More Melbourne

Aug 22nd:  Skipped brekky and headed back to the Queen Victoria Market to collect some items we'd hemmed and hawed over yesterday.  James shared his sadly thumbs-down review of WEST SIDE STORY, likening it to a high school production with a very fey Tony.

The day was warmer and, after our souvenir collecting, we hiked around the city.

Melbourne has quickly become my favorite stop in Australia.  I could imagine a life in this metropolis on the water, with its mix of American and European.  It seems to offer everything in food, entertainment, shopping and sport.  In politics, Julia Gillard's tight race for Prime Minister with Tony Abbott plays out with all the mud-slinging worthy of American campaigns.  Yep, I could feel at home here.

We explored the harbor, with it's outdoor mall and walk of fame ...

... back into the center, by the State Library of Victoria ...

... and, eventually, Goran, James and I went to the Melbourne Central to see SALT.  The cinema is inside of the shopping center that also houses the Coops Shot Tower underneath its glass coned ceiling.

The tower has stood since 1890 and is 9 stories tall.  It produced 6 tons of shot daily until the early 1960's.

 

The mall itself is a Dr Seuss-ian menagerie of shops and food stands/cafes on multiple levels, accessible from crossing escalators and stairs.

We all loved the movie.  Goran was tired, though, and headed back to the hotel, while James and I enjoyed catching up and rehashing the good old days with Indian cuisine at a simple restaurant off of Flinders, a drink at a quiet bar and donuts at an all night corner stop.

Melbourne

Aug 20th:  On the mid-morning flight to Melbourne, I sat next to a government worker headed home to Canberra, the capital of Australia, who'd just finished a 6 month assignment in the desert, working with the local aboriginals.  Her experience was fascinating and she helped to make the 3+ hours flight whiz by.

Upon arriving at the airport, we were greeted by Boots (aka James), my friend from LA!  He had been to New Zealand, then visited his brother in Sydney and now, since he knew we were going to be 'down under', he flew to Melbourne to meet us.

We all stayed in Melbourne's City Centre, at the Batman Hill Hotel and true to form, Goran was not happy with the first room we were given.  It was an ice box with hardly room to move around once our suitcases were opened.  He headed straight back to the front desk and insisted we be moved.  We were given something slightly larger that was obviously designed for wheelchair access.  The entire bathroom (a good size) was a shower stall, with nothing to keep the water from getting everywhere.  You could practically sit on the toilet and shower.  It was roomier, though, and we tossed our luggage by the beds and headed out.

We re-grouped in the lobby and decided to catch the free City Circle tram to get a general idea of how the Centre area was laid out.  It was a pleasant ride, but we couldn't see enough at night to determine a plan of action for our first full day in town tomorrow.  So, we had dinner and headed back to the hotel to crash.

About 4:30 a.m., I woke to a conversation right in the middle of our room!  Goran and one of the hotel desk clerks were trying to get the air conditioner to turn off and their volume suggested they'd forgotten I was also in the room - AND that it was 4:30 in the morning and I'd been SLEEPING!

*****

Aug 21st:  We had breakfast in the hotel, where I finally tried Vegemite.  NASTY!   I do prefer savory to sweet, and I 'd probably put too much on my buttered toast, but it was so salty it was stroke inducing.  How can anyone enjoy that taste?  Ugh. ... Of course, by now we had over 60 packets to share with our friends in Germany.  I'll keep my opinion in my sleeve until they try it.

We decided to check out the Queen Victoria Market, which we'd passed in the shuttle on the way to the hotel.  We'd been avoiding buying any gifts, so as not to have to drag them around on our vacation; but, we didn't have much time left to shop for souvenirs and the market seemed like it would make a great one stop shop-for-all.  And it was ...

 Delicious corn!

Colorful dolls!

Retro T-shirts!

Chickens!

Clever signs!

It was too much for one day, so we hopped on a train and headed to an outlying neighborhood, the colorful, bohemian Brunswick Street, Fitzroy.  It's crammed with shops and cafes, an indoor farmer's market, a bookstore (with cat, of course) and eclectic architecture.



The things to see went on and on.  We took a break, had a light lunch, explored some more as the light faded, finally dodging the rain to the train station and back into town. 

James had an evening planned to see the new production of WEST SIDE STORY, while Goran and I stayed in to watch TV and play triominoes.

Kata Tjuta National Park

Aug 19th:  We had a 5:15 a.m. wake up call, stumbling in the dark to a large building across from the campsite that housed showers and toilets to freshen up.  We ate a quick communal breakfast, then drove to a lookout for a sunrise viewing between Uluru and the rock formations known as The Olgas, or Kata Tjuta ('many heads').  The Olgas are another holy site and little of their spiritual/dreamtime stories are shared with outsiders.  Uluru sits 25 kms to the east and we were able to see both formations on this clear morning.

The Olgas

Uluru

From there we headed into Kata Tjuta National Park.  We would be hiking either 4 or just under 8 kms through the Olgas, depending on which route we chose, and our guide wanted to get an early start to avoid the heat expected by late morning.

We'd been warned the hike would be an uneven, rocky adventure that had steep climbs and declines.  Everyone in our small group opted for the lengthier trail - even Estelle, the lovely French woman who wore 4 inch wedgies!

Goran and I tended to walk ahead of the group at a brisker pace, though Estelle was (surprisingly) always close behind.  We also got to know Julia (Jules) and Chris, the Melbournians who now lived in Darwin.  If we weren't talking or heaving from some of the climbs, the Valley of Winds was peacefully quiet.

You ready for this hill?  It's steeper than it looks.

We reached the end of our trek shortly before noon, having passed only less than 10 people along the way.  Now, however, the entrance to the trails were filled with visitors, some wearing flip flops!  The sun was high and, with no breeze until well into the walk, the heat was sharp.  Although Estelle had proven me wrong and reached the trail exit 5 minute after us, for these new hikers I imagined a day that included twisted ankles and rescue helicopters.

Goran, Estelle, Chris and Jules waiting for the sunset in front of Kata Tjuta

We drove out of the park, retrieved our belongings from the campsite, said our goodbyes to our amiable desert companions and headed back to Alice Springs. 

That evening, we enjoyed a simple, though delicious dinner at an Italian restaurant and went to bed early.  Tomorrow, we head to Melbourne.

Uluru

Aug 18th:  We started our day at 5 a.m., the first pick up in a 15-20 passenger van headed to Ayer's Rock, also known as Uluru.   We drove over 400 km SW, passing little more than rough looking brush, distant hills and, occassionally, wild camels.  The original explorers/settlers of the central continent imported thousands of camels to ride and carry supplies.  Eventually, they were released and they have flourished in the desert, now numbering over 2 million, if our guide is correct.

Along the way, we made some rest stops, usually at combination general stores/petting zoos that had camels, emus and dingos.

In the early afternoon, we stopped in the middle of nowhere.  The driver pulled over to the side of the road and announced, "This looks like a good spot." 

Goran asked me, "Why are we stopping?"

"Don't you remember, he mentioned earlier that we would have to stop to gather fire wood?" I explained.  "Fire wood for what?"

"For the camp fire."

"We're CAMPING?"

Poor Simic.  He thought we were staying a hotel.

We'd been assured we shouldn't come across any of the scary indigenous wildlife, namely snakes; yet, we moved cautiously through the brush.  We remembered Sue sharing that Australia is home to 7 of the 9 deadliest snakes in the world.  I was suprised Goran participated as readily as he did.

We discovered this termite hill while gathering firewood.

Eventually, we made it to the camp and had a quick meal before heading out to Ayer's Rock for a hike.

 

Uluru is a World Heritage listed site, situated in Kata Tjuta National Park.  The rock sits alone, with no other similar formation around.  It's marked with slashes and cave-like holes, each with it's own background story - aboriginal tales involving warriors, spirits and god-like characters.  Lots of fearsome characters partaking in jealous, angry dramas. 

To the upper left is a spine-like rail that assists climbers to the top.  The native people strongly discourage the climbing.  Today, it was too windy to go up.

We walked about half way around Ayers Rock, warned by signs that some parts of the natural monument are sacred and should not be photographed - unless you want to part with more than $5000.

As the light faded, we made our way to a parking lot where a sunset champaign and snack buffet awaited.

Back to the camp site for dinner, some get-to-know-eachother conversation, and off to our private luxury accomodations.  The desert sky was amazingly clear and full of stars, and will dogs howled in the distance.  Most everyone went to bed in their clothes, though it wasn't nearly as cold as I'd anticipated.  Goran was not to be deterred from his routine, however, and donned his pajamas like a true gentleman of the indoors.

And Then There Were Two

Aug 17th:  Sharie stayed in Cairns to shop for custom made bras and we flew to Alice Springs, located in central Australia.  Our flight from the Cairns Airport was delayed to the extent that our airline offered all passengers a free meal at any of the airport eateries.  Goran and I ordered nachos at a cafe closest to our gate; but, just as we sat with our food, an announcement was made, "Would Mr Harris and Mr Simic please proceed to gate 2.  Your flight to Alice Springs is at final boarding."

What?!  Less than 20 minutes had passed since they'd announced the delay and given us our free meal offer!  With a forlorn expression, Goran threw napkins over our plates and we raced to the gate.

A little over 3 hours later, we landed in Alice Springs, or just 'Alice', as the locals call it.  Alice has somewhere between 25-30,000 residents and there doesn't seem to be anything special about it.  The central Australian town has mostly single or 2 level buildings, with low hills and a parched looking landscape. 

Running through town is the Todd River, or more accurately, the Todd Riverbed.  It has little more than a few puddles here and there.

We dropped off our things at the hotel and went out to explore. 

There was a monument of some sort at the top of a rocky set of stairs and we figured it would be a good place to have a look-out over the land.

Plain little 'Alice' just isn't a kickin' town, and with the light fading quickly, we made our way back down the hill.  It would be an early night, as we're heading further into the desert tomorrow morning for an over night stay near Ayer's Rock.

'Downtown' Alice was a ghost town. 

As we searched for a dinner venue, we walked by a hair salon and, suddenly, I wanted to get a cut.  There was a young apprentice available who claimed she'd only been cutting hair for a year, as if to apologize beforehand for whatever resulted from her efforts.  She didn't lack for confident, though, as she attached the back of my head with her clippers.  Goran gasped loudly from his seat by the door, 'Gymmy, that's too short!'  I tend to be fairly casual about haircuts, since my hair grows fast and I keep it short enough to get clean-ups every 10 days or so, but even I was relieved when the salon owner stepped in to salvage my 'do'.

Dinner was at 'Sporty's', then to a gas station for water, where we quickly learned about the cost of freight weighing the price of everything brought into town.  A liter and a half bottle was easily $5.  Welcome to the Outlback!