We just returned from a whirlwind trip to Australia. We went to Perth last spring but really wanted to see Sydney and that side of the country. We traveled to Sydney, Carins and the Great Barrier Reef, and Brisbane as well. All within 8 days!
It was a fabulous trip with some great highlights.
Most of our trips seem to involve a variety of transportation methods. This time we kept track:
6 Planes
2 Ferries
3 Trains
2 Boats
1 Taxi
1 Cable Car
3 Buses
1 Dinghy
2 Cars
Sydney
Our flight from Jakarta was during the night so most of us slept the entire flight (most, not including Creed and I). We arrived in Sydney around 7:00 am and took the train to Circular Quay which is on the harbor. Our hotel was a short two blocks so we thought we’d hoof it from the station. That’s fine and all, but it was all uphill both ways and it was snowing and we had no shoes or jackets…okay it was just uphill and it was chilly. We had a suitcase each plus a car seat and a stroller that a certain little munchkin in our family refuses to sit in. We were quite a sight in a place where more than two children is considered insane (yes, it seems to be worse than the views in the US about that).
We stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel there. It was a great location: walking distance to the harbor/wharf, the Opera House, shopping, and restaurants. The weather was even really cool, which was such a welcome change. We were all freezing. We went out walking that night and exploring. We ate at a little Italian café and then walked around a market in the Rocks area. We went over to the Opera House and went on a tour. It is so beautiful inside and it was very interesting to hear how it was built and the thought on it while it was being built. People thought it was a waste of money and were outraged because they thought it would ruin the value of their homes across the harbor!
We also enjoyed the National Maritime Museum; the boys toured the submarine that was in use as recently as the 1999. We enjoyed hearing the history of Australia and seeing all the different ships and boats.
We really enjoyed the clean air, the cool air and being able to drink the water. We loved how organized everything was. I miss that a lot. Sydney was wonderful. We could have spent days there.
We left late afternoon Monday on a flight to Cairns. It is north of Brisbane and Sydney and one of the best places to see the Great Barrier Reef.
Cairns
Cairns is a tiny little resort town. We rented a car and drove an hour north in the dark to Port Douglas. We stayed in a little Best Western place called the Lazy Lizard. Nothing special, except great hosts and a good price and it slept us all in one room. We had booked the snorkeling tour through the motel host. She was great and had a breakfast in our fridge that morning so we could eat quickly and go. Our Great Barrier Reef tour was booked with Calypso. They have a large three level boat and they visit three separate sites instead of just one, like other companies.
The Calypso bus picked us up at our motel at 8:30 am and drove us to the marina. We got on the boat that has a capacity for 60 people and found out that there were only 10 that day (including the 6 of us). That made it really nice. There was almost as many crew so we got special treatment. Before leaving the dock we were asked if we wanted to take motion sickness pills. I know my stomach (and Luke’s and Grant’s) so we took some (so did Creed). We were warned it was going to be pretty rough that day because of strong winds. They weren’t kidding. It was an hour and a half boat ride to the first site and it was really rough. We started the ride up on the second level of the boat. We couldn’t even walk around the boat. About half way through we found out that Mallory got her stomach from me. She threw up all over Creed and then me. Luke lost it as well. Grant was awfully close. I was just praying to make it to the site.
We finally did arrive and the waves were horrible. I was not too excited to snorkel. Some of you know, I’m a bit of a chicken in open water. I’m not real keen on not being able to see the bottom and knowing that something living is beneath me. I have never snorkeled because the whole breathing through only your mouth kind of freaks me out. Creed told the instructor that I was afraid of the ocean. When it was time to go they outfitted all of us in snorkel gear and wetsuits. They also gave us the option of holding onto swim noodles when we were out to help us float. The boys all got geared up and jumped in. They were off. The water was so wavy and there was a strong current, so it required a lot of effort to swim over to the coral reef. The instructor got in the water with me. I was freaking out at first, especially since I was not aware that the entire mouth piece of a snorkel goes inside your mouth. Tee Hee. (A friend said I went ‘dorkeling’ how true is that in my case…HA!). I was kind of hyperventilating until he told me to put it all in my mouth and then it was a piece of cake and I loved it!!!
The boys did a great job. We saw so many colorful fish and the coral was beautiful. We also saw giant clams. Creed went out later and Nash and Grant snorkeled like crazy. It was great. Luke was a little afraid because the waves were pulling him too far away from the boat, but he went out anyway. It was such a wonderful experience. We saw things most people only see on TV.
We stayed on the boat all day. We went to a second site that was a bit calmer. We had lunch on the boat and then snorkeled more. Because there were such a few number of people they did something they don’t usually do. They took the group on the little boat out a ways and gave them a snorkeling tour. Creed, Nash and Grant went while Luke, Mallory and I stayed on the boat. Mallory enjoyed sitting in a bucket filled with fresh, warm water. It was really a great experience.
Brisbane
We left Carins and flew to Brisbane. We stayed at the Conrad Treasury Hotel which is right in downtown Brisbane in an old refurbished government administration building. The ceilings in the room were the highest we have ever seen in a hotel room – probably 30 or 35 feet. We got up the next morning and drove an hour north to the Australia Zoo - Steve Irwin’s zoo. We were sad that he passed away such a short time ago but happy to be able to go to see what he had built from a small side of the road animal park he bought from his dad several years ago. It is a wonderful zoo and we loved seeing several areas that looked familiar from ‘Crocodile Hunter’ shows we’ve seen. We liked the shows we saw and seeing all the other animals.
On the way back to Brisbane we stopped at the fruit stands just a few miles from the zoo. We bought fresh pineapples from the area (we passed several pineapple fields) – only $3 for 2!! We also bought some fresh oranges and apples. They were heavenly!
The next two days in Brisbane we went to the temple, went to the local markets, played at the South Beach park area, ate at the Crepe Café (twice), shopped at Target and Borders and walked around the city. It was nice to be there.
Overall, our trip was great. We were tired and glad to be off planes when we got home. We wished we could have stayed in some of the areas longer; maybe another time. There is so much to see.
Halloween
We were very busy Monday and Tuesday. We didn’t have staff until today (Wednesday) because I gave them some extra time for their Lebaran Holiday. It was interesting coming back to our house after a week of it being locked up. Okay, now you will understand why we have to have staff. After the short week of locking up our house and having no one here, no AC on, no one flushing the toilets or sweeping and mopping the floors we came home to find mold on our walls, sewage backed up in our toilets and water pipes (yes, it was lovely…and the water is just now not smelling anymore) and literally, ‘killer’ bugs in our home. Nice. The climate here brings a lot…
I spent Monday getting things ready for the Halloween party I was doing for Luke’s class, making sugar cookies and frosting, getting the craft organized and together, and getting my witch costume together.
I also did laundry (saw the washer for the first time…don’t laugh….it’s brown inside!! Shouldn’t it be white because it’s always cleaning things? Nope, not here. That’s how clean our water is).
Tuesday I had to leave the house for 3 hours because the exterminator came. I ran a bunch of errands and then made it back in time to get the stuff together for the party and head to the school. After school I ran home to start the traditional Halloween meal of corn chowder and bread bones but didn’t get it finished because I had to leave for Grant’s soccer practice and Nash’s performance (that the ISTA team is doing in Beijing). Then we all ran home to decorate our gate with Halloween stuff and wait for two friends, put on costumes and then we headed out to go trick or treating. The school put together a list of kids in the nearby neighborhoods so we drove around. It started to pour so we lasted a little over an hour. We came back and ate dinner and everyone dropped dead at 9:00pm
Nash leaves for Beijing today after school. He will return on the 6th. It is with a drama club called ISTA. He was one of 4 6th graders that were chosen to go. He is very excited and so are we. They will study different aspects of drama while in Beijing with several guest instructors coming to teach them things. It will be a great opportunity for Nash. He will also be performing on the Great Wall! He is so excited. He could hardly sleep last night.
Well, that’s it for us. I know it was long. Sorry. We haven’t written in a long time. We hope you all enjoyed your Halloween. We are now getting geared up for Thanksgiving. I really love this time of year. We think of you all often and hope you are all doing well.
