Exploring Australia From The Left

[luthj]

More Beautiful Coastline




Finished with Sydney, we once more found ourselves along the coast.









This is one of the handful of wooden deck suspension bridges left in Australia. Crenelations for the win.





Australian signs are very entertaining. They are also very inconsistent! There are at least a dozen variations of the kangaroo caution sign.

 

[luthj]

While we were walking at North Head in Murramarang NP, we spotted a seal floating in a calm pool.







At first we wondered if it was dead? Nope. Injured? Doesn’t look like it… A google search told us that it was taking a nap and letting the sun warm it through its fins. Apparently this is the seal version of putting your leg outside the covers.

 

[luthj]

National Capital - Canberra



By Jen.



Back in the beginning of fledging Australia’s nationhood, Melbourne held both the Victorian and national seats of power. But, with the rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne so great, it was decided to move it to an independent site that had to be “at least 1000 km from Sydney.” While not in either state capital, the national capital was relocated to Canberra, an empty field in the New South Wales countryside. Like Washington, D.C., Canberra was allotted a plot of land to become an neutral district called the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). It is completely surrounded by NSW; and, strangely, the only border where we saw you-are-entering NSW signs.









Lots and lots of effort went into planning the town and the buildings. Strangely, though, the city is not very friendly for pedestrians or using mass transit. At least the roads seem to handle the traffic well. And, as we were visiting on a weekend, all the parking was free.











First stop was the parliament building. Again, this was high on symbolism, but low on aesthetics. Literally everything in every room represented something about Australia, which is a great way for the representatives to remember what they are representing. But, overall, I felt that it was built to impress, but lacked a cohesive beauty.







The first thing you see when you drive up is the lawn running up the hill and over the building, which is, in and of itself, impressive. The building is set up on the hill so that you can see your constituents, but under the ground so that you aren’t above them.







There is an aboriginal mosaic in front of it, surrounded by water, representing both Australia (an island nation) and a meeting place.







The national seal.







After passing through security, you are welcomed into the columned foyer, which is decorated with light color marble, representing a eucalypt forest.







The overlooks from the balcony each have leaves from an different Australian plant carved and inlaid into the wood.







They had a multipurpose room, The Great Hall, that was made mostly of Australian hardwoods, the exception being a dark colored trim wood that was a gift from a neighboring country. It is complete with an enormous tapestry of a eucalypt forest that took 14 weavers 2 years to complete.







The House of Representatives followed the British tradition of green colors, however, instead of the deep hunter green Britain used, Australia’s chamber uses shades found in Australia’s bush, reminiscent of the eucalyptus leaves. Also typical of the trees is that the newer ones at the top are lighter colored than the older ones at the bottom, so the chamber fades as you go up each level.







Similarly, in the Senate, instead of the deep British red, they went with the red from the dirt of the Outback, which also fades in color.







Of course, my favorite part was the green roof and the garden courtyards (we weren’t allowed in the courtyards, though).

 

[luthj]

The front points directly down ANZAC Parade and to the Australian War Memorial.



After the visit of Parliament House, we made a stop at the old parliament building, which now houses a museum. It had been patterned more closely to the UK Parliament.













Then we made our way to the Australian War Memorial. This is a massive complex that artfully presents both the honor and atrocities of war. We made it through WWII before we had to start bypassing exhibitions because it was getting to be too long.







Each flower represents an Australian life lost in a war. This is only one small part of such walls.







A beautiful memorial to the unknown soldier, down up in the theme of old Roman-Catholic churches.



Of course, being engineers, we were more appreciative of the technology and ingenuity developed.







This was a jig that allowed soldiers to secretly retreat while giving the pretense they were still at their post. The candle would burn down enough to burn the string, which would release the wood block, which pull the trigger. A bit of a Rube Goldberg device.









After all the museum visits, I was exhausted. For some reason, I really struggle in museums. Between the standing, walking, and reading so many different topics, I have a hard time enjoying them for very long. Jonathan, on the other hand, seems to have no problems and really enjoys the knowledge. We called it a night and planned to visit again the next day. After some deliberation, we really only felt like going to the Telstra Tower, though there were many other interesting sites to go visit. So, we concluded our visit with an overlook on the entire town.







FUN FACT: The highway distance markers (mile markers in the US) are slightly different in Australia. Obviously, they are in kilometers, which are smaller than miles. So rather than put one up every kilometer, they skip a few before putting one up. Secondly, they are often marked with a two-letter abbreviation of the next town in that direction above the distance. So, for example, if you were heading towards Broken Hill and you were 8 kms out, you might see a highway distance as "BH 8".

 

[luthj]

Kosciuzko NP



By Jen.



Leaving Canberra took us into the Australian Alps; though getting there was a bit of an adventure itself. I didn’t double-check the route that the GPS decided to take, other than a quick glance. In general, it looked like what I recommended; but as the road got smaller, I realized that the GPS had not taken us on the route I had thought. Instead, we were on a narrow, windy road that was currently participating in a bicycling event. So, we dodged cyclers as they punished themselves by cycling insane distances up steep inclines. At least it was pretty country.







The road even turned to dirt at some point. And we saw a fat goanna lazily making its way across the road. In fact, I got and was able to even touch it with my shoe! Must have been a bit cold for him still.













Because Australia.



These mountains, like many others, once had gold, and there were remnants of mining operations throughout the park.













It was rather destructive to the hillside.







And quite a few invasive rabbits.









It was here that we spotted our first sighting of snow in Australia. Of course, I had to take a picture (or two) to memorialize it.













Originally there aren’t any large lakes in these mountains, but there was an extensive hydroelectric project conducted here to provide electricity to nearby cities. We stopped occasionally to observe some of the aspects of this scheme.

 

[luthj]

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-...iFcTK5TLOT2761wCHMYCw/s1600-h/DSCN1202%5B3%5D



















The snowy mountains are actually in this picture but are hidden by clouds.













We took a walk towards Geehi hut in the beautiful landscape.







More of the ubiquitous invasive rabbits; even a black variation.



We decided to camp at the valley before Kosciuzsko that night so that we could get an early start walking the next morning. As we whiled away the evening hours, a small snowstorm came through.













Only a small amount of accumulation the next morning.



Since Kosciuzsko is the highest mountain on the flattest continent, I thought it was a great opportunity. We would likely never be able to claim we have hiked the highest mountain on any other continent (normally requires all kinds of training and gear), so I really wanted to do it. However, I was very anxious. The round trip was 18 km, and we had never walked that far in one day before. Plus, I hadn’t had too many opportunities to really test my knee. I felt like we could do it, but just wasn’t sure. Fortunately, the hike was a nice easy climb (only 468m over 9km).







The goal is the far left peak.

 

[luthj]

When we started off, there was a warning about snow across the path. Sure enough, there was.







Lots of water flows with icicles.

























The path on the south side of the mountain was nearly indistinguishable, especially since we were the first to cross it that morning.







We made it to the top.



We ate lunch at the peak and got back to the van even earlier than I was expecting. I wasn’t even hurting as much as I was expecting. And my knee was completely fine! My knee had been feeling pretty good since we had gotten back from the States in August, but I had not really tested it. At this point, I definitely called it fully healed.



FUN FACT: We hiked the mountain on Halloween Day, which is observed here in Australia. Thanksgiving is not, though (remember that is a holiday that Americans made up). So, Christmas decorations and advertisements start a few days before Halloween here. Must say that it is really weird hearing songs about a white Christmas in a country so warm, especially as Christmas is in their summer. Additionally, since it is their summer, no turkey and stuffing here for dinner. Instead, they have things like prawns (shrimp) and ham and Christmas pudding. Other fresh summer foods like mangos adorn the table.

 

[Paddler Ed]

That was a blue tongue I suspect rather than a Goanna, and a bit of a cranky one as it's puffed up - the one we had stuck in a terracotta pipe did the same when I had to pick it out!

 

[luthj]

That was a blue tongue I suspect rather than a Goanna, and a bit of a cranky one as it's puffed up - the one we had stuck in a terracotta pipe did the same when I had to pick it out!

You are probably right, though we have seen several different color variants on this lizard. We did encounter a blue tonged one once. It was quite cross!

 

[luthj]

Winding Down



As we continue south, we are nearing the point where Australia’s coast turns Westward. We will soon begin our final run towards Melbourne. The days are counting down until our import permit expires. So, we continue to enjoy the beautiful eastern coast while it lasts.

























At an empty trailhead, I made a visit to the long-drop toilet typical of the location. I noticed a good number of ants wandering about on the concrete slab. After lifting the lid, I heard something shuffling about. To my surprise, a short-beaked echidna was hiding behind the toilet! You wouldn’t want to kick one by mistake, the spines would be painful. Echidnas can live over 60 years in the wild as long as they have plenty of ants and termites to eat, and ground cover is plentiful.

 

[luthj]

New South Wales by the Numbers



And, without fanfare, we put NSW in the rear-view mirror; there wasn’t even a sign to say you were leaving it. We kinda cruised through the state, but a lot of it felt like repeats from places in other states (simply because we visited those first). Here are some interesting statistics from our journey in Australia’s oldest and most-populous state.

• Time
  • Time zone:
    • UTC+9:00
    • DOES participates in DST.
  • Day entered: 4-Sep-2017
  • Day left: 9-Sep-2017
  • Day entered: 16-Oct-2017
  • Day left: 2-Nov-2017
  • Total # of days: 23
    • Nights slept in van: 23
    • Nights slept in tent: 0
    • Nights slept in hotel/etc.: 0
    • Nights paying for lodging: 0
• Distance
  • Driven: ~5,259 km (~3,287 miles)
  • Hiked: 46.7 km (29.2 miles)
    
    Date Location Description Distance (km) Distance (mi)
    
    9/6/2017 The Living Desert Sculpture Symposium 0.4 0.25
    
    9/8/2017 Gundabooka NP Yapa (Mulgowan) Art Site Walk 1.40 0.88
    
    10/18/2017 Mount Kaputar NP Sawn Rocks Walking Track 1.5 0.94
    
    10/19/2017 Mount Yarrowyck Nature Reserve Rock Art Site 3.00 1.88
    
    10/19/2017 Oxley Wild Rivers NP Main + Checks + Chandler Viewpoints 0.25 0.16
    
    10/20/2017 Dorrigo NP Skywalk 0.15 0.09
    
    10/20/2017 Dorrigo NP Wonga Walk 6.60 4.13
    
    10/22/2017 Myall Lakes NP Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse 1.32 0.83
    
    10/22/2017 Cattai Wetlands Wetland Walk 1.00 0.63
    
    10/24/2017 Munghorn Gap Nature Reserve Castle Rock Walking Trail 8.00 5.00
    
    10/24/2017 Blue Mountains NP Sublime Point 0.18 0.11
    
    10/27/2017 Murramarrang NP North Head Lookout Walk 0.50 0.31
    
    10/30/2017 Kosciuszko NP Geehi Hut Walk 3.00 1.88
    
    10/31/2017 Kosciuszko NP Summit Walk 18.00 11.25
    
    11/1/2017 Merimbula Boardwalk 1.00 0.63
    
    11/2/2017 Ben Boyd NP Green Cape Lightstation 0.4 0.25
    
    Totals: 46.695 29.184
  • Fuel fill-ups: 7
• Money
  • Total spent: $1,089.55 USD ($1396.86 AUD)
    • Consists of the costs of traveling full time in New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory
    • Does not include gear or van conversion costs
  • Average cost per day: $47.37 USD ($60.73 AUD)
  • Average cost of diesel: $1.275 AUD per liter ($3.620 USD per gallon)
• National Parks visited: 12
  • Ben Boyd
  • Blue Mountains
  • Cattai Wetlands
  • Dorrigo
  • Gundabooka
  • Kosciuszko
  • Merimbula
  • Mount Kaputar
  • Mungo
  • Murramarrang
  • Myall Lakes
  • Oxley Wild Rivers

• 
  Interesting observations about New South Wales:
• Although the third smallest state, it is the first and most-populous state.
• Some national parks are free, while others charge about $20 per day. Definitely worth picking up an annual pass. Kosciuszko is a popular and expensive park that charges per day, even with the annual pass.
• While the ACT is not part of NSW, it is completely surrounded by it.
• NSW’s capital, Sydney, is Australia’s most populous city, but that may change as early as sometime next year (2018).
• NSW is also home to the tallest mountain on the continent: Kosciuszko (2,228m or 7310ft above sea level).

 

[luthj]

Raymond Island



One our way back to Melbourne to begin our shipping preparations, we visited a few locations that we skipped on our first visit to the southeast tip of Australia. The first up is Raymond Island. A well-populated island covered with holiday homes, this island has a unique feature. When the wild populations of koalas were at risk, a number of them were introduced onto the island. The resulting koala explosion means that you can see them lounging about most anywhere there are eucalyptus trees on the island. Koalas are the only animal that can survive on an exclusive diet of eucalyptus leaves. This is partly due to their unique digestive system, which is shared by some very unique microbes, which are passed from mother to joey. Being marsupials, koalas give birth and nurse their young in a pouch. After which, they will cling to their mothers.



If you look close you will see her joey in her arms.





Here is a juvenile, still hanging out with mom.









Their diet of fibrous and resinous eucalypt leaves is very low energy. So koalas spend about 16-18 hours a day sleeping. The remainder is spent chowing down on leaves.





Here is the favored position: a fork in the branch, and curled up to stay warm.













Males are a bit larger and have a scent gland on their chest to make it easier for females to find them. It is a very unique smell and is noticeable for quite a ways downwind. During mating season, males make a loud and low-pitched howling bark at night. It is quite bizarre the first time you hear it.









They have serious claws and teeth and can move fast if they really want to.

 

[luthj]

We also spotted a couple of echidnas cruising for ants.









Fun Fact (by Jen): In Australia, instead of body shops or collision repair centers, the repair shops are most commonly called "smash" repairs. So, instead of having a crash, you have a smash.

 

[luthj]

Mornington Peninsula and Phillip Island
By Jen.

We arrived in Melbourne about 4 weeks from our planned departure date (3-Dec) to do some maintenance on the van. However, it took a lot less time than we expected, so we took another week to go visit some more parts of Victoria before we came back to clean and prep the van for shipping.

We had started down the Mornington Peninsula before, but those travels got interrupted by the sudden availability of a ferry ticket to Tasmania back in January. Since we had some time, we decided to try it again. It was a cold and rainy day, but the views were still nice.



This rock is called London Bridge.



Black-rock beach at Cape Schanck Lighthouse.

The next day was nice and sunny and a perfect day for viewing penguins! Phillip Island is known for its accessibility to see little (fairy) penguins. Typically, this is before sunrise and after sunset, so we went first to see Seal Rocks. Unbeknownst to us, the cape has little boxes set up everywhere to house nesting penguins (they aren’t very good at building their own burrows). And, it was nesting season! So, at least one adult is sitting while the other goes out for food.



This one looks like it is on an egg.



This one looks like a parent with a several-week old chick.






The scenery.



The rocks and seals from which it gets its name.

There were other birds as well.



A young bird of prey.



Grey geese were in abundance.

 

[luthj]

On the beach, you could see countless penguin footprints after their morning exodus from their burrows into the water.

We made another stop at the Penguin Parade Visitor Centre, which is free during the daytime. Lots of penguins here as well. They even had some peep-holes in the centre, where you could see into nests. Amazingly, they had all situations represented: chickless (and empty) nest, parent on egg, parent with chicks, 5-week-old chicks (parents leave them on their own during the day). Those were really fun.


A penguin in its burrow, but you kinda see how blue they are. Out in the daylight, they are even more blue.

To finish the day, we went to view Cape Paterson’s coast.









They have a set of caves that are only accessible during low tide and are the only active archeological site in Victoria. Every summer, they wait until the water clears out of the cave each day, then remove all the sand that the tide has just deposited and start digging for fossils. Sounds even more tedious than normal archeological digs!






We aren’t very good archeologists, but at least it looks like something interesting (even if it isn’t anything).





Fun Fact: I have relatives that live near Bowling Green, KY, and the name really never made sense to me. In Australia, they actually have outdoor bowling greens instead of indoor bowling lanes/alleys. They are flat lawns (often artificial), where they bowl. Now I know from where the Kentucky town's name comes.