Apostles and a town named for hope (Esperance)

This weekend (April 16-18, 2010), Ali and I met for an adventure weekend in Melbourne. We had three days to discover the beauties of the Great Ocean Road, including the ‘12 apostle’ sea stacks. I’ve wanted to see the 12 apostles ever since coming to Australia was a mere possibility and the fact that Ali was going set the stage for an awesome weekend!

My flight got in 5 hours before Ali’s. So, on my dad’s suggestion I looked for a 1/2 day city tour in the brochures at the airport. What do you know?!!...Grayline does half day city tours of Melbourne! Crazy! For those of you who don’t know, I worked for Grayline for 2 summers during college. I picked up the brochure, booked a spot on the tour, and got a taxi within 15 minutes of departing my flight. The coach tour (normally not my first choice for tours) was great because it was super chill – very nice after the red-eye flight…and it was a place to put the luggage I had with me. The tour took us (me and all the granny’s and gramps) around downtown, and several fringe suburbs. Upscale stores, huge-extremely huge farmers-type market (unfortunately we weren’t allowed out of the coach to shop), creative buildings and sky rises, sculptures, and botanical gardens. The city was an architect/designers dream. My impression was of a super mini-sized New York City with better weather, amazingly creative/beautiful buildings, and more public art. We also drove past the vegemite factory. Haha! I would definitely come back here! …and not just for the vegemite.

After the tour, Ali called to tell me she was on her way to pick me up in the rental car. While I waited, I stopped off at the visitor’s center and loaded up on maps. I like maps. Then Ali was there…it was so good to see her!

The next three hours were a bit trying…all because of a broken rental car and an incorrect map. The car was nothing too major, but definitely stifling. The air wouldn’t work…or rather it did, but it only blew hot air. No matter what. While trying to find the next avis on our way, we found that our map book (came with the rental car) was about 5 years old and didn’t show the new freeway we were on, so none of the exits or road signs made any sense. I hate being lost. Finally we were rescued by the rental company…and traded out the car. The evening, however, was completely redeemed by the restaurant we stumbled upon for dinner. One of the best meals I’ve ever had.

We had a lot of ground to cover in the next two days, so even though it was dark already, we decided to drive out towards the Apostles until we got tired. We found a campground and crashed. The next morning we got up early to watch the sunrise, and as we were leaving the campground there were two red eyes watching us. After getting over the fright, we quickly realized it was a full-sized koala. YES! A wild koala! It was about 4-5 feet up the trunk of a tree when we came upon it. It continued climbing down and crossed the street right in front of us…giving us a nice view it’s rear end as it crossed our headlights. : )

The rest of the day was filled with spectacular views of cliffs, beaches, caves, extinct volcanoes, blowholes, sea stacks, sinkholes, and limestone formations punctuated by fabulous meals and numerous wildlife sightings. The food in the Melbourne and Apostles area would be worth going back for all one their own. Fabulously yummy! And it was amazing how much wildlife we saw! I already mentioned the koala that morning…we also saw puffin-like birds, kangaroos, bandicoots, a fox, emus, another wild koala, hoards of dragon flies, a ring-tailed opossum, another larger opossum, and sulfur crested cockatoos. Words could never do the sights justice, so check out the pictures under the “Photo” link to the right.
After seeing the Apostles one last time at sunrise, we made our way back to the airport. We did only quick scenery stops on the way back, but of course had to stop for breakfast. Soon I was back in Perth. Unpacking and repacking.

The next day I was heading back to the airport bright and early Monday morning for a short 2-3 day project in a beautiful seaside town called Esperance. I flew over with the client and worked for two days, concluding the work a day early. After some intense finagling they allowed me to keep my original flight so that I could stay that extra day and explore. So glad I did! It was a full day, but I managed to see everything Lonely Planet told me I should. I started out with the scenic tourist ocean road loop with gorgeous beaches and a pink lake (that wasn’t all that pink), followed by a trip out to Cape Le Grand National Park. I really enjoyed the National Park. I saw herds of wild emus, packs of kangaroos, huge granite/gneiss outcrops, climbed a small mountain in an hour (wearing my flip flops…cause that’s all I had), then rushed off to see internationally renowned white sand beaches with bright turquoise water. The color of the water was amazing! I’ve never seen the ocean so blue-green. The blue-green contrasted beautifully with the white sand, the vibrant green foliage, and the reddish granite/gneiss outcrops. So beautiful! Did I mention yet that the beaches squeak? Yes, when you scuff your heels on the white sand it sounds like you’re scuffing your sneakers on a freshly polished floor. Very cool.

Now back in Perth, I’m exhausted. Time for a nap…what? Work? Hmmm….yes, I suppose I should.

Of sandy beaches, trees, and work at Freo Port

The last two days of my long Easter weekend were filled with excellent views of nature, wine, and lighthouses. I began Sunday with a road trip to Pemberton to see the giant Karri tree forests. The weather was being volatile and couldn’t make up its mind whether to rain or shine, so the drive turned out to be an excellent decision. It’s was really quite breath-taking to see those huge trees towering above me. The bark is beautiful! It’s thin and stripy…and shows a gorgeous array of shades of tan, orange, green and grey!

A little after noon, I made a stop at the Gloucester Tree, which is a climbing tree that you can climb all the way to the top. Once a fire lookout, the forest service drilled steel rods in a spiral pattern up the tree, like a ladder. The ladder goes all the way to the top of the tree where they’ve built a viewing cage…presumably so that people don’t fall off the 61 meter (~180 foot) tree while they’re taking pictures. Oddly, climbing the tree was one of the more scary things that I’ve ever consciously done. I approached it with confidence since I’m not afraid of heights, but as soon as I was about 15 feet off the ground I noticed how thin and slippery the bars were (especially since it had just rained) and how there were almost no safety measures…only a thin wire mesh to keep you from falling back, but nothing to keep you if you fell down. I did make it all the way up…with a thumping heart, took my pictures and got outta there! Sheeew! Upon reaching ground level again, I had to wait a few minutes to get myself under control before I could ask someone to take my picture at the bottom rungs of the ladder. My muscles were quite sore the next day, I think probably more from the adrenaline rather than the limited physical exertion it took to get up the tree. Following my stressful little rendezvous with the tree, I decided to take it easy at a little farm in the outskirts of town. I watched the chickens, the geese, the ponies, and took in the beautiful garden. Very peaceful..and had some fun with the macro feature on my camera.

The next morning, I woke up bright and early and headed out of town toward Perth, making several stops along the way. First stop was the winery, Vasse Felix. After a tasting and a visit to their art gallery, I walked out with a bottle of Shiraz and a bottle of a dessert wine (sweet, tangy, and in no way syrupy). Next stop was the little surfing town of Yallingup, where I caught some lunch and a latte while gazing at the beautiful beach. I will definitely make every attempt to go back there! It had the most fabulous combination of beach with and chill town hidden in the trees. Camping here maybe?...it is on the Cape to Cape track…hmm. My last stop was my favorite. Cape Naturaliste. After finding out that one must pay for a tour of the lighthouse to even get near it, I opted to hike the walking tracks that crisscross the cape. The weather was alternating between sunny and sudden downpours, so I had the tracks all to myself. After about a half hour of walking, I found myself at the ‘othersideof the moon’ beach. Yes, that’s how it was spelled. Absolutely breathtaking.

On the way back to the car, I nearly kicked a goanna (I think that’s what it was). Scarred the whoopee out of me. But I got pics to show the little rascal. I started stomping as I walked after that point…because I realized that if goanna lived near the ocean, snakes must too.

The rest of the drive back to Perth was uneventful – thankfully! After arriving back at my 'penthouse,' I got ready for my first day out in the field the next morning(Tuesday).

Field work went very well. It turned out to be much easier to slip into metric and calcareous soils than I thought…though I still have trouble when estimating lengths, anything shorter than a meter and I’m lost. Good thing there are tape measures! The days were really long…but that bodes quite well for taking next Friday off when I fly to Melbourne for next weekend!

I stayed around town this weekend, mostly to catch up on sleep laundry, emails, skype, this blog…and other miscellaneous. I expect to be working in the office all week and hopefully exploring around town when I get a chance.

April 3, 2010 Happy Easter!

I find myself in Augusta, Western Australia sitting here on a worn out couch in a sweet little YHA hostel while the Italian Job plays in the background (on one of only 3 channels the tv gets).

It turned out to be quite a challenge to get everything done on time, but here I am. I have a four day weekend because Australians get Friday and Monday off for Easter. So, I had to do some quick thinking and was lucky that there was still a bed available in the hostel that I’m staying. Prior to the weekend, I arrived on Monday and was given a job to set up and run…set up before the weekend to start the first day back! Yes, that’s right, 3 days…and I don’t even know all the laws yet. The poor people around me were pestered by questions repeatedly for three days. By the skin of my teeth and several late nights-and a really late night on Thursday, it is ready. I start drilling on Tuesday morning at 6:30am (!!! Holy Cow! That’s early!)

On Thursday, right after work, I moved to the Golder apartment that happens to be in the same building as the office. It’s on the “roof” floor – I like to call it the penthouse. :) There are three rooms and somehow I scored the master suite with my own bathroom (I think this is thanks to Kristy who is a fellow employee who is helping me get settled-she’s been awesome). The apartment opens up to the roof via sliding door and the view is amazing, the only problem is that there are other offices that look out on that same rooftop. I think this means that there will be no hot coffee or tea in my p.j.’s outside on the roof in the mornings… : ). I haven’t quite figured out the internet there and it’s a bit erie at night to be the only person in the only apartment in a 5 floor building. Also, it feels kind of like an office, windows don’t open, air conditioning turns on for only 2 hours at a time, no keys…only keycards. It does have a full kitchen! I can cook and eat healthy again! Finding the grocery store was another adventure all in itself and probably for another time, but it took me an hour driving around before I finally found one. Anyway, back to the weekend. Most people I talked to in the office recommended driving to the south for the weekend. I booked a car and a bed at the hostel. It was a beautiful drive down with a few random detours by my nutty GPS. The Karri trees are beautiful and stand out starkly in the cleared fields. There were sheep and wineries and very small towns along the way. The population is very light in any area outside Perth. The highway is narrow and feels like a random country road, but I like it, it makes it feel more adventurous. Today was my first day exploring the area. I made “friends” with some kids at breakfast (and promised a game of air hockey later that evening).


My first stop was Jewel Cave, a guided hour-long tour. BEAUTIFUL!! I just can’t get enough. Straws, stalactites, stalagmites, sparkling calcite crystals, the black nothingness when they turn out the lights, and the silence when no one makes a noise… From there I ran off to the lighthouse tour at Cape Luellin (sp?). The guide took us up the lighthouse and out on the top balcony. The view was really nice. After a quick lunch back at the hostel, I found a beach. Gorgeous, but weather was coming in and it was becoming cool and very windy. After freezing on the beach for a while I opted to stay in the wind-protected warmth of my car (door open) to read a book. Just as it was getting dark, the rain came. I played my promised game of air hockey after dinner, got into an awkward conversation with an old lecherous coot, and left to the tv room for some other company and to write this all. I’m seeing so many beautiful things. There are so many options that it’s hard to decide what to see next. The driving is coming almost easily now and the only thing I lack are good friends to explore with. Tomorrow depends on the weather; I may go for a drive, or the forests. I haven’t quite decided. I DO know that I will be taking plenty of pictures, so stay posted! HAPPY EASTER. Jesus loves us enough to go to the cross to be a mediator between us and God. His sacrifice covers sin. I thank God for that and am happy to celebrate the real reason for Easter. Love you all!...and come visit if you can!