Finding Nemo……..

Another early start for our day out at the Barrier Reef and another cloudy day. The coach took us along the Captain Cook Highway to Port Douglas accompanied by some fantastic ocean views which were almost as spectacular as Cornwall.

We boarded the boat with a warning from the crew that we might like to take travel sickness tablets once on board as it was going to be a bumpy trip, Kim and Matt exchanged horrified looks and began to wonder what they’d let themselves in for.

Tablets and a cuppa later we were on our way on a very bouncy journey. John was smug, apparently it was no worse than riding a motorcross bike or driving an old British Sports Car, Kim and Matt concentrated on not embarrassing themselves!

An hour and a half later we arrived unscathed at our first of three dive sites on the Agincourt reef. Matt was off the boat snorkelling in a flash, Kim wasted time for half an hour before deciding to leave the boat, and where was John ?? Well, he needed to stay on the boat to make sure we were Ok and help us in and out!!

Luckily the next site was only 10 minutes on the boat and Matt was again off the boat in a flash, slightly cold but nothing was going to stop him getting the most from this experience (unlike his weedy parents)

A lovely lunch was provided. We couldn’t have done better in our kitchen, let alone in the narrow confines of a boat!

A short trip to the final site saw both John and Matt in the water despite the wind and cold. Matt was off like a fish, with his underwater camera, despite being blue with cold, following the tour guide around the reef. The views through the clear blue water looking at the coral, fish and other wildlife are indeed spectacular in an almost surreal way.

It was then time for another hour and a half of torture on the far bumpier return trip to Port Douglas and finally the comfort and stability of terra firma.

The reef is over 2000km in length and visible from space, but spectacular as it is, we are not in any great hurry to visit it again until they move it to dry land with a John Lewis and Pret a Manger, in fact Kim did say ‘no one told me it would be wet!!’

Back to the tree house for a much needed shower and glass of wine!!

Wot, no steam?!?

Early start for our trip to Kuranda, the morning was damp and overcast. In fact, rather similar to our driver. We were treated to his views on British politics and a detailed description of his motorbike which we were keeping him from riding!

The Kuranda Scenic Railway station was like a step back in time, lined with carriages and reminiscent of Victorian stations back home. The train trundled in on time and…… no pleasant aroma of steam!! At the helm was a diesel electric locomotive that wouldnt win any environmental awards. John was disappointed to say the least,
having been subjected to visiting many Welsh narrow gauge railways as a child , this wasn’t what was expected.

It remained wet and cloudy journey through the rain forest up to Kuranda, with just the occasional break in the cloud to see some of the stunning views across the Barron River. The railway was built to assist towns which were struggling with the gold rush but is now just a tourist attraction. By the time we reached Kuranda, the sun had worked it’s way through the clouds, yippee. Kim and Matt don’t get up early to spend a day in the rain.

We spent an interesting couple of hours, wandering around the markets in Kuranda trying the local Mango wine and liquorice flavoured ice cream which tasted as bad as it looked, before catching the sky rail cable car back. We had been advised by one local to make sure that we came back down using the Sky Rail partly because of the views, but also because over an hour of screeching brakes on the train tends to produce headaches of gigantic proportions. We were so glad the weather had cleared as we were treated to some fantastic views across the rainforest and the ocean beyond

We returned to our tree house to be greeted by our first serious incident of the holiday….. No Teabags!! Yes, we had survived flying on Friday the 13th, but no teabags is very serious. Luckily we have an international athlete with us who, seeing the look of panic on Kim’s face, sprinted to the shop. Choosing which type of teabag proved too much for him and he returned with salt and vinegar crisps instead. He is now an International Athlete with a limp……

Electric ants – how scared should we be??

the Chill Cafe bekoned us for breakfast with excellent poached eggs and Neil Young playing on the stereo in the background, it had the makings of a good day. I think we all know that it was John who noticed the music, Matt and Kim were too focussed on the menu.

We made our way into Cairns for the David Todd Memorial run, which is a practice run for the state cross country championships. Matthew won the race comfortably and we are very proud parents of an international athlete! Although we are in Oz, it’s a small world as we met a former commonwealth and Olympic runner who is a friend of the Dee family that Matt runs with at home. When we returned to the tree house that is our accomodation Matt had been left a nice letter of congratulations to go with his medal.

People at Palm Grove are taking the Aussie lifeystyle seriously, they barbecue their food on the beach and in the grounds of the apartments in the evenings and walk everywhere barefoot. We on the other hand are not so well prepared and, without a car, a little limited. This evening we sat on the balcony of our tree house with take-away noodles envious of the barbecue aroma wafting upwards from below.

On the bus into Cairns, earlier, we noticed the large signs ‘Beware the Electric Ants’. In common with UK wildlife concerns, a new non native is creating havoc in Queensland destroying vaarious wildlife in the area and it’s……..an ant!!! There are signs along the highway forbidding us from spreading them. We’ve now done our research and are reassured that we’re not contributing to the local destruction of flora and fauna.

Matt has adapted well to the lifestyle, we’re not sure how he’ll ever manage without a pool and hot tub. In fact, our next poll could be ‘pond’ or ‘hot tub’…….

£10 Pom and rainforest

We said a reluctant goodbye to Sydney this morning, took the most effortless flight of the trip to Cairns where we were met by our first £10 Pom, Roger. He came over to Oz with his family and furniture in 1970 they were provided with hostel accommodation for two years and has never looked back. On leaving the airport, we were hit by the change in climate, hot and humid. Luckily not as bad as HK or we may never have left the airport!

Palm Cove is very tropical and we’re staying in a small resort amongst the palms with the beach just across the road. It’s like an upmarket Center Parcs and we’re staying in a glorified tree house. It’s a far cry from the hustle and bustle of Sydney. As you can see from the photo, both the boys are full of life.

Luckily the Stinger season is over so we can bathe in the sea without wetsuits, but we have been warned to look out for salt water crocs. Apparently they can turn up at any time but there’s no need to worry!!

Our last night in Sydney…

Our final evening started with a cultural visit to the Australian Museum of Contemporary Art – we are divided as to whether or not we enjoyed it!! John would have liked to spend more time viewing and understanding exhibits, Matt wanted to mooch round the shop and watch the skateboarding video, Kim wanted her dinner! This was followed by a mad rush back to the Nike shop for a running shirt for Matt before finally sitting down for dinner overlooking the harbour. We fly to Cairns tomorrow for the next stage of our adventure – David Todd Memorial Run, Kuranda sky rail, Barrier Reef and Daintree River here we come!! Just to put your minds at ease, it is only Matt doing the running……

Bondi or Newquay?

Difficult to tell the difference. Bondi doesn’t seem to have drunks, Newquay definitely has the better beach. Everyone told us that Manly was better and we’d have to agree. We came to see the winter festival and ice skating on the beach, a long way to go before it could compete with ice skating at Somerset House. We’d been at bondi half an hour before Matt found the skate park and a couple of people doing tricks on BMX’s. 2 hours later, we were still there. I hope Matt appreciates the sacrifice made by 2 very bored parents who didn’t whine once!! The highlight for John was seeing a shop that sold Hunter wellies rather than Uggs.

We caught the bus back to the city . Kim and Matt chose to explore the shops while John went to Darling Harbour by ferry. if we’d looked at the map, we’d have realises how near the shops were to Darling and we could have spent the afternoon together!!

Another tick in a box

Yesterday ended with a walk across the bridge. Fantastic views and an interesting conversation with a bored Bridge Security Guard halfway across. We were unable to continue our walk until Matt had correctly guessed the year the bridge opened and we’d promised to visit the Westfield Centre at Parramatta. John looked horrified at the thought and we didn’t have the heart to say it’s Bondi today!! The evening finished back in the hotel, cheering on Bradley Wiggins. We can’t have him beaten by The Aussie, Cadel Evans!

Kangarriffic!!

Finally, and much to Matt’s delight, someone has said g’day to us!!

We’re now officially backpackers, our tour today started outside the Youth Hostel! We’re sure that makes us all young and hip. Anyway, it was early start for our Hunter Valley Tour with Sam and Kangariffic. First stop was morning tea at a wildlife sanctuary and a cuddle with koalas and kangaroos before a chocolate tasting. We have remortgaged to fund Matt and John’s purchases. Then it was our first ’boutique’ wine tasting over looking vineyards with Roos hopping through it. Next we were treated to a cheese tasting before our final wine tasting of the day. Fabulous wine and views as well as meeting some lovely people. Our journey home was via a brewery and beer tasting. Fantastic day with a small group of people from USA, Canada and Singapore. Kangarriffic mate!!

Go Wiggins Go!!

As Murray, Hamilton and Button all failed to deliver, we Stayed up late last night to watch the Tour de France and are supporting Bradley. We started the day in a little cafe for breakfast which was very cosmopolitan and we could easily get used to the lifestyle. This morning was spent on a 3 hour guided, walking tour of Sydney, led by Ross from ‘i’m free’ (Ken and Jacky would be proud of us). We saw far more of Sydney than we would have done if left to our own devices and learned a lot about it’s history and where to go free of charge. The Queen Victoria Building and the underground passages were a particular highlight for us. This afternoon we went our seperate ways!! John and Matt went out to the Olympic site while Kim explored the Botanic Gardens. Matt particularly wanted to see the skate park, More gate crashing from John as they made their way to the 17th floor of the Novotel to get the best view across the site. Meanwhile, back in the Botanic Gardens, Kim enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the trees and round Farm Covee. The wildlife is so different and it was a relief to see a moorhen – at least Kim knew what that was! John is sick of the sight of Ugg boots and wonders if Australia makes anything else. It’s also a bit disconcerting when everyone says how cold it is and they’re wrapped in scarves. They’d never survive in the UK!

The Opera House and Manly Beach

Last night, John’s sense of adventure had us gate crashing the Opera House and listening to a Bob Dylan tribute concert in the lobby. Matt and I were mortified for all of 5 minutes before relishing the experience. So much for a quiet night in with the tv! This morning we treated ourselves to the bizarre expereince of breakfast in a Germen Biergarten which for some strange reason was celebrating christmas in July.

After that it was the ferry round to Manly to see Australian surf dudes in action. We wish Newquay was like this – lovely long beach, nice shops to browse around and not a single drunk in sight! John learned his first Australian word (sunnies instead of sunglasses) and has been using it all day. A lovely afternoon was spent along the seafront. All the locals under the age of 30 seem to get about on small skateboards or scooters, Matt is trying to work out if he can get one back home in his suitcase. Despite the sunshine, the sea was too cold for us but not the locals! Matt, with his experience of 5 Cornish surfing lessons, was able to advise us how the surfers were going wrong by catching the waves to early!We had our first glimpse of local wildlife today, seagulls with red feet (cute), parrots (noisy), spiders (big and scary)

Sydney!!

Arrived early this morning after a long sleepless night. Despite this Qantas is better than BA- John Lewis rather than Tesco!! Very proud of ourselves- we caught a train into Sydney and found the hotel all by ourselves. We had breakfast in The Rocks and explored the street market before Matt and Kim succumbed to sleep. We were a fantastic addition to the hotel lobby as our room wasn’t ready! John went exploring and has become our unofficial tour guide. Beer is like a fizzy light ale and the Australians are big supporters of NFL which looks like rugby for wimps. We’ve had dinner overlooking the harbour and the weather is ideal- warm and sunny but nowhere near as hot as HK, thank goodness. We shall walk off our dinner by going round to the Opera House and then back to the hotel to watch Wimbledon and the Grand Prix!

Time to leave Hong Kong

Our time in HK is at an end and we’re making the most of our last few minutes in this amazing hotel while waiting for our shuttle to the airport. It’s sooooo hot and sunny here!
Last night we ate in the chinese restaurant in the hotel, lovely food but we’re still not quite sure what abalone is! This was followed by a walk along the harbour front. What was supposed to be a gentle stroll turned into a long trek into the main shopping area in Kowloon in very warm, humid conditions. The views across the harbour at night were spectacular and well worth all the blisters and sore feet.
We had an early start and, ahead of the crowds, took the tram up to The Peak. Fantastic views across the whole of the island.  We made our way back on The Star Ferry after spending time in the biggest Apple store ever and deciding that we’re really not shoppers. Hong Kong is definitely for shoppers!  We returned to the hotel with a sigh of releif, it really is too hot for us, and the afternoon’s been spent relaxing by the pool. We shall miss the luxury and hospitality…..

Hong Kong at last!

Finally arrived in HK after a long flight. We can understand why people would want to upgrade!! Not too sure about whether the plane will make it back intact as it lost all electrical power on landing, at least we won’t be on board.

Transfer to the hotel was well worth the extra cost as we were able to sit back in an air conditoned coach and see the sights without having to worry about finding our destination.

The Harbour Grand Hotel certainly lives up to its name with fantastic views across the harbour to Hong Kong Island. We can’t take credit for the picture but that is the view from our room! We’re on floor 18, Kim and Matt have never been this high before and as it’s our first visit to HK we have been given VIP membership of the Harbour Club, so this is being written with a bottle of complimentary chilled white wine while Kim and Matt graze the free buffet before we go out and eat. Complimentary afternoon tea on arrival was the best welcome we’ve ever had and much appreciated after the eleven hour flight. In fact we may not leave the comfort of this fabulous place, having spent the afternoon on the roof terrace soaking up the atmosphere by the pool.

On our way

Arrived at Heathrow with hours to spare, thank you to Dad for the taxi service. We’ve survived our first dilemma. The flight’s over subscribed and we’ve just turned down €900 to fly later tonight!! Anyone who’s name is Ken will never forgive us! It took us a while to turn it down, there is only so much time you can spend at Heathrow and we may never see Hong Kong again. John’s just pointed out how many shoes I could have bought but there’s no turning back now. The next challenge is keeping Matt out of the DutyFree shops!!

New kitchen or Australia?

 A frequent conversation, usually with a glass of wine, but the decision is made and we are off on our travels on Thursday.

It started 10 years ago with the television series ‘The Crocodile Hunter’.  Steve Irwin left a lasting impression on 6 year old Matt, Kim’s always had a desire to see croc’s in their native land and John just has itchy feet! (Probably some type of disease) 
  
We’re spending a couple of days in Hong Kong before flying to Sydney.  Sydney is followed by Cairns where we’ll stay in Palm Cove and Matt will compete in the annual David Todd Memorial 1 mile run. Then we’re off to Brisbane and the long awaited visit to Australia Zoo before a few days on Fraser Island. Back to Brisbane for a couple of days and the final leg of our trip is three days in Singapore.
Watch this space for updates …….