Watson's Bay (false Sydney Harbor entrance).nasty murder and suicide spot.Not well thought of by Aussies.
Bondi Beach. (Pronounced "Bindi"....aboriginal meaning waves breaking over rocks or sand.
Unbelievable gridlock traffic in Sydney. So much building going on in the city it reminded me of an erector set gone awry with all the cranes rising throughout the city.
The Rocks tonight. .no questions, no answers. We did have a good time.
Heading to the Circular Quay today and The Rocks tonight for the Friday night markets.
Some pictures from yesterday on way to Aquarium.
So, so tour. Nice sights but crazy loud music and broken PA system so driver just had to shout.
Curtain fig tree spectacular
Tablelands is where the farmers raise all the fruits and vegetables...it is a highly fertile area as a result of volcanic soils. As Hope said, the topography reminded her of Vermont on steroids. The winding roads of 212 switchbacks coming down from above was breathtaking.
Nice lunch at the largest timber frame building in Australia.
We also spotted a tree kangaroo while walking through the rainforest to a swimming area where Hope braved the rock slide and saw a platypus in a muddy river area.
Right now sitting in airport waiting for flight to Sydney but will post when we get to hotel...airport wants $12 to log on for 1 hour.
Took the bus this morning to the CBG. While waiting for the bus, you could hear the sound (racket ) of the flying fox bats across the street from the bus stop. I'll post the video of the sound and a couple of pictures I tried to take ...maybe you'll be able to see them up in the trees.
The Botanical Garden was lovely and informative. Some of the areas were under construction so unable to access.
A couple of interesting facts...they have a type of turkey there where the male is solely responsible for minding the nest and hatching process. Apparently he is anal about his responsibilities constantly removing and adding material to the nest to maintain the proper incubation temperature. So the next time anyone calls you a turkey you can thank them for the compliment.
They had a great storyboard too of the formation of the continents.
There was so much to see and take in we could not remember all the varieties....the rainforest boardwalk was especially impressive. Peace Lillys abound all over the Cairns area. The very tall ferns, 6 feet and up, stand erect from water pressure in their stems.
It has been muggy and hot since arriving in Cairns. Being on the Indo Pacific coast it stands to reason as it is a triopical area. The heat we experienced in Ayers Rock, though higher, was more tolerable. ..desert dry.
TOMORROW there is a huge Farmers Market a few blocks from the hostel...we plan to go and then maybe go for a swim in the saltwater pool on the Esplanade. Still hope to get to Daintree Forest on Monday.
Hope you've all done your homework on flying foxes...
G'day mates!
