HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year to everyone! All the best in 2017! I'll be seeing some of you soon!

Byron Bay To Caloundra

The Cape Byron Bay Lighthouse.

Tallow Beach.

Main Beach Byron Bay.

Valerie and Phil.

Saturday, December 31^st

In the morning I went down to the beach for another swim in the ocean before having breakfast at a cafe by the motel. Then I drove up to the Byron Lighthouse, which sits on a little peninsula and is the most easterly location on the Australian mainland. I wandered around the lighthouse admiring the commanding views it holds of the two beaches on either side of it.

Then I continued my drive north. I had to drive a few hours to reach Coloundra. This is a small satellite city of Brisbane where as friend of mine from my year long trip lives. I met Valerie on my Galapagos tour in 2011. I arrived about 6pm and she was at a beach house for a New Year's Party but her partner Phil was there. He showed me around and into the guest room. I talked to him for a while before deciding to go to the party. 

It was close by in a beach house that Valerie and her friends have shared and rented for years before she bought her own place a couple of years back. Most of these people are involved in skydiving. Valerie has retired and now works as a travel agent but Phil and others still jump. Phil has done over 18000 jumps over a thirty year career! Everyone was pretty drunk as they had been partying all day. I didn't want to drink because I certainly didn't want to get caught driving, so I talked to a few people about the skydiving industry and then decided to retire. I left the party about 10:30 and went back to bed. 

Byron Bay

The fishing boats in Coff's Harbour.

The beach in Byron Bay.

Great reflection.

Friday December 30^th

In the morning I wandered around the campground looking at the trailers and tents. I found the river, photographed some rainbow lorikeets and watched some people fishing. Then I decided to get a move on as I still had a ways to go.

I drove for a few hours before I reached Coff's Harbour, but the traffic on the highway and through the town was getting very heavy. Although I found the fishing harbour, I couldn't find the beach area. Then when I checked the internet for accommodation I found out the town was fully booked so I decided to continue on to Byron Bay.

This was a nice touristy town with a beautiful beach. I found a place to park and was hanging out on the beach when I noticed a vacancy sign right across from the main beach. I knew the town was fully booked so I was surprised and went check it out. Sure enough they had the owner's suite available. I decided to take it despite the price because of the location and the fact that I had had enough of driving. So I checked in and spent the rest of the day on the beach playing in the waves and walking the beach. Beautiful day and a great way to unwind.

When it got dark I went wandering around the very touristy downtown area checking out the shops bars and restaurants. There were people everywhere. There were buskers on the street and lots of activity. I had dinner and a drink and then headed back to my pad.

Hawk's Nest

The waterways of Hawk's Nest.

The beach.

The small car ferry.

My home for the night.

Thursday, December 29^th

I got up early and drove the short distance to Hawk's Nest. This is the town where I was originally supposed to go, but the exchange fell through. I located the house and knocked on the door but, unfortunately no one was there. So I continued and drove into town and I found the local beach. It was very busy as the temperature was in the high 30's. The beach was beautiful and I waded in and played in the surf for a bit before wisely getting out of the sun and continuing my drive.

I found a backroad that took me to the next town via a long beautiful beach and a small car ferry to get across the river. On the other side the road was unpaved for 14 km.

I visited an information kiosk and learned that to travel along the coast was going to take a long time so I decided to head inland a bit and take the main highway to make some progress getting north. I was trying to get to Coff's Harbour but it was becoming apparent that I wasn't going to find accommodation there either, so I began the search for a) a petrol station and b) a place to stay. I stopped in several small towns and checked motels but they were all full. I found a BP station in Urunga and when I left town I saw a camping and trailer park that said 'Vacancy – cabin', so I stopped and asked. He told me that I got the last one, the whole area is booked solid. It turned out to be a small trailer with a bed and a little kitchen but the toilet and shower were in a communal building. I walked around the campground which consisted mostly of permanent trailers and an area for tents and camper vans. It is situated on a river which seems to be a popular fishing spot.

I went into town and found a little pizza place where I had an excellent vegetarian pizza before going back to my palace to enjoy a beer on my deck.

Blue Mountains National Park

The view from Echo Point.

The Three Sisters. 

Another interesting and strange plant.

The cable car.

Lace monitor lizards.

A black dingo.

Getting to know a kangaroo.

A frilled lizard.

Wednesday, December 28^th

I got up early and drove to the Blue Mountains National Park. I arrived ahead of the crowds thankfully as the area gets very congested. I drove through the small tourist town and past all the tourist attractions that line the road before arriving at the rim of Echo Point. This is on the eastern edge of a huge canyon that resembles Grand Canyon. The view was spectacular looking out and over the valley below. I walked along the rim and took a short hike to see the rock formation called the Three Sisters.

There is a family run business here that has a railway to the valley floor and a cable car back to the rim, or you can do it the other way. Unfortunately I hadn't booked ahead and as I was there at 9am and the earliest ticket I could get was 3pm I reluctantly gave it a pass (saved about $90 though).

It was a very hot and humid day and I didn't feel like hiking down into the valley as it involved the 'Giant Staircase', so I took another short hike to a couple more viewpoints and then left.

As I was driving along the highway I came across the Australian Reptile Park, which housed other native animals as well. There were saltwater crocodiles, lace monitor (which look like a small Komodo Dragon), snakes and lizards as well as a couple of Galapagos giant tortoises. There were also dingoes, kolas, kangaroos and lots of birds including emu chicks. I also watched a demo about spiders. The ranger was talking about the world's deadliest spider, the funnel web which inhabits gardens all along the coast. He showed us how to catch one. All you do is put a jar down in front of it and it will walk into it to get out of the sun. Apparently they dry up very quickly in the heat. Then he said to put some dirt in to keep it moist and bring it to the Reptile Park as they 'milk' the venom to make anti-venom.

When I left I continued driving north along the coast. I passed through a small town called 'Toronto' before finally finding a place to stay in Tea Gardens. Again the whole area is a very tourist camping and fishing coast and was fully booked. I lucked out finding a nice room in a motel that also housed the community centre, a pokies room (slot machines), and a restaurant and bar. I had something to eat and a drink before heading off.

The Sapphire Coast

Views of the Sapphire Coast.

A community made swimming pool of salt water.

The fishing village of Bermagui.

The view from Sublime Point.

Tuesday, December 27^th

The weather today was cool and mostly overcast, so the waters of the Sapphire Coast didn't have their blue colour and were more grey. Nevertheless, the drive was nice as I explored the coastline and visited a couple of small towns, including Bermagui where I had lunch.

It was mostly a driving day as I tried to make time. It is really amazing how big this country is and how long it takes to get places. I wanted to get close to Sydney so I kept going. I really didn't have any interest in going into the city, but I wanted to visit the Blue Mountains which are just to the west. As I approached the sprawling metropolis I stayed inland and climbed the mountains that pin the city to the shore. From the viewpoint of Sublime Point I got an excellent panoramic view of the city below. I continued on until I found a small motel in the west suburbs.

Merimbula

A very strange 'pine cone'.

The other end of the 90 Mile Beach.

A fisherman cleaning his catch and being watched impatiently by a pelican and some gulls.

The jetty.

Local hoppers.

Monday, December 26^th

In the morning I tried to call my family to wish them a Merry Christmas but the internet kept dropping out and would not support Skype. So I sent them a short note and moved on.

I had to drive inland again to get back to the highway and then continue northeast to Mallacoota which is a nice little tourist town at the northern end of 90 Mile Beach. I hung out there for a bit and enjoy the sun and the cool water.

This whole coastline is the playground of the Melbourne communities. A lot of Australians like to go on camping holidays and there are lots of camping sites and trailer parks all along the coast. Late in the afternoon while I was driving through one of the campgrounds and around Mallacoota, I came across this mob of kangaroos. I got a great video of them hopping through town.

This is the big holiday season for Australia. It is there Christmas, New Year and summer vacation time. Therefore everything is booked up. Really I should have booked ahead but I don't like to do that as I don't know where I will wind up each day.

I could not find a place to stay here so I continued to drive north. Shortly after that I left the state of Victoria, my home for the year and entered New South Wales. I found the last room in the little town of Merimbula, in a really nice little hostel.

Christmas

Getting organized

My official footie ball goodbye from Joel.

The southern end of 90 Mile Beach outside Sale.

A huge beach with no one around.

The wreck of the Trincula that sank on this treacherous shore in 1872.

Saturday, December 24^th

I spent most of today sorting and organizing my things. I had accumulated a lot of paper, school stuff and maps that needed to be culled. I had called the Bicycle Superstore about packing my bike to take it home. Unfortunately they were too busy but recommended another shop for me. So I took it there a few days ago and picked it up today. Then I had to wash and organized my clothing. Not a very interesting day.

Sunday, December 25^th

Christmas morning. It sure doesn't seem like Christmas here, no family, no gifts, no turkey and strangest of all, it is hot and green!

I spent the morning finalizing my luggage and getting the bike box and the suitcases in the CRV. Then I set out. I had been waffling between driving the main highway to Canberra or taking the coastal route to Sale. Most people thought the coastal route would be more interesting. Then I remembered that there was a beautiful beach just outside Sale. I made that my destination for the day.

When I arrived I found that there was no accommodation in the area, it is mostly a camping area or rental cottages.. So I drove to the beach and had a wade in the water and sat on the beach for an hour before driving back into town and then further along. I found a really nice little motel right off the highway and settled in for the night.

Holidays

To my family and all my friends wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I'd like to wish you a very 

Merry Christmas!!

Many of you are celebrating with family in snowy, cold environments. Me? Here it is very blue sky, and right now at 8 am it is 23 degrees but will get to a high of 37! I am packing up the car and beginning my final trip in Australia. I will leave Melbourne and drive along the coast to Brisbane, where I will fly home on January 7th.

This is what I woke up to on the TV this morning, this the channel one news team. Christmas is a bit different down here!

Best wishes to everyone!

Helicopter and Hiking

 Fields of button grass.

 Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake and the road to them.

 Cradle Mountain from the other side.

Richea pandanifolia pandani plants 

Goodbye Cradle Mountain.

Friday, December 23^rd

I was awake early and very stiff and sore. I had the provided breakfast and then drove back to Cradle Mountain National Park. I went first to the Canyoning company to talk to Ryan, but he wasn't in yet so I drove to the park entrance and did the short 'Enchanted Walk', which was a boardwalk loop along a creek and through a rainforest area. Just like you would expect to find in Lord of the Rings.

When I went back I found Ryan. I wanted to thank him for the recommendation for the Devils at Cradle exhibit. But I also wanted to complain about the photo package from yesterday. I was very disappointed in them. They cost $40 and although there were about a 150 photos, most were of other people and a lot were bad or had water on the lens. I explained that I appreciated how hard it was to take photos in that environment and carrying the camera is a pain but, when you only get about 10 good photos it's not worth it. I told him that when I went on other adventure tours the company often provided generic photos of the location. I said I would like to have shots of the canyon as I couldn't take my camera in with me and I would love to have a copy of the promo video from the website as it showed all of the things we did. He took my e-mail and said he would send photos and refund my money. Then he took off to drive the next group.

After that I decided to take a helicopter flight over the park. The company had one other single guy who wanted to go so, away we went. I took the front seat. The flight was excellent. Stunning views of this immense wilderness and the lakes surrounding Cradle Mountain. The pilot gave us lots of information and at the end he pointed out the changing area from yesterday and Dove Canyon as we flew over it.

When we got back I decided to go for another more gentle hike. I wanted to see part of the trail we took yesterday because it was beautiful and I didn't have my camera and then I wanted to continue on the Cradle Valley Boardwalk from the ranger station to Ronny Creek. It was a great hike. No one around, no traffic and nothing but the sounds of the birds and the gentle breeze through the trees. The whole hike was along a wooden boardwalk. This protects the environment and makes it easier to walk over the terrain and plants.

When I got to Ronny Creek three hours later, I continued across the road past the pond where I saw the platypus to where there was a number of Richea pandanifolia pandani plants growing along the creek. They are really strange looking plants.

I was now very tired so, I took the shuttle to Dove Lake for one more look at the lake and the mountain and then took the shuttle back to the visitor's centre. It was now 3pm and I decided to leave a little early to make the drive to the airport more relaxing. I thoroughly enjoyed the drive as it meandered through a variety of environments from sub alpine to rainforest, up and over and around a couple of mountains and finally through the rolling hills of cattle farms along the western tier.

I arrived at the airport by 6, gassed up the car (a full tank after 625 km), cleaned it up and dropped of the key. Then I had a sandwich and waited to board the Virgin flight after three amazing days. I am really glad I decided to come back to Tasmania. It is a beautiful, wild place.