Red Dust, Blue Mountains and a Grand Final Day

My last post for the trip – it’s been a busy few days, but heading home from Melbourne today (and hope to get home tonight, minus the 14 hour time change, if United cooperates…we already have a delay). A recap of the last few days:

Driving through Dust. The red dust storms around Sydney and New South Wales on Wednesday received international press. I drove five hours through it from Port Macquarie to Sydney. It wasn’t overhyped by the media – a freaky, otherworldly mess, with a reddish brown sky and whipping winds. The weirdest thing was how it suddenly stopped about an hour outside of Sydney. We went from “driving through Mars” to a beautiful blue sky almost instantly as it blew through, as if nothing had happened. At the end of the day, though, it felt like I’d been sucking on an exhaust pipe to pass the time; it can’t be good to breathe in soil particulate that’s traveled about 1000 miles from the center of the country. They say it’s the worst dust storm of its kind in 70 years (sort of like the recession…). Just lucky timing, I guess. There’s a lot of upside to traveling in a place that doesn’t get much rain. This was the downside.

Blue Mountains Majesty. I joined up with Australian Wild Escapes again to take their small group tour of the Blue Mountains – a popular place on the tourist trail near Sydney that I didn’t know well. Another great day courtesy of these folks. Today’s guide, Craig, had seemingly limitless knowledge of the flora, fauna and history. If you only have a day to explore this area, this is the way to do it. An avid rock climber, the Blue Mountains is a backyard paradise for Craig; the number of challenging sheer rock faces throughout the Blue Mountains makes it a useful training ground for climbers looking to take on some of the world’s great peaks.

In all honesty, the drive into the Blue Mountains can leave you wondering what the fuss is about at first– many people expect virgin wilderness, but it’s only 1.5 to 2 hours from Sydney. There’s a lot of development right on the main highway that can initially be a bit discouraging. Patience pays off up there, though (along with a guide who knows the best spots). Once you get even a mile or so off the main road, the attraction becomes apparent. It’s one of the most beautiful regions in Australia, filled with forested canyons, the sheer rock faces mentioned earlier, waterfalls, and awesome views that stretch for miles. The Blue Mountains really aren’t mountains in the traditional sense. It’s more of a series of canyons and escarpments, with the residents and visitors on the plateau above. The topography is much more like the Grand Canyon than the Rockies. The whole area is covered in dense forests of native gum trees which, like all eucalyptus trees, emit oil that gives a blue hue to views into the distance (hence the name…).

It’s also a really charming place to visit, filled with posh little villages like Leura, Katoomba and Blackheath, brimming over with B & B’s and refurbished old spa hotels, great restaurants, and boutiques for some retail therapy. It’s a popular, if somewhat expensive, weekend getaway for Sydneysiders who want to escape the city, but who want to combine their nature with a hot stone massage or a nice wine list with dinner. An apt comparison might be what Napa is for weekenders from San Francisco. Definitely worth a visit if you’re spending time in Sydney.

Grand Final Day. I was in Melbourne over the weekend – increasingly my favorite Australian city to visit, with its great restaurants, beautiful architecture, character-laden neighborhoods, and “real city” feel. Coincidentally, it was the same weekend as the Australian Rules Football League “Grand Final.” I’m a sports nut, so it was a rare chance to see how Aussies approach their version of the Super Bowl. Aussie Rules is the big sport in Melbourne – the best teams are based here, and it’s a huge part of the fabric of this city which bills itself as the sporting capital of Australia.

The two teams in the final were Geelong – the current dynasty from a southern Melbourne suburb, having won it all two years ago, then were upset in the final last year, only to be back in the big game yet again – and St. Kilda, the local sentimental favorite, a Melbourne city team that has only won the championship once in its 111 year history (the Aussie equivalent of the Cubs). The city was filled with supporters of both teams. There were throngs of people everywhere in the CBD, all wearing either a red scarf (St. Kilda) or a blue scarf (Geelong). Federation Square, the heart of the city, was set up with a giant outdoor widescreen TV for the ticketless, with groups of people all over creating their own party – as close to a good tailgate as you’ll likely find in Oz. The city was abuzz.

In the end, the blue scarves were happy, and the poor red scarves had to wait at least until year 112 to taste their second championship. The best part of the day was probably the "after party", though, which spilled over into every bar and restaurant in the CBD and went late into the night. After a few beers, even the St. Kilda supporters seemed ready to leave their bad day behind – wins and losses don’t seem to have the religious impact here that they do for fans in the States, or maybe Aussies just won’t let much get in the way of a good time.

My Days as a Surfer Dude Wannabe

I’ve been a wannabe surfer dude for the last couple of days. The area within a few hours of Brisbane has some of the best beach towns in the world, and I’ve been lucky enough to check them out. Aussies have a great canvas to create the perfect beach town in this part of the country – a stunning coastline with long stretches of perfect sandy beach, peppered with rocky headlands, great surf, warm water, and beautiful weather (I’m here in September – the equivalent of March in the northern hemisphere – and a late winter heat wave has the temperature in the 80’s with virtually no humidity). They’ve taken that raw material and created some of the best places to spread a towel on the sand and ride the waves that you’ll find anywhere.[1]

Americans looking for familiar comparisons may find that this part of the world combines the beautiful scenery and laid back beach culture of California – not to mention great surfing – with the warm waters of the east coast. It’s a mix that I wish we could replicate in the States – it would be great if we could have the culture of west coast beach towns without the "is this California or Finland?" water temperatures you get out there. On the east coast, the water's great is the summer, but the beach culture ranges from honkey tonk to "the Kennedys meet Donald Trump."

Fortunately, the water's pretty warm here, and the best beach towns definitely emit a California-like vibe. My two favorites, and two places that are increasingly on American travel radar, are Noosa and Byron Bay. Noosa is about an hour and a half by car north of Brisbane, in an area known as the Sunshine Coast. It feels like Santa Barbara or Laguna Beach – upscale but having a pronounced laid back attitude, with great restaurants, shopping and places to stay, and with a great stretch of beach and beautiful coastal scenery. You know you’re in Oz when you’re in Noosa, though; it’s surrounded by a national park that is famed for its koala population. Locals will tell you that you have a 75-85% chance of spotting koalas during a short day hike on the park’s trails.

Byron is even more fun and laid back – in Californian vernacular, think of mixing Santa Cruz with Venice Beach, and add a bit of Malibu. About two hours south of Brisbane, Byron has long had a reputation among Aussies as a place to chill out – stressed businesspeople from Sydney weekend here when their blood pressure is topping out – and there’s a relaxed but still obvious old school counterculture feel that’s present all over town in the most positive way (Byron is known as a health and wellness mecca, for example). At the other end of the spectrum, Byron attracts a number of celebrity devotees – Olivia Newton-John lives there, Russell Crowe has a house nearby, and Nicole Kidman vacations there – because they can relax and blend in. There is an upmarket element, with a surprising number of top of the line restaurants and great shopping for a small, relatively remote beach town. Add a gorgeous beach with some of the best surfing in Australia, and you have a great place to spend a few days soaking it all in.

Byron also has a world class resort going for it – called simply “The Byron” – that is irresistable. Holly Galbraith, their marketing czar and a total trooper for walking me to the beach in heels (see photo), gave me a tour of the place, and it’s spectacular. A beautiful infinity pool, an indoor/outdoor spa, acres of wetland and bush owned by the resort and kept undeveloped as a virtual nature reserve to explore, modern, elegant rooms with tons of privacy, and a private path to a stunning beach make this yet another Australian resort to add to my wish list.

Off to Sydney tomorrow, where I will reluctantly shed my two days of “Dude-Dom” and get the last bits of sand out from between my toes.

[1] The possible exception is the famed Gold Coast, where the Daytona meets Vegas glitz is a little too reminiscent of a weekend on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for a trip halfway around the world – if you have to stay in this area, try Coolangatta, where you can see the lights from the high rises across the bay, but you can avoid the Hooters-like atmosphere.

Jacques Clousseau

I love to snorkel. I’ll go to great lengths to strap on a mask and a pair of fins and float over brightly colored fish and coral for a day. There’s nothing I’ve found that’s more peaceful and at the same time more awe inspiring. I probably need to try diving, but I’m not sure I have the patience for strapping on the tank, testing gauges, etc. I like to just hop in and go.

So, I love the Great Barrier Reef. Once you’re on the Reef, it truly is like entering another world – crystal clear water, loads of gorgeous reef fish in every color, coral in every shape and hue, and the ability to do some really great stuff like swim through a school of hundreds of fish all floating suspended around you. There are any number of great places to snorkel or dive in the world, but the Great Barrier Reef is the granddaddy of them all and it lives up to the hype.

Many North Americans aren’t aware what the term “barrier reef” means in terms of a visit – unlike a shore reef that starts right off the beach, the Great Barrier Reef is 60-90 minutes by boat offshore, acting as a “barrier” for the shallower water near the coastline. As a result, a visit entails booking a spot with one of several cruise operators who take groups out to the Reef. Each has subtle differences – some highlight small group size, others focus on diving and divers, and some make special accommodation for non-swimmers, for example – but all offer a great experience snorkeling on the Reef, if that’s what you’re after. Yesterday we went out with Quicksilver – the largest tour operator by far, with a stellar reputation and offering the most options for visitors – to a section of the Outer Barrier Reef known as Agincourt Reef.

We were a little skeptical of the experience at first. It was a big boat with a large group, and our cabin felt a bit like a preschool gone wild, with a lot of very unruly tykes (and one poor kid who discovered that she has a propensity toward seasickness, victimizing the upholstery…). A few too many informational DVD’s and a hard sell to rent a wetsuit to avoid encounters with nasty jellyfish (when pressed, the staff admitted that such an encounter was highly unlikely), left us wondering if we had made a mistake – an hour into the trip, we had dubbed our day “Diving by Disney.” I missed the smaller group trips I’d make to the Reef in the past.

We bounced back upon arrival, though. Quicksilver has a terrific set up on the Reef – a large pontoon with plenty of room for everyone, and a pristine, terrific patch of Reef for snorkeling. Despite the numbers, we never felt hemmed in. There was plenty of space to create your own adventure.

And I may take that spirit a bit too far. On my last trip to the Reef – on a smaller boat – one of the lifeguards had to come get me in a motorized dinghy. I heard a motor mid-snorkel, put my head up, and saw the smiling but perhaps slightly exasperated crewperson say “need to swim back to the boat…it’s time to go, mate,” and looked back to see everyone else on the boat staring over the side to see what was up with the clueless guy still in the water. I was the only one still out snorkeling. It was an embarrassing ride back to shore.

I didn’t want that to happen again. So, here we are, 2009, and of course I’m a more seasoned, mature, rule abiding snorkeler, enjoying my day on the Reef, when I see a rubber craft floating into my line of sight. You’ve got to be kidding. I put my head above water, see one of the Quicksilver lifeguards in a motorized dinghy floating in front of me. It went like this…Lifeguard: “How’re you going, mate?” (Aussies say “how’re you going”, not “how ya doing”); Rob: “I’m out too far, aren’t I?”, Lifeguard: “No drama, mate, but we want you to stay in sight of the pontoon. There’s some great stuff to see closer in.” Rob: (thumbs up, head back down in the water, starts kicking his fins in the other direction, having no idea he’d swum out so far).

Therapy would probably reveal that I have a death wish associated with the film “Open Water.” Call me Jacques Clousseau…. Still a great day, despite my second brush with the Reef law.

The Cassowary Has Been Spotted (in a zoo...)

We finally saw our Cassowary...in a wildlife park. Albeit a really great one that we had almost all to ourselves, the Rainforest Habitat outside Port Douglas. After all of the obsessing, we decided we had to see a real Cassowary before we left the tropics. $30 per person admission charge behind us, we walked through the gates and the first thing we saw...a real live Cassowary! We were a little more enthralled with him than he was with us, at least until my friend John accidentally rustled a small paper bag in his pocket. At that point, the Cassowary perked up, turned his head toward us, and rather than retreat like 99% of animals would at this sort of encroachment, scratched the dirt with his massive front claw, widened his eyes to "borderline bird pyschotic", and looked me directly in the eye. That's a nightmare or two over the next couple of weeks. These birds think they're at the top of the food chain, folks, and that claw can disembowel a person who crosses paths on a bad day (the disemboweling joggers thing is urban legend - the last known fatality from a Cassowary attack was in 1926 - but what about seemingly unsolved murders or hiker disappearances!!?!). I'm glad we didn't meet up with one in the wild. Still, one of the most beautiful creatures you'll ever see, and a travesty that they're endangered.

The Rainforest Habititat itself was extremely well done. I'm usually not one for zoos - they can be very sad places for an animal lover - but this spot was well thought out, had heaps of open space for all of the birds and animals, and actually gave people a chance to interact with some of the inhabitants (see photo). I think that's a great experience, especially for kids, who develop an appreciation that these animals are living creatures and deserve respect. Plus, though it might seem a little silly for a 43 year old guy, one of the most memorable things to do in Australia is to get up close with the animals (but safely, in a controlled environment like this one).

We also toured perhaps the best place to stay under $1000 a night I've seen yet in Australia, Thala Beach Lodge. Tim and Michelle, who both exemplify hospitality, gave us a tour, and they are justifiably proud. The place has to be seen to be believed. A first class resort in every respect, it wins my vote for one reason...location, location, location. The resort is perched on a cliff overlooking the Coral Sea, with phenomenal views up and down the coast and out to the Great Barrier Reef. They have a seemingly deserted private beach that is close to paradise, and acres of native bush land for hiking, picnics and just general relaxation - I saw a kangaroo hop across our path as we were walking back to our car from the beach. Thala Beach is at the top of my short list for my next trip to Oz.

Kissing an Ant's Butt

I was coerced by a large man in uniform yesterday to put my tongue on an ant’s butt. Despite what you might think, I’m not a suspected terrorist being subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques.

One of many great experiences yesterday as we toured the Daintree Ranforest, a World Heritage-listed National Park that comprises one of the largest swaths of tropical rainforest left intact in the world, with some of the oldest surviving plant and animal species known to man. The scenery is spectacular and unspoiled. Some of the most pristine beaches and dense, seemingly untouched rainforest that you’ll find anywhere in the world. The region is unique because it’s literally the only place in the world where tropical rainforest meets the beach. The combination creates some incredibly beautiful places along the coast near Cape Tribulation where gorgeous, green mountains cascade down to perfect white sand beaches. It feels very close to paradise – as long as you don’t get in the water between November and May, when the shoreline is inundated with lethal box jellyfish. This part of the world is a conundrum. Spectacular natural beauty, combined with lots of critters who can do some major damage to the unwary. Examples include saltwater crocodiles that take out one or two folks each year who decide to cool off in the wrong swimming hole, the aforementioned jellyfish with a sting that many don’t survive for the length of time it takes to get out of the water, some of the most poisonous snakes in the world, and even a “stinging tree”, with a combination of histamines and neurotoxins that will cause some memorable pain for months if you just brush against the leaves or grab hold of the stem. Look but don’t touch (or swim in) unless cleared by a reliable local is a good rule of thumb.

We went on a small group tour with Australian Wild Escapes, a company known in my industry as the Rolls Royce of day touring Down Under. Our guide (the uniformed man mentioned above), Rick, was incredible - an extraordinary level of knowledge on all things rainforest, and a fun guy, too. We learned about anything and everything, all while having a great time – how to throw a boomerang and not hurt yourself or others (see photo…I’m not ready to turn pro yet), tricks for spotting tons of camouflaged animals throughout the forest, the best place to see saltwater crocodiles and how not to piss them off, and generally information about the plant and animal life as we hiked through the forest that made it come alive. It was a phenomenal day.

Back to the ant for a moment. Rick taught us several techniques used by the aboriginals to tap the rainforest for their day-to-day needs; everything from crushing the leaves of a particular plant to make soap to using rocks to make dye (ochre). The most alarming was a tree colony of green ants he found. Apparently the acid secreted by green ants to sting their foes also tastes sort of lemony and is a great source of vitamin C. Then, to our small group’s surprise, Rick took one of the ants, and touched what could only be its bum to the tip of his tongue. We recoiled, though he looked faintly pleased. Then, using a second ant, he reached its hind end toward my mouth and said “here, Robert, you try…taste it!” Of course, my head turned away so quickly it’s a miracle that I’m not wearing a brace today. I could see the disappointment coupled with a slight, knowing satisfaction in Rick’s eyes (Rick’s a great guy…I couldn’t resist the dramatic turn of phrase, though). Hating to step back from a challenge, and when it became apparent that I was the only one in our little group who was too wimpy to taste the ant, I went for it. Mmmm…lemony!! Surprisingly, all ants survived the encounter, though there’s probably some significant therapy in store for them after that close brush.

And Rick was a real trooper in trying to track down the elusive cassowary. They’re up there, and he’s seen them – there are even “cassowary crossing” signs on the road – but, alas, no cassowary yesterday. Drat. I’ll have to pop into a wildlife park if I want to see one, but at least I tried my best.

Soaking Up Silky Oaks

It’s 6:30 am, and I’m lying in a hammock on my deck at Silky Oaks Lodge, listening to countless birds wake up the rainforest and watching the dappled light of sunrise brighten the sky over what feels like my own private patch of the Daintree. I can also hear water rushing over rocks on the Mossman River, about 100 feet below my cabin. Not a bad way to wake up in the morning.

Silky Oaks is a luxury lodge perched on the edge of the Daintree Rainforest, about 20 minutes north of Port Douglas in the far northeastern corner of Queensland. After passing through the small farming community of Mossman, you turn left off the highway, wind through cane fields (much better to see by car than on foot – cane fields are teeming with snakes – our host here said you couldn’t pay him enough money to walk through one), past forested hillsides, and over a couple of one lane bridges, until you start to climb into the rainforest and enter Silky Oaks. You leave your stress at the bottom of the hill; it’s all about relaxation and a slower pace here. The property is set amongst acres of dense tropical rainforest – the Daintree is a World Heritage listed area, and one of the largest tropical rainforests in the world – with several hiking trails and loads of wildlife. It’s all framed by the Mossman River, a gorgeous, crystal clear and swimmable river (a.k.a. no crocs) at the base of the hill.

Despite the remote location, you definitely aren’t roughing it here. Our cabin – called a Riverhouse (others are called Treehouses, further up the hill) – has a stereo system, a well stocked mini bar, and a large Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom next to a picture window overlooking the rainforest. So, though you might feel like the Crocodile Hunter when you’re outside, you can transform into Thurston and Lovie Howell when you’re inside. There are no TV’s or in room internet, though, reinforcing what’s obvious; in a place like this, you should be leaving your connectivity behind for a few days. Which I’m about to do right now….

Oh, and a Cassowary update: I've crossed Cassowary Creek and read a giant billboard-like display on Cassowaries in Port Douglas, yet the prized Cassowary sighting continues to elude me...

Spotting Cassowaries

I'm blogging this year from Australia's east coast, a magical part of the world. One of the most diverse stretches of coastline anywhere on the planet, you can tramp through dense rainforest, dive the Great Barrier Reef, play Robinson Crusoe on any number of seemingly deserted islands, unwind in epic beach towns to suit any taste, surf amongst the Vegas meets Daytona glitz of the Gold Coast, explore the world class cities of Brisbane and Sydney, and - perhaps most significantly - have your picture taken at the world's largest man made banana, right outside of Coffs Harbour on the northern New South Wales coast.

After a few days of Aussie Specialist refueling in Adelaide at Corroboree, Tourism Australia's annual conference for travel agents smitten with the land Down Under like me, I'll be off to Far North Queensland and the Daintree Rainforest, a World Heritage-listed spot as large as the Amazon, and filled with ferns the size of houses, saltwater crocodiles, and the elusive cassowary, a giant ostrich-sized bird with a blue face and a huge horn-like thing on its head. They're spotted rarely and reputed to be shy, but you don't want to catch a cassowary by surprise; apparently, they can disembowel you with one well placed swipe of their claw. This purportedly happens to one or two joggers a year in the parks around Cairns, unfortunate souls who cross paths with a cassowary unexpectedly while out for a morning run. One of my missions is to find out if this really happens or if it's the stuff of urban legend (though it's not urban at all up there), and to see a cassowary for myself...from a distance.

To be continued...