Tales of Melbourne

Melbourne, a city of trams, tennis, tourists and tons more other things that may or may not be so alliterative. I arrived via the train from Sydney, I hadn't felt like battling with weight restrictions and the costs were really much of a muchness (a phrase I feel I haven't used in a while). The train also allowed me a day completely to myself, and although I had thought to spend it catching up on some writing and pondering, in actuality I spent the majority of the trip reading. I think I managed two novels...certainly a novel and half at least! It was nice though to just chill for a while without interruption, don't get me wrong, I love socialising and hanging out with friends, but with hostel life it can be tricky to find some time and space for yourself.

 

The scenery wasn't much to look at; trees, farm animals and fields dominated the view, though they were drier and dustier than such sights at home. Sheltered in the air conditioned coolness of the carriage,the reality of sweltering day outside wasn't apparent till we paused at a station and were encouraged to give our legs a stretch. It felt exactly like you'd imagine a scorching hot day to feel at the side of a train in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Like so many movies, the heat rose in waves, the ground was dusty and there was a quality to the quiet of the air, as though it was simply too hot for even animals to make a sound. It felt a little like some sort of scene in a western, the quality of the heat, the dryness and the sense of anticipation as we all waited around to board the train again.

Soon enough we were off once again in blessed air conditioned cool, and arrived to Melbourne's Southern Cross, whereupon a short taxi ride delivered me to 'Melbourne Discovery', my hostel for my stay in the city. It was fairly centrally located, which proved very useful for getting around, but the hostel was simply too big for my liking. It had the size of a hotel and lacked the personal touch of the hostel in Sydney and my subsequent hostel in Adelaide possessed. It was difficult to make friends as the place was so huge, and to be honest not many people seemed to be that interested in socialising, despite the hostel having it's own café and bar. Fortunately some old friends from the Cross were at this hostel, so I was far from lonely.

One of the best things about Melbourne was the amount of free things to do and the number of events going on about the place. A trip to the information centre in Federation Square was one of my first ports of call, from here I picked up some free walking guides for different sights, a map and guides to all the different museums, galleries and cultural sights the city had to offer. I then hopped onto the free city circle tram to take in more sights and start to get my bearings.

Melbourne and Victoria often get a lot of stick from the Australians about the weather, apparently the city and state are notorious for bad or at least unpredictable weather. Yet for the whole week I was there the sun shone and it was almost too hot at times! A fact that perhaps many Aussies will respond to with awe and disbelief. This glorious weather meant that exploring the parks was a pleasure, I found nice shady spots to sit and read or eat lunch and with so many gardens about the place it was easy to escape from the noise and bustle of the city.

The Botanical Gardens were different from their Sydney counterpart which is based around the bay and harbour, there were more winding paths and fewer open spaces, but I was certainly grateful for the shade. The Fitzroy gardens had more open space and had a few interesting features ranging from a fairy tree to a large fountain, which was undergoing renovations (one day I'll visit a place where there is isn't one famous sight or the other surrounded by scaffolding!).

Back in the city centre, there was plenty to explore and discover, especially surrounding Federation Square. The Art Gallery of Victoria held a wide range of artworks, from your typical landscapes to a gallery dedicated to the apparent t-shirt culture of Melbourne. I was a little tired on the day I visited, so didn't spend too long here.

Melbourne has a great deal of unusual graffiti around it, graffiti that draws tourists flocking and snapping pictures, regardless how some of the famous alleys are also filled with the bottles and other detritus you'd expect to find in any city alley. The graffiti is widely varied and sometimes picking out particular works of art can be tricky, but when you step back to see the whole coloured jumble of the walls it really is quite awe inspiring.

Another highlight for me was the library of Victoria. For a bibliophile like myself it was heaven, particularly the domed reading room and the exhibit on the history of books, its evolution and importance.

The ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image) was a particular favourite spot of mine, I visited it a couple of times in order to take in the different galleries and exhibits. Their permanent collection charts the history of images and media, from the first photographs to television, films and video games. You can even have a go at some retro games and create your own matrix style movie moment (think of the famous scene where Neo bends back to avoid the bullets and the camera seems to spin around him), alas this was broken when I visited, but I found the place full of interesting information. I also explored a galley all about character, identity and the media; questioning what representations of identity are shown to an audience and how people might be affected. One particular exhibit had a wall full of television sets which used only clips of one actor, seemingly in conversation with themselves to see what issues they covered in their films, Meryl Streep in one room and Jack Nicholson in another. It offered a thoughtful insight into the way that the sexes are shown in films from the past to the present. As you can perhaps see, the part of me that has a degree and intellectual pursuits and isn't simply a sun seeking backpacker had a thoroughly good time here.

Another fun day out was at the aquarium. The card I previously mentioned that got me into various tourist attractions in Sydney also got me into this aquarium for no extra charge. This aquarium had a few different exhibits to the Sydney one, mainly a large Antarctic area filled with penguins (no they didn't tap dance -more's the shame really, though I might then have felt compelled to free them) and a seahorse area. There was a row of emperor penguins sitting on eggs, and one even had a fluffy little chick sitting on its feet! I was pretty excited, but then if you've read any of my previous entries, or even if you simply know me then you'll understand my love of animals, particularly of the cute and fluffy variety. The seahorses were in colourful tanks and there were more sizes and colours than I had known about. They really are quite funny little creatures.

The Sunday that I was in Melbourne saw the St. Kilda festival hit town, a free music festival set on St Kilda beach and the surrounding area. There was a good atmosphere in the place and with a great group of friends we soon found a spot to set up camp and enjoy the sun, music and company. As the sun set 'The Cat Empire', a band I rather like, took to the stage and I have to say that it was a good end to the evening, a setting sun, the sea in the background and some great music playing to an energised crowd.

 

So there we more or less have it, I spent a little over a week in Melbourne, and whilst this is not the complete guide to my stay and adventures there, nor is it really in order, this does give the general overview. Melbourne is a more relaxed city than Sydney, the proximity of great culture and events as well as parks and a free tram to take you around all made it feel more compact than the sprawling mass of Sydney. I'm sure with longer there I could have found more to explore and see, but I can wholly recommend it as a place to visit. Most people seem to draw some sort of allegiance to either Sydney or Melbourne, for me they are both wonderful, though due to the length of my stay in Sydney I suppose it had more time to find a soft spot within me. However, I could certainly appreciate the prominence of culture and the arts in Melbourne.

 

My next adventure was to Adelaide along the Great Ocean Road, but that is a tale for next time.

Tales of Bondi, Beaches and Bathtubs

Yet another belated blog post. I really do want to write all these episodes and adventures down, my own private journal writing has been equally as sporadic and lacking. It's not that I think I'll forget these experiences, but there is something about the written word that can perhaps at times capture more than just pictures – despite the age old adage.

So here are the tales of my final week in fair Sydney.

I decided for the last week to move to Bondi Beach, some good friends that I'd made at Kings Cross had moved there a few weeks prior and they had been pestering myself, amongst others, to come and join them. So with our old hostel rapidly emptying of the long termers, I thought I'd take them up on the idea, after all who would really want to pass up the opportunity to live at one of the world's most iconic beaches.

The day I arrived the sun was shining beautifully and the beach looked like so many idyllic postcards. After depositing my rather weighty bags at the hostel, bags that would be decidedly slimmed down before I left for Melbourne, I sauntered down to the beach and enjoyed an afternoon of swimming, sun-bathing and reading a book – perfection. Perfection until l got back to discover that either I hadn't applied enough suncream or that it hadn't worked, I was glowing, and not in that healthy way. Though it did soon turn to tan so it wasn't so disastrous I guess.

 

However, my dreams of a week of sun and sea were somewhat quashed by the unpredictable Sydney weather, and as the pictures above and below suggest, the weather really did change quite rapidly from one day to the next. But a little rain and cloud between friends is nothing, and after my old friends from the cross joined me at my backpackers we were soon up to our usual escapades.

 

The weather did fortunately pick up, meaning that I could cross off one more thing from my 'final things to do in Sydney' checklist: the Eastern Coastal Walk. A walk that began at Bondi and continues round the coast, past Tamarama, Bronte, Clovelly and Coogee beaches and, if you're feeling adventurous, round to Maroubra. I had some fabulous company on the walk in the form of some old friends from my Aberystwyth Uni days, the lovely Kay and Al. 

With packed lunches in our bags and suncream slathered on we set off. It was a sunny and warm day that offered glorious views as we walked along. We spotted all sorts of wild life and had fun clambering about in any rock pools we found, playing at children's parks and reading fun facts that the helpful tourist information signs provided us. As we came upon Clovelly it was decided that a lunch break was in order, we found a good spot in the shelter of some rocks and began to dine.

 

There were a number of seagulls nearby and one in particular seemed to take a real liking to us. He (I'm just guessing at a gender here) marched a perimeter a couple of feet from us, angrily squawking and scaring off any others that sought to get close. The message was clear: 'these humans and their food are mine, as soon as they drop some food that is'. It kept us fairly amused as we munched our grub.

The walk continued and many more beautiful beaches were seen. We found some great rock pools to explore, though the ocean did occasionally decide to lull us into false states of security and send freak waves to come and swamp our feet!

 

Another particularly memorable adventure of my time on Bondi was seeing the sunrise. Yep, 6am saw myself, Ryan and Charles (the other girls having apparently been impossible to wake up) setting out from the hostel clad in our swim wear with towels in hand. The beach was not nearly as quiet as we may have supposed; fitness classes, joggers and fellow swimmers were dotted about the place. Still, the boys set off for a run as I plodded to the space between the flags that denoted the safe spot to swim. Hoodies were removed and we cavorted into the ocean.

 

Surprisingly it wasn't as chilly as we may have supposed. The water was fairly calm and the sunrise was absolutely stunning. I'm so glad that i got to do this, and in the company of wonderful friends as well!

There are a few things that if you're in Sydney then you should probably do, one of them is almost certainly catch a show at the Opera House. Now I didn't go and see a big fancy show in the main theatre, mainly due to funds and a lack of interest in the shows playing that week (something to do should I return to Sydney maybe). However I did catch a performance in the studio...after treating myself to dinner and a scrumpy pudding at the Guylian cafe on the side of Circular Quay. (Chocolate sprinkles, whipped cream, hot chocolate, summer berry couli type thing, yogurt, then melted praline at the bottom = heaven for Keira!)

 

The studio had been transformed to a cabaret style theatre crossed with a circus, with small round tables and their chairs occupying one corner, chairs in a circle forming the ring, a central performance space, a piano at one side and another small stage in one corner. Dim lighting completed the atmosphere as we bustled into our spaces.

 

The show featured a contortionist squeezing himself through tennis rackets and dislocating limbs in a rather disturbing fashion, a hula hoop-er with an exuberant personality, a Freddie Mercury impersonator, a comedic cross dressing juggler and various acrobatics with some rather stunning/sexy performances – after all this was a burlesque and cabaret inspired circus show. The man in the full bathtub that emerged topless and in rather tight jeans spinning around and sending water about the place seemed rather popular...can't think why! (Pics from their web page)

 

Overall the acts were incredible, it was funny, sexy, fast paced and I don't think anyone in the audience stopped smiling and cheering throughout. I was not disappointed with my Sydney Opera House show choice.

Shortly after this I set off for Melbourne, but that's a tale for another blog. I loved my time at Bondi, living by the beach was amazing. The only down sides were that on a rainy day you weren't left with much to do, and getting to the city centre could be a bit off a mission. The night life was also a little more limited than life in the CBD, and especially compared to life on the Cross. But hey, sometimes you need a bit of peace and quiet and to by surrounded by the ocean, beautiful in all it's forms. It was a good way to wind down my trip to Sydney.

 

Tales of Trips

Upon first sitting to write this I realised that there was rather a lot to catch up on! Whilst I would like to blame terrible internet connections upon my move to Bondi at the end of January and my subsequent shoddy wifi connections now I'm in Melbourne, I think that making excuses is just a touch pitiful when you consider that reasonable internet could be found in any number of cafes around the place. Or I could just get my butt in gear and draft my writing on my trusty net book and upload it all when I can...which is what I'm doing.

I wanted to write about my last few weeks in Sydney and all the things I got up to, as well as to give my opinions on the things I've seen and done and reviews - to some extent- of the hostels I've stayed at as well. Just in case anyone reading this may have an eye for travel and want a few pointers, I know I've relied on more than one piece of friendly advice whilst I've been travelling.

 

(Above: a giant duck at Darling Harbour...just because!)

Whilst I was in Sydney a friend suggested that I look into an Annual Pass for some of the attractions there, and whilst I'm certainly not sticking around for an entire year, she suggested that it did actually work out pretty good value for money. She wasn't kidding. This annual pass would include the Sydney Aquarium, Wildlife Park, Syndey Tower Eye and Madame Tussauds, as well as other aquariums, wildlife parks and tourist attractions around Australia. When you consider that each attraction costs around 25-30 odd Aussie dollars each time, for $80 - a special offer at Christmas - I could visit all of these attractions as many times as I liked...it doesn't take a genius to work out this was a good deal. So if you enjoy watching animals and the like, and I always have done, then this would be my suggestion.

But what can one do at such places? Well... the Sydney Tower Eye is the tallest building in Sydney and offers 360 views of the city, I was really glad I did this towards the end of my visit as I could sit up there and spot loads of places that had memories attached. The bay where I went kayaking, the spot where the boys tried fishing and caught a little octopus instead - much to mine and Katja's amusement, the theme park I worked at, the buildings that marked the start of the Cross etc.etc. Even without the memories attached it was a pretty decent view, though I doubt I'd have gone up there if I'd had to pay the entry fee on its own.

The Wildlife Park at Darling Harbour was another venue that I don't think I'd have been willing to pay a separate entry fee for as it's pretty small. However, I did enjoy getting pretty close to the koalas, wallabies, roos and other creatures and I even went back a second time to watch their 6m male croc get fed. You can also see the brightly coloured and rather large Cassowary, a sleeping wombat, if you're lucky an echidna and the darkened cave where the sign assures you a tasmanian devil lives, as well as the usual snakes, spiders and lizards you'd expect. All the animals are Australian and it was filled with interesting facts, though as mentioned it was a fairly small place and without the pass you may be better off going to Taronga Zoo or something.

 

Madame Tussauds was inevitably smaller than the one in London, as the Wildlife Park, Aquarium and Tussauds all occupy one end of Darling Harbour it's perhaps to be expected. It's filled with waxworks of a number of Aussie stars and historical figures, like the one in London it's more fun to go with some friends so you can pull silly poses and generally lark about/imagine that you really are standing with Johnny Depp - not Aussie I know, but he seemed a fairly popular addition...can't think why.

 

The aquarium was probably my favourite of the Sydney attractions. Mainly because of one thing. The platypus. I was so lucky that I got to watch the little critter swim about, eat some lunch, clean itself all at the front of the enclosure. Apparently it spends a lot of the time hiding in its den and I imagine that even when it pops out it doesn't put on quite the full show I was privy to. It was smaller than I thought it might be and the small child in me instantly went, 'I want one!'. Quite what I'd do with one is another matter, but they've definitely won me over and become a favourite Aussie critter. The aquarium in Sydney also showcased a dugong, several sharks, hoards of fishies from the reef and rivers, several rays, Australia's little penguins - yep, I was surprised there were penguins native to Oz too - and more besides. I was a happy bunny as I really do love sealife centres and oggling the creatures of the deep.

Enough about tourist attractions! One of the key elements to my stay in Sydney was of course a job, now I didn't exactly find the full time, money making job I'd hoped. When I was first hired at Luna Park Sydney I was told that the end of December and January would see me swamped with shifts...reality gave me an average of two per week, enough to cover rent if I was lucky, the reasoning behind this I don't care to get into. Now I know that I could have looked for another job, but actually I enjoyed the free time and I loved the people I was working with. Besides, I came to Australia for a break and had enough savings to pull through - though I know others that really did struggle for work - it's a competitive market for backpacker jobs.


Anyhoos.... I really did enjoy my time with Luna Park and it was down to the lovely folk I worked with, I made some friends there that I have plans of staying in touch with for some time. At the end of January we had a pirate themed award ceremony, which also doubled as a last hurrah for the summer staff. With a terribly fancy spread put on (dates wrapped in pancetta anyone?) and free booze, as well as a generally fun spirit that you needed to get hired, teamed with pirate paraphenalia, we were soon having a great time. The GR department proceeded to several pubs and a good boogie in the city centre, not a bad way to bid farewell to everyone. So if you're in Sydney around Christmas and looking for a good group of people to work with try Luna Park, just try to get hired in the later 'auditions' to get a set roster and more shifts >_<

 

There is but one final thing to review and make note of. The hostel. Kings Cross Backpackers was my home away from home for a good few months and despite the funny faces everyone makes when you say you're living at the Cross, a place whose drunken and party loving/trouble making reputation precedes, it was a pretty good spot. At the end of a road off the main strip, things were a little quieter without being too far away from everything. It was an easy walk or train journey to the CBD and close to a pretty nice park as well. The hostel is also a fairly small one, housing round 70 of us when busy, so you got to know people pretty quickly. From that first paint party in my first few days there, through roof top bbqs, movie nights, a crazy Christmas party and more, I have no regrets about my choice of hostel. Across the Aussie summer more of us stayed on, becoming the long termers of the hostel - though never excluding anyone passing through for a few days that wanted to get involved. And despite disruptions due to renovations, a small kitchen, and any other qualms we may have made, it was the people that made this a great place to stay. I've made friends there that will last a while, friends that I've bumped into since in Melbourne and may well bump into again elsewhere in Australia, and maybe we'll even meet again back home, bringing new stories to share. That sounds quite soppy actually...I think we may need to move on, I have no desire to inspire some kind of quiant and cutesy ending. It was fun, I enjoyed it, made some good mates, I recommend it.

When the summer drew to its end the hostel began to empty of its long term residents, Sydney is a popular spot for Christmas and New Years, but there are other places to explore and for my final week in Sydney I made the move to Bondi beach for a week...a tale to be told in my next post.

Tales of the Witch in the Mountains

Prepare yourself for a tale of terror and awe, set high in a deserted village on the top of a misty mountain where a wicked witch runs rampant....

*cue thunderclap and organ music*

Ok, so I may be inclined to a touch of hyperbole. Not to say that the above statement isn't true; the mountains were misty, the town deserted and well...there was a witch. Honest. Allow me to  explain.

One Saturday morning a trio of intrepid explorers boarded the train from Sydney to begin their adventure in the famous Blue Mountains. There were initial fears over the weather as clouds could be seen spanning the horizon, but their prayers for sun soon seemed to be answered as the sun began to break through as they drew closer to the mountains.

Upon arrival at the town of Katoomba, the group were cheered by the sun, sounds of music and the sight of cheery townsfolk upon the streets, as well as a more general sense of joy at escaping the hubbub of city life on Sydney's Kings Cross.

They checked into their hostel, a spacious and comparatively grand affair compared to the humble abode they called home in Sydney. Their room was named after a waterfall in the mountains, Witches Leap, and little did they know how appropriate this name would be.

Initial dismay at the notice that all the parks were closed due to extreme hot weather the day before and fears of fire (fires which apparently made big news in the UK but not much was heard of them in Sydney itself), the group were not to be put down for long and with their bellies full of Subway they set off to explore the nearby villages and hopefully some of the sights the park offered.

****At this point a short interlude is perhaps needed as those that know me will be puzzled by the choice of Subway for lunch, I panic, there are far too many choices and I feel under pressure from the sandwich maker. This was averted by splitting a foot long sub with Lilly, she made the choices, I enjoyed the lunch and once more averted having to fend for myself. Yes, I know I sound pathetic, but we all have our shortfalls. Now back to the story...****

Like all good adventurers the trio had a map with them. Now this map was a most particular one. To begin with, it was the only free one they initially found in the hostel, this map was also a cartoon like impression map that outlined the major stops on the hop-on/hop-off bus tour. The main roads were more or less shown and the group figured that this would suffice for getting them along their way. The group soon discovered that the distances on this map were far from being to scale and that the position of place names didn't actually correlate with the place itself. (Gordon Falls was not that side of the Everglade Gardens as Charles' iphone delighted  in telling us once we'd walked all the way round!)

There were a few friendly arguments along the way, some back tracking, some cockatoo spotting, a burst of rain, the realisation that my legs were considerably shorter than my companions and that they didn't need to walk quite so fast, but eventually the group reached Gordon Falls.

On the grounds that it was cloudy and rainy, the group tactically ignored the reminder signs about the park being closed (as it was face down anyway this wasn't hard) and ventured the short distance to the Falls viewpoint. Not one of them was disappointed and all exclaimed their surprise and awe at the sight.

 

How refreshing it was to be surrounded by fresh air and this landscape, a welcome reprieve from the busy city.

 

Our adventurous trio were now faced with a major decision. The kind of decision that would shape the course of their adventure to come. Should they continue along the walking trail despite the technicality of the park being closed? They had come a long way and the weather was far from dry and hot, the path they desired also kept them close to the main road where escape could surely be reached if the warnings proved true. It was an easy choice. They walked on.

 

It was a good choice, the paths were mostly deserted with only a few other groups of walkers encountered. The saw many a spectacular view and by their estimations (based on useful signposts and the iphone more than the bus map) they calculated that they could easily reach the famous Three Sisters before sun down. Such was the aim for that day's quest.

 

Enjoying the views!

 

As they had not anticipated such a long walk, or the sun breaking through, the team soon faced new challenges. The day was warming up, humidity was high and the path had led up and down steep slopes and hills more times than the explorers could count.They were growing weary in the heat, yet fate smiled upon them and the group reached the Leura Cascades. With  a short leap through the metal railing, more a safety precaution than a prohibition, the explorers welcomed the chance to splash cold river water on their warm and aching limbs.

 



Refreshed and relaxed the group journeyed on. Yet the heat of the day was not done with them and the group began to worry as water supplies ran low, could they make it to the Three Sisters without water? No, they feared they couldn't. They decided to take a detour on the road and pray that the gods would be kind and present a restaurant or other establishment in which they could seek refreshment. The gods were indeed good and despite the restaurant seeming closed, a friendly if slightly dishevelled looking young man gave assistance.

The quest continued and all was well. The brave adventurers reached Echo Point and the Three sisters as a glorious sun set was beginning.

***This tale is getting long...sorry folks, I'll try to step it up***

That night the group sought succour in a nearby Indian restaurant. As they set out though they could not help but get an ominous feeling. The town was deserted. It was a Saturday night, where was everyone? All those people they had seen in the day,where had they gone? Maybe the disproportionately large number of churches were a clue, did everyone need an early night in order to be up early on Sunday? At any rate, they found it bizarre. At least there were a few people in the restaurant.

With a good meal filling their bellies and after a brief glass of fruit juice at seemingly the only pub in town, though this too was peculiarly quiet, they decided to retire for the evening ready for some serious trekking the next day. Yet the universe was not done with them. The ominous feeling they had at the empty town, the strange name of their room, all of this  was to come to a head when they returned and met the others in their dorm. One guest was a friendly British girl, off on her holidays, no problems there.

The other person was...different. Straggly grey hair surrounded her face in an unkempt mess, wrinkles lined her face like an old map, loose clothing billowed around her and with few teeth left in her mouth the utterances she kept making to herself were far from intelligible and may indeed have been ominous curses. Yes, there was a witch dwelling in Witches Leap, set to test our explorers courage and ability to withhold laughter and incredulity. (This may sound cruel, but the women did look the part and kept murmuring to herself and scratching her arms...loudly). This witch, sat for some time, staring across at the resident of the bunk across from her (me) whilst the weary explorer tried to sleep...creeped out is about the only description to offer on this matter.

The next day dawned with a thick mist filling the skies. The beautiful sight of the Three Sisters that had greeted the explorers had vanished.

Saturday evening

The next morning!

This didn't prevent our explorers from journeying on though. They chose to take the path along the forest floor where it wouldn't matter that the awe inspiring views were shrouded from them. So they began, with bags filled with supplies and a new maps that actually gave an indicator of distance.

Their journey began by descending the Giant Staircase. 900 steps that wind their way around the steep mountainside to the jungle below. As the forest became more visible through the mist, the cockatoos whose call had echoed around the group were soon spotted and the group felt like they were stepping into some sort of lost world as they trod the path alone.

Their adventures continued and in comparison to the heat of the day before the group began to feel a chill in the air, but with plenty of fruit and nuts to eat and a brisk walking pace they had no fears. Passing giant trees and soldiering through the numerous spider threads that crossed their path (well, Charles soldiered through to save the fair maidens from this task), they soon reached that days final destination of the Scenic Railway. The 52 degree angled railway, the steepest of its kind, was masked in a framework of scaffolding, fate once again graced the trio as it seemed this was the last day the rail was running till the autumn!

 

Sitting in extremely reclined seats (at least when the car was flat) the group sat in excited anticipation of the journey to come. With a speed that astounded them, the train shot backwards and up the mountain side. They barely had time to admire the fantastic views when the train picked up more speed and the group were shot into darkness and they hurtled through a tunnel.

 

 

An exhilarated trio laughed their way off the train and navigated their way through the gift shop. A decisive chill had now set in and the group decided that their journeying should now lead homeward. Back to the hostel to retrieve their possessions and finally board a train back to the hectic Cross.

 

They had been glad of an escape from the city and though the mountains sent them tests of opposing weather, of lack of water, of a strange witch in their room, the explorers had also enjoyed spectacular views and luck, wondrous sights and good company.

 

 

This blog was an exercise in a different style of narration, not sure how I feel about it really but it was fun to write. If you didn't like it then tough! Ultimately the Blue Mountains were a good trip out and it was great to get out the city for a while and do some hiking.

 

Tales of Fireworks and Floating Thongs

Here we are ladies and gents in a shiny new year, and I hope it shall be a very happy new year for all. Being in Sydney there really was only one way to welcome 2013 in and that was with THE fireworks.

**On a side note, I have had to write this entry twice as it didn't save the first time, so this time around I can't promise how detailed or eloquent my writing shall be as I'm a touch frustrated**

Almost every year on the 31st of December I've turned the television on to catch glimpses of the fireworks erupting over the bridge and opera house as Sydney welcomes in the New Year ahead of us. It seemed like something so remote and iconic that it never really occurred to me that I could be one of those watching it in person. But there I was, standing at Circular Quay with some good friends and a nigh on perfect view of the Harbour Bridge.

We hadn't really finalised a plan in advance, and in the days preceding the event those of us in the hostel kept turning to one another and asking if anyone had an actual plan. The closed we got it was clear that we all wanted a good view, and that to do so we'd need to get up relatively early and set up camp for the day.

Initially we thought about heading to the Botanical Gardens, but when we arrived it was a pretty enormous line that greeted us. Fortunately two of our merry number had gone on ahead and called us to say that they'd claimed a good spot at Circular Quay, but that we should hurry as it was filling up fast and like most of the areas with a good view in Sydney there were stewards and fences to ensure that only a set number of people were in those areas. After an extraordinarily speedy power walk, in which the boys of our company severely lagged behind - they clearly need more practise shopping - we arrived, to ridiculous heat and a flock of umbrellas.

          
We decided to take it in turns to stay at the blanket as the day was such a scorcher and passed the time going for walks around the quay or using our hour passes out of our little pen to go to the pub. Time continued its progress and we were entertained with planes doing tricks, some mysterious writing in the sky (we think it was TV station names being written up there) and eventually darkness fell.

I nearly forgot to mention how my thong ended up floating in the quay...how neglectful! At this point I would like to add that thong is the Aussie version of a flip flop, so no my underwear wasn't mysteriously thrown into the water.

Here in Sydney a strong breeze tends to arrive in the late afternoon, on New Year's Eve it was a welcome reprieve as the day was ridiculously hot. A particularly strong gust struck the onlookers of the quay side, leaving people holding onto their hats and bemoaning their reversed umbrellas, much to the amusement of those of us that didn't have any. A little while later a young boy was heard saying "Look! There's a thong in the water!". I checked mine as I'd removed them whilst sitting on the blanket, though I couldn't see how it would have been blown away. But, yeah, I could only find one. So I wander over to check and lo and behold, there in the water is my beloved flip flop, a noble companion that had travelled with me to all sorts of countries and adventures. Perhaps I over exaggerate my attachment a little. Yet it did leave me with a conundrum as obviously two shoes would be desired for the walk home. To cut this anecdote short, I am now in possession of a pair of slightly too large Aussie tourist themed flip flops. They're not the most comfy, but they're holding up well so far.

At nine we watched the first round of fireworks. There were even some in the shape of jellyfish, which is a pretty cool feat. I was amused to see that most of us were mainly watching the fireworks through the tiny screens on our cameras and phones, desperately striving to get various modes on our cameras working and capture the best of the fireworks. There we all were, surrounded by some very impressive and spectacular sights, watching it in a weirdly removed way. Of course I did try to make sure I looked at them in person too, and I suppose memories are fleeting and those slightly blurry photos with peoples heads in the fore ground are at least there to call my own.

Now began the wait for the last few hours. With the clubs along the quayside, filled with their exclusive ticket holding patrons, blaring out music, some impromptu dancing broke out on our blankets as our enthusiasm and energy from the fireworks took over. Card games were played as well and the harbour filled with lit up ships that slunk around and filled the time.

Midnight was close. In that bizarre way that some crowds develop we moved as one entity at around half eleven and stood from our blankets, holding our ground against the invaders that had arrived later than us and yet were trying to push in front. We waited. Small children and slightly short adults were perching on tiptoes, desperate not to miss a thing despite the obvious fact that fireworks  go up in the air (yes, of course I include myself in this category). A pair of neon lips appeared on the bridge and the countdown began.

To say they were spectacular was a bit of an understatement, and yes, maybe there are other firework displays that are more spectacular and smoothly put together without those awkward pauses where everyone looks around with a 'it can't be over yet, can it?' expression. But there I was, in Sydney, surrounded by friends and watching those bright eruptions over sights that I had only seen on television. It was definitely one of those 'once in a lifetime experiences'. Even if I were to return to Sydney in later years that group of friends that had assembled purely by chance, the chance of being in the same hostel,the chance of being the ones up and ready to leave at the same time that morning, wouldn't be present. Let's face it, part of a moment like that is the company. We'd spent over twelve hours in the same space waiting for this moment, and we weren't disappointed as fireworks leapt from the harbour, the bridge and buildings alike.

One of the crowning moments for me was when the bottom of the bridge appeared to release a waterfall of golden sparks into the water below.

The finale arrived, to much applause and the appropriate 'oo'ing and 'ah'ing that stereotypically accompanies fireworks. Smiles were everywhere and the mood remained jolly the whole way back home.

So there we have it, litres of suncream, a new pair of thongs, an assorted group of friends and two firework shows later, 2013 had begun. I can't wait to see what this year will bring if this is how it all began.