Sydney: Part 2 (The Festive Season)

Arriving back in Sydney felt like coming home and our Sydney-dwelling friends certainly made us feel welcome. Gavin (Steve's ex-Fuji colleague) collected us from the coach, took us shopping AND paid for it (thanks Gav). That shop kept us in baked beans, washing powder and rice amongst other groceries for over 2 weeks and Gav brought a whole new meaning to 'friends in need are friends indeed'! We checked in at 'Chez Katie & Steve's' (Lucy's best friends) in Coogee, a suburb of Sydney. Lucy's best friends soon became ours when we saw their lovely new flat that we were to look after for two weeks while they were in England for Christmas. With some sparkling wine they left us for Christmas, we toasted our good fortune at having such wonderful friends and a fantastically swanky flat to base ourselves over the festive season.

Those two weeks gave us a taste of what life would be like to live in Sydney and three blocks from Coogee Beach, it was certainly the high-life. We met Katie and Steve's friends; Jenny, Amy, Pete, Anna, Alex, Mark and Gayle, amongst others, all English and extremely good fun 20-somethings enjoying a London lifestyle in the Sydney sun. We got caught up in the hub of socialising, having fun and partying so hard, our hangovers didn't have a chance to set in until boxing day. Christmas Eve was a great night and we danced the night away (Beth was not going to let a fractured foot spoil her fun) at the Golden Sheaf in the beautiful Double Bay area of Sydney, almost opposite the hotel where INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence was found dead (which was nice).

Christmas Day greeted us with mixed feelings (largely of the hangover variety), as we succumbed to deep homesickness of the like we had never experienced in seven months of being away. For Beth, it was like Christmas's of her childhood with Lucy bounding into the main room at 7am like an over enthusiastic puppy, desperate for her presents! The weather, although disappointingly overcast, was warm and taking the Christmas tree cake Lucy had slaved over (Beth and Steve secretly believed it resembled a pile of nuclear waste), we walked to Mark's flat for a Christmas party to end all parties. 12 hours, new friends, colourful rosella birds landing frequently on the balcony and a massive BBQ (prepared by Jenny, Marion and Simon - thanks!), Christmas Day may not have been the same as sharing the day in good old England with a frost, friends and family, but it was still good fun.

Boxing Day saw 15 of us gather at Jenny's gorgeous Edgecliff apartment overlooking Sydney Harbour to eat the left over salads and watch the start of the famous Sydney to Hobart yacht race. Unfortunately, the view of the starting line wasn't great, but the crowds and helicopters buzzing around the sky made the moment very atmospheric.

The run up to New Years Eve saw shopping trips to Bondi Junction to search the sales for New Years Eve outfits, sunbathing trips to the Royal National Park, surfing in Manley and relaxing in Marouba. We also walked the famous Coogee to Bondi walk taking us from, past and to wonderful beaches and we rewarded ourselves after the 6km trek with lunch at the Sushi Train in Bondi Beach. All these activities however were tempered with horror at the carnage left in the wake of the Asian Tsunami that was reported extensively by their Australian neighbours.

New Years Eve arrived with horrifying speed for Beth who almost had a nervous breakdown the night before at the thought of leaving her 20's behind. Her 30th however was an amazing day starting with Steve, Katie and Lucy presenting her with a birthday cake made from 20 (her spiritual age!) cup-cakes with ever-lighting candles that refused to go out despite Beth emptying a lungful of spit on top of the lovely pink icing in her attempts to extinguish them. Katie also made a lovely breakfast of corn fritters, roasted tomatoes and mushrooms whilst Lucy unveiled balloons complete with faces and shoes. Beth was spoilt with some lovely presents from Steve (who had to be creative as we have run out of money; manicure set, pedometer and headlight), Lucy (silver necklace, shoes, marmite and tops), Gavin & Bryony (sachets full of pampering tonics), Katie, Steve and Amy (badly needed underwear set!) plus money from Beth's Grandma & Grandad, Mum and Dad and Sue. Turning 30 was actually fabulous! Beth, Lucy and Steve headed into the historic Rocks area of Sydney known as the foundation of Australia, now a trendy area of restaurants and bars. We headed to the Australian Bar and enjoyed sparkling wine in the lunchtime sun. Slightly tipsy we headed back to Coogee where Steve and Beth glammed up for the first time in seven months. Battling into central Sydney was a little like London at the millennium, a bunfight, but the crowds only added to the fever pitch of New Years Eve in one of the most exciting cities in the world. The Botanical Gardens and indeed anywhere within seven kilometres of Sydney were packed and the Opera House must have had at least 1000 people on the steps alone. We felt terribly important and somehow fraudulent as the crowds parted for those with tickets to the Opera Bar and walking into the bar beneath the Opera House was like a dream as the open-air venue opened it's doors for a ringside view of Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The fireworks at 9pm were a wonderful sight as purples and reds, golds and greens exploded in a kaleidoscope of colours from the bridge and behind the opera house. Dancing through the night under the stars and the glow of the brightly lit cruise ships circling the harbour, made the night very special but the night was tinged with sadness and it was an enjoyment laced with sorrow for the people of Asia who were having a very different New Years Eve. The sound of a minute silence at midnight was a more amazing sound and more moving that a million fireworks as people, celebrating moments before, joined to pray that hope and happiness would find it's way to the people affected by the Tsunami. The end of the minute silence heralded the start of the fantastic midnight fireworks which concluded with a fountain of fireworks pouring from the bridge and through the 2005 windmill sculpture, glinting spectacularly in the moonlight. Beth finished the night in style and in a way fitting of a 30 year old - she threw up over herself - but nothing, not even undissolved canapes floating in a puddle at her feet, could dampen the fantastic New Years Eve of 2004.

New Years day was spent in a hungover state whilst watching in disbelief at the rising death toll of the Asian Tsunami. The irony of the last sentence is not lost on us and at that moment we decided that during our trip to Thailand in the coming weeks we would do everything we could to help in the aftermath of the disaster.

Our final days in Sydney were spent in hospitality as warm as the weather with Gavin and Bryony at their flat in Manley, North Sydney. We explored thoroughly by walking the famous Manley to Spit coastal walk that afforded us fabulous views across Sydney. 10km later (measured with Beth's new pedometer of course) we drove to Palm Beach where Home & Away is filmed and had a picnic outside the surf club. The compulsory 'Summer Bay' sign was photographed and, despite the cold, we dipped our toes in the sea that laps the shores of the famous Aussie beach.

We had an emotional farewell with Lucy - the best sister/sister-in-law we could ask for and a brilliant, fun, if not slightly nutty traveling companion! At the Greyhound bus station we waved goodbye to the most amazing and beautiful skyline in the world and headed south to Melbourne, Victoria for the last stage of our Australian adventure.

Tsunami disaster in Asia

Our thoughts and feelings go out to anyone who has been affected by the tsunami catastrophe in Asia. We honeymooned in The Maldives (Full Moon Beach Resort) and Sri Lanka, so are devastated to see what has happened to the people there and the beautiful holiday destinations. We will still be travelling through Malaysia, Thailand and India in the next couple of months, but obviously with saddened hearts.

We are thinking of all those families affected by this at what should have been, a happy time of year.

Surf's up, Sun's out, Santa's here!

Happy Christmas from us in Aus,
A fantastic country that ever there was.
We'll exchange the cold for the sun,
And roasted turkey for a barbequed one.
Although somehow Crimbo won't be as good
Without an English Christmas pud.
But our friends and family will always be near,
In our hearts and minds: Wishing you Christmas cheer!

Discovering our spiritual side in Byron Bay

Leaving the Gold Coast we returned to New South Wales, stopping off at Byron Bay for 4 days before travelling down to Sydney. We have heard so much about Byron Bay from other travellers 'The best place on the beaten track' stated one, 'hippy central of Australia' claimed another and 'The Amsterdam of the southern hemisphere' cried a third. Curiouser and curiouser. On arrival Byron Bay resembled a very pretty surfing town with a lovely beach, welcoming atmosphere, quaint shops and, as David Brent would say, had 'a 70's vibe'. Flamboyant shops sell everything from crystals and bongs to dungarees and tie-dyed tunics. Every other shop offers alternative medicine or massage therapies. Young and aging hippies alike gather in the centre to play the triangle, smoke, swap philosophies or discuss the latest meditation technique. Even the bins implore you to 'feel the love in Byron'. You may sense a note of derision. Well, we have nothing against spirituality, well being and freedom of speech, in fact Beth's new year resolution is to stop being so anally retentive and to do something 'spiritual'. But somehow in Byron, or more specifically The Arts Factory where we stayed, the majority just seem pretentious as they tried to 'out-philosophise' each other. But it's a fantastic spectator sport for anyone who loves people watching or is interested in sociology. We had a ball!

At the eccentric Arts Factory, Lucy stayed in dorms and Steve & Beth on the very rustic campsite. Even the bathrooms were outdoors and Beth really found herself at one with nature when she discovered she had been showering with a carpet python above her head, asleep in the rafters. Not venomous she was assured and it apparently added character. Silly Beth, of course it does. Coming back from a particularly heavy night at The Buddha Bar (are you starting to see a theme here?) when we all danced with wild abandon in the rain (barefoot of course), we discovered that the entire campsite had been flooded and several tents washed away. We got off lightly with only a puddle inside accompanied by a swarm of mosquitoes. Our hapless neighbour's on the other hand were not so lucky and we watched as their tie-dyed tarpaulin collapsed around their heavily pierced ears.

Then the next day it happened. Whilst at the lighthouse to see what is considered one of the most beautiful sunrises in Australia, Beth (rather spectacularly actually) flew one metre in the air and fractured her foot. She then promptly passed out, almost causing an enthusiastic jogger to do the same. A day of x-rays and hospitals ensued and Beth was confined to watching hippies at the Arts Factory for the next two days whilst Lucy made the pilgrimage to Nimbin (for lovers of all things herbal) and Steve surfed his little heart out. Karma, some may say, for her decidedly derisive attitude to the Budda-loving Byronites.

The final day was spent in the Pighouse Flicks. Zebra-patterned sofas lined the floor and whilst Steve and Beth stuffed their faces with salted popcorn, Lucy snuggled up with one of the teddy bears placed strategically around the cinema. We would have liked to stay longer to 'find ourselves' but Christmas in Sydney was calling and we boarded the bus. Or in Beth's case limped then promptly fell down the aisle.

The Sunshine and Gold Coasts

We arrived on the Sunshine Coast, Noosa to be exact, in a blaze of...well...sunshine. Our sole intention was to learn to surf and Steve and Lucy did an admirable job of this with no doubt Steve imagining he was in Point Break and Lucy in Blue Crush. Beth, on the other hand, could only imagine she was back lying on the beach as she finally emerged from under the ninth wave in a row covered in algae and resembling a swamp monster. Surfer chick she was not. We did learn the hard way why surfers wear 'rashy' tops as the 3 of us, Therese and Afra all suffered with chafing of various body parts. Steve and Afra in slightly more disturbing places that made us fear for their future fertility chances.

Steve and Beth stayed at the Noosa Caravan Park about 2km outside the main town but we spent most of our time at the stunning YHA where Lucy, Therese and Afra were staying. In fact we spent so much time there the hostel staff seemed to think we were staying there too which is a good job considering the antics we all got up too on our last night. We met the very funny Ant who introduced us to a drinking game called 'Four Kings' involving cross-dressing, press-ups in the bar and drinking flaming sambucas. Ant also introduced us to the rather unfortunately named cocktail 'chenoble fallout' that involved drinking vapours from burning alcohol. Long story...it seemed funny at the time but guess you had to be there. Needless to say that the photos will NOT make it to the website.

Brisbane
Australia has been in a drought situation for over 12 years and clearly their rain dances have paid off. It poured when we arrived in Brisbane. For three long days which, according to the Aussies, is unusual even in wet season. Small comfort said the Brits. Nevertheless we still managed to take the sights in. "You're mad", said the Aussies, "it's raining koalas and possums out there". "We're used to it", replied the Brits, "we're British". So we set to explore the city - well largely the shopping which was excellent. Under the guise of 'Secret Santa' presents for each other, we replenished our increasingly tatty and dirty wardrobe, finally accepting that our clothes do not get clean in hostel washing machines just less dirty!

Disappointingly the international cricket match between Australia and New Zealand we intended to watch was rained off but it just as much of a spectacle to watch the Aussie fans. Donned in green and yellow from head to foot they made the most of the cancellation by drinking tremendous amounts and challenging the Kiwis to a game in the stands.

In the evening we met up with some Israeli lads we had met at the Whitsundays Islands. Whilst smoking molasses which tasted like we were inhaling After Eight mints (it's legal Mum, honest!), we heard about one of their attempts to get into the Mossad (Israeli equivalent to Secret Service). A staged Arabic hostage situation and 14 days of torture saw him fail. He was supposed to withstand 21 days to qualify and instead he took a job defending the Israeli foreign minister. It's another world! It was a night of meeting fascinating people generally and we met a blind traveller (and we thought it was challenging to find our way round a new place?) who also happened to be a sports commentator for Radio. There are truly some incredible people out there.

Marginally hungover, we visited the Lone Pine Sanctuary with the sole intention of cuddling a koala - one of the only places in Aus that this is legal. After taking at least 300 photos of the tree-hugging marsupial, Beth's dream was realised. Clinging onto a cute, faintly disgruntled Koala called Elise, she didn't even mind when the said bear poo'ed all over her hand. The sanctuary was also home to many of the strange looking animals that Australia is famous for including cute Wombats, unlovable Tasmanian Devils, cartoon-like Enchidna and the strange looking Cassowarys. We even hand fed kangaroos, but it must be said that their breath is pretty revolting.

Our final (wet and rainy) day in Brisbane saw us accompanying Therese and Afra to Ikea in search of food from their homeland. It was a surreal experience to be in Aus and doing something so similar to our old 'normal' life such as visiting Ikea but our lovely new Swedish friends helped us pick out a feast to celebrate St.Lucia's day on 13th December which just so happens to be Lucy's Birthday too. After all the shopping over the last couple of days, Steve was chomping at the bit to see the sea and surf again so we headed down to Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast.

Surfers Paradise
On the contrary to what we had heard, Surfers Paradise was great fun and had a fantastic atmosphere - even though all the concrete holiday apartments made it look a little like a very exotic Rochdale! We realised that Australia had started to seriously drain our funds and we desperately wanted to visit all the theme parks in the area. So, after settling Lucy, Therese and Afra into a swanky apartment, Steve and Beth camped in a campsite 3km from town to save money. The sacrifice and discomfort was more than worth it after our first day of fun and frolics at 'Wet n wild' water park which was both very wet and extremely wild. Advice for those ever considering going, wear some sort of footwear in the dark cave that heralds the start of the big water rides. We ended up with mosquito bites over the entire soles of our feet and the huntsman spider - harmless but 4 inches in diameter - was not helpful either.

Next day was Lucy's Birthday and she awoke in total denial at being 27. Movieworld soon perked her up though and she rode the ScoobyDoo rollercoaster, screaming like a baby. In the evening we celebrated Lucy's 27th year (sorry Luce, we couldn't resist another mention) with St.Lucia buns, Glog and Salt licorice. All Swedish delights were, well delightful, apart from the latter. Whoever heard of salted licorice? (sorry Therese and Afra, we tried to like it but it tasted like rat poison).

On our final day we went to Seaworld, definitely the best park by far. In addition to the world's biggest dolphin display, Police Academy stunt show and a competition between the world's number two and ex-world champion wake-boarders, the highlight was Shark Bay. Two huge pools are divided by glass separating the harmless sharks from the deadly, 3 metre specimens from 1 metre, Jaws from Nemo. Looking down into the water was scary enough but going underground to watch the shark's swimming towards you was too reminiscent of the scene in Deep Blue Sea for our liking! It was an incredible experience seeing the sharks at such close quarters without being eaten but it did nothing to alleviate Beth's fear of them and it was not particularly helpful that Steve shouted 'boo' in her ear everytime Jaws headed towards the glass.

And before we knew it, it was time to leave the warm and fun-loving Queensland and head back down to New South Wales - an hour away from Surfers and an hour ahead.

Fraser Island

The east coast of Aus was starting to feel a little 2-dimensional, as if in contrast to the Northern Territory and Central Outback, the east coast had lost touch with its spiritual side. All sun, surf and sand does not a cultured traveller make...or something. Fraser Island with more sand than the Sahara and incredible (if not scary) wildlife changed that perception.

After a 12 hour sleeper coach we arrived in Hervey Bay which is famous for whales and elderly people. Apart from that there were few differences between Airlie Beach and Hervey Bay but at least we fitted in slightly better with the oldies than the schoolies! Checking into the hotel-like YHA Colonial Resort, we met up with Therese and Afra whom we had met on the dive boat in Cairns. After a night we dragged ourselves away from the paradise of the colonial cabins and checked reluctantly into a night at the free hostel. Yuck was not the word and we spent most of the night fending off cockroaches in 31 degrees.

The briefing for our Fraser Island self-drive tour was littered with warnings of shark-infested waters, poisonous spiders, killer snakes, deadly currents and vicious March Flies - it's a wonder any Aussies make it past adolescence! The group of 33 had to split down into groups of 11 and we surveyed the remaining 28 with horror as we recalled the fervent warning from a previous group. Effectively, you are with complete strangers in a 4WD vehicle, the type of which most people have never driven let alone on sand, on a remote island populated with more things that could kill you than if you were...um...on an island with more things that could kill you on (for want of a decent comparison). Anyway, you get the gist, the potential for disaster is high. This poor group shared their experience with a psycho who almost rolled the van, punched one of the girls and pulled clumps of hair from one of the lads. They slept with knives and axes whilst they were on the island. So it was with care that the five of us chose our fellow travelling companions for the following three days. Our strategy? Avoid the loud bunch of girls and group of 'shirtless' single lads - we are nothing if not suckers for stereo-typing. Mission achieved, we ended up with a mix of sensible looking English, German, South Korean, Canadians and the Swedish Therese and Afra. We figured that the 3 of us plus Therese and Afra would place us in the majority anyway.

Pooling our money we did a group shop, packed the gear on the roof and drove to the supermarket. We're off! On no we're not. Within 5 minutes, we were pulled over by the police for driving too fast around a roundabout. After a slap on the wrists we drove (slowly) to the ferry that would take us to Fraser Island, World Heritage Park.

Once on Fraser, Lucy, Steve and Beth took it in turns to drive through the trees on the sandy roads and along the beach (which not only became a road but unusually also a landing strip for planes). The driving was brilliant fun because to avoid getting bogged down, we had to floor the accelerator - Colin McRae, eat your heart out! Our first stop was Basin Lake, a stunning secluded stretch of blue water surrounded by golden sand. It made a pleasant change to swim in fresh water, so pure we could slurp what we wanted...hoping that the person next to us wasn't attending to the call of nature at the time of course. From there, we drove for 2 hours to get to our first night camping spot. Angling the tents on the beach so we could see the sea in the morning we established a roaring campfire. Five tinnies and a huge BBQ later, we settled into our absolute-beach front home for the night.

At 5am, our group awoke and had packed camp by 6am to head up to Indian Head, much to the other groups annoyance. They had been drinking half the night and seemed determined to see Fraser Island through beer goggles which seems such a shame when the experience was more than fantastic sober. They got their revenge however when they watched us push the 4WD from the sand for 55 minutes. Better than aerobics we rationalised. Finally making it to Indian Head by 7am, we ambled up 178m for the most fabulous views out to sea and across the coast. The point is known for its early morning glimpses of the Tiger Sharks that breed here and other marine life such as turtles, rays and dolphins. It was an ominous moment when we saw the black shape zig-zagging beneath the shallows and the tell-tale fin just potruding the surface and we feared for the turtles and manta rays but they are obviously savvy to the dangers and soon scarpered. We then walked for an hour up the beach to swim in the champagne pools, so named because of the sea water bubbling over the rocks that double as protection for swimmers from marine life and currents. Back in the 4WD we headed to Lake Wabby where we really get a sense of the huge expanse of sand that constitutes Fraser Island. Huge dunes frame Lake Wabby and made for great races down the banks into the fresh water. They also made for great photos and Lucy, Beth and Therese spent a happy hour doing Charlie's Angels impressions off them. Steve suspected that sun stroke had perhaps got the better of them.

We spent another evening around the fire and chasing dingoes from the campsite. As dingoes are likely to attack anything they see that is smaller than them, girls had to go to the toilet in groups so they didn't become Dingo victims when they knelt down to relieve themselves. A strange experience sharing such a personal act with another 10 strangers and, not for the first time, women around the camp were heard to mutter that men had life so easy.

The next morning saw an early start to the highlight of Fraser Island - Lake McKenzie - a very beautiful setting and rivals any picture of tropical paradise. The fresh water is graded in three tones from clear to turquoise to a deep blue. The sand is so white and actually contains silica providing exfoliation properties. The water soon turned murky though, after 33 grubby backpackers started scrubbing months of ingrained dirt from their bodies!

Fraser Island rescued the East Coast (south of Cairns) for us from the surf and sun culture and it was a truly amazing experience to see such vast plains of sands and so many animals like goannas and dingoes in their natural environment. We could have almost been in a David Attenborough documentary.