Introduction:
What do you get when you exile a bunch
of prisoners convicted of long-term prison sentences, or to death? Australia,
of course! With its summer-like weather,
unique wildlife, beautiful nature, and sprawling, modern cities, I was excited
to visit this wonderful country over Thanksgiving, where I have both relatives
and friends. On the agenda was Cairns (beautiful beaches, and wildlife),
Melbourne (amazing nature, modern sprawling city), Ayers Rock in Uluru (the
home of Australia’s indigenous people), Canberra (the capital and Australia’s
Washington DC), and of course Sydney, (city living and stunning beaches). The
only obstacle in my way—the 30+, six-stop flight: Boston to Montreal to Toronto
to Vancouver to Brisbane to Cairns. Although I can’t fall asleep on planes, I
spent the time reading novels, watching some good movies, and getting addicted
to “The Big Bang Theory”, so found a way to be productive!
Cairns:
Cairns is the tropical area of
Australia, known for beautiful beaches and spectacular nature. Once formed as a
route for miners, the city’s population declined when an easier route was
discovered (at Port Author), but it is still the 5th largest city in
Australia.
First, I visited the Great Coral Reef,
which is an island with nice beaches. I was not that impressed. The beaches
were OK, but I can find plenty like them, even in other parts of Australia. I
did not see too many fish, and nothing very unique. Most scarily of all,
November is the beginning of Box Jellyfish stingers season. If bitten by one,
the stings can cause cardiovascular failure and instant death within 2-5
minutes! The box jellyfish are also blue and transparent, making them difficult
to spot. The answer by the Great Coral Reef beaches is to hand out specialized
wet suits, which they recommend people wear. But this defeats the entire point
of swimming, of enjoying the water on your skin, while treating your body to
natural salts, so I never wore one while swimming. On average, Only one person
a year is hospitalized on the Great barrier Reef beaches, although 5 were last
year, so I liked my chances. Sometimes, you need to take a risk to enjoy life,
you know? Fortunately, I was never stung.
The next day, I went to the Kurunda
National Park. This park has beautiful cliffs and lovely walking trails. Unfortunately,
it also has saltwater crocodiles, tree-climbing kangaroos, and 2 of the 5 most
poisonous snakes in the world. So taking a scenic train ride is a lot safer.
That said, I did get to check out some of the less dangerous wildlife, unique
to only part of Australia, and fed kangaroos and cuddled with koalas. A very
unique and cool experience, indeed!
Melbourne
Area
The first three days in Melbourne was
spent on the Great Ocean Road. This 200km road is a scenic drive, and this was
the first time in Australia where I rented a car. Driving in Australia is a
little scary at first. They drive on the right side of the road (as in England,
whose queen is also the queen of Australia, as well as Canada). It was a little
difficult to focus at first, and I almost ended up taking a couple of incorrect
turns the wrong way! To make matters even more complicated, the turn signals
are on the right, while the windshield wipers are on the left. So several
times, when I tried using my turn signals, I turned on the wipers by mistake!
Anyways, back to Great Ocean Road. With
its rolling cliffs, high cliffs, and stunning mountain and beachside views, as
well as the challenge of driving through the winding, curvy roads, it reminds
me a little of Amalfi Coast in Italy. There are 2 things that the Great Ocean
Road has, that the Amalfi coast does not, however. I saw wild kangaroos
frolicking and mating , right on one of the beaches, which was pretty sweet. The
coolest site was the “Twelve Apostles”, which is a formation of 12 rocks
abutting from the beaches. These were formed by extreme weather conditions, as
the Southern Pacific Ocean gradually eroded the limestone, forming caves in the
cliffs, which then became arches, eventually collapsing and leaving tall rock
formations near the shorelines. It looks very cool, like natural monuments
abutting right out of the sea!
I only spent one full day in Melbourne,
Australia’s 2nd most populous city, with a population of 4.7 million.
Originally, 3 native aboriginal tribes, totaling about 2,000 people were the
first inhabitants. But when white settlers arrived, they basically provided
these poor natives with the American Native American treatment. The Natives
were dispossessed from their lands via rescinded treaties that were annulled by
white Melbourne leadership. Today, the city has a sistership with Boston; we
share a passion for sports and a hub of well-educated people. It is a lovely,
modern city. The walk by the Yarra River is a must-do, as each next bridge has its
own unique design. The high scrapers have unique architectural builds, such as
turning the bricks in various directions and angles. The streets are wide and
full of nightlife. I had the opportunity to see the entire city from the top,
including its cricket stadiums. Unfortunately, I did not have time to go to any
of the museums, including studying the rich stories of immigrants at the Immigration Museum or checking out the diverse
marine life at Melbourne’s world-renowned Aquarium.
Uluru
(Ayers Rock)
The next stop on the agenda was Uluru,
also known as Ayers’ Rock. Much like Melbourne, Ayers rock was the home of an
aboriginal tribe, the Anangu, who have lived there for over 10,000 years. During
the late 19th century, however, as white people moved in and
established police patrols, many Anangu fled out of fear. However, in 1920,
part of the Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa National Park was declared an Aboriginal Reserve
(a sanctuary for the aboriginals). Then, in 1985, the Australian government
returned ownership of Uluru to the Anangu, under the stipulation that the land
would be leased out to the National Parks and Wildlife agency for a period of 99
years and that it be jointly managed by both the National Parks and Wildlife Agency,
and by the Anangu. This has led to most of the current Ananga moving back to
their ancestral home.
The Ananga prefer to enjoy nature,
rather than photograph it. There are many “holy areas” were they ask tourists not
to take photographs. When a tribal member of the Ananga dies, photographs at
the park of them are covered up. Also, the Ananga ask for tourists to refrain
from climbing onto the Red Rock (this has recently become illegal, though
climbing was allowed until just a couple of years ago).
The Ananga have many stories on how
nature and physical landmarks have come to be. A couple of my favorites: “Uluru
was built up during the creation period by two boys who played in the mud after
rain. When they had finished their game, they travelled south to Wiputa ...
Fighting together, the two boys made their way to the table topped Mount
Conner, on top of which their bodies are preserved as boulders.” Another good
one: “Kuniya, the female python, lived in the rocks at Uluru where she fought
the Liru, the male poisonous snake (there is a snake-like line on the Kuniya
mountaintop). It is said that taking a rock from Ayers Rock home as a souvenir
brings bad luck, so don’t do it!
As Uluru itself, it is VERY hot there,
like over 90 degrees. It is fun to walk around in the heat though, observing
the sites. The sunrise and sunset gleam off the Red rock, making it look
purple, a beautiful site to behold. Also, the Ananga have a nightly lights
display, where tourists can walk around and enjoy various changing light
patterns of lights (bulbs are planted all over a field). Just one word of
caution though: watch out for the wildlife, especially the “Kalaya” (Emu), “Liru”
(poisonous snake), “Lungkata” (blue-tongued lizard), “Luunpa” (kingfisher) and “Tjintir-tjintirpa”
(willie wagtail).
Canberra
Canberra, up in the mountains, is
Australia’s version of the Poor Man’s Washington DC. There are a bunch of
agencies and the Parliamentary building, which is so much smaller than Congress.
The funniest, and probably insulting building is the “Aboriginal Embassy”.
Google image it (or look at my Facebook photos). It looks more like a restroom
than an embassy; an oversized porter pottie! Running through downtown Canberra
is the artificially-made lagoon. Most of the sites can be accessed by simply
walking around the lagoon (couple of hours). Trophy wives park their cars near
downtown and walk their dogs or exercise in their yoga pants around the lagoon,
while their husbands play politics during their day jobs. The coolest monuments
there are the tributes to the military, especially the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier, which is both a series of outdoor monuments and a museum inside of a
beautiful building. However, other than that, there is not much to do or see in
Canberra, few museums, and the city itself is underwhelming.
Sydney
I spent the most days at Sydney, 5 days,
because I have relatives living there. First discovered by the English in the
late 1700s, convicts were exiled here. Violent confrontations occurred between
the new settlers and the aboriginals at first, until half of the population was
killed by smallpox, and their rebellion put down. With more peaceful times
established, Governor Lachlan Macquarie initiated various infrastructure projects,
having convicts build roads, bridges, roads, etc. Later, gold was discovered in
Sydney, bringing more explorers into the city. Today, Sydney is Australia’s
most populous city, with a population of just over 5 million. It’s always
interesting to know how much of Sydney’s current population is descendant from
British convicts!
Sydney has turned out to be one of my
favorite cities. The city sites are just lovely. Everyone knows about the
Sydney Opera House, which has an attractive and unique exterior architectural
design (the inside of it is not as interesting). I participated in the Sydney
Harbour BridgeClimb, where I got to climb on the the arches of the bridge, and
even have lunch at the very top. It certainly counts as my “do one thing a year
that scares you” activity! What I liked
the most about Sydney though, was the waterfront. So many boats, and unique
birds, on beautiful warm days. Darling Harbour and the Fish Market are relaxing
to hang out at and to walk around the city. The Barracks Museum and the
Australian Museum do a fantastic job of explaining Sydney’s history, which,
after aboriginals, began with exiled English prisoners moving onto a new life
in Sydney. The coolest story was of Mary Smith, a convict’s girlfriend, who
after her hubby committed a crime and was sentenced to death, later had his
punishment commuted to life in Australia….so she committed the SAME crime, to
get the same punishment, and be sent to Sydney, to be with her man (this
commitment to love should be added into all marriage vows).
An hour outside of Sydney is the Blue
Mountains National Park. When you look at the mountains from the right angle,
they literally look as if they have turned blue. The trails showcase natural
tree limbs that are as powerful as ropes; once such branch, which can be
touched, can even support the weight of a car. There are lifts and trains that
take passengers throughout the hills, providing stunning view, including form
the bottom, via glass floors. It iss a very unique park, with features (i.e. natural
branch ropes, blue-looking mountains), that I do not believe can be found in
the United States!
Of course, Sydney could never be
complete without its stunning beaches. My favorite was Bondi Beach. Its
beachside resorts are all colorful, like the houses in South American countries
(such as Puerto Rico and Columbia). Outside the beaches, there are various
clubs, including surfing clubs, 2 KM ocean swim training, and VIP exclusive
clubs with dinners for $500+. The water itself is rough, but still suitable for
swimming, if you like waves, know what you are doing, and understand how to get
out of a strong current. Across form the beach, there is a spot that is made into
skating rink in July only. Every July, one can literally ice skate, and then go
swimming (or vice-versa); how cool is that?
Conclusion:
My trip to Sydney was exactly what I
needed. It was the perfect combination of exploring natural wonders,
interacting with unique wildlife, lounging on beaches, enjoying fast driving,
and exploring city life. I had the opportunity to hang out with friends, while
making new ones, and catch up with relatives, while of course, cheating the Boston
winter for 2 weeks. It was exciting to explore the many sites and sounds of this
a newish modern country with varied wildlife and diverse people, yet whose
first aboriginal inhabitants have lived there even longer than native Americans
in the United states. I’ll be back, for sure, during another one of Boston’s
winters, of course!
