Linda & Robb's Australia Adventure

2003-05-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

2003-05-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Australia! We are back now for 4 days and are finally getting over the jet lag. We saw beautiful cities and stark terrain. We saw beach, desert and jungle. Wherever we went people were nice and accomodating. We will never forget our time there and will be forever grateful to our hosts Rachael & Henry. I will post a few photos over the next 2 days then take the site down in 2 weeks. If, for some reason, you want a cd of the photos, please email me at rgordon@poochess.com.

2003-05-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

We left Brisbane on Monday morning. We drove north on the Bruce Highway, a modern expressway. We exited the highway and made our way to the Glass House Mountains, and the town of Maleny. This is known as the Sunshine Coast Hinterlands. The formations are striking and the views awesome. After leaving Maleny, we made our way down a steep mountain road, without guardrails in some critical places. The sights were breathtaking but a bit nerve-wracking.

We meandered to the coast and drive north to Noosa Heads. Noosa Heads is about 130KM north of Brisbane, but we added about 50KM on our "scenic route". We drove up and down Hastings Street, and finally located the Sheraton. We went to the entrance on the next street and checked in. The poolside suite was dark and mildewy, so Linda talked us into a newly renovated room on the top floor. The views of the Noosa River and the sunset were breathtaking.

Hastings Street is the main street in Noosa. On the north side of Hastings Street, behind the shops, lays the beach. Due to the shape of the headlands a natural cove is formed with a north-facing beach to the Pacific. The sand is some of the softest and whitest we have ever seen, exceeded only by Fraser Island. Also, due to the relative serenity of the waters, the fish and their predators seem to ignore this particular piece of ocean, so the swimming is good.

The week we were in Noosa was the week after the school holiday, so it was not crowded there. The weather was perfect except for Friday, which was rainy. The highs were in the upper 70’s and the lows in the upper 50’s. Noosa is rather different from the honky tonk of Cairns and Surfers Paradise. The shops are elegant and the whole place has the air of high class.

When we checked in, we discovered that we were sharing the Hotel with a group of older bridge players on an organized holiday. We joined them for a session of duplicate on Wednesday night. On Thursday, we arose early for a one-day Land Cruiser tour of Fraser Island. We shared the Land Cruiser with 2 other couples and the driver/guide. The trip was made mostly up the sand beach from Noosa to Rainbow Beach, then by ferry to Fraser Island. We drove up the beach a bit, then inland to a beautiful rainforest which we hiked through.

We got back in the Land Cruiser for a short ride to Lake Mackenzie, which was the most beautiful, pristine beach we have ever seen. Fraser Island is the world’s largest sand island, and a world heritage site. I encourage you to check it out on the web.

I will write more of Noosa and Fraser in a couple of days when we are back in the US and I will add photos at that time.

Robb

2003-05-04T21:38:00.000-07:00

2003-04-27T14:27:00.000-07:00

Observation Deck

The Sheas

The Swans

2003-04-27T14:24:00.001-07:00

2003-04-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

Crew Members of the Great South Pacific Express

2003-04-27T14:23:00.000-07:00

We are in Brisbane after a 3 night journey on the Great South Pacific Express. The journey started when we left our baggage at the base station at Caravonica Lakes. We then rode on a skytram through the Kuranda Rainforest. The sights and smells were dazzling. We spent an hour or so in the village of Kuranda, an Aborigine town that is pretty touristy. Then we met at the little train station there for Champagne and boarding.

The first thing I noticed is that the train is bigger than I expected. There were 11 passenger cars with 42 suites. There were 2 dining cars, 1 lounge car, 1 kitchen car, 2 staff cars, and one observation car. Also, of course, the engine, and the power car. We had 62 passengers. I would estimate that there were 8 Americans, 7 Australians, 2 English, 2 Scottish, 9 French, and 33 Japanese.

Most of the Japanese were friends from Osaka. Few of them spoke English, and they mostly stayed together, but they were very nice and friendly. There was a Japanese couple from Tokyo on their honeymoon. There was a couple from Boston, a couple from Connecticut, and a couple from the Bay area.

We were particularly friendly with the Sheas of Boston and the Swans from Sydney. The Swans were encouraging us to move to Sydney, and I am sorely tempted.

As for the train itself, this was the most luxurious experience Linda & I have ever had. Our cabin steward attended to our every need, and the staff as a whole were superb. The train was appointed in rich wood, brocades, and brass. There was a pianist/vocalist and saxaphone player in the evenings. The meals were gourmet. The wine list was excellent. It is hard to describe through facts such as these the whole experience.

The train stopped in a little town on Thursday for a pub barbecue lunch. We were supposed to stop and fly out to the Reef on Friday but weather prevented, so we did an overflight of the Whitsunday Islands and the inner reef, then went to a resort for swimming and sunning.

We have cancelled the 3 days on Fraser Island due to weather, and are heading to Noosa after 2 nights in Brisbane. We hope we can make a day trip to Fraser if the weather improves.

Brisbane is much more than I expected. A booming city of 1 million people, and skyscrapers are sprouting up all over the hilly CBD (Central Business District). There are lots of restaurants and shops, and the area is vibrant.

2003-04-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

From the Rainforest at Cavornica Lakes

2003-04-26T04:27:00.000-07:00

Here is the first installment of pictures from our last week.

View of Cairns from hotel

Kuranda Rainforest Skyrail 1

Skyrail 2

Rainforest 1

Rainforest 2

Waterfall

El Arish Pub

Honeymooners

2003-04-22T17:14:00.000-07:00

Since there are but 2 weeks left on our adventure, I think it is time to give some impressions.

These are not in any particular order.

Australians are fat. It is near impossible to find a place where there are more fat people than Americans, but this is it. They are, unlike Americans, NOT self-conscious about it.

Australians serve salad differently. Unless you specify that you want your salad first, it is likely to show up on a plate with your main course, which leads to

Australians describe their courses differently. Our appetizer is their entrée. Our entrée is their Main.

Australians pronounce things differently. I am not talking about their accent (actually, we are the ones with accents here). They pronounce the last “t” in fillet, with emphasis on the first syllable. “ fil-lett”.

Australians use words that we use differently. To “shout” something is to buy it for somebody. “I’ll shout you a beer,” means I will buy you a beer. To “punt” means to wager or gamble or take a guess.

Australians are civilized about wine. Their restaurants, on the whole, do not mark up wine like we do, and there is a lot of decent wine on their lists for less than AU$50. They almost universally allow BYO and the corkage is usually less than AU$10. They have a wide range of wines by the glass.

On the other hand, imported wine is uncommon in Australia, except for Champagne. I have yet to see a single bottle of American wine here, and last time I think I only saw a Mondavi Cabernet. French and Italian wine is somewhat more common, but mostly lower end stuff. Now, they have lots of great wine, but I would certainly miss the variety if I lived here.

Service here is SLOW. It is not bad per se, it is just that they seem to be used to eating slower. It can be excruciating for an American, particularly a New Yorker.

Australians seem to think words like “home” have two syllables.

Australians seem to be more conscientious about their streets and sidewalks being clean. On the other hand, graffiti has reared its ugly head here.

Australians have become litigious. It is difficult to get some restaurants to allow you to take your unfinished food with you because they may have been sued by somebody who claimed food poisoning after doing so. BTW, they have “take-away” not “take-out”. For you budget minded, they have ‘lay-by”, not “lay-away”.

Australians use the term “suburb” differently. It is more akin to what we would call a “neighborhood”.

Australians love Americans, but are often concerned that their patriotism is beyond rational and about their occasional arrogance, both as a nation and as tourists. Looking at things from over here, I think they have a point.

Australians are great and loyal fighters, and will be remembering their veterans April 25th, “Anzac Day”.

I have yet to see an Australian be unpleasant to a stranger.

There is some good food here, but if that is the focus of your trip you will be disappointed. The best things here are the produce (fresh fruit and veggies year round of excellent quality), the fish (particularly Barramundi, Coral Trout, and John Dory, and the Lamb. They also have excellent cheeses.

The most disappointing foods are the crustaceans such as “Bugs” and “Yabbis”, which have the general flavor and texture of Lobster but not the sweetness or complexity, and the beef, which is generally less flavorful and slightly chewier than ours, but much better than Europe.

I will write next on Sunday.

2003-04-22T00:15:00.000-07:00

We arrived yesterday afternoon in tropical Cairns. Drinks with little umbrellas, laying by the pool, sun...no rain! It has rained 90% of the time since we arrived. We went to the movies today. We pray that the weather is better down the coast. No pictures at the moment for obvious reasons.

2003-04-20T05:45:00.000-07:00

We have spent 4 days in Canberra. The Folk Festival was great and well organized. I realized I didn't like the folk "scene" as much as I used to, although it was a bit nostalgic. On a different part of the exhibition grounds a dog show was being held. Of course, we popped in and made the acquaintance of Mary Anne Silvester and her herd of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Linda is pictured below with Mary Anne's Blenheim Scandal.

On Saturday evening, we were joined for dinner by Margaret and Tim Bourke. The Bourkes are well known players in Australia, and Tim is one of the world's foremost Bridge Scholars. After an enjoyable dinner, the Bourkes were kind enough to chauffer us around the sights of Canberra.

The photo of Linda is in front of our hotel. The Hotel Canberra was built in the early 1920's to house members of Parliament while in Canberra. Remember that there was no city, no hotels. The city of Canberra was created in the 1920's from whole cloth, much as our Washington was created 120 years earlier.

The city is really beautiful, with gardens, parks, and fountains. Australia should rightly be proud of it.

2003-04-20T05:35:00.000-07:00

Dinner with the Bourkes

Scandal Pooch

2003-04-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, we headed down to the Mornington Peninsula to visit wineries. Victoria has several viticultural areas. Mornington is one of the less well known areas, but we tasted some nice wines. The area looks much different from Barossa, which could be Napa 30 years ago. Mornington is more old-world, like Tuscany, perhaps. We had lunch at the winery in the photo. It is quite common for Victoria wineries to have their own restaurants, and they are of a high standard.

Wednesday, we went to a Seder for about 30 people, hosted by Rachel's daughter's in-laws, for extended family, and a couple of Yank wanderers. While the Seder was casual, there was more Hebrew and more song than we are used to. It was a warm evening which we thoroughly enjoyed.

On Thursday, we headed for Canberra and the National Folk Festival. I posted a sample picture here, but we will get more festival and Canberra pictures up shortly.

We were most impressed with Canberra. It is about 250 miles southwest of Sydney, but the climate is much cooler. It is a planned city that began life about 1919. It is designed with many circles and spokes, and is quite beautiful. If Washington had been built 100 years later, it might have looked like this.

About Easter Weekend in Australia. Everything is closed Good Friday. Almost everything is closed on Easter Sunday. For good measure, a few things stay closed on Monday!

We are here primarily for the National Folk Festival, at the exhibition grounds. This 4 1/2 day festival features 227 different performers on the schedule plus myriad "blackboard" performers at the smaller venues. It is a small city unto itself. As for the music, the standard is quite high, though, as you would expect, not everything is to our liking.

2003-04-18T14:36:00.001-07:00

Mornington Winery

2003-04-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

Folk Festival

2003-04-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

We are back in Melbourne from Sydney and the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains are very close to Sydney, starting about an hour west of the city. The scenery is beautiful, but the towns are a tad seedy, having seen better days. The weather was cool and overcast. We had a restful time and saw many beautiful nature sights.

Those of you trying to contact me by email should use robbg@yahoo.com for the duration of my trip. I am having problems with filtering on my regular address and much email is not getting through.

Happy Passover to our Jewish friends and Happy Easter to our Christian friends!

2003-04-14T16:02:00.000-07:00

The Three Sisters is the focal point of Blue Mountains sightseeing. The dramatic formations are reminiscent of the American West.

2003-04-14T15:58:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn Neighbors.

We meet landsmen everywhere. We were at the Echo Point lookout where Linda espied two neighbors from Brooklyn the Cantors. We didn't actually know them but the Brooklyn Cyclones is not exactly a common logo. We are planning to attend a game together back in the states.

2003-04-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

Blue Mountains - Red Cliffs

2003-04-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

Evans Lookout

2003-04-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

We just had two wonderful nights with our new friends Kate & Joe Glass. Kate is the sister of Henry's best friend Andrew. Kate and Joe live in Sydney, but had occasion to stay in Melbourne with Henry and Rachel when we were there. We mentioned that we were coming to Sydney and we arranged to get together. Linda started to ask if they know the Sternbergs. I tried to stop her telling her that there were over 5 Million people in Sydney. So of course it turned out that Joe and Peter Sternberg had been friendly 30 years ago! We were all together for a fabulous meal prepared by Geraldine Sternberg. Now, how do we know Peter and Geraldine? Peter is the first cousin of our friend Peter Berglas in New York. We met Geraldine at the wedding of Alice & Peter Berglas' daughter last October, where she proceeded to invite us for dinner. Also part of the evening was Jake, Geraldine and Peter's Border Collie, a wonderful pooch. Is it a small world or what!

The previous evening, we dined with Kate and Joe at the world famous Doyle's Seafood in Watson's Bay. The food was OK, but the view was spectacular. We are most grateful to Kate, Joe, Geraldine and Peter for making us feel at home.

This afternoon, I went over to my friend Max's place of business and observed him trading ASX options, which was quite interesting. Afterward, Max took me to a wonderful lunch at Prime, a downtown Steak House. Later I met with Angus Richards of the ASX (Australia Stock Exchange) to swap war stories.

Tomorrow we are off to the Blue Mountains, so there will probably be no more postings till sometime Monday.

2003-04-10T07:57:00.001-07:00

Linda and Kate with Jake

2003-04-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

Joe Robb and Linda at Doyles

2003-04-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

Dinner at the Sternbergs

2003-04-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

Joe and Linda at Doyles

2003-04-09T15:43:00.000-07:00

We went to the Wednesday matinee of a new production of Hair.

It was at a beautifully restored theater, The Capitol, in the Haymarket area.Capitol Theatre

The production was wonderful, and nostalgic for both of us, as we had both seen the original.

2003-04-08T05:23:00.000-07:00

Don't look for any Opera House or Bridge pictures here. I wore out the camera with them last time. We did our own walking tour of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Hyde Park today. It was quite lovely and delicious smelling, even though there is very little blooming in Autumn. They are able to have an incredible variety of plantlife outdoors due to the moderate, slightly humid climate.

The top photo shows a building that housed Sydney Convicts in the early 19th Century. The Sandstone is typical of empire construction. They are restoring the old buildings which include Parliament, the Mint, the library, the hospital, and other buildings.

The sacks in the tree in the second photo are actually sleeping bats! This is the mating season for this variety and they are plentiful and active in the Garden.

The bird is a wild sea bird called the Sacred Ibis. Usually shy, they are pretty domesticated in the garden. Here you see one scavenging a table in the cafe.

Max and I traded together on the Amex. We became friendly and he moved to Chicago to trade bonds. Unfortunately, Max fell ill and returned home to Australia. He recovered nicely as you see here and is trading in Sydney. We enjoyed a nice dinner and catch-up this evening.

Finally, here I am, auditioning for the role of Statue Allegory in Hyde Park.

2003-04-08T05:12:00.000-07:00

Sydney Convict Barracks

Sleeping Bats

Sacred Ibis

Botanical Garden - Sydney

My Friend Max

Hyde Park - Sydney

Haunted Tree in Royal Botanical Garden

2003-04-06T23:55:00.000-07:00

Sydney, NSW - Arrived in Sydney today by Virgin Blue, a Richard Branson airline. It is only about an hour from Melbourne by air. Virgin Blue is all coach, brand new 737-700 and 737-800 aircraft. They sell snacks and drinks, nothing free. We are now ensconced in our suite at the newly redecorated Sydney Harbour Marriott (changed from Rennaissance 2 weeks ago). We took the airport train in from the airport. It cost $11AU and about 15 minutes, a real pleasure.

2003-04-06T23:45:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the promised photos:

12 Apostles Great Ocean Road
One of Australia's scenic wonders, the 12 Apostles are rock formations in the water east of Port Fairy. They are quite striking.

Henry on the boardwalk

Robb on the Ocean Road

barossa
This was basically the view from our room. Looks a lot like Napa.

South Australia Scrub
When driving east out of the Barossa, there is an area about 20 miles long that looks like the surface of the moon, with barren sand and rock. It is common in Australia but unusual in this region.

2003-04-05T17:15:00.000-08:00

We spent Friday exploring Barossa wineries on a beautiful day. We visited Peter Lehman, Penfold, St. Hallet, Grant Burge and others. I did the driving. Hard to look left into the rear view mirror!

The drive back Saturday was a grueling 10 hour affair. The road was good, but mostly 2 lanes total. There are not services as we expect them. No Holiday Inns, few McDonalds. The food on the highway is generally excreable. McDonalds would be a major uptick. Arrived back in Melbourne about 8PM. We ate at a Thai place and off to bed. Right now it is Sunday morning and Kansas is killing Marquette on ESPN. Can't help but think that we are probably 2 out of about 200 people in Australia that care about the NCAA Final Four. Also can't help but think that outside the coastal cities, Australia is pretty undeveloped and scary. Barossa pictures tomorrow.

2003-04-03T04:26:00.000-08:00

I won't be posting any photos untill next week as I am on a slow connection. The last photos I posted were posted as links so the page would load faster for you. You should be able to see them by clicking on the captions. Email me if this is not working.

Meanwhile - Barossa Valley, SA - We have just arrived at our Barossa Valley destination after a 2 day drive. We took the scenic route via the Great Ocean Road from Geelong to Port Fairy. Port Fairy is a lovely old town, probably once a whaling village, now a resort. We stayed at a lovely B & B. Today we drove inland through terrain that varied from verdant to lunar. We stopped in Coonawarra and Padthaway, two smaller wine producing regions where we tasted at the "cellar doors". Tomorrow, we are going to explore the wineries of the Barossa. Our friends have to return to Melbourne Saturday, and we are deciding whether to go back with them or to continue to Adelaide for a day. We are inclined to the latter.

2003-03-30T15:45:00.000-08:00

S.Melbourne Market

Southbank

2003-03-30T15:42:00.000-08:00

Flinders Station Tower

2003-03-30T13:38:00.000-08:00

We went to Henry's shop today (Sunday). We went across the street to the South Melbourne Market, which had meats, seafoods, cheese and fruits in a mishmash with flea market style vendors. The smells and sounds were great and we made a few purchases. We then went to Southbank, downtown along the Yarra River where there is a beautiful esplanade where the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival is domiciled. Unfortunately, it was "coffee day" where every conceivable coffee vendor, along with espresso makers and all other coffee paraphernalia was displayed. No food OR wine today, sorry.

In the evening we went to Cinema with Rachel and Henry. This was a multiplex, but the luxury was astounding. For admission of about 8.50 US you got a first run movie (we saw the Emperors' Club) a wide plush seat, carpeted floors, immaculately clean. We understand that for about $20 US you get your own couch to recline on and a waiter (sorry, I would fall asleep!). They have several theaters in the complex devoted to foreign language and independent film. It was wonderful!

2003-03-28T04:37:00.000-08:00

Windflower.

I never fail to have the feeling of being in a slightly different dimension in Australia, whether it is the night sky or flora like this Windflower that is so familiar, yet totally strange.

2003-03-28T04:35:00.000-08:00

Henry and Rachael were out of town for a function. They arranged for us to have Shabbat dinner with George and Judy at their lovely home. George is the President of the Victoria Bridge Association and he and Judy are quite competitive, in fact they are about to play a crucial k/o match AGAINST each other!

2003-03-26T18:03:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Melbourne a few minutes behind schedule. Miraculously, our luggage also arrived. Our friend Henry was there to pick us up. We drove through Melbourne on the way to the Sawickis' home in Elsternwick, a suburb east of downtown. It is amazing to see all the development in 2 short years. The recession so familiar to many of us has not seemed to touch Australia, which is in the midst of a real boom. Our flights were fine. The airports are disturbingly quiet and our Qantas 747 was probably half full. If you have the stomach to travel, this is the time to do it. Service is attentive, and there is lots of room.

Cary and Judy were great. It was good to finally see the BMW 750 I had heard so much about. It is lovely and a real collectors' item.

2003-03-25T08:48:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, March 25th, 11:43 AM EST - We are rushing around the apartment, finalizing packing for our 1PM pickup. We have a 3:30 flight to LAX, where we hope to see my brother Cary during the 4 hour layover before embarking on our 15+ hour journey to Melbourne.