Wentworth Falls

It's Sunday the 28th and the day before I leave for England. Linda, Kevin and I went to church and then drove straight up into the mountains to visit Wentworth Falls. They wanted to give me a last chance to see the Blue Mountains. We drove up to The Conservation Hut which serves up meals. We had sandwiches for lunch and sat outside looking out over the valley. What a wonderful view.



View from The Conservation Hut




Chicken Salad Sandwich. What we call doorsteps.



Linda and Kevin enjoy  their sandwiches





Wentworth Falls




People walking along path to Wentworth Falls

  After lunch we took a walk along to a lookout so we could see the Wentworth Falls. I spotted people much further down the mountain at a lookout nearer the falls. There are several walks round the falls area. We chose the one that said 'Easy with SOME steps' So I decided I could do that. Somebody's idea of SOME steps was a joke. We went down about 300 metres and it was all steps. As I walked down I thinking 'I am not going to make it back up this steep path'. Anyway the view was worth it. I could see across the valley a rock face where steps and footpaths have been cut out and the stalwart walkers were climbing up and down and along the paths to the falls.
I did make it back up. Kevin and Linda were kind enough to take their time so that I could go at my own pace and not get out of puff!

Back to Sydney

On Thursday 25th Linda, Kevin and I took a two day trip to Sydney. We set off early and took the train into Sydney Central Station. We then looked for the Green Bus. This is free bus that runs every 20 mins taking a circular tour round the centre of the city. Very handy for hopping on and off as you tour the sights of Sydney.
First we went to Sydney Tower. It is 309m (1,014ft) high, roughly twice as high as Blackpool Tower, and from the observation deck you get a 360o view of Sydney and the waterways that surround it. I never realised how many bays and inlets surround Sydney. There are boats and ferries constantly too-ing and fro-ing across the waters. Linda and Kevin pointed out different landmarks as we walked round the deck.

 Sydney Tower

 Views from Sydney Tower

 Wendy in the Sydney Tower

Having lunch in the tower

Apparently there is a 'sky walk' where people can walk along a platform out in the open. They are dressed in special suits and safety harnesses. I decided to give that one a miss!
We went down to the cafe on the next floor and sat by the window having coffee and a very large Lamington, a traditional Australian chocolate and coconut coated cake, relaxing and watching the tiny world go by beneath us.
Next stop was the Queen Victoria Building, a large   Victorian arcade of shops and cafes, with all it's original architecture and features including a huge sandstone clock depicting the history of the discovery of Australia.

Queen Victoria Building

We then took the Green Bus down to the Sydney Opera House. There were far too many steps for me to climb so I just took pictures from below.The sun was out and it was wonderful sitting on the quayside eating our butties with the Harbour Bridge across from us. It was almost too hot and it was still winter!
We watched a an Aborigine man playing didgeridoos to recorded beat music. It sounded very good. It added to the bustling atmosphere of being down on Circular Quay.

Sydney Opera House

A weighty problem!





Circular Quay

 We then booked ferry tickets to take us on a sail round the harbours. It was very windy but a thrilling experience. I took a video of most of the trip! On our way back it was great to see the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge drawing nearer and nearer.

 

On board the ferry sailing away from Circular Quay

It was late afternoon so we took the bus to the Metro hotel where we were staying for the night.
This gave us chance to freshen up and have a rest until we went out for our evening meal. The rooms were lovely and we had a complimentary bottle of wine in each room.
 We did not have far to go for our evening meal as we had chosen to go to China Town which was round the corner from the hotel.
We walked down Dixon Street which is full of Chinese Restaurants. We were accosted all the way by young Chinese girls trying to persuade us to eat at their restaurant. We stopped off at the Dixon and chose a banquet meal each and we shared the beef, chicken and pork meals.

Starters

Wendy trying to eat with chop sticks

Dixon Restaurant

China Town, Sydney

 The complimentary bottle of wine.

My room at the Metro.

Then we went for a walk to burn off some of the calories. We walked towards Darling Harbour and saw the skyscrapers lighting up the night sky and then back to the hotel where we spent a restful night.
We had breakfast in the hotel and it was a buffet style so we 'filled our boots'. Then we packed up our back packs. We can now say we have back-packed round Sydney!
We went to Darling Harbour which looked so impressive in the daylight. The buildings are very modern and one side of the harbour is full of restaurants and cafes. The Maritime Museum was a place we decided to visit. When we got inside we saw that there was a Scott of the Antarctic Exhibition. So we chose to wait for the tour guide to take us round. The volunteer guide spent an hour taking us around the exhibition. He was so interesting that it didn't feel like it. He said that he reads up about the subject so he can give as much imformation as possible. I certainly found out a lot more information than I had learnt at school. After we stopped off for a bite to eat and I had a fantastic banana, strawberry and mango smoothie with cream, ice cream and yoghurt. Yum! Yum!

Darling Harbour




Sydney Tower from Darling Harbour




Darling Harbour




Pyremont Bridge

We then walked back over the Pyremont Bridge to go and find the Green Bus that would take us to the Central Station. We caught the train back to Blaxland and picked up Kevin's car and then drove home. It was a lovely two days. Thank you Linda and Kevin.

Bondi Beach and Coogee Beach

Kevin took me for a trip to the famous Bondi Beach on Tuesday 23rd. Linda was at work. We packed up a picnic and set off in reasonable weather. We parked up and walked along the promenade. Bondi Beach was smaller than I imagined. It's been a surfing beach for over a hundred years. Bondi is at the end of the Sydney 14km City to Surf Run that Linda and Kevin's son ran while I was in Australia.
 Before I got chance to take it all in the rain came down and we ran to a shelter and waited for it to stop. It didn't rain for long so we went back to the car, not before I had bought Bondi Beach t-shirts from the 'Between The Flags' surfing shop! I also bought Bondi Beach postcards to send to friends and family.

Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach in the rain

The clouds were clearing and the sea looked much brighter, more like a surfing beach.
Then we drove on to nearby Coogee Beach (pronounced could jee). The sun was shining and it turned in to a glorious day. We walked up over the cliffs and watched the sea crash against the rocks. The cliffs were mostly sand-stone and you could see huge lumps of rock that had snapped off and fallen to the bottom. The stryated rocks we walked over looked liked waves frozen in time.

Cliffs at Coogee

Rocks at Coogee



Memorial to Bali victims representing Friends, Family and Community Togeher



At the top, called Dolphin Point, we came across several memorials to twenty Australians who were killed in the Bali bombings in 2002. I'd read about the bombings in the papers and seen it on the news and was aware about British holiday makers being killed but these memorials with names and photographs moved me.

 Memorial to Bali victims

Coogee Surf

Wendy ready for her picnic lunch!

After watching the waves crashing over rocks in a rock pool called Giles Bath for ages (I wasn't in a hurry to move on because it was so beautiful) we walked to a grassy area on the headland overlooking the sea and ate our yummy picnic.

Red Dog



Violet, Karen and Gordon

Saturday 19th August. Violet has packed up and gone to stay with her brother Gordon and his partner Karen. She was so pleased to have the chance to go and stay with them for the last 10 days of her trip to Australia. Gordon is not in good health so it was thought best if Violet didn't stay at their house but they decided to ask her to stay as it would possibly the last time they would see each other face to face. We will meet again at the airport on Monday 29th

Monday 22nd august. Today I am to be immersed into more Australian culture. Kevin, Linda and I are going to the movies. We are going to see a film called 'Red Dog' all about a dog that wanders round Western Australia finding different masters. A bit like 'The Littlest Hobo'. Then he ends up being faithful to one particular master.

We went at 6.30 pm to a little privately run cinema in a place near here called Glenbrook. I couldn't imagine that there would be many people there at 6.30 on a Monday evening but I got a surprise-the place was full.

Monday night was free tea and coffee night and so nearly everybody wandered to their seats carrying cups and saucers! How provincial can you get?

Kevin went to get me a 'Choc-Top'. That seemed the favourite ice-cream snack. It was a cone full of ice cream covered with a solid layer of chocolate. I had a mint choc chip one and it was delish!

The film was really good and also a weepy. It isn't hard for me to get weepy; my men-folk will vouch for that!



Glenbrook Community Theatre



Kiama

Woollongong Lighthouse

                                                                  Wollongong Surfer

Wollongong Beach

On Thursday the 18th August we drove down the coast to the small town of Kiama. We stopped off in Wollongong (just love these Aboriginal names) for a picnic by the sea. The surf was up and there were lots of surfers. Surfing is such a serious business in Australia. People go for a surf in their lunch hour.

We saw a man changing from his wet suit to his business suit ready to go back to work.

It was rather windy there but not too cold. We then carried on to Kiama and went to see the Blowhole. It is a volcanic rock formation where the sea had worn a hole through the rock and when the waves come in the water shoots up through the hole.

The Blowhole, Kiama

Wendy, Linda and Violet

We had booked bed and breakfast for the night at the Green Cottage, Manning Street, Kiama. Linda and Kevin had a room in the main house but Violet and I had the studio flat to ourselves with lounge, kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms! The owners were very welcoming and looked after us very well. They are called Roy and Jeanette. It turned out that Roy came from Leamington Spa! I would definitely recommend
That evening we drove down the coast to a Fisherman's Club House for an evening meal. The floor to ceiling windows looked out over Seven Mile Bay (yes it's seven miles long).

Seven Mile Beach

We watched the sun go down but it was rather cloudy so the sunset wasn't as spectacular as it could have been but it was still lovely to watch. The meals were huge. Poor Violet could only manage half of hers.We were full-to-busting after so we didn't have a pud and went back to the B&B for coffee in our little lounge. We slept well until the bin lorries clattered past at 6am! That was the second time this week as it was bin day back at Linda's a couple of days before!
We had a lovely breakfast upstairs of cereal then eggs mushroom and tomatoes with herbs and lashings of hot toast. Jeanette's expression not mine. (Sounds like Enid Blyton)
The weather had been dry the day before but we woke up to lots rain. We drove to a town called Berry for Violet because her name is Berry.

She's not really!

We looked round the shops and bought some souvenirs. Had coffee and cakes in an old fashioned coffee shop and then set off to drive through Kangaroo Valley but we didn't see any kangaroos. The country-side looked very much like Wales so maybe that's why this state was named New South Wales. On the way we stopped off to see the spectacular Fitzroy Falls.

Fitzroy Falls

I managed to catch a rainbow!

We walked through the trees and came to a platform that looked over the falls. I was filming with my video camera and you can hear me gasp as the falls come into view.
We walked back to the Information Centre and read some of the history of the place and then had our lunch. I had the most enormous home-made sausage roll made of chopped savoury meat and veg which was very tasty.
We then went on our way back to the Blue Mountains. We just stopped briefly in Bowral which for all you cricket fans out there is where Don Bradman played cricket.
So that was an enjoyable couple of days seeing the Pacific Coast and the NSW countryside.
As I write this I am sitting in the garden and the sun is so hot, at last. I've finally got the chance to wear my sun hat. Pity it's turned warmer only a few days before I go home! Aye, but I'm making the most of it!

Bowral Cricket Ground called the Bradman Oval

Statue of Don Bradman