Queensland

No pictures (if we plug in our cameras on the hostel's computers, we "will be hit hard!"), but we are now in beautiful Queensland. We checked out the famous Australia zoo yesterday, where we saw our first Crocodiles, a bunch of poisonous snakes, some Cassowarys, the usual roos and koalas as well as Bindi, Terry and little Robert Irwin (they weren't in cages). Last night we camped in Rainbow Beach, and despite the incredible downpour we managed to stay dry - the modifications to the tent worked. Hopefully this will help as we continue further up towards Cairns, where it will be much much wetter. First though, we are spending 3 days on World Heritage listed Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world. Have heard rave reviews from other travellers so far, so we're pretty excited!

12 Days of Aussie Christmas

One the 1st day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

an emu up a gum tree
One the 1st day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
two flying doctors
One the 1st day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
three kelpie dogs
One the 1st day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
four kookaburras
One the 1st day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
five kangaroos
One the 1st day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
six chooks-a-laying
One the 1st day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
seven possums playing
One the 1st day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
eight dingos dancing
One the 1st day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
nine puddings baking
One the 1st day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
ten wheat trucks carting
One the 1st day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
eleven magpies singing
One the 1st day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
twelve teapots pouring

12 days of Christmas, and 5 weeks on the road! See you soon back in the cold country!
Jessie & Steve

Maffra Agricultural Show

Saturday was the Maffra Agricultural Show, the local fair. It was great to see some of the livestock of the local farmers, as well as see an aspect of Australians that most Canadians don't get to see. The highlights of the show were the dog high-jumping competition and the Beaute Utes muster.


The ute is an Australian icon, as Australian as the kangaroo. It started out in 1933 here in Gippsland when a farmer's wife wrote to Ford, asking for a vehicle that "we can go to church in on Sunday without getting wet, and my husband can use it to take the pigs to market on Monday?" (apparently trucks didn't have roofs?). Being that it was the depression, farmers couldn't get a loan for two vehicles, and therefore a combination of a truck and a passenger car was ideal. Customer service also existed back then, and Ford read the letter, and Ford Australia's design department, Lew Bandt came up with a design, and remarked to the plant supervisor that "them pigs are going to have a luxury ride". Australians now seem to use the term ute for anything with a truck bed, whether it has the passanger car front or not - even a large truck such as a Ford F250.



A ute muster is an activity that embodies Australian culture in rural areas. The idea is simply to get as many utes as possible in one location. The Guiness World Record for most utes at a muster was broken earlier this month, in Deniliquin NSW, with over 7000 utes. Ute owners have some sort of obsession with bumper stickers, often covering the rear window, or entire rear of the ute with stickers.

This coming weekend is the Sale Show, and we might attend that one as well.

As always, more pictures located at flickr.

Red Centre adveNTure

Finally, another trip and another blog post.

We awoke early last Tuesday and left Sale at 5am for a flight to Alice Springs, to begin our adventure in the outback. We rented a car and stocked up on supplies before beginning the 470 km drive to Watarrka National Park. Of course, google maps shouldn't be relied upon, as it might direct you along dirt roads meant for 4WD vehicles, which our rental Yaris was not. Northern Territory is quite the change from our pastoral area in Gippsland, and we were delighted to see camels, kangaroos and a dingo by the side of the road.



We woke up the next morning and took a stroll to Kings Canyon, just missing sunrise. We attempted half the climb (dubbed Heart Attack Hill) before we decided we should go back to camp and get some food before tackling the 6km hike. The walk provided spectacular views of the 300m gorge, as well as of the expanse of desert around us.

View from our campsite. I've never seen dirt so red.

Jessica starting heart attack hill

Looking up at the climbIt doesn't look that bad, does it?View of the Canyon from the topTo the Luritja people of the Wararrka area, these domes are young kuninga (marsupial desert cats) men who passed through here during the dreamtime/creation.

With the car packed, and our feet sore from walking, we embarked on another long drive, 300 km to Uluru. We arrived in time to catch the sunset, but rather than watching the sun set behind Uluru (which I think would probably be gorgeous), we watched the rock turn different shades of red. We were pleasantly suprised by a view of the sun setting over Kata Tjuta as we returned to the campground.

The changing colours of the rock at sunset

Sun setting behind Kata Tjuta

Early Thursday we caught the sun rising over Uluru, and walked around a portion of the rock. The base walk is 10km, and -after the 6km hike the day before, and with a moderate hike planned the next day- we decided to drive around it instead, and only walk certain portions. We still managed to see a lot of the rock, and took too many pictures. In the evening we had a tour booked that would take us out to watch the sunset and enjoy dinner under the stars, with an astronomer to explain the constellations - unfortunately it was overcast. However, we were able to try kangaroo and crocodile meat.





Friday morning, it was time for another hike -this time around Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), which are a group of rock formations 25 km from Uluru. There are 36 "domes" that make up the Kata Tjuta (which means "many heads" in Pitjantjajara) and our hike took us on a 7km hike through the valleys. With our feet again tired from walking, we travelled back to Alice Springs, and stayed at Heavitree Gap, a gap in the MacDonnell ranges. There, we were able to feed Rock Wallabies that came down from the hills in the evening.



Our final day (Jessica's Birthday!) we drove west into West MacDonnell Ranges National park, and had a guided tour of Simpson's Gap, before venturing into Standley Chasm. Unfortunately, this meant the end of our trip - once we had flown back to Melbourne and driven the 300km back to Sale anyway.

Curtin Springs cattle station - over 1,000,000,000 acres- between Uluru and Alice Springs. It is near Mt. Conner, but for some reason Mt. Conner doesn't seem to be a tourist destination like Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Curtin Springs made for a good spot to stretch our legs, but we couldn't figure out how to get a meal from their "restaurant".
View of Mt. Conner from the Lasseter highway

More pictures are available here

Australians have strange signs

A few of the photos from the last blog post reminded me that Australia has some strange signs. They also aren't very good at putting signs where you want them to be, but that is another story.

Drive on left in Australia. I hope that people aren't just learning this as they pass the sign. (Great Ocean Road, with high tourist traffic)

Please Check Under Your Car before driving away - there might be a penguin under it. (Phillips Island Penguin Parade)

If I walk into this Cambodian Cafe, doe it take me to Burke road, or to Riversdale road?

Australian wildlife - Kangaroo? Check. Koala? Check. Wombat? Check. Dragon with a scarf?? (Mallacoota, Vic)

Drowsy Drivers Die - now thats stiff punishment! (Gippsland, Vic)

They have trains on roads here? In the background is a sign that clarifies that train tracks cross the side road. Why they need two signs to make this point, I'm not sure. (Gippsland, Vic)

Unfenced cattle and kangaroos in the snow (Mount Hotham, Vic)

Keep left of poles (Mount Hotham, Vic)

Snow

Last weekend we drove up the Great Alpine Road to Mount Hotham. It is supposed to be the mountain equivalent of the Great Ocean Road, which we enjoyed tremendously back in December (wow, was it that long ago?). The Alpine road wasn't as spectacular, but we are going to have to do it again in the spring when the weather is better.We in Omeo (pop: 452) an old gold rush town, for a bite to eat and to rent snow chains for the car ($30 a day rental!). We went for a walk in the snow through Dinner Plain village (population: 88), hung out with snowmen, and got the car stuck in a snowbank, although we were to cold to have the snowball fight that prompted us to "go to the snow" in the first place. (Australians "go to the snow" the same way they "go to the beach".)

Central Post & Telegraph Office in Omeo, built in 1891, looking over Omeo.

Omeo from above. Valleys of rolling hills.

Steve digging the car out of the snowbank
(no chains on the tires yet).

Jessica playing in the snow.

Steve with a new friend.

Keep left of poles. I don't think I'd try to drive through the trees, but who knows?

Watch out for unfenced snow kangaroos!