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I think the last time I wrote we were in the Blue Mountains with Ju and Shu, we had just
completed the long walk and had had a fab night in the pub celebrating. Here comes the next installment .......
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Sunday 4th April
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We woke up to hear rain sploshing lightly onto the tent, thoughts of the Inca Trail sprung to mind ! By the time we had
packed our bags, dressed and clambered out of the tent thought it had stopped. We decided to pack the tents up while it was
dry, aided by a cuppa ! Once done we cooked up another stormer of a brekkie as we watched the drizzle begin to descend
again., that very fine, very wet drizzle. We decided we would head out to the viewpoints to work our what walk if any we
could do. As we headed across though the weather gradually got worse until we could see virtually nothing. We headed to the
viewpoint at the 3 sisters, but could not see beyond the car park railings ! At this point we decided that the weather wasn\'t
going to clear in a hurry, so we started to head for home. On the way back Julian remembered a particular spot to see
wildlife, in particular Kangaroos. We pulled off the highway and set off in pursuit of the beasties, or boinges as Shu
referred to them as ! As we sat in the car waiting for Ju to return from the info office to tell us the exact spot to go to
we spotted our first Kookaburra sat on a fence post as bold as brass. Having heard them for the past few mornings giggling
like teenage schoolgirls (that is their noise) it was great to finally see one.
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Directions obtained we headed off into some fab bush scenery - gum trees, sandstone and shrubs to a clearing which was part
of a campsite area. We parked up and on getting out saw a whole family of kangaroos. There were some big burly male ones, but
also some smaller young male and female ones. They let us get very close to them which was great. To see them hop away was
very surreal. They still don\'t look like normal animals with their curious gait.
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It was still drizzling so we popped back into the car and headed to the local town for hot choccies, lattes and the like.
This did the trick and got us ready for the final part of the return journey to Sydney. As we approached the city centre Trev
and I leapt out as we were going to go and do the Aquarium today, since the weather was pretty grotty there as well. After a
quick loo stop we bought our tickets and strolled in. The Aquarium was superb. The amount of different fishes was amazing. We
also got to see a platypus - a really cute if somewhat strange looking animal. There were crocodiles, both freshwater and
salties, a most bizarre weddy sea dragon which looks just like sea weed. There were two underwater tunnel sections where you
can walk through seeing sea lions in the first one. The second area is dedicated to numerous sharks, sting rays, giant
turtles and fish. It was a wee bit weird seeing sharks swimming towards you, but fantastic nonetheless. We also got to touch
various starfish in the touch pools and feel sharks eggs - they look like twisted pasta twirls. The final tank in the
aquarium is huge and has so much in it itis ahrd to describe. We stood and were mesmorized by that for a fair while.
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On coming out of the Aquarium both Trev and I were hungry so our next mission was food. As we walked towards Pymont Bridge to
get back into the city I noticed an elderly lady laid out on the pavement. She had plenty of people around her helping her -
I thought she had just feinted. That was until I realised that her ankle was not at the correct angle to her foot. The sight
of her injury made my stomach lurch and I came over all hot and sweaty. I thought I would recover as we stood going up the
escalator. However at the top Trev asked if I was alright and as I tried to explain, the memory of it made me go green and I
had to lean against a wall to stop my legs buckling. At this point I knew I needed food asap, so we popped into a shop and
got some rather uninspiring sarnies, but it did the trick !
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From here we headed back to Kent Street and the camping shops to get a new valve for Trev\'s platypus which he had manaaged to
lose in the aquarium. By now it was getting fairly late so we ambled back to Circular Quay via Pitt Street and caught the
ferry back to Ju and Shus. They had had a productive afternoon sorting stuff out back at the flat. Trev and I did some
reading on the Snowy Mountains and the West Coast. Then it was time for a delicious Spag Bol and some vino. A fab end to a
glorious weekend.
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Monday 5th April
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I was up early to do some more reading about the Snowies etc. When Trev had finally hauled his carcass out of bed we set off
for Bondi Beach. We stopped first at Bondi Junction for a mooch about and to get Trev a cheap pair of jeans. It was then back
on the bus to Bondi Beach. The weather was overcast today and windy with the odd bit of rain. Although it wasn\'t quite how we
thought we would see Bondi, it didn\'t detract from the size of the beach and its beautiful soft sand. Due to the wind the
surf was high so there was numerous surfers in the water. What was also noticeable was the lack of high rise buildings along
the seafront. We strolled along the front looking in the shops and cafes. It was lunchtime so I grabbed a delicious toasted
veggie sarnie from a shop where they were filming a piece on the benefits of juicing fruit - all very bizarre. Trev meanwhile
got a burger - both of which filled the large holes in our bellies.
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After lunch we set off to explore the beach and see the surfers in action. We strolled along the beach towards the famous
lifeguard training centre and outdoor pool. The pool over looks the sea and even with the weather looked inviting. From here
we picked up the path to begin our walk around the bays to Coogee. The wildness of the day added to our walk, making the
waves break magnificently over the rocks and headlands. The scenery and views on our way round were glorious as each
prominent headland gave way to bays. We sat and watched some surfers on our way round. After several bays we walked through a
cliff top graveyard. Some of the graves had seen better days with some of the statues missing heads or limbs. With the strong
wind and grey skies it was quite eerie walking through there. When we got to the next headland we could see Coogee. We were
running a bit late so we hopped back on the first bus and returned to Circular Quay to get the ferry back to the flat.
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We were off to see Gerry and Helen, my other cousin and his wife and daughter Sarsha. The last time I had seen Gerry was when
he came to the UK at the age of 14. He is now near 40, so a long time ago ! We showered swiftly and on our way out of Sydney
in the Blue Roo we picked up a bottle of vino to take round. We left about 5:40pm, a little later than planned and as such
got stuck in the traffic on the way north. Trev was driving which left me as navigator, never a good thing as I am not so
good at it and it makes me feel a bit sick, plus it was dark. Still we had fab directions from Ju and Shu so we headed out
into the traffic. After an initial panic that we had been on one road for too long, we found our way. We got to Gerry and
Helens at 7pm, later than we had hoped. Anyway, introductions over and done with we settled down to catch up with over 20
years of news ! We met little Sarsha, who was a bit wary of us, especially Trev ! We also met Glenis - Helen\'s sister. We
chatted about jobs, houses, extensions and saw the plans for their new large house. We sat down to a feast of chicken and
almond quiche, lasagne, potato bake, coleslaw and some lovely green salad. For pudding we had raspberry cheesecake, homemade
and very decadent with cream as well. It was gorgeous.
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After much natter about cars, the UK and travel we set off home. We were doing really well at not going wrong until we missed
the turn off to Neutral Bay - so a quick detour of the Harbour Bridge - which looked fab lit up at night - we turned round
and headed back over the bridge to Ju and Shus and to bed. A great night, excellent to catch up with Gerry and Helen after so
long.
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Tuesday 6th April
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Up at a reasonable hour again to try to finalise our plans for the Snowies, moving flights, booking cars and planning where
we were going to stay in the Snowies. It was about 1pm when we finally got over to Circular Quay. We headed up Pitt Street to
the Post Office to post a large parcel back to the UK to lighten our backpacks. It was then back down to the Quay and to the
Opera House. We grabbed a quick sarnie and strolled along to get tickets for the guided tour of the Opera House. at 3pm,
Brent our tour guide rocked up - a real John Travolta style chap with quiffe and all. After an initial explanation of the
Opera House tour and what it involved we set off inside to hand our bags in and then to start the tour properly. First stop
was the National Symphony Concert Hall. We sat on steps inside the Opera House overlooking the sunny harbour, while Brent
told us all about the history of the place which was very interesting. It was then time to head into the hall to see it. The
Chamber Orchestra was rehearsing so we got to hear some music and the ecoustics of the room. It was a great experience and
nice to have time to take in the interior of the building. There is a project underway at the moment to redo the interior
inline with the original designs of the architect, if it happens it will be grand.
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From the concert hall we we walked Hurricane Alley to the Opera and Ballet hall. In this room there was a couple practising
scenes from Swan Lake. A trainer was helping the girl try to get a particular movement as she was struggling with it. We were
told that for the ballet the already springy wooden floor was covered with white padded mats which were then covered in
diluted sprite and water to make the surface more sticky and springy to reduce the risk of injury. We were also told about
the counterweight structure used to support the roof without large pillars which would obscure the views of the audience.
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The tour was over too soon and we headed back out into the sunshine to take some piccies. From there we set off for an
explore of the Botanic Gardens. It was a lovely evening so we meandered through the various areas of the garden. Past some
glorious fig trees, palm trees, the palace gardens and much more. There was also a lot of bird activity, sulphur crested
cockatoos, ibis, ducks and minah birds. We strolled out to the next point down from the Opera House and sat to watch the sun
light up the bridge and Opera House. We then meandered back past Lady Macquarie chair and down into Wooloomooloo bay. It was
getting late so we started back to the Opera House and Circular Quay to get the ferry back.
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We picked up some cider and wine for our last dinner with Ju and Shu and caught the ferry back. Shu was back at the flat and
Ju wasn\'t far behind us. We had a beer and some nibbles while we looked at the piccies of our trip on the web and then the
ones of Oz with Ju and Shu from our digital camera - it was great to see the ones of the Blue Mountains. We then sat down for
a delicious dinner. After a few glasses of vino and a good natter about our itinerary for the red centre and Kakadu we all
crashed as we had an early start the next day, we were off to catch up with my Auntie, Jan, up in Gosford which is just north
of Sydney.
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