Long awaited trip to Far North Queensland

After a long days travel, we arrived at our resort around 7.30, and headed off to the local Chinese restaurant for some very yummy dinner.   This was followed by an early night as we were all exhausted .....spending the next day simply relaxing, doing a little necessary shopping, and enjoying the much warmer weather than we had left behind.   The patio of our unit overlooks the beautiful heated pool with its tropical garden surrounds.

Farewell to the Ghan.

Breakfast was called brunch today, as it didn’t finish until 10 o’clock, so after waking a little later , we wandered down to the lounge car to await our call into the dining car.

A very lovely rainbow was appearing on the right hand side of the train , and I managed to get a snap of it.

The landscape had changed from the red dirt of the outback, to the outer suburbs of Adelaide...we were back in civilization, or the “big smoke”
Brunch was enjoyable, and we finished with our usual  cappacino  in the lounge car.   Then it was back to our cabin for the last pack up, and be ready to disembark.   This time it was on a platform, so no stairs to be negotiated.

A coach delivered us to Adelaide airport , we checked in, found the Qantas lounge and enjoyed lunch  whilst we waited for our flight back to Melbourne .    There were not many travelers, I don’t think I’ve seen a plane so empty for many a long year.

Just a quick flight back, luggage collected, Andrews transport waiting for us to take us to their depot where our car was waiting for us.  

Home safely, tired and worn out, but thoroughly enjoyed our holiday through the Centre of Australia.

Friday, our last day on the Ghan

Oh, a much better sleep last night for me, despite the narrowness of the bottom bunk.   After breakfast we were summoned off the train in the order of our excursions.    We had had chosen the seven hour trip around Coober Pedy, and our coach was not too much of a walk once we off the train.  

On all excursions, a member of staff from the Ghan accompanies the coach, and today we had Gloria with us.    Our first stop was the The Breakaways, one of South Australia's Outback gems. They're a striking rocky landscape of flat-topped mesas.    The Breakaways were once covered by an inland sea. They are now home to an array of native fauna and flora.   An absolutely amazing place, and I believe at sunset rival Uluru.   
Next stop was the dog proof fence, which like all Aussies had heard about but never seen.  South Australia’s contribution to the fence which runs between Queensland, NSW and Sth  Australia  is  2250    The whole fence cost $10 million dollars a year to maintain.
Lunch in an underground hotel was our next stop, and then a short tour of a mine.  
Moving right along, we then visited the Umoona Opal mine and museum, where we learned about opals, and the mining of them.  We also visited an underground  “dug out” home.  Our guide assured us, she would never live above ground again.   It’s so very hot in Coober Pedy, up to 50 degrees in summer, and underground is much cooler .   

The Serbian underground church was our last stop, built in the mid 1990 ‘s.

The landscape at Coober Pedy is so very desolate, and there are dead cars and bits of heavy machinery almost everywhere .   Dirt piles litter the landscape, no one bothers to move dirt when digging a shaft to look for opals.  

We returned to the Ghan to a most welcome bonfire, being greeted off our coaches with a drink and canapés.   Enjoying the desert as the sun went down was more than pleasant.  

Another delicious dinner, and an early night in preparation for the end of our journey tomorrow. 

   

Thursday on and off the Ghan

After an eventful night of not much sleep, and the train stopping ...we found out later it was for a medical emergency.....we went on down to the dining room for a rather scrumptious breakfast.  We had arrived in Alice Springs although about 40 minutes late due to aforementioned emergency.

The coaches come quite early to pick up for the various excursions, we chose the Explore Alice option, whilst K and K chose the Desert Park Excursion , so we duly disembarked and walked quite a distance to board our respective coaches.   Our excursion took us to the School of the Air, where we had some education about the school, and we able to watch a lesson for preps in progress . The school only educates to year 9 level, and after that the students need to go away to boarding school, or do distance education.
A quick trip to Anzac Hill, and then off to our lunch break.   After lunch we visited the Royal Flying Doctor service, then the Reptile and Snake Museum.   This was interesting, as they had a crocodile which was trained to a degree.  There were lots of snakes, and again we had some education, this time regarding Australian snakes. It’s comforting to know that only two people  died from snakebite last year in Oz, whilst in Sri Lanka, 20,000 did.   This is due to the different snakes, and the available of medical help of course.

Our last visit for the day was the Pioneer Women’s  Museum , which is housed in the old Alice Springs Jail.   Not quite enough time here, due to the late start this morning.

We were back in time to have a quick rest before setting out again for out dinner under the stars at the old Telegraph station.  There we had a yummy dinner, were entertained by a two piece band, and had a talk by an astronomer ( or someone  who knew a bit about the night sky).

We also were able to see some water in the Todd River , last time we were in Alice it was dry, dry, dry
It wasn’t quite as cold as we were expecting, but just in case, the company had provided each one of us with a black velour poncho, emblazoned with the Ghan emblem.

Our Introduction to the Ghan

A very early start for us all, we managed to complete our packing and be down in the reception area by 8.15, where we were I formed by the receptionist that our pick up was not at Argus Apartments as instructed by Great Southern Rail, but rather 200 meters up the street at the Oak cafe.
So off we we went, pulling our suitcases behind us!   Sure enough, along came our pick up bus, and we joined the 30 or so other folk who would be traveling with us on the Ghan.

Now this train is enormous!    38 carriages, 2 locomotives of 4000 horsepower each, and a length of 902 meters, almost a kilometer long!  There are Four dining cars, four lounges, and four kitchens.
There are 217 guests, most of whom are “aged” , some of whom are infirm(have to include myself in that group, as I’ve brought my walking pole along to assist me when necessary) and some of whom are younger and fitter.

We boarded without incident, half a dozen steep stairs, and found our room.  It was quite a stark contrast to the last five nights we have enjoyed in our room in Darwin :).

At 10am, we felt the train moving, we were on our way.    An enjoyable lunch was served in our dining room, although TRO found choosing between curry, chicken and vegetarian a little tricky, as he’s not keen on any of those dishes.  

Our first off train excursion we chose was to

https://www.katherineoutbackexperience.com.au/

This was a great show, we all loved it.    A fabulous exhibition of horse training, and working dogs.   Some singing and joking thrown in along the way.
We were given afternoon  tea, and were able to cuddle the new puppies on the property.    It was a very hot day, but the show was made comfortable by being under cover.

Back on the Ghan,  we changed for our 6.30 dinner timing, where the menu was more to someone’s satisfaction.   I think three of us had barramundi for main, and we all had mango parfait for dessert.

I finished up with coffee and Baileys, I’d forgotten how much I enjoy a Baileys.

Our beds (bunks) had been made up whilst we ate, and now there was even less room to  move around in!

An early night for all of us, it had been a long day.

Hanging around the Wharf....Stokes Hill Wharf.

Just two days left in Darwin, and we debated going on a sunset cruise.  Those among us who get seasick weren’t too keen, so we gave it a miss today.   Instead we had fish and chips on the Wharf this evening.  We had enjoyed doing this many years ago with Liz and Mum, and it was equally as pleasant tonight.   The sunset is a little lost now, with many buildings around, but I did get a lovely pic.....

We have seen Japanese sailors in town for as long as we have been there, they are on a training ship, which is a tall ship with masts, and is moored at the Wharf.

Our last day in Darwin we headed off to the Wharf again, where we spent a great couple of hours in the Royal Flying Doctor/ The Bombing of Darwin Museum.   There was a ritual reality show of the bombing, holograph movies and lots of displays .   Darwin suffered over 60 bombing raids in total. It’s hard to imagine what it might have been like, despite the virtual reality show.

Whilst we were there we decided to take the sunset cruise, ( second sunset photo)

and thoroughly enjoyed it, the food was delicious, the ship was not too crowded, and the commentary was informative.    To get back to our apartment we decided to take the free waterfront bus , and then use the skywalk bridge to come back to the CBD.    A beautiful night for walking and today I walked 6,322 steps, according to my phone, which is 4.1 km.

Time to pack up and sort our cases out, as  you are only permitted one carry on suitcase each on the Ghan train.

Sunset at Mindil Market

On Saturday, after a leisurely breakfast, we took the village bus to the Parap Market.   This is a free bus offered by the market, and picks up at various hotels around the CBD.   It was extremely hot, with a humidity reading of 90%, so we spent just an hour or so there before waiting for the bus to bring us back to the city.  There were lots of stalls, selling everything from recycled from inner tire goods, to fruit and vegetables.

We took the bus right into the terminal, and found a nice pub to enjoy lunch.   Three of us had the plate of prawns, which was just delicious, consisting of 5 crumbed prawns and five prawns wrapped in filo pastry in a cone shape.  

We walked down to the Esplanade, and went shopping at Coles for a few stores.   I waited on the seats outside, where I was befriended by an Aboriginal gentleman who referred to me as “my darling”

I think we all had a Nanna nap on returning to our apartment, and enjoyed lasagne and salad for dinner before watching the election results until midnight

On Sunday, we were picked up by Kevin and Kellie, who took us to the Boat Trailer Club at Fanny Bay for lunch.   Again I enjoyed prawns for lunch, this time in a salad.  We spent a most pleasant time with them, especially seeing Kellie again, as we had not seen her for over three years, and then only briefly.  She enjoys fishing competitions, and belongs to the club we went to.

Another resting afternoon prior to taking a Uber to the Mindil Market, lots of peeps, food, atmosphere, food trucks.   I had my name written on a grain of rice, and we loved the typical Darwin sunset.   I do remember them from all those years ago, in fact it’s  my most vivid memory of Darwin.
A taxi delivered us safely home , no waiting, just hop in one!

Off to Darwin

After a very early start, we met Kath and Kwong at Andrews Parking, where we leave our cars .  A quick transfer to the airport, where after needing help with both the self check in, and the bag drop, we settled in the Qantas lounge for breakfast and coffee.

We enjoyed a smooth flight to Darwin, and the clouds in the sky lined up for us to enjoy.

On arrival, we quickly found a taxi to bring us to Argus Apartments, although the driver did drop us off at the wrong spot.    We have a very spacious ground floor apartment, and the air conditioners
were running, as well as the overhead fans.    After settling in, we decided to walk down to the shops in Darwin and find some lunch.   This proved a little difficult, as at 2.30, a lot of cafes were closing the lunch trade.    However, we did find a great Asian takeaway in an arcade. 

As Kwong was taking a photo of the three of us, a very kind lady offered to take it for him, so here we are in front of a small park in central Darwin.  His Samsung phone is quite amazing, to take a photo, all you need to do is say “smile”. 

After some shopping at Woolworths, we made our way back to our apartment, and rested  (collapsed in a heap) until it was time to go out for dinner.

We Uber ‘ed it down to the Darwin Waterfront, where there are many dining options to choose from.  The whole area is so very different from the Darwin Wharf that we remember from over 20 years ago, when we simply sat on the wharf and enjoyed a Barra Burger and enjoyed the sunset with Liz and Mum.

We settled on the Irish pub for dinner, and had a filling and delicious meal.   A Blue Taxi took us back to our apartment, and horror of horrors, when we got inside I discovered I had dropped my phone in taxi.   A quick phone call to the company, and several calls to my phone resulted in the driving returning it to us within a half hour ...phew!    Although I need a new cover, I don’t need a new phone.

An early night was in order for us all, after such a long and busy day.

testing, testing

To see if the site works any better on the laptop, as its pretty awful on the iPad

This is a photo of Aysha and Olivia at the Cairn Curran Reservoir when the ten year drought broke.   we watched the reservoir filling up as we stood beside it .A very special life event, probably never to be repeated.

And here we are at the very tip of Australia a few years ago.  another special event that will definitely not be repeated.

And here's a couple of lovelies helping Poppa celebrate his 70th birthday.  Another non repeatable event!

Well, this blogger site works much better on the laptop, but that doesn't help me when I only want to use it on the iPad!

Farewell Launceston.

Another king bed to sleep in, I do like the Kings.  I’d be tempted to get one, but you have to buy everything new, Dona, sheets, pillows etc.

A delicious breakfast where they were serving amongst other things, my favorite Bircher muesli.

A very different fruit “bowl”was housing the fresh fruit.

After packing up and checking out we went down to the CBD and wandered around the shops for a while and then went to the famous Silo Hotel so TRO could have a peek.   It’s really quite amazing, but apparently was something like $7 million over budget when it was built.

Our flight home was full, and we were glad we had only an hour in such a small plane with cramped seating.     A great holiday, and we would love to return to Tasmania in the future.

Eleven double yolkers

We woke up this morning to hear talk of double yolked eggs, so jumped up quickly to find there were eleven out of the twelve eggs in the carton.  None of us had ever heard of such a thing before.   They were quickly turned into scrambled eggs for breakfast.

A very leisurely morning was enjoyed by all, before having lunch of all the leftovers from dinner at the party.  Adams cake was wonderful, three layers, all different cakes.   There was Black Forest cake, cookies and cream cake, and mud cake with raspberry filling.  It made a great dessert!

Farewell Launceston and hello Riverview.

A leisurely start to the morning, and lingering over breakfast with Blair and Julie, just enjoying the chatting and the company.   Julie took me to her over the road Neighbour, who welcomed us to look and photograph the view from her back porch.    Talk about million dollar views....

We are sad to leave, but need to go to our next venue for Adam’s 50th birthday celebration.   We were expecting to drive past the raspberry farm at Elizabeth Town, but our iPhone map did not take us that way, much to our disappointment.  Instead we were forced to have Maccas for lunch at Devonport.

Once we arrived at Riverbend, a Christian camp just out of Smithton, that Adam and his wife Wendy manage, we were shown our very comfortable accommodation.   We were sharing a large house with the senior and some junior Boags.

The celebration for Adam was great, a sit down meal in the very large dining room of the facility, and then back at the home he and the family live in.     This camp has been going for fifty years, and there had already been about ten groups in this year.   Adam and Wendy are kept busy, as they both clean at  a local school as well.

A not too late night  in a  comfy bed  in a warm house.

 warm house.

Last day in Launceston Part 2

This blog is so tricky to use, it’s continuing to drive me crazy.   I’m going to put all photos at the bottom , and you will just have to work out what they are I’m afraid.

The Gorge we visited yesterday was flooded in 2016, and one of the photos (from ABC ) will show the water outside the cafe in which we enjoyed coffee.  We guesstimate it was about 40 feet above the normal water level.   The flood was very destructive as you can imagine, and a great new children’s playground has been constructed to replace the old one.

After lunch TRO and Blair enjoyed a tour of the Boag’s brewery, while Julie and I went to Pennyroyal, and had a look around.
This is an adventure Park with a variety of  activities to enjoy.  I was a little tempted by the zip line, but managed to resist.

https://pennyroyallaunceston.com.au/

Coffee break at the Silo Hotel, which is a unique hotel that was originally four grain silos.    It’s very luxurious, and you can eat a meal there without being a guest, or enjoy a coffee as we did.

Dinner was at the casino, a very delicious Thai beef salad for me.  

A busy day for us all, so an early night was in order.

Last day in Launceston Part 1

Our last full day in Launceston began with a leisurely breakfast. Julie introduced us to steel cut oats which we had never heard of.   She cooks them up as you do for rolled oats, and eats them for breakfast.

We worked out some plans for the day, and  then set off.  Seaport was our first call, where the south and north Esk rivers meet to become the Tamar.   From the new bridge there , we could see the newly opened Silo Hotel.

On to Cararact Gorge.....a little  info from the website

Launceston Cataract Gorge & First Basin 

Launceston's own piece of wilderness just 15 minutes walk from the city centre. 

Here you'll find walking and hiking trails, the world's longest single span chairlift, swimming pool, 

restaurant, kiosk, cafe peacocks and wildlife, beautiful gardens, suspension bridge, inclinator

for easy access, Interpretation Centre and panoramic lookouts with spectacular views.

We rode the chairlift , the longest single span.
The weather was quite cold, and the wind especially so, but we enjoyed the ride across to other side.   The chairlift goes through a bank of rhododendrons , which would be magnificent when they are in flower .