Where did June 29th Go? Aussie Adventure Part 1

Work for both Rusty and I had been over the top difficult and busy. The end of the year at school and Rusty's deadlines had been looming large for weeks. "Money, tickets, passport, money, tickets, passport," a flurry of activity, and we were out the door on our way to drop the dog off and to hit the Bart. The cares and worries of work slowly evaporated as we arrived at the airport. The international airport is swank city. No harried passengers, no stressed out airline reps, and lots of space...We expected tanned topless hotties serving drinks with umbrellas, I guess the rumors about Qantas are not true. We were set for a miserable 14 hour flight as Rusty was in a middle seat and I was on the aisle, in the slight Euro seats designed to fit as many people on this huge plane as possible. Well, a few folks right across the aisle did not show up, so we each had a few seats in which to stretch out. The wingspan of a 747 is enormous, in an "Oh my God, flight doesn't really make sense and we shouldn't be up 30,000 feet!" kind of way. Our favorite part of flying all over Australia is the flight briefing and the fact that the announcement on the video instructs the passengers to "Do up" your seat belt. We often got a kick out of this phrase, it struck us as funny every single time. 8 hours into the flight, I accomplished a major life's goal, I crossed the equator into the Southern Hemisphere, coincidentally right at the intersection of international date line as well. This momentous occasion was not met with fanfare rather with turbulance and sleeping pills. Suddenly, unflagging optimism and overall lack of anxiety, sleeping pills were kicking in. 
It's disconcerting to go to sleep in the evening of June 28th and wake up on the morning of June 30th...I feel cheated out of an entire day...Phil, met us at the airport and took us to the Chateau Hyde in Surry Hills, very near downtown Sydney. Med and Bill were waiting there so we could quickly shower and tour Sydney.  The city of Sydney was strikingly similar to San Francisco.  There's a bit of European flair with wrought iron on many of the balconies and balustrades.  We walked around the Circular Quay (quite frankly more of a rectangle) and  took a ferry to Manly Beach, of course passing the Opera house and the Sydney Harbor Bridge on the way.  

After a day of sight seeing, and spending lots of money on food (very expensive, especially with the dollar being so weak), we sat on Phil's balcony watching the sunset and the bats flying from the botanical garden to another park on the other side of town.  The wingspan of the bats was much like a 747, just unbelievably wide. 

 After a good night's sleep we grabbed a flight to Brisbane and the pandemonium of a full group.  

Queensland, The Meat State - July 1st-3rd

On to Brisbane.  Australian domestic security certainly lacks the severity of almost every American airport.  I missed the underpaid overworked airport security workers insisting that we can't bring on the 3.3 oz. of contact solution, and threatening a glove covered hand and a cavity search every step of the way.  In Australia, non-passengers can still walk loved ones to the gate, shoes remain on for the walk through security, and I'm not sure anyone ever checked an ID or our carry on liquids.  Kinda makes one miss being a Nuke-You-Luhr Power.  

Di, Tracey (a friend of Di's), Rachel (Di's roommate, former VIF teacher, and a good friend) and Art all met us at the airport.  Tracey is a joy of a person with infectious laughter and a strong obsessive compulsion vein and the organizational skills to match.  We ate dinner at Tracey's with General Di Drew and the entire small army.  The menu featured lamb, sausage and steaks on Tracey's lovely Martha-stewart-esque deck.  

This feast of meat was a theme carried throughout our entire time in the state of Queensland.  It's nice to be reminded of how much I've missed my friends and our always excellent time together, I'll have to remember this feeling as we continue on our extended time together.  

Not only the relatively cool weather but the shorter days were a more disconcerting reminder that Australia is in the middle of winter.  There were many more oddities constantly reminding us we were in a foreign country. 

Things seemed only slightly askew.  They have lots of the common conglomerates; Subway, McDonald's, Burger King (known in Australia as hungry Jacks).  The food inside is the same, but the price seems really high.  They even have 7-11 stores, but the stores don't feature hot dogs on a roller rotisserie.  

A few cultural observations:  although Australia seems to be very similar and has some very strong American influences, it is clear that culturally Australia is much more closely aligned with England.  The hotel/pub culture certainly is closely aligned to the Brits.  One other difference is, at times it seems that establishments don't cater to the lowest common denominator (i.e. fewer railings around the bay, much fewer warning signs), probably believing that accidents are one way for mother nature to cull the herd of the weakest links.  If you're dumb enough to walk into the bay, perhaps the human race can do without you!  Even though this sense of personal responsibility is high, they also, conversely,  have a greater amount of rules.  Often times, things we would consider social constructs are actual rules or laws established.  Examples of these include the law that says you can't hold your arm out a car window - yes, there's a really good reason, seeing as how those conveys of trucks on the long stretches of highway could take an arm off, but a law? Really? Or the prevalence, albeit somewhat relaxed, of posted dress codes for clubs or restaurants. Although dress codes do occur in the states, they are rare, and even more rare is to have them posted on the door before entering.

The next day we drove to Surfer's Paradise and walked around a little.  This town reminded me of Myrtle Beach without the country music.  What huge tourist sandpit would be complete without the ever present Hard Rock Cafe.   

 

   

After a few drinks at Surfer's Paradise, on to the Outback Spectacular. The Outback Spectacular is the Queensland version of Dixieland Stampede, minus the talent and the professionalism of course.  The dinner show is meant to be a rip roaring slice of Outback ranching.  Some moments were comical and some were meant to be comical and couldn't quite pull it off.  One section was lost to every American in a haze of over microphoned Aussie accent.  All that was understood was "Wa, wa, wa, wa, wa-" in a Charlie Brown's teacher-esque jumble, and the words, "The man from snowey rivah..."  This poem was longer than the actual movie epic.  The meal, of course was steak.  Don't they grow vegetables in Queensland?  I think the difference between this show and a Disney type program was also the raciness of the jokes, and the fact that alcohol was served.  Sometimes I don't miss Disney.  All in all the reviews are in and the show was not good, but we have a photo and a hat of which to remember the experience.   

A Meeting with Kevin - July 3rd

A full Aussie breakfast in a sidewalk cafe in the small town of Redcliffe, where Tracey lives just outside of Brisbane.  Coincidentally, this is the town where the Bee Gees grew up. Yes, we drove by the Brother's Gibb homestead, no pics available.  The full Aussie breakfast includes eggs, bacon, toast, baked beans, and roasted tomatoes.  Items one through three are pretty standard, but baked beans and roasted tomatoes?  Again, echoing the influence of her majesty's empire.  

The evening was spent at Shane's house for his birthday BBQ.  You guessed it, the BBQ was sausages and steak.  We had a very good time and managed to bring together two social hand grenades generating the potential for fireworks.  Di's father Kevin and Med got along famously and I pity the poor soul who would like to take on that combination of viper tongued fools.  Erin's mom, Lizzie, drove down from Proserpine to enjoy the festivities and to bring us back in the morning.  Janice, Di's mom, was there as well as Shane's family.  Lots of Aussie's but almost as many Americans.  We stopped by to see Di's homestead in Black's beach and received an in depth explanation of mining operations.  The engineer in Rusty came out and he was truly fascinated with the process.  I'm also sure the enviro-nazi in him was biting a few tongues, but the process of mining was really interesting. 

A few photos from the evening...   

Rachel gobsmacked by Kevin!

The meat meister.

The ladies having a cocktail before dinner.

Familia Burns-

Janice and Kevin showing some American pride.

4th of July in Paradise

Up early and off to the barrier reef.  We had a quick drive through Proserpine compliments of Di and  Lizzie.  Sugar cane, sugar cane and more sugar cane.  We arrived at the launching and boarded the large catamaran.  The boat stopped at several islands before heading toward the reef.  On the way out, we enjoyed morning tea of scones, Vegemite on toast, and of course coffee or tea.  The skies were a brilliant blue and the seas were calm.  

We saw several pods of whales, the boat sidled right next to the whales.  Several whales breeched a little and rolled on top of the water, for an excellent show.  We arrived at the pontoon midday, although this can hardly be classified a pontoon, as small town is more appropriate.

  

This float had two levels, a water slide, and a dive equipment station, with plenty of space fo

r the group.  There were only four certified divers, so we were in the water immediately.  We dove 40-60 feet for about 45 minutes.  The wildlife was fantastic and could not have been better if we had been in an aquarium.  Giant clams, schools of fish, and clown fish in anemones.  Keeping our mind on the dive equipment was difficult with the beautiful surroundings.  

No one ever told me how easy resort diving is...the dive staff outfitted all of the equipment, the wetsuits were very thin and easily maneuvered, and we dove off a half submerged platform under the pontoon.  A quick lunch provided by the staff, and back in the water for snorkeling.  Art tried diving with a dive instructor and was hooked.  Welcome Art to the expensive world of diving.  We returned to the shore buying up the VB on board and recounting an unbelievably rich experience.  

Upon or return, Lizzie provided a feast of Rissols, lamb, prawns and salad.  The wine and beer were plentiful, prompting a rendition of "America the Beautiful".   Lizzie called Med by a name he took to easily.  His newly annointed name was Maverick.  That's a name that flows easily and makes some sense, too be honest.  Dreams that night were filled with fish and other sea animals, as this was the most amazing day in my somewhat lengthy lifetime.  

Our Fourth of July Feast~

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!

"Oh beautiful for Spacious skies..."

Med's true love, next to VB of course.

What a luh-verly group shot.

Wallabies, Rugby, and Sugar Cane in Proserpine ~ July 5th and 6th

Cane, cane, and more cane, with the occasional herd of cattle sprinkled throughout.  The group enjoyed a tour of sugar cane starting right out Erin's front door.  John, Erin's father, provided a wealth of information and a rundown of the entire sugar cane to table sugar process, as he has been farming cane for a very long time.  We also searched for cane toads and easily found these Aussie pests.  Erin and Lizzie then dragged us down to the Proserpine river on a croc expedition.  The crocs never materialized, but we found plenty of fascinating wildlife and interesting flora, including wallabies...cool.

Lunch in Arlie Beach, with a beautiful view of the town.  

Then back to McKay to catch the rugby game.  Such a fast paced game with strong athleticism from every player.  Of course the views aren't bad either...A late dinner after the match at Shane's restaurant, and a chance to meet Tony, Tracey's brother.  He's an easy going person with an absolutely gorgeous girlfriend.  

After dinner, Rusty, Med and Art all went to downtown McKay and enjoyed the local party crowd.  While at one of the bars, the rugby teams from earlier in the evening showed up.  Damn my inability to stay awake past 9 PM.   

The next day, a much needed down day to do laundry and get some rest. We did meet Tony and Kathy at the McKay marina and have a pot.  Rusty won a raffle.  Unfortunately, it wasn't a meat tray, rather a bottle of booze.  The pub at the marina hired a band called Double Time.  I believe the lead singer was middled aged when the songs initially came out in the 80's.  There's something wrong with a woman that could be my mother singing Weezer.  As a matter of fact, much of Australia seems to be a hold over from the 80's.  No complaints because the current American administration makes one almost miss the Reagan years.  

We then went to a Cricket Club for dinner.  The clubs are easy to join, with just a $5 fee.  Then one can enjoy  the reasonably priced dinner, cheap beers, pokies (slot machines) and a view of the cricket match from inside the club.  This could be helpful during those multiple day cricket matches we have heard so much about.  

Schooners, Pubs, and Leaches, Oh My...

July 7th, Pub Crawl!  Headed up to Eungella (a rainforest filled state park), we started a pub crawl at 10:30AM.  Regardless of the size of the small town surrounding McKay, each had a fairly substantial pub.  We arrived at the first pub expecting to be the only patrons, but this certainly was not the case as a few miners or cane workers were in for a schooner after a shift.  Each pub was distinctive only in the venue, each had a bawdy bar maid, served food, and carried XXXX beer.  Seeing a kid wander through with a parent was not uncommon.  Each pub also had a hotel attached and sported State of Origin posters and flags.  Thankfully, Queensland had recently won State of Origin Rugby, much boasting and bragging was required.  Poor Rachel, the only New South Wales cockroach of the group, took heaps.  She was a good sport about it.  

Lunch was at the Pinnacle Pub, which boasts the best meat pies and can actually back up this claim.  The pies were heavy and hearty and absolutely delicious.  Chips were served with brown gravy and did nothing to lighten the meal.  I moved from a pot to a schooner to wash down this heavenly concoction.  

We then went to a pub right before Eungella which afforded a beautiful view of the Pioneer Valley.  

From there, on to Eungella State Park, and a cabin right next to a platypus viewing station.  We had opportunities to view the ever elusive platypus in it's natural habitat.    

Mother nature must have had a few extra parts and arranged them a'la Mister Potato Head style to come up with this odd creature.  Many Aussie's were quite impressed we had the chance to see these weird animals in the wild.  

We saw flocks of noisy cockatoos numbering in the hundreds.  Caroline's bird Maulder is cute when he squawks and squeals, but when multiplied by hundreds, the charm of that cacophony wears thin quickly.

We stayed in a cabin, had dinner the State Park restaurant, and proceeded to enjoy each other's company with an evening of drinking and debauchery.  Of course, I went to bed at an early hour, but enjoyed the confines of a cabin filled with drinking friends.  A few lessons from the evening:  Rachel and Erin can't hold their liquor, Bill is an obnoxious although somewhat funny drunk, and your friends will turn on you like rancid meat when they've been drinking.  We managed to blow off the steam which builds when traveling in a large group.  No serious injuries, just a few mental scars.  A successful evening.

The next morning, Rusty and I went on a long walk through the rainforest.  The rain pattered down on the both of us as we made our way up the mountainside. 

 On the way back, I pointed out to Rusty several wet leaves stuck to the back of his thigh.  It turns out, Rusty was hosting several blood sucking parasites, yes, leaches!  We scraped off the two we saw, and returned to the cabin.  Rusty found another under his sock line, much to the squeamish squeals of our hung over companions. 

A quick trip down the mountain, and a rest at Donna's place before dragging ourselves back to the McKay airport where the local time is 1982.  We went back to Tracey's and decided the wounded weary travelers would like dinner in.  Art and I cooked a feast of kangaroo, putenesca and salad.  After a week of meat, we needed some salad and spicy pasta to even out the palate.