Chasing the Sun

Australia is sometimes called Noah’s Ark.  There are animals here that are found no where else on Earth.  As previously discussed many of them kill you within 4 minutes of meeting them.  Most, however are adorable!

I have no photos of my favorite animal event which we went to last night on Phillip Island, the Penguin Parade.  No photos were allowed.

This was very exciting, and even more so because we had previously attempted a “penguin parade” when we were on Kangaroo Island.  We had made our way to Kingscote, ate dinner early, thrilled to see the march of fairy penguins across the beach at dusk!  Imagine our despair when we arrived and learned that our plans were thwarted.  There was a note on the door saying there was no longer a parade because the New Zealand Fur Seals had…well…devoured the little penguins.  Just earlier that day we had oohed and aahed over how cute the New Zealand Fur Seals were, now I thought of them in a slightly different light.

At any rate last night we got to see thousands of happy, healthy, hearty fairy penguins waddle out of the Southern Ocean and onto the beach-but no photos allowed.  You just have to trust me.  It was enchanting to see the foot high, blue wings spread for balance and white bellies shining as they shuffle across the expanse of sand, safely to their waiting chicks.

Then there’s also these cuter-than-Plush Toy Koalas?  There is an ample supply of them on Kangaroo Island because they have no natural predators.   If they were awake, which is a big “if” because they sleep 20 hours a day, they stared down at us with the most bemused expression.

Obviously, there was an abundance of kangaroos on Kangaroo Island along with an ample supply of wallabies.

They particularly like to come out when you are driving, at night.  One night we counted 46 animals that either scampered, hopped or crawled in front of us on a harrowing drive back to our lodging.

We also visited Seal Bay Conservation Park.  Guests accompany a ranger to the beach to see the resting, tan blubbery sea-lions.  These are not the New Zealand penguin-eating seals.  These are fish-eating Australian Seals.

There’s cockatoos and parrots are everywhere.

 Some of the critters are a little prehistoric looking, like this little guy we met along a hike….

and then there is Larry the Lobster who resides outside a depressing little town at the end of the Great Ocean Road.

As you know, the driving motivation for the last 8 months has been for Tony and I to “chase the sun”, we caught it!  The Red Center of Australia is that red because the earth itself is sunburned!  As I mentioned in the previous post, it was 43C (109F) upon arrival.

Uluru from the air.

We went to this baked area of creation to see Uluru or Ayers Rock.  Uluru, the name given by the indigenous folks (the Anangu), believe it to be sacred.  The new comers didn’t really ask anyone if this monolith had a name, choosing to come up with one of their own.  To name, rename and then with new sensitivity rename the rename has, of course, be done all over the world.

Whatever its moniker, it is an impressive hunk of sandstone that rises 1150 feet straight up out of miles of flatness.

         We visited it at sunrise.           

Another rock formation about 30 miles away is Kata-Tjuta (literally “many heads”).  This is also a sacred place for the original inhabitants. My lovely blue bonnet is actually a fly mask!

It was satisfying to get our first glimpse of the famed Outback.  As promised it was a whole bunch of nothin’!  That’s impressive too.

Do the critters get bigger?  I might need something bigger than a blue bonnet!

Next we make our way to Adelaide, frequently described as Australia’s under-rated gem of a city.

First fly update:  As I write, I’m sitting in a hotel lobby/bar with a green fly swatter in one hand and typing with the other.  This hand is sometimes interrupted as I swat one the little buggers off my face.  They are winning as I have on more than one occasion hit myself in the forehead as if having a “eureka” moment but actually trying to smash my tormenter.  We are now in the “Red Center”, this area does not supply the big juicy horse flies of the Blue Mountains, here they are mean, midget flies that dive for lips, ears and nostrils.   I find myself waving my arms about my face and shoulders, screaming like a banshee…

In other news….. I loved the Hunter Valley, or The Hunter as it’s called locally.   The mountains in the distance and the valleys and meadows covered with vineyards and cows remind me of the best of Sonoma and Santa Rosa.  The boutique wineries offer free and friendly tastings.   Also, I adored where we stayed — a young couple runs a small winery with 6 acres under vine and a few attached turn-of-the-century rooms with a vast wrap around porch.

Another fabulous part of our time in The Hunter was meeting up with Joe and Fiona who have just moved to Australia from London.

Last year as we anticipated what a year of chasing the sun might be like, Tony said, I want to ring in New Year’s Eve in Sydney.   It really was as grand as we hoped it would be.  As we rolled back into Sydney from the wine country, you could almost feel the anticipation building in the city.

“Revelers”,  as the  2 million people who flock to the harbor are called, began filling in the parks and the quay at 9am on New Year’s Eve.  2 million people I will remind your is almost 10% of the countries population and almost half of Sydney’s population.  It was a buzz every where as the whole city prepares for a party.  [We spent the morning walking from Bondi to Bronte (thank you Audrey).

We watched the festivities from the Royal Botanical Gardens – – there was an aerial acrobatic show to keep the millions entertained until the “real” show began.  Also, I was completely mesmerized by the huge, fox like bats that circled above our heads all evening.  They were magnificent!  At 9pm the family show shot off from the barges in the water.  This  firework extravaganza would be bigger than anything I’ve ever seen, but it’s just the prelude to the midnight spectacular!

The countdown began as the crowd shouted 10, 9, 8….then 12 minutes of amazing fireworks exploding on the barges that flank the bridge and on the bridge itself, it was gorgeous!  Then the music stopped and the a voice announced, “Ladies and Gentlemen,  Her  Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II” and we hear Queen Elizabeth inaugurating the Sydney Opera House 40 years ago, then fireworks explode from the iconic roof.  My favorite part came near the end as white lights flowed from the side of the bridge like water rolling off a dam into the harbor below.   It was all I had imagined.

New Years Day we hiked from Manly to Spit.  Stunning!!!

January 2nd, we headed to the Red Hot Center of the country to see Ayers Rock or Uluru.  As we disembarked from the bus that brought us to the hotel, the driver said, “Remember folks, this is not a holiday, this is an experience.  It will feel like one too.  Ladies and Gentlemen it will be 43 degrees today.”   That’s Celsius, aka 110 Fahrenheit….. oh and you know there will be a few flies…..