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Manly Beach

Manly is across the harbour from the rest of Sydney and the easy way to get there is a ferry. You can get an opal card where the maximum you are charged in a day is about $18 but I have had no luck with stores that have the card but the machine would not add the funds to it. I decided to not worry about the opal card and just buy the fast pass ticket from a kiosk for a couple dollars more. You can find the kiosk near wharf 3.

The difference? Less people on this ferry (I’m escaping the coronavirus, remember?) and it takes about half the time (20 min) as there is no other stop.

I made it to Manly and the first thing I saw was this candy station. I had been eyeing sour candy and licorice for awhile and I broke down and bought some.

The signs of where to go include sunrise, sunset, and WiFi. They must be tired of being asked those questions!

I started walking along the boardwalk and the coastal trail when it started raining again. A good steady hard rain. I walked for awhile.

This beach is known for the little penguins that stand about 30 cm tall. There numbers have really dwindled and they have many signs around to protect them (no loose dogs, etc.) I didn’t see any but I really looked.

The views were beautiful regardless!

I then decided to stay dry by walking along the shopping area. Since I’m gone for so long with limited clothes, I bought a no sleeve shift dress and a nice tank top.

And of course there was a gelato place in the middle of the wharf. They had Weetbix, honey, and banana. Weetbix is a cereal like shredded wheat but with some pressed flakes in it as well. It is very good.

I enjoyed it in the way back to Sydney harbour. Yum!

Botanic Gardens and Darling Harbour via running

I actually learn my way around more by running instead of walking. Maybe I’m more focused because I have to make faster decisions or I use my intuition more as I don’t run with my phone in my hand. (People who know me know that I do not have much of a sense of direction.)

One morning I specifically ran to the Royal Botanical Garden. I can memorize a few turns and names to get there. This area is huge and contains thousands of species from all over the world. It is close to the farm area that the settlers once used.

You can access it from beside the Sydney Opera House as well as many other points and it runs along the harbour.

Yes, the problem here is that I stopped often to take pictures so instead of a 5k I ran 9k instead. I also found many of the sites up close I learned about on the harbour cruise.

Mrs. Macquarie’s chair that the military cut into the rocks so she could sit and pine away for England.

A Huntsman spider. These guys get huge and they bite. It hurts but is not venomous.

Another day I ran to Darling Harbour. To get there I passed through Chinatown. I continued along the harbour there to connect to the street my apartment is on.

Now to do more online work!

Free Tour of Sydney

Even though I took the harbour cruise tour I heard of a free tour not far from my hotel from one of the people I met on the Blue Mountain tour.

We started at what used to be the Town hall. Before then it was a graveyard with shallow graves. When the smell was too much the bodies were reburied.

Queen Victoria building or also known as QVB. The statue was originally from Ireland and given to Australia after Ireland had quite the spat with England. This building was a marketplace area 200 years ago before the building.

They have clocks at both ends that have English history on them at each hour including beheading of king Charles I at one of the clock strokes.

Chinese New year display fur the year of the rat

Pitt St. Mall shopping and food area. From here you can gain entrance to the clock tower.

This area used to be a sports center in the past. I keep hearing the comment that they hate bin chickens, which are really the Ibis. This is Hyde’s park and St. Mary’s cathedral.

Archibald fountain shows Australia’s friendship with France. The artist used Greek statues – maybe because the gardens in Versailles features them?

Sydney tower and the golden bucket. This is a water tank which is a counter balance against toppling because of the wind.

The original hospital and other sections were added on. He wanted England to pay for hospital but he was denied. He found people to sell rum to Australia exclusively if they built the hospital. Called the Rum hospital. However, sections were not built well and collapsed. Hospital was added on to over the years.

Macquarie’s statue. He was the first governor.

Pig statue. You donate money to the hospital and rub his nose for good luck. His nose has been rubbed quite a bit as well as another part of his anatomy!

Part of the hospital and also the New South Wales parliament House

Above the bank is the Australia coat of arms. They are chosen because both animals cannot move backwards and so Australia just keeps moving forward. They are the only country to eat the meat of their beloved national animals.

The General post office. The clock tower was taken down in 1942 as they thought it would be bombed.

Some Street art near on Angel place. There are 50 bird cages to represent the 50 bird species who are no longer here. Bricks on the ground have their names engraved and speakers play the bird’s sounds. If you go there at different times of the day the sounds change.

Sydney square where Obar is. This bar has a wonderful view of the city without the cost of the tower. This cool Statue sits in the square.

The Customs house which is now a library. In the floor is a mini Sydney city. It is the size of the lobby and really cool.

The symbol below is not a Nazi symbol. It is inside the entrance of the customs house. It has been prevalent in European and Mediterranean areas as a sign of peace and prosperity. It is a counter clockwise symbol whereas the Nazis symbol is clockwise.

Afterwards I walked to the Sydney Observatory and the South dome.

At the top is a ball that is used to indicate time for ships in the harbour.

This pendulum clock keeps accurate time for astronomers.

The use of following the path of Venus in the sky allowed many discoveries including Australia by Cook.

Afterwards I walked across the harbour bridge.

And back again…. Down to Walsh bay. There are beautiful buildings down here.

I was pretty hungry and intrigued about the cost of arms pizza you can buy at just one place. It is half emu and half kangaroo. I thought why not as I would not be anywhere to try this again. It is made at the Australian Hotel in the Rocks. To find it was a little walk in and among the cut rocks of the area.

The emu pay is on the top of the pizza, kangaroo is the bottom portion of the photo.

That night I went to see the opera Carmen at the Sydney Opera House.

The lines of the inside of the building are slanted as well and had interesting lines.

Blue mountains

I booked a tour with Wildlife Tours to the outside of Sydney to the Blue Mountains. They have eucalyptus trees there and the oils that evaporate of the surface of the leaves reflect the light and make a blue haze as you look at them.

We stopped at a few places along the way, stopping at a water fall, and taking a few bush walks through the area. The smell of eucalyptus in the air was fantastic.

Jamison lookout

From here we walked around to get to the other cliff where the water fall is located. It was a great bush walk.

During the bush walk we found a funnel web spider hole. This is the 3rd most venomous spider in the world. And… the venom can kill quickly.

Boars Head lookout and Cahill lookout.

We stopped here to see how far the Australian fires came to Sydney. This was the worst year on record for the amount of bush fires and animal lives lost. You can see the scorch marks on the rocks and areas of trees that are browner than others. Since they have had rain the last week, it is really starting to green up quickly in the area.

This Rock formation looks like a Boar’s head.

From here you can see the areas that burnt.

Three sisters rocks.

An Aboriginal tale of the Dreamtime talks of a medicine man who took his 3 daughters looking for herbs. He put them on the cliff to keep them safe but they kicked rocks to the valley below which angered a monster who raced up the cliff. To protect them, the father turned them into stone. The monster chased the medicine man around the opposite cliff carving a valley at the base. Tired, the medicine man turned himself into a bird.

At this point we had 3 options: go to the pub near 3 sisters and wait, go to the pub but take a short walk and touch the closest of the 3 sisters, or walk the rim of the canyon. I chose the latter.

Almost to the pub it started pouring and we had to be sprint. As it was not clearing soon we did not see the sunset, but it was a great day!

Sydney Harbour Cruise

Brief history:

Australia was found by James Cook who did not find any formal structures here and determined it uninhabited. Of course it wasn’t.

It was another 18 years before Australia was used as a penal colony as jails in England were overpopulated due to a poor economy, the US had won its independence and people were sent here to live. There were 750 inmates and 750 people with skills to start the new colony.

They arrived where the airport currently is in Botany bay but the lack of fresh water and ground to plant cross had them look elsewhere. Then Sydney Harbour was founded which had more land to grow crops and fresh water.

I walked from my hotel to circular quay (pronounced key).

There is a great set of ornate fountains outside of the wharf. This commemorates the storage tanks for water carved in stone.

I walked around while I waited for the tour to get underway. Near the wharf is the museum of contemporary art.

The oldest house in Sydney in Campbell’s Cove. The Rocks is near here where the first settlement was created.

The lunar New year celebration just finished the day before. All the animals of the Chinese zodiac are on display here.

The opera House and Sydney Harbour bridge from the cruise.

This is in the Royal Gardens. It advertises plants with bite carnivorous plants.

Mrs. Macquarie’s rock. Her husband had steps and a seat carved out for her. She used to crochet/knit and yearn for England. He was the first governor.

Garden Island military base in wallabaloo which meand Little kangaroo. They originally planned cross here with seeds they brought from Europe but all the crops died of course.

This is Shark island which is named because of its general shape.

On the military base is a heritage House.

This area is Point Piper. The white house is rented by Oprah Winfrey for 40k a week. The salmon committed one on the right is owned by universal studios.

There are only a few beaches here along Sydney harbour. This one is particularly busy usually… But it is a Monday… School is back in session because summer is over.

At Bradley’s Head you find the mast of an old warship

Fort Dennison was built on a pile of rock. The rock used to be called Pinch gut which means the narrowing of an estuary. They would tie a convict here who was exceptionally basy and they would be there until they died. In 1850’s it was used for another purpose.

Governor general’s house. Admiralty house.

More pictures curb the lunar New year celebration.

After the tour I walked over to The Rocks, the first settlement.

Commemoration to the aborigines, settlers, and convicts who came here.

While at the boardwalk in Campbell’s Cove.

An interesting old building tucked amongst sky scrapers.

I found a grocery store close to the apartment I’m staying at to stock up on some food. I was lucky to find something affordable and convenient.

Botanic Gardens and Eat Street, Brisbane

The Botanic Gardens are on the North Bank of the Brisbane River and accessible by many spots along the river as well as streets by the Parliament building.

I walked from the South Bank across the Goodwill Bridge to the North Bank. This takes you to the Gardens.

It is very beautiful and spacious. I loved hearing the birds singing.

A sculpture called building blocks of life.

I walked in search of an umbrella (yes, still raining but not a downpour.) I jumped into an Uber to Eat Street. It is a place on the map but since the Brisbane River winds its way through the city (that is why it is called the brown snake) it is still pretty far to walk.

It is a bunch of shipping containers making the outside walls.

Inside, shipping containers make the food and other stalls. You can find all kinds of food from different nationalities.

I decided on a soft shell crab burger. I haven’t had one of these in a long time.

As I ate, I listened to various bands on the several stages they have inside. I did order a dessert, walking around several times deciding. I had fried dough balls with honey and cinnamon. They were not great like I expected them to be.

There is a very terminal close to here so I jumped on the city cat ferry to go to the South Bank. Nice ride. Nice to see sights, talk to people, and cheaper way to travel.

The felons brewing company and the bridge I climbed.

Moreton Island

I booked a tour for a different island that offered stand up paddle boarding and snorkeling. The past day had seen intermittent showers and was hoping it would be the same that day. There have been a lot of rain of late which allowed for a lot of online work to be completed.

Tangalooma resort

Taken from the stand up paddle board. Right in front of the beach are shipwrecks that we are able to snorkel around.

Kookaburra. I missed the show feeding them.

I paddle boarded for a while then went snorkeling.

As I drifted along I was taking more video and during this next clip realized I was being pulled along by a strong current.

I actually needed one of the people on jet skis to tow me out. That’s why they are there and after taking me to the beach they went back to get two more. Not many people were snorkeling after that.

No matter, it started pouring and did not let up. I instead took the boat back two hours early and diff more work.

There is a lot to see in Brisbane but the weather is not cooperating. Byron bay is supposedly fantastic!

Brisbane

After arriving in Brisbane I spent quite a bit of time working at grading and adding two weeks of lessons for the online learning we are doing during the extended break. Time for a break from the computer.

I booked a tour for the afternoon so that I could get out and stretch my legs. The Story Bridge Adventure Climb looked interesting and it was a fair walk to it as well.

The bridge was built during the Great Depression using material sourced from Australia. It was a public works project that allowed employment and job skill training. It is a cantilever bridge and matters that it has no posts in the river itself.

My tour guide was great and provided all kinds of information about Brisbane which I will scatter about below.

We climbed up to a peak in the bridge and then towards the center before turning around and coming back the other side. You are tethered the whole way for safety.

Looking down at traffic at the halfway point of the walk.

On the way there I left the apartment building I’m staying at. I’m so glad to have a kitchen and cook for a few days. It was right next to the river and the Riverwalk that goes along the Brisbane River. There are paths on both sides of the river for easy travel and ferry boats to go from bank to bank.

There is Mangrove forest along the edges.

The peace pagoda created by the Nepalese. There is beautiful intricate carvings and these pagodas can be found in other areas around the world.

In South Bank there are a few pools and a sand beach that people can swim in.

Kangaroo cliffs at kangaroo point. It gets its name when the area was first settled the kangaroos would eat all the grass farmers wanted fur their sheep, do they corralled them to the this area.

There are beautiful gardens along the walk through South Branch.

There is also art work scattered around.

I thought this lizard was posing. Instead he was catching insects.

Near the end of my walk they had information on the settling of the area. It was credited to James Warner but actually 4 felons who integrated with the aborigines on Moreton Island used to row a canoe around the area and found the opening to the Brisbane River which at that time was difficult to find. They left maps and notes that were discovered much later.

I love how even people here are questioning the history we were taught. As in America, they were horrible to the aborigines and we made our own story.

Behind me is the four felons brewery. Of course I stopped later.

The Customs House. Now a restaurant is there but you can go inside to see.

This is the bridge I climbed as I look from the other side of the river.

Now that it is night, there are beautiful lights here. This was taken on a pedestrian bridge across the water as I headed back to the South Bank from the North.

The Ferris wheel on the South Bank. It is to give a great view of Brisbane as well.

The colours on this bridge is the lighting at night.

Now to check on student work, solve problems, and prepare for an island visit tomorrow.

More from Gold Coast, Australia

I stayed at the Marriott in Surfers Paradise north. They have their own salt water reef pool. They pump water in from the inlet behind the hotel, filter it, and use ozone to kill the bacteria. The reef pool has fish and you can swim with them. I swam there a couple times.

The bottom of the reef pool is sand and part is simulated coral.

They have a fish feeding program in the morning to see and feed the reef fish.

Between posting and grading assignments as we are using online learning while school is closed, I took a short afternoon tour to the rainforests of Springbrook and natural bridge as well as the Goondawanna rainforest. It was a rainy overcast day.

On the way we saw a Padi Melon wallaby in the park along the side of the road.

He is pretty well camouflaged. I had to make the picture larger to see him.

This area was an erupted volcano that water eventually eroded some of the rock leaving behind rock not easily eroded.

The light brown is a strangler fig that grows from the top down from seeds dropped by birds. It eventually kills the tree it grows against that takes 150 years.

This is the outside of strangler fig that had killed the inner tree. The fig will continue to live another 400 years after.

This is the home of a big spider that is the size of the hole. It weaves a web inside connected to the front which makes a trap door. It senses movement and opens the door to grab prey. Not fatal bites to us but painful.

Under the natural bridge is a cave with bats. They eat insects.

We then climbed to the top to see the sources of the waterfall.

We saw several species of figs. This one had a red skin and was yellow on the inside. It was very sweet and a good tasting fig.

Back at the hotel, I went back to grading assignments when I heard a commotion outside. Two birds lighted on my balcony and kept me company for awhile.

Next I head back to Brisbane for a few days.

Great Barrier Reef

When I realized that the southernmost part of the Great Barrier Reef was closer than traveling all the way to Cairns I was excited. Lady Elliot island is a really cool island that is the only one in the reef chain that has it’s own runway.

It is not a cheap trip. It was 829AUD or about $567 USD. It includes hotel pickup, transport by air, drinks, food, and snorkeling. For those wanting to do this it is cheaper from the Gold Coast than from Brisbane. I was intending to do the trip in Brisbane so extended my stay here at the Gold Coast instead. I was excited!

We arrived at the airport in Coolangatta. It was a small plane and as I was by myself I sat in the copilot seat which was awesome.

Some great sights at first and we flew for about 2 hours. Where we were heading was a tiny dot on the panel.

The end of the pink line is the island. You can’t even see the island as the line is the same thickness!

And then I saw the island… Yes it is small. Good thing the plane is small too.

The runway runs from bottom right to top left of the picture.

This island is in a protected green zone. They have solar panels for all of their electricity needs and also use it to distill Sea water for their own drinking water. It is a reef education center, protected sea turtle area, and an eco resort.

You can see the solar panels at the end of the sidewalk running along to the right.

This island is gorgeous. It would be great to stay here for a few days in the resort.

After storing our things and a little look around, we were given snorkeling gear and met for the glass bottom boat tour and snorkeling.

In the glass bottom boat we saw a Manta Ray. It was enormous and they do not sing like sting rays do. The pictures are a little fuzzy as they are taken through glass and water.

Below are other pictures of coral from the glass bottom boat.

Then it was time to snorkel. It was amazing. I’m glad I remembered my go pro (especially since Australia was not planned on this trip. The closing of school due to the coronavirus allowed me this time.)

I took some great video following green Sea turtles and schools of fish.

Sea turtle nesting sites. They are marked with the dates the eggs are laid so when they hatch they are monitored and they can be assisted making it to the Sea.

They offered a really yummy lunch and we were free to explore or snorkel again. I met some great people while visiting the island.

Of course I snorkeled again. Half of our 12 hour day was spent in traveling to and from the island. It was totally worth it. Seeing the Great Barrier Reef was amazing.