Erika and Deirdre's Australian Adventure Summer 1999

Sydney May 28, 1999
Well May 27th was the day that time forgot since we crossed the international date line going west and I lost an entire day. It just never existed. Oh well. I flew from Boston to LA on United to meet up with Deidre and then we got on the long haul flight to Sydney. We got to the airport at 6:30 am OZ time and took a bus downtown to the 5 star Youth Hostel run by IYHA downtown called Central YHA. They had great accomodations for $24 AUD (Australian dollars which at the time were about .67 USD) and on the roof a pool and sauna. We decided to go exploring up the main street which runs north to the Sydney Harbor where all the cool landmarks such as the opera house and Sydney Harbor Bridge are at. We visited the Rocks, a hoity toity area downtown near the waterfront. We immediately developed a hatred unparalled of the traffic lights. The cops cite jaywalkers and the lights take forever to change so you can cross the street. You could lose years of your life just waiting every day for those lights at every street corner. They have buses and light rail and harbor ferries to get people around. But I found the city very noisy from all the construction for the Olympics and air pollution was yuck. Plus the sun is very strong down there so bring your sunnies (OZspeak for sunglasses) and you hat and sunscreen. We found AMEX office to exchange money and by the time 3 pm rolled around we were so tired we could barely stand so we made it back to the hostel. Jet lag made us fall asleep at 7 pm (I would always say Uh, I need a nap for an hour and be out til the next day) and wake up wide awake at 4 am. We had jetlag about 2 weeks. It was rough. One day D and I went to King's Cross, Sydney's more seedier neighborhood. Full of neon, nite life, cheap accomodations, hookers and drug pushers. Fun. So I went into the travel shop there and met Kate Walls at Let's Travel Austalia. 175 Victoria Street, Kings Cross, NSW 2011 Australia. Phone (02) 9358 2295. She is a wiz so if you are planning a trip on the cheap in OZ for any length of time she is your woman. I highly recommend her. Tell her Erika from America sent you!

Byron Bay and Nimbin, New South Wales
We took an all night bus ride up to Byron Bay. A funky beach community near the border of Queensland. The eastern most tip of Australia with a light house and great surfing and diving. It has hip hippie quality to it, very alternative lifestyle type place. We stayed at the Arts Factory, where dorms, tipis and other housing styles meld together with the rainforest on the outskirts of town and next door is a Hare Krishna Vegetarian restaurant. I bought a sarong, pretty blue number at one of the shops, since that is de rigeur dressing in these parts. We took a tour for a day into the hills, met an American expatriate who owns land he is reconverting into rainforest, he is a genius and eccentric and has many exotic species on his property of flora. We went to a waterfall and peered over the edge then wound our way down and around to see it from a side angle tumble off a steep cliff down into the forest as it wound its way to the sea. Saw a kookaburra bird stare at us. I am just loving all this exotic wildlife. Not a cardinal to be seen. I went sea kayaking and I was nervous going into that heavy surf with another woman, how to steer the damn big thing in the open sea we paddled quite far off shore, had to negotiate not to slam into some big rocks and surf to a beach near the lighthouse. Very cool experience but I was so nervous and hyper. When the kayak spills me out into the water I really have a hard time not taking on water myself. I am not normally a water sports enthusiast. In Australia I end up doing more watersports in 2 months than I have done in my entire life. One learns fast when life and limb are at risk. The rocks far out to sea are home to some of the best diving in Australia. Apparently it is also shark country but the only fatalities were men with the last name Smith. So people named Smith were cautioned not to venture out too far.

Queensland
We will be going up the coast to Queensland, visit Byron Bay and go 4 Wheel Driving in a Toyota Landcruiser at Fraser Island, the world's largest sand island. From there up to Airlie Beach to meet some critters at a wildlife park (much better than a zoo! You can usually interact with the animals at these private reserves) and go on a 3 day sail aboard a yacht to the Whitsunday islands. Then by bus to Cairns where I go white water rafting and Deirdre catches the dreaded Northern Australian nonlethal flu virus. But everyone had it up THE TOP as the northern area of OZ is called. I spent my time in the rainforest.
The Top End
We flew mid-June to Darwin to spend 3 days in Crocodile Dundee territory in Kakadu National Park. Never heard of it? Well, neither had we til we got there but you are going to hear all about it, including the dreaded JIMJIM falls. Shudder. Then we bused it west to western australia where the men are men and the women are, well there arent many women but so what we had a great time.
Western Australia
I had a real authentic Australian experience in Fitzroy Crossing. We explored the mysteries of the Pilbarra region and then we swam with whale sharks near Exmouth. We then cavorted with wild dolphins at Monkey Mia and explored the eerie pinnacles near Cervantes where Deirdre found the best hamburgers in the world.
Perth
I loved Perth. What a great town. I acquired major sleep deprivation from all the partying I did. We also managed a getaway to the port town of Fremantle, and ferried over to Rottnest Island for a couple days of Quokka play. You'll have to read my story to find out what the hell a quokka is. Then we flew to...
The Red Center
We flew In mid-July to Alice Springs, an oasis in the desert, to go on a 3 day tour of Ayer's rock (Uluru), the Olga's and King's Canyon. We were really in the outback of the desert midregions of the Northern Territory. You can't believe all the stars that appear in the vast darkness that is night in the outback, or the try silence.
Victoria New
We flew to Melbourne and toured the Great Ocean Road and the penguin parade. Then I partied and got little sleep in this cosmopolitan city. At this point I was becoming incorrigible. Then we rented a campervan and drove back to Sydney and I got a few more grey hairs because driving on the left in a city was a little scary.

Sydney End of July 1999
When we arrived in Sydney after our Australian tour at the end of July I was really tired and wanted to be alone. I told Deirdre to check into the Sydney 5 star Hostel and I went to seedy King's Cross area to find a place to stay until our flight left. I missed an email by Italian Fabio from Ayer's Rock expedition. He was in town but I didn't know it til I got to New Zealand. Probably just as well. So I could not keep out of trouble. The second night I saw a flyer for a big backpackers party nearby. I stayed one night at a Swedish backpackers (very nice, coed rooms but friendly small place, well run) and then at a drug infested coed hostel which really made me suspicious of my sanity. But it made a great story. So I arrived at the bar party. People were crawling all over from top to bottom. These guys were playing pool or billiards and acting very gay toward each other, touching each other's butts, and crotch, kissing, sitting on each other's knees. The tall good looking one Walshy asked me if I minded hanging out with a bunch of homosexuals. I said No. Turns out they were from the Melbourne Police Detectives homicide unit and were visiting their sister unit in Sydney. The boys were on the town. So Walshy and I were flirting and having some fun. I nearly started an international incident because in Australia in a group of people each person takes turns buying a round. I wasn't about to buy a round for 30 policemen. Plus in American women don't buy men beers. Walshy insisted. I didn't have much Australian money. I didn't want to change more coz I would be leaving soon. Well I was in the doghouse about that. But when the group were going bar hopping to Queen Street they elected to grab me by the arms and ankles and kidnap me in a taxi to the next bar, an Irish pub with live music. The place was hopping. Walshy was so drunk then he was carted off to the next bar by the ocean. He wanted me to meet him at his hotel room later. With him gone the other guys started to hit on me and I was getting a little uncomfy when these two girls come up to me with big smiles on their faces and kiss me on the lips. I am thinking Man these Australians are friendly people. Turns out they are Katherine and Mary from my tour at Kakadu National Park! Cool. So they rescued me and I got home safe. Phew. What an adventure.
Now at the drug infested hostel. I was immediately accosted by the regulars whom I would say live there all the time and just get stoned and drunk and only venture out to buy more beer and pot. They see a new chick and are sussing me out. One guy used to be in the SAS Special forces but got sent to Ireland to do antiterrorist work for the British and was asked to murder some suspected IRA terrorists in cold blood when they came out of their safehouse. Which he said he did but after that he calls himself a murderer when you meet him and since he could not quit the SAS for his parents sake he injured his arm in a parachute accident and was discharged. Very sad story. He then proceeded to lunge at me with a kitchen knife which fortunately was screwed into the wall so no one could steal it and therefore missed me by inches. Nice. The other drug addicts hung out on the roof. One said to me "I have a higher IQ than he does" to which I replied "Oh and what is that? A baked potato?"
Thankfully cooler heads prevailed. D had a great time. She met a lesbian and went to a gay bar where she met other straight guys who were there supporting their friends like she was and had a great time. She made friends with her roommates at the hostel and went surfing out on a famous Sydney beach with surfers she met. We hung out in Sydney and got into various mischief and adventures til August when we flew to New Zealand. And that is a whole 'nother story entirely tho I will tease you a photo.
Erika cuddles a koala in Airlie Beach
Erika explores the Pinnacles at Namburg National Park
Deirdre and Erika explore Kalbarri National Park
Ok, guess which one of these pics is NOT from Australia? Glacier climbing!
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This page updated August 20, 2001