After the meanderings of the day before we rushed back into Margeret River to look for a place to stay. Same price as the night before but a few notches down in quality. Like most places in Australia, walking trails abound. Next to the river is a 8km trail. We were thinking of doing all of it but cas of time constraints we decided only to do the first section (i.e until we got to a huge puddle in the trail). Very pretty, the tree types are refereed to as a Karri forest. Very tall trees and lots of spring flowers about.
Lots of mushroom growths as well.
And flowers some of which are totally different to ours
Before moving on, this is what the Margeret River looks like
Outside town I saw Kangaroos for the first time in the wild. Well not actually wild, grazing in some farmers pastures. We did the tourist thing & parked the car in pouring rain to go and take a picture. Looks like a cross between a dog and a rabbit. I hoped that they would come to the fence to check us out but they were obviously bored with tourists and went on, oblivious to us. Typically, the rain stopped only long enough for us to take a picture before belting down again. The rain hardly lasts 5 min, then clears for about 20min and down again. Keep raincoats around constantly!
We then went to this nice beach, which I will have to get the name of. Apparently some kids drowned here, so the school painted all these murals as a remembrance. Good walks and amazing views of azure blue seas and white beaches with limestone cliffs. Big signs to stay away from the edge as they do collapse. There is a trail running along the beach called “Cape to Cape” about 100km, well worth doing if you are ever in the area. Another trail follows inland on an old railway track but I think the beach hike would be better (on a mountain bike).
Then back along the road to a spectacular little waterfall. Very badly signposted and often we wondered if we were on the right track. Take the Ellenbury homestead road. Drive down a path that gets progressively worse until you finally get to the homestead (about 1km give or take 2). Park and start walking! Just when you get to think you should be there, you get to a fence. Go thru and shortly afterwards the path widens and you are on the Cape to Cape trail. Eventually when you start getting the lost feeling again you will come across a clearing and a long-drop. Keep going! When you finally begin to think that it is time to turn back you will suddenly see wooden stairs. You are now there. There are two springs, the less obvious one leading to the right goes to the main spring. Waterfall is a bit of a misnomer, even with the rains it should rather be described as an underground spring trickling over some mossy rocks. However not withstanding the waterfall definition it is a lovely site and there is a laminated booklet with some folk law of the area.
Obviously for such a long walk some people could not behave all the time :-)
Huge chunk of pics still missing here needs to get completed!!!!
Brisbane, by Mrs Sunshine this time
We flew into Brisbane on Sunday the 9th. Our taxi driver was a Lebanese gent who was just awaiting the introduction of sharia law to his beloved Lebanon so that he can return to his homeland………what a welcome to Brisbane. He thought South African apartheid a terrible blight on the countries people and past, but thought that Sharia law was the way to go.
Our hotel was the very comfortable and well positioned, Mercure on North Quay and one block from the city center. Perfect. It was a 15 minute walk from the conference center on the South bank.
Brisbane is laid out and planned around the river. The public transport is cheap and safe.
The first evening I accompanied Miles to the conference registration and cocktails. The usual homage played to the custodians of the land (aborigines) complete with aboriginal dancing and music merriment (yawn,yawn).
Miles went off to the conference and I started my 2 day walk around Brisbane. I visited the city hall, museums, art galleries. The public spaces as is the case in most of Australian cities, are decorated by art and sculptures. On Monday afternoon a PMB university friend of Miles, Ken, came in from Toowoomba to catch up with us. We decided to spend the time chatting on the ferry, traveling the whole round trip up and down the Brisbane river, for $5 each. Splendid views and experience especially as dusk fell.
We hopped off on South bank and found a fusion restaurant called “Obsession” with live piano music and very good food. The South bank is home to a university/college and music / art school. There is a large auditorium which hosts students jamming over lunch hours. We also enjoyed many walks up and down the Arbour, which is about 1200m long which is lovingly tended by staff on heists pruning and training the bougainvillea fronds. This is truly a very pretty spot with a Nepalese temple, and other quiet lunch and picnic spots.
On Tuesday was Miles presentation day, so I joined them all for lunch and the afternoon session: a very welcome break after tramping around Brisbane. I enjoyed my morning in the city, more tourist stops on foot and enjoyed Monday lunch and Tuesday tea break with Annie and Cilla in Queens street, with the local didge player doing his thing in the background. Everyone sitting around having their lunch enjoying the indigenous music.
I just so enjoyed the fact that the girls all don their trainers (takkies) dress in work attire, walk, cycle or bus to work, then change into the high heels when they get into the city center. And in the afternoon the reverse, the heels come off and the trainers back on and they hoof it back home. Many people wear a light backpack. I enjoyed seeing the fashion and what the normal working people look like, what they spend their money on etc.
Tuesday night saw us join a bus trip with some conference goers to the Gold cost, an hour away. We were off to see the “Outback spectacular”, an indoor arena based performing area projecting the Australian outback life with much fanfare and special effects. We loved it! The service and precision of the whole evening was breath taking, 40 waitpersons served 1000 show goers in 5 minutes flat for each course of he meal. We had bush tucker fare and sang waltzing Mathilda – very moving.
Wednesday morning saw me off on my day trip down into New South Wales, to the legendary Byron Bay. There were a few tourist stops on the way to the Tropical fruit world were we sampled Chocolate fruit from South America and other treats. But Byron Bay was as good as I had been promised. Huge expanses of see and beautiful vista’s. We saw dolphins, whales and sea turtle from the lighthouse. I then enjoyed fresh oysters on a bed of rocket from a cardboard box on the beach with all the other resident and transient hippies – needless to say I blended in well! The bus driver kept up a running commentary for the round trip of 600kms. It was the best $100 I could have spent. Very informative and most enjoyable.
I made it back to Brisbane just in time for a wardrobe change into glad rags to trot across the Brisbane river to the Conference Gala dinner (only to arrive there cursing the new high heels I had stupidly walked in for the last 15mintues!). Food again delicious and very fancy. Scientists do not have any dress sense. So this made an interesting study for me. Did you know you can go up and receive a prestigious scientific award at an international conference in a navy jacket and black trousers? And then not have much to say on receipt of your award!? (CAREFULL This site is being moderated by one of those crazy scientists with no dress sense!!!)
New food fashion over there is alternate food selections are served at the table. So I got fish and Miles got red meat. And you can then negotiate with the rest of the table if you don’t want what got plonked in front of you…………..bizzare! This is the case for all 3 courses.
Very lekker nosh we had! Sadly as per usual (age?) the music gets too loud and you cannot keep up a conversation anymore……did I mention that scientists, even with their lack of rhythm can actually have a good party?
I did manage to keep up the conversation long enough with the Canadian gentleman next to me whose only knowledge of South Africa involved the conflict in Dafour and that he thought that South Africa’s ill’s were all of the past since Nelson Mandela was released – he was bemused that there were still many unresolved issues in our country, and totally perplexed by our info on Zimbabwe…….and this was the case with all the news bulletins we watched and the newspapers we read………the world is very tired of Africa and the pity party that it has become.
We then walked back to the hotel in absolute wonder at the security and freedom in being able to walk around in a city at night be-jeweled and be-decked in perfect safety!
Late Thursday afternoon saw the end of the conference, we hired bicycles and cycled many kilometers along the amazing system of cycle and walking paths all along the river and basically anywhere you want to go! The highlight for me was cycling across the Story bridge in rush hour traffic with a drop of 30m to the river below. Miles doesn’t do heights: he was meant to give the camera to me half way across to take a pic, but there was no stopping him getting to the other side! We had a wonderful time cycling everywhere, east and west of the city. After handing the bikes back, we enjoyed coffee and a dessert platter at a Turkish restaurant I had been eyeing.
Back to the hotel for another quick wardrobe change to catch the ferry to have supper with Annie, Cilla and JuJu at her beautiful apartment at Kangaroo point on the approach to the Story bridge. We enjoyed catching up on old times. We came back up the river on the last ferry at 11pm, and were wowed over by the Brisbane city lights and splendor of the evening. We were the only passengers and sat on the top deck with the wind in our hair and not a care in the world………..I could live this life.
