Karunda

After saying good-bye to Uluru, we flew to Cairns.  It was much cooler there!  :)  We arrived to our hotel at dusk, went to our room, opened the balcony door and discovered the bats flying very low overhead.  But that's another story!

The first evening, we walked around and familiarized ourselves with  the local dive gear shops were as we were on the hunt for stinger suits.  It is box jelly season here and that is one animal you DON'T want to be stung by.

But I digress again...on to Karunda!

Friday morning, we went to the Freshwater station and boarded the Karunda Scenic Rail train for our trip up into the mountains following the Barron River through Barron Gorge.  Karunda is a mountain village that has lots of shops and beautiful views.  Unfortunately, we had rain and low clouds most of the day and the pictures are somewhat dreary.  Well...except the ones from the butterfly sanctuary!


These are the brightly painted Karunda Rail engines.  The weather truly dulled the colors and the picture does not do them justice.    This was taken from our passenger car as the train was going around a curve.

On a clear day, there would be blue water in the distance...the Coral Sea.  The town of Freshwater is in the foreground.

Example of the rock they had to dig through to make the 15 tunnels.  The project started in 1886 and finished in 1891. At one point, the longest tunnel had 8 different sections under construction at the same time.  Amazingly, they all matched up at the end. 

 Barron River overflow.  During the rainy season, the water comes over the top of the overflow faster than it can be let out through the gates.

 Barron Falls from the west side of the Gorge...at the bottom there is a power generating plant.

We had about 4 hours to spend in Karunda and one of the places we went was the Butterfly Sanctuary.  I have no idea what types of butterflies these are, but they are some of the better pictures we took.

Lunching butterflies.

 Pools at the Barron Falls.  Picture taken from the East side of the Gorge.

Barron Falls from the East side.  The train tracks and viewing platform on the West side of the Barron Gorge are visible in the upper left portion of the picture.

Our return trip to Cairns from Karunda was via the Sky Rail.  It is the longest cableway I have ever been on at 4.7 miles in length.  The steepest grade is 19 degrees. And of course, they had technical difficulties while we were on it and it stopped and started several times when we were over the Barron River / Barron Gorge at approximately 133ft above water.  There we were, swinging in the breeze / rain.  We did see some cockatoos but the weather had declined enough we didn't get any pictures.  I was glad to get back to freshwater.  It would be good to go back and do on a clear day!

As we were chatting with a local after arriving back into town, she pointed out some black cockatoos with the red tail feathers.  Once again though, the wild birds did not cooperate and I didn't get a picture.  

On to the Great Barrier Reef!

Incident on the Walk

We are lucky enough to be taking care of Gemma this weekend.  She is a beautiful Malamute who is very gentle and always happy to see us.  She is getting older at 11 years, however, she really doesn't seem to be slowing down.  There are still flashes of puppyness and when she is ready, you better have a hold on the leash as she is going to go.

Apparently, her parents take her on the same walking route a LOT.  When you leave the garage, we let her lead one time and she turned right for one block, left for 2 blocks, left for 2 blocks, left for 2 blocks and left to her house.  She was home, ready for water and kibble. 

She does have a doggie door and likes to find prizes in the yard. 

The first day, she found a petrified bat in the yard and slept with it. 

The second day, she dug up an old bone and left a mud clods on the carpet. 

Last night when we went for a walk, we went down towards the park.  It was a beautiful evening with lots of people out.  We saw several other dogs and Gemma was very well behaved.  On the way back, I was holding the leash and mis-stepped, twisted my ankle and fell flat on my face.  Robert grabbed the leash, helped me up and as we started down the sidewalk, the leash got tangled under 2 of Gemma's legs.

You could see it in her eyes...she was not impressed with our dog walking abilities.

Luckily, I have absolutely no scratches anywhere from the fall and no one else was hurt.  Stairs are a nightmare right now but this will soon pass.

We are getting ready to head over to see what she left us this morning!  It's good to have a dog nearby again!  :)

On a different note, Cairns pictures were delayed and should be up this week.

TTFN!

Uluru Sunset

Our last Uluru adventure was watching the sunset followed by a bbq at the base of Uluru.  This was my favorite tour on this trip.

We started with a glass of wine and some nibbles.  It was relatively cool and there was rain in the distance.  We were lucky - the rain clouds did not cover the setting sun and Uluru turned a beautiful red color as the sun set.  We even had a rainbow over Uluru but it was too faint get a good picture of.

While waiting for the sun to set, I took this picture of the "hand" on Uluru.  There are several formations in the rock that are easily described.  My favorite one is a section that forms a giant skull in profile.  That part of the mountain is sacred and we are not allowed to take pictures when on tours.  However, if you do a search on "Uluru skull", you can easily find several pictures of it on the Internet.

The two pictures below should give you an idea of the color changes as the evening passes.  The first one was taken about an hour before the second one.   I have approximately 18 other "sunset rock" pictures.  Not much changes in each.... 

 Sun setting in the west highlighting the rain falling in the distance.

 Moon rise over Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

After the sun set, we traveled to the Park's Visitor Center and had a wonderful meal while watching the moon rise over Uluru with lightening in the distance.  Sadly, we neglected to take the camera with us to dinner and missed that picture.

The Red Center is a fascinating place and believe it or not, has been on my bucket list since I was very young.  I am so glad to have had the experience!

Kata Tjuta

Our next adventure was a hike into the Kata Tjuta Canyon.  Kata Tjuta is the Aboriginal name for the Olgas which lie about 16 miles from Uluru and are a part of the same national park.  The tallest dome is actually higher than Uluru.  We started at 3pm and once again I was glad for a few clouds as we were hiking east with the afternoon western sun at our back.  Other than the heat, this was a very easy hike. 

Going into a narrow canyon, I kept expecting trees with some shade and at the end of the path to reach a pool of water. Or the canyon walls would provide shade for the floor.

My mental image was very different from reality...there were a few trees (let's say 7) but none of them provided shade on the path and no pool of water. The canyon must face almost due East/West as we were in the sun the entire time.  We were walking in a stream bed which means at some point during a deluge there must be water.  Just not this day.


The first stop was a platform to see a panoramic view of Kata Tjuta. This little guy was busy busy busy digging a burrow right next to the walk.  It is a sand goanna and as usual, I could have spent hours watching him.  He posed for several pictures.

Kata Tjuta (many heads)

 Canyon entrance - there is a lot of foliage...just not much bright green. 

 Farther into the canyon.  It is amazing there is enough for cows, camels, horses, other animals and people to survive on. 

 Looking back out the canyon from the platform at the setting sun.  These few clouds were getting ready to put on quite a lightning show.

 We went as far as we could on the path.  If you could keep going, this would be the way...

King's Canyon

After spending time at Uluru for sunrise, in and around the National Park, the only wildlife we had seen were the noisy miner birds, magpies and the occasional spider.  At dinner that night, I mentioned to Robert I really wanted to see wildlife that I don't normally see in Brisbane.  His only comment was to watch out for snakes.

Soon, looking out the window of the restaurant, my wish came true:  There were two field rabbits helping themselves to the tasty green grass by the pool.   Not exactly what I was looking for, but did meet the "wish" requirements.  :P

On our second day at Red Center, we met a bus driver and 12 other people at 4:00 am to drive to King's Canyon for a day of hiking.  Due to the temperatures, they would not let us on the bus if we had anything less than 3 liters of water per person.  We drank every bit of it and then some...

Leaving at "O dark thirty", along with minimal traffic at night, there is a higher chance of seeing wildlife on the roads. This day was no exception.

First, we almost slammed into a pack of feral camels.  Australia does have a LOT of wild camels (estimated upward of a million) roaming the Outback.  Someone turned a few loose a hundred years ago expecting them to die (which is another whole discussion) and they thrived.  There are enough camels to support a business to export them to the Middle East. (Which makes me wonder why we only saw 6...Northern Territories is a BIG place.)

Next we came close to hitting large red kangaroos.  They grow quite big in the desert.

Then there were the brumbies...the wild horses.  Beautiful animals that survive on scrub brush.

And then there were the various cows, bulls (open pasture) and smaller roos on the road. Unfortunately, I missed the dingo.  He was on the other side of the bus.

Once we arrived at King's Canyon, we had a choice: 1 - climb up 500 steps and do the rim walk in 3 hours (6 km); 2 - walk in the valley for 90 minutes then go to the resort.

Robert and I chose to do the rim walk.  After all, it was a little cloudy and the temperature was cooler - in the 90's.

I made it up the first 200 steps on the vertical climb, realized I was on vacation, turned around and walked the valley.  Plus my knee started acting up and this is a place you don't want to be rescued from.

Robert continued on and did the full hike.  Below are some of the pictures he took.  Unfortunately, the captions are my interpretations as he is at work and I wasn't on the walk to hear the guides.

Facing back to the valley about 1/3 of the way around the rim.  The point across the valley is where the hike ends.

 Facing towards the back of the canyon.  That is the direction they are heading to circle around.

 On the far side, there are steps going down to the Garden of Eden, an Oasis with fresh water at the bottom.

 Garden of Eden watering area.

 The entire canyon has beautiful colors in the various rock faces.  Note the tiny people on the other side...and nothing to stop you for going over.  Another good reason to walk in the valley.  :)

By the way, if you have ever seen the movie, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the scenes where they are climbing up the steps in show girl costumes and work boots were filmed on the first 500 steps mentioned above and there are several shots around the rim hike in the film.

Sunrise at Uluru

We spent three days in the Red Center of Australia at Yulara.  It was warm.  I believe the high temperature we were walking in was 43-45C (109-113F).  Even the locals were surprised at how unusually warm it was for Spring.  During our time there, we went to Uluru (Ayer's Rock), King's Canyon and Kata Tjuta (The Olga's).

The first day, we took the sunrise tour at Uluru which required a 4:30 departure time. Luckily, the tour included coffee / tea at the sunrise area or it would have been a very long day.  We had a few clouds, but still saw some wonderful color.

Sun rising in the East.

 The orange-red color. Due to the clouds, I don't think it wasn't as bright as it would be on a clear day.  (Hadn't rained in 8 months...we had rain all 3 days.  :)  )

Tourists climbing Uluru.  The Aboriginal people prefer no one climb to the top due to the sacredness of the site and safety risks.  However, they have not permanently stopped it - yet.  It is approximately an 1100ft climb with only a chain to hold on to which doesn't start until after the first 90 feet. We had the option of climbing or going to see the cave paintings.  We chose the paintings...

On the way to a tiny watering hole.  One of the only places to find fresh surface water around Uluru.

 From a distance, Uluru looks like it has a smooth surface.  Up close you can see where pieces have fallen out over time. 

 Cave paintings at Uluru.

  Look at the top indention:  It is shaped like a heart.                           

We're Back!

We have been on holiday for the last 11 days.  We went to Uluru (Ayer's Rock) and also Cairns to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.  It was a fantastic holiday and once I finish getting things somewhat back in order here at the house, I will post pictures and let you know more specifics!

However, today I had an interesting encounter.  I was walking with a friend and we had a Staffordshire terrier with us.  Of course, nature called (to the the Staffy) and while in the process of scooping, I kind of (OK - I did) block the sidewalk.  A gentleman walked by and he was apparently very annoyed at me.  I pulled the pup back, made room and sincerely apologized as I honestly didn't realize he was there.  He, in turn popped something off indicating I was an idiot. 

Now, over the course of my 40-odd years, this wouldn't be the first stranger I have annoyed (stop laughing) but this is the first time in Australia anyone has been so pointed.  One of the BEST things about Australia is the people that live here.  All I have met are patient, friendly, helpful and willing to strike up a conversation. They have no trouble pointing out their annoyance but normally it isn't in a confrontational manner. This reaction caught me so totally off guard, I have about decided he wasn't born / raised in this lovely country.  Maybe he doesn't like or has a fear of dogs / animals or or maybe he just got up on the wrong side of the bed.

Or maybe Fate is serving me some of my own for something I did...Just wonder what it was and if Fate is now justified???

On the upside, I didn't pop off with a blue streak that might have embarrassed my walking buddy!  And I hope the gentleman has a better, uninterrupted walk tomorrow!

I Miss Zin...

No, not Zen, Zinfandel.

Those of you that know us know we tend to drink red wine with dinner.  In the US, while we tried to cover all continents from Australia to Europe, South America to South Africa with our selections, we did drink a lot of Napa Valley wines. - especially Zinfandels and Old Vine Zins.

Australia has some beautiful wines and we do our best to try lots of them, have enjoyed most and still try to keep a varied selection to choose from.  However, California Zinfandels are very hard to find here - almost non-existent -  but we came across one one recently. 

Of course, it was stored in the cooler and Robert pulled it out the other day to serve. After tasting, I was actually surprised when I realized how much I enjoyed Zinfandel. It was a nice break from the yummy Shiraz and Merlots we have been drinking. 

Just one more thing to add to the list to eat/drink when I go back and visit in the States.  :)

Rainy Season?

I think the "Rainy Season" may almost be upon us. 

According to one local, it generally rains daily from mid November to the end of January and the humidity will vary during the day from low to high making it unbearably hot.  I believe he called it "ugly weather".

Saturday it rained. 

Sunday it rained.

We would see a break in the weather and by the time we noticed the clearing skies and got ready to walk, the clouds would move back in and the rains would start again.

Finally, Sunday late afternoon there was a decent break.  We saw only blue sky from our front entry with clouds miles away on the other side of Brisbane in the distance.  The rains were finished for now!!!  Time to go for our normal walk with a stop in at the pub on the way home.

We got almost 3/4 of the way around the neighborhood when the rains broke again.  Luckily we got home before the hail started. 

Worst of all, the local pub had to do without our cheery faces this weekend. 

Today, there isn't a cloud in the sky but based on my mid-morning outing, it's going to be a hot one...

Greatest Birthay Present Ever

Well - in My Humble Opinion...

I took Robert to the Australian Zoo Friday for his animal encounter with the wombats.  He is fascinated with these animals and if it was possible, we would have one for a pet.  Unfortunately, we don't have a large yard and it would probably dig through the walls and floors never mind the fact I think it is illegal to actually own one here.  Plus, I'm not sure I could get it back to the States!

As long as they were eating, no problems.  Once finished, they were a little skittish.  Interestingly enough, they have a hard piece of cartilage on their back that the keeper knocked on.  If I had been knocked about like that, I would have probably said something but these guys and girls just continued to eat.

 Robert and Tonka

Southern wombat on the left (soft coat), Common on the right (coarse coat). They enjoy back scratches.  As it happens, the Common wombat in this picture has a joey in her pouch but it is too tiny to see.

 Close up!

 As a bonus, we saw this koala joey hanging out with Mom.

While he had fun, I'm not sure Robert thought it was the BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER but that's MY story and I'm sticking to it. :)

Kolaches...Attempt #1

After RLT's last trip to Houston and his commenting about getting Kolaches for breakfast, I decided I would make some.  After all...it looks like rolls with meat in them.

I scoured the internet for a recipe and finally found one that seemed reasonable.  The only downside was the vagueness when it came to the filling.  The instructions were along the lines of...if you want to fill them, now is the time to do it...No information on how much meat / eggs / cheese were needed or the best way to prepare a mixture. 

Time to wing it...

Monday, I cooked a pound of ground chorizo (next time I am using ground Texas hot sausage and spicy brats) and tossed in 8 eggs.  The final mixture was heavy on the meat side and probably needed more eggs.  I also mixed up 8 oz of low fat cream cheese, some cooked English style bacon (it's different from American bacon) pieces and jalapenos.

Tuesday, I mixed up the bread recipe and of course the house is too cold for it to rise.  I had to make a "proofer" by turning the light on in the oven and setting the dough in it for a couple hours.  I rolled out individual circles and stuffed them with either meat and cheese or the jalapeno mixture.  The recipe said "makes 24"...I got 26 with some of the meat mixture left over.

And then I managed to get the oven too hot and overcooked the first batch.  They aren't burned but VERY VERY done.

The sausage kolaches would be better if they hadn't cooked so long and I think there was too much bread especially on the bottom of each one.  Next time I will roll them out thinner...and get more servings!

On the other hand, the cream cheese kolaches are addictive.

As a final comment, Robert did notice the dusting of flour on his mouse and mouse pad.  He leaves his laptop on the kitchen counter - perfect for me to pull up recipes on and to use while cooking.  :P

Brisbane Skyline

This was taken on Kangaroo Point near the Story Bridge looking back to CBD.

Bats in the Belfry...

Well - not quite.

Robert and I left for a walk the other night at 6:00 pm and about 1/2 way through our journey, we saw bats coming out for their evening forays.

Lots of bats. 

I would say 50-60 of them over the river walk alone. (I know - can't hold a candle to the nightly exodus in Austin.)

They came swooping down to see what was going on and were chattering non stop. 

I think they are fascinating to watch and listen to.  I could get a picture of one that indicated the size of them.  I would hate to use a flash though, blinding one even more and having it crash into me.

I am tempted to set some fruit out on our roof to see if they will stop by for a nibble.  The problem with that is I would have to be sitting on the roof with the fruit to see them.  Still working on that plan...

I could be a tour guide...

We have company this week!  Friends from the States are visiting us and I have doubled the number of kilometers put on the car over the last 5 months this week alone. 

We hit the Gold Coast and Hard Rock Cafe.  Our friends became human hamsters in an Oz ball.  We went to the Australian Zoo.  Hung out on the beach.  Took in Valley Festival, the free comedy show plus several other things here and there.

And then there is always shopping and just walking along the river!  :)

They are off diving today and will be climbing the Story Bridge tomorrow.  

Sadly, after that they are leaving us.

But they were the first guinea pigs for me driving around the area and I think we did OK.  Ready for the next group to come now!!!

One year ago today...

Our little buddy, Squirt, left us due to kidney failure.  We were blessed with his puppy kisses, antics and love for almost 15 years.  He was always happy to see us and ever ready to go on an adventure wherever we lived. We cherish every minute we had with him - still wishing for more.

 I hope you are getting a t-bone every day little guy!

 

Learning from the Australians

I have discovered one of the great things about living in Australia.

Going out for coffee mid-morning.

It took a while for me to come around and it took a friend of mine who is Australian to convince me to try it.  I have decided, what a great way to spend a few minutes each morning.

I either go for a walk with someone or by myself and always plan it where I end up and at a coffee shop.  I order a mug of long black and wait for it to cool off.  It is here where we catch up on gossip and chat and enjoy the weather.

Robert will have to learn this habit as it may be hard to break once we move home!

It Fit!

Back in April, I commented on the size of appliances, especially the washer and dryer and how small they are in comparison to the beasts I had in the US.  (Along with the fact I needed to purchase based on kilogram size.)  We picked an 8.5 kg machine with the assurance our king size sheets would fit in the washer.  So far...so good.

I never thought about the king sized mattress pad/protector and of course, it is time to wash it.

I thought about taking it to the dry cleaners to see if they would launder it.  And as long as it would fit in their machine, the answer was yes.

Then I asked the price. 

$30.

OK - I bought the mattress pad in 2004 (when we moved to Houston the first time) and paid $69 for it.  (Yes - I still have the receipt.) 

With this in mind, I decided to stuff it in the washer and see what happened.  Worse case would be I would get to buy a new one.  Probably time anyway after 8 years.

Good news - it worked just fine!  I was able to stuff it in and get it washed and dried without paying for either someone else to do it or buying a new one.

The washer and dryer have passed their final test with flying colors!

Rigth to vote

Yesterday, I received a notice in the post that I had not enrolled to vote and I had 14 days to comply.  Not only do Australians have the right to vote for their government officials, it is against the law if they don't vote. 

This indicates there should be very high turn out for elections...definitely more so than the United States.  It does make me wonder if forcing people to vote also forces them to make an informed decision or do some of the voters walk in and randomly pick names.  I am sure there is a mix of each.

As for me, I do have to fill out the form and let them know I am not a citizen allowing them to update their records and avoiding fines for not responding...

Huntsman Part 2

I called the pest control people today.  The conversation went along the lines of...

"Are the spiders you've seen Huntsman spiders?"

"I believe the large spider was."  (BTW - there has been only one other spider and it was flattened with a shoe however I felt bad calling out the pest people over just one spider.)

"Well, since it is getting warmer, Huntsman are coming in to the cooler temperatures."

"I don't blame them.  I have been too."

"Huntsman are good spiders to have."

"If I knew it was a male and I wasn't going to have 50,000 little Huntsman running around my living/dining room, he would be welcome to stay with us. "

I gave notice this afternoon that all spiders residing in our house are scheduled to meet their maker Wednesday afternoon.  They now have 48 hours to pack and leave.

New House Guest

Apparently we have a Huntsman Spider now living under the entertainment center. 

I have mixed emotions about this...Huntsman are not necessarily poisonous and eat other bugs. 

So, are there other bugs living under the entertainment center?

However, they are very large spiders and can be quite a surprise when walking along the floor.

Must call bug man Monday...

Me - 1, Dryer - 0

My clothes dryer has the impressive ability to turn a set of king size sheets into a solid, tightly wrapped football.  I don't know how it succeeds with this trick but after 50 minutes I pull out a bullet that is the dry fitted sheet  on the outside and a wet top sheet on the inside.  I couldn't wrap it as neatly if I practiced.

But I foiled the machine today.

Tossing in three tennis balls while drying fixed the problem. 

Glad I remembered to bring the tennis balls with me to Brisbane.

View at Lunch

Yesterday, we drove up to Montville north of Beerwah.  It is a little hamlet with incredible views.  Towards the west are the Glasshouse Mountains.  Toward the east is the ocean.  Below is a picture of the view we had at lunch...The buildings should represent Maroochydore.

We also saw a Racehorse Goanna on the way home.  He was rather large and running across the highway.  No pictures but the web site should give you an idea...

Blogging vs Facebook posting

I have come to realize Facebook is mooching on blog ideas.  It is very easy to snap a shot on my phone and post on FB with some snappy comment and ignore Moose Droppings.

Apparently, similar to an exercise regime, I have become lazy about writing.  I enjoy creating snippets but lately have enjoyed walking to the park and reading my books more.

Maybe the answer is less interesting books!

Margaret River

We almost didn't go to the Margaret River area and I am very glad we did.  There is some beautiful country to see and we could have easily stayed 2-3 days in this part of Australia. 

The Busselton Jetty happens to be the longest wooden pier in the Southern Hemisphere.  It is 1.8k (1.1 mile) long.

 These are Karri trees in the Boranup Forest.  They are extremely tall and very thick.  They are amazing to walk through.  Again - could have spent hours hiking here...

Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse.  This is the most south-westerly point on the Australian continent and happens to be where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet.  This lighthouse projects light over 40k (almost 25 miles).

 I could have spent hours here in the blustery, cold wind and rain watching the waves crash to shore.  Although it would have been better from the top of the lighthouse.

Southern Ocean

 Indian Ocean

 We also toured Mammoth Cave which is NOT named for Mammoths.  It is named because of its size.  The area of picture in the middle where the lighter color stone is happens to be a jaw bone in the rock.

The Perth and southwest area of Australia is a great place to visit and I am glad we had the opportunity to be tourists there!

Next Australian adventure - Uluru (Ayer's Rock) and Cairns (Great Barrier Reef).