Canberra, Jindabyne and Thredbo

Canberra and Jindabyne

Leaving the park in Sydney was a very easy exercise, turn right, 500m down the road , turn right again and then 210km later stop at the lights at Canberra. At least it was easy to get out of Sydney even if getting around it was a bit of a drama compared to what we are used to.

On arriving in Queanbeyan 10km from Canberra we set the van and then set of for Parliament House.   After Sydney, free plentiful parking was very welcome and it was easy parking underneath the Parliament House.   After entering the building and getting through security we viewed both the House of Representatives and the Senate, The Great Hall and the roof which of course is lawn.  One feature is the quality of the building,  as you would expect and the many wonderful works of art throughout the building.  Good to know our money is well spent.

                                                Looking towards the old parliament house.

                                        Looking towards Anzac avenue and the War Memorial

Wednesday saw Jim dropped off at the War Memorial for the day whilst the kids went to Questacon, a science discovery centre with Chrissy.  The kids had a ball at Questacon doing many activities whilst Jim soaked up all that the memorial has to offer. Canberra would be a brilliant place to take children on camp and 120,000 kids visit there each year. We met back at  the memorial at the end of the day to watch  two guards from the Menin Gates in Belgium (where 22,000 Australian soldiers without a known grave are listed), play   The Last Post   in front of the main memorial.  A special moment indeed.

                                                                       Questacon

The next morning we all returned to the War Memorial where the kids enjoyed the discovery centre as well as the many sound and light displays, dioramas and wonderful sculptures and paintings. Jordy was particularly keen to find the remains of the original Desert Corp Memorial which he studied in Year 5. We completed our visit by walking along the walls of honour where the names of 105,000 Australian war dead are listed.  We ended our visit with a sobering visit to the sacred Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - A beautiful place with amazing artwork, including the largest known mosaic in the world which was created by an injured WW1 soldier.

                                                            Will the chopper pilot.

                                                        The Desert Corp Memorial

                                                   The Menin Gate guards play the last post

                                                                  Lone Pine Diorama

                                                               Jordy laying a poppy.

                                                                    Anzac Avenue

The tomb of the unknown soldier.

                                                           The roof of the sacred space.

Captain Cook Memorial Water Spout

We finished our day with a visit to the Royal Australian Mint where all Australian coins are minted. We all learnt a lot about the making of coins and watched as Titan the robot lifted a 44 gallon drum with $200,000 of $2 coins for sorting. 600 million coins are minted there every year.

Canberra was great but once again we hardly scratched the surface with many galleries and museums still to visit, next time.

Jindabyne

Jindabyne is about 160km south of Canberra along the very straight Monaro Highway. The Monaro high plains are generally treeless but very picturesque country. Arriving in Jindabyne we set up camp at the Big 4 on Lake Jindabyne which is part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme. The kids were keen to get out and explore but were warned by some locals about the large number of snakes around at the moment so they were a little careful -  well sort of.  We all survived our first night of zero degrees temperatures. As usual the cold is not the problem it is the wind that comes with it.

                                                                   Lake Jindabyne

Next morning we headed for Thredbo some 30km away on the Alpine Way. The mountains were stunning going up the valley and after arriving and organising passes for the day we were quickly on the chairlift heading for the top of the ski runs. There was some patchy snow around as we made the 2.5 km trek to the Mt Kosciuszko lookout. It was very pretty up there although it was quite barren. The kids had a ball in the snow that was left but there was none at all on the ski slopes. With a bit more preparation we may have made an attempt at the Kosciuszko summit a further 4.5km away but we erred on the side of caution with a few threatening  clouds around (much to Jordy’s disgust).

The rest of the day we spent flying down the bobsled at Thredbo and again taking the chairlift for a sightseeing ride. There was also a downhill mountain bike completion on which was interesting to check out.

            At the Mt Kosciuszko Lookout, Kosciuszko in the one above Will's head 4.5 km away

                                                     The Chairlift with the cyclists

We would have  loved a bit more time at The Snowy’s,  but it will have to wait for another time. The drive towards Victoria was a lovely one on nice roads but funnily enough it was hailing within a minute of crossing the border into Victoria. I hope it is not a sign of things to come!

Sydney

Sydney

After a few relaxing days it was time to buckle up and head to Sydney for four nights. The drive down from Nelsons Bay was pretty full on with the freeway being quite busy but with very picturesque waterways, beautiful wide rivers and enormous lakes  along the Central Coast.

On arriving in Sydney we parked the van in one of the nicest locations  and cheapest parks we have found and only 15 min from the city.  We  had arranged to stay with Jim’s old school mate John Dillon and his family in nearby Riverview so we quickly got organised and headed for the city.  After catching a  train towards the bridge  we got off and walked across the iconic structure and did  a quick tour of the rocks area.  On arriving at John’s we were warmly welcomed by Michelle, Abbey, Jack and Billy the wonder dog.  The Morcom  boys were back in the presence another boy to change the dynamics  and toys.   We all  enjoyed a bit of space being out of the van.   A good night followed with Jim and John catching up after a very long time.

                                                      The view walking across the bridge.

On Saturday John drove us to Bondi showing us the sights on the way there and back.   At Bondi we walked around the headland to Bronte and back.  Unfortunately the weather wasn’t suitable for a swim on the beach but Jim swam half a kilometre in the Bondi baths because it was  ‘ what you need to do’ in Bondi,  before we enjoyed lunch at the Bondi RSL Club. 

                                                    On Bondi heading for Bronte beach

                                                                            The baths

                                                                  Wearing the boys out

                                       Checking out the wicked dudes at the Bondi skate park

                                                          Lunch with John and Michelle

On Saturday night we caught up with Colin and Joan Gorman and some of their family in Artarmon. Col and Joan are long time family friends and lived in Jeparit before moving to Sydney many years ago.  Jim last visited them as a 12 year old in 1977. Chrissy had met them once – at our wedding in Perth in 1992 – the last time we had both seen them.   It was great to see them and they both looked great for their age.  Many stories were shared and emotional speeches given. 

                                                     Catching up with the Gormans

Sunday involved another  walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and  around the Opera House, which together are amazing sights  to see.   We then caught the ferry to Manly where we had a picnic on the beach with John and Michelle and kids, Michelle’s parents and Tony Flynn, another school mate of Jim and John’s who lives in Sydney. The beach was busy, with plenty of people and wild conditions. Half of the beach was closed off due to strong currents so  we had a swim between the flags.

                                                       Street theatre at Circular Quay

                                                       The views a bit better on the Ferry.

                                                   Jim at Manly with John and Tony Flynn

                                                         Kurt loving the surf at Manly.

Sadly on Monday it was time to  bid the Dillion’s farewell.  We all enjoyed their company and kind hospitality – we headed back to the van park for our last night in Sydney.  During the day we walked through Hyde Park, with it’s huge walkways and superb trees,  visited the magnificent  St Mary’s Cathedral and the World War One memorial. We then went to Chinatown and had a Yum Cha lunch which was an experience. From the moment we walked in we were bombarded with delicious dumplings, spring rolls and all sorts of goodies. Highlights were the mango pancakes, the spicy bbq pork and the prawn dumplings. At the end we were very well fed and having no idea of the cost etc a little lighter in the pocket than expected, but it was lots of fun!  Kurt developed a taste for Chinese tea,  and Jordy was pleasantly surprised at loving the flavours of such unusual food.  What a great cultural experience Sydney has been!

                                                               The colours of Hyde Park

                                                                   St Mary's Cathedral

                                                             The World War 1 Memorial

                                             Yum Cha! at the Marigold Chinese Restaurant

                                                           More Mango pancakes please

                                                   Driving over the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sadly on Tuesday we move on to the Nation’s Capital.  We have had a great time in Sydney and have left plenty of things to do when we return, which won’t be long.

Byron Bay, Yamba, Crescent Head and Nelson Bay

Byron Bay, Yamba,  Crescent Head and Nelson Bay

Leaving the Gold Coast after 4 hectic days our destination was Byron Bay.  On arriving at the Byron Bay Tourist Park we were a little alarmed at the degree of security in the caravan park. We were to find out later that this was primarily to keep free loading backpackers out which is a big issue in town.   After setting up we were off in search of the Cape Byron Lighthouse, the most easterly point on mainland Australia.  We parked some distance from the light and commenced a pretty challenging loop walk  of about 6km over quite hilly terrain.  There were magnificent views of the region and coastline to be taken in along the way.  After reaching the lighthouse, viewing a wallaby and mountain goat on the cliff face, we descended we headed for town. 

                                                          That climb was hard yakka.

                                                                 Cape Byron Light

Byron Bay has beautiful beaches and ideal for surfing and families. Kurt and Jim went for a dip whilst everyone else enjoyed a stroll on the beach. We were disappointed with the amount of street drinking along the beach and foreshore,  mostly by  backpackers. It spoiled a lovely area, perhaps this is the price of popularity.  Also in Byron Bay be careful not to run over anybody as many people, mostly backpackers think it’s their god given right to waltz across a road at anytime and even stop if they feel like it to adjust their lunar orientation, or perhaps text their life coach midway.

The Sunday markets showcased Byron’s free and easy side but the markets were actually full of quality items as well,  but the food was sadly lacking compared to Noosa a week ago. The long and short of it  is, don’t go to Byron on a weekend,  and avoid the main town centre if you can.  The roads out of Byron Bay wind through beautiful hilly countryside with a huge variety of food crops including macadamia nut, mangoes, avocado, sugar cane, and many other vegetables.  The scenery was very special.

Yamba is a beautiful small town on the spectacular Clarence River. We only spent one night there at the Calypso Park right in town.  Easy, relaxed, not crowded, clean, surf and great scenery is what Yamba is about.  Unfortunately we only stayed one night but Yamba goes high on the  ‘yes, we could live here list’. Unlike rivers and creeks in the Northern parts of Australia, rivers like the mighty Clarence are very accessible for safe swimming, boating etc (ie. No crocs). We had a lovely meal at the tavern on  Sunday only to find out  that  if we had come on  Monday, kids eat free and Mum and Dad get a free drink.  It’s all about timing!

                                                   One of the lovely beaches at Yamba

The next day we drove to Crescent Head another beautiful town on the coast. It is famous for it’s surf break ideal for longboards. Unfortunately during our two night stay the winds were blowing from the north-east ruining the surf break. Still, we had a lovely riverside camp 150m from the beach and with a skate park in view, everyone was pretty happy.  On Melbourne Cup day we spent the day relaxing.  Jordy and Jim had a game of golf,  Kurt and Will spent a few hours at the skatepark,  Chrissy and the boys spent some time on the creek and on  the fantastic public exercise gym equipment (another letter to write to Albany City Council, along with Will’s letter to them re: revamping the BMX track)  and we all even had an afternoon lie down.  Lovely spot, could easily spend a week here in the right weather.

                                               The View from our van at Crescent Head

                                                       Looking back to the Caravan park

                                                       No surf at the point on this day

                                            Lunch at Smith lake on the way to Nelson Bay

Down the road 260km to Nelson Bay which is part of the wider Port Stephens area. The rivers in Northern New South Wales are big, wide and interesting to cross along with the large lakes and estuaries along the coast. They make boating a very popular pastime in this part of the world. At Nelson Bay we stayed at the Halifax Bay Caravan Park which is in a lovely sheltered location.  On arrival it was a bit windy but comfortable for a change.  The park was unusually full of rabbits which were a source of amusement but they had obviously outstayed their welcome as the poison signs were up.  On the Thursday we awoke to still conditions and decided to make the most of them.  We went out on a kayak tour not far from where we were staying.  The conditions were very still and on the way we saw dolphins and turtles and had a wonderfully relaxing yet challenging outing.  Nelson Bay is a great place to relax and hang out and no doubt this is why lots of Sydneysiders head here every weekend.  For the third park in a row we caught up with Paul and Karen from Kingston in Tasmania  who we have shared regular 5 o’clock appointments for the past few nights, as you do!  The extra day here has been a blessing after a few very busy weeks but Sydney town awaits us tomorrow.  

                                                                 Ready for kayaking

                                                               Kurt trying to dunk Chrissy

                                                                        Jim and Will

                                                                  Will going Solo

                                                                      The chase is on

                                                                          Jim tipped

Will off the Jetty

                                                       And Kurt with his bombie attempt