Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Who's Guarding the Country?
There are so many Canadians down here I have to ask the question - “who is guarding the country?”
New Zealand – South Island – Rimu Tour
We are once again connected to the internet, have TV channels and are “plugged in.” YIKES – that sounds like the real world.....
We met up with our group in Christhcurch – turns out to be 5 of us with 2 guides – SWEET!!!! Except, John and I are by far the oldest – YIKES again. Nothing worse than having kids half your age run up mountains and return down them before we are even anywhere near the top. Crickey?!?!?!?!? What happened to the days when I was always the youngest and the head of the pack!?!?!?!?
We are doing the south island counterclockwise from Christchurch and headed up north, then west towards the west/wet coast and then circling east to the centre.
This is wine country so we had to stop at a vineyard to sample the wares on our second day. It must have been to give us courage to launch into our 3 day backpacking trip into Nelson National Park. This is when it all becomes a blur – exhaustion and pain have that effect.....
For such a small country there is a lot of variety in topography and geography, The west coast is nicknamed “the wet coast”. Things like that always worry me when on vacation. Same as “rain forests”. I generally try to avoid them. However, the vegetation is very lush and tropical As we headed inland, east, we crossed mountains ranges and the topography and vegetation changes to much drier where you can see the rocky mountains . They are very reminiscent of our Canadian Rockies on the Alberta side. Beautiful lakes that are crisp blue – and apparently cold.
Currently we are in Queenstown – “the adventure capital of the world” (reminiscent of Banff, but even more commercialized) In Queenstown we are at 45 degrees south, so we are fairly far south They say in the winter temperatures can go as low as minus 15 C and up to minus 5C. So it can get pretty cold (although, our winters in Alberta can get FAR worse.)
Queenstown is very commercial – but cute. And any type of adventure activity you would like is available. This is the home of bungee jumping, paragliding, parachuting, aerial stunt plane rides – you name it – you can do it here.
Currently the weather is not cooperating. We had planned a heli ride to hike the Franz Josef Glacier, but that was canceled due to low clouds and winds. Today we planned a jet boat in Queenstown, that was canceled due to the rain. Tomorrow we are supposed to go to Milford Sound– which is very famous. However, the roads are blocked with a land slide – so our guides have made alternate plans for us.
Highlights so far of the South Island:
Highlight #1: Three days backpacking in Nelson National Park – Angelus Circuit:
I have come to the conclusion Kiwis are a hardy lot. Crickey – have they never heard of stopping to smell the roses or enjoying the scenery when mountain climbing? Do they never need to catch their breath and rest? I can not even count the number of times I cursed John, for whatever reasons..... Crickey. We arrived at our alpine hut in time to have dinner – and then fall asleep at the table –it felt like too much effort to get up and go to our mattress
After breakfast we headed out across a ridge and then down grueling boulders beside a waterfall. I can't remember if it was harder going up or down – I just remember that my knees became wobbly and I seriously worried if they were going to bend backwards. My legs have never been so tired. Nine hours later we arrived at our next alpine hut – and a cold well deserved beer! (apparently that hike usually takes 11 hours! I wish someone had asked me if I was interested in breaking a record – if they had – my answer would have been “NO!!!!!!!!”) My legs have never been so sore. Those excercises that I did 20 years ago did not help me now!!!
Next morning we had a leisurely 3 hour hike out and back to the bus– hahahahaha. It hurt to stand up and sit down. It hurt to go down a stair. It hurt just thinking abut my legs. Now that it is over I am glad I did it.
Highlight #2: Kayaking in Okarita Lagoon
The reason this is a highlight is because John and I shared a two seater kayak – called the Divorce Kayak for 4 hours. Remarkably, neither one of us was ready to kill the other. (It really is not so amazing that John didn't' kill me – but more amazing that I never killed him!)
Highlight #3: Hearing the “youngsters” on the trip complain about sore legs!
John and I thought we were the only ones ready to die and in absolute agony, but it gave me great pleasure to hear them also complain about sore legs – not that I'm mean or anything. But life would just not have been fair if they had not also felt the pain.
And the beat goes on........
We met up with our group in Christhcurch – turns out to be 5 of us with 2 guides – SWEET!!!! Except, John and I are by far the oldest – YIKES again. Nothing worse than having kids half your age run up mountains and return down them before we are even anywhere near the top. Crickey?!?!?!?!? What happened to the days when I was always the youngest and the head of the pack!?!?!?!?
We are doing the south island counterclockwise from Christchurch and headed up north, then west towards the west/wet coast and then circling east to the centre.
This is wine country so we had to stop at a vineyard to sample the wares on our second day. It must have been to give us courage to launch into our 3 day backpacking trip into Nelson National Park. This is when it all becomes a blur – exhaustion and pain have that effect.....
For such a small country there is a lot of variety in topography and geography, The west coast is nicknamed “the wet coast”. Things like that always worry me when on vacation. Same as “rain forests”. I generally try to avoid them. However, the vegetation is very lush and tropical As we headed inland, east, we crossed mountains ranges and the topography and vegetation changes to much drier where you can see the rocky mountains . They are very reminiscent of our Canadian Rockies on the Alberta side. Beautiful lakes that are crisp blue – and apparently cold.
Currently we are in Queenstown – “the adventure capital of the world” (reminiscent of Banff, but even more commercialized) In Queenstown we are at 45 degrees south, so we are fairly far south They say in the winter temperatures can go as low as minus 15 C and up to minus 5C. So it can get pretty cold (although, our winters in Alberta can get FAR worse.)
Queenstown is very commercial – but cute. And any type of adventure activity you would like is available. This is the home of bungee jumping, paragliding, parachuting, aerial stunt plane rides – you name it – you can do it here.
Currently the weather is not cooperating. We had planned a heli ride to hike the Franz Josef Glacier, but that was canceled due to low clouds and winds. Today we planned a jet boat in Queenstown, that was canceled due to the rain. Tomorrow we are supposed to go to Milford Sound– which is very famous. However, the roads are blocked with a land slide – so our guides have made alternate plans for us.
Highlights so far of the South Island:
Highlight #1: Three days backpacking in Nelson National Park – Angelus Circuit:
I have come to the conclusion Kiwis are a hardy lot. Crickey – have they never heard of stopping to smell the roses or enjoying the scenery when mountain climbing? Do they never need to catch their breath and rest? I can not even count the number of times I cursed John, for whatever reasons..... Crickey. We arrived at our alpine hut in time to have dinner – and then fall asleep at the table –it felt like too much effort to get up and go to our mattress
After breakfast we headed out across a ridge and then down grueling boulders beside a waterfall. I can't remember if it was harder going up or down – I just remember that my knees became wobbly and I seriously worried if they were going to bend backwards. My legs have never been so tired. Nine hours later we arrived at our next alpine hut – and a cold well deserved beer! (apparently that hike usually takes 11 hours! I wish someone had asked me if I was interested in breaking a record – if they had – my answer would have been “NO!!!!!!!!”) My legs have never been so sore. Those excercises that I did 20 years ago did not help me now!!!
Next morning we had a leisurely 3 hour hike out and back to the bus– hahahahaha. It hurt to stand up and sit down. It hurt to go down a stair. It hurt just thinking abut my legs. Now that it is over I am glad I did it.
Highlight #2: Kayaking in Okarita Lagoon
The reason this is a highlight is because John and I shared a two seater kayak – called the Divorce Kayak for 4 hours. Remarkably, neither one of us was ready to kill the other. (It really is not so amazing that John didn't' kill me – but more amazing that I never killed him!)
Highlight #3: Hearing the “youngsters” on the trip complain about sore legs!
John and I thought we were the only ones ready to die and in absolute agony, but it gave me great pleasure to hear them also complain about sore legs – not that I'm mean or anything. But life would just not have been fair if they had not also felt the pain.
And the beat goes on........
Sunday, March 14, 2010
New Zealand: North Island
New Zealand basically consists of two islands – the North Island and the South Island. The Tasman Sea, a 2 hour time change and approximately 1,500km separates it from Australia – and both countries love to give each other jovial jabs. There are approximately 4 million people and 40 million sheep in New Zealand. Don't even go there! Just do the math!
We met up with our 9 tour mates and 2 guides in Auckland and circled clockwise through the North Island We covered Rockaway Beach, Mount Maunganui, Rotorua, Lakes Okatina, Lake Tarawera, Whakarewarewa Forest, Huka Falls, Turangi, Lake Taupo (the world's biggest volcano lake), Tongariro National Park , Waitomo Caves and back to Auckland in 5 days. The names are Maori and roll off the tongues of New Zealanders – personally, I have difficulty with all of them.
The north island is the location to many scenes in the Lord of the Rings movie. It sits on volcanoes and there is tons of geothermal activity going on under the earth's surface (YIKES!!!) In some places it looks almost surreal with hot spots of steam, bubbling pools of water and rolling mud coming out of the earth (YIKES!) It is a bit unnerving at times – but home to many spas and beauty care products so it must be safe. In other places it looks like a lunar landscape - the after effects of erupting volcanoes. (YIKES again!) But mostly it is very green and lush, with fertile farms, cows, TALL trees, rolling hills, mountains with snow tops and home to many kiwi fruit orchards (they look like grape vines). Oh yah, and there are TONS of sheep.
We were on an Active New Zealand tour and Grant (pronounced in New Zealand as Grauuuunt – to rhyme with Auuuunt) certainly kept us moving and active. Our hike on the second day was 21km (13 miles) at Lake Okataina. The Brits and Americans on our trip expected it to be “undulating” - obviously underestimating the stamina of New Zealanders.
Three highlights of our trip around the North Island:
FIRST: Tongariro National Park is New Zealand's oldest park and is the 4th oldest national park in the world! It was a gift from the Maori people to the country – a very clever way to ensure the land remains natural forever. There are three massive volcanoes in the Park – one of which was Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings.
We “tramped” (New Zealand Speak for “hiked”) the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. The trail is 19 km (11 miles) and over the first 9 km (4 miles) we had an elevation gain of 2,000 feet. For those of you not into hiking, suffice it to say, that is a very steep climb. The mid plateau was like a windswept lunar landscape with flat black lava plains. When we crested the top peak we looked down on 3 small turquoise alpine lakes – perfect for lunch.
Seven hours later we were back at our bus, to be greeted by Grauunt with a cold adult beverage by a lake. This was followed by a welcome soak in the bubbling thermal waters in Turangi.
SECOND: We mountain biked Whakarewarewa Forest (I am not making these names up, honest!) It is home to huge trees, including transplanted California red woods, and “undulating” hills.
I tackled the Level 2 trails but John was in his glory and took off with another guide that took 3 more adventurous souls on Level 5 trails (or so they say. Note: that there are not many pictures of their adventure....) Apparently John had a silly grin on his face the whole time. I was quite happy on my trails, especially because I did not have any close encounters with the nature around me.
THIRD: I had never heard of “black water rafting”. The pictures and brochures showed people having a ton of fun. So I figured it must be a good time.
Ha!!! Let me define “highlight” - it does not mean I enjoyed it, it just means it was “memorable”. It also means I can “tick off the box” - not that I ever had the “black water rafting” box on my bucket list before!
“Black water rafting” means putting on a cold and wet 5mm wet suit, booties under rubber boots, strapping on helmets with flashlights, sitting on rubber tubes, descending into caves and jumping over water falls into pools of water at 14C (about 55F) in the dark. YIKES! I do not like being cold, the dark, cold water and am mildly claustrophobic – so this was pretty much my worst nightmare all in one package!
Now that I have completed it and am out of both the cave and wet suit – you know, it was kind of fun. (YIKES!) When we turned off our headlamps it was total darkness except for the glow worms on the ceiling. (Why any creature would choose to live their life in those conditions is beyond me, but why our guides would choose to do this 3 or 4 times a day is ALSO beyond me!) We floated with the lights out and looked up at the glow worms and it was like a beautiful starry night. Later we turned the headlamps on and maneuvered through the tunnels and it reminded me of a moonlit night through a canyon with stars over head. Now that I am out I can say it really was very pretty. Although, it would have been much nicer had we gone through caves with thermal water instead of frigid water!
Both John and I were sad to leave our tour of the North Island after 5 days. We saw beautiful countryside, had interesting adventures and had a lot of fun with our Kiwi guide Graaaauuuunt, who loved to laugh and joke and tease us Canadians, fellow members of the Commonwealth, and former residents of Australia.
Monday, March 8, 2010
The Red Centre - March 2010
Uluru (Ayers Rock) is one of Australia's famous icons. It is exactly in the centre of the continent and is a sacred place to the Aborigines – who are the traditional custodians of the land.
Both John and I have come away with a reverence, respect and mystical feelings for the land.
Pictures of it always show it as a vibrant red rock in the middle of the flat and dry dessert, but they say if you are lucky enough to see it on a rainy day, it is gray. Rarely are there rainy days.
The rock has interesting crevices, markings and caves. They are sacred places with aboriginal legends explaining the indentations and variations of colour. Accordingly, they can not be photographed and the legends can not be told in full to non aboriginals.
The aborigines of Australia are the oldest known culture in the world and they have been in Australia for 35 thousand years. Their culture is very complicated, complex and secret. It is an oral tradition where it is not written down but passed from generation to generation by words. Only small portions of their traditions and stories are shared with outsiders. Because of this, it is difficult for me to understand their “dreamtimes” and the secrecy of their partially told stories. It leaves me with unanswered questions and unknown feelings – I can't really explain – confusion, awe..... Perhaps mystical....
Back to reality..... There is a steep climb to the top of Uluru but climbing it is controversial. The aborigines want it closed because it is sacred to them – but to date it remains open with numerous polite requests posted to not climb it. Before we came we contemplated if we would climb it, but being here it is not an option. It is straight up, it is hot, there is no shade and when the temperature is over 36C (96F) it is closed. But more significantly, I feel it is disrespectful to climb. The sacredness of the place starts to work its way into your mind and social consciousness.
We walked around the base of the rock, a trek of 7km (4 miles). It was not difficult because it is flat, but it was hot and the flies were constant unwelcome companions. What I didn't know is that on the south side of the rock the vegetation changes to become more lush and there is a pool of water. This is the “women's side” of the rock where they have their secret traditional rituals. The north side of the rock is where the men have their secret traditions.
Thirty km (18miles) west from Uluru is another interesting formation in the middle of the flat dessert – a cluster of huge rocks – 38 of them to be exact. They are known as the Olga's, but their original name given to them by the aboriginals is Kata Tjuta. They are more interesting from a distance, resembling large beehives. But up close I found Uluru to be more interesting with their crevices and caves. As the sun sets on Kata Tjuta, like Uluru, it glows the same red. There are numerous viewing platforms for people to watch the show unfold at both Uluru and Kata Tjuta.
The dessert landscape is basically flat with red soil and an abundance of small plants, shrubs and thin trees with small leaves. Shade is a scarce commodity. It would appear that water conservation is also practiced by the plants. On first glance it is boring, but it is compelling and has natural beauty in its own right.
The next day we drove 300km (180 miles) north of Uluru to Kings Canyon. It is another formation that just springs to life out of flat land. But the surrounding area is greener and the bushes and trees are larger with more leaves and shade. We hiked the 7km (4 miles) trail up the canyon and found the Garden of Eden, literally a tropical paradise with ferns and an abundance of trees surrounding a small pond. The shade and cooler air was a welcome respite from the hot sun.
The Red Centre is a mystical place in the middle of a harsh and dry land and it is easy to see why it is an iconic and sacred place. The aborigines have taken good care of it over the last 35 thousand years, may we all continue to do so in the future.
Both John and I have come away with a reverence, respect and mystical feelings for the land.
Pictures of it always show it as a vibrant red rock in the middle of the flat and dry dessert, but they say if you are lucky enough to see it on a rainy day, it is gray. Rarely are there rainy days.
The rock has interesting crevices, markings and caves. They are sacred places with aboriginal legends explaining the indentations and variations of colour. Accordingly, they can not be photographed and the legends can not be told in full to non aboriginals.
The aborigines of Australia are the oldest known culture in the world and they have been in Australia for 35 thousand years. Their culture is very complicated, complex and secret. It is an oral tradition where it is not written down but passed from generation to generation by words. Only small portions of their traditions and stories are shared with outsiders. Because of this, it is difficult for me to understand their “dreamtimes” and the secrecy of their partially told stories. It leaves me with unanswered questions and unknown feelings – I can't really explain – confusion, awe..... Perhaps mystical....
Back to reality..... There is a steep climb to the top of Uluru but climbing it is controversial. The aborigines want it closed because it is sacred to them – but to date it remains open with numerous polite requests posted to not climb it. Before we came we contemplated if we would climb it, but being here it is not an option. It is straight up, it is hot, there is no shade and when the temperature is over 36C (96F) it is closed. But more significantly, I feel it is disrespectful to climb. The sacredness of the place starts to work its way into your mind and social consciousness.
We walked around the base of the rock, a trek of 7km (4 miles). It was not difficult because it is flat, but it was hot and the flies were constant unwelcome companions. What I didn't know is that on the south side of the rock the vegetation changes to become more lush and there is a pool of water. This is the “women's side” of the rock where they have their secret traditional rituals. The north side of the rock is where the men have their secret traditions.
Thirty km (18miles) west from Uluru is another interesting formation in the middle of the flat dessert – a cluster of huge rocks – 38 of them to be exact. They are known as the Olga's, but their original name given to them by the aboriginals is Kata Tjuta. They are more interesting from a distance, resembling large beehives. But up close I found Uluru to be more interesting with their crevices and caves. As the sun sets on Kata Tjuta, like Uluru, it glows the same red. There are numerous viewing platforms for people to watch the show unfold at both Uluru and Kata Tjuta.
The dessert landscape is basically flat with red soil and an abundance of small plants, shrubs and thin trees with small leaves. Shade is a scarce commodity. It would appear that water conservation is also practiced by the plants. On first glance it is boring, but it is compelling and has natural beauty in its own right.
The next day we drove 300km (180 miles) north of Uluru to Kings Canyon. It is another formation that just springs to life out of flat land. But the surrounding area is greener and the bushes and trees are larger with more leaves and shade. We hiked the 7km (4 miles) trail up the canyon and found the Garden of Eden, literally a tropical paradise with ferns and an abundance of trees surrounding a small pond. The shade and cooler air was a welcome respite from the hot sun.
The Red Centre is a mystical place in the middle of a harsh and dry land and it is easy to see why it is an iconic and sacred place. The aborigines have taken good care of it over the last 35 thousand years, may we all continue to do so in the future.
Top Ten Reasons Why I Love Perth
1. The Indian Ocean
1. The Swan River
1. The beautiful beaches – white sand and clear blue water
1. The weather – sunny dry summers and warm winters
1. Outdoor movie theatres and concerts in beautiful parks
1. Exotic flowers everywhere
1. Awesome fresh fruit
1. Dawson can go swimming all the time
1. The natives are friendly
1. Parks everywhere
1. Kings Park overlooking the CDB (Central Business District/downtown) and the water
1. International concert/theatre tours always start or end in Perth – so they are always extra special
1. World class vineyards with cellar doors (tasting rooms) close by
1. Dog friendly cafeas
1. BYO (Bring Your Own alcohol) restaurants – very civilized!
1. English is the spoken language (different expressions, but still English)
1. The Swan River
1. The beautiful beaches – white sand and clear blue water
1. The weather – sunny dry summers and warm winters
1. Outdoor movie theatres and concerts in beautiful parks
1. Exotic flowers everywhere
1. Awesome fresh fruit
1. Dawson can go swimming all the time
1. The natives are friendly
1. Parks everywhere
1. Kings Park overlooking the CDB (Central Business District/downtown) and the water
1. International concert/theatre tours always start or end in Perth – so they are always extra special
1. World class vineyards with cellar doors (tasting rooms) close by
1. Dog friendly cafeas
1. BYO (Bring Your Own alcohol) restaurants – very civilized!
1. English is the spoken language (different expressions, but still English)
Esperance – voted best beaches in Australia - Oct 2009
Esperance is on the south western coast of Australia, about a 10 hour drive SE of Perth. It is well worth the drive. That water is all that is between you and the Antarctic – so it is a pure and clean as it can ever be.
The beaches are so white with fine crispy sand – it almost looks like snow sparkling on a winter day. It crunches beneath your feet. And it has the clearest blue water that meets endless blue sky! It is beautiful.
The beaches are endless and run into each other. There is a strip called 15 Mile Beach where rounding every corner reveals another beautiful beach that teases you to plunge into the crystal clear water. There are places where the waves crash, but fall short of the shore because of endless breakers that soften the blow and create shallow safe swimming pools, perfect for golden retrievers that love to swim.
A great place to spend a week, or two, or three, or.....
The beaches are so white with fine crispy sand – it almost looks like snow sparkling on a winter day. It crunches beneath your feet. And it has the clearest blue water that meets endless blue sky! It is beautiful.
The beaches are endless and run into each other. There is a strip called 15 Mile Beach where rounding every corner reveals another beautiful beach that teases you to plunge into the crystal clear water. There are places where the waves crash, but fall short of the shore because of endless breakers that soften the blow and create shallow safe swimming pools, perfect for golden retrievers that love to swim.
A great place to spend a week, or two, or three, or.....
Summer in Perth - Outdoor Theatres and Concerts
Perth enjoys a Mediterranean climate, which means hot and dry summers with moderate and occasionally wet winters. In my own words, I would describe the weather as pretty much “perfect”!
With the onset of summer comes the opening of outdoor movie theatre venues. These are not like the drive-ins that we grew up with where you watch the movie sitting in your car in a parking lot with a speaker hooked on your window (am I dating myself???) These outdoor theatres are all beautiful settings, mostly in treed or grassy parks. You can bring your own festival chairs (short lawn chairs), blankets, pillows, rent beanbags or sit in their low slung canvas chairs. You can also bring your own picnic and most of them have the added bonus where you can bring your own “adult beverage”. (How awesome is that???) If you can't bring your own adult beverage you can always buy one there.
Some theatres even provide live music entertainment, portable pizza ovens and oyster shuckers before the movie. Dogs are even welcome at some theatres! (Even more awesome! Dawson went to see “Dog Hotel” – not a recommended movie for adults, but Dawson enjoyed it.)
Not only are there out door movie theatres, but we have also seen ballet and jazz concerts in an outdoor quarry amphitheatre.
Catching on to a good idea, the vineyards hold concert series in their open spaces. I have seen Rob Thomas and Ronin Keating at the Sandalford winery in the Swan Valley (outside of Perth.) And a huge yearly event every February is the Leuwin Concert at the Leuwin Estate winery in Margaret River (vineyard country 3 hours south of Perth.) In 2009 we saw Chris Isaac and 2010 we saw Bozz Scaggs and Michael McDonald (not my favourites, BUT, just a part of the “experience” sitting in a beautiful amphitheatre with kauri trees as a backdrop. BEAUTIFUL! We also got a VIP tour where we got to taste their new release of wines before the general riff raff.)
In Perth's Kings Park we saw Seal on the last night of his world tour! Being in an extremely remote location Perth is always either the opening night or last night of the Australian leg of international performers' tours – so often the show is EXTRA special!!! Take THAT you Easterners!!! (Eastern and Western Australia have a “rift”, kinda like east and west Canada, or French and English Canada, or north and south USA, or .... I'm sure you get the picture.)
Besides enjoying the movie or concert, for me, the best part is looking up at the night sky and seeing the moon and stars come to life. No, maybe the best part is enjoying the awesome weather and night outside. Well, actually, I think the best part is when the kookaburras call out their distinctive song. Well, wait a minute, I actually think the best part is being able to bring your own picnic and adult beverage......
Anyway, it really doesn't matter which is the best part, they all just add up to another great summer evening in Perth.
With the onset of summer comes the opening of outdoor movie theatre venues. These are not like the drive-ins that we grew up with where you watch the movie sitting in your car in a parking lot with a speaker hooked on your window (am I dating myself???) These outdoor theatres are all beautiful settings, mostly in treed or grassy parks. You can bring your own festival chairs (short lawn chairs), blankets, pillows, rent beanbags or sit in their low slung canvas chairs. You can also bring your own picnic and most of them have the added bonus where you can bring your own “adult beverage”. (How awesome is that???) If you can't bring your own adult beverage you can always buy one there.
Some theatres even provide live music entertainment, portable pizza ovens and oyster shuckers before the movie. Dogs are even welcome at some theatres! (Even more awesome! Dawson went to see “Dog Hotel” – not a recommended movie for adults, but Dawson enjoyed it.)
Not only are there out door movie theatres, but we have also seen ballet and jazz concerts in an outdoor quarry amphitheatre.
Catching on to a good idea, the vineyards hold concert series in their open spaces. I have seen Rob Thomas and Ronin Keating at the Sandalford winery in the Swan Valley (outside of Perth.) And a huge yearly event every February is the Leuwin Concert at the Leuwin Estate winery in Margaret River (vineyard country 3 hours south of Perth.) In 2009 we saw Chris Isaac and 2010 we saw Bozz Scaggs and Michael McDonald (not my favourites, BUT, just a part of the “experience” sitting in a beautiful amphitheatre with kauri trees as a backdrop. BEAUTIFUL! We also got a VIP tour where we got to taste their new release of wines before the general riff raff.)
In Perth's Kings Park we saw Seal on the last night of his world tour! Being in an extremely remote location Perth is always either the opening night or last night of the Australian leg of international performers' tours – so often the show is EXTRA special!!! Take THAT you Easterners!!! (Eastern and Western Australia have a “rift”, kinda like east and west Canada, or French and English Canada, or north and south USA, or .... I'm sure you get the picture.)
Besides enjoying the movie or concert, for me, the best part is looking up at the night sky and seeing the moon and stars come to life. No, maybe the best part is enjoying the awesome weather and night outside. Well, actually, I think the best part is when the kookaburras call out their distinctive song. Well, wait a minute, I actually think the best part is being able to bring your own picnic and adult beverage......
Anyway, it really doesn't matter which is the best part, they all just add up to another great summer evening in Perth.
Gold Mines and Brothels - August 2009
The state of Western Australia (WA) is about a third of the size of Australia. Suffice it so say, WA is HUGE. A good portion of it is very dry, harsh, inhospitable and to the naked eye there is not a lot there. Except if you are into minerals and mining. The State is blessed with a huge supply of natural resources to keep the economy going strong for decades. I won't get into any political or environmental discussions here – but in some ways it could be compared to the oilsand's in Alberta, Canada.
In the early 1900's gold was found in WA's remote desserts. BIG gold finds. This sparked a gold rush and mining towns sprung up to feed the gold fever. Many of the early mining towns are now deserted ghost towns, but Kalgoorlie continues to thrive, in a large part due to their Superpit gold mine, one of the biggest open pit mines in the world.
Kalgoorlie was on my list pf places in WA to see. It wasn't on John's list. So I tried to entice him with the reasons it was on my list: the Superpit, underground gold mines, examples of fine architecture from the early 1900's, old hotels with character bars, history and brothel tours. Yes, you read that right! I thought the last item would catch John's attention.
The 8 hour drive east of Perth through the dessert follows the water pipeline to Kalgoorlie. It was built in the early 1900's and literally brought life to the dessert towns. At the time A.Y. O'Connor, the engineer that proposed it, was considered crazy, but he has been proven to be right. Seeing it as we drove along brought a weird comforting reassurance to our drive – like we couldn't get lost if we followed it.
The landscape is flat, bleak, dry, red soil that is not exciting. But, on closer inspection, it is beautiful. The plants are small, close to the ground and do not have an abundance of green, much like the trees, which have small leaves that conserve energy and provide little shade. Look closely and there are tons of small flowers and life in the dessert. Both John and I love it. I don't really know how to describe it, but the red soil, bits of green and endless blue sky are haunting.... compelling..... mesmerizing... comforting... beautiful.
Kalgoorlie's man street is like walking back in time with all the old hotels and their old fashioned bars. The bars have served a vital social outlet for the miners throughout the ages, and continue to do so. The town is now merged with another one to become Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Boulder is the smaller of the two and also has interesting old buildings and storefronts.
There is a viewing outlook for the Superpit, but the only way to get on the grounds is to take a Superpit tour. And it was a fascinating experience to get inside and see the magnitude of the operation up close. It is HUGE. Truck tires are at least two stories high and cost $100,000 per tire. For a truck to take a load of ore from the base of the pit to the processing plant takes 2 hours! In a single 12 hour shift the truck driver will make 6 dumps. The tucks carry tons of ore and in that there is ONE golf ball size of gold! Everyday approximately $1.5 million of gold bars leaves the pit! The size of the pit, the trucks, equipment, money, etc. is mind blowing. But the repetition of the jobs and the devastation to the environment made me re-think the gold in my jewelry box – for a moment.
We followed our tour of the open pit mine with a tour of an abandoned underground gold mine. Here I changed my mind and thought the worst job in the world would have to be working in an underground mine! I give those workers so much credit to go deep into the bowels of the earth, forfeit sunlight and work in dark, cramped and dangerous conditions to earn a paycheck. I could not do it.
Oh yes, the brothels - I am sure that has piqued many a curious minds. The city has 3 operating brothels, all beside each other and contained off the main street. The Madam toured us through the house and rooms used for business She was in her early 70's and had bought the business after she became a widow about 18 years ago. It would appear that economically it has been a good investment for her. She showed us the beds, that are built SOLID to withstand a lot of action And the rooms that are decorated with props that each lady brings. The ladies travel throughout the state to new towns every few months in order to remain a new commodity.
Scintillating stories from the brothel – well – I will entice you with a few. There was a story about a young fella' that had paid for an hour, but was out the door in 5 minutes – claiming he had to catch up with his mates that were waiting for him in the bar. Apparently one popular lady's busiest day was a 16 hour stint with over 80 customers. Don't even try to figure out the math and logistics! And then the story about a lady from Holland that came over every year to ply her wares. She was so popular there would be lineups outside for her. And after working several months every year she was able to buy herself several properties in Holland.
I bet you are still trying to figure out the math and logistics....
In the early 1900's gold was found in WA's remote desserts. BIG gold finds. This sparked a gold rush and mining towns sprung up to feed the gold fever. Many of the early mining towns are now deserted ghost towns, but Kalgoorlie continues to thrive, in a large part due to their Superpit gold mine, one of the biggest open pit mines in the world.
Kalgoorlie was on my list pf places in WA to see. It wasn't on John's list. So I tried to entice him with the reasons it was on my list: the Superpit, underground gold mines, examples of fine architecture from the early 1900's, old hotels with character bars, history and brothel tours. Yes, you read that right! I thought the last item would catch John's attention.
The 8 hour drive east of Perth through the dessert follows the water pipeline to Kalgoorlie. It was built in the early 1900's and literally brought life to the dessert towns. At the time A.Y. O'Connor, the engineer that proposed it, was considered crazy, but he has been proven to be right. Seeing it as we drove along brought a weird comforting reassurance to our drive – like we couldn't get lost if we followed it.
The landscape is flat, bleak, dry, red soil that is not exciting. But, on closer inspection, it is beautiful. The plants are small, close to the ground and do not have an abundance of green, much like the trees, which have small leaves that conserve energy and provide little shade. Look closely and there are tons of small flowers and life in the dessert. Both John and I love it. I don't really know how to describe it, but the red soil, bits of green and endless blue sky are haunting.... compelling..... mesmerizing... comforting... beautiful.
Kalgoorlie's man street is like walking back in time with all the old hotels and their old fashioned bars. The bars have served a vital social outlet for the miners throughout the ages, and continue to do so. The town is now merged with another one to become Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Boulder is the smaller of the two and also has interesting old buildings and storefronts.
There is a viewing outlook for the Superpit, but the only way to get on the grounds is to take a Superpit tour. And it was a fascinating experience to get inside and see the magnitude of the operation up close. It is HUGE. Truck tires are at least two stories high and cost $100,000 per tire. For a truck to take a load of ore from the base of the pit to the processing plant takes 2 hours! In a single 12 hour shift the truck driver will make 6 dumps. The tucks carry tons of ore and in that there is ONE golf ball size of gold! Everyday approximately $1.5 million of gold bars leaves the pit! The size of the pit, the trucks, equipment, money, etc. is mind blowing. But the repetition of the jobs and the devastation to the environment made me re-think the gold in my jewelry box – for a moment.
We followed our tour of the open pit mine with a tour of an abandoned underground gold mine. Here I changed my mind and thought the worst job in the world would have to be working in an underground mine! I give those workers so much credit to go deep into the bowels of the earth, forfeit sunlight and work in dark, cramped and dangerous conditions to earn a paycheck. I could not do it.
Oh yes, the brothels - I am sure that has piqued many a curious minds. The city has 3 operating brothels, all beside each other and contained off the main street. The Madam toured us through the house and rooms used for business She was in her early 70's and had bought the business after she became a widow about 18 years ago. It would appear that economically it has been a good investment for her. She showed us the beds, that are built SOLID to withstand a lot of action And the rooms that are decorated with props that each lady brings. The ladies travel throughout the state to new towns every few months in order to remain a new commodity.
Scintillating stories from the brothel – well – I will entice you with a few. There was a story about a young fella' that had paid for an hour, but was out the door in 5 minutes – claiming he had to catch up with his mates that were waiting for him in the bar. Apparently one popular lady's busiest day was a 16 hour stint with over 80 customers. Don't even try to figure out the math and logistics! And then the story about a lady from Holland that came over every year to ply her wares. She was so popular there would be lineups outside for her. And after working several months every year she was able to buy herself several properties in Holland.
I bet you are still trying to figure out the math and logistics....
Christmas Break – Tasmania - DEC 2008/JAN 2009
The Christmas before we arrived in Perth it was brutally hot reaching 45C (108F). So when our first Christmas approached, I figured we should go away somewhere further south where it would be cooler. Tasmania fit the bill - an island, which is also its own state, and located a 45 minute flight south of Melbourne, Tasmania likes to boast that they are the home of Princess Mary of Denmark and Simon Baker (the girls would know him as the cutie from the Mentalist - oooops, did I say that out loud???)
We started our week at the top of the island in Launceston and circled clockwise south east to Hobart, continued south to Strahn Village then came inland to Cradle Mountain and then ended our circuit in Launceston. During our route we found Tasmania to be an interesting mixture of juxtapositions, in several respects.
Launceston is a pretty coastal city, where the surrounding area is pastoral, peaceful, pretty, sunny and warm.. Dairy, fruit, vegetables, grapes and vineyards are plentiful. It is a Foodies paradise.
But as we circled clockwise and south-east on the island, the landscape changed to become more rolling hills and cooler temperatures . Just north of Hobart (the capital of Tasmania) was Port Arthur, the first example of the contrasts in Tasmania. Port Arthur is so pretty on well manicured lawns and old original limestone buildings. However, Port Arthur was a penal colony, one of the first ones in Australia. Despite the pretty grounds and location it was a dismal place to be sent. Conditions were brutal!
In Hobart we had an interesting evening strolling along the docks witnessing the sailboats arrive from the Sydney to Hobart sailing race. The first sail boats arrived several days after leaving Sydney and sailed through treacherous waters of the Bass Strait to reach Hobart. In conjunction with the race they had a Foodie Festival so we got to sample beers, wines, cheese, fruit and other local culinary delights in one spot. John was very happy going from booth to booth asking for samples of beer and wine, occasionally supplemented with cheeses, sausages and fruit.
Continuing on our clockwise circle the contrasts continued as it got more rugged and even cooler – stormy, dark and cloudy in Strahn Village. Apparently it is like that approximately 350 days of the year – in a good year. Perfect for another penal colony. I thought Port Arthur was brutal, BUT, Strahn penal colony made Port Arthur look like a day at the spa. Convicts entered the area by boat through “Hell's Gate”. We were there In the middle of summer (Christmas is summer in the southern hemisphere – remember geography classes in school?) the water was freezing and the air was cold – both my fleece jacket and gortex jacket became my best friends! The convicts worked in brutal conditions harvesting Huon pines (phenomenal huge hardwood trees) for ship building. An expression came to mind all day ; “those poor bastards”!
Continuing on our clockwise circuit of the island we went inland to Cradle Mountain. The landscape is pretty and very rugged (okay, coming from Calgary I use the term VERY loosely), another contrast to the northern part of the island We saw some local wildlife – a cute, shy little baby Tasmanian Devil (which are being threatened with some weird fatal cancerous growth on their faces) and a cute pudgy wombat. Despite our best efforts at keeping our eyes peeled we did not see any Tasmania Tigers – hunted to extinction years ago.
But the most amazing thing that happened, on January 2nd, we woke up to SNOW! Yes, SNOW! Okay, that would be normal in Calgary, BUT in the middle of summer in Australia it is NOT what we expected. We were so cold we wore all our clothes at the same time to go hiking – in the SNOW! We wanted to escape the heat of Perth, BUT SNOW???
We ended our week and circuit of the island in Launceston to once again be greeted by the sun and warm weather.
We left thinking it was such an interesting island with contrasts of pretty pastoral landscape, hazardous harsh coast line, rugged mountains, warm weather coupled with snow in the summer The serene landscape was also in sharp contrast to the brutal and inhumane conditions for convicts – some lifetime criminals and some just victims of circumstances. Definitely an interesting place to visit, eat and drink our way through. But SNOW in the middle of the summer?!?!?!?!!?
We started our week at the top of the island in Launceston and circled clockwise south east to Hobart, continued south to Strahn Village then came inland to Cradle Mountain and then ended our circuit in Launceston. During our route we found Tasmania to be an interesting mixture of juxtapositions, in several respects.
Launceston is a pretty coastal city, where the surrounding area is pastoral, peaceful, pretty, sunny and warm.. Dairy, fruit, vegetables, grapes and vineyards are plentiful. It is a Foodies paradise.
But as we circled clockwise and south-east on the island, the landscape changed to become more rolling hills and cooler temperatures . Just north of Hobart (the capital of Tasmania) was Port Arthur, the first example of the contrasts in Tasmania. Port Arthur is so pretty on well manicured lawns and old original limestone buildings. However, Port Arthur was a penal colony, one of the first ones in Australia. Despite the pretty grounds and location it was a dismal place to be sent. Conditions were brutal!
In Hobart we had an interesting evening strolling along the docks witnessing the sailboats arrive from the Sydney to Hobart sailing race. The first sail boats arrived several days after leaving Sydney and sailed through treacherous waters of the Bass Strait to reach Hobart. In conjunction with the race they had a Foodie Festival so we got to sample beers, wines, cheese, fruit and other local culinary delights in one spot. John was very happy going from booth to booth asking for samples of beer and wine, occasionally supplemented with cheeses, sausages and fruit.
Continuing on our clockwise circle the contrasts continued as it got more rugged and even cooler – stormy, dark and cloudy in Strahn Village. Apparently it is like that approximately 350 days of the year – in a good year. Perfect for another penal colony. I thought Port Arthur was brutal, BUT, Strahn penal colony made Port Arthur look like a day at the spa. Convicts entered the area by boat through “Hell's Gate”. We were there In the middle of summer (Christmas is summer in the southern hemisphere – remember geography classes in school?) the water was freezing and the air was cold – both my fleece jacket and gortex jacket became my best friends! The convicts worked in brutal conditions harvesting Huon pines (phenomenal huge hardwood trees) for ship building. An expression came to mind all day ; “those poor bastards”!
Continuing on our clockwise circuit of the island we went inland to Cradle Mountain. The landscape is pretty and very rugged (okay, coming from Calgary I use the term VERY loosely), another contrast to the northern part of the island We saw some local wildlife – a cute, shy little baby Tasmanian Devil (which are being threatened with some weird fatal cancerous growth on their faces) and a cute pudgy wombat. Despite our best efforts at keeping our eyes peeled we did not see any Tasmania Tigers – hunted to extinction years ago.
But the most amazing thing that happened, on January 2nd, we woke up to SNOW! Yes, SNOW! Okay, that would be normal in Calgary, BUT in the middle of summer in Australia it is NOT what we expected. We were so cold we wore all our clothes at the same time to go hiking – in the SNOW! We wanted to escape the heat of Perth, BUT SNOW???
We ended our week and circuit of the island in Launceston to once again be greeted by the sun and warm weather.
We left thinking it was such an interesting island with contrasts of pretty pastoral landscape, hazardous harsh coast line, rugged mountains, warm weather coupled with snow in the summer The serene landscape was also in sharp contrast to the brutal and inhumane conditions for convicts – some lifetime criminals and some just victims of circumstances. Definitely an interesting place to visit, eat and drink our way through. But SNOW in the middle of the summer?!?!?!?!!?
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