H-K-A Tour:More Australian Inscrutable Signs

H-K-A Tour: Australian Inscrutable Signs

In white spraypaint: "McDonald's Drive Through"

Aussie Vocabulary

1. rort (verb) : to cheat or defraud
2. bench (noun): a countertop as in a kitchen
3. manchester (noun): all encompassing name for linen e g: towels, sheets
4. flat white (noun): espresso coffee with hot milk
5. gone troppo (adjective): dropped out of the rat race and/or acting strangely in the tropics
6. how're you going?: most common Aussie greeting (you rarely hear G'day)
7. no worries: multi-purpose expression, often means "you're welcome"
8. thongs (noun): flip-flops not g-strings
9. singlet (noun): camisole or tanktop
10. fine (adjective): clear as in weather
11. servo (noun): service/gas station
12. bushranger (noun): outlaw or highwayman
13. ocker (noun): unsophisticated person (equivalent to red-neck)
14. no dramas: expression meaning "not a problem"

The Honkers-Kiwi-Aussie Tour: Australia Summary - The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Australia Summary: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (in no particular order)

Good
- Sydney Harbour Bridge
- Puffing Billy Steam Railway
- trams in Melbourne
- meeting family members in Hervey Bay
- Tropical crops - sugarcane, coffee, mangoes, bananas etc
- Wallabies at Charters Towers
- Brisbane Botanical Gardens
- Feeding the possums
- Birdworld in Kuranda
- Dinner at Sinan's Cafe Melbourne
- Flying Foxes
- Cane trains
- Campsites particularly: Lakes at Townsville & Kuranda Rainforest Accommodation
- Great Ocean Road & the 12 apostles
- Utes and Old Holden cars
- The Outback
- Cafe East in Brisbane
- Coffee & Banana bread with Frank and Blossom

Bad
- Kuranda railway not operating due to mud/rock slide
- Restauranteurs who try to rip off tourists in Sydney
- Lack of filter/drip coffee
- Government sponsored tourist attractions
- Train/bus combo ticket that didn't take us where we wanted to go

Ugly
- Graffiti & tagging epidemic in Melbourne. In contrast, Sydney has waged war on spray painters.

The Honkers-Kiwi-Aussie Tour: Day 37 Cairns, Queensland, Au

Short drive north to see neighbouring town of Mossman then south to Cairns.
Visited library for internet and had lunch in cafe nearby. Checked into campground that was by far the busiest we've encountered on tour. Many European, Canadian and American twenty-something year olds.
Pizza dinner at Bel Paese in town and then to IGA for a few provisions. Getting ready to hand in Wicked campervan and fly to Hong Kong tomorrow.

The Honkers-Kiwi-Aussie Tour: Day 36 Port Douglas, Queensland, Au

Up early and out to breakfast at the Cafe Kuranda - locally grown tropical fruitsalad with yogurt and muesli (granola).
To Birdworld - a place I was reticent to leave."In the heart of Kuranda, 30 minutes from Cairns, Birdworld Kuranda is one of the largest free-flight aviaries in Australia. More than 500 birds from around the globe fly freely amongst the rainforest trees above. Amongst the flutter of wings and the birdsong is 56 different species of native Australian birds living in the safe enclosure, including brightly coloured parrots, playful lorikeets and the large elusive cassowary."
For $2AU I purchased a small package of foods (sunflower seeds, almonds & peanuts all in the shell, dried corn on the cob, celery and an arrowroot biscuit) to feed the birds. It was amazing to have parrots eating out of your had. The real highlight was seeing and feeding the cassawories. An Indian ring-necked parrot alit on my shoulder so that it could better choose a morsel of food from what I was offering. It was an experience I'll never forget.
Drove north on the Captain Cook Highway to Port Douglas where we stopped for lunch at Java Blue Cafe. Booked into a self-catering cabin at Pandanus Caravan Park for a quiet night.
"Any of several species of ratite (family Casuariidae) of the Australo-Papuan region. Related to the emu, it has been known to kill humans with slashing blows of its feet, which have long, daggerlike claws on the innermost toe. It has a featherless blue head protected by a bony crest and has a black body (immature birds are brownish). It moves rapidly along narrow tracks in the bush. Cassowaries eat fruit and small animals. The largest species is the common, or southern, cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), which stands almost 5 ft (1.5 m) tall." Source: www.answers.com

The Honkers-Kiwi-Aussie Tour: Day 35 Kuranda, Queensland, Au

Scenic drive through Millaa Milaa ( the town that went troppo) and onto the waterfall circuit which takes in the Millaa Millaa, Zillie and Elingaa falls. We spot many interesting bird species including lapwings, brush turkeys and laughing kookaburras as well as morpho and other butterflies.
Tasty lunch of curried pumpkin soup with cheese & shallot panini at the Malanda Dairy Centre where the service and food are excellent.
Met Jeanine again for tea before heading north through coffee plantation country to Kuranda where we camp at the Rainforest Accomodation Park.
"Malanda is a small town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is Located 85 km from Cairns and 732 m above-sea level. Malanda was first developed in the 1880s when the discovery of tin at Herberton saw a steady stream of miners moving over the mountains from the coast. It is the administrative centre for Eacham Shire Council." Source: www.answers.com

The Honkers-Kiwi-Aussie Tour: Day 34 Malanda, Queensland, Au

To the Malanda Falls Visitors Centre where the volunteers couldn't have been more helpful or friendlier. Watched a dvd about Australian Birds and learned a lot from the Centre's displays.

Malanda is on: "The Atherton Tablelands/Cairns Highlands is a blend of the best attractions of the wet tropics and the dry outback charm; a combination of nature and lifestyle at its finest. Among the World Heritage listed rainforests, national parks, mountains, rivers, lakes and waterfalls are some of Australia's richest agricultural lands, cattle country and charming small townships.
Biologists have described the spectacular rainforests of the Wet Tropics as the "greatest celebration of life on earth". The farm and grazing lands are "the food bowl" of far North Queensland - yielding a constant supply of fruit, vegetables and grains to local and export markets."

It is said that the Atherton Table Lands are the only place on earth where tea, coffee, milk and sugar are all produced.

Had lunch at the historic Malanda Hotel and decided to stay at the Motel there. The Malanda Hotel, built in 1911 claims to be the largest wooden structure in the Southern Hemisphere with its grand ballroom and staircase.

Met another Willmett genealogy collaborator, Jeanine, for tea and great conversation .

The Honkers-Kiwi-Aussie Tour: Day 33 Atherton, Queensland, Au

After an excellent scrambled egg breakfast at a gas station restaurant, we hit the highway for Atherton.

Stopped at Ravenshoe and chatted with Grahame West at the Ravenshoe Railway where they are busily preparing for the launch of their tourist season at Easter time. "In 1990, a group of steam railway enthusiasts formed RailCo to begin operating a 1925 D17 Ipswich-made Tank Engine they’d restored on the 100 year old Ravenshoe to Tumoulin line." It was named “Capella” after the town near Brisbane where it had stood idle for 25 years. Capella’s carriages, mostly made from cedar, are from the 1930’s “Sunshine Express” which ran on the main line from Brisbane to Cairns."

Booked into the Hinterland Motel in Atherton, which is under new management. The service was wonderful and the rooms have been updated with new tvs etc. Drove down to Platypus Park to view local wild life. There were many ducks, turtles and yes a platypus or two in the pond.

Picked up a pizz and some cold drinks and chilled in our motel room watching hit Aussie gameshow "The Rich List"on tv.

The Honkers-Kiwi-Aussie Tour: Day 32 Georgetown, Queensland, Au

I count the road trains that we encounter on the highway from Charters Towers to Georgetown ( 22). From Wikipedia: "A road train consists of a relatively conventional prime mover, but instead of pulling a single semi-trailer the road train pulls more than one of them.
Australia has the largest and heaviest road-legal vehicles in the world, with some configurations topping out at close to 200 metric tons. The majority though are between 80 and 120 tonnes. Two-trailer road trains, or "doubles" are allowed in all Australian states except Victoria and Tasmania, and into two capital cities - Adelaide in South Australia, and Perth in Western Australia. Three trailer road trains (triples) operate in western New South Wales, western Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, with the last three states also allowing AB-Quads (3.5 trailers). Darwin, NT, is the only capital city in the world that will allow triples and quads to within 1km of the CBD."

We encounter groups of emu, a dingo picking up carrion from the road, and a "free underbody wash"at Mt. Surprise that is designed to prevent the spread of weed seeds.

Camping at Goldfield's Caravan Park is quiet and it lives up to its billing of "abundant bird life".

The Honkers-Kiwi-Aussie Tour: Day 31 Charters Towers, Queensland, Au

Not given any choice, we go to McDonald's for breakfast and are pleasantly surprised. For about $10 AU we get breakfast for two, free coffee refills and free Saturday papers to read.
We visit the Museum of Tropical Queensland which features the story of the Pandora: The British Admiralty sent HMS Pandora in pursuit of the Bounty and her mutinous crew. On her return voyage, having captured 14 of the mutineers in Tahiti, the Pandora struck the Great Barrier Reef . Although the crew tried desperately to save the ship, she sank in the early hours of 29th August 1791.""
In Charters Towers we meet the friendliest and most helpful couple at the tourist info place. We opt for a cabin at the Mexican Tourist Village. We head up to the scenic lookout on Charters Towers Hill at sunset and are not disappointed. Countless rock wallabies pop in and out and seem undisturbed by human visitors.

The Honkers-Kiwi-Aussie Tour: Day 30 Townsville, Queensland, Au

Townsville lives up to its reputation as being hot and humid as we go walkabout to find both Willmett Street and the Willmett's Building (more about the Willmett family printing business here ) that carry the name of hubby's relatives. Visited the beautifully tropical ANZAC Gardens and Belgian Gardens Cemetery on family history trail.

After a tasty lunch at Bistro One, we pop into the Townsville Maritime Museum to meet John Weir - a relative and expert on the Willmetts of Townsville. We visit the West End Cemtery and book into the Lakes Holiday Park which has ensuite toilet & shower.

We enjoy a lovely dinner with John & Nell at the West End Hotel.

The Honkers-Kiwi-Aussie Tour: Day 29 Townsville, Queensland, Au

Gruelling 732 km drive from Rockhampton to Townsville in the humid heat of tropical Queensland. Fascinating to see fields of sugarcane and banana, pineapple & mango planations en route.
Enjoyed listening to Capricornia Radio 837 AM including an interview with Ken Lee, who with father Bing Lee established a chain of electronics stores in Sydney.
Watched a very informative film about local sugar production at the Historical Museum of Proserpine. Proserpine: Proserpine is a town situated on the Bruce Highway in the state of Queensland, Australia. The town's economy revolves mostly around sugar and tourism. Proserpine is the administrative centre of the Whitsunday Shire Council local government area that also incorporates the Whitsunday Islands and Airlie Beach.
Early settlers established the town in the 1880s and named it after the ancient Greek goddess Persephone (Latin: Proserpina). Source: wikipedia
Photographed the Big Mango at Bowen.
Camped at Magnetic Island Holiday Village in Townsville.

The Honkers-Kiwi-Aussie Tour: Day 28 Rockhampton, Queensland, Au

Awoke to the sound of sulphur-crested cockatoos chatting in the garden. The variety of interesting birds here is staggering. To hubby's cousin Kathy's for coffee and cheesecake after breakfast at Jenny's. (Amazing how we have 3 sets of relatives in this small community in Australia.)
Visited the public library where Brett A. Jones has mounted an interesting art exhibition. See his website http://www.seaofpain.com/ for more. We have lunch at a cafe on the beach and stop to take photos of a stand of trees covered with flying foxes.
We head north and stay at Rocky Gardens Motor Inn at Rockhampton where the food is surprisingly very good in the Ferns Restaurant.

Rockhampton, Queensland: "Rockhampton was founded in 1855, soon after the pioneering Archer Brothers settled at Gracemere, 6.5 kms to the west. It was named by Queensland's first Land Commissioner, Mr W. Wiseman, who was inspired by the rocks in the river.A mini gold rush at Canoona - 48kms to the north - accelerated the establishment of the city. Gold discoveries at nearby Bouldercombe, Mount Wheeler and Mount Morgan ensured continued economic growth of the region. Grazing, mining, farming and meat processing quickly developed as the primary industries of the resource-rich area, and Rockhampton thrived as the service centre.'

The Honkers-Kiwi-Aussie Tour: Day 27 Hervey Bay, Queensland, Au

When we picked up our Wicked Camper, there was a film crew doing a piece for TV. Hubby gave them an interview, I tried to stay out of the way.
Was fun and interesting to meet my distant relative Alan & his wife at McCafe (a division of McDonalds) for coffee in Hervey Bay (approx 320km north of Brisbane).
Next to the lovely hilltop home of Tom & Jenny, distant relatives and genealogy collaborators of hubby's. It was wonderful to meet them and we greatly appreciated their hospitality.

Hervey Bay, Queensland: Hervey Bay is a rapidly growing resort city in south eastern Queensland, Australia. The 'Bay' benefits from a fantastic sub-tropical climate with no real extremes (average 30 degrees in Summer and 23 degrees in Winter) and has been voted in the top three of 'best climates' in the World. Subsequently this has certainly added to the growth appeal of the city. City population is approximately 52,000 (2006 estimates), with the city covering an area of 2,356 square kilometres, under the administrative control of the Hervey Bay City Council.
The bay was originally named "Hervey's Bay" by Captain Cook (in the Admiralty copy of his journal) when he passed there on 21 May 1770, after naval officer The Hon. Augustus Hervey. Source: answers.com

The Honkers-Kiwi-Aussie Tour: Day 26 Brisbane, Queensland, Au

Flew on Virgin Blue to Brisbane - one and a half hours. Unseasonably hot at 34C. Enjoyed walk through Brisbane Botanical Gardens where we found some very interesting birds. Watched a large, colourful lizard and a possum diving in the garbage can to find an apple to feast on.

Dinner al fresco at Cafe East, Queen Street Mall including a fabulous lemon meringue dessert.

Brisbane: City (pop., 2004 est.: urban agglom. 1,774,890), southeastern Queensland, Australia. Lying on the northern bank of the Brisbane River above its mouth at Moreton Bay, the site was first explored by the English in 1823. It was founded as a penal colony in 1824 and was declared a town in 1834 when it was named in honour of Sir Thomas Brisbane, former governor of New South Wales. Made the capital of Queensland in 1859, it was joined with South Brisbane in the 1920s to form Greater Brisbane. The city, connected by bridges and ferries, is Australia's third largest; it is the hub of rail lines and highways and a busy port. It is the site of the Queensland Cultural Centre and a university. Source: www.answers.com

The Honkers-Kiwi-Aussie Tour: Day 25 Sydney, New South Wales, Au

Day trip out to the Great Zigzag Railway: built between 1866 and 1869, and acclaimed a major engineering feat of its time. It was constructed to enable produce to be taken to Sydney from the prosperous farming areas beyond the Blue Mountains and to develop the coal and iron ore deposits found in the Lithgow Valley.
The prodigious feat of bringing the railway from the top of the mountains to the valley below was accomplished by John Whitton, Chief Engineer of the NSW Government Railways. At the time The Great Zig Zag was regarded as one of the engineering wonders of the Victorian age.

The Honkers-Kiwi-Aussie Tour: Day 24 Sydney, New South Wales, Au

To the Museum of Sydney for an excellent exhibit about the building, inpact and influence of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. "Bridging Sydney brings together dramatic photographs and paintings with rare and previously unseen alternative bridge and tunnel proposals, plans and sketches in a celebration of the city’s much-loved icon."

Next to the Australian National Maritime Museum where admission to the galleries is free. Interesting exhibit about clipper ships - Greyhounds of the Sea: "During the 1840s and 1850s American shipbuilders developed a new breed of sailing ships that won the admiration and envy of the world. Hundreds of Yankee clippers, long and lean, with a beautiful shape, and acres of canvas sails roamed the globe carrying passengers and freight. Clipper Ships - greyhounds of the sea brings to life, though ship models, paintings and recreated accommodations the experiences of passengers and crew of these great ships ."

Met Deb Smith in the notorious King's Cross area for coffee, dessert and great conversation. I was not impressed at being charged $7 AU for a bottle of still water when I had asked for tap water - that tourist thing again?

The Honkers-Kiwi-Aussie Tour: Day 23 Sydney, New South Wales, Au

Bus downtown to marvel at the Sydney Harbour Bridge which celebrates its 75th anniversary this month. From Wikipedia: The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the main crossing of Sydney Harbour carrying vehicular, rail, and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district (CBD) and the North Shore. The dramatic water vista of the bridge together with the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic image of both Sydney and Australia. The bridge is colloquially referred to as the Coathanger because of its arch-based design, although this usage is less prevalent than it once was. The bridge was the city's tallest structure until 1967. According to Guinness World Records, it is the widest long-span bridge in the world and is the largest steel arch bridge with the top of the bridge standing 134 metres above the harbour.

Next to the equally impressive Sydney Opera House, a short walk away.

The Sydney Opera house:
- Was designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon
- Was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 October 1973
- First performance : The Australian Opera's production of War and Peace by Prokofiev
- Cost $AU 102,000,000 to build
- Conducts 3000 events each year
- Includes 1000 rooms
- Has 2194 pre-cast concrete sections as its roof

Excellent pizza at Zia Pina at the Rocks. Strangely they tried to over-charge us by $8 and when they'd put that right to give us $5 less change than we were due. We wondered if tourists were viewed as easy targets or if they were honest mistakes.

Next to Wharf 7 - The Maritime Heritage Centre Library were hubby does some research.

The Honkers-Kiwi-Aussie Tour: Day 22 Sydney, New South Wales, Au

Taxi to Melbourne airport and one hour flight Sydney, Au via Virgin Blue.
Train and trek on foot to the Best Western Hotel Unilodge Sydney. Unbeknownst to us, it is a university student residence. On the one hand, it has great internet access and the room is kitted out with fridge, microwave, dishes etc. On the other it's designed with open courtyards so that the voices of partying 20 year olds echoes through the building - unitl 11 pm when the security guards come around. Groups of young men drinking bottles of beer in the elevators did not give me a sense of safety and security. The joys of travelling!
Walked to the nearest monorail stop: "The Monorail is one of only a few elevated transport systems in the world that operates through the heart of a major city. Opened in July 1988 as a Bicentennial gift to Sydney, it is now one of the most popular ways of getting about, moving over 4 million passengers per year.
The Monorail also delivers hundreds of Sydney’s commuters daily from Pyrmont and Ultimo to the centre of the City."
Enjoyed the ride to Darling Harbour, pictured here. Walked along the waterfront then hopped back on the monorail to Chinatown then walked back to hotel from there.