On such a fresh day, Friday, June 18th, flying back "home" to Cairns after my 6-week odyssey was like stepping into another Eden-like world. It held me mesmerized as we flew into the airport. It was an incredible experience of flying back, of returning to Cairns, which I had called home for the first three months of my stay in Australia. I had arrived in Cairns almost exactly five months previously, but now it felt like an entirely different world. I recalled my initial impressions in January of the wet, steamy rainforest-covered mountains; the drenched airport, the hot and humid climate, and the feelings of not knowing what to expect and not knowing what Australia was. Now, after having traveled, lived, and worked in Australia for a while, coming back to a sunny, crisp blue sky with dark green covered mountains and a welcome warmth after several weeks down south in the cold.... I felt like a different person. And for better or for worse, take it how you like- what I certainly felt was, thank goodness I'm not returning to the States just yet!!! However, "warmth" is all relative, and once I was back up on the Tablelands, I realized that I would actually need to pull out that warm wool sweater and crank up the heat during the night! The days are crisp, fresh, sunny and beautiful. And it was interesting to see as I drove around, that even the vegetation is different somehow. It's lost that lush verdant green and through the thinner vegetation of the forest you can see farther. There are tinges of brown where there once was green, and dry brown leaves litter the rainforest floor. Who would have thought?
This past week, the last week of the break, was in many respects the best week of my life (within recent memory...). The first five weeks, as I've described, were spent working as a nanny for a family in Melbourne. My days were long, just watching the kids, playing with them, taking them to childcare, making dinner, toilet training, etc. But although it was cold, I got out enough on the weekends to explore the city, see the Great Ocean Road, hike in the Grampians Mountains, and see Wilson's Promontory, the Dandenong Ranges, and the Mornington Peninsula.
On Saturday evening, June 12th, I flew out of Melbourne to the great city of Sydney. It was the start to what had to be the most action-packed, self-satisfying week of travel on my own. I stayed with a friend in Concord West, about a 20-minute train ride from the city. The stop at which I almost always got out was Circular Quay- right on the Harbour with the bridge on the left and the opera house on the right and all the ferries in the middle!
Sunday, June 13th saw me up and out by 7:30 to get to Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral. You couldn't take pictures, but the cathedral was absolutely gorgeous. It almost brought the tears to my eyes. I should mention here that in October, Australia's first saint, Mary MacKillop, will be canonized! After Mass I meandered about on the quay, which was "hoppin'"- not only because it was a clear, bright sunny day and a weekend day, but also because it was the Queen's Birthday weekend! Public holiday and no work on Monday! I wandered over to "The Rocks", the area around which Sydney grew up, had a look at the markets, and went back to the quay to buy a ferry ticket over to Manly.
Circular Quay was probably my favorite place in Sydney. Not only could you see the magnificent Harbour Bridge, but it was the perfect place to watch the water, the cruise boats and ferrys, the people, and, of course, the Opera House. I found a strangely super strong attraction to the Opera House, which I could sit and stare at for hours on end. But I didn't have time to sit and stare because the 12:30 ferry was leaving! So I got in line and bustled my way to the front of the ferry to have a good view. As we veered out across the harbour, the quay melted into the shiny metallic skyline behind us and new bays and coves opened in front of us. Hundreds of sail boats skimmed over the water, swaying in the wind and leaving brightly shimmering white water paths in their wake. Motor boats hummed past us, causing the ferry to leap and skip over the deep blue water. The shoreline was rimmed with expensive waterfront property and green pine trees. It was lovely to see....
And even more lovely to bike! Once I arrived I headed over to the bike rental place to hire a bike for 2 hours. I rode the track that took me to North Head, an absolutely stunning ride with gorgeous views of the coves and, once I arrived at North Head, spectacular goose-bump-raising vistas back over the harbour to Sydney. I was sorry to have to return the bike, and as it was late afternoon I still had a bit of time before catching the ferry back. I wanted to return at night because this was a special period in June- the time of the Vivid Sydney festival! Vivid Sydney included "Macquarie Visions", a lighting up of several buildings on Macquarie street to commemorate the area's history; "Lighting the Sails", a lighting up of the Opera House domes; and on several nights, "Fire Water", a show in Campbell's Cove in the Harbour celebrating Cook's landing in Australia- complete with lights, music, and dance/acting!
I took the 5:45pm ferry back and was rewarded with seeing the Sydney Opera House sails begin their colorful patterning just as we were skimming past. From the shore, I was completely mesmerized by the periodically changing patterns that were displayed on the sails. People lined the edge of the walkway on the other side of the Harbour, propping up their cameras or just sitting and watching the colors as they changed. Some patterns even included motion, such as words running across the sails or falling leaves. I tore myself away to make the second showing of Fire Water. It was a spectacular show of vivd flaring colors, changing music, and actors and ships illuminated by the light displays.
That didn't tire me out enough to keep me from rising early the next morning to catch the train out to the Blue Mountains. I made the 7:30 train and got out to the Blue Mountains by 9:30. I thought about taking the cheaper hop on/hop off all day trolley option, which involved a trolley stopping at points of interest every hour. But the salesman in the hop on/hop off all day bus office told me that (of course) their bus service would be more useful because they arrived every half hour, and they included this great little booklet of recommended walks, times, etc. and gave me a nice long description of how I should plan my day to make the most of it and pack in more walking than he thought I would want to do. This also included several on and off "hops" so that I'd make the most of the bus service. So I purchased my bus pass and got on the bus at the first stop. The driver was delighted to have someone from Boston, and as he drove around to the different stops and described their significance over the speaker, would refer to me as "my friend from Boston." I hopped off the double-decker bus at the first stop of interest for my first hike, down Furber's Steps. The salesman had recommended that I hike to the bottom, and then I could either pay to take the skyrail back up, or hike back up via the Three Sisters. What he didn't tell me was that I would be surprised to find the path up the Three Sisters was closed, I wouldn't want to backtrack, and that I'd end up hiking the long way back up via a trail that veered practically off their area-of-interest map, and would finish around 2pm to hop on the bus for only the second time that day and not want to hike anymore. Instead, I rode the bus around the entire circuit and relaxed after a tough day.
That certainly is not to say that I didn't enjoy it. On the contrary, it was one of the best hiking days of my life. I LOVED it!! And if that love could be shown by the volume of pictures taken, my pictures would not do it justice, especially since my camera battery died halfway through the day.
You'd think I'd sleep in...but not in Sydney!! My third day saw me up to arrive in the city by 7am. I walked over to Mrs. Macquarie's Chair, opposite the bridge and on the other side of the Opera House, then down to Wallamaloo Wharf, and back in time to take the FREE ferry to Cockatoo Island at 10am. Cockatoo Island, the largest island in the harbour, was used for housing convicts who would work as shipbuilders in the mid-1800s. And as recently as last year they discovered two solitary confinement cells which would be open to the public next year! It was a very interesting island, to say the least, and if I could I would have camped over night there.
I returned to the city to see some of the buildings of interest, including the Queen Victoria building. Floor upon floor of beautiful architecture and classy restaurants and shops really awed me. I wandered over to the Sydney Hospital and the Hyde Park Barracks Museum, built in the early 1800s to house convicts. I also saw the Parliament House of New South Wales, and continued walking around, taking pictures of city buildings and alleyways that caught my eye. That afternoon I went back to the visitor center and found out where to enter the walk over the harbour bridge!! And finally went over to the Opera House to bask in its unique oddity. In the evening I was wowed by the display of the Macquarie Visions event, complete with hypnotizing plays of color, patterns, pictures, words, and intricate designs all playing across the buildings- including the cathedral! And of course, I stared at the Opera House.
My last day in Sydney began with a bus ride to Bondi Beach. On the fourth of such lovely, clear, bright, sunny days, the Bondi to Coogee Beach Coastal Walk was another gorgeous walk past scenic cliffside, beachfront towns, crystal blue waters of various shades of blue, and hot white beaches. I was entranced by the atmosphere of these coastal towns, with brightly painted park benches and houses, little green pine trees, and a view out over the blue water where surfers were still catching the waves- even in winter! After the bus ride back to Sydney I visited The Rocks Discovery Museum and walked over to Darling Harbour where the FIFA World Cup Fan Fest was raging....well, not during the day, but I'm sure it was a zoo at night! I grabbed the train back to Circular Quay, visited the Opera House one last time, walked up to the Government House in the Botanical Gardens, and trudged my weary way back over to the quay where I watched the Opera House sail display one last time. I was TIRED.
But the next morning, I was up at 3am to catch the bus to the train station, the train to the airport, and the airport...back to Cairns! Once I dropped my stuff off at the hostel I hurried over to an enchanting afternoon walk through the Botanical Gardens and the Centennial Lakes. In such gorgeous weather, I hardly recognized the steamy, humid Cairns of "long ago." I was hooked! In the evening I was surprised to find the hostel hosting the Atherton Birds of Prey show, which we had been meant to see last semester with the students but got rained out of it! Mark, the show host, displayed a talking sulphur-crested cockatoo, a lesser sooty owl, a spotted tailed quoll (the largest remaining carnivorous mammal in Australia since the Europeans came), and a small saltwater crocodile!
My return to Cairns, however, would not have been complete without a return to the Great Barrier Reef. This time, I took the boat over to Green Island, which sits right on top of the reef about 45 minutes from Cairns. It was bright, sunny, clear, and the visibility was awesome. I felt shivers down my spine as I realized that I was returning to one of the wonders of the world, for an entire day of snorkeling in the clear waters off the island.
Although I anticipated that the water might be a bit colder than usual, I was unprepared for how cold I found it! Once I was in the water, kicking about and watching the colorful fish that swam over the purple-colored clams embedded in the rock, or the larger fish that lumbered past me, I nearly forgot how cold I felt...especially when, swimming over some seaweed-covered sand plains, I caught sight of a turtle.
It was one of those moments where I lost out on the reality of it, simply because it was so real. Even in memory, I fail to grasp how truly awesome it was to see this creature in the water. Not in an aquarium. As a matter of fact, each time I returned to the water after a warming up out on the sand, I saw one of these medium-sized brown turtles again. So entranced by the animal, and it's calm, lazy look, I swam above it as it soared through the water, turning slowly, and just as slowly flapping a fin or two now and again. I reached out my hand, and touched its shell. It veered downward, and I slowed, watching it swim away. Just a little farther on, I watched it float to the surface. At the same time, we lifted our heads out of the water... and were back under the ocean in a moment.
I kicked myself around and floated over the coral below. Then I saw it. This now was one of those moments where you wish it would last forever, because it would take that long to realize what you're actually seeing. An octopus, looping its arms in under the rocky coral cavities, feeling about for its late morning snack. Its skin slowly and subtly changed color and texture as it slowly crept along. I watched it as if I were out of my own body, watching it on tv. This was just absolutely hypnotizing. I had to make it real. I pushed my fin towards it, and instead of ink-jetting away it instantly sank down onto the coral, completely camouflaging itself, so that if I didn't keep an eye on it, I would surely have lost it.
I don't know if I can stay away from the Great Barrier Reef for very long. I might have to visit it again.
During my travels these past six weeks, I've learned a lot from the backpackers, friends, and family with whom I interacted. I had some great dinner chats with my au pair family in Melbourne. They said that the people in Sydney tend to speak a lot faster, and the people in Cairns, a lot slower. They're more laid back up north, they said. I also made friends with several of the girls who worked at the childcare center where I'd bring Holly and Angus. One of them, Rachel, would always inquire about what my plans were, how long I would be around, my degree, etc. And so I'd never leave right at 3:30, instead, I'd always stick around with Holly and Angus and chat with them! One of the girls was also an Irish backpacker who was working at the childcare center temporarily. And another girl, Anna, was so happy to meet someone from Boston! She was like, "I've always wanted to meet someone from Boston!" So they joked with me about my accent, how I pronounce the "r"'s and the "A's." On my trips to the Great Ocean Road and down to Wilson's Prom I made friends with several German backpackers, and two girls from Switzerland who were in Australia to study English. Then they were off to travel. During that trip down to the Prom, I wondered aloud about how I hadn't come across any Americans really, only those from Canada, and everyone began telling me that Australia doesn't really exist for Americans! They have their own country to explore, and it's too hard to get down to Australia, too expensive. So it's much easier to just go to Europe for a "holiday." Any Americans in Australia are mostly here just for study at "Uny." That was very interesting to me, especially since I was meeting a lot of British and German backpackers who were traveling for six months or a year.
While I was in Sydney, the guy that I asked to take my picture on the Bridge asked me where I was from. I said, Boston, and he said, "Boston! That's one of the most beautiful cities in the world! You know what the other one is? Santa Fe, New Mexico." One of the more surprising things about traveling in our respective countries, that I've learned, is that I probably have seen more of Australia than most Australians, but I can't chide them for that. I sat next to a girl on the plane from Sydney to Cairns. She was born in Siberia, but came to Australia nine years ago and became an accountant, living in the Sydney-Brisbane region. This was her first time visiting Cairns, so I was aghast. But then, I reflected, I've never been to New York City. She was appalled! "You have no excuse!" she told me. That was so true, I didn't. And most Australians fly to America to see New York City! I also met a guy while hiking in the blue mountains. He was an Australian from Sydney, and from him I learned that most Australians think that Steve Irwin is an idiot. While biking around Manly, I talked to the guy I asked to take my picture. He lived in Manly, had been to Boston and enjoyed it. And while I was in Cairns I made friends with two German backpackers who were in Australia for six weeks. They were very interested in how I was going to get my PhD. Very very nice people.
I also encountered some interesting terminology.... "Tah"="thanks"; "Bloody" is used quite a lot as a qualifying adjective, indicating an extreme quality (haha); "Cuppa"= cup of tea; Brekky=breakfast; Bikky=biscuit; and it's not a stroller- it's a pram!
Above and Below: St. Mary's Cathedral
My first look at my favorite Wonder-Oddful Structure of the World
First stop on my bike ride in Manly!
BELOW: My hike in the Blue Mountains...and was it a hike!!
Going down Furber's Steps...
Unfortunately, my camera battery ran out so I don't have even more pictures....
Above: Botanical Gardens in Sydney
Above: Cockatoo island
Campground on Cockatoo Island
Cockatoo Island
View of Circular Quay (Ferry departure terminals) from ferry to Cockatoo Island
Sydney!!
Martin Place
Below: St. Mary's Cathedral
Queen Victoria building
Need I put a caption here? I should have taken my backpack off and then danced to Do-Re-Mi
On my way to Mrs. Macquarie's Chair
Ooooh
Ahhhh
I think this is my favorite
Inside the Opera House...although I didn't physically go in
Hyde Park Barracks Museum lit up for Macquarie Visions
St. Mary's Cathedral all lit up...
Day Four: Bondi to Coogee beach Coastal Walk
Back in Sydney city
Festivities for the World Cup at Darling Harbour
Darling Harbour
Back in Cairns!
Centenary Lakes ...goose?
A spotted tailed quoll, shown in the Atherton Birds of Prey Show at my hostel...Australia's largest carnivorous mammal
Saltwater croc
My trip to the REEF!!
Jen. This is John writing. I'm truly amazed by your Australia adventure. You're really living life. I'm so happy for and proud of you to see the incredible things you've done. I don't understand how you've gone from Cairns to Melbourne to Sydney since I haven't been checking in regularly enough. But when you return (and don't feel rushed) I would like to talk for a few dozen hours with you about your experiences. I sold out and bought a motor-thing so I can visit you in Boston. Boston or wherever your amazingnesses take you.
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