From Dexter to Tassie to Melbourne

I left you all hanging upon my return from New Zealand, which seems like ages ago at this point! Let’s dive right in then, shall we?

I returned from New Zealand, spent a day in Sydney (couldn’t make my flights work on the same day) and then flew up to Alice Springs, for some much needed relaxation up in the outback before my big journey around the country. There isn’t a whole lot to report on for those 5 days. I got into Dexter though, which I’m sure makes my father very proud. Watched it on a brand new 8-foot long projector screen too. I had initially though that the concept of an 8 foot television was excessive, but turns out I was wrong. It’s pretty awesome. So I watched a lot of giant Dexter, played a few games of scrabble, and even worked as a kitchen hand one night! That’s probably the closest I’ll ever come to being a chef in a restaurant. I mostly washed dishes and prepared plates for the food. I had no idea there was so much to be washed in the kitchen. I’d spent hours in that kitchen over the course of my working time at Glen Helen, but half the crap I was washing up I’d never even seen before - all sorts of odd contraptions and 87 different pans used for who knows what. So the next time you eat out, take a moment and think about ALL the dishes that went into making your food become a reality. It’s a lot of stuff.

I have to comment here on flying domestic within Australia. I don’t think I’ve mentioned what a pleasure it is, although at times the lack of security makes me (who is used to American standards) a bit uneasy. In Australia and New Zealand, if you use a self-check in computer, then nobody checks your ID. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten on an airplane in this part of the world and never once had to take a photo ID out. You can also take liquids as carry on items! Remember those days? I had a bottle of rum in my backpack, and on I went through security. You can also still go up to the gate even if you don’t have a ticket. When did we stop that in the United States? Like 20 years ago maybe? So my companions who went with me into town to se me off in Alice hung out with me by the gate, and I said farewell at the gate with the “last call for the flight to Sydney” announcement in the background. Sort of like something out of a movie. But onward I went!

I treated myself to a night at a fancy hotel when I got back to Sydney – that American Express Starwood credit card was an amazing decision in retrospect. King-sized bed in an actual hotel, as opposed to a shared dorm with bunks, which is my usual form of accommodation. The next morning I was at the immigration office bright and early at 9 am, and 25 minutes and $290 later, I was granted permission to stay in Australia 25 days past my work visa expiry date. Thanks guys!

I stayed with my friend Julie in Newtown (near where I lived in Enmore last July-early November) for the next couple of nights. She had a spare room, so I had my own bedroom! I was very grateful for the place to crash and it was so nice to hang out with her for a bit. My time at her house was also significant because I came across the scariest dog I’ve encountered yet in Australia at her house. It hated me, and growled and barked every time I was even close. I actually started to get a bit uneasy around it. I can’t remember the last time I was afraid of a dog. Here’s a picture of Loki:

Yeah. That giant marshmallow had me shaking in my boots. I’m still determined to win the dog over though. I might bring it back some souvenir dog treats or something in an effort to buy its affection.

The first day of my backpacking journey around Australia was May 5^th. I had breakfast with Julie in Newtown, and then took the train to the airport for my flight to Hobart, Tasmania. I shall return to Sydney on July 24^th. Until then it’s just me and whatever I was able to cram into Stewart, my 70-liter backpack.

I got to Tasmania in the late afternoon, and my tour bus picked me up the following morning for a 5-day whirlwind tour around the state. I already had my first mishap with Stewart that first morning. I thought a little staircase was a flat landing and went for a bit of a tumble. Falling down 3 stairs isn’t a huge deal, but with a 40-pound enormous backpack on your back, a 20-pound smaller one on your front, and a 5-pound food bag (currently filled with extra shoes and washing powder) in one hand, falling down 3 stairs is a bit dangerous. I landed luckily though, and just slightly bruised my knee. That was a good reminder though to be super careful when covered from head to toe in bags.

Anyway, moving on from my spastic-ness, my Tasmania tour was with a small group backpacker-geared company called Under Down Under. For those of you who don’t know where Tasmania is, it’s an island state of Australia underneath the mainland. About an hour flight from Melbourne, and an hour and a half from Sydney. It was a mid-sized van, and there were 13 of us, all about early to mid-20s. We did a TON of sightseeing each day, and while I could bore you to death with detailed descriptions of everything, I’ll just put up a few pictures of some of my favorites and a little description. That sound OK with everyone?

Here’s a photo from Mt. Field National Park. This was actually the first stop we made. We did a bit of a hike through the forest. Tasmania is really awesome in that it doesn’t feel anything at all like mainland Australia. The landscape and the plant life and the overall vibe is just incredibly different. It actually felt a bit at times like I was back in New Zealand, with all the ferns and chilly weather.

This is Queenstown. Queenstown in New Zealand is a world famous adventure destination, on the shores of a gorgeous lake with a mountain range called the remarkables in the background. Queenstown, Tasmania is an old mining town with no shrubbery or trees or grasses in the surrounding area because the mining back in the day produced acid rain which killed everything. Driving up to Queenstown kind of felt like driving through a lunar landscape. Here’s a photo of the little town. It was an odd place. I watched these kids ride around on their bikes through their misty old mining village, and tried to imagine what it could possibly be like growing up there.

This is a photo of me hiking in Cradle Mountain National Park, in Cradle Valley. We did a group hike up to Marion’s Lookout. I don’t know how high it was, but my heart was racing for about 10 minutes after we finally reached the summit, and my calf muscles were sore the next day. So it was pretty friggin high up. Unfortunately I didn’t actually see Cradle Mountain, as we weren’t blessed with great weather, but we still were able to take in some amazing views, so I can’t complain.

Towards the end of that same hike, I saw my first wild wombat!

This is a picture of Cataract Gorge, just outside the center of Launceston, which is Tasmania’s second largest city after Hobart. It was really pretty – it reminded me quite a bit of the gorges up in Ithaca.

This next one was taken at the Bay of Fires. It’s an amazing beach, the water is so clear and takes on that Caribbean shade of blue! I didn’t go swimming (keep in mind we’re heading into winter down here…) but just hanging out on the beach was pretty entertaining unto itself.

This is from the last long hike that we did, in Freycinet National Park. We hiked up over a little mountain and then back down the other side to get to Wineglass Bay, which is what this photo is. Again, a bit nippy for swimming, but the scenery was so spectacular that I was sufficiently amused.

Devils! What trip to Tasmania would be complete without seeing some Tasmanian devils? I’d seen them before in zoos in Sydney, but it was much more satisfying to see them in a zoo in Tasmania J They’re in trouble though out in the wild. There’s some sort of fast-growing cancer that spreads on contact that’s killing them off. It’s very sad. No one’s sure what’s causing it yet, or how to stop it. The two devils pictured here are sisters. They were in the middle of a hell of an argument when we walked up to their enclosure.

So those are some of the highlights of my trip to Tasmania! It’s a beautiful place. I think I’m going to add walking the Overland Track to my bucket list of things to do before I die. The track is in Cradle Mountain – Lake St. Clair National park, and the little walk that we did up to Marion’s lookout was one of the routes you can take to get to the starting point of it. One day I shall return! When my fitness level is a bit higher that is, so I can handle it….

So I bid Tassie adieu and headed off on the next leg of my journey: Melbourne! Australia’s other big city, which I had not yet been to. It was about an hour flight from Hobart, but the flight took off at 6:05 am, so that was a bit difficult for me. I got to my hostel nice and early, well before check-in time, so I used the time to catch up with my emails and whatnot. The hostel itself is awesome. This place is like the Ritz Carlton of the YHA hostel network. I wish every hostel I stayed in was as sexy as this one! Plus it’s a drop outside the city center on a nice, quiet and leafy street, which means it’s not a magnet for the grungy, party backpacker crowd. I like to avoid them as often as possible.

Once I was able to check in and put my things in my room, I headed off into the city to run an errand and check out Chinatown for dinner. It’s commonly said that Melbourne is the most European of Australia’s cities, and I’d have to agree wholeheartedly with that. I’m sort of glad I ended up plopping myself down in Sydney when I first got here though. Sydney felt like Australia, just the urban part. Melbourne doesn’t feel like Oz at all! It’s like being in some random European town. There are tree lined boulevards, horse-drawn carriages in the streets, trams everywhere, lots of historic buildings, a river running through the middle of town and chilly gray weather. It seems out of place when I pass a souvenir shop and they are selling koala and kangaroo merchandise. It’s a fantastic city though, really unique and charming. They even have a free tour bus! Every city has them, the giant overpriced hop-on, hop-off busses designed to shuttle tourists around the city’s main attractions. But the bus in Melbourne is free! Amazing stuff! There’s also a free tram. It’s an old tram first used in the city back in the 1930s, and it circles around the downtown area, providing commentary and useful information about what attractions are near what stops. I was beyond impressed. Melbourne sure does take very good care of their tourists! Here’s a few random photos that I’ve taken:

This one below is the Shrine of Remembrance, a memorial for fallen soldiers near the city’s Botanical Gardens:

A view of one side of Melbourne over the Yarra River:

A tram in front of one of the historic buildings:

The Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia’s largest stadium, with a seating capacity of 100,000:

Federation Square and St. Patrick’s Cathedral:

The historic Flinders Street Station:

I also treated myself to food in Melbourne. For the most part, when the tours aren’t feeding me I’m keeping it as simple as possible. My next 2 dinners that I’m preparing for myself consist of instant noodles and a peanut butter sandwich on night 1, and a can of beans on night 2. Yeah. A can of beans. But in Melbourne I ate! I tried two restaurants in Chinatown for their xiao long bao soup dumplings, and tonight I headed over to Little Italy for some Italian food. I also checked out the Queen Victoria Markets yesterday morning, and got a bushel of grapes for a buck and some famous King Island cheese for a mid-day snack. It’s nice to eat well! Melbourne is the last stop on my itinerary though that’s really known for its gastronomical indulgences. Until Europe, when I shall splurge again, it’s going to be a heck of a lot of instant noodles, peanut butter sandwiches, and beans.

So my time at Glen Helen was wonderful, Tasmania was stunning, and Melbourne was impressive. What’s next? I’m travelling to Adelaide tomorrow morning via the Great Ocean road, stopping at Grampians National Park, and then heading over to Kangaroo Island, which is supposedly one of the best places in Australia to spot a koala in the wild. Stay tuned!!!