be stroked and fed the odd fish. At about 0845 they went out into deeper waters where a few brave swimmers risked the sharks to go swimming with the dolphins. It was a truly magical experience one I shall never forget.
Having been up quite a while we decided to get something to eat for breakfast, a bacon roll from the restaurant to eat while walking along the beach passing very close to the pelicans. We bought a few things from the store, a few gifts and some bread and ham for a picnic lunch. We also bought a green tomato that turned red on the short walk to the chalet. Before starting our day we caught up with some laundry, taking care with the whites as bore water can stain your clothes.
At about 1000 we set off, down the long black road with red hard shoulders and the odd green bush, eventually we came to shell beach. This beach is made up of thousands and thousands of tiny white shells called coquina cockles. The beach stretched for well over 1 Km and the shells are 10 m deep in places. We only saw 2 other people on the entire beach. Looking around it was the done thing to write your name in the darker shells, just under the water line, using the whiter shells from further up the beach. So our name is among some of the other names written today, until the tide comes in anyway.
It was only about 1300 so we decided to go to Hamlin Pool, whichwas right at the bottom of Shark Bay. Here there was an old telegraph station and sheep station. A walk through the station showed just how important the first telecommunications were in such a remote area. We were also shown a video on Stromatolite's.
Next we went on a 1 Km walk to see the stromatolite's, these are tiny micro organisms that over millions of years have created fascinating rock formations on the shore line. Each day the sun, using photosynthesis, causes them to grow by a fraction of a millimetre, then at night they fall over trapping a grain of sand with a glue like substance which sets like cement. This happens every day and over thousands of years has created these rock formations. There are only 2 places in the world where these rocks are formed, Hamlin Pool Australia and in the Bahamas. The rocks in the Bahamas are under the water, so we are among very few people to have seen them.
The walk back to the car took us through a shell quarry, where the shells are so tightly packed that you can cut building bricks from them. Back at the car, very hot and very tired, we sat and had our lunch (ham sandwiches) and quite a lot to drink whilst the air conditioning cooled us down.
Martin had to make an important decision, we had only got 1/4 tank of fuel which was good for about 100 Km, Denham was 110 Km away on the way back to Monkey Mia but the overlander road house was only 30 Km away, but in the wrong direction. Martin decided to be safe and not sorry in the 37?C. heat. The detour only addedabout an hour on to our trip.
Having a full tank of fuel, we could afford to take in one more side trip. This was to Eagle Bluff, a short run up a very bumpy red dirt track to the top of some cliffs. The view was beautiful the sun was setting over the sea and it glistened on the water. The wind was very powerful and picked up the sand from the beach below, it felt like hundreds of tiny pin pricks as it struck our legs. We didn't stay long, just long enough to take some photos. We arrived back at our chalet around 1830, we got a take away from the small cafe, Martin had curry and rice, Stephanie and I had roast chicken and cheesy scalloped potatoes. Time to write a few dozen postcards and into bed for a nice long sleep.
Monday 12th December 1994
Woke up at 0530 and had toast and jam for breakfast. We were all packed up so started our long, long journey back to Perth. We made very good time and reached Gerealdton by about 1100, having travelled 400 Km and only seen 44 other vehicles and 4 push bikes. We had our lunch on the move (more ham sandwiches) and because we were ahead of schedule we had time to see the Pinnacle desert. This is a small desert on the west coast, which is full of pillars of rock poking out of the sand, ranging from a couple of centimetres to a couple of metres in height. It was really far out.
To reach this desert we had to travel down yet another bumpy red dusty track. This time it was over 11 Km. On the road down to the pinnacles we passed a lizard sunning himself in the middle of the track, fortunately for us we managed to dodge him, unfortunately for the lizard the following bus couldn't see him due to the large plume of dust being kicked up by our car, sadly the lizard was no more.
We continued our journey to Perth then spent quite a while finding our hotel,the All Seasons Freeway Hotel, this was fun as we had to use the freeway which was quite busy as it was rush hour. We managed to get off at the right exit and went to check in. The receptionist asked if we were from England, as there was a message for a Martin, Jackie and Stephanie from England. The message was from Frances and Don, could we ring them on arrival. This we did and confirmed that we would see them on Wednesday evening. Fran must have left messages at a number of hotels as she didn't know which hotel we would be staying at (she didn't know our surname either).
We went to the deli and stocked up on cold drinks, had our dinner in the McDonalds it was very pleasant. Took a drive through Perth and saw the Christmas lights, and passed the W. A. C. A ( Western Australia Cricket Arena). Finally we went back to our hotel and went to bed.
Tuesday 13th December 1994
Again we woke very early, we had a cup of tea in bed, then got up and set off at about 0730. Stopped at the Deli and got some fruit for breakfast, we ate on the move, there was a fair bit of traffic on the roads, must have been rush hour! Haha! About an hour outside ofPerth was a huge forest, we drove through it with large trees either side of us for more than 44 Km, it was lovely. After a while we came to some roadwork's, the workmen wore bright orange hats. We stopped at the stop board and waited patiently, then the board turned to read slow which is about the only speed you can do because you quite literally gothrough the roadwork's, weaving your way passed diggers, graders and roadrollers. Over the bumpy unfinished road, there are no detours or contra flows, not even a cone. After this we came to the wheat lands, miles and miles of golden fields full of wheat, there was also the odd flock of sheep.
We arrived at Hyden at about 1230, we bought some sandwichesfrom a roadhouse and then went on to Wave rock. There were masses of flies due to the heat. Wave rock is a huge formation which looks like a tidal wave. It has several colours of rock and is quite long. From the top you can see miles of wheat fields. The flies were a bit of a nuisance. On the way back to the car we sang"I know an old lady who swallowed a fly. "Being the only people for miles we sang quite loudly, as we reached the last line of the song,a lady shouted " no nor do I " (referring to the reason why the old lady swallowed the fly) which amused us all. We ate lunch in the car, due to the flies.
We drove back to Perth via Fremantle, including the back streets,yes we got lost. We were very tired by now 1800 hrs, so we came back to the hotel. Caught up with the laundry and the had a nice pizza in the PizzaHut then back to the hotel for bed.
Wednesday 14th December 1994
We didn't wake up until about 0730, so we were well rested. We loaded the car, then went to check out where the rellies live. We drove out to Wilton to find their house, so that we knew exactly where to go. We came back to Perth down the freeway. The exit ramp took us straight into the car park. We put 5 hours on the ticket, then off we went to shop.
The temperature today was about 32?C , but most of the shopshad air conditioning. Perth has two main shopping streets which run parallel to each other and are joined by about 6 malls. There was a great deal to see and buy. Most prices are similar to the prices in the UK. We bought some gifts and 3 fly nets, for when we get to Uluru. We had our lunch in a store similar to Littlewoods, croissants with ham and tomatoes, followed by a scone with jam washed down with a cup of tea. After lunch we made our way to the mock Tudor shopping mall, it looks verynice with its wooden beams andold style houses. A couple more shops then back to the car. Find our way back to the Bel-Eyre motelfor our last night in Perth.
After checking in we had a dip in the pool, it was very cool and refreshing. At about 1530we started to get readyto go out. We got dressed up, as we wanted to make a good impression. It felt good to be smart and tidy, as we had been a bit tatty all week.
Off to Don and Fran's house. Fran was at the door to meet us, we all went into the back yard and had a barbie. Don was recovering from a Hernia operation so spent most of the evening in bed. We found a lot to talk about, after a while Fran's children started to arrive, there was her son Steve with wife Robin (who was a kiwi), their children Natalie 3, and Megan 1 1/2 . Stephanie hit it of with Natalie and that was the last we saw of them for quite a while. Then daughter Tracy and husband Steven arrived. Martin and Fran both agreed that Tracy and I were very alike, definitely a family resemblance. Then younger daughter Gillian with boyfriend Angus arrived.
When we first arrived, Fran had told us about her new garden table, only A$79, a bargain!!! Much to our amusement we were to hear the same tale over and over as each party arrived. It became the joke of the night. Later in the evening Don made an appearance, he found it hard to laugh, because of his stitches, especially when Fran mentioned the bargain table. What a bargain!! .
All of a sudden we could hear Stephanie shouting, she had locked herself in the loo. Martin and I roared with laughter, luckily Steve kept his cool and released her. Poor Don nearly burst his stitches. We all hit it of very well, exchanging stories about our jobs and families. The men discussedthe road systems both in the UK and Australia. Fran talks a lot and sometimes it is hard to get a word in, but we had a really good time. It was late into the night when we said our goodbyes. Back to the hotel and packed our bags then to bed for the last time in Western Australia.
Thursday 15th December 1994
We got up at about 0730, checked out of our hotel then went to refuel the car before handing it back. We covered 3132 Km, just a small trip. We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare. Checked in our bags and had a cup of tea whilst waiting. At 0845 we arrived at the departure lounge, where we could view the airport and all its goings on. We saw our plane, an HS146 taxi to the air bridge and all the hustle and bustle of it being refuelled and loaded with baggage and supplies. It takes a lot of work to get a plane ready for takeoff. Our flight number was called and we made our way down the air bridge and on to the plane.
The captain welcomed us aboard. Our seats were very comfortable. Then we took off, goodbye Perth. Shortly after takeoff morning tea was served. Open sandwiches of ham and pineapple with a side salad, cheese spread with crispbread, fresh orange, warm scones with strawberry jam and double cream and a cup of tea. Stephanie was invited to the cockpit to see the pilot, she thought it was excellent. As we neared Ayers rock the warm air from the desert caused some turbulence, Stephanie found this very funny because it tickled her tummy. We could see Uluru from the aircraft window. It was very large and very red. The flight took 2 hrs 20 min. We had a nice smooth landing then we walked down the stairway. WOW the heat hit us, 39?C it was like stepping in to an oven, there was a strong breeze, even this was hot, just like a hair drier.
We walked across to the terminal, which was quiet and almost deserted, it was air-conditioned and felt quite cold. We collected our baggage then went to arrange the car. Unfortunately there had been a slight mix up. We would have to pay an extra A$200 on returning the car as it was a one-way rental. Having sorted this out we set of for our hotel, which was called The Outback Pioneer at Yulara Resort.
Once at the resort we went straight to our room, downed a litre or two of water, then went of in search of the information centre. It was only around the corner, but because of the heat we took the car. We gathered all the info we needed then took a look in a couple of gift shops. We went back to our room, downed some more water which we needed, then had a small rest as we were all quite exhausted.
At about 1800 we set off for the sunset viewing point. There was only a couple of cars so we had the choice of parking spots. Over the next half hour more and more cars arrived, everyone awaiting the sunset. The skies were clear and blue, with the odd black cloud here and there, a storm was on its way. There was a strange silence all around, people had plenty of water and everyone wore a hat and there were no bare shoulders, the sun was very hot. At 1924 the sun went down turning Uluru a dark shade of red. Even now that the sun had set, we still had to drink plenty of water so as not to get dehydrated. We drove back to the hotel very carefully, as it was now dark and the kangaroos and buffaloes like to sleep on the warm tarmac.
Back at the resort we had chicken burgers for dinner, we also shared a kangaroo burger, it came with plum sauce and it was very nice, even Stephanie liked it. It tasted like sirloin steak only sweeter. We now all had full bellies. Stephanie had a bath and was surprised that the cold tap runs warm out in the desert, she splashed about like a herd of elephants. Martin and I took a shower then we all went to bed as we had an early start.
Friday 16th December 1994
A very early start, it was 0430. It was dark and quiet. We were all packed up, so we checked out of the hotel. We drove the 20 Km to Uluru to see the sunrise. There were lots of people there already and hundreds of flies. It was a bit cloudy so the sunrise was not the best, it was good to be there all the same. We stayed here until about 0630 then made our way round to the climbing point, to watch the people climb the rock. The path was very steep and narrow with only a small hand rail to assist you. We decided not to climb Uluru as it looked very difficult. The "Anangu" (aboriginal people) do not like you to climb their path of spiritual significance as it is sacred to them. "Nganana Tatintja Wiya" (we do not climb).
We parked the car and went for a walk to "Kantju Gorge". This is a gully in the rock, the rain gathers here as it falls down the face of the rock. At the bottom of the gorge is a small watering hole, this is the only water for miles. Both man and animals depend on this life saving water. There was a small amount of water here even though everywhere else was bone dry. We were glad of the fly nets as the flies were a real nuisance. We all touched the rock hoping it would give us good luck.
After a while we went back to the car. We were not too exhausted as it was still early and the temperature was only about 30?C. We drove right round the rock. It was approximately 9 Km. As we finished this a dingo appeared in the road and just plonked himself down in the middle of the tarmac. He looked quite friendly. We stayed in the car to take the photo's all the same.
We went back to Yulara for the shops, stocked up on water and supplies and set off on our long 440 Km journey to Alice Springs. On the way we saw the Olgas in the distance and we passed Mt Conner (curtain rock), which a lot of people mistake for Ayers rock. After about 200 Km of driving we saw a car with its bonnet up, and an aborigine in the middle of the road. Martin slowed down to see if he could help. The man had run out of fuel. He produced a jerry can and a piece of hose pipe. Martin let him syphon some fuel from our car and then we carried on our journey, not knowing if we had saved someone's life or been conned out of a few litres of fuel. Either way it didn't cost us much and hopefully did some good, what goes around comes around.
Approximately 1/2 way we met the Stuart Highway at a place called Erldunda. There was a roadhouse here so we refuelled the car. The fuel is quite expensive here due to the transportation costs. Having paid for the fuel, we went to the cafe to buy some sandwiches for lunch. I paid with a A$20 note and got change for a A$50 note. So helping the aborigine and not climbing Uluru paid off. As we went back to the car, we spotted an emu walking back and forth. We set off on the remainder of our journey along the long straight road to Alice passing nothing but cattle along the way.
As it was a little over a week to Christmas we decided to stop and hold a small carol concert on the way. We found a suitable tree in the desert and adorned it with a star and some tinsel. Martin set the video camera up and we sang Jingle bells. We didn't sing for long because of the heat and the flies. It should make for a fun movie. We arrived at Alice at about 1330. We found our hotel, The Vista, and went straight to our room. Where we spent the rest of the afternoon resting as it was too hot to do much else. We also caught up with the laundry.
At 1845 we had a booking at the Overlander Steak house. It is world famous for its authentic Australian tucker. The walls were decorated with old oil lamps and saddle bags. It captured the true spirit of the outback. We ate Crocodile vol-au-vent served with a white sauce. This was followed by fillet of kangaroo with a mushroom sauce, Idaho potatoes (baked with sour cream), honey glazed carrots, steamed broccoli, a basket of boomerang chips and garlic bread. Stephanie was not as adventurous as us so had chicken schnitzel. To round off the meal we had apple pie and ice cream. This was all washed down with a bottle of Jim Barry Chablis. The total cost was A$135. 15. It was a lovely meal. Everything was cooked just right. The crocodile tasted a bit like tuna fish. The kangaroo was as tender as fillet steak. The meal was presented very well, with lots of lovely garnishes. The Talbot rating was 10 out of 10.
Slightly the worse for drink we phoned home, well Frimley Park. Ron the driver answered, then put me on to Lindsey. We had a good chat as the line was good, I asked her to say hi to mum then said goodbye. I then thought that mum would be upset to have missed my call, so I phoned her at the office. It was now late so we went back to the hotel and went straight to bed.
Saturday 17th December 1994
We had a nice lay in today. It was 0830 before we woke up. We decided to have a lazy day. At about 1030 we went into Alice. There is a large shopping mall called the Plaza. It has all the shops you could possibly need. We spent a long time browsing. We found a nice aboriginal artifact shop where we purchased a didjeridu. It cost A$260, this included postage and insurance back to the UK. The man in the shop played it for us, it had a nice sound,all we have to do now is learn to play it.
We put some photos in to be developed whilst we had lunch. In the centre of the Plaza there was a seasonal display. It was a sleigh with Santa and loads of presents. The funny thing was that the sleigh was being pulled by kangaroos with antlers. After lunch we left the Plaza and went for a stroll down Todd Street. This is the main high street in Alice. We found a shop that sold authentic Aussie clothing. We purchased two really nice Bushman's hats for Martin and I. By now we were quite exhausted so we returned to the hotel and re-packed our messy suitcases in readiness for our next flight.
Behind the hotel were some pens which had some kangaroos in. These had all been rescued from road traffic accidents. They looked a bit worse for wear, but would be returned to the wild once they had recovered.
Due to the mix up with the car rental, money was a bit tight and we didn't want to cash our next destinations' allowance, so we counted our last few dollars and decided that we could just afford a pizza for dinner. We went to the Pizza Hut. We had 'The Works'. As much as you can eat for a set price. We chose from pizza, salad, pasta and sauces, refilling our plates as often as we wished. Then to top it all off we started on the puddings, choosing from ice cream, jelly, cake, custard, strawberry sauce, chocolate sauce, marshmallows, nuts and even chocolate drops. To wash this all down we had a 2 Ltr jug of Pepsi. Stephanie was grinning like a Cheshire cat as she made her way back from the pudding bar. She liked the idea of helping herself. All this food for only A$24. That was the end of yet another very hot day. All that was left to do was to have a nice cold shower and a good night's sleep.
Sunday 18th December 1994
We woke up at 0730 and loaded the car. We said goodbye to the roos and took a final drive through Alice. We arrived at the airport in plenty of time for our 1030 flight. The AVIS desk was closed and as there were no seats land side we made our way through to the departure lounge. After about 30 min Martin went back to the AVIS desk to return the car keys and to pay the milage fee and the extra A$200. By this time the desk was manned. The bad news was that they couldn't accept cash, so Martin paid by Access. The good news was that we now had an extra A$300 to spend.
At 1015 our flight was called. We flew on a 727. The take off was fine and on time. Two passengers missed the flight because they were late. I hope it didn't spoil their holiday. Stephanie was invited up to the flight deck. She said that the plane was on auto pilot. For lunch we had roast pork, apple sauce, roast potatoes, swede, green beans and a finger roll and butter. Followed by passion fruit meringue with cream then cheese and biscuits. Unfortunately the tea was lighthouse tea. Very light and blinking close to water. The flight took about 2 hours. You could see from the air just how wet and green the top end of Australia was.
On arrival we collected our bags and found our car. It was a large 4x4 Toyota Landcruiser. It was fully air-conditioned. We were glad of this because Darwin was very hot and humid. We made our way to our hotel The Metro Inn. The hotel smelt damp and musty but although our room was small it was clean and had a shower. I was glad we were only staying here for one night. After settling in we went into town. As it was Sunday afternoon all the shops were shut. It looked a bit like a ghost town. We bought some chicken for supper and took it up to a place called East Point to eat it whilst watching the sun set. We had a lovely view of the sea and as the sun set it became cooler. We went for a stroll, then went back to the hotel for yet another shower and then bed. My first impression of Darwin was that it was a bit of a dive, very sticky and humid.
Monday 19 th December
We were all packed up and checked out of the hotel by 0800. We went into Darwin for breakfast. The shops didn't open until 0900. We found a cafe open and had a toasted bacon sandwich. After breakfast we went shopping. Martin bought some shorts. We found a bank and cashed some travellers' cheques.
Then we headed east to find the Adelaide river. We reached the river by about 1100. We booked ourselves on the 1230 river cruise. With time to spare we back tracked slightly to a place called Window on the Wetlands. This was a tower on top of a hill. It was full of hands on educational displays, which told you all about the wetlands. You could also see for miles and miles. We could see nothing but green land with vast stretches of flood water. Stephanie enjoyed playing with the computers and all of the displays. You didn't have to pay for this but if you wished you could put a few dollars in the charity box.
As time was getting on, we made our way back to the Adelaide river. We boarded the Adelaide Queen. This was a two tiered boat. The lower deck was fully air-conditioned with large windows all the way round. The upper deck was more open to the elements. If you travelled on the upper deck, you were advised not to hang your hands over the edge of the boat. If you did, the crocodiles might jump up and bite your arm off.
We decided to travel on the lower deck, as we cruised along our guide told us about the crocodiles and the river. His assistant would dangle a piece of meat over the edge of the upper deck. The crocodiles swam right up to the side of the boat then jumped up and caught the meat. It was a great sight. We saw small crocs at about 1 m long and we saw huge crocs of about 7 m long. We saw more than 10 crocodiles. We also saw hawks and sea eagles. The cruise was over 1 1/2hours long.
Once back on dry land we made our way to Frontier Kakadu Village. We saw many types of birds along the way, parrots, magpie geese, cockatoo and some we couldn't name. When we reached the resort, we booked in and found our room. There were many birds on the lawns, even guinea fowl and peacocks. After settling in we made our way to the one and only cafe for about 30 Km. Luckily there was a good choice and every thing looked nice. Martin had Shepard pie. Stephanie and I had roast lamb. Our plates were full to the brim. (My Nan would have fed at least 15 people with the contents of our plates).
After dinner we went back to our chalet. On our patio lived a three legged lizard. In the top corner of the patio door lived a very sunburnt frog. He was also very stubborn and would not budge. The lizards and frogs keep away the spiders and insects, if this has no effect there is a can of complimentary fly spray. It was very powerful stuff.
Martin sorted out the video camera and we took a look at some of the days footage. Our video diary seemed to be going well. We decided to have an early night, as we would probably be woken early by the birds!
Tuesday 20th December 1994
The peacock woke us at about 0400 but we managed to get back to sleep. We woke again at about 0800. We decided to make our way into Jabiru to see what it had to offer. Not a lot, a post office, a supermarket and a cafe. It was eerie walking through the village, you could hearjingle bells being played over the PA system and with the aborigines sitting under the trees in 40?C of heat it was like some thing out of a sci-fi movie. We grabbed some sandwiches and drinks for lunch and popped them into our cool bag.
Next we made our way to the Kakadu park visitors centre. Here we obtained information on walks and drives through the park. They also let us know which roads were closed due to the weather. We decided to go to Nourlangie rock. Here there is a 11/2Km walk. It seemed like 10 Km in the heat. The walk took us through Anbangbang rock shelter, where the aboriginal tribes used to shelter from the electrical storms. We saw many rock paintings and climbed quite high. We were exhausted when we reached the top the view was excellent. All of a sudden Stephanie screamed,she thought that she had been bitten by a snake. I sat her down and looked at her leg. I could see no snake bite. As I stepped back I got a sharp stabbing pain in my leg. I turned to see a small bunch of spear grass with razor sharp blades just behind me. This must have been what had got Stephanie. What a relief.
You could see above all the tree tops for miles and miles. We saw several spiders on our walkabout. At last we got back to the car, glad of a nice cold drink. We ate our lunch then headed back towards our resort. Martin wanted to try some off-roading, so we turned down a dirt track. All was going well until a lizard ran out in front of us and stopped. On went the brakes and out came the video camera. We think it was a goanna. It would not budge so Martin had to drive round it. Carrying on back we passed over South Alligator river, we pulled over to see some cockatoos, water birds and storks. We stayed in the car for safety as the river was full of crocodiles.
We arrived back at our resort at about 1500. We watched the wallabies going about thier buisness. Then we went for a swim in the pool. The resort seemed to be empty and we had the whole pool to our selves. After our dip we went for a stroll down a track to a billabong. Three guinia fowl followed us, stopping every time we turned to look at them, and raising thier heads as if to say that they were not following us. After our walk we had dinner. Burger and chips in the cafe. The peacock decided to display his fine plumage,which looked very pretty, severel guests ran for thier cameras but by the time they had returned the peacock had tucked his tail away. By now it was quite late so we went back to our chalet and went to bed.
Wednesday 21st December 1994
Martin and Stephanie woke up early and got dressed quietly, so that they didn't disturb me. They saw a large lizard on the patio and videoed it for me so that I could see it later. I finally got up and we went out. We gassed up the 4x4 and made our way into Jabiru. We had a toasted bacon sandwich for breakfast and bought some ham sandwiches for lunch. We headed for east Jabiru airport, as we had booked a scenic flight for 1200. We arrived early, so we had time to browse in the gift shop and watch a very interesting video on the changing seasons of the Northern Territories and how it effects the wildlife. In the gift shop we bought a good pair of sun glasses for Stephanie, she must have lost hers some where between Uluru and Darwin.
At about 1200 the pilot , of Japanese appearance hopefully not a Kamikaze, called us for a briefing. We flew in a 7 seater Cessna 203. We taxied to the end of the runway, the piolet stopped and then got out of the plane. His seat needed to be adjusted. Once back in a quick check and ready for take off. "Vvvrrr" and then a little more power "Vvvvrrrr" and then full power "Vvvvvvvrrrrrrr" and up we went, leaving my stomach behind. After a while my stomach caught up with usonly to be lost again with all the buffeting up and down.
The view was fantastic, we could see for miles, lots of small streams and dirt tracks. After about 30 min we flew over Twin Falls it was a wonderful sight. Two towering waterfalls cascading down into the gully. Further on we came to Jim Jim Falls, Australia's biggest waterfall. The water poured of the Escarpment causing a great white splash at the bottom. At this time of year you can't reach Jim Jim Falls by road, so it was great to be able to fly over it.
On the way back we flew over Arnhem land which can only be entered if you have a permit as it belongs to the Aboriginal People. Approaching the air strip we flew over Ranger the uranium mine. It looked very large and industrial stuck out in the middle of nowhere. Next came the landing, smooth but very noisy. On the ground at last.
After a cool down and lunch in the car, we headed for a place called Ubbirr. Stephanie asked where we were going and Martin told her that we were going "up here" to which Stephanie would answer "but where up here" then Martin would say "up here" this went on for sometime before Stephanie finally got the joke.
By now it was about 1430. We parked the car and started a 1 Km walk. We saw rock art and some lovely views. We got back to the car dripping with sweat and quite worn out. We drank some water and then made our way back to the resort. By now it was about 1630. Time for a shower and a nice long dip in the pool. Stephanie swam all by herself, no armbands. After about an hour we cut across the grass towards our chalet. We startled a wallaby which was grazing and he boinger boinged away. Supper was again in the cafe, which was very reasonably priced. Martin and Stephanie had chicken schnitzel and chips, and I had beef stroganoff. Altogether with 3 drinks it came to A$19. We went back to our chalet and spent the evening reviewing that days videoing. Then quite worn out we went to bed.
Thursday 22nd December 1994
We had a lazy day today, we woke up late and had breakfast in the cafe. The usual bacon sandwiches. After breakfast we drove a little way, parked the car and went on a small walk. Here there was a hide, from here you could see across the wetlands at all the birds. We passed a tree ants nest on the way back, it was a mass of leaves and ants. The leaves were all stuck together in a ball shape.
We arrived back at the resort early and decided to go for a swim. We again had the pool all to our selves. It was so peaceful, relaxing in the pool watching the peacocks and wallabies.
After lunch we stayed in our chalet, which was just as well as there was a huge rain storm. We played Yahtzee and Scrabble and Stephanie seemed to win all the time. After a relaxing afternoon we went to the cafe for dinner. We had burger and chips again. It was very nice.
Another storm was on its way so we went back to our chalet to pack our bags for yet another early start in the morning. In the night we were woken by very heavy rain. Even Martin had trouble sleeping through the storm.
Friday 23rd December 1994
We had an early start, 0645. We were all packed up and checked out of the resort for the long drive back to Darwin,passing flooded wetlands on either side.
Arrived in Darwin at 0945, parked the car and found a bank to cash some travellers cheques. With cash in hand we found a cafe and had bacon sandwiches forbreakfast. With time to spare we wandered around the shops, it was very hot and sticky. Martin bought another pair of shorts, I bought a couple of Christmas gifts for Stephanie.
We got to the airport at 1230 and returned the truck, to our surprise we didn'thave to pay for extra mileage as our voucher was an open one. So we had an extra A$100 to spend. After a while it was time to board our plane, a 767 for the 31/2 hour flight to Adelaide. The flight was quite bumpy due to the storm clouds over the Northern Territories, at one point the flight crew had to buckle up, when things calmed down a bit we were served lunch. Smoked salmon and potato salad, chicken in breadcrumbs with pasta shells and mixed vegetables, bread roll. Sweet was an apricot bavarois on a chocolate sauce base, cheese and biscuits and a cup of tea. It was very nice.
Our approach into Adelaide airport was a funny one, turning sharply at the last minute, seeing all the houses getting closer. We landed safely and exited the aircraft by the ventral (the one in the tail) staircase. We walked across the apron keeping our eyes peeled for Rex and Jean. As soon as we walked through the doors we spotted them, Rex's beard was shorter than I imagined. Lynda, John, Rachael and Meeghan had turned out as well, so it was hugs and kisses all round. Martin and John went to get our luggage Jean Lynda and I all started chattering away.
Out to the car park to find Rex and John's cars. By the time we arrived at the cars Stephanie had talked her way into riding with Rachael and Meeghan and Rex had talked Martin into driving his car. On the long drive Rex and Jean pointed out lots of things of interest, as Martin was driving he had to keep interrupting Rex's running commentary for directions, which Rex would try to give but Jean was a much better navigator giving clearer instructions. We stopped at McDonalds for tea much to the kids delight, we left the kids with John whilst the rest of us caught up with gossip at another table.
The weather in Adelaide was fine but in the low 20's, so it felt lovely and cool. We arrived at Uralba at about 2100. We put our cases into the caravan, which would be home for the next 10 days, then went inside the house for several cups of tea and some more gossiping. At about 2300 we decided that it was time to retire. We tucked Stephanie into the small bunk and she fell straight to sleep. Martin and I giggled about our bed as we kept rolling into the middle.
At about 0100 I woke up and needed the loo. As I got up Martin woke, he decided to come too. We crept through the squeaky front door and across the landing on tip toes, trying not to wake anyone with our giggling and hoping not to be mistaken for a burglar by Andrew, who we had not met yet, as he had come home after we had gone to bed. The only sound we heard was that of Brandy, the dog, snoring at the foot of Rex's bed. On the way back to the van we stopped to gaze at the wonderful bright stars. There seemed so many more in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern and because there was no light pollution they shone very brightly.
Saturday 24th December 1994
Christmas Eve. We got up at about 0700, went inside and had tea and toast for breakfast and at last met Andrew. It didn't feel at all like Christmas but Christmas shopping had to be done. We made our way over to Lynda's house, it was a beautiful house with a wonderful view. Lovely spacious rooms and an open plan kitchen. After another cup of tea and some more chatting we all headed off to the shopping plaza, Tea Tree Gully.
As we had to buy everyone a Xmas pressie we decided to separate and meet at 1200. Martin and I went one way and Stephanie, the girls and everyone else went the other. It was a lovely shopping centre with large department stores and lots of small stores. Martin and I had a long list, so we dashed from one store to the next buying gifts for everyone. We also had to get Rex a birthday pressie. At noon we all met, carrying bags of shopping. We had lunch in a department store, ham sandwiches and bottomless cups of coffee. Still with shopping to do we arranged to met in another hour and went our separate ways again. We finally finished shopping and all went back to Linda's for a nice cup of tea.
We went back to Uralba and wrapped all of the presents. We spent the evening watching the telly and a copy of Ray and Dawn's wedding video that we had brought out to show Rex. We sank quite a few glasses of wine and then hung Stephanie's stocking out for Santa before going to bed at 1030. I slept well all night, it must have been the wine.
Sunday 25th December 1994
Christmas Day. Stephanie woke up at about 0645. It was a lovely sunny day, we went into the house to see if Santa had been. Stephanie opened her stocking then we all had breakfast and exchanged gifts remembering to give Rex his birthday present. After breakfast Rachael and Meeghan arrived with their swim suits, floats and goggles. It was going to be Christmas by the pool. The kids had a swim before lunch. We had a selection of salads and cold meats, turkey, ham, pork, beef, and fish pieces and of course wine to drink. Xmas pudding for dessert with cream or custard.
After lunch the kids played with their new toys. The women went into the garden and the men went to sleep. After lunch had gone down we all had a swim, it was great , the temperature was about 25?C. After the swim we sat in the sun. For tea the cold meats and salads came out again . For a birthday cake Rex had a kiwi fruit and mandarin pavlova topped with cream. We spent the rest of the evening gossiping, then went to bed.
Sunday 26th December 1994
Boxing Day. Got up and sorted ourselves out then waited for the Thomas's. When they arrived we all set off to Cleland National Park. We bought some food for the girls to feed the birds and roos. We saw dingos, roos, black swans, rock wallabies, emus, an albino kangaroo, koalas, kookaburras, galahs, cockatoos and lots of other birds, snakes and lizards. We also saw bettongs which are like large rat come mole things. The kids had a fine time. A black swan fed from Stephanie's hand and many of the kangaroos tookfood from our hands. We were introduced to a koala called Jackie who we could pet and stroke. Stephanie held a koala called Amy (who was Jackie's daughter) and had a lovely photo taken. We had hot dogs for our lunch which were thrice the size of the ones back home.
On our way back we stopped at Mount Lofty, we could see the whole of Adelaide and the surrounding suburbs from here. Back to Lynda's for tea. We had a BBQ with loads of steak. John cooked and was most concerned about the piece of meat he dropped onto the patio but quick as a flash it was all cleaned up. We all ate in the garden then went indoors and played pool and drank wine until well gone midnight. Then we made our way home to bed. All tucked up by 0200.
Tuesday 27th December 1994
Today was a quiet day at home, the Thomas's came over for a dip in the pool. Stephanie was brave enough to swim without any arm bands. We had sausage sandwiches for lunch then Martin and the girls played Monopoly, after a while the girls went for a swim leaving Rex, John and I to fill in and finish the game. Martin won claiming it was due to skill but he had been well ahead whilstplaying with the girls.
Time for another swim then more cold meats and salads for tea this time withjacket potatoes. In the evening Rex and John challenged Martin to a game of Monopoly, I was invited to play also. It was a good game with lots of money swapping hands. Of course Martin won it must have been skill. By now it was quite late so the Thomas's went home and we went to bed.
Wednesday 28th December 1994
We were up early for a busy shopping day. Finally Rex was ready so we set of for the city, we drove to Adelaide via the gorge which winds down through rocky hills which seem to be never ending. We arrived in Adelaide and found a place to park. The shops were really busy as it was the first day of the sales. We went into the Myers mall, which is a 10 storey block. On the 10 th floor is a theme park called Dazzle World which includes a roller coaster which runs back and forth across the central atrium and is clearly visible from all floors. We all wanted something different for lunch so we ate in the basement food plaza being able to choose from the many different food outlets. After lunch we went for a walk through Adelaide shopping streets. We bought Stephanie some goggles, a snorkel and some flippers.
On the way home we stopped at Lynda's. Lynda had gone shopping but John was in so he made the tea. We were sat in the breakfast room with the door open when Martin smelt smoke. John flew out of the door to see where the fire was, it appeared to be close. Jean and I got the washing in and the men went to find the source of the smoke, which turned out to be a grass fire at the edge of John's estate. The fire crews kept it away from the buildings and then extinguished it. The men returned and Lynda came home from shopping, she was relieved that the fire was not close to her house. After this excitement we had another cup of tea and then we went home.
It was now 1745 I made us all a turkey and ham lasagne which was topped with breadcrumbs and cheese we had it with salad. All the plates were cleared so it must have been OK. Just as we finishedEmily, Rennie and Alison arrived, over more tea we spent the evening catching up with gossip. We went to bed at 2200 quite exhausted.
Thursday 29th December 1994
Woke up at about 0830 and started the day with a cup of tea in the garden. We got dressed and had breakfast. By now it was 1000. We went for a drive around the Barossa valley, with Rex as our guide, passing Jacobs Creek and Orlando winery's plus many others. We parked at the top of a local hill called the Kaiser Stuhl, where we could see rows and rows of vines. On the way back we stopped at Lyndoch, where we bought some nice gooey cakes from a German cake shop.
When we got back to Uralba the Thomas's had arrived and were in the pool. Stephanie went in for a swim. For lunch we had turkey sandwiches followed by gooey cake. Once lunch had gone down we all went for a swim. Stephanie can swim several lengths now without floats and uses a snorkel well.
At about 1700 Martin and I went into Gawler to collect our photographs which Andrew had dropped off earlier to be developed. Whilst in town we bought some chips, Jean had warned us about the large portions, three bags of chips were more than enough for the nine of us. We took them back home and had them with ham and eggs for dinner. After dinner I caught up with the washing and the backlog of ironing. We had an early night as we had a busy day ahead.
Friday 30th December 1994
We got up early to race Rex for the bathroom, but Rex had already been and gone. At about 0730 we made our way to the Thomas's. They were already waiting in their car, so we drove in convoy to the airport. We parked the cars andwalked to the terminal. Martin had the ticket and checked us all in getting a long line of nine boarding passes that came out of the printer like a mad snake. Our flight was called and we boarded a SAAB 340. We sat in the middle of the craft and were ready for take-off. The flight to Kangaroo Island was about 30 min, we had fruit juice and biscuits on the way.
On arrival at Kingscote airport we were met by our tour guide. We all piled on the coach and set off for Kelly Caves. After a little while we hit dirt track, it was very bumpy and very dusty. Our bones rattled and our throats dried out. After an hour we arrived at the caves. We had to climb up a steep hill to the entrance of the cave, where a guide was waiting. We entered the cave and had to walk down a very steep stairway, the cave was very dry and made from limestone. The guide turned off the lights to show how dark it was. The caves are named after a horse that fell down a sink hole, the rider climbed out and the horse was never found.
We climbed back out of the cave and down the hill to a BBQ area where a lovely barbie was waiting for us. We had lamb chop, sausage, bacon, salad and bread and butter, followed by a piece of cake. Whilst we were eating a kangaroo joined us for lunch, delighted to be hand fed bread.
After lunch it was back on the bumpy coach for another hour until we came to Flinders Chase National Park. After a brief stop we continued down the south coast road to the Remarkable Rocks. These are large eroded rocks on top of a cliff, they look like giant egg shells that have been cracked open. After 30 min or so it was back on the coach for another half hour drive to Admirals Arch, which is an arch of rock that has been made by the sea. There were several seals in the sea and basking on the rocks. On the way back to the coach we looked at a lighthouse that has been here since 1820, it used to be wound every 2 hours but is totally automatic today. This means that the 3 keepers cottages are available to rent as holiday accommodation.
Back on the coach for another 30 min to the entrance of the park. Here we had a 20 min stop to see the koalas up it the trees. They are very hard to spot, but it is much better to see them in the wild. We decided to buy some ice-creams, having bought them we had to share them with a mob of kangaroos. On the coach again for another 40 min trip to Seal Bay.
We walked down to a lovely sandy beach where lots of sea lions were basking in the sun. The beach is protected by rangers. You are not allowed to approach the sea lions but if they approach you it is alright for you to stand your ground. This was great as we got within a couple of feet of a curious pup. We spent a while on the beach watchingbulls stretching and pups playing. Back to the coach for the last bumpy ride to the airport.
Martin went to get the boarding passes and was given 9 pieces of yellow card which had to be handed back as we boarded, no mod cons. Our plane was a Metro 23, it had one row of single seats each side and a row of 3 seats at the back. We had to stoop to walk down the aisle, the 3 girls occupying the 3 seats together. There was no cabin crew only the pilot and co-pilot who made announcements preceded by a BING-BONG,this made Lynda jump about 3 feet out of her seat. Even when we warned Lynda that it was about to happen she still jumped, much to everyone's amusement. 30 min later we landed and got a pilots eye view out of the cockpit window.
On the way home we called into a Pizza Hut and had the works and a large jug of Pepsi. Having satisfied our hunger we went back to Lynda's for a cup of tea, then went home totally exhausted and went to bed.
Saturday 31st Decembe 1994r
We got at about 0830, it was another lovely hot day 30?C. We decided to spend the day by the pool. At about 1100 Martin and I drove to Tea Tree Gully shopping complex. We cashed up some more travellers cheques and bought a large holdall as we had run out of room in our suitcases due to all the Xmas presents. We had a small snack in the food hall, Martin had a burger and I hadChinese spring rolls.
We got back to Uralba and Jean had gone to collect the girls as John was bringing the BBQ over. At about 1600, after a lovely long swim we had a BBQ, then at 1830 we went to Gawler for the Rodeo. It was very crowded and we had a job to see. During the interval some seats in the stand became vacant so Martin, the girls and I filled them quickly. We had a really good view there was barrel racing, steer roping, bucking horses and bull riding. The bulls were very large, one chased a rodeo clown and butted him on the BUM and tossed him into the air. After the rodeo we stayed a while to listen to some Country and Western music. We returned home to see the New Year in with a glass of coke and a bowl of crisps. HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Sunday 1st January 1995
Stayed in bed until about 1000. It was a lovely day so we were in and out of the pool, Stephanie is a good little swimmer now. I caught up with the washing and ironing then Martin helped me pack.
In the afternoon Rex took us to the reservoir behind Uralba. The dam that forms the reservoir is known locally as the Whispering Wall. The shape of the wall allows sound to travel along its length. Rex, Stephanie and I went to the far side of the dam and were able to hear Martin clearly as he whispered his message from afar.
In the evening we went out for dinner at a restaurant called "Sizzlers". On entering the restaurant you place your order and pay, then you are shown to your table. You can then serve yourself from the many choices at the food bar. There are soups and croutons, pastas and sauces, potato skins and dips and salads. You can have any combination and return as often as you like, using a clean plate if you wish, remembering to save room for dessert. Which again is all laid out for you to choose from. You can have a piece of everything, such as bread and butter pudding, apple crumble, jelly, cheese cake, mousse and ice cream topped with sauces and toppings or if you are watching your weight you can choose from the many varieties of fresh fruit. With bulging bellies we went to Lynda's for a cuppa then went back home to bed.
Monday 2nd January 1995
We had a restless night as it was very windy, the caravan rocked quite a lot, finally we got of to sleep. We woke up at 0930 and had a late breakfast, packed the last few things and tidied the caravan. Jean made up some sausage and egg butties and then we made our way to Adelaide airport. The Thomas's met us there. Our flight was 10 min late. We said our goodbyes and shed a few tears.
The plane was an Airbus A320. We were served lunch, quiche and bacon, followed by fruit salad and chocolate shortbread biscuits. The weather had turned bad and we had to circle over Sydney for an hour. On final approach we could see the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House out of our window.
We finally landed and got a taxi to our hotel, The Top of The Town. Our room was on the 12 th floor with a balcony and a good view of the bridge and opera house. The weather was very wet and only 15?C, it felt cold. We found our coats and went for a stroll, we didn't go far as it wasn't a very nice area. We hadn't realised when we booked that this hotel was in the RED light district. We found a McDonalds and had a Kahoona burger (Hawaiian) for dinner, then made our way back to our hotel where we took in the view of Sydney by night.
Tuesday 3rd January 1995
The alarm woke us up at 0800 and we got up straight away, Martin went to collect the hire car whilst I checked out. We loaded the car, which turned out to be a Holden Commodore instead of the economy car we thought we were getting.
We went for a drive around Sydney, we went through the harbour tunnel and over the harbour bridge before parking at Darling Harbour. We walked to the monorail and buying a day ticket we took a ride to Centrepoint. This was a huge building withrevolving restaurants at the top. We took the high speed elevator up to the observation level. We could see the whole city including the Opera House and Bridge. It was a pity the view was marred by the rain and poor visibility.
After lunch in the base of the tower, we took a long walk through the Botanic Gardens to Mrs. Macquaries Point, which gives the best view of the Opera House and the Bridge. Then we walked around Farm Cove to the Opera House to see it close up. It was a very long walk. After seeing the Opera House we continued on round Circular Quay to The Rocks, some of Sydney's oldest buildings. Then walked back to Darling Harbour. We found a monorail station and decided to give our legs a rest, staying on the monorail whilst it made a complete circuit.
We made our weary way back to the car and started our journey to Penrith. We checked into the Penrith Log Cabin Motor Inn at 1730. After freshening up we made our way to a Sizzlers for dinner which after all our walking we more than deserved, after dinner we spent the evening relaxing in our hotel room which had a wonderful view of the River Nepean, only a few feet from our window.
Wednesday 4th January 1995
Woke up at 0800 and we were on the road by 0900. We arrived at El Caballo Blanco at 0945. It was very quiet, there were not many people about, we must have been the first to arrive. We walked around the zoo complex seeing koalas, roos, camels, deer, antelopes and alligators. Then we went on a 3 Km train ride around the park. After this was the sheep dog trials unfortunately the sheep didn't want to play and the sheepdog wasn't interested. Finally the sheepdog got the sheep in order and then the shearer showed us how to shear sheep.
We decided we had time to let Stephanie go on a horse trail. She looked the part astride her mount, an Australian stock horse called Vegemite. We had a steak sandwich for lunch which we shared with the birds in the open air cafe. We purchased some fish food so that we could feed the koi carp, they tried to jump out of the pond, all clambering over each other to get to the food.
We got our seats for the horse show, we were right at the front. The horses were Andalusian Stallions from the Spanish Riding School. They could Spanish march, long trot and jump on their hind legs. It was a very good show.
We were on our way to Goulburn when we were caught in a very heavy rain storm, it lasted quite a long time and we couldn't see the road. We finally arrived in Goulburn at 1800. We checked in at the Heritage Motor Lodge and then went out for a pizza (the works). Then back to the hotel for a bit of TV then bed.
Thursday 5th January 1995
We got up at 0800 packed and checked out by 0900. The road into Canberra was very picturesque and green, just like England. The weather was the same very wet and cloudy. We got to Canberra at 1030 and drove around the Parliament House. For a capital city there was very little traffic. We decided to go shopping as the rain was very heavy. We put our films into be developed and spent quite a while in and around the malls.
The sun came out so we went back to the parliament house. It was very small and security was casual. You could take a lift up to the roof for a view of the city and then walk back down via the grass covered banks. We got back to the car just as the heavens opened. We decided to go back to the mall for lunch, chicken schnitzel rolls. Stephanie was impressed as the schnitzel was the size of a dinner plate in a roll a third of it's size. After lunch we found our accommodation the Capital Executive Apartments, a bit small but clean. We had a nap before venturing back out into the heavy rain.
Driving up a long twisty road we eventually reached the top of Black Mountain, home of telecom tower. From the summit we could see the whole of Canberra with its huge lake in the middle. The rain was still falling so we got a Chinese take away and spent the evening in our apartment.
Friday 6th January 1995
Up and out by 0900. As it wasn't raining we drove back up Black Mountain for another look at Canberra. Then we decided to go to Sydney via the coastal road. We twisted and turned, went up mountain and down mountain, left bends and right bends, big slopes up and even bigger slopes down. We finally made it to the coastal road feeling quite sick.
After driving on straight roads for some time we stopped for lunch. While we were eating our Kahuna Burgers some students washed our car, they were raising money for a foreign exchange trip. Washing the car caused the rain to start again and it went from bad to worse. Over the radio came a storm warning advising everyone to put their cars under cover. We had no choice and had to continue through the rain arriving in Sydney at 1630.
We decided to go to Bondi Beach and snapped a quick photo, it was quite dark due to the weather. We battled our way across the city to find our hotel, the Town and Country Motor Inn. We were quite tired and hungry. We took a look in the yellow pages which revealed a Sizzlers about 20 Km down the road, we got back in the car and headed in the direction of the Sizzlers. We turned off the main road into the suburb where we expected to find the restaurant. We couldn't find it and after 30 min of looking we gave up and headed back to the main road, only to find it 10 m from the junction. So we went in and had a lovely meal, then went back to the hotel to pack our cases for our flight to Cairns.
Saturday 7th January 1995
Up early 0645, we were all ready by 0730 and got to Sydney airport by 0845. Checked our bags in and had a McDonalds breakfast. Walked through to the departure gate at 0945 only to find that our plane had been delayed and boarding wasn't until 1345 so we settled down for a long wait. Our flight was delayed further still and Ansett announced that we could get a free lunch on production of our boarding passes.
Whilst at lunch the departure board was sneakily changed. So on returning from lunch we found an even longer delay. 1600 we finally boarded our plane, an A320, the flight was about 21/2 hours and as we had been delayed there was free drinks from the bar for the whole of the flight. Our meal was prawn cocktail, lasagne, followed by bread pudding, washed down with a bottle of wine. We landed safely in Cairns and the temperature was 32?C it was lovely and sunny. We took a taxi to our hotel, the Fairways Motor Inn, where we caught up with the laundry( hadn't done any for a while ). Went for an evening stroll past the drive-in cinema and had supper at McDonalds, then back to the hotel as we had an early start.
Sunday 8th January 1995
At 0545 our alarm went off. We dragged ourselves out of bed and got our bathers all packed ready for our day on the reef. At 0645 our coach picked us up from the hotel foyer. We had a short 10 min ride into Cairns where we boarded the Quicksilver wave piercer, a 37 m aluminium catamaran. The weather couldn't have been nicer, blue sky and blue sea as we cruised up to Port Douglas at 27 Knots, it was fantastic. We had tea and biscuits on the way, it tool about 11/2 hours.
More passengers boarded at Port Douglas then we headed out to the reef. On the way we were given a slide show presentation on the reef and safety precautions. At about 1130 we tied up to a pontoon at Agincourt Reef, which is a ribbon reef at the edge of the continental shelf 35 Km out to sea. Part of the pontoon is an underwater observatory, from where you can view the coral and many colourful fish.
Martin, Stephanie and I went down to the snorkelling platform, which is about 3 feet under the water with benches where you can sit in the water whilst putting on your snorkelling gear. Then when you feel you are ready you just start swimming out over the reef. It's probably the most fantastic place to swim, amongst big and little fish, over the reef in crystal clear water.
After about an hour Martin had to leave as he was going diving. Stephanie and I stayed in for about another 1/2 hour then got out for a quick towel dry and went to get our lunch. It was a splendid buffet of cold meats, prawns and salads, you could eat as much as you liked. We sat out on the pontoon and had lunch in the sun.
Feeling adventurous Stephanie and I went for a trip in a semi-submersible. We took a 20 min journey under the sea. You could see so clearly through the large glass windows. We saw giant clams and several types of coral and many types of fish, it was breathtaking. When we got back Martin had returned from his dive and was grinning from ear to ear, he said it was brilliant and he would do it again if he could. Time for one more dip in the sea and a chance to use up the underwater cameras. At about 1445 the ships horn sounds, which is a signal to return to the boat as she is about to get under way.
Back on board we all got dry and dressed. Martin got his lunch out of the fridge, he had put it by because he was diving. We all sat down and enjoyed the cruise back to Port Douglas. A short stop here so we had a browse around the shops, then back onboard for the 11/2 hour cruise back to Cairns while the sun set. At Cairns we were met by a coach and driven back to our hotel, a truly magnificent day. As McDonalds was next to our hotel we had a burger for supper and went to bed.
Monday 9th January 1995
Rose at 0800 and headed into Cairns by taxi. The Avis office was open but we were not due to get the car till noon, so we left our bags and went to a shopping mall called The Pier. Here we had breakfast in a restaurant called the Beach Hut, eat as much as you like for A$6. The choice consisted of bacon, sausage, scrambled egg, fried rice, hash browns, potato wedges, chips, pasta, mushrooms, chilli, fried bread, toast, jams, tea and coffee. The only thing that cost extra was fresh orange juice that came by the pint. After a BIG breakfast we hit the shops. There was a huge choice of gift shops, we brought a couple of presents.
At 1130 Martin went to the bank and then to collect the car. Stephanie and I sat and listened to the entertainment. At 1230 Martin returned, Stephanie was having her face painted for free. We decided to make our way to our next hotel the Kuranda Rainforest Resort.
On the way we stopped at Barron Falls. The path down to the waterfall took us through a section of rainforest where the cicadas were chirping very loudly. To get a good view of the falls we had to walk along the railway line and then through a narrow cutting, which ended in a sheer drop of 100 m.
Kuranda is a small village in the rainforest about 40 Km outside of Cairns. We checked in to our hotel and were given our key. Our accommodation was a pole cabin. This was a wooden hut with a verandah, a kitchenette, one double bedroom and a bathroom. Stephanie had to sleep in the loft, she thought this was great, just like Little House on the Prairie.
After unloading the car we all went down to the pool for a swim. The pool was like a billabong with rocks all around and a waterfall in the middle, it was lovely and cool. At about 1700 we all got dressed and headed back to Cairns for the night markets, where we brought some more gifts and had baked potatoes for dinner. Then we made our way back to Kuranda, up the winding roads into the mountains of the rainforest. It was dark by now so we had to take care.
Our cabin didn't have any glass in the windows, just wooden shutters, so we could hear the crickets chirping and the frogs croaking. We got to sleep quite quickly as we were all tired.
Tuesday 10th January 1995
An hour BEFORE sunrise (0430) the Kookaburras started, there were lots of them, all sitting on the lamp post outside Stephanies bedroom window, laughing away. It woke us all up and Martin wanted a shotgun so he could have the last laugh. At 0645 we went to get our breakfast, we ate in an open air restaurant which was right next to the pool. It was very pleasant, we had a tropical breakfast, helping ourselves to cereals, melon, pineapple, cherries, peaches, pears, hot fresh croissants, cheeses and cold meats.
As we hade made an early start we decided to go to Cairns and try to get tickets for the Kuranda Railway. We were in luck and we got 3 tickets for the 0900 train. ( The train only runs twice a day, three days a week ). We got to the station at 0845 and boarded the train. The guard told us to open all of the windows in the carriage as it was going to be a hot day and the train didn't have air conditioning. The journey took 11/2 hours and covered 34 Km up a winding track, at times very close to the edge,through 15 tunnels, over 49 bridges and past 2 waterfalls. It was a real experience, beautiful views and lovely scenery.
We pulled in to Kuranda at 1030 and went for a walk up and down the streets, we bought some more gifts and grabbed some lunch, which we took back to the train to eat in our carriage. At 1230 the whistle sounded and the train was off again back down the mountainside. It was just as thrilling the second time around. Back in Cairns we did some more shopping, then on the way back to Kuranda we picked up some steak and salad to cook later. Back at the cabin I had a small nap whilst Martin and Stephanie had a dip in the pool. At 1900 I cooked the steak and we had dinner, then grabbed an early night. It was a real experience sleeping in the rainforest.
Wednesday 11th January 1995
I woke up at 0530, Martin and Stephanie slept until 0700. We went to the restaurant for breakfast, tropical breakfast and a basket full of hot croissants. Checked out and went to Kuranda market, browsed around and bought a few gifts. Met an Australian artist and bought one of her paintings. At 1100 we went to the Tjapukai Theatre to see an Aboriginal dance troupe. It was a very good show very educational and humorous. We were shown how to use their tools and taught some of their language, they also danced and sang. After the show we had lunch and made our way to Port Douglas.
We arrived at 1430 and as we had no accommodation booked we called into the travel information bureau. The lady suggested an apartment that was on special for A$65 a night for a 3 night stay. We arranged this and paid a deposit. When we arrived at the Tropical Reef Apartments the receptionist was very apologetic as she had no double rooms left ( our hearts sank as we were tired ) but she offered us the penthouse suite at no extra cost, how could we turn this down ?So for A$195 we had 3 nights in a huge apartment.
The apartment had a large lounge/dining room furnished with a 4 piece suite, dining table and 6 chairs, with open plan kitchen complete with waste disposal and dish washer. It had two bedrooms, one twin and one queen sized, both with fitted wardrobes. It had it's own laundry with washing machine and tumble drier. Patio doors from the lounge and the queen sized bedroom led out on to a balcony. Upstairs was a sunroom with a bed/settee and a second bathroom. From the sunroom patio doors led on to the roof garden, which had sun loungers and was not overlooked and was very private.
Once over the shock of the grandeur of the apartment we sorted out all our gifts and packed them ready for the journey home. We had take-away pizza for dinner, and used the dish washer for the 3 plates. At the same time we caught up with our laundry as the apartment was so well equipped. Unfortunately the final straw was using the waste disposal as this blew the fuses. A quick phone call to reception brought the manager who re-set the fuses and asked us to use one thing at a time. Stephanie went to bed leaving Martin and I to spend a lovely romantic evening watching the stars from the roof garden.
Thursday 12th January 1995
Had a really good nights sleep, woke at 0830 and had a lazy morning with a home cooked breakfast, then put the dishes in the washer. Drove into Port Douglas and watched the Quicksilver cruise out to sea. Then we went to the Habitat which is an enclosed rainforest eco-system. It is man made but is well established and well done. It has birds of all sorts, butterflies, crocodiles, koalas and roos. It also has a fruit bat which hung from a tree directly above the walkway. We walked carefully passed, Stephanie walked under him and he reached out and touched her hat. He must have taken a liking to it because he snatched it off of her head and held it tight. Martin and I had to prize it out of his grasp, he didn't want to let it go and was holding on to it with both wings and one foot, after a quick chew he realised that it wasn't food and let it go.
After the Habitat we drove to Mossman Gorge where we walked through the rainforest and had a picnic. Martin and Stephanie went for a swim in the river. The water looked lovely and cool as it flowed over the rocks and boulders. There was plenty of fish but no crocs. Later in the afternoon we went shopping in Port Douglas and took a small train ride on the Bally Hooley tramway. It was a pleasant trip up and back through the mangrove trees. We took a Chinese take-away back for supper and then spent the evening relaxing.
Friday 13th January 1995
Had a nice lay in, woke up at 0845. We had toast for breakfast and then left at about 0945. We arrived at Daintree at 1045, looked around and booked ourselves on a guided eco-tour. The tour had left Cairns in the morning and we were to rendezvous with them at 1215 at the Daintree river crossing. We drove to The Big Croc Cafe and had an early lunch of roo-burgers and Stephanie had a hot-roo.
At about 1215 our guide Adam met up with us and at 1230 we boarded our small bus and crossed the Daintree river via the cable ferry. This is the only way to cross the river and only 4x4 vehicles are allowed to cross. Chatting to our fellow passengers we discovered that they had been up since 0600, driven to Mossman Gorge, where they couldn't swim because the heavy rain the night before had swollen the river by 36 cm. Then they went on a boat trip up the Daintree river looking for crocodiles but didn't find any.
We made our way up winding roads, there were quite a lot of fallen trees due to the rain the night before. We stopped at a private estate and were shown a plantation of rare palm trees. Then we made our way to a mangrove forest where we saw spiders, crabs and birds including a very rare cat bird. On our walk we saw many different types of trees including some of the oldest known species of tree, these trees have only been found in fossil form in other countries. We also saw a strangler fig tree whose host had died and rotted away.
The bus then took us to Cape Tribulation, where the rainforest meets the reef. It was a beautiful place, lots of trees coming right down to the beach, no shops, roads or houses, just pure nature. We spent a while here and then sadly had to head back. On our return journey we stopped at a tea house where we drank Daintree tea, which is grown here about.
At 1800 we got back to our car and headed back to Port Douglas. For dinnerwe had Barramundi and chips, it tastes like plaice. We spent a lazy evening in front of the TV and then retired to bed.
Saturday 14th January 1995
Up at 0700 and had toast for breakfast. Packed up and checked out by 0830. We decided to go to Kuranda and see the Tjapuki show again taking the video camera with us this time. We sat right in the front row, the script was slightly different and the players had changed roles but it was just as good as last time.
After the show we made our way back into Cairns to do some last minute shopping, as we had spent all our money we changed our �100 emergency cash into Aussie dollars. As we were tired we went to our hotel, which was the Fairways again. At 1430 we went for a swim in the hotel pool, as the temperature was 33?C it was a nice way of cooling down and we had the pool all to ourselves.
At 1700 we went back into town for more shopping. We now had gifts for everyone except my Mum, it would now have to wait until tomorrow morning. For dinner we went to Sizzlers, Martin and I both had steak plus soup, pasta, salad, desert and a bottle of wine. When we left the restaurant we were surprised to see lots of birds flying overhead as by this time it was dark. Then we realised that they weren't birds but bats, hundreds and hundreds of bats. We got back to our hotel at 2130 re-packed our luggage for the last time and went to bed.
Sunday 15th January 1995
Woke at 0800, loaded the car and headed to the Pier for breakfast at the Beach Hut. With our final gift bought we made our way to the airport to check in, we handed back the car then went airside. We had a couple of hours to kill so we went to the duty free shop. We used our flexible friend Access to buy Martin a pen and me a sheepskin rug. At 1500 our flight was called and we boarded our 767 and at 1515 we took off for Singapore via Darwin. We had free drinks served with our meal of hot carrot, orange and coriander soup with onion focaccia. Followed byBlack Forest cake and tea. After this we watched some TV until we landed at Darwin 2 hours later. After an hour on the ground we re-boarded, had a preflight drink and took off again, GOODBYE AUSTRALIA.
Drinks from the bar were free and we had dinner. It was salad, chicken masala, apple crumble with custard, bread roll, cheese and biscuits and a bottle of white wine. We watched the movie "The Shawshank Redemption", then had a little nap. After 4 hours we arrived at Singapore. We had a 2 hour stop here, so we looked at the airport shops and Stephanie played in the childrens play area, she was still wide awake. At 2330 we boarded our final flight a B747-400 for a 131/2 hour stretch to London. We were served supper, which was spring salad, stir fried chicken, papaya cake, tea and wine.
Monday 16th January 1995
We all managed to get 6 hours sleep and woke up when the cabin crew brought us tea and biscuits. After this they screened the final film "Clear and Present Danger" starring Harrison Ford, it was very good and kept us amused for 2 1/2 hours. Due to Political disturbances on the ground under the normal route our flight was re-routed to a more northerly flight path, which made the flight longer.
After another small nap breakfast was served. It was chipolatas, spinach quiche, croquette potatoes, strawberry yoghurt, fruit salad, roll with jam and a cup of tea. Only 1 1/2 hours to go now, the video player had packed up and we were very uncomfortable having been sitting for so long.
At 0530 we landed at Heathrow Airport and after collecting our bags and clearing customs we were met in the arrivals hall by David and Lindsey. They laughed at our Bushman hats and Martins shorts as the temperature outside was just above freezing. Then we had to go and find Mum and Dad who had slipped off for a coffee and missed us arriving. We drove home gassing all the way. We were glad to be home but sad that our wonderful holiday was over.