December 25,
2017
We left Phuket on the evening of
Christmas day, not to be mistaken with Christmas Eve, and flew overnight with a
brief stopover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We arrived in Sydney at 10:40 am so
had lots of time to source train tickets and then take the train to
Sydney. Our hotel was a block from the train station and right next to a
Big Bus Stop.
After checking-in to our hotel and
cleaning up we did a walkabout in our area, had lunch and shopped. Jet lag
caught up with us so we picked up some snacks and headed back to the hotel for
an early evening.
Day 2
On December 27 we caught the Big Bus Tour
#1 (beach and coastal tour) and after completing that 1-1/2 hour tour we then
hopped on the #2 bus (city tour) which took just over two hours to complete. We
then had lunch and a beer followed by a quick stop at our hotel to refresh.
Next, we hopped back on the city tour bus and went down to the quay area and
from there we walked to the Sydney Opera House. We got back to our hotel after
5:00 pm and had another early night. Oh I forgot, we had ice cream (a holiday
indulgence) during our walk down by the harbour.
Day 3 - December 28
Another beautiful sunny and hot
day. After a great sleep we woke up early enough to catch the 9:30 hop-on
bus and spent the morning at Bondi Beach watching the surfers and beach-goers.
We had lunch and then hopped back on the bus to Rose Bay. It was here where we
would have anchored if we would have sailed here in CanKata. As we were walking
to the beach we came across a self-serve dog wash for owners of dogs which have
enjoyed a day on the beach. The wash also had a blow dryer. Pretty cool! We
jumped back on the bus and got off again at Double Bay for a cold light
Tasmanian beer (a holiday indulgence). One last bus ride brought us back home.
We stopped at our room to freshen up
again and then went to the train station to arrange our trip to friends in
Fennel Bay tomorrow. Once that was sorted we walked to Sydney's Paddy Market
and then stopped for a Kahlua on the way home.
Day 4 - December 29
Our only objective today was to check
out from our very comfortable and convenient hotel and make our 3-minute walk
to the train station. Our platform was #9, and 30 minutes before
departure we headed to the train and sat on a bench beside a car labeled
"Quiet Car”. There was an announcement but being in Australian we did not
comprehend the message. Close to departure time we noticed that there were not
many people waiting for the train, so we decided to walk to the other end of
the train where we could see people boarding. Half way down the train we
noticed that there were two different trains at the same platform. The
one we were waiting beside was not going anywhere. By the time we boarded, most
of the seats were occupied by people and their luggage. These trains don't have
much leg room or space to store your luggage. Nor are the seats
comfortable. Boy do we miss the trains in Japan.
On arrival, we were greeted by our two
hosts Brian and Gill who we met sailing a number of years ago in
Indonesia. They let us settle in and then took us on a tour of the Lake
Macquarie area. We enjoyed a beer and dinner at an outdoor restaurant which had
a live band playing some great tunes. We then made our way home where we ended
off the evening with ice cream.
Day 5 - December 30
After breakfast, we headed on a tour to
New Castle with numerous stops along the way. We did not have ice cream but we
did have milkshakes.
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| At a nature reserve, we saw an adorable koala. |
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| We bought some mohair scarves from our friends ... so soft, beautiful, light and warm! |
Day 6 - December 31
This day was primarily a travel day. We
had a two-and-a-half hour car ride to the Sydney airport, a two-hour wait, a two-hour
flight to Hobart, Tasmania, and then a two-and-a-half hour drive to
Bicheno. There was nobody at the reception at the hotel, just a note saying "The key is on the table". And what a view!
It was here where we brought in the New Year.
We had made reservations at a nearby
seafood restaurant, and lucky we did since it was fully booked. We had a super
HUGE meal and had fun bantering with other patrons. We got home after 11 pm and
tucked ourselves in bed minutes before turning into pumpkins.
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| The view from our table. |
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| Champagne! |
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| Seafood galore. |
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| A full moon reflecting on the sea on our walk back to the hotel. |
Day 7 - January 1
After spending the night in the
furthest-south location we will probably ever be in, we headed to Wine Glass
Bay. It is located in the Freycinet National Park and is a very popular hike in
Tasmania. We saw a live wallaby (up to now they had all sadly been road kill) and
fantastic sights along the hike. The view from the top overlooking the bay was
amazing. In the same park we went on another short hike to a lighthouse.
We then drove the coastal road to
Binalong Bay and stopped at the Bay of Fires. I have seen a number of beaches
in my day but I have to tell you that this was one of the most beautiful
beaches I have ever seen. The water could not have been more turquoise, the
pristine singing sand any more white, and there were only a few people along
its mile-long beach.
From there we continued along the
Eastern scenic route and over a mountain range to our next stop in Bridport.
We settled in to our room and then had a
beer and a pizza before retiring for the night.
Day 8 - January 2
We scouted around the town of Bridport
and then drove to Launceston about an hour away. Here we visited the Cataract
Gorge and spent 2 hours walking the trails to the various lookout and crossing
the suspension bridge.
We stopped for lunch, picked up a few
provisions and then went to the “end of the earth” where our sailing friends
Tim and Nanette live. They had given us directions and told us their gate would
look as though it was locked but is actually unlocked. When we arrived at the
gate, we thought for sure the padlock was locked. I went to the lock and
confirmed the padlock was in fact locked. There was no house in sight and we
had no way to contact them. I looked back at the chain and lock and, upon a
closer examination, noticed a carabiner (that was the same colour as the chain)
which could easily be opened leaving the padlock in place but splitting the
chain. After entering and "relocking" the gate we drove over a path
along the shore for about 2 kilometers, looking for signs of civilization.
When we finally arrived at the seashore we drove through a patch of trees and
found Tim's house and shops, and more importantly Tim and Nanette's smiling
faces.
We spent the rest of the day touring
Tim's land, shops full of trucks and tractors and 4-wheel buggies, house and
garden. We then reminisced about our times when CanKata and Rubicon Star sailed
Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and toured Vietnam and Cambodia together. We
ended the day by having a big open fire and eating dinner with the odd drink to
keep us quenched. We were planning on going to the beach to see the penguins
but it was too windy. Our bedroom overlooked the surf of the ocean.
Day 9 - January 3
After breakfast we went for a walk along
Tim's property to view the coast and to visit Barb's burial site. Barb was
Tim's wife who died suddenly shortly after cruising with us in Thailand.
Nanette's partner, Stewart, also passed away at the end of their cruising time
in Southeast Asia.
We then went on a tour of Port Sorely,
and stopped for another walk along the far coast of Tim's sister's land next to
Tim's. Altogether Tim's mom and dad had about 600 acres of this beautiful
seaside property. It was paid for by selling rabbit hides.
We were then taken for a tour to visit 5
different beaches along the property. Later, Tim cooked a leg of lamb and a pot
of veggies over an open fire. Yummmmm!
We ended the night with a walk down to
the sandy beach right in front of Tim's house to watch the penguins coming onshore
to spend the night in their nests.
Needless to say we had a very memorable
visit with are two dear friends. They said it was too short and tried to talk
us into staying longer. Maybe next time.
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| The old homestead. Our camera was acting up a little ... waving to the new owners. |
Day 10 - January 4
This could have been a fairly relaxing
day, but due to me making a stupid mistake it ended up being a 3-hour drive
longer than planned.
We left Tim's at 8:30 am after a great
breakfast and lots of good-byes. We took the scenic route along the coast and
then through the mountain region en route to Strahan. We planned to stop at
Cradle Mountain for a 2-hour hike around the lake but because of the cool and drizzling weather
we decided to give it a miss.
We stopped at a small coffee shop and
picked up 2 hot chocolates and some homemade cookies. I paid the bill and then
we headed off for our final destination about an hour-and-a-half away. The
drive was a narrow winding road which climbed a mountain and then the same on
the other side to descend. It was not a very easy drive and by the time we
arrived in Strahan I was played out and looking forward to a relaxing afternoon
and evening.
Before checking into our hotel I wanted
to fill the car with gas so we could get a head start on the next day’s trip which
was expected to be much of the same kind of roads as this day’s.
When I pulled up to the pumps I reached
for my wallet and it was not where it was supposed to be. We looked through the
car hoping we would find it under the seat or by the door. No luck.
We had no way to contact the small
coffee shop since it was basically a small hole in the wall without a name so
our only option was to drive back with our fingers crossed that it would be
there.
About 90 minutes later I entered the
coffee shop and started to ask if they found my wallet when I saw it behind the
counter on a shelf.
The owner saw it after I left but had no
way to contact me. They knew we were heading to Strahan but did not know where
we were staying. I thanked him and he said have a nice drive to Strahan AGAIN.
I am usually very careful with my wallet
but I think I might write my phone number on a card and leave it in my wallet
in case history repeats itself.
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| It was a relief to finally park in front of our rented cottage. |
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| It was nice to move around after the long drive. |
Day 11 - January 5
Today I kept a close eye on my wallet.
We left Strahan and drove two hours up and over two mountain ranges on narrow
winding roads to Derwent Bridge. This location has a popular indoor tourist
stop called The Wall. A local sculpture has sculpted a 100-meter wood scene
which is quite remarkable. You have to keep reminding yourself that you are
looking at wood and not a metal chain or a fabric coat or shirt complete with buttons
and stitch marks.
Our next stop, an hour and a half away,
was Mount Field National Park. Here we had a short hike through a beautiful
lush forest to Russell Falls.
Our next stop was our hotel in downtown
Hobart. We checked in and then met up with another sailor friend who we had met
some 4 or 5 years ago. This is the third sailing friend who we met here in
Tasmania and all of them have lost their partners since giving up sailing.
Day 12 - January 6
Today was the last day for the rental
car so we toured some outlying areas around Hobart that our Big Bus Tour would
not include.
Besides the scenic drive en route to the
sites, we visited the following:
Tessellated Pavement
Blow Hole
Tasman Arch
Devil's Kitchen
We dropped off the car on the way back
to Hobart and then caught the shuttle bus to our hotel. We walked down to the
waterfront and saw two of the sailboats that were in the Sydney Hobart race.
Day 13 - January 7
Today was our Hop On Hop Off bus but we
only did the circuit once without hopping. Instead we walked around the main
harbour looking at boats, shops, eating, having ice cream, and drinking a local
beer and wine.
Just heard it is 47C in Sydney today.
Only 24C here so a bit cool.
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| Pre-lunchtime was very quite. |
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| Only made sense to order fish and chips. |
Day 14 - January 8
Today was our second day for the Hop On
Hop Off bus. We hopped off at the Royal Botanical Gardens and the Wrest Point
Casino. We did not go to the casino to gamble but instead to walk the area
which was by the sea.
We went back to our hotel late afternoon
for a breather before meeting up with another friend who we met sailing in
Indonesia.
Tomorrow we head back home.
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