Sept. 22 - Darwin area - Katherine Gorge with Julie

Today I met Julie Blight of the Globalbrushstrokes group. She managed to wangle her way onto our Katherine River Luncheon Cruise - I don't know how much bribery it took, and I don't care, because the important thing was to meet her while I was in her area. She didn't take pity on me and arrange a cool day either. Well, it might have been cool for her, but it sure felt hot and humid to me! We had a lovely chat as we ate lunch and floated through the Katherine Gorge - which is breathtaking. We had a brief clamber over the rocks to view some aboriginal rock paintings, which were very interesting.

George managed to snap a picture of a little fresh water crocodile hiding under the rocks. He looks like he's smiling - probably thinking of a tasty meal of tourists!

Julie sure spoiled me with a bag of goodies, including a signed copy of the magazine in which her batik-style dragonfly was published - AND she also gave me the original painting! I will treasure that gift for sure.

Actually, I will treasure all the gift I have received - a tote bag with a kangaroo on it from Gwen and a lovely silk scarf that is tied around my Aussie hat. A cute ornament from Lee Tremaine that will go on my Christmas tree each year to remind me of our trip, and the sweetest little kookaburra painted by Karen Dimmick. Thanks girls, you've made me feel very special.

Too soon the river cruise was over, and I had to say goodbye to Julie, grab a quick hug, and get back on the bus. We stopped for a quick dip in the pool at the bottom of the Edith Falls, which helped to cool me off, and then it was back to Darwin.

Sept. 21 - Darwin area - Litchfield National Park

The first thing I will say about this area is that it's HOT. Julie promised to save some cool weather for me, but she didn't. The driver said it was 46C according to the sensor on the roof of the bus, but that probably took into account some reflection back from the metal roof of the bus. I think I heard it was 38 degrees, and man was it humid!

We drove for what seemed like hours past dry woodland and forests - how different this area is from the rainforest we just left. The trees were sparser and just a little underbrush - we learned later that all this area floods whenever the monsoons come - so it's mostly eucalypt forest which can withstand the flooding and then months of dry weather.

We took a brief stop at the Howard Springs weir to feed the fish - you dangle a small fish just touching the surface of the water and watch the fish get ready to take it from you - then faster than you can blink, the fish grabs it with a great splash. Also saw an absolutely huge spider!

All together today we saw three different water falls, the Florence Falls, the Tolmer Falls and the Wangi Falls. We had a chance to take a dip in the Wangi Falls, and it sure felt good because it sure was hot. There's never a 100% certainty that there are no crocodiles in these pools because the area floods and the crocs manage to float or swim in to areas of fresh water - salt water or esturine crocs also live in fresh water.

One of the oddest things we saw was huge - and I mean HUGE termite mounds. The most impressive kind are called cathedral mounds, but the magnetic mounds were interesting in that they are built along the north/south magnetic pole line. Wonder who taught the termites to read a compass?

Along the way, on one of our rest breaks I had a chance to talk to a young aborigine woman who was painting - one of their traditional dot paintings. I had a really nice chat with her and found out that her favourite paint is JoSonja, and she paints all her designs, no matter what size with a round brush. One of her paintings was huge! I can't imagine painting dots (sometimes dots on top of dots) with a round brush on something that large.

Sept. 19 - Daintree and Cape Tribulation

Today our tour was by Billy Tea Bush Safaris - and our driver was a bit of a wag - he certainly kept us entertained with his chatter and joking. We travelled up a steep winding road, ascending the Alexandra Range, through tropical rainforest. Of course we stopped along the way to take loads of pictures.

Again we had a river cruise on the Daintree - you can sure get up close and personal with the birds, crocs and plants of the rainforest when travelling on the river.

In the afternoon we went 4 wheeling down the rough steep Bloomfield Track, and we stopped by the side of a small stream for "Billy Tea" beside a pond where we were told we could go for a swim if we wished - but the first thing we saw was a snake swimming in the water hole - so we opted to say on shore. I know - wusses! Our driver prepared some Aussie fruits for us to sample, and some damper bread, along
with our tea. We tried two kinds of sapote, and the black one looked really gross. However, we were told to put it on top of the pineapple and it wasn't so bad that way. However, I'm not going to rush out and buy any.

After our tea break we stopped at Cape Tribulation where we were able to swim in the Coral Sea - where the rainforest meets the sea. It was very shallow and warm, and I thoroughly enjoyed my dip. I wasgoing for a second little swim with another woman from our group when we saw a small reef shark swimming along just off the beach. We waited till it went its way, and had a really quick little dip and then figured that we had better get out before he came back.

I think the exotic pink flower is a ginger plant - anyway, I think it's stunning, and will probably try to paint it one day. I also have some wonderful pictures of the Bird of Paradise plant in Gwen's backyard for a future painting project.

Sept. 18 - Kuranda by Train and Return by Skyrail

Another very busy day. We were picked up by the tour bus, travelled along the James Cook Highway, and then rode a small antique train along a winding track to the little village of Kuranda at the top of the mountains. We transferred to a bus for a short hop to the village itself. Kuranda was originally a hippie enclave, where they smoked their weed and sold their handmade wares. Today it is a collection of unique little boutiques each selling Australian made goods and souvenirs - everything from incense holders to silk scarves, candles to fine jewelry, art to trinkets.,

There was a butterfly museum, but we skipped it as it was small and too dear, and we didn't have much time before we had to get back onto the bus for our visit to Rainforestation. There we a guided tour through a bit of a zoo and learned more about the native birds, reptiles and animals. Next came a demonstration of boomerang throwing (could give it a try if you wished), spear throwing - was interesting to see that they used a form of spear thrower - and then a demo of playing the digeridoo - a musical instrument made from a hollow branch. This was followed by a show of Aboriginal dancing - they interpreted a snake dance, cassowary dance and a kangaroo dance amogst others. Then they had three men from the audience come up for a lesson - they were good sports and gave us all a laugh.

After lunch we were transferred to Rainforestation where we went for a short guided walk through the rainforest, followed by a "river cruise" via an army duck amphibious vehicle - we rode through the rainforest, and then floated on the river - all in the same vehicle! Then it was time to head home - via the Skyrail - gondolas that travel on wires up and over the mountains and down the other side. Man were those gorges deep! It was great to travel over the tops of the trees - you could see for miles - and it wasn't scary either. On the way down we could see a pond where they were doing cable skiing - water skiing without a boat - the skiers were pulled along by a cable. It looked like loads of fun.

We were dog tired when we got back to the hotel - and had eaten a huge lunch, so we decided to walk to Woolworths and pick up bread, ham, fruit and cookies and have just a snack in the room for supper (tea).

Sept 17 - Cairns and Great Barrier Reef

Picked up bright and early and taken to the marina to board the Quicksilver motor catamaran for our trip out to Agincourt Reef. Sat up top and took in the sights - man that thing goes fast, and sure kicks up a wake. We docked beside an anchored dive platform and had a buffet lunch before going exploring. We took a look at the fish through the windows of the underwater observatory, and then I tugged on a lycra suit to go snorkelling. The suit is protection in case there are any jelly fish in the area. Donned a lifejacket because I'm not a strong swimmer, found a mask, snorkel and fins and I was ready to go.

The water was warm, clear, and after a few seconds of being a little apprehensive I relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Looking down I could clearly see an amazing display of different corals and many brightly coloured fish. There was even a big black one about a meter long, and he didn't even scare me. Never thought I'd swim with something that big without panicking.

Next was an excursion on the semi-submersible boat - which is a bit of a misnomer because it doesn't submerge. You sit down in the bottom of the boat with glass walls on either side, but the boat stays on the surface the whole time. The trip took about 15 minutes, and we learned a bit about the different types of coral and fish - it was spectacular to see, but didn't photograph well through the 2" thick glass.

On the trip back to the marina, we saw a sailboat with beautiful red sails - isn't that a song or something? - and several other catamarans, both motor and sail. Back in Cairns we went to the Castaways restaurant just a block from our hotel. We were the only patrons in the diningroom! We enjoyed a lovely meal sitting by the window overlooking their pool. Cairns is a very multicultural city and has restaurants serving every kind of food from kangaroo and crocodile to Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Greek, Thai, Italian and loads more. Something for everybody.

Fri. Sept. 14, and Sat. Sept. 15 - Gosford and Bateau Bay.

We got on the highway and headed for North Gosford where the famous Miss Kiah lives - aka Gwen and Bob's granddaughter. A brief stop along the way at the Hawkesbury River gave us a chance to stretch our legs, enjoy some more beautiful Aussie scenery, and take some pictures. Then off to visit Kiah and her parents Amanda and Ray. We enjoyed a lovely lunch with them, and Kiah kept us entertained. She's a pretty, bright, precocious child, very advanced for being not quite 3. Their house is built on the side of a ravine, and they are visited daily by a variety of birds and wildlife. In just the short time we were there we were visited by rainbow lorikeets, bronze coloured doves, a kookaburra, a brush turkey, and a little yellow bird that I don't know the name of.

We headed out for the guest house Gwen had arranged for the night - owned by a friend of hers. Along the way we stopped at The Entrance, where Tuggerah Lake empties into the Pacific Ocean. The tide was going out and the current was pretty strong. Every evening many spectacled pelicans come to this spot to be hand fed - they put on quite a display as the all try to snatch the fish at the same time.

Then we visited with Karen Dimmick and her husband Lindsay, and stayed for a tea of humungous burgers topped with cheese, a fried egg, bacon - and beetroot if you wanted it. It was great to meet Karen and Lindsey. It was a very enjoyable evening.

Next morning we found out that Gwen had been sick all night. She asked Karen to take over the class she was supposed to teach at the meeting of the Central Coast Decorative Painters, and then went to Karen's to drop off material for the class. While Gwen was at Karen's, George and I walked to the beach across the road from the guest house - and I heard the first Aussie to say "Good On Ya" as I stepped aside for him to pass me on the steep path down to the beach. We had our first experience with flies on the beach - not many, but we hightailed it out of there anyway. We've been pleasantly surprised that we haven't encountered more bitey things, even at night.

Even though Gwen wasn't feeling well, they took us back to Amanda and Ray's where we were able to hook into the Internet, send a few photos home o the grandchildren, and post to the blog. I was having so much trouble operating George's laptop - the touchpad is so sensitive that if you breath the wrong way it does something you don't want it to do, and then you have to go and undo it. Bummer! After a bit of a nap and some stomach medicine, Gwen was feeling a bit better.

Back home I did some laundry, we packed our bags, and George, Gwen and Bob watched the rugby match. Blacktown won, so Gwen and Bob were happy.

Although I only met a few gals face to face, I did speak to several others by telephone. Had lovely chats with Sylvia Figg, Beth Blinston, Barb Butcher, and Primmy. Nice to have a chat with all of them.

Thurs. Sept. 13

Another beautiful day for an outing. Featherdale is literally about 5 minutes from Gwen and Bob's. It was fantastic to be able to walk among so many of the animals and birds. Of course there were lots of them in cages as well. There was a huge variety of species to look at. We saw a Joey sticking his head out his mother's pouch, a baby koala having a ride on his mother's back, heard a kookaburra laugh - yes they really do!

We saw a large bird displaying for his lady friend, and a peacock treated us to the most amazing display of his tail feathers as he showed off for his lady. We also saw several birds - can't remember their names at present - maybe some of my Aussie friends can help me out here - but the knees bent in the opposite direction to usual - they sure looked strange sitting down. We also saw an emu, and a cassowary - about the same size as the emu, but with a red and blue head, and a great horny projection from the top of it's head. Apparently that's not the part to be afraid of - but watch out for his big toe as it will slice you open.

We saw a cute little echidna - an ant eater that has quills all over, much like our porcupines. There was a large salt water crocodile giving us a good look down his mouth, and enough lizards and snakes to make even Steph happy! Hi Steph!

Oh, yes - Happy Birthday Madeline

It's gorgeous here, and so amazing to see such colourful and interesting birds flying free. Birds that we only have seen in books and zoos before. I still don't know all the names, even though Gwen did tell me, so I will have to look them up again. Here are a couple of pretty red and blue parrots we saw just walking on the ground. Also a magpie that was following us around hoping for a handout.

Bob did all the driving - being on the opposite side of the road, and all the roundabouts, scare me silly. I guess I'll get used to it as we go along. Bob must have been a very tired boy at the end of the day, as I know George and I were sure worn out.

Blue Mountains

Of course, along the way we had to check out the souvenir shops, and stopped for a meat pie and coffee for lunch. Also took a moment for a cuddle with a koala.

Wed. Sept. 12 - Blue Mountain Excursion

Got up early, weather was lovely, and we headed for the Blue Mountains just outside Sydney. We travelled a steep winding road to the lookout at the top, overlooking the Three Sisters and a huge gorge. The Sisters are three huge rock monoliths that hang over the edge of the gorge. Absolutely breathtaking scenery, and we took tons of pictures from all sides of the gorge. I'll just show you a few to give you an idea of the size of the gorge.

Of course, along the way we had to check out the souvenir shops, and stopped for a meat pie and coffee for lunch. Also took a moment for a cuddle with a koala.

It's gorgeous here, and so amazing to see such colourful and interesting birds flying free. Birds that we only have seen in books and zoos before. I still don't know all the names, even though Gwen did tell me, so I will have to look them up and add their names in the blog. Here are a couple of pretty red and blue parrots we saw just walking on the ground. Also a magpie that was following us around hoping for a handout.

Bob did all the driving - being on the opposite side of the road, and all the roundabouts, scare me silly. I guess I'll get used to it as we go along. Bob must have been a very tired boy at the end of the day, as I know George and I were sure worn out.

Sydney with Gwen & Bob

Gwen and Bob picked us up at the airport. I saw Gwen as soon as we came out from immigration. They started our tour almost immediately with a whirlwind driving tour of Sydney to Glebe Point Road where we ended up at the waterfront with a wonderful view of the Anzac Bridge. While there we had a chance encountear with a man who knew exactly where we came from and even how we locals pronounce Toronto - Tranna, eh? We had a great laugh at that. He is a professoe of Canadian Studies at the University here in Sydney.

Gwen had a full itinerary lined up for us - went to the Featherdale Wildlife Centre and saw lots of amazing birds, animals and reptiles. Had three "on-line" friends over for tea (supper/dinner)for lots of chatter and laughter.

Next we went visit Gwen and Bob's daughter Amanda and her husband Ray and their charming daughter Kiah. When we said it was time to go, Kiah handed George his had and told him to go back to where he came from.

We went to the Entrance and watched the pelicans being fed. They are a little different in colouring from the ones we've seen in Florida on other trips. Then we travelled a little farther to a guest house owned by a friend of Gwen's and after settling in, we went to visit Karen Dimmick and her husband Lindsey. Had a lovely casual tea with them, and coffee and chocolate cake (no calories of course).

Today we toured around Bateau Bay, and Terrigal and back to her daughter's house to use the computer to send some emails and to post to the blog. Hope to download some other pictures when we get to Cairns.