Sorry this has been a bit of a bust. Internet access is few and far between. Right now is the first free wireless connection we've found, and of course it's an airport.
We're a long way from where we were the last time we posted. We're now just a smidge above the Tropic of Capricorn in the Australian state of Queensland, home to the Great Barrier Reef. We just got back from three days on Great Keppel Island off the coast and officially in the reef zone. Snorkeling wasn't great as a storm had blown up, the seas were choppy and the water turbid. We did get in a bit of snorkeling and saw a big ray and some other sea life of various sorts. We stayed at a very backpacker friendly place in a big family sized tent, the sounds of kookaburras, lorakeets and various other strange tropical birds singing and screeching through the night.
We celebrated a belated wedding anniversary with a dinner (5 courses) on the beach facing a lovely sunset, though it was interrupted by an Australian who had had the same dinner two nights before and wanted to help us keep the candles alight in the wind. He lingered a little longer than we might have liked but he was as friendly as can be.
We rocketed up here from Melbourne and are now beginning our rocket across the country. We're leaving for Sydney in an hour or so, to worship the Opera House and have a quick look round. Then it's off to Perth via Uluru (Ayers Rock for you knuckleheads) where we'll spend 9 or so days wandering those environs. This is a freakishly large place with tons of cool stuff to see and do, and possibly the friendliest people on earth. Their beer is bad though, at least most of what I've tried. The microbrew revolution doesn't seem to have gotten hear yet, so maybe in another ten years or so the beer will be worth drinking.
Met a guy today (from PA) who had retired, bought a 54ft sailboat and left England 5 years ago with his wife. He thought they would take another 2 or 3 years to finish their circumnavigation. They were considering going around again after that. He needed some crew for his run down to Brisbane that had we been true backpackers out for an indefinite periodwould have been very enticing.
2 comments:
Sounds like a fun & varied adventure, so far. My latest copy of Beer Advocate Magazine (don't laugh) actually reviews some microbrews from Australia. I'll try to post some of the recommended ones. At least the breweries.
You'll have to tell me what a Kookaburra sounds like. I've been faking something for the past four years in an animal book I read to my girls.
Riviting!
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