Travels 'Down Under'

Latest update: 2nd November - please continue reading from the end of last update

Welcome to our very own 'blog' from Down Under.  As an alternative to writing lots of separate e-mails, we thought it would be more fun and possibly more interesting (cries of 'boring, boring') to add a page to the Buckland Newton website (accessible to only our very best friends) detailing some of our adventures and escapades.

Our journey to Singapore (first stop) started in utterly decadent style, travelling Business Class by Singapore Airlines.  What a difference compared to our last visit to Heathrow when we trying to escape for Christmas and got completely stuck in Terminal 2!  This time we were whisked through check-in and security and deposited in the airline's own lounge with refreshments, easy chairs and no hassle.  The flight was amazing - 13 hours seemed to pass in no time at all.  The charming steward was very impressed by Jane's new hairstyle.  Arrival at Singapore was in a tropical downpour but this soon passed and by the time we had cleared the formalities the sky was blue and a beautiful warm and sunny day followed.  Not nearly as humid as we'd been led to expect either.  A very informative taxi driver told us all about Singapore, its history, customs and places to visit while driving us to the hotel, which was on Sentosa island, just to the south of Singapore city and linked to the mainland by a causeway, cable-car and monorail.  We were a bit apprehensive about our hotel, as having had it recommended by the travel agents we'd then looked at some of the reports by previous guests on one of the hotel-booking websites.  It was variously described as tired-looking, having small rooms, very unfriendly staff and overlooking an industrial wasteland of a port.  Fortunately, nothing could be further from the truth.  The staff could not have been more helpful, more smiling and more friendly.  The rooms were spacious and clean and the view over the sea was fascinating, with every type and size of ship either moored or travelling past to the busy harbour.  Don't believe everything you read on the web!!

A tour of 'Singapore by Night' introduced us to the city after dark, including a cook-it-yourself meal on hot stones.  I had chosen salmon, which was straightforward, but Jane was unimpressed at trying to cook chicken safely! The day after we arrived, we were just about to get up when the hotel started moving quite noticeably.  This was the earthquake in Indonesia.  As we were on the eleventh floor, the effect was significantly magnified - Jane said the bathwater had waves!  There didn't appear to be any damage as a result and I imagine these are quite common occurrences. We also visited the Botanical Gardens to see the orchids and the Changi Memorial commemorating all the PoW's from Singapore. Sentosa Island is a great place to stay and we're looking forward to our return to Singapore on our way home.   

The flight on to Brisbane seemed quite short at only 7 hours.  Adam and Fiona have made us really welcome and we're very impressed by their home here. It's located in a pleasant suburb of Brisbane close to a lake.  Everyone has been very welcoming and Brisbane is a great city.  We've a hire car so quite independent in terms of being able to get around.  On  our first day we visited the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.  Hundreds of tame kangaroos which would feed from your hand, plus Koalas which seem to spend most of their time eating and the rest sleeping.  Not exactly active.  Jane made friends with a sheepdog at the sheepdog demonstration - if you know Jane and dogs, this was unbelievable.  You'll also see from the photos that Jane's hairstyle is now extremely chic French.  Ladies would pay big money for a style like this!

The Sunday after we arrived we went to a Battle of Britain Memorial Service at Southport on the Gold Coast.  Adam gave the address, which was a 10-minute talk about the B of B.  It was very well received and I think he impressed his Boss as well as the rest of the congregation - many of them members of the RSL which is the equivalent of the British Legion.

We've done a lot of travelling around the Brisbane area and (of course) managed to visit a couple of model shops and Adam's model flying club at Amberley.  We all went for an overnight stay at Pether's Rainforest Retreat which is an amazing hotel on Tamborine Mountain about three-quarters of an hour from Brisbane.  The hotel consists of 10 'tree houses' in the midst of the rainforest - all open plan with bedroom and bath and huge picture windows with no curtains - all designed so that no room overlooks any other.  Fantastic!

This week we've been up to Cairns (a couple of hours' flight north) for three days. A full day on the Great Barrier Reef which is quite amazing.  Adam, Fiona and Jeremy went for a 20 minute SCUBA dive while Jane enjoyed the sun on the pontoon, plus as much snorkelling as you wanted.  The tame fish is called "Wally" - honest!  We've also been on the mountain railway (built at the beginning of the 20th Century) up to Kuranda and back via a 7.5 kilometer cable-car.  Neither Jane nor Fiona was much impressed by the cable-car ride - up to 300 feet above the rainforest.

We had some very sad news a few days ago. James, who is Jane's cousin Sally's son, lost his battle against leukaemia and died following an operation to try and control a massive infection.  He had been in remission from childhood leukaemia for 14 years but unfortunately the leukaemia came back in a different form and despite a bone marrow transplant it was all in vain.  Some of you will know Sally from her visit to talk to Lydden Ladies. Sally and Philip and their daughter Sarah are naturally devastated.

We're due to leave here on Thursday to call at Sydney for a couple of days before going on to New Zealand for 2 weeks and then back here.  We'll update the 'blog' in a few days as and when we have more news.

Meanwhile, love to all our friends in Buckland Newton and places beyond....

Update: 4th October

Adam and Fiona are now the proud owners of a didgeridoo and Adam is making interesting and quite authentic-sounding noises.

He tried one out in Cairns and after a long discussion with the local expert at Kuranda and trying out various keys (yes, they're tuned just like other musical instruments) brought one back to annoy the neighbours.  Today it's off to Sydney.  An early start (up at 4.30 am) to reach the airport and catch the 7.30 flight.  Only a short one by Australian standards - around 1 hour 25 minutes. Our hotel has a view to die for: the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.  Cruised the harbour before lunch, followed by a leisurely afternoon watching the boats go by and brave (or foolhardy) souls walking over the top of the Bridge. I'm not yet convinced of the wisdom of following suit.  As you can see, the weather remains stubbornly fine.  Queensland has not had any worthwhile rain for months and they are currently on Level 5 water restrictions (the highest level) and talking about going to Level 6, which doesn't yet exist.  Reservoir levels are very low and there's clearly a lot of concern.  New South Wales is also experiencing its first bush fires of the season.  These are fairly near Sydney although we haven't yet seen or smelled any evidence of them.  Apparently a change of wind direction has helped matters a bit.

Adam and Fiona are probably quite glad to see the back of us for a couple of weeks (!) as we set off on the next stage of our odyssey - visiting New Zealand.  This will be another early start on Saturday, after which we will let someone else do the thinking and driving as for the first week we will be on a coach tour.

Update: 7th October

Here we are in Christchurch after a good flight from Sydney, and already a reminder of home just near the hotel! Weather is beautifully spring-like, with the end of the daffodils and start of bluebells.  During our last day in Sydney there was a plague of moths after dark, apparently blown in by a strong westerly. We now have a day relaxing in and around Christchurch before we start on the coach tour early on Monday morning.  Apparently there's only 19 of us on a 48-seater coach, so at least there won't be any argument about seats.  Should make for a jolly trip!

Took a bus into the centre of Christchurch this morning - the whole central district could be walked across in 5 minutes - and then a circular tour of the centre on a 1903 tramcar.  The tram tracks were all torn up in the 1950's and then relaid in the 1990's with trams borrowed from a museum.  Very sedate, unlike the excursion to the Antarctic Centre where we took a wild ride on a Hagglund 'sno-cat' type of vehicle - up, down and around 40 degree humps and through waist-high water.  As you can see, it was essential to hold on tight!

Update: 9th October

Yesterday (8th) we travelled from Christchurch to Omarama, including an optional flight over the Mount Cook region.  This was in a small twin-engined Nomad aircraft; we each had a window seat so tremendous views over the snow-covered mountains and glaciers.

The weather in Christchurch had been wet, wet, wet before we left in the morning but cleared by lunchtime.  Today on to Dunedin (Gaelic for Edinburgh); very English looking town with a University and teaching hospital.  Various possible trips this afternoon - we're going to see some of the local wildlife.  Great crowd of people on the bus and everyone is getting on together. Eventually decided on a 'Wildlife Wonders' excursion with 4 others.  Off in a minibus for an hour's trip out of Dunedin, past some wonderful clifftop scenery and a 'castle' - actually more of an oversized pseudo-Gothic mansion with a history of family disagreements - to a sheep farm on the very tip of the Otago peninsular.  As well as sheep-farming, of which we saw very little, the owners have devoted themselves to wildlife conservation, especially of seals, blue penguins and the very rare yellow-eyed penguins.  The latter are so timid that if kept in captivity they run around in such a panic they give themselves a heart attack.  Consequently, a beach has been set aside and not touched by humans for seven years and on which these birds can nest and breed.  We were fortunate enough to see just one, at a distance. To reach the site we were given a wild ride on 8-wheel-drive 7-seater 'buggies' which our guide took great delight in driving like a man possessed.  Fun, fun fun!  As you'll see, we got up close and personal to seals as well.  The town is very proud of its Scottish heritage, so Haggis and whisky, plus bagpipes, before the evening meal.

Update: 10th October

Another early start today (becoming something of a habit; this tour is pretty concentrated) to get down to the National Park in the south west of South Island ready for a visit to Milford Sound the following day. First a visit to Olveston House in Dunedin.  Built by a merchant in 1904 and lived in by himself, his wife, son and daughter, it was left to the town in the 1960's but is virtually unchanged since the daughter was left the house in the 1930's, so it is a perfect time capsule of that era.  Quite fascinating.  An awful lot of sheep and deer today, plus of course wonderful scenery, as we travel down to Tenau.  Not seen quite so many lambs on the hoof for a while. The National Park is very well looked after and much of it has never been explored; looking at the terrain, we're not surprised.

Update: 11th October

Milford Sound is just like a Norwegian fjord.  Mountains rising straight up from the water's edge, waterfalls, the lot.  We're incredibly lucky with the weather.  This part of the country has an average annual rainfall of over 7 metres (275 inches) so virtually every day is a 'rain day'.  Today is bright sunshine all the way, so we get wonderful views.

Back to comparative civilisation at the end of today in Queenstown - not that New Zealand is not civilised, but not everywhere has wireless broadband access which I need to update the 'blog', so signing off for today.

Update: 12th October

Well, Queenstown is undoubtedly the place where people who have lost all sense of proportion come.  It seems that extreme sports were invented here.  Every other shop on the main street is offering bungee jumps, skydiving, extreme boating, mountain biking down 1 in 1 slopes and anything else likely to result in broken bones.  If it's dangerous, they do it in Queenstown.  In the hotel there is whole raft of brochures and leaflets for these activities, including one in red which just says "Injured...?" which offers advice on physiotherapy and legal redress!  We settled for a comparatively tame outing to 'Skippers Canyon'.  This started and ended with a 4-wheel drive along an unmade road which we later discovered is rated by the AA as one of the most dangerous in New Zealand.  It was barely one vehicle wide with sheer drops of several hundred feet on one side and we had occasional vehicles coming the other way.  Once at Skippers we had an exhilirating ride on a jet-boat, which draws only 4 inches at full speed, up a narrow canyon for around 4 kilometers just inches away from the canyon walls.  A few 360 degree spins on the spot were included just to liven things up.  This was followed by a walk over a narrow suspension bridge - the type you have to break step on when marching over, to avoid setting up destructive harmonic swings - and attempts at panning for gold.  This was a gold rush area at the end of the 19th Century, and although the gold has been mined out, we did manage to pan three flakes of gold between the two of us.  Riches indeed!

Update: 13th October

The weather has finally broken.  The west coast is probably the wettest part of the country and today the rain has been unrelenting as we drive up to the Fox Glacier.  Initial thoughts of a walk up to the glacier face dissolve in the rain and we settle for a distant view.

Update: 14th October

Our tour is coming to an end with a train ride across the Southern Alps on the Tranz Alpine railway, rising up from Greymouth on the west coast, through Arthur's Pass and down to Christchurch again.  Snow at Arthur's Pass is an excuse for the Aussies to get out and be photographed in something they're not used to.  A farewell to friends we have made over the past week, although we may just catch up with some of them again tomorrow as they are bound for Blenheim on the train, while we take the same route independently by car.

Update: 15th October

The lucky people on the tour got a wake-up call at 5 a.m. this morning to join the Pacific Coast train up to Blenheim.  The righteous got another couple of hours in bed.  Picked up the hire car and drove north, more or less following the track of the railway and caught up with the tour group again at a winery tour near Blenheim for a final goodbye.  They seem to have managed without us somehow!  We certainly have a better appreciation of New Zealand wines now - their Sauvignon Blanc is really excellent - Cheers!

Tomorrow a visit to a vintage aircraft museum (owned by the director of Lord of the Rings) is on the cards.  I guess some retail therapy will have to be included to balance the books.

Update: 18th October

Visited the aircraft museum; very effectively done as one would expect from such a renowned film director.  Each of the exhibits is set in appropriate surroundings.  Most of them are World War 1 replicas/reproductions and one can almost feel the mud of the trenches.  Well worth the visit.  Managed a little retail therapy but not all that many shops.  Suitcase is getting heavier though, so there must be something out there. On then to Picton and a little place called Havelock, which is the Green Mussel capital of the world - complete with specialist cafe as can be seen.  Must sample them, so a quick stop.  Our next overnight is at Nelson.  Beautiful blue-green seas and the town's architecture is very 1930's.  All the shop buildings are in the style of the old Burtons Menswear (the ones with the snooker rooms above).  A bit like stepping back 40 or so years until you see that it's a Starbucks or a Burger King at street level.  Today we are going to explore the Abel Tasman National Park at the top left corner of South Island.  

Update: 20th October

Our final couple of days in New Zealand before we head back to Brisbane to see Adam & Fiona.  Up, just about, to catch the dawn and get a photo of the sun coming up over Kaikoura.  After breakfast, join a whale-watching trip where we manage to catch up with dusky dolphins and a couple of sperm whales which are resident in the 5000 foot deep trench just a few miles off the coast.  Also see a number of albatross (albatri?) including the large wandering albatross, albeit on the water.  Driving down to Christchurch for our return flight tomorrow, we follow a car which says it all!

Update: 24th October

A few days relaxing in Brisbane after our travels.  Yesterday we drove west out of Brisbane into the hills and saw the state of the water supply.  The main supply lake, Wivenhoe, is only 15% full.  The level is normally almost to the top of the spillway in the second photo, so supplies really are bad.  In contrast, the jacaranda trees are in full bloom at the moment.  The blossom only lasts for a couple of weeks apparently and then cascades down to form lilac blue carpets around each tree.  Unbelievable colour.

Update: 29th October

Rain!  After a couple of short, very localised but torrential downpours in the last few days, the heavens really opened last night and it rained on and off all night.  Don't think it's made much difference to the overall water shortage but no doubt very welcome.  In the last few days we have been to Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast and into the hinterland behind the coast around Maleny and Montville.  Wonderful countryside; very hilly and still quite green - it is Spring after all.  Managed to find a couple of aviation museums en route (this trip is carefully planned).  Yesterday Jane and Fiona went on a shopping expedition while Adam and I went to a model aircraft fly-in.  Almost time now to think about packing our case again for the trip back to Singapore on Thursday and then on to London on Saturday.  What a trip and what memories we will bring back with us!  Adam and Fiona have been marvellous, showing us around and putting us up (should that be putting up with us?) for such a long time.  I suspect this will be a once in a lifetime trip and that the bank manager will have something to say when we get back!

Update: 2nd November

A fond farewell to Adam and Fiona, but not before spotting a koala in the wild - apparently even Aussies don't see one very often.  Jane's eagle eye spotted this one high up in a tree on the outskirts of Brisbane.  A good flight back to Singapore for one full day and then on to London and what we guess will be rather wintry weather.  It's about 30 degrees in Singapore and very humid, so it will be quite a change.  Our final view of a somewhat misty late afternoon across Singapore and the final entry in our blog.  Thanks for joining us!