Los Angeles Without A Map

My final stopping point was Los Angeles, where I arrived on Thursday in a day which actually lasted about 40 hours due to all the time zone changes. By the time I arrived, I was totally confused but it didn't stop me joining a group going from my hostel to the baseball game at Dodgers Stadium, LA Dodgers vs Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers lost, and I'm not convinced baseball is a sport I'm going to develop an interest in, but there was a good atmosphere, the Dodger Dogs (giant hot dogs) were great and we got to sing Take me Out to the Ball Game at the Seventh Innings Stretch (an old baseball tradition).

On Friday night, I had a crazy tour of some of Los Angeles' most famous sites with Monica, a old college friend of my friend Carolyn. We met for drinks at the Beverley Wilshire Hotel in Beverley Hills, which is at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Drive (I didn't buy anything...). Later, we drove past some of the more ostentatious of the Beverley Hills mansions, then along Sunset Boulevard as well as up into the Hollywood hills right up close to the Hollywood sign.

We then went to Hollywood Boulevard (where we saw a film crew in action!) to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame (all the stars in the pavement), the Kodak Theatre (where the Oscars are held) and Grauman's Chinese Theatre - to see the handprints and footprints of Hollywood's most famous stars - this is me with Harrison Ford! We finished up with a drove up to UCLA then back down to Santa Monica... for a very late finish to the LA experience.

I stayed down by the beach in Santa Monica, which is famous for its pier, beach and creative design and shopping.... a fun place to explore for a couple of days.

And there was just time for one last west coast sunset, this photo taken in Santa Monica on Saturday night.

And now I'm home!

Hopping around on Kangaroo Island

The last stop of my whistle-stop visit to Australia was Kangaroo Island - around 3 hours by coach and ferry from Adelaide. Much of the island is natural landscape and national parkland, so there is loads of interesting wildlife to see, as well as amazing scenery particularly along the rugged coast.

I stayed in the little town of Pennenshaw, where the ferry comes in. My exploration took me all around the island. Our first stop was Seal Bay, where there is a colony of Australian Sealions (not seals at all). It was great to walk along the beach, keeping at least 15metres from the sealions, and watch them at rest and play - the younger sealions quite enjoy surfing too, although they are generally pretty lazy on the beach!

After lunch, we stopped off to see some Australian birds of prey and this is a photo of me and my new friend Abby, the Barking Owl. The man in charge (and in the picture) is Dave Irwin, nephew of famous Aussie Adventurer Steve Irwin. We also saw falcons, eagles and kookaburras.

From there, we travelled to the Flinders Chase National Park, which suffered dramatic damage during an 8-day bush fire back in December. Much of the natural bush was destroyed, although we could see the re-growth starting already.
We went first to the Remarkables - a rock formation on the southern side of the island. I think this rock looks like Professor Yaffle from Bagpuss. Remarkable is just about the right word.






From there, we travelled on to Admiral's Arch, another spectacular rock formation and also home to a colony of fur seals - these guys are a lot more active than the sealions and love to play.

On our way back, we spied lots of the kangaroos for which the island is named, hopping across the bush. There was also an amazing sunset and a spectacular moon rise too - sorry, not able to capture those on camera, but they were incredible sights.

My last visit on Kangaroo Island was to the penguin colony, to see the little penguins as they returned home. Hopefully, you can make out the penguin in the photo - shooting without flash and very high film speed.

So that was Australia, next stop LA, before returning to the UK next Monday.

From Alice Springs to Jacob's Creek

I left Alice Springs on Thursday, travelling by the Ghan to Adelaide - 24 hours through the outback and described as one of the world's great train journeys. The train is named the Ghan in commemoration of the Afghan camel trains which used to supply the outback in the earliest times of the settlement. It certainly gave me a better understanding of the vastness of the Australian outback - when the sun set on Thursday evening, I was in the outback. And still in the dusty outback when the sun rose on Friday morning. The picture shows the desert sunset.

In Adelaide, I've been staying with some friends who used to live in London, Marlene and Brian. I've been getting some local knowledge on the best places to go in and around Adelaide. On Saturday, I wandered through Adelaide itself and visited museums, galleries and the Adelaide Oval (cricketing home of Don Bradman). I also made it down to Glenelg, which is Adelaide's beach location and where the early settlers first came ashore. A wonderful sunset spot.

On Sunday afternoon, we went for a rour of the Adelaide Hills and visisted places such as Hahndorf and Strathalbyn. On Monday, we drove up to the Barossa Valley, which is the home of South Australia's main vineyards and wine producers including Wolf Blass and, of course, Jacob's Creek - this is me sampling a very tasty chardonnay, unfortunately not yet available in the UK.

Outback Ballooning

I've always wanted to see the sunrise from a hot air balloon and this morning I did it.... only one word: "awesome". We set off at 5am - the night sky was amazing and we started with some star spotting: Southern Cross and Orion were visible and the milky way could clearly be seen, also Venus low on the low horizon.

Then it was time to get the balloon ready and climb aboard, so we would be floating as the sun come up. It was pretty windy this morning, so it was not an entirely smooth take-off but soon we were floating above the outback, kangaroo spotting and watching the sunrise. Once up off the ground, it was a pretty smooth flight - you don't feel how the strength of the wind once you are flying. Apart from the sound of the burners every now and then, it was incredibly peaceful and surprisingly quiet.

There was another balloon up with us this morning, and it was great to watch their progress across the sky ahead of us.

We flew for almost an hour and sadly it was soon time to come in to land. When there isn't much wind, the basket should come down pretty gently. Unfortunately, because it was windy, our landing wasn't quite so graceful. As you land, each person faces the centre of the basket, leans on the padded side of the basket and grips the rope on the other side of the basket tightly. We bounced a couple of times before coming to a stop, then the combination of the wind and the weight of the balloon, gently tipped the basket over and we were suddenly lying horizontal to the ground rather than standing - much less dramatic than it sounds - actually a lot of fun. We then had to crawl out one by one and the flight was over.

As is the custom with hot air ballooning, we celebrated our safe-landing with a champagne breakfast... if only every day started with a hot air balloon ride followed by a very tasty champagne, apple and guava juice cocktail. This is me and Christina enjoying our drinks - spot the matching Roots sweatshirts (iconic Canadian brand - Christina is from Toronto!).

I loved this experience - perhaps I'll get a hot air balloon for Christmas instead of a helicopter!!

Uluru Sunset

Probably the most recognized site in Australia, yesterday I went to Uluru (or Ayers Rock) and the Kata Tjuta national park. We travelled about 1,000kms in the day, to get to Uluru from Alice Springs and back - that's a lot of outback roads. At the park's cultural centre, we learnt about the many aboriginal stories associated with Uluru.

There are many amazing thing about Ayers Rock or Uluru - which is the aboriginal name. In particular, the way it dominates the skyline - once you see it, you can't take your eyes off it. I found myself twisting my head backwards and forwards every time the road twisted, just to keep it in sight. Another thing that struck me was the way it changed colour, depending on where the sun was and how close we were - bright orange to almost grey as the sun was setting - our trip to Uluru concluded with a sunset dinner from a perfect viewing spot - there must have been at least 500 people all watching from the same spot, all enjoying sparkling wine and a lovely dinner.

Another thing I also noticed about Uluru was the different detail in the rock surface - from a distance it looked smooth, as you get closer, you see all the crevices and strange patterns, including a honeycomb rock. This picture is said to the face of an aboriginal warrior.

We also visited the Olgas (another rock formation in the national park) and saw Mount Connor and the amazing salt flats which are found in this part of the outback (something to do with the remnants of an inland sea - any geologists out there?). I think i took something like 150 photos, so this is just a selection.

On the way back, we spotted an array of wildlife coming out to play in the dark, including lots of kangaroos like this one (which I actually saw at the Desert Park in Alice Springs on Saturday).

The West Macs

On Sunday, I travelled out from Alice Springs to tour through the West MacDonnels - west of Alice Springs unsurprisingly! This is a spectacular range of quartzite-topped hills which stand out sharply against the blue skies.

During the day, we visited places with a host of interesting names, including Standley's Chasm (this is the photo shown here), Simpson's Gap, Glen Helen Gorge, Ormiston Gorge, Ellery Creek Big Hole and Mount Sonder. It was a whistle-stop tour of the very varied desert landscape, which included several water holes - according to our guide, all of these are very low on water following a very dry period.

We also stopped off at some very colourful ochre pits - where historically aboriginal tribes collected the different colours of ochre for ceremonial uses and decoration.

Our last stop of the day was to see some rock wallabies - which are very cute indeed. Rock wallabies are usually spotted at Simpson's Gap, but we didn't see any there. Instead, our tour guide took us to another spot, where a colony of rock wallabies was discovered when a new tourist motel was being built. The wallabies just live in the rocks behind the cabins!

A Town Like Alice

No, not just a Town Like Alice, but Alice itself. I arrived in Alice Springs yesterday and it feels a world away from the coastal city of Melbourne - I'm really in the outback!

A Town Like Alice has always been one of my favourite books and I've wanted to visit Alice Springs as a result of reading it for as long as I can remember... I am experiencing the outback for the first time just as Jean Paget does in the story, although Alice now has KFC, McDonalds and KMart so it is not such an alien experience. However, it is much hotter here, temperatures reaching 36C today, there are lots of flies and the orange outback dust gets everywhere.

Today I have been exploring Alice itself, starting with walking up to the top of Anzac Hill for a view of the sprawling town and the West MacDonnel ranges in the background. I also visited the Royal Flying Doctors Base, for an insight into outback medical care, and looked a few of the original Alice buildings, dated back to the early settlements here in the 20s and 30s, lots of low, metal-roofed buildings. I also walked down to the Todd River - you'll see from the photo that it is pretty dry this time of year! Actually, the Todd River only has water in it for a few weeks every year.

I sheltered from the sun for much of the afternoon, and even managed a quick swim in the hostel pool - the hostel itself was converted from the original outdoor cinema in Alice.

Over the next few days, I will be visiting the West MacDonnel ranges, Uluru (Ayers Rock) and hopefully getting my hot air balloon flight at sunrise on Wednesday. Plus, lots more to explore in Alice.

PS If you've never read A Town Like Alice, read it! I have a copy with me, which I have just got back from someone else in the hostel - she read it in less than 24 hours and loved it too.

Prisoner Cell Block H

My last full day in Melbourne involved catching up on a few things I'd missed including a tour of the old Melbourne jail, where Ned Kelly was held before being hanged. The tour also included an insight into the ways of the Melbourne police, as we were "arrested" and taken through the charging process. The charge sergeant was a very scary woman indeed, reminiscent of the warders Prisoner Cell Block H (for those old enough to remember that Aussie TV classic). We were even taken through to the old holding cells, and locked in the dark for a few minutes.

I also managed to see Melbourne from the Yarra River, with a river cruise, another walk in the botanical gardens and a wander round the newly developed waterfront area, where I came across this interesting sculpture. Yes, it really is a cow upside down in a tree.

The Great Ocean Road - Part 2

The highlight of the second part of my Great Ocean Road tour was definitely my helicopter flight over Loch Ard Gorge and the 12 Apostles - rock formations which form part of the Shipwreck Coast (the western part of the road). Earlier in the day, we saw the 12 Apostles from the ground, but the view from the helicopter was just amazing. And the helicopter flight itself was pretty special - it was a small four-seater helicopter and I got the front seat next to the pilot. First advice from the pilot as we boarded - don't touch anything! It was quite an experience, I think I held my breath for most of it.

The first photo above shows Loch Ard Gorge, scene of a very famous shipwreck. The second photo shows some of the 12 Apostles - the rock formations on the coastline. There were 12 originally, but they have been collapsing into the ocean over the last few years and now there are only 7 (i think).

I have taken about 20 photos from the helicopter - these are just a couple to give you an idea of what is was like from the air.

During the day, we also got to see the Otway temperate rainforest, which was beautifully cool but with a few too many spiders' webs for my liking.

The Great Ocean Road - Part 1

The first part of my Great Ocean Road tour has brought me as far as Apollo Bay, where i am staying for a couple of nights by the ocean - beautiful here and the hostel has a roof terrace with great ocean views.

The first part of the trip brought us past lots of surfing beaches and also into some of the koala's natual habitat, where we spotted six koalas in the wild, sleeping and eating, which is pretty much all they do.

From there we travelled on the windy road next to the ocean as far as Apollo Bay. I climbed up to Mariners Lookout for some great ocean views before having a lovely walk along the beach. My tour continues again tomorrow, down to the Twelve Apostles and London Bridge.

Footy at the G

If you come to Melbourne, you have to go to see Footy at the G - that's Australian Rules Football at the MCG for the rest of us... everyone told me this so tonight i went to see footy at the G - the game was Essendon V Carlton - two local Melbourne teams, so the game had an extra edge to it.

I arrived at the G quite early so I could get a good seat - the bus driver from my coach trip on Friday said i needed to sit as close to the pitch as possible so i could smell the game as well as watch it! In the end, I sat about 20 rows back in the Southern Stand. I decided to support Essendon as they play in red (with black) and Carlton play in blue - can't support a team that plays in blue. I found a seat next to Essendon supporters - two grandmas who have been watching the games for years and years... they were excellent tutors in the AFL and also pointed out the most popular (or cute) players on each team - current favourite is full-forward Matthew Lloyd for Essendon!

There were nearly 65,000 at the G for the game - more than most football matches in the UK on a weekly basis and the atmosphere was fantastic. This being my first game, I don't have much to compare it with... however, i was told i was watching 'a real beauty' - high scoring, lots of incident, refereeing controversy. The final score was 150 - 134 in favour of my new team Essendon - I promised the women who explained the game to me that i would be an Essendon girl from now on! however, i'm not sure whether they'll be particularly successful. I may not know much about the game but neither side looked like they knew much about defending.

On Thursday, I also took a tour of the MCG, which was a great experience. This is a picture of me standing on the hallowed turf! The tour takes you behind the scenes of the stadium, into the dressing rooms, which house the cricket honours boards, out onto the pitch and also into the members area for the Melbourne Cricket Club, which has a long room just like Lords and loads of great cricketing memorabilia - loved it.

The MCG is also home to the Australian Museum of Sport, which i also visited. Lots of interesting stuff about Olympic history and also the story of cricket in Australia... including Don Bradman's baggie green cap (probably not of much interest to anyone not a fan of cricket....).

Tomorrow, I head for the Great Ocean Road.

Koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, tasmanian devils and penguins

I arrived in Melbourne on Wednesday afternoon, just after a huge storm had swept through the city, taking out power and closing roads and trainlines across the city. But there was a beautiful rainbow at Melbourne airport as we landed... On Thursday I had a day exploring the city (including a visit to the MCG - see next post and a birds eye view of the city from the Eureka Sky deck).

On Friday, I went on a day trip from Melbourne to Philip Island, which is about 90mins south east of Melbourne and home to an array of wildlife.

First, we went to a wildlife park and here are some photos of the animals we got to meet.... cuddling a wombat, feeding the wallabies, cuddly koalas and then feeding the kangaroos. Feeding a kangaroo was a very strange experience... it put its front paws up my arm to steady itself before eating the food out of my hand. All the animals were at a sanctuary, having been rescued from various disasters in the wild. It was great fun.

After that, we continued to Philip Island and the penguin parade - about 1,000 penguins come ashore each evening. The penguins I saw were little penguins, and only weigh about 1kg. They gather off shore in little groups, then come ashore to cross the beach just after sunset, sticking together for safety in numbers. Having crossed the beach, they then waddle up the dunes to their nests. From a specially constructed boardwalk, we watched and listened to the penguins - they make a very odd quacking sound as they head make to their nests. According to the ranger, they were particularly noisy on Friday night. It was great fun to watch and listen to them... no pictures from the penguin parade as the cameras scare the penguins. however, we did spot this penguin in daylight at the Nobbies Seal Colony, sheltering from the wind. So cute...

Singing in the Rain

My time in New Zealand is almost up... I fly to Melbourne tomorrow. I have spent the last few days on the Kapiti Coast just north of Wellington, staying at Paraparaumu Beach. I came here to have a few days to relax, read and walk on the beach.

After two days of gorgeous weather and beautiful sunsets, the weather changed and i had three days of rain with rainy interludes. All the locals kept telling me how happy they were that it was raining, as there have had one of the driest summers ever and are desperate for rain.... I did manage to do lots of walking on the beach though - the beach at Paraparaumu is amazing - it is full of weird and wonderful driftwood and also teeming with shellfish, which keeps the seagulls happy.


I also walked down the coast to the nearby Queen Elizabeth Park, which is full of native bushland, wetlands and wildlife.

Today, I came back to Wellington and am actually staying in the same room at the YHA as when i first arrived three weeks ago. Today, i visited a couple of places that i missed out on last time i was here, including the Museum of Wellington. They had a really fascinating (honestly) exhibit on items found when a new road was built through the city, which included a voodoo doll and an earring that they think was lost by the Queen Mother in about 1950!

Next post from Australia.