January 31, 2013, Currumbin Creek, QLD, Australia

Bradley throwing the crab trap.

Lunch!  Fishing off the dock in the background.

We arrived home two days ago and fortunate for us we missed the 90 MPH wind and driving rain that hit Queensland while we were in Perth.  Bradley took us Mud Crab fishing off the dock behind his condo.  The pictures will show you some of the action.  Bradley baited the trap with “chicken frames”.  In the U.S. we would call it “chicken carcass”.  (Different names pop up all the time in Australia.  As a matter of fact, Bradley says that when the U.S. broke away from England they messed up the English language.)  Bradley caught some really nice mud crabs.  He threw them in a pot of boiling water for 15 –17 minutes and they made a delicious lunch.  The claws on those Mud Crabs are something to be careful of as they can take off a finger…I saw them easily cut a nice size carrot in half.

January 28, 2013, Swan River, Australia

River Cruise was fun

Perth is on the Swan River

It is all about the grapes!

Australia has some serious issues going on at this time: there are major fires in Tasmania and New South Wales; there is rain, flooding and tornadoes in Northern Queensland.  But we are on the other side of the country in Western Australia that averages 8 hours of sunshine every day.  Today we are on the Swan River on a wine tour.  The major issues that much of Australia is going through are nowhere in evidence, except on TV.  It is a bright sunny day and we are in an air-conditioned river boat.  This is our last day in Western Australia and we are sad because we love this part of the country.  Perth is truly an isolated city, all by itself on the western coast of Australia, but it is so progressive and it has such a relaxed life style.  It has incredible natural beauty and a tempo that feels so good just to spend time in this community.  I am sad we have to leave tomorrow but what a great day in the wine country and on the river.  Note: this is a country where “Greenies” have a lot to say.  For instance, riding down the Swan River we noticed many fallen trees.  We learned that the law is clear: you are not allowed to touch those fallen trees unless they hinder navigation.  (I’ll have to give that issue some thought.)

January 27,2013, Rottnest, Australia

Getting ready for a high speed boat ride.

Fur Seals

Snorkeling in the Indian Ocean.

Quokka, member of kangaroo family...had an island named after him.

Think about this…would you ever willingly spend an entire day in a place called “rat nest”?  That is what we did today and we loved it.  Rottnest is a Dutch name for “rat nest”.  The first settlers arrived on the island in 1696 and saw an extremely small animal in the kangaroo family called an “Ouokka”.  They thought it looked much like a rat and that is how the island got its name.  But even with a name like that, it is a wonderful vacation spot.  We started the day with a ferry ride to the island.  The island is basically a nature preserve owned by the government and they have developed tons of activities for all ages.  When we arrived on the island we signed up for a 60 mph high speed boat ride that circumnavigated the island.  We followed the ride with lunch and finished the day by snorkeling the reefs around the island.  We had so much fun.  It is one of Western Australia’s “best kept secrets”.  It has spectacular white sandy beaches and tons of unique wild life.  We saw “fur seals”, sea lions, Osprey and of course, several “Quokkas”.  And to top it all, we got to swim in the Indian Ocean.

January 26, 2013, Australia Day, Perth, Australia

View of Perth from Kings Park.

Perth Harbor on Australia Day

Controversial keel of "Australia II", but still a winner.

In the end, it was all about the fireworks.

It has the feel of the 4^th of July but it is “Australia Day”…one huge celebration of national pride.  Parties everywhere with locals coming early to the harbor to get a good seat and a good view of the fireworks.  During the day, a huge Aborigines concert was held on the waterfront.  I am not able to show any pictures of the Aborigines because some of them believe that if their picture is taken, they will lose their soul…and I did not want to pull out my camera standing in the middle of 2000 Aborigines.  We took a day tour to Kings Park and the City of Fremantle.  Fremantle was fun…great harbor, great maritime museum, great fish and chips, first building in Western Australia and tons of Australians enjoying the holiday.  The maritime museum was special.  The “Australia II” sailboat was in residence; which won the America’s Cup by beating the Americans in 1983.  The race was held at Fremantle and most Australians can tell you all about the race.

January 25, 2013, Perth, Australia

Perth Bell Tower

Statue depicting different materials mined in Western Australia.

Symbol of Australia who is not capable of taking a backward step.

We arrived in Perth after a 4 hour plane ride from Sydney.  I have always wanted to come to Perth.  It is as far West in Australia as you can get.  It was voted as one of the most livable cities in the world.  People call it one of the most isolated cities in the world; closer to Southeast Asia than any other major city in Australia.  It is a town built mainly by convicts.   At any one time, in their early history, they would have 20,000 convicts from England building the harbor and public buildings.  We took a guide tour of the city in the late afternoon and we were impressed (as we always are with what Australia is doing)…with the spirit of ongoing development in the western region.  The coal mines and other mines of the region are creating a huge need for miners…and they are coming.  Miners can make at least $100,000 per year.  The spirit that Australians have for their country is exciting to witness.  We see it in so many ways.  To give you some idea of what I mean, the Symbols of Australia are the Kangaroo and Emu.  They were picked because neither animal can step backward.

January 21, 2013, Gold Coast, Australia

Stand Up Paddle Board

Barb and the Boogie Board

Market at Eumundi

Weekends in Australia are high energy with lots of activity because Barb is home and not working.  We try to fit in lots of different events:

1.       Saturday we drove to a popular outdoor market at Eumundi.  It was upscale shopping and not in the flea market category.

2.       Sunday we started with church.  Beachside Christian Church is unlike any church I have ever attended.  Everyone seemed dressed and ready for the beach.  The dress code was T shirts, shorts, flip flops…including the pastor.  Great service…very casual…God was there.

3.       Sunday afternoon we tried 2 new water sports.

·         Stand up paddle boards on the river.

·         Boogie Boarding on the ocean (see pictures).

4.        Each morning of the week we all exercise on our own followed by a group 2 mile high energy walk.  (Still trying to burn off the high impact calorie crunch from the cruise.)

January 16, 2013, Currumbin Rocks, Australia

Surf school with Bo.

Barb is up.

I'm up.  No style points.

Thank God it is over...but we are coming back.

My daughter Barb and I decided we wanted to take surf board lessons.  We scheduled a time for 5 PM and we met our instructor Bo.  He gave us lots of good instructions…none of which we followed very well.  He told me at 74, I was his oldest student, ever.  I told him I was looking for “adventure before dementia”.  I am going to post some of the best pictures.  Keep in mind that I am not showing the “wipe outs” that occurred with regularity.

January 15, 2013, Beerwah,QLD, Australia: Australian Zoo

Koala

Bengal Tiger

Terri Irwin and daughter Bindi feeding a croc

The Australian Zoo is owned by the widow of Steve Irwin, whose wildlife documentary series, The Crocodile Hunter, made the zoo a popular attraction in the Sunshine Coast of Australia.  Steve Irwin is a household name in Australia and the US and built his fame on daring escapades of T.V. crocodile hunting.  The zoo is a quality park that has received many tourism awards.  The highlight of our visit to the park was a 1 ½ hour live wildlife show put on by Steve Irwin’s wife and 2 children.  Attached are a number of pictures of hands-on animal feeding.

January 13,2013, Surfer's Paradise, Australia: Cricket Match

Darren is "Bowling" from the right (no hat)

Darren and "Coach Mel"

Darren's son in a pick-up game of Cricket (standing on right with bat)

Ann and I wanted to see another local Cricket match.  Barb works with a “First Grade” Cricket player, Darren Santer.  “First Grade” is the top level player.  He is also the “Bowler” (The Pitcher) on a top flite local team.  His team was playing on Saturday and he invited us to come to the match.  We sat with his wife, Mel, and she quickly became our teacher as to how the game is played.  She gave us great insight on all aspects of the game.  Mel, herself, is an athlete and an active soccer player who has participated in pick-up Cricket games.  It was a bright day with temperatures in the 90’s F.  The game started at noon and was scheduled to end at 5:30 PM.  There were no subs; the game had lots of action even in the very warm temperature. One of the things that is really interesting about this ball game is that the “batsman” can hit the ball in any direction and it is in play in a 360 degree area…there are no foul balls.   Darren’s team scored 171 runs…but lost to a team that scored 180 runs.  We had a great time at the game.  I really enjoy the game of Cricket now that I found out how it is played.  This game of Cricket is very big in Australia as it is in most Commonwealth countries.

January 12, 2013, Currumbin Waters, Australia, Commentary: Drunk Driving

Local Sports Club...we can walk...I joined

Commentary: Interesting way that Australia has made a huge dent in drunk driving.  They wanted to stop drunk driving (as the US wants to, as well) so they passed laws so tough that everyone thinks twice before ever drinking and driving.  You are not allowed to refuse to be breathalyzed…so if you get caught drinking and driving:

·              1^st offense is a huge fine and loss of license for 3 months, permanent record

·              2^nd offense is a bigger fine, loss of license, maybe incarceration, permanent record

When the law passed, most bars went bankrupt.  Communities then set up “Sports Clubs”, “Surf Clubs”, RSL Clubs” where people could walk and get a drink…some clubs will even send a bus for you and take you home.  The result is that most people do not drink and drive.  I hesitate to say that all of Australia is like this as each community is a little different.  Mark Twain once said, “All Indians walk in a straight line, at least the one I saw did”.  Anyway, I am impressed with how Australia deals with the drunk driving issue.

January 9, 2013, Currumbin Waters, Australia

Commentary: One of the things that has always fascinated me about Australians is that many people know so much about America’s current affairs.  When my son-in-law, Bradley, first came to America in 1990, he knew more about the political state of affairs than I did.  Over the years, I have come to realize that lots of Australians watch American T.V. daily.  Yesterday, I sat with my son-in-law and we watched three hours of Bill O’Reilly’s program that was taped while we were on the cruise.  Three hours of Bill O’Reilly will give you lots of perspectives on the current affairs in America.  I talked to my daughter, Barbara, about this issue and she gave me a number of reasons while this pastime is huge for Australians.  One of the facts that she told me is that the Australian Stock Market is tied to the American Stock Market and their stocks rise and fall on what happens on Wall Street.  It is hard for Australians not to know what is going on in America as their major news programs always have a number of stories about what is happening in America.  The bottom line to my observation is that Australians like Americans and many are current on the state of our affairs.  Pictures: (1) Sydney Harbor at 6 AM as the cruise ship is docking: (2) Opera House at 6 AM; (3) People walking on the Harbor Bridge.

January 8, 2013, Currumbin Waters, Australia

Dragon Boat

We are on R & R for a few days.  Actually we are on a crash diet as we overdid the availability of food on our recent cruise to New Zealand.  Australians are a nation of people who love the outdoors.  They are involved in many and varied outdoor activities.  We see tons of people on the river outside of Barb and Brad’s condo engaging in stand up paddling, kayaks, dragon boats (see pictures) and more.  Ann and I have become interested in the game of Cricket.  I watched a game at the local sports club and we spent the last two days watching the Australian National Team play the game on T.V.  A single game of Cricket can last as long as 4 days.  Much of Australia is in the midst of a heat wave with temps over 100 F.  It makes staying inside and watching Cricket on T.V. easy to do.

January 3, 2013, Hunter Valley, Australia

We had two days of “winery hopping” in the premier wine area of Australia.  There are 120 wineries within 3 miles of each other.  The wine tasting has been a blur in several ways: (1) all of the wines seem to taste alike; (2) Well, use your imagination on the 2^nd fact.  The first night in Hunter valley we ate at an Australian Pub.  Pub food in Australia is a little different.  The attached picture is typical with a meat pie, mash and mushy peas.  It was all good.  Other pictures highlight the wine tasting and Barb and Ann taking the time to smell the roses.

January 1, 2013, Final Day at Sea

Happy New Year to everyone.  New Years Eve on board was wild.  At midnight it seemed like all 2000 passengers were together in one place.  It was lively and fun.  I am going to post several pictures and one video of the festivities.  We have certainly enjoyed our 14 day cruise to New Zealand and enthusiastically recommend Holland American Cruise Lines.  They went “way beyond” our expectations to see that we enjoyed our time with them.  Most of the passengers were Australian.  They are great people to travel with.  As a group they are humble and very friendly.  Most of the passengers were in the retired age range.  As a matter of fact, there were so many older people that they ran out of prune juice two days into the cruise.  Tomorrow we land in Sydney and then we are off on a 2 day jaunt through the Hunter Valley or wine country.