My First Trip to Oz

With my best girlfriend, Doogii

While many of my friends and family follow me on Facebook, there are a number that don't play that Facebook game and so for them I'm going to recap my Winter Break travels. I have two friends currently living in Australia and for that reason I decided to skip out of the cold and pollution and spend a couple of weeks in the land Down Under. To sum it up--I loved every minute and do hope to return and explore more of that vast landscape someday. 

Bondi Beach

I arrived and was collected by, get this, my BEST Mongolian girlfriend! Yes, she left me in UB this past June in pursuit of her Masters Degree in Oz. I support her academic endeavors and the hard work and perseverance she's put towards making a better future for her and her family. That said I have missed her terribly! We have stayed in touch via Facebook messenger and the occasional video chat. It was lovely to catch up in PERSON over food, drink, warm sand, and tons of sunshine. She lives in Sydney and so my trip began and ended there. We drank coffee together. We drank beers and watched HUGE fruit bats swarm overhead. We sipped red wine and reminisced about our Friday-after-work-drink dates in UB. We ate McDonald's and she showed me around her neighborhood. We spent an afternoon on Bondi Beach where I jumped waves with her daughter and we people watched and breathed in the clean, salty air, while soaking up some natural Vitamin D. 

Kendall comes to collect me

Then I transitioned into phase two of my trip. My friend Kendall who used to work at ASU came and collected me from Sydney. I spent Christmas eve and day with her and her mum in the Southern Highlands. This included watching "The Man from Snowy River" AND "Return to Snowy River" as we were preparing to make a road trip to.....yes, THE SNOWY MOUNTAINS. Kendall had never been and it was within our reach of this trip. 

Mob of kangaroos

We left her home the day after Christmas and made a one night stop over in Canberra where my sister Fawn had spent a year abroad as a teen and where one of her classmates still lived. Caroline took us out and about for the afternoon and evening. She drove us past the home where Fawn had lived and the school she had attended. I saw my first kangaroo--a mob of them actually--right there in Caroline's suburb. It was incredible! We drank wine and listening to stories of what my sister was like as a teenage exchange student. We spent the night there, met another classmate in the morning over breakfast, then we hit the road. After a stop off at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve where we saw koalas and wallabies we drove on to Lake Jindabyne which is a gateway village to the Snowy Mountains. 

Overlooking Lake Jindabyne

We spent three nights at Panorama Jindabyne and used it as a home base for our explorations of the area. That first evening we just got settled in and enjoyed the view from the deck. Our first full day we spent at the Man from Snowy River Rodeo. We drank beer and ate sausage sandwiches and watched bronc and bull riders. It was Kendall's first rodeo, my first Australian rodeo. They did have an extra event that was new to me--it was a bronc riding event in which the rider had to ride on a saddle, had to have his feet in a certain position, along with his body, AND had to crack a whip all while staying on for at least 8 seconds. It was a great day spent sitting on the grass and under a not-too-hot sun at a small town rodeo event. We headed into town and enjoyed a nice meal before heading back to the hotel for a night of rest.

From the top of Mt. Kosciuszko

The next day we drove up to Thredbo--a ski town in the winter and in the summer a place where extreme mountain bikers ride the chairlift to then ride down the mountain. We explored the little village with a drizzle of rain coming down on us. Then we road the chairlift up to the top. From there I hiked the 6.5 kilometers to the top of Mt. Kosciuszko, the tallest mountain on the continent of Australia. Before you feel amazed...it's just 2,228 meters tall (7308 feet). However, the view from the top was very much worth it. It was the landscape that is seen in "The Man from Snowy River." Though it was mid summer there were still patches of snow at the top, and lots and lots of wind. One can certainly see what Jessica meant when she talks about the snowy mountains being still and beautiful one moment and trying to kill you in the next. On the hike down I listened to the soundtrack from the movie and it was inspiring. I loved being in a place that had meant so much to my childhood and youth. 

On the Chairlift at Thredbo

On the drive down the mountain we stopped off at the Wild Brumby distillery and tasted some of their unique schnapps. I highly recommend you try their Devil's Tongue if given the chance. It will surprise and delight! We saw an emu on that drive down and then headed into town for a nice steak for dinner. Australia has some damn fine beef!! And excellent lamb! Oh, and the scallops were yummy, and the fish 'n chips also. Yes, I ate well on this vacation. 

Fireworks from the Harbor Bridge

Then it was time to return to Kendall's home and then back into Sydney to make it in time to see the New Year's Eve fireworks over the harbor. And we did just that. I've never been at such a huge event before. I believe the news reported that there were more than 1.6 Million people in attendance. We opted to sit and wait in one of the free parks--we were on one of the Quays, just between the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House. While the 13 minutes of fireworks was impressive, I have to say that it was being a part of such an orderly mob as we all departed the parks at 12:15 am. There was no pushing, no shoving, no yelling, no frustration of any kind that I observed. People were patient and respectful. People pushed baby strollers and elderly were amongst us. I couldn't identify all the languages I heard that day and night. So many. I have to say that it was my experience that Australia FELT like what I think America says it is--a melting pot of diversity. We were all intermingled. Honestly I didn't feel there was any majority race or culture within that park. It was awe-inspiring in that way.

Dunningham Reserve over Coogee Bay

Once we squished ourselves out through one of the few gates that enclosed our park for the event, we hiked up the streets and into the city to find a bus stop. I finally arrived back to my Airbnb around 1:45 am. After messaging with Enji and other family around the globe, I went to sleep shortly before 4 AM. New Years Day was a rest day. I did laundry--using a dryer for the first time since last Christmas at Dad's house in Michigan. And then I discovered I was just a 30 minute hike from Dunningham Reserve and Coogee Bay. It was a lovely first day to the New Year and I enjoyed being in the sunshine and breezes while exploring the area of Randwick and Coogee. 

At one of the wineries in Hunter Valley

On January 2nd Doogii and headed off on a Hunter Valley Wine Tasting tour. We met the bus at 7 AM in Sydney and returned around 6:30 PM after visiting four wineries and tasting about 30 different wines. The first place we visited was Capercaillie Winery which was fun. At some point they all run together and I didn't purchase anything to bring home. BUT it was a fun day just the same. 

Riding the Chairlift at the Zoo

Then on the 3rd we headed of to the Taronga Zoo by way of a ferry ride across the harbor. We saw all kinds of critters. Kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, giraffes, tigers, seals, wombats, walking sticks, elephants, and the list goes on and on. My favorite was the Tasmanian devil! We spent the whole day there and left when it was closing taking the chairlift (first time for both Doogii and her daughter to ride one!) down to the ferry dock. 

Final Sunrise, Coogee Beach

Then the 4th of January arrived and it was my last day. But I got up and watched my last sunrise first. This is my own personal tradition when traveling. I like to see the sunrise and relish the quiet of the day before the madness begins. I hiked back down to Coogee Beach and watched Beach Boot-campers working out and waited for the sun to grace the day. I ordered a coffee at a beachside kiosk and journaled while eavesdropping on the conversations of locals at the tables around me. 

Pic with the family before departure

In those last hours I met Doogii downtown and we did some souvenir shopping in downtown Sydney, picked up an item at the Sydney Apple store, and then had a last lunch at a Greek Restaurant. Yum! Then the family delivered me to the airport for my long journey back to the cold and polluted land of UB. 

It was one of my best vacations to-date. I loved every day and there was a nice mix of planned events as well as rest and relaxation time. I can't stress enough how nice it was to be visiting people that lived there and knew how to get around and make things happen. While last year was spent with my family in the USA for Christmas, this year was my solo girls trip to Oz. Two very different trips but both lovely and soul-affirming in their own and different ways. 

Alright. I think that's a wrap on the Winter Break. Soon Spring Break will be here but there is more to catch up on yet. I'll be back soon with another post. Happy New Year to each of you!