Light's Vision
Happy New Year Everyone! We left you off last when we were in Adelaide, well, we are back again! Just passing through this time, though. Well, on with the story...
On December 27, I had some more work to do in Adelaide, so I dropped Donna off at Rundle Mall to do some shopping and send out the last travelogue update and went out to do some more work. I also took the opportunity to change out the akaline solution in the radiator that they had put in in Alice Springs. I drained it and installed new coolant. The work took a long time, so I didn't get back to the hotel until late.
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Light's Vision |
The next day (12/29) we took the ferry to Kangaroo Island. The crossing was uneventful (a good thing) and we arrived in Penneshaw. I (Kirk) had been on Kangaroo Island before, but Donna had not. I had taken a 2 day guided tour at the end of one of my business trips here several years ago. We arrived on the island very early in the morning so nothing was open yet. We decided to go for a drive to the west end of the island and see the Cape Willoughby light house. The drive was over very corrugated dirt roads. Many of the roads on Kangaroo Island are paved, but most aren't! We arrived at the lighthouse over an hour before they opened, so we just looked at it from the outside, and drove back to Penneshaw. We arrived back there still way before the Tourist Info Center was to open, so we went on to see some sights on the way to American River. Finally, we returned to the Info Center at Penneshaw and were able to puchase the Island Parks Pass, which gives you entry to several of the attractions on the island and entry into the national park for a single discounted price (a good deal if you ever go to Kangaroo Island...and it's good for a year!).
Look at that Grin! |
Cuddly Koala |
Echidna |
Kirk & the Emus |
The laughing Kookabura |
Pelican Feed |
That evening, we stayed at the Kingscote Nepean Bay Tourist park. It was VERY VERY full. We had been able to get our site only due to a cancellation. Apparently, there was a junior sailing competition on the island over the holiday weekend. Many of the campers had trailers with small sailboats on them and lots of kids running around.
The next morning (the 30th), we got up and immediately called to see if we could get in to the campground on the west end of the island for that evening. Just as Donna placed the call, and was told that they were full up for the night, the woman put her on hold. When she came back, someone had JUST walked in and cancelled for the very campsite we were trying to get into! Praise God!! We would be spending the night on one of the "Group Campsites" at a campsite in the Flinders-Chase National Park.
Seal Bay Sea Lions |
Before |
During |
After |
The Route |
Strange Hook formations in Kelley Caves |
After the caves, we went on and stopped at a internet cafe in a lodge on the way to the National park. Well, they call it an Internet Cafe, but two coin op computers (only one of which was functioning) above a bar is a stretch, but it worked.
Serene Kangaroos |
Remarkable Rocks |
Good thing Donna was there to hold it up! |
Next, was Admirals Arch. This is a little further down the road to the west. There is a lighthouse here built in 1909, but the big attraction is the Arch (a bridge carved out by the sea and the fur Seals. Many, many, MANY fur seals. There were both Australian Fur Seals and New Zealand Fur Seals. They also have the occasional Sea Lion at this location, but the fur seal rules for the most part. The wind was still very intense and the seas were very big, but even in all that weather the seals were out frollicking in the waves. We stayed for a while and got to see 3 male fur seals fighting. This time, they even drew blood.
We drove North back into the park, and along a dirt road to the car park for the Platypus Waterholes. We wanted to try again to see the platypus. Well, no luck. Donna thinks she saw a nose but all I saw were a few bubbles. The platypus is very shy and any sound will send it back underwater or into its burrow. It was raining on and off most of the time too...maybe it doesn't come out in the rain. It was a nice walk, though.
We continued North on the dirt road and then West to Cape Borda . We just made it in time for the last tour of the day. The tour was quite interesting. It was sad to find out that many of the lighthouse keepers and their families were sickened by the use of mercury for a bearing for the lights before they figured out about mercury poisoning.
Happy New Year! |
Next we will head North and West into Western Australia.
We wish all of you the most Happy New Year of all.
1/8/03 New Friends and New Places
When we last left you, we were sans license plate. We
got up on New Years Day and prepared ourselves for the
"Great Search". We were determined to save ourselves
from the pain and suffering associated with ordering a
new one and trying to get it shipped to us (especially
since we have no address)! We drove at about 1/2
speed from our camping place north of Adelaide down to
Gepps Crossing, where we deviated briefly to drop some
things off at Jonathan's house and pick up Kirk's
missing Christmas gift (the Australian postal service
is apparently not that notorious for its reliability).
We also called the police and reported the plate
missing just in case.
We then resumed our search, driving ALL the way back to Victoria Square. Nothing. No license plate. So, we turned around (now on the correct side of the road...the side we would have lost it on) and drove, still much below the speed limit, looking for our elusive plate.
Finally, after driving about 90 km and not much left to go, we concluded that if we found the plate, it would indeed be a miracle. Only God could accomplish this feat, as the plate could be anywhere -- picked up to be placed on someone's wall, under a bush, thrown by a large truck far from the road where we'd never see it. I was scanning the left side of the road and Kirk was scanning the right; we had the hazards on to warn cars of our slow pace. Suddenly, about 10 meters or so from where we had turned off the road to sleep the night before, Kirk caught something out of the side of his eye and pulled over. He had nearly run over our plate!! When he ran out and got it, the plate was in fairly good shape, though a bit bent, but the bracket was destroyed! We taped it up in the window and we were on our way!
We made it as far as Port Wakefield for the night and pulled over for a quick night at the only caravan park there (whose tent camping area was, by the way, infested with ants). Good thing we were sleeping in the car and not in a tent!
On the 2nd of January, after obtaining a new license plate bracket at the wrecker, we pulled out of town and headed through Port Augusta onto the Eyre Peninsula . There are two ways across -- the long way (which is more scenic, along the coastline, 763 km) and the short way (468 km). We decided to go for the long way. We headed the long way, of course, and made a bee line for Port Lincoln, at the bottom tip, where we figured we would overnight.
Check out our Curtains! |
Kirk, Donna, Roelin, Sander |
Kirk and I then headed up to the Barbeque to start cooking dinner. There was a girl up there, reading the bible. We didn't want to disturb her studies, on one hand, and on the other, we wanted to talk to her! We started cooking and finally she looked up and started to pack up her stuff. At that point, I asked her what she was studying, since she had other religion books on the table as well. She said she was Dutch and was studying the Bible in English so that she could learn to witness in English better! Very cool! We introduced ourselves; her name was Roelien and she was traveling with her brother, Sander. They were in Australia for a year. We talked with her for quite a while before she said he had to go join her brother, who was down by their car, cooking dinner (they were camped right next to us)!
After dinner, we went and sat with them, talking late into the night. They were very interesting and it was wonderful to have an opportunity to sit and talk and share ideas and experiences. At one point, I was horrified (and amused) when Sander asked whether the people on the "Jerry Springer" show were real or fake. I hate the fact that so many people get their ideas of American culture from the shows that we put out over the airwaves. It did make for some interesting conversation, though. Finally, it was very late and we were all too tired to stay awake any longer. We said our goodnights and went to sleep.
On the 3rd of January, we had planned to get an early start since we wanted to get onto the Nullabor. However, it was not to be. Instead, we had a lovely breakfast, sitting at the barbeque, overlooking the ocean, talking with Roelien and Sander until almost 10:30! We talked forever! Kirk finally called it quits, though, and Sander prayed for us before we packed the car to leave. We took a few pictures for the album and then we pulled out.
We had wanted to visit the Seahorse Farm, but they were booked until late afternoon and we didn't want to wait until that long to get our start, so we went on. We drove on up to Anxious Bay, just past Elliston, and took the Clifftop Scenic Drive. We wanted a look at the famous surfing spot, Blackfellows. The drive was beautiful! Numerous times, we would drive up over a crest and it would look as if we were about to plunge over a cliff! Kirk even slowed down around the curves (an unusual event)!
Blackfellows |
Murphy's Haystacks |
Donna and the Haystacks |
We took a detour, thinking we might camp at Laura Bay, but it turned out to be a useless endeavor. There was only one site and it was taken. We went on to Ceduna, where we camped at Shelly Beach Caravan Park. It was GREAT! They had private showers and toilets! A FIRST!!
While we were there, we met another couple, Vern and Rose. They were teachers and had traveled extensively throughout Australia and Asia (even living in Jakarta for 8 years). We spent an enjoyable evening hearing stories of their travels.
Nulabor Cliffs |
Then, we stopped briefly at Border Village. Kirk, of course, had to have his picture taken in front of Rooey II, a 17 foot Kangaroo. We had a couple of bananas confiscated at the crossing into Western Australia (and it was suddenly an hour and fourty five minutes earlier...they don't observe daylight savings time), and we headed on to Madura. The caravan park there was EXTREMELY basic and we were terribly understocked on groceries. We made up a rather odd concoction of mac & cheese & ham...with stringy cheese. It was tasty but very strange.
On January 5th, we made a run for the coast. We put even MORE miles on the car today! We spent most of the day driving and reading...Kirk drove and I read to him. We are reading "Kings in Grass Castles" by Mary Durack, about the early settlers in Australia. We stopped for lunch in Balladonia and then headed on to Norseman, where we turned south (after a quick stop in the tourist info office) and a drive by the famous tin camels.
We pulled into Esperance late in the afternoon. It reminded us both of home...it had a marine layer that was keeping the temperature down. We started looking for a caravan park, and ended up at the very crowded Esperance Seafront Caravan Park (but they had availability, while many others were full)! We made dinner in the crowded kitchen (they HAD a kitchen...THAT was a shock) and then got ready for church. We had been on the Nullabor all day and hadn't seen a church, so Kirk found one that had an evening service we could attend.
We went to the Bay of Isles Christian Fellowship. It was quite close to the park and fairly easy to find. The service was relatively short, and apparently geared toward the younger crowd. We found out after that the church had no pastor, and the elders and various members take turns preaching the sermons. The speaker that evening had a bit of an odd accent that we had a hard time recognizing...it turned out he was German, but had emmigrated in 1965. His name was Johannes. We spoke to him and his wife, Joy, for quite a while after the service. They were lovely people! They invited us to come visit them on their farm if we wanted!
Kirk, Donna, Frank, Caroline |
"Kirk and Donna have a purpose to travel this wide world they will travel everywhere where they see a flag unfurled. They come from California upon a southern beach. We met in West Australia that's as far as they did reach. But now they're moving onwards out into the west. That's where the sun sets in the sea for them they've little rest. They return to Sydney where they will sell their car with the money they receive they may not get so far. They have been to New Zealand and Asia figures next They and God will find a place for they follow not a text. How we who come from New South Wales have a little bit of envy We'd like to travel like you to see another country. God speed you on your journey and keep you in His care so that when you go home these experiences you will share."
Wow!! We didn't want to leave after that! We had the car serviced and took care of shopping, mailing and other little things that add up when you are traveling. At 4:30, we realized that we hadn't left town yet and we hadn't seen a thing IN town, so we decided to stay another night. We went back to the same caravan park and tried to get our old site back, but barely got one at all. We got the last site in the whole park!
Kirk ended up working on fixing a few minor problems with the car for the rest of the evening, and then we went to sleep without getting to see our friends again that night.
On January 7th (yesterday), we woke up early. It was beautiful, but hot outside. After a quick shower (which was next to Frank's caravan), I saw Frank and Carolyn sitting outside, so I stopped in to say hello. Shortly after, Kirk came by and sat as well. They made coffee and toast and we had a wonderful time talking to these two interesting people.
It turns out, they make it a point not to travel on Sundays so they can go to church wherever they are, and then, Frank proceeds to take notes from the sermon in verse and share them with the pastor afterwards! Kirk and I thought how much fun that would be to hear him do that at OUR church!! We had a lovely time with them. Frank shared many of his poems with us and gave us one more that I will share here:
"Christmas In Abstentia" "Peach on earth, goodwill to men is the message of this day so we think of family as we move along our way We share your special moments, Your happiness and joys And the lives of all the grand kids The girls as well as boys Christmas is a time of love And it's love we send to you May each one be successful In everything you do And spread this love around you To family and to friends And you will be a stalwart On whom all can depend."
Anyway, again, it was difficult to say goodbye, since we were having such a wonderful time with these people, but we did need to get on the road. So, we packed the car, took a photo and were on our way.
We stopped at the Esperance Jetty and took a walk to the end. It's quite a long jetty (with quite a long history, actually), and curved, as well.
One of the Esperance Beaches |
Johannes & Donna |
Rohan's Hand Built House |
Kirk, Michael, Johannes, Donna, Joy |
YES!! of course! We had a wonderful time with them and had tea (dinner) together and stayed up late chatting and sharing our lives together. It is great to share time with other brothers and sisters in Christ.
Today, January 8, we had a relaxing morning and afternoon here at the farm, watched the sick sheep recover, washed some clothes, and put this message out.
Next we are heading West around the southern coast and up to Perth.
One of the MANY road trains we have seen on our trip. We have seen 6-trailer ones, but up to 8-trailer ones exist. |
We didn't expect to get far that night (due to our late start) and didn't. We overnighted at a rest area a few kilometers outside of Jerramungup. There were two other vehicles there, too. We had a virtual feast -- spaghetti, which we RARELY have, due to the number of pots required to make it properly.
On January 9th, we woke to find an army...no actually, several armies of ants marching to and fro between the trash can we had used the night before and other sections of the rest area. Ick. To top it off, the flies had arrived, too! We had a challenging time trying to eat, cook, flick ants off the table, shoo flies from our food and keep them out of our faces and ears! We ate FAST!
We took a nice little drive through the Stirling Ranges on our way to the south coast.
We were driving through fairly flat landscape and they suddenly loomed up, almost out of nowhere. The range is long and narrow. We drove across it in the narrow direction. Before long, we had reached Albany, a beautifuly little coastal town, which reminded me a little of home. There are a number of scenic drives originating out of Albany. First, we drove to Emu Point, which had a spectacular swimming beach, with a floating boardwalk and sandbar. We were able to wade out to the boardwalk without even putting our swimmers (bathing suits) on!
On the way back to Albany, we looked out for the famous Dog Rock, but somehow managed to miss it! We did drive by the Brig Amity, which Kirk mentioned was smaller than he imagined (although, supposed that it was expected since it was only a replica).
The Gap |
Natural Bridge |
The Natural Bridge is, of course, a natural granite arch (Kirk even used it as a bridge...all for the sake of giving the photo perspective, of course!).
On we went towards Denmark...not the country...the town in West Australia and spent the night since Kirk found a cobbler to repair the sole on his boot.
On January 10th, we had a very busy day (other than discovering our entire car bathed in ants in the morning, which was completely gross and a bit of a shock! Even after half a can of ant spray, we spent a week and a half killing ants in the car afterwards! Yuck)! First, we spent some time online in the morning, getting an update on Kirk's dad, who had had another episode and ended up back in the hospital again. Please keep him in your prayers, as he continues to deteriorate and there appears to be less and less chance of his recovery. A miracle is truly what is needed and that is what we are praying for!
Next, after getting Kirk's shoes, we pointed the car for Walpole. We turned off along the way to see Greens Pool, a beautiful, natural swimming area that is protected by the rocks (they provide a natural surf break). It WAS pretty, but quite crowded and full of flies (YUCK). Of course, EVERYwhere we went was full of flies...does make one miss old ole California!
Tree Top Walk |
Tree Top Walk |
Tree Top Walk |
Tree Top Walk |
Ancient Empire Walk |
Ancient Empire Walk |
Ancient Empire Walk |
We then backtracked a couple of kilometers to see Conspicuous Cliffs. I have to agree with this assessment: "Driving back toward the town of Walpole to visit the Valley of The Giants, we saw a signpost for Conspicuous Cliffs. What, we wondered, made them so conspicuous? The sign neglected to mention the long expanse of dirt road between the highway and the cliffs, which might have led us to question the level of our curiosity. But in our ignorance we drove on, parked the car and then hiked up the path. All the while keeping an eye out for the deadly snakes that inhabit this part of the country. We didn't encounter any snakes, for which I am eternally grateful. And the cliffs and the beach were attractive enough. But I still have to ask: just what is it makes these particular cliffs so conspicuous?" (Go here) BUT, the beach was beautiful (more even than his photos show and the surf...well, magnificent. I was sure wishing I had a surfboard with me (and a husband who surfs!).
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Giant Tingle Tree |
Gloucester Tree |
There goes Kirk! |
Here comes Donna! |
Whew! That was enough for one day! We found a little CALM-managed (Department of Conservation and Land Management) campground outside Pemberton to call home for the night!
On January 11, we woke up to the sound of the kookaburras laughing. I don't think I'll EVER tire of that sound! After breakfast, we took a little drive through the Karri forest near Pemberton. Kirk drove around looking for the Big Brook Dam (which he found). Then, we turned the car toward the Margaret River area. We drove south of Augusta to Cape Leeuwin.
Water Wheel |
Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse |
The view from the top |
Southern & Indian Oceans |
Floating Table in Lake Cave |
Calcite Ribbons in Lake Cave |
Back in the car, we decided to make a charge for Bunbury. It seemed the largest city within range and the next day was Sunday. We wanted to find a church (and maybe even have a selection to choose from). Once in Bunbury, we chose to stay at the Top Tourist Caravan Park (more on that in a second), where we met some fabulous people... a couple from Switzerland who gave us all sorts of information on Asia (thanks Alynn and Patrick) and a couple from England (hi Jonathan and Claire). Now... you may remember that we purchased a pass to Top Ten Holiday Parks in New Zealand. On the whole, they were the best, cleanest parks and they seemed to have them in most cities. With the pass, we got a discount to all Top Ten Parks, Big 4 in Australia, KOA in the US and one other in Europe. So, we have been looking mainly to use Big 4 here in Australia. BUT, what we have found is that in Australia the Top Tourist Parks are much nicer than the Big 4. When we first arrived here and hadn't found any Big 4 parks, we asked one of the Top Tourist Parks if they had any discount cards. They said no. We found out 2 weeks before the end of our trip in Australia that they have the same deal that Big 4/Top 10 does!! Grrrrr.... Anyway...if you have an opportunity, get the Top Tourist card if you're planning on staying in Caravan parks in Australia.
On January 12th, we got up and went, for the first time since we left home, to a Foursquare Gospel Church! We almost didn't find it; we drove slowly down the road it was supposed to be on, couldn't find it and decided it must not be there any longer (we were working off a 2 year-old directory). So, we started trying to find another church and in the process of backtracking to try and find one, we ran right into the one we were looking for, the Calvary Assembly Foursquare Gospel Church! Of course, it was quite different from the one at home...much more traditional...but we were glad to have found one, nonetheless.
A Friendly Dolphin |
Joel lives in a suburb just north of Perth and had us meet him at his apartment. We arrived nearly simultaneously, as he had been painting his rental unit with some friends. We chatted for a bit, and then all headed out to his church, Scarborough Church of Christ for the evening service. Because of the holidays, the worship team and pastor were on break and they showed a video from another church...an American pastor! After church, we went with Joel and a bunch of his friends to a Greek cafe called Peters-by-the-Sea for dinner and coffee. As we were leaving, one of Joel's friends (Paul) offered to play tour guide for us the next day! (We accepted, of course)!
Jen, Paul, Donna, Kirk at Lesmurdie Falls |
Perth Skyline from King's Park |
Cute Baby White Rhino! |
Cute Baby White Rhino! |
Koala |
Koala |
Koalas Sleep 19 hours per day |
Alert Meerkat |
Love that Cheetah! |
Hello There! |
We finally, exhausted, left the zoo and went for dinner at a little place called "Fasta Pasta". In addition, they had a great little deal...buy a movie ticket for only AU$8.90 (which was the same price as a plate of pasta)...for those of you who don't know how much AU$8.90 is...go here. Considering that movies normally cost AU$14, that's a great deal! We each bought a ticket and went to the theatre (next door) to see what was showing. We ended up seeing an Australian film called Cracker Jack, about lawn bowling. Afterwards, Paul offered to guide us around again the next day!
The USS Abraham Lincoln in Fremantle Bay |
Fremantle Round House |
Fremantle Prison |
The Gallows of the prison, and our Guide |
We eventually stopped for lunch at a local favorite, Pizza Bella Roma. While we were there, I saw a group of guys walk in and I thought to myself "off-duty American officers" and said so to Kirk and Paul. They thought I was being a bit silly, but I kept listening to the conversation going on next to us to see if I could hear an American accent. Finally, I did, so I turned and asked, "Are you guys on the USS Abraham Lincoln?" They were! We chatted for a bit and I asked where they were stationed. Two were from Ventura. Really, where? (I have a friend who was on a base up there.) Pt. Magu. REALLY? Did they know any Navy pilots. They said they WERE Navy pilots. REALLY!? Did they know my friend Juice? One of the guys mouth just dropped open... he LIVED with her for a month! I told him, I roomed with her for a year in college! Just to show what an incredibly small world this really is! (Hi, Juice! Dodger said hi!)
After lunch, we visited the Round House, which was the original prison in Fremantle and the oldest remaining structure in the town. Then, we headed off to the highlight of our day...the Fremantle Prison. The Fremantle Prison was one of the best tours we have taken in Australia and was well worth the 90 minutes that we spent there! It was built in 1850 and was in use until 1991!! The history of that building is truly amazing! The building is unaltered since its closure in 1991. If you are in Fremantle (or even in nearby Perth), don't miss the opportunity to tour this historic place).
We went back to Joel's, picked up some Chinese food, rented a couple of DVD's (what a treat! that's not something you get to do often when you live out of a car...no TV, no power, no videos) and just relaxed on the couch -- me, Kirk, Paul, Joel and another one of his friends, Brett.
More to come in another post... the return trip to Sydney...
1/29/03 Back to Sydney...a Long Journey!
Donna, Kirk, and Joel |
We spent the rest of the day driving to Hyden, home of the famous Wave Rock. We found it rather amazing that people make the Wave Rock drive as a DAY TRIP from Perth. It was about 5 hours drive one way. We didn't actually SEE Wave Rock that night (although we could have). We were too tired and just wanted to have dinner and relax a bit. We spent the night at the caravan park that is right next to the attraction. Apparently, Wave Rock has a AU$6 parking fee. Or, you can stay in the Caravan Park and walk there for no additional cost (it's no further to walk from the caravan park). That's what we did.
Wave Rock |
We drove into Esperance, where Johannes and Joy were spending the night in one of their rental units, spent a few minutes at Joy's mother's house (she is a lovely lady), dropped our stuff at the rental unit, and then headed to the restaurant at the Esperance Motor Hotel. It doesn't sound like much, but they had a magnificent steak dinner, cooked to order, with all the fixin's! It was FABULOUS! We were in heaven (and virtually ROLLED out of there afterwards, we were so full)!
On January 17th, we woke up fairly early, showered, had breakfast, ran some errands and got on the road. We needed to get some miles behind us. We spent that night at a rest stop about 25 km past Madura (where we had slept the LAST time we were on the Nullabor).
Kirk and Rooey II at the Border between Western Australia and South Australia |
We made it all the way to Port Augusta that night. It was, however, a horrendously hot night. The temperature probably never dropped below about 32 degrees C, and neither of us slept much (even though I took two cold showers in the middle of the night and even slept on the roof of the car for part of the night).
Kirk Changing the Oil |
Mario's Palace Hotel |
We decided to have dinner and again consulted the Lonely Planet. It recommended a place that was just across the street, the Barrier Social Democratic Club. Now, we had heard that Australians love their clubs. We had just never been to one and this was to be our first experience. Let me just say "casino"..."Vegas"..."cheesy". The dinner was fine and we were quite happy with our food, but the atmosphere was a low-class Vegas or Reno casino. There were pokey machines right along the dining room and they sent us to the bar to order our soft drinks. Yuck. (But we didn't really care...it was our first year anniversary and we were happy to be in air conditioning!!) It was 40 - 45 degrees outside!!
Kirk and the Big Gallah we saw on the way to Bourke |
After that, we went out to see the Royal Flying Doctor Service Regional Base, which is in Broken Hill. It was very interesting to see the history of that wonderful organization and all the advancements they have made over the years since their inception.
Then, we were off again. This time, we drove as far as Bourke. The drive was long and boring. We did see a variety of wildlife along the way, including emus, kangaroos, a huge goanna, goats, wedgetailed eagles and several other varieties of birds. We stopped for petrol in Cobar, and went to an off-brand station, which apparently had ethanol in the mix. The car coughed and sputtered at low speeds and upon starting up. Grrrr...we'll never go NEAR ethanol again!
Donna the opal miner |
Donna's Opal Anniversary Present! (Not Actual Size) |
After that, we decided to get out of blazingly hot and dreary Lightning Ridge. It's an odd sort of town. Claiming a population of under 3,000, but containing a population of more than double that, Lightning Ridge is filled with people who don't want to be found -- illegal immigrants, criminals, deadbeat dads, they are all hiding there. It's an interesting place, but not one in which we really wanted to stay -- especially at 50 degrees! So, we hopped in the car and made it all the way to Gilgandra, where we spent the night and planned our route for the remaining day or so.
The Parkes Dish |
From Parkes, we headed on to our original destination, Cowra. Cowra has a rather interesting history, as it was home to the POW Camp No 12, where a massive breakout was orchestrated by the Japanese during World War II on August 5, 1944 and 231 Japanese POWs were killed and another 334 escaped from camp. The breakout was intended as a suicide breakout -- the prisoners would rather be killed than taken prisoner; in their society, they were shamed by having been taken prisoner rather than having died in battle. We went first to the site of the actual POW Camp, where there is now a memorial. From there, we headed on to the Cowra Visitors Center, which has an amazing POW Theatre movie...it's a holographic movie, talking about the breakout and the aftermath. We had read about this in "Down Under" and weren't disappointed at all. We drove into the Blue Mountains and finally spent the night in cool weather...in fact, it was raining! In the camp kitchen (they had a real one), when I went in to make dinner, I saw a girl who looked sort of familiar. She said, "I know you!" We had met her at the Rocknasium in Auckland almost two months ago!
The 3 Sisters |
Archway at Everglades Gardens |
Wentworth Falls |
Kirk, Donna, and Phillip |
From Echo Point, we found our way to Katoomba Falls, which had very little water in it, despite the recent rain. Then, we were off to Everglades Gardens, a National Trust Gardens designed by Paul Sorenson and established in the 1930s around an Art Deco house, claiming to have the Southern Hemisphere's most extraordinary bathrooms. It was a beautiful and interesting place (although the bathrooms were severely overrated, in our opinions). My personal favorite was an archway that housed a fountain...it was rescued from a bank being torn down in Sydney. We then headed on to Wentworth Falls, where Kirk took photos from Princes Lookout of the falls.
After a couple of failed attempts at finding additional attractions, we headed into Sydney, where we called my old friend, Phillip. He and I used to work together. He had us drive down to Darling Harbor and meet him at his waterfront office. After a quick tour around, we followed him to his house...our new home for the coming week. He helped us to get settled in and walked us around the neighborhood a bit. He lives in a very nice neighborhood, Potts Point; it just happens to be about 4 to 5 blocks north of where we need to be to sell our car! VERY convenient!
Wanna buy a car? |
Inside the King's Cross Car Park |
The wonderful mix of businesses at Kings Cross area |
And so, you wonder, what have we been up to for the last five days? With little exception, one thing and one thing only...trying to sell our car. This is an extremely boring endeavor, let me tell you. We sit in the King's Cross Car Park all day, waiting for people to show interest in our car and hoping and praying that they will make an offer (so far, none has been forthcoming). Tomorrow is our last possible day in the carpark. If we don't get an offer tomorrow, we will be forced to sell the car back to the car dealer at 40% of our purchase price. We are PRAYING that doesn't happen!
Other than that, we did go to Hillsong Church on Saturday night. We enjoyed ourselves immensely. It was a great experience, although, admittedly, I felt more like I was at a concert than at a church service during the worship time.
Kirk, Donna, and Eun-Jung at the Queen Victoria Building |
Well, that's enough for now... please PRAY we sell our car tomorrow (1/30 Sydney time)...
Hooray! Thanks for your prayers! Praise God! We sold our car today at the King's Cross Car Market! We got AU$2600 for it.
Calculating things out, including repairs, the car cost us AU$3800, and we got AU$2600 leaving a difference of AU$1200 as our cost for two months. That is $600 US, or US$10/day. Pretty cheap!
Yesterday evening we had dinner with our friends Kevin, and Vicki and their kids, who we stayed with on our first time in Sydney back in December. We had a great time.
Now we are in a mad rush to get everything ready for our trip to Thailand on Saturday morning. We need to buy DEET bug spray, Sun screen, etc. that they won't have there and ship a box of stuff home that we don't need anymore.
The red line is the route we took through Australia |
