I have to use these words as my blog title, because they are
the standard Aussie greeting! I left Hong Kong for Singapore on an evening
flight and found myself seated next to the sweetest Javanese lady who really
wanted to chat. She kept saying, “you nice lady”… and then it was broken
English and sign language until I asked the Chinese lady in front of us to
intercede – that was good! We took off an hour late and, as my changeover time
was only 55 minutes, I was really nervous. We landed in Singapore long after
check-in time and so I ran off the plane, ran down the travelator, ran through
the x-ray machine check (why is this necessary for connecting passengers?) and
ran onto the next plane… and we took off about 10 minutes later!
I lost more time and arrived in Brisbane at 10.30am – and my
big purple case was there to meet me! It is easy entering the country, but you
have a big checklist to fill in – all about what animals you have touched (I
forgot about the cow in Hong Kong!), what soil might be on your shoes and what
food you have with you – anyway after that, I was in Brisbane airport – and
everything looked “normal” again! I saw people my size and shape – I was
getting quite a complex in Asia as all the ladies are so thin and pale and have
lovely thick black hair. No-one had hair the colour and texture of mine!
No-one! And I was also far too tanned! I felt like the jolly ginger giant! There
was a lovely group of retired ladies on my flight to Proserpine – all from
different bridge clubs in New Zealand and all going on a bridge holiday to
Airlie Beach – and were they excited and noisy! Again, I thought of my sweet,
well-behaved tour kids!
The flight to Proserpine left at 1.30 and was less than two
hours long. How lovely to see Merlene, my sister-in-law, and her fiancé, Wayne,
waiting for me! What big hugs and kisses those were! I really needed some TLC
after pounding those streets in Thailand and Hong Kong, by myself most of the
time! They whisked me off to Airlie Beach – my own huge room, my own beautiful
bathroom, all my clothes washed and great meals! Airlie Beach is extremely
beautiful – right on the coast of the Whitsundays – very relaxed, clean and
safe. What has struck me so much in Australia is this feeling of being safe and
not having to keep checking that I haven’t left something in the wrong place. I
must say that some neuroses take a long time to disappear though…. as happened
later in Sydney!
We had a lovely long walk the next day and I bumped into
some of the old bridge ladies and greeted them saying – “weren’t you those
noisy ladies on the flight yesterday?” – They just laughed! There were
beautiful wild birds everywhere and so many pretty places to sit down and have
a drink, which we did! We planned a trip for the next day and went out for
supper.
The next day was superb! Although it started out looking a
bit grey, we got onto the Manta Ray boat with about 20 other passengers to head
for Hook Bay and various other places to stop and admire the scenery. The crew
was very friendly and we chatted to some of the passengers – most of us were foreigners,
except for Merlene and Wayne! We met a really nice Austrian couple who live
near Lake Constance – Anita drives into Switzerland to teach and Alexander
continues on into Lichtenstein to work in a bank doing IT – border crossings of
note and so easy in Europe! We also met some Dutch people who love Cape Town.
Their son was quite perplexed at my attempts to converse in Afrikaans – his dad
translated for him. We went to a beautiful lookout point where the sun came
out, at last, and then went snorkelling! The wetsuits we used were not things
of beauty – quite smelly (especially Merlene’s which was very “fishy”) and a
bit ragged in places where the previous wearers must have hit rocks! The reef
was very exposed because it was low tide and so we got to see lots of coral and
pretty fish – and a turtle or two! It was a super day out and we finished with
lovely salmon cooked by Wayne on the braai! I had such a good time there –
nothing beats being back with people you know – and Merlene and I go back 37
years!
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| Dawn on the way to Australia |
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| Heading for Brisbane |
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| Relaxed, clean and well-fed at Airlie Beach |
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| Add captionView from Merlene and Wayne's verandah at Airlie Beach |
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| Airlie Beach |
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| Having a rest along the way |
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| Wayne and Merlene |
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| "Boer maak 'n plan" - or Chinese lady without shoes makes a plan - she ties books to her feet and walks! |
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| Even this little one came out on the Reef in her wetsuit |
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| Day out on the Whitsundays |
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| This is where we snorkelled |
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| Anita and Alexander from Austria |
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| The start of a rainbow |
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| View from a lookout point |
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| Merlene and I kitted up and ready for action |
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| Time to say goodbye at the airport |
I had to pack up again and head for the airport for my
flight to Brisbane and my next stay. Brian Breetzke was there to meet his “old”
teacher – I taught him in 1983 and maybe 1984 – and I taught with his wife,
Theresa, at Hudson Park – so back to stay with more “family”…yay! They couldn’t
have been more accommodating – Callum, their son, gave me his room, I
commandeered the children’s bathroom and Theresa even did some mending for me!
I felt like a queen being spoilt again. They live on the Gold Coast – more than
an hour’s drive from Brisbane – and it is beautiful! Actually, it is my
favourite place from those I have seen in Australia! We went out for a walk and
enjoyed fish and chips near the beach.
On the Saturday, we had a lovely day out – Jenna and Callum
came too – and the Breetzkes showed me their new home. They have settled so
well, largely I think because of such positive attitudes and because they are all
so sporty and love the beach, in particular. Theresa teaches at a lovely
private school, literally next-door to the complex in which they stay. Both
Callum and Jenna study there – their first taste of co-ed school after Selborne
and Clarendon, and they both seem to like it! She took me on a tour – no locks,
no gates…well-maintained buildings including a school chapel and theatre and
huge indoor sports hall. There are not even any gates at the front of their
“village” complex, which even has a doctor’s surgery, a huge lake, beautiful
gardens and two coffee shops and a grocer’s – and probably more. Again, the
feeling of safety overwhelmed me. On our drive down the coast, we were actually
about 2 kilometres from the place where the aftershocks of the earth tremor a
few days earlier had taken place, but we didn’t feel them!? we had a gorgeous day out with beautiful weather and lots of stops along the way!
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| Virgin Australia - excellent airline |
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| Evening on the Gold Coast |
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| This couple had just got married |
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| Theresa and I waiting for our fish and chips |
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| Sunset on the Gold Coast |
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| How's this for a tasty breakfast |
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| The Breetzke's apartment |
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| Chapel at Theresa's school - Emmanuel College, where 30 per cent of the staff is from SA |
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| Theresa in front of her school |
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| Q1 building behind me - didn't try going up in case of earth tremors! |
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| With the Breetzke family - lovely sunny day |
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| Look at that beach |
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| Can you believe it! A machine which dispenses slip slops! |
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| Interesting architecture |
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| Surfers' Paradise |
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| This is how some people enjoy the sun! |
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| Someone wanted my food - as usual! |
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| One of the beaches on the Gold Coast |
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| A cousin to our hadeda |
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| I'm a surfer chick - with Callum! |
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| And I found a koala bear |
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| In front of the Breetzke's complex - very Tuscan |
After just two nights with the Breetzkes, I was off again –
heading for three days in Sydney. The flight was only just over an hour and I
was met by Leane Kopke, one of my Matrics from 2002 – so great not to have to
fend for myself and work out how taxis or trains or buses work…. She drove me
to her home in Sutherland, in the south. Sydney is huuuge! It is also very well
laid-out and there is water everywhere. When I had put my things down and we
had had lunch, Leane took me to the gardens nearby to show me where she and her
fiancé, Ben, are getting married in December. It is very pretty and there is a
lot of activity there – rowing, cycling, and feeding the birds….! This is where
the cockatoo landed on me unexpectedly and I screamed like a mad woman! When I
calmed down, it was all right though. The funny thing is that some Chinese
people came to ask Leane for bread so they could feed the birds and take
photographs – and look like me. One man even lay on the ground with birds all
around and on him!
Leane works in the bank and luckily for me, Monday was a
bank holiday (for the banks only) so we spent the day together in Sydney. Ben
very kindly let me use his Opal card for the train and ferries – and soon I was
back on the water! We took the ferry to Manly Beach and had a good walk there
and then found a Greek restaurant – souvlaki withdrawal symptoms fixed with
tasty lamb souvlakis! We then went back to Sydney harbour – I didn’t realise
how close together the iconic Sydney Bridge and Sydney Opera House are – and
enjoyed a lovely walk in the Botanic gardens (I don’t know why Australians say
“botanic” and we say “botanical” – I’ll have to google that one!) They are
exquisite too.
When we got home, Leane just opened the front door without a
key… we had left the house unlocked the whole day! That is just what she
normally does! Of course, I had a cadenza – what about my passports, my
clothes, my laptop?
So, Leane gave me a front door key and I locked the house
the next day. I met a young English teacher from Carlisle, near Scotland, on
the train and I would have loved to go to the zoo with her, but I was meeting
my niece, Merlene and Alan’s daughter, Shannon, for lunch in Darling Harbour so
I had to let that one pass. Alex, the girl on the train, is only a second-year
teacher so I hope our chat and some of my tips might help her in her future. I
wandered around the harbour which is so pretty and then found Shanny on a bench
and we went for lunch at Nick’s – you guessed it – a Greek restaurant! Time for
calamari! And who was there to pester us? More seagulls! The restaurant
supplies squeegee bottles of water – so I gave one a good squirt – payback for
his cousin in Brighton! Shanny and I then went to the Maritime Museum in the
harbour where they had a display about Ernest Shackleton’s adventures in
Antarctica and we later went aboard the exact replica of the Endeavour of
Captain Cook. There were some volunteers on board – men who obviously love old
boats and the sea – and they told us so many interesting things … including the
fact that there were 29 kilometres of rope on the ship! It was fascinating –
certainly not easy living conditions for such long trips.
I took the train home and was late because of a delay on the
line – so it was dark when I started walking back to Leane’s home. Of course,
it was safe, but I was sure I was being followed so I ran most of the way! When
I got there, Leane was already inside – and I had the key? Never mind, the back
door gets left unlocked! We had supper with Ben’s parents, the Masons, and
again it was a super meal. Merricke very kindly offered to take me to the
airport the next day and so I was off again – this time heading for Melbourne
to stay with Airbnb hosts, Dan and Laiken from Johannesburg – more South
Africans.
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| Lots of water around Sydney as the plane comes in |
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| Attacked by a cockatoo.... |
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| And Leane shows me how to behave |
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| And I do... |
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| Kookabura sits in the old gum tree |
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| Leane and Ben's house built on a rock |
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| Bird cages on Angel walk in Sydney city |
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| Always time for cupcakes and coffee |
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| In front of Sydney Bridge |
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| Great view of Sydney harbour from the ferry |
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| Found some boomerangs |
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| Sydney Opera House |
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| I didn't get to see any of these |
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| View from Manly Beach |
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| Had to throw in this one - Greek lamb souvlakia with tsatsiki |
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| Sydney Bridge |
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| Always a Greek statue somewhere to be found! |
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| Sydney Botanical Gardens |
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| Leane with her cat, Mandu - alias Samoosa! |
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| Darling Harbour |
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| Fountain of cranes |
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| Lunch with Shannon Mitchley - such a sweetie! |
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| Tale of some of Shackleton's dogs |
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| And here they are - preserved by a taxidermist |
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| Captain Cook's Endeavour - complete with 29 kms of rope! |
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| And his bunk - not that posh! |
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| Combined selfie - one holds and one presses! |
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| Michael, Merricke and Ben Mason - and Leane |
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| in Sydney airport and time for the pink jacket as I head to colder weather |
Of course, as I was heading further and further south, it
was getting progressively colder. Melbourne was a lot colder and I had to haul
out the bright pink jacket from Switzerland. I had such a saga getting into my
accommodation – Dan left the keys in the postbox labelled “back gate and back
door” – and I was at the front with all my luggage. So, I stopped a couple
coming down the road and asked them to guard my luggage while I ran down the
road and up the lane at the back of the house with the keys. I thought I was
behind the right house and I forced the back gate open, but couldn’t get the
back door open – because I was in the wrong house! So I ran around the front
again and tried to phone Dan -, but my phone wouldn’t work because it was still
in flight mode. I finally got him – only to be told that the keys were for the
front! So after nearly half an hour, I managed to get into the house and
thanked the very kind couple who had stayed with me and my luggage.
The house is in South Melbourne, really cute and it feels a
bit like Parkmore in Jo’burg. I went for a walk around the lake near the house
and went into the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre – wow, how stunning –
especially the seven different swimming pools. I think the Olympic divers and
swimmers train there. Nona and Marcelle would just be in their element! A smart
young coach showed me around too! I had an early night after a nice chat to my
hosts.
The next day was a day of lots of walking – all over
Melbourne, which reminded me a lot of London, probably because of the buildings
and the weather. It is a very pretty city too. I went to the visitor
information centre and got lots of info and then I went to a travel agent and
met the delightful Sam from Canada who helped me with some bookings for New
Zealand. What a breath of fresh air she
was! I walked around the harbour – obviously! – and then took a tram to the
zoo, just to make sure that I at least saw some Aussie animals! After getting
past the lions, giraffe and zebras, I saw lots of animals and beautiful birds. Most
Australians are very friendly and helpful, which I really have appreciated. In the
evening, I went to the theatre to see, “Strictly Ballroom” which I have taught
as a film study. It was directed by the Baz Luhrmann and it was superb. I sat
with three other ladies – each of us there on our own and soon chatting like
old friends – one from New Zealand, one from France, one from Canada and me!
On the next day I booked to go on the Great Ocean Road for
the day – I was picked up at 7am and dropped off at 8.30pm. The trip was
spectacular and the scenery was beautiful, although I did catch myself thinking
of our beautiful South African coastline too…especially in the Cape. We were
lucky enough to see koalas in the wild – hanging onto branches half-asleep. Apparently,
eucalyptus leaves are quite poisonous and low in carbs and their poor stomachs
take a long time digesting them – so they sleep for 20 hours a day! We were
also told by our delightful guide and driver, Natalie, that only one alpha male
in the group gets to be romantic with the lady koalas – and if another male
challenges him and loses – or if he loses – the loser goes into exile! Poor koalas!
I had another encounter with a bird when a parakeet landed on me – I just froze
without screaming and it flew off. I sat with a lovely Italian lady called Gaia
who is a master photographer and who has promised me some of her picks. We saw
the 12 Apostles – strange rock formation which was originally called the Sow
and Piglets – not a good name – and then renamed despite the fact that there
were only ever 9 apostles – and two have conked in now!
On my last day in Melbourne, I got up a bit later, did some
blogging and then walked up to the Botanical Gardens and the Shrine of
Remembrance – a war shrine dedicated to Australians who have died in many
battles. It was very moving and one of the curators, a man called Rob, actually
took me around to explain some of it. I know my friend, Janice, the historian
who has Australian roots, would have loved to be there.
I have found Australia to be a really easy place to live in - relaxed, safe, clean and what South Africa maybe could be were we to conquer some of our problems! After my morning out, I went
home, packed, emailed for a taxi and headed for the bus station to take the bus
to the airport and to my next destination….my ninth country and my twenty-third
bed….in Christchurch, New Zealand with Jurgen and Grace Muller and their family
– and definitely winter!
