Week 44 - Australia
Sunday was a relaxing day. The kids played outside, C did some algebra independently, S and I read, I did a lot of laundry, and we just enjoyed being here.
Monday morning we did school work and packed, then after lunch I made one more call to the Australian Immunization Registry. Still no record, and another process I was told to go through. We went to Wynyard to print some documents which I can supposedly submit by email, and I did submit them, but I'm losing faith in the system. Again, though, everyone was very nice and helpful at both the post office where you can get your copies certified and at the library where I printed some forms. We also stopped at both pharmacies in town, as one suggestion was that a pharmacy could possibly convert our paper record from Reunion and the photo record from Burnie into some sort of document. But they can't do that until, you guessed it, the record shows up on the AIR.
Bureaucratic woes aside, I've really enjoyed Tasmania. I'm glad we came, sorry J missed it, and definitely want to come back.
Tuesday was our last day in Tasmania. We did S's math and reading, finished packing, cleaned the cottage and headed back to Launceston. We stopped for a picnic lunch which this guy was very interested in.
We made it in time for a fun stop recommended by our host. It's right near Launceston and called Cataract Gorge. We rode the chair lift:
(that's Collin up ahead) took a little hike…
…and walked back across the suspension bridge.
Tasmania is beautiful, at least the Northern coast, and this was a good last look. There was a fun playground, too.
We had a great time and stretched our legs, then it was only about ten more minutes drive to the hotel. I checked in and dropped off the kids and the luggage, then went to the airport to return the car. Launceston is the major city of Northern Tasmania, but it's small enough that the airport is only fifteen minutes from the city center. There aren't any hotels right by the airport, but I was still able to drive to the airport, get gas, return the car and get a taxi back to the hotel in under an hour.
The kids had already done their journal writing and were starting tablet time. We went down for dinner, and S was excited to see an old tram car in the restaurant.
It actually ended up being not too comfortable because the tables were too far from the benches and were bolted down, so we ended up eating in our room. We got everything laid out for an early start Wednesday. The kids went to bed early, but J and I finalized our plans for an earlier arrival in New Zealand. He is totally over waiting in Singapore and has given up on ever getting an Australian visa. So I was up late cancelling and rebooking.
Wednesday did not go as planned. Our flight out of Launceston was delayed and we missed our flight to Ayres Rock. Qantas put us up in a hotel in Melbourne. Technically, we could have done something to explore the city but it was cold and rainy and we were worn out from an early and stressful morning. I did walk back to the airport without kids and bags to figure out where the terminal would be leaving from Thursday was. Besides the terrible weather, I realized it was going to be hard to get a taxi so we just had lunch at the hotel and kids took long hot baths. Then everyone fell asleep.
I kind of think if we'd been out we'd have been cold, tired and miserable, so it's just as well. I did see this which made me happy on the first day of pride month.
Thursday was another early morning. We had a nice room service breakfast and made it to the airport just fine. The flight was ok, but at the end we had to circle for about an hour due to fog at Uluru airport. The pilot said he was going to try one more time and if we couldn't land we'd have to divert to Alice Springs. I really didn't want to rearrange the car rental and drive four hours, so I was glad when we finally came out below the clouds and saw land. Upon landing, I got a message that the Airbnb we booked for next week in New Zealand had burned to the ground. At that point, I was just about done. What more could possibly go wrong? But at least we were at Uluru. I got the bags and car, took the kids to lunch in Yulara, and did some serious messaging while they were eating. The Airbnb host had another property we could stay at for the same rate, even though it normally costs almost double, so we jumped on that. The car was flashing me maintenance messages, but there's a Hertz at the tourist information center so we went there, they assured me the car was fine, and I found out about some fun stuff to do Friday and Saturday. The drive to the hotel was about an hour through scrub brush and kind of drooping pines. It's completely in the middle of nowhere. Along the way we saw three or four other cars, and about twice as many cows. The road goes through unfenced pasture, so there are cows roaming, and apparently camels as well. If you recall, the last words of the rental car agent in Launceston were, "Watch out for wombats and wallabies." Well, in Yulara it was, "Watch out for cows and camels." I guess Aussie car rental agents have a penchant for alliteration. It was an easy drive actually, straight good road, and the scenery wasn't like anything we'd ever seen. The "hotel" is actually an outback station, or way station for travelers. It's kind of like an old style motel with little cabin type rooms. There's a campground, a coin laundry, a restaurant, and a little camp store. There are also campsites and camper hookups. People hang around and chat, the kids immediately found a friend.
There isn't WiFi and I wasn't getting mobile reception. Apparently, you need an Australian SIM card. But the desk attendant was nice enough to WhatsApp Jay for me to let him know we arrived. There is free WiFi in Yulara so I knew I would be able to check messages there. I started laundry, we all showered, C did school work, and S played Legos, since he had done his work on the plane.
Friday was beautiful. The sun was shining when we woke up.
We had a hot breakfast here, then headed to Yulara. I was anxious to touch base with J. He was waiting for take off heading to Auckland, so we got to exchange a few messages, then a few more later when he had in flight WiFi. I paid some online bills, and C downloaded some books. Now we don't mind doing without internet access while we're in the outback, just needed to get a few things done first. Another debacle from the trip here was that one of my suitcases split open so I bought some rope to hold it together until we get to New Zealand, then J can decide if he wants to repair or replace it. I stopped in the medical center to see if we would be able to get pre-flight PCRs, but no, we'll have to do it in Sydney. With the business done we set off for Uluru. By the time we got there the kids were hungry again so we had our picnic lunch.
Those trees that look like drooping pines are actually called she-oaks, though they're also called Australian pines, they're really in the oak family, but their acorns look more like pine cones. When you get close though you can tell that their "needles" are thin leaves Here S is examining an acorn.
After lunch we went to the cultural center where we learned about the indigenous Anangu culture. They ask that you do not take photos. Next, we drove around the rock, stopping at one of the shorter walks. This was my favorite part. It was so neat to see it up close.
I have always been fascinated by cave art, and I finally got to see some. These particular caves are special because they are near a water hole. It's fed by rain running off the rock and the people used it both as a water source and hunting grounds. This cave S is by was used by young boys who would watch the men hunt from there as part of their training. The art depicts hunting scenes. The one C is studying was a family cave and gathering place.
The trail then led us to the watering hole itself.
It was a great afternoon. There's nothing I love more than being out in nature with my kids. I just wish J was with us to see it too. The kids didn't really like anything at the restaurant Thursday night, so we passed back through town, checked messages, and picked up some snacks for dinner. Sitting outside our room eating we saw the most amazing night sky. We really wished J could have seen that!
Saturday was a fun day as well. I'm really impressed with the way Uluru is set up. The land has been restored to the Anangu people and they allow tourism in a culturally respectful way, which also generates income for their community. Yulara is the resort area with plenty of restaurants, hotels, campgrounds, a Shell station, health center etc. Even though we weren't able to stay in the resort (it was full) we were able to participate in several cultural education activities offered. In hindsight, I'm not sorry we weren't in the resort, the hour drive isn't bad at all and it gave us a better feel of the vastness of the outback. Anyway, C was interested in the cultural activities, but by the time we got our business done on Friday we had missed most of them. I had taken a picture of the schedule so I gave it to C Friday night and told him to work out a plan for us for Saturday. He picked three, and informed me we'd need to get up at 7:30 and be on the road by 8:30. Had I devised a plan that included getting up at 7:30 he would have mutinied, and then proceeded to insist all day that everything was boring and not worth getting up for. As it was, he sprang out of bed ready to go. Clearly, it's time to put him in charge more often! I later used the same technique when we were trying to figure out where one of the presentations was held. I was trying to study the map and couldn't think because the kids were being loud and obnoxious. So I simply handed C the map and said, "You figure it out, I'll follow." and he did.
First stop was a presentation on bush tools used to gather food. It also included an explanation of the symbols marked on the trail to communicate with other groups, or family members who were traveling at a different pace. It made me think of the quick WhatsApp messages I've been sending to J as we coordinate our next plans and where to meet up again.
Next, was a didgeridoo workshop.
C was the only kid who wanted to try, and he was able to make a sound, which the adults were struggling with. Women aren't allowed to play it, apparently.
We grabbed a quick snack and then moved on to our third presentation about plants collected and used for food. This finished with a biscuit, so S enjoyed it a bit more than the others.
We treated ourselves to a restaurant lunch, since we'd just had a quick cold breakfast of biscuits and granola bars, then went to Kata Tjuta. Everyone has heard of Ayres Rock, and most people by now know that it's correct name is Uluru, but we had never heard of Kata Tjuta, also know as the Olga Mountains. They're near Uluru, and in some ways just as beautiful.
On the property of the station where we are staying, there is another similar formation called Mt. Connor. I'm sure it has an indigenous name as well, but I don't know what is. Both Uluru and Kata Tjuta are sacred sites to the Anangu and we're left wondering why Uluru is so famous outside Australia, but Kata Tjuta is not. There are several trails at Kata Tjuta, but the kids thought they were all too long. I definitely want to come back here either on my own or with someone who likes to walk as much as I do. However, the flies were persistent and the kids didn't like them, so we settled for a short walk up to a lookout on the top of a dune from where we could see all three rock formations.
Kata Tjuta
Uluru
Mt. Connor (using the zoom function, I could see it, but it was too hard to see in the photo otherwise)
I'm glad we came despite J not being able to be with us. It's been good for me to remember how capable I can be, it's been good to give the kids a little more responsibility, and Uluru is definitely worth seeing. Generally, I wouldn't choose a destination for two days when getting there and getting to the next stop takes two days each, but of course that wouldn't have been the case if things had gone to plan. This area is so incredible, and so different from anywhere else we've been that it was certainly worth the effort. It's been an exhausting week, but a good one. Sunday we fly to Sydney, then Monday morning on to Queenstown, New Zealand where J will be waiting for us.