Bondi

Today was the day I met Pete for the second time.  The first time had been 22 years ago, as exchange students in Japan.  Though we were just teens then, I guess we were pretty good judges of character, since the four of us (Donny and Pete’s partner Kate included) had a wonderful day exploring, walking, chatting [...]

A Manly Walk

The weather made a complete turnaround, and Friday was beautiful.  A ferry ride from Circular Quay offered great views of the Harbour and deposited us at Manly Wharf on the other side.  We gawked enviously at the waterfront homes along the bay as we began the 9 kilometer Manly Scenic Walk.  We passed picturesque Fairlight [...]

Meet Sydney

Today was the coldest October day in 30 years, according to the pilot on arrival to Sydney airport.  We’re staying at Eva’s Backpackers in King’s Cross, a neighborhood with a saucy reputation.  You know you’re there when you pass the huge Coca Cola sign.  Donny felt right at home.  It was an experience to be [...]

Open Water

Diving the Great Barrier Reef was near the top of our not-to-be-missed list.   The amount of information available to tourists in Cairns is absolutely overwhelming, and we did quite a bit of research on possible ways to get there.  Carmen, from Experience Cairns wasn’t the first agent we chatted with, but she was the only [...]

Departing the Daintree

On the way out in the morning we did the last boarwalk: Dubuji, which looked different than the others had on previous days, due to the heavy rain the night before.  There was lots more water in the creeks and everything seemed sort of steamy.  This was a longer walk with lots of lowland rainforest, [...]

Exotic Fruits

On Sunday, we drove up to Emmagen Creek and followed the path back from a huge strangler fig to the swimming hole.  We had read at the Bat House that someone had seen some cassowaries here recently, but still no luck for us.  North of the creek is 4-wheel-drive only, and the route continues north [...]

Where the Rainforest Meets the Reef

In the morning, our hosts had laid out a gorgeous fruit plate: papaya, grapes, kiwi, apples, oranges, mandarin and the sweetest pineapple ever.  A lot of fruit is grown in the region, and our plates benefitted.  There was also toast, jam, cereals, and a pot of hot coffee all enjoyed with a lovely view of [...]

Epiphyte

Next in our series of weekend wanders was a trip up the coast to Cape Tribulation.  After a few days on foot it was nice to have our own wheels again.  After a quick stop in Port Douglas for a look around, we head directly to Mossman Gorge.  The traditional owners here (and in the [...]

QLD for short

Luckily, Cairns City Backpackers was amazingly accommodating when we arrived before 10 am.  Our room was vacated, but not yet cleaned, but they let us store our luggage inside until we were ready.  We immediately had a good feeling about the place.  The owners, Dave and Hiromi checked us in themselves, and were eager to [...]

They call it a “red-eye”

Darwin was named for Charles Darwin, who explored the harbor on his ship the Beagle.  Established in 1864, and having survived bombing by the Japanese in WWII, Darwin faced the worst natural disaster in Australia’s history, Cyclone Tracy, in 1974, Darwin is now a multi-ethnic, modern capital for the Nothern Territory.  After driving back from [...]