Onward to the Australian Rainforest

Reluctantly left Brisbane on Monday heading back to Wangi Wangi in NSW.  We drove mainly down the Motorway the first day and stopped in Armidale, Queensland for the overnight stay.  Armidale claims to be the highest point in Australia.  We stayed at the Best Western Moore Park on Pacific Highway.  If you're ever out this way, you must stop here for the food in their Restaurant called Archie's on the Park.  The food was 5 star.  I had a Thai Noodle bowl that was to die for and Monty had the Lobster Risotto which was beyond words!  The restaurant had a baby grand piano that was recently tuned and Monty played which had the patrons applauding.

The next morning we drove to the Australian Rainforest in Dorrigo.  There were many roads on the drive being repaired because of damage done during the rains and as you drove closer to the Forest the mist and low clouds made visibility like pea soup.  The Dorrigo Rainforest & the Dangar & Ebor Falls were beautiful.  The pictures tell it all.

Fredos Pies & Creams in Frederickton on Route 1 next to the Cafe 73 was a must stop, see & taste.  They had a lamb & mint pie that can not be topped & their suasage roll is extra large.  Prices were reasonable too.

Brisbane - I Could Live There & Be Happy!!!

Brisbane – Day 1

We were so surprised on how up beat this wonderful city is?  I would say it is a cross between Chicago & Seattle.  Cultural events, fabulous shopping areas and life that is surrounded around the Brisbane River. All that has caused us to fall in love with Brisbane.  On Saturday we took a Hop & Ride Bus around the entire city to figure out the lay of the land and we enjoyed every moment of it.  Brisbane is a very young and a very rich city.  It was built via Coal Mining (how appropriate) and in the 70’s became the retirement state of Australia because it did not have an inheritance tax.  Located in the state of Queensland, Australia, the weather is mild, arid and sunny most of the year – hence it is known as the “Sunshine State”.  It has great colleges that the Europeans and the Asians flock to and many parents of the wealthy buy the expensive condos on the river so that their children can attend school here.  Social life takes place around the River with bike paths (and they have bike rentals all over the City), walking paths, great bus transportation and connecting boat transportation.  There are parks, outdoor markets and every ethnic restaurant imaginable.  After the bus tour, Monty & I shopped the South Bank markets, had beers in a pub, took a cateraman boat tour down the River at night and then we had a Turkish meal of lamb chops.  With such a full first day, there were still many things to see so we decided to stay another day. 

Brisbane Day

Aren't We a Cute Couple?

Just Like Florida!

The Wheel was built for the World Expo

Victoria Bridge - Strictly A  Pedistrian Bridge

Brisbane – Day 2

We found the Broadway Shopping Area and the Public Bus to The Brisbane Planetarium & Botanical Gardens.  What strikes us second to the beauty here are the sounds.  The voices are different and somewhat higher pitched than I am used to but it is the birds that make an incredible impact on your hearing senses.  There are birds that I have never heard of or seen before and their presence and their chattering is so very different than what we are used to hearing in the US. The Botanical Gardens were serene and beautifully landscaped.  The pictures speak for themselves.  There were weddings eing performed, baby christenings, family picnics and children & families just having a great day out.

Monty & I did a little window shopping after such a simple but special Sunday afternoon.  The Broadway Mall had many of the same US shops & names.  I saw Nine West, Victoria Secret, Uggs, Hush Puppies, Crocs, Pandora, & etc.  All were double the price of what we would ever pay in the US.

One last thing before I close the Blog on Brisbane.  A month ago the city was flooded.  You can see how bad it was in risbane by going to YouTube and typing in Brisbane Floods.  What is truly amazing is that in less than a month the City is back and totally up and running because of volunteers.  One restaurant owner in Brisbane said that volunteers saved him $170K in clean up costs.  How amazing!!!!!!!

A MaCaw at the Gardens

Have No Idea

Rennovated City Home

Fun in the Gardens

Flowers & More Flowers

Japanese Gardens

Bike Rentals

Houses that need Rennovation

Spending Sunday's Repeling the City Walls

Port MacQuarie to Brisbane

Yummy Lunch in Byron Bay

Driving up the Pacific Highway on our way to Brisbane.  Beaches are so beautiful and the water is so warm.  Stopped to have lunch in Byron Bay.  We feasted on Australian shrimp and lamb.  It was luscious.

Other things that happened on the drive up were: 

• We stopped at an Opal Outlet outside of Port MacQuarie and saw some beatiful but expensive stones.
• Passed Banana, Macadamia, Sugar beet & Coffee Plantations.  So if they grow Bananas here, why are they soooo expensive?
• Stopped at more beautiful beaches on the coast with Byron Bay being one of my favorites.  Byron Bay is at the most easterly point of Australia. The water was warm, people were having a great time and the waves were gentle by strong enough for kids and those adults that want to be kids again to have a chance at getting up on a surf board.  Next time that will be a must do.
• Saw an iquana hanging around the picnic table waiting for a hand out.
• Drove through a Scottish city named MacLean that has Highland Games at Easter & paints their telephone poles in tartan colors.
• Realized that even Bisbane has rush hour congestion & that it isn't easy to find the Brisbane Holiday Inn even with a GPS.



Paula enjoying Byron Bay



Banana Plantation



Tartan Poles



The Big Banana



Tartan Poles




Iguana Moocher



No need for words!

Monty & I saw an incredible thing on Aussie Thursday.  On our way up the Pacific Highway towards Brisbane, NSW, we stopped at the Koala Hospital in Port MacQuarie.  It is run primarily by volunteers and cares for sick or injured Koalas.  We arrived just in time for their 3:00PM feeding and had a wonderful tour of the facility.  Koalas are hurt mainly by Humans (car injuries or invasion into what was their space) or dogs.  The hospital is on 24/hr call to locate & save Koalas that are inflicted with injuries or abandoned by their mother.  The place had about 10 Koalas (7 Adults & 3 Joeys {babies}) in different phases of recovery.  The ultimate goal is to re-enter them into the environment that they were rescued from.  It was an incredible facility & a great way to see Koalas – up front & personal.  One Koala had to have his leg amputated and we were able to watched him shimmy up a Eucalyptus Tree that was 25 feet tall.

The Beaches are pristine and full of surfers & fishermen.  We are spending the night in Coffs Harbour.  Our plans are to drive to Byron Bay & then on to Brisbane tomorrow.  Weather has been in the 70’s with no rain.

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

I totally underestimated Newcastle.  I thought it would be a shipping port - something similar to New London, CT but it was so much more and then some.......

It turned out to be a lovely beach town with surfing (really big waves in comparison to OBX & NSB), a great college campus town and a great shopping mecca (even saw a Target & a KMart).  The views were spectacular from the cliffs.  One neat thing was a huge outdoor public pool on the beach.  It was carved out of rocks by convicts.  People were swimming laps, doing water aerobics (crab walking across the length), and playing with their kids.  A teacher had a group of teens there swimming and it wasn't crowded at all.  I would say it is 4 or 5 times larger than the NSB Clubhouse pool.

A Sunday Train Ride to Sydney

On Sunday, Monty & I took a train South to Sydney.  It was a 2 hour ride (A$ 10.00/rd trip) and very enjoyable.  We even met a woman from New Jersey that is here visiting her family.  Once in Sydney (Central Station), we jumped on to a hop & ride bus that took us all around the City.  We rode one full time (25 stops) without getting off (it was one of those double-decker red buses with no top) and then back around to Quay Circle to take pictures of the Bridge and Opera House.  What an exciting, clean & friendly city, Sydney is!  Monty & I both had our picture taken with Aborigine men at the Quay.

We took the train back to WW in the evening but our plans are to go back to & spend a few days.  I scored tickets for a Gospel Revival concert at the Sidney Opera House at the end of April.  Aaron Neville (yes, THE Aaron Neville) is performing with the Blind Alabama Brothers. So we are planning to walk the bridge and do a Pub crawl thus making it a 4 day weekend blowout.  While walking through an area known as The Rocks, yours truly stumbled upon a Coach Store.  Monty couldn’t believe I could find Coach within a matter of hours upon arrivingJ.

On the train ride back to WW we chatted with 2 American college girls (Iowa & NOLA) & their roommates from Austria & Sweden.  They are on an exchange program for 6 month and attending the university in New Castle.  They were all extremely fun & interesting.  I want to be just like them when I grow up!!!!!!!!!

Our First Trip to Australian Wine Country

On Friday we drove over to Hunter Valley - Australian Wine Country.  The heart of vineyards are less than 35 miles from our home here in Wangi Wangi.  Monty is getting more comfortable with driving on the left and so am I.  But it still takes concentration and no radio noise to distract us.  There were hundreds of small boutique wineries.  Hunter Valley only provides 1% of the wine produced in Australia but it does produce the more well known wines exported to America.  We only stopped at one winery on our first trip.  You have all seen Tyrrell Wines in the grocery store & our tour of their winery was wonderful.  The guide took us out to the vineyards and through the winery itself.  We have missed harvesting.  That happens in January & February here.  So all has been picked, pressed and barreled.  In the tasting room we tried some of their sweet whites and reds that were delicious.  Unfortunately, the ones we liked alot are not exported to America.
We had to get something to eat after the tour so we stopped at a small shopping area across from the Hope Winery.  On Saturday night Neil Diamond is performing there.  All the seats are sold out.  Next week Carlos Santana performs and in April they have Lionel Ritchie.  All those shows appear to be sold out as well.  Aussie's love the music scene too! We had the gelato ice cream (pitaschio & mango) at the Smelly Cheese Shop.  It is even better than the gelato I had in Venice, Italy.

As you can see by the picture, I saw my first kangaroo in Australia.  They were just hanging around on the side of the road.  It was a WOW moment for me.