Many of you know I’m something of a sucker for historic hotels, sometimes disguised as run-down. Elsewhere I’ll recap the 1991 visit Mom and I made to the historic and spooky Newmarket Hotel in Adelaide, Australia. I hope to check it out when the Indian Pacific makes its Adelaide stop. In New Zealand in 2003 Susie and I stayed in the historic Brian Boru Hotel in Thames. Susie still tells people about that experience in colorful terms. (You have to know that “hotel” in the southern hemisphere British colonies often means “pub,” at least for the main order of business.)
Nevertheless, I searched Sydney lodging websites and Frommer’s for something Sydney-unique, rather than a standard chain. Found the Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel. It is Sydney’s “oldest continually licensed hotel.” Dates back to 1831 and has now “been restored to its former grandeur,” the website says. It’s in the historic Rocks district, not far from the Circular Quay which is the hub for harbor ferries. Just hope it has a couple of beds for us, as we’ve been assured.
I think we’ll do conventional harbor and city tours in Sydney. Maybe the harbor bridge climb. There’s a tour bus through the city that you can board and exit as you desire all day. We’ll just let the agenda develop on the fly for a couple of days.
We have signed up for a Blue Mountain OzTrek that explores the mountains to the west of Sydney. Includes some bushwalking opportunities. Nice pictures on the website.
Indian Pacific Train
Some have asked if we’ll be on the train continuously for three days. Answer: No. There are whistle stop tours in Broken Hill (former silver mining center), Adelaide, Kilgoorlie (gold mining), and Perth.
Uluru
As mentioned in previous post, we’ll do a sunset tour soon after we get there. There are various possibilities for the next morning. In 1991 I did the Ayers Rock climb – got the pictures and poster. I’ve read recently, though, that the Aboriginal people to whom the area belongs prefer that people not climb on their holy site. Alternatives are hikes or drives around the rock and the nearby Olga Mountains – more large red outcroppings, taller but not as massive as Uluru. In 1991 I took an airplane flight over the area that was dramatic. Now, our other option is a helicopter flight over both Uluru and the Olgas. Dick’s a former pilot so that appealed to him. I debated a little, thinking I might prefer climbing or hiking, but then decided to take the chopper flight, too.
Non-holy Uluru memory: In 1991 our guide told us that the record for the fastest climb of Ayers Rock was held by a New Zealander who was told there was a sheep at the summit. Having spent four months in New Zealand, 4 million people, 50 million sheep, I have greater appreciation for that comment.
The tourist village a few miles from the Rock, has accommodations ranging from backpacker to luxury resort. Mom, Sheila, and I stayed in a campground cabin in ‘91, which was fine, so that’s what Dick and I are doing.
Cairns
Something I read made Cairns, the departure point for Great Barrier Reef tours, sound sort of tacky (there are a variety of travel websites that feature traveler reviews of wherever people go). Frommer’s identified some beach accommodations further up the coast, so we opted for the Ellis Beach Bungalows, about a half-hour away. Will mean we need to rent a car to get back and forth and spend more time driving, but it looks pretty attractive. Don’t know how much beach time we will have, but will try to make the most of it. We're staying there two nights; then a night in Cairns in order to be near train depot for early departure the following morning.
There are lots of Barrier Reef tours to choose from. Friends at church, Gib and Kay Richards, advised us to take the Great Barrier Reef Adventure and Green Island tour, so we are. Options include snorkeling and scuba diving on the reef plus some beach time on Green Island, near Cairns.
Now, here’s the biggest surprise, so far. In 1991, I knew that a HS classmate was living somewhere in Australia, but I thought (statistically), It’s a big country, not much chance ole Dan will be where I’m going, so I didn’t pursue it. After I got home, I found out he was in Melbourne, just where we’d been to see my brother. Drats!
This time I checked the faculty website at Monash University, where Dan had been. Not there now. So, I Googled Dan Irby and up popped Dan Irby’s Mangrove Adventures – on the Daintree River, about an hour and a half north of Cairns. He started this venture in 1993. A little e-mail back and forth and Dan’s going to devote a full day to showing just Dick and me his river and his house. Something makes me think his house may be an adventure, too -- the following picture may provide a hint.
Just now I noticed Dan’s website has a Frommer’s icon, so I looked in my Frommer’s and found a big, enthusiastic write-up for his river tour. It even mentions his Oklahoma origins! Thank you, Google.
Now, what about this Tilt Train? you may ask. Is tilting good? Well, that enables it to go fast. According to Wikipedia the Tilt Train operates at about 100 mph. But, after a derailment in 2004 it was restricted to 60 mph. That was the status last I checked a couple of months ago. Now I see that it was restored to full speed on June 18, 2007. All right! Thank you, Wikipedia.
Them’s the plans, basically. Thought that getting this sort of background info on record now would save some time in writing up our daily adventures on location.
G’day Mates,
Rob
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