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.
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.
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