Birthday, Bridge and Bushwacked

06/04/2012


Pauline's birthday arrived and the day dawned with a clear blue sky and after opening her presents and cards we headed off into the city to catch the bus to Spit Bridge and partake in a 8km walk to Manly along the cliff top walk.

Sounds simple, we were to picnic on the way, have an evening meal in Manly and catch the ferry back to Sydney to catch the city skyline when it was dark.

Oh..... how plans can go wrong. Firstly we missed the bus to Manly by only a few minutes and the next one was a 45 minute wait. Ben seemed a little miffed and went into "father mode", i.e. shouldering all the disappointment for the whole group. I recognise this because I have operated in this mode. It proves that genetic behaviours always surface, sorry about that  Ben. He did act in a decisive manner and basically made us get into a taxi and demanded the driver take us to Spit Bridge. A slightly tense start, but the day, which started with a little tension, would only get much better.

 Spit Bridge, in all its splendour.

The walk was terrific and alternated between temperate rain forest, cliff top scrub, small beaches and inlets, all very interesting.

We had our picnic and sunbathed, plus we ended up paddling and swimming in the warm waters of the bay.

No sharks were seen, but I did touch an octopus when putting my feet down after swimming. Yes it was Anna, definitely not seaweed !!

This was not the only wildlife were were to encounter at close quarters, but more, in detail, later.We all had a  nice rest, wished Pauline more birthday wishes and decided to press on with the walk.

          a view of the walk through a forest section.

As the walk progressed the blister on my little toe started to cause a bit of discomfort, but I switched to some flip flops and this proved to be a good move, in that I could now walk without the searing pain I had kept hidden from my co- walkers.

 Ben and Anna, plus Pauline, have an obsession about eating fruit when you walk. Strange, I know!

The cliff side forest has small clearings now and then which allow the resident reptiles to heat up their bodies. We encountered a two foot Dragon Lizard. To help me to manoeuvre him into position I asked Ben to throw me his apple core. His throw was reminiscent of Quentin Crisp throwing a baseball. It missed my outstretched hands and landed between my feet. At that moment a metre long Dragon Lizard dashed out of the undergrowth and snatched the apple core from under my legs. Needless to say I avoid this full frontal attack and with the deftness of a principle boy dancer at The Royal Ballet,  managed to keep my feet and take a photo all in one graceful movement, well that's how I remember it.

Notice the neck of the beast, bright red, sure sign of an aggressive attack mode !!!

The walk after this was uneventful and took in some terrific views over the headland and out into the Pacific.
Ancient rocks with Aboriginal carvings were in evidence and animals and insects could be seen in these carvings from thousands of years ago.

It was teatime as we entered Manly and as I've previously said, the town does have a buzz about it. We found a good restaurant with a good mixed menu and after a great meal we had a little walk around and headed for the ferry back to Sydney.

The sight of Sydney, with all is lights twinkling, was without doubt one of the highlights of our trip and its always good to ride on the Manly Ferry!!







Great  time and a great birthday, happy birthday Pauline.

Battleship, Blister and Bronze.

05/04/2012.



Back in Sydney after our travels, it was a case of , " what will we do today ". As I've said before the harbour area around Sydney is huge. Not only the part around Circular Quays, which is dominated by the Opera House and the Bridge, but other equally fascinating areas are there to be explored.

So today it was to be Darling Harbour and its associated shops and amenities. Armed with our travel cards, which allowed us to travel on buses and trains at a very reasonable price, we set off for the city centre, some 10 mins ride away.



 In my normal life I don't ride on buses, but this integrated system was fine.

The clear blue sky made everything seem so vibrant. The monorail which goes around the harbour area and back up into the city only added to the more modern theme. Our first thoughts of Darling Harbour were positive with the modern glass front office buildings providing an almost futuristic backdrop.

The surrounding area has a multitude of shops, bars and cafes and also hosts a number of museums and attractions. When the weather is not so good the Maritime Museum and the Sealife Centre seem to be good choices. Sitting in the sun sipping a cold beer and people watching appealed to us this fine day.

As in any big city, the diverse cultures of the indigenous population, plus visitors, makes for a treasure trove of taking points and observations. Its fascinating to note that by and large, we deal with our children in the same way when they play up a little and that Japanese people do love to take photos of everything, even when it seems there is no logical purpose.

We had arranged to meet Ben for lunch, he seemed to want to keep tabs on us,  it was a little endearing in a nice sort of way and it was a pleasure to see him, even with his customary two fingered salute to his father..charming 

 Typical Ben gesture of greeting....

We decided to lunch in the Victoria Arcade, a very nice shopping and eating venue, just up into the city from Darling Harbour. 

The little snackette complete, we promised Ben to behave and set out to purchase something from the arcade. A host of high class shops with overpriced items drew no dollars from ourselves, but all of a sudden some bronze cast figures by Pete Smit caught our eye.

 

 we decided on the Kangaroo and it now resides in our lounge at home.

The amount of walking and sightseeing we had done had taken its toll of my little toe and sadly I have to report that a huge blister had appeared. Fighting the searing pain was one thing, but the prospect of a 10 kilometre walk tomorrow filled me with dismay. How was I to cope with the ridicule of Ben aided by the supportive cries of " man up " from Anna....., but that evening events took place that added a slight air of friction!

It was Pauline's birthday the next day and Ben and Anna had booked us into an Argentinian restaurant that  evening. The meal, as always, was tremendous and the service first class, but an incident was to occur on our walk home. We were quite close to home, walking through a back street, when a small black kitten seemed to take a shine to Anna, maybe because when it sniffed around myself and Pauline, we shooed it away. Safe to say it followed us to the door. Upon opening the front door said kitten ran in and made itself at home. Being practical, I pointed out that the kitten, who had by now, had ran upstairs and  looking to stay, was not a viable option and that some small child was probably crying for her kitten, we eventually showed it the door. Anna, I'm sorry, forgive me, but it had to go. The next day we saw posters regarding the kitten confirming someone had taken it  in  and was appealing to the owners to contact them. Job sorted!!!  

   said kitten.

Berry, Backtrack and Bed

      

04/04/2012.


Well, our last day in the Jervis Bay area dawned , bright and beautiful as ever. What a tremendous time we had had with the interaction with the local and the wildlife. This is a beautiful part of the world with an old time feel that is not forced, but is a genuine part of the make up of the area.

Bye, Bye Beaches and Birds




We were to drive back to Sydney along the Pacific Highway, a part " A" road, part motorway, which snaked in and out of the coast all the way back to the city.










As always we were to stop in Berry for a last browse around and lunch. We might be accused of bulling up the town, maybe, but we know what we like.

 



Two photos that sum up the place, just off the main road in the park, near to the train station and the main street. Thanks for the memories Berry.



Berry's award winning traffic cops, missed me this time cobber's !! Did at least 5kph over the limit, just outside town.




Driving along the Pacific Highway was memorable for the views and it was with trepidation that we approached the outskirts of the city. Ben and Anna seemed to have concerns about our ability to follow a map and just wing it. Today if you don't have an I Phone app that has sat nav and gps etc then you can't find your way around. On our way out, with Ben driving, I had left a trail to follow on the way home



Nothing could be simpler, " H " stands for HOME.

The next sign, which I needed to identify, was the road which goes under the runway of Sydney airport. The flyover was easy to miss if empty, but with a big aeroplane crossing it, we knew we were on the right track.

  we were on the right track, thank goodness !!!

We were on the last stretch and with Moore Park on our right we and at the very last second, we veered to the left and by luck, more than management , we were only a few streets away from home.

The Homestead

Our road trips to Jervis Bay and the Blue Mountains were over. We could not have asked for more, stunning views, tremendous accommodations and great company. We saw just a small part of this great country. Thank you Australia.

From now and until the end of our trip Sydney was to be our playground, let the fun begin ...........

Biddies, Best Seats and Beach

Well let loose on our own and on the other side of the world. The prospect of another day in the Jervis Bay area with the weather, once again, glorious was very appealing.

When out on the bay the other day we had noticed a beach called Callala. We decided to drive along the coast and explore.

Callala Beach was o.k., but not a patch on  Hyams Beach, so we returned to our own, sunbathed and generally chilled out listening to the waves breaking and recounting how the trip had gone so far.

We had decided to go into Huskisson that evening and have a meal and visit a picture house we had seen. The term Picture House is an apt description. The word Cinema does not do this place justice



We turned up a little early and surprised the proprietors, who while the early showing was playing, were tucking into a pizza. " Do we have to book tickets ? " we enquired, " Oh no" they replied, " if there's more than 179 people we would be full ", " plenty of seats available for the 2nd house."

Dressed in their uniforms they certainly looked the part.  This was small town Australia at its best, friendly, quaint and exciting.

The film showing was the " The Best Marigold Hotel ", it proved to be a perfect film for the locals.
The start time was 7.45pm and we gathered outside at 7.30pm, with a fair smattering of the cinema going population. A mixed age group, but my eye was caught by a group of ladies, of mature years, taking loudly with a good Australian twang.

We entered the auditorium, which was spotless and had that feel of coming back to an old friend. We settled down and as the movie began, the ladies, who were seated by this time directly behind us, started to chat ...." ooh that Judy Dench is looking old.......that Bill Nighy looks a bit crook...etc etc. This running commentary throughout the film enhanced the experience no end. If you've seen the film you'll know what I mean. Pure magic and a big thank you to the owners of this terrific picture house.

We finished off our night in the local RSL, an Australian version of an English working mens club, but more refined and regimented. Rules were to be obeyed and no messing about, or you were out. Perfect end to a great night of interaction with the natives.

Tomorrow the return to Sydney....what a beautiful part of the world Jervis Bay is , we were so pleased to have visited it.

Berry, Beautiful, but Bad Boy.

02/042012



The plan of the day was to have a relaxing morning on the beach after a well deserved lie in.

It all went to plan, but the sleeping beauties in cabin 1 were still snoring their heads off when, after breakfast, Pauline and myself, walked about 200 metres to Chinaman's Beach.

A little tip if you stay in these seaside cottages. Take some nice biscuits for the Rainbow Lorikeets, they love to land on the railings and be hand fed, cheeky little devils they are, but once again it adds to the experience of being in this wonderful part of the world.

Chinaman's beach has a lovely warning when you first walk onto the beach. A large sign displaying the catch limits for the indigenous species of fish which can be found in the bay. At the bottom are all the sharks that inhabit the bay. Mmm, Great Whites, no early morning dip for me!!.

This early morning picture of the beach sums up the area, unspoilt, peaceful and a beautiful location. Again a wonderful place and thanks once again to our host for finding and taking us to this part of Australia.

We were to stay for another two nights after dropping Ben and Anna off, at the train station in Berry, for their return journey to Sydney.

Eventually, the two sleeping beauties awoke and in the manner of two bewildered sloths, please note, once they have children all this messing about in the mornings will soon stop, but that's for the future, today they dithered and dotted about. It all adds to their charm and it is amusing to observe.

As previously mentioned the town of Berry had captured our attention on the way down to Hyams Beach.

Berry,  straddles the main highway which runs along the coast from Sydney to Melbourne. A typical market town for the area, it also has a real charm, in that it welcomes the visitor with its coffee shops and eclectic shopping.

To Pauline and Anna this was something to saviour, a task to be sipped, not gulped, in short we were to visit every shop in town and there were a lot of shops. All joking aside, the experience was a pleasure for us all and after quite a few purchases we adjourned once more for lunch.

 Berry Tea Shop..a favourite, even when they forgot to pack the teapot handle. Note the bunting, it was hard to find in London for their wedding, but here it was in abundance.

And so, after being abandoned by Ben and Anna, who set off back to Sydney, we had another little look around and headed back to our little cabin. Unaware of what might happen when, after our abandonment, we were left to our own devices.

As a law abiding citizen I agree that responsible driving is a cornerstone of society. The enforcement of this though is open to question. 59 kms in a 50 kms zone does not warrant, in my opinion a $93 dollar fine with a point on Ben's license. If I could take the rap I would, yes I was guilty, of that there is not shadow of doubt, but the means by which they entrapped me was excessive to say the least.

                                                 

                                                      

 I didn't come easy and they were mob handed !!

Another day drew to a close, a quiet night in with a nice meal and a bottle of wine. Tomorrow we were let loose alone and unsupervised on the population of Jervis Bay. What would happen was anyone's guess, but interaction did occur and it was to be an enjoyable experience.

Bottlenose, Boats and Big Rays

01/04/2012



After a good nights sleep in our little seaside cottage we were again blessed with beautiful weather. The Gods had been kind to us since we had arrived. As everyone knows, when the sun shines everything seems so much more alive. Hyams Beach certainly had that feel on this sunny morning.

Our plan today was to drive into Huskisson and dolphin watch. We had booked this on the previous day and were excited at the prospect of seeing the resident pod of bottlenosed dolphins, which inhabit Jervis Bay.

 

The intensive sun had force me to purchase a baseball cap. What a bargain $5.00, about £3.20, a great buy!

We elected to sit on the top deck and take in the view as we left the jetty and motored out into the bay.

  before long we were alerted to the pod of Dolphins.!!!

Seeing these creatures in their natural state and environment really brought it home to us that marine parks only restrain these tremendous creatures. The pod followed the boat for over 30 minutes riding the bow wave and we saw a least two calves, with their mothers in close attendance, interacting with the wake made by the boats propellers. The experience will stay with me forever. It was so much more than I had expected and was good value for money.

Once on dry land we were faced with the ever present problem of Ben needing to eat. I had forgotten how much food this machine could eat. We made do with a light lunch and headed for a beach about 10 miles away at the other end of the bay. Ben had researched Murray's Beach and had declared this was the place to snorkel. We arrived, as ever, in the beach car park, after encountering at the side of the road two Grey Kangaroos.

Wild life just at the side of the road!

The beach was magnificent and provided a lighthearted highlight to the holiday, namely someone, who after encountering a large sea creature " babbed" his swimming trunks and exited the water at a rate of knots not even an Olympic swimmer could match.

 " It was a least a twelve foot Stingray and you know what happened to Steve Irwin" spluttered Ben. Pauline was all sympathetic, Anna disgusted at this lack of toughness. I  just shook my head and muttered  " wouldn't have lasted two minutes down the pit." 

Just as we were leaving a Wallaby just hopped out of the undergrowth and sat there chewing some grass. The wild life again astounding .

We returned home to our little cottages singing the praises of this part of Australia, but more was to come that evening. We had booked a table at the Stonegrill, a restaurant where you cooked your own meal on hot stones. Weird, but wonderful, and Anna cooked her veggie dish also on the hot stones ...a great meal, with much laughter.

On the drive back we pulled over and witnessed a wonderful sight, the Milky Way in all its glory. The dark clear sky was perfect for viewing this natural event, now sadly missing from our light polluted sky's back home.

Another perfect end to a perfect day.