Day 6 - Bus trip to Bermagui

Saturday found us on a crazy bus down the coast of Australia - destination, the small town of Bermagui. Our seven and a half hour trip was similar to being on a crazy chicken bus in Vietnam or Taiwan, but the countryside was absolutely breathtaking, and there were no chickens. The seat belts on the bus were mandatory by law, but really they were there so you could stay in your seat while navigating 7 hours of tight turns at 100 km/h. Rolling green hills, cows, horses, sheep, stone fences and the occasional glimpse of bright blue ocean.

 

Bermagui is the closest town to the farm of Derwood and Lois Loth. Derwood is my (Andrea) Uncle Perry's brother and he and Lois have been kind enough to have Will and I stay with them for a week or so while we look for jobs. We have our own accommodations on their farm, check then out below! Derwood and Lois operate a pottery shop in the nearby heritage town of Cobargo. We intend to help them out as much as possible during our stay!

Wow, who knew we'd pass through Ontario Canada to get to southern Australia? ;) The next three photos are of our accommodation at the Loth's. 5 stars!! Derwood Loth is a Canadian from way up around Shellbrook Saskatchewan. He has lovingly christened this abode Canada House.

Day 5 - A day at the Aquarium

We decided that it would be fun to go check out the Sydney Aquarium before we left, think that we may not make it back for along time or at all. It also gave us the chance to check the route to Central station were we would need to go and pick up our bus to Bermagui.

 

For an aquarium located in the heart of Sydney it had everything! We fraternized with sharks, watched a playful platypus and were awed by all of the deadly jellyfish, crocs and octopi that call Australia home. Hope I don't run into any of the nasties while I'm here!

 

On the way to the aquarium we passed by this church. Here you see the typical Sydney style, New and old existing in harmony. Pretty cool.

 

WATCH OUT! He's gonna get ya. :)

Hey, I think I saw this guy at the pub earlier with a Guinness.

I wouldn't want to be on this guy's dinner menu. This fish is easily the size of two or three adults.

Day 4 - Not much

Well day 4 was rather uneventful. It consisted of laundry, email, job hunt, bus travel search and train travel search. We eventually booked tickets to visit Andrea's family in Cobargo. We leave Saturday morning. Wow, really busy day.

The photos from our laundry trip are really exciting. see for your self.

  So, do you think someone actually tried to put a person or pet in a washer to prompt a warming not to do it?

Day 3 - New place, Coffee, & and a bunch of Shells

Hello every one. Well day three was a big one. The end of day two brought a torrential downpour of rain. The streets were flooded with rain and emergency vehicles. It was cool. Lightning flashed about every minute for an hour. The morning of day 3 was very different, with not a cloud in the sky. After a brief mental breakdown at the hotel regarding packing (me, I lost it for a moment. I think the stress hit. I'm all good now.) we moved to a very quite hostel down near the Kings Cross train station. I recommend this hostel to any one who is NOT looking for a party. At $65 dollars a night the Travellers Rest is a bargin. Its quite and fairly clean. As a comparison, the Jolly Swagman is about a minute walk around the corner, runs $85 - $100 a night, and is more of a college dorm on a Friday night than the library feel of the Travellers Rest. No wireless though. So how are we doing this blog if there is no Internet, well there is a great Internet cafe just around the corner. Lots of computers and great price - very cheap -. Across the street from the hostel is a spectacular little French style cafe, Nest. If you are ever in this part of Sydney please go here for a coffee and meal. The service is spectacular and the better. The coffee is amazing - I even like it black -. Ok, so those who know me are fairly away of how much I don't like beets. Well, I found a version I do like. Nest makes this decadent Wagyu beef burger with chili-onion-jam sauce with rocket (greens) and a side of beet root crisps. I was in heaven. Below you can see just how small Nest is. With only 5 small tables outside and three inside, you need to be here before the lunch crowd. Believe me, there can be a line up. From Nest we went on to the Kings Cross train station. Notice the size. The Sydney trains are just smaller than that of Ontario's Go system. Each train consisting of 7 cars. Each car holds about 3 times that of Calgary's LRT, and during rush hour, a train came about every 5 minutes. Lets just say, this system moves more people and does it smoother than Toronto's. I think Calgary could learn a thing or two. Notice the small blue LCD screen. These screens not only tell you when the next train is coming - accurate to the minute - but tells you what stations it will be stopping at. Awesome! The rest of our day was spent wandering the grounds at the Sydney Opera House. I will let the photo's speak for them selves.

Our first creepy crawly. This guy was probably about 3 inches in diameter. This colourful little guy just wouldn't shut up. Beautiful to look at, but terrible to listen to. You'd think with a look like that it would sound more like a song than a magpie.

Day 2 -Out and About in Darling Harbour

Day number two was a bright and sunny one here in Sydney. We found our self's on the edge of a festival at Darling harbour. The Hoopla Festival is a circus and acrobatic spectical that is free for all.

We spent a good portion of the day just wandering the harbour. Its wonderful, just the sort of thing that we left Calgary in search of. There is a lot to see at Darling Harbour. There is a Naval Museum, The Sydney Aquarium, Lots of food, and numerous other items to see. The photos below are but a few of the sights we took in.

 

Below:

Ahhh The good old days, when real men sailed the open ocean. What happend?

 

Above:

Sydney is an amazing amalgamation of old and new. The city is literally built on and around the old buildings, monuments, and architectural decorations like this.... thing? The city is gorgeous. The old buildings add a marvelous flare, and the mixing of new and old together is modern in a respectful way.

 

Below:

View looking south from Darling Harbour bridge.

 

Below:

View from Darling Harbour bridge looking north.

 

Above:

Here is a view of the Four Points Sheritan from the Darling Harbour Bridge. 

Not bad for $150 a night.

 

Below:

The Darling Harbour Bridge. This bridge is a perfect example of how Sydney combines old and new. Here you have the old bridge with a modern Mono-Rail running down the middle.

 

G'day Mates - We're Down under !!

Ok, sorry for the bad, cheesy, stereo type headline.

Any way, on with the story.

 

So here is a brief overview of the flight. First off, even if you take the direct flight, it will still take you around 26 hours to go from Calgary Canada to Sydney Australia. With this said, it was a very very long flight. I sure I still don't have all the feeling back in my bottom.

 

The trip started out with a trip to the airport to drop off our checked bags and see what we could do about getting exit or 

bulk-head seats. I recommend doing this as early as you can, because even thought we did get all the seats we wanted, we got the last seats and we were there about 6 hours before boarding. So get there as early as you can the day of departure. 

 

After a short wait at Calgary, we left for Vancouver. The trip was calm and regular. Almost like commuting to work every day kinda of regular. Departing the aircraft we were pleasantly surprised when greeted by one of our friends who was returning from a trip to Las Vegas. Jamie, Andrea, and I chatted for about 30min while Jamie waited for her flight to Calgary. It was at this time the realization that out flight to Sydney did not leave until midnight. YUK.

  Well, what else is there to do when you have to pass time but eat and drink lime margaritas. Yumm. We sat at the Milestones near our gate until they shut the place down around us. We figured it was a good time to leave when they turned the lights off. From there we wandered around a took some photos. 

 

To the left is an example of the art work that proliferates the Vancouver airport. There is art every where at this airport. Its quite pleasing, except for this piece. This is the centre of the food court, and it looks like some sort of hungry demon there to eat all the patrons. I don't get it.

 

The next part of the trip might be confused with a great day off. Getting as comfy as possible, watching several movies, having people server you food, clean up after you, all for about 17 hours straight. Except that is was crammed into a tiny room filled with 400 people you don't know, and the bathrooms are small and you have to wait for them. Oh ya, and the TV screens only 5" x 7". Not even Hi-Def. Otherwise great. That was pretty much the flight in a nut shell. Not exotic or exciting. 

  

Landing at Sydney was like something out of a dream. Descending from the heavens to a crystal clear, white cotton ball blanket over the world. It was like we had a private tour of candy land. Then as we descended through the cloud cover it broke to sweeping majestic view of the Australian Eastern cost line. It was at this time that it finally sunk in as to the magnitude of what we had done.

 

After landing we had a brief wait while we were fumigated for bugs. Then a fairly quick trip through security. Before we knew it we outside. We did it. WOW! 

 

Oh, by the way, DON'T take photos at the baggage pickup. The no camera signs are farther in the room, so far that you can't see them if you are at the back of the room. This "Illegal" photo is one the many will never get. Here you can see Andrea at the Sydney airport baggage claim just before getting our bags from the carousel. 

 

Well were here. Its about 20 degrees Celsius right now, humid, but it feels and smells great. Tomorrow is a big day out on the town. Should be interesting.

 

We miss everyone in Canada.

Will & Andrea

3 hours till boarding

Well, its that time. About 3 hours until we board the flight to Vancouver. Once there we will transfer and go direct to Sydney Australia. YA!

We are all packed, even have our tickets and checked our bags. All that is left, is to sit back and wait. We are both nervous, anxious, excited, and scared. It should be fun. Especially with medication!

 

We won' t be updating this until we arrive at our hotel in Sydney. 

We will let every know how the flight went. 

We Leave Tomorrow - Eeeek!

So, it's 11:32 p.m. on Good Friday.  We leave tomorrow.  We're still doing laundry, packing and re-packing our stuff.  I remember this feeling well.  Good news is, the bags are nearly all packed and we have a bit of room to spare.  One less thing to worry about.  Still, I doubt either Will or I will sleep tonight.

The going-away party at Jameson's last night was a riot.  Lots of friends providing lots of entertainment and lots of important things said to great people before we left.  Good Friday brought an early Easter get-together for Will's side of the family.  I think we have our bases covered now. 

 

Next stop - Sydney, Australia 9 a.m. on Monday, March 24!

The Good Thursday before Good Friday

Well today is supposed to be our big going-away party day.  Not much planned, some last minute running around before businesses close down for the long weekend.  I (Andrea) woke up this morning with a plugged left ear and swollen lymph nodes.  A quick trip to the doctor eased my fears - I can still fly, but I've got sinus and ear problems that will make flying possibly painful. This stuff only can happen to me!

So it's a small gathering of friends for the party tonight. Glad to have some familiar faces out. Can't believe this week has gone by as quickly as it has! Tomorrow is a "free day" for us - we'll be repacking our stuff before we leave on Saturday. Fun, fun.

T-4 days

Ok, so most people have packed for a trip before. Its usually fairly straight forward. trying to pack for a year of unknown events and places presents a whole new set of problems. 

In an attempt to be as mobile as is possible with a year worth of stuff, I have given myself the goal to be able carry everything I am bringing. To clarify, I want to be able to carry everything in backpack style. I have a rolling backpack, a normal backpack, and a camera case I can strap to the rolling pack. This allows me to carry the larger rolling pack on my back with the smaller pack worn backward so its on my chest. 

 

This arrangement allows me to have extreme mobility. So those hikes on foot looking for a hostel or our next place to visit is relatively easy. Problem is in the regulations about bag weight set by the airlines. No check baggage can be more than 50 lbs. This seems like a lot, and for any normal trip it is. But when you are try to pack your entire life into basically one bag, 50 lbs adds up really fast.

 

As an example, my laptop and all its cables and power supplies adds up to almost 10 lbs. This may seem like a big bulky computer, but it is actually very small and light. It is the power supply and cables that bring it to the 8 lbs total. Then you add two pairs of shoes at 2-3 lbs each, and you start to run out of weight quickly. Remember that the pack along probably weighs 10 lbs. 

 

So that was today. I spent nearly all day arranging, re-arranging, removing items, moving items, weighing and re-weighing the pack. 

 

I think I got it. The real test will be if the airline scale is the same as mine. 

 

Maybe I will go to the airport tomorrow and see what it weighs?

 

T-5 days

Not much happened today.

All all I have to report is that there is less to do on the list. YA!

 

4 more days until we leave.

T-6 Continued - Flight to Rocky Mountain House

In a last minute excursion with a friend, we made a trip up to Rocky Mountain House; just for fun. Andrea had never been up in a small plane, and my friend wanted to take us up for a flight in his small Cessna. 

 

There was nothing special to see in Rocky Mountain House. This trip was more about flying than were we went. It was fun regardless of were we went.  ( Will )

 

I love to fly, I love everything about it.  Regardless I knew that sitting in a Cessna was a lot different than the flying I've done.  I was worried that it was going to be rough, that I would get freaked out or worse - sick.  I can proudly say now that I didn't use my Sic-Sac once and I thoroughly enjoyed our flight yesterday.  The entire plane was like one giant window-seat where there wasn't a bad view anywhere!  This flight was by far the best one I've ever been on. 

( Andrea )

6 Days to go, and we get snow. Ahhh!

Calgary has been very dry for the last two, maybe 3 weeks. 

I hoped that we could get away before seeing any more snow.

 

Oh well, at least its sunny.

6 days and counting

6 days to go. 

There are so many little things to take care of. And they all seem to take as much time as the big things. The real problem is that the list of little things stays the same length. One complete one task just to think of another. 

 

On tap this week. List to change.

-  Get hair cut

-  Submit medical insurance forms. VERY important. For those of us in Canada, provincial health care and companies life Blue Cross are great for SHORT visits. But neither are designed for long stays. Look for another alternative. I recommend checking out AMA, but there are many others. I just prefer a company that I know, and has a office. Not to sure about virtual insurance companies. 

-  Call bank to tell them I will away and NOT to lock out my accounts.

-  Get Australian money

-  Register with Canadian Consulate in OZ. This is to ensure that if there are any civil wars or disasters they can find me and send me home.

-  Pick up prescription sun glasses

-  Find a Hotel to stay in for first two nights. Need to sleep comfortable after 20 hours on a plane

-  Change car insurance

 

-  Don't get stressed out!

 

One week to go!

Hello to every, and anyone, reading this blog.

 

This is the first of what should be a very long, and very interesting blog. The idea here is for friends, family, and any one interested in traveling to Australia to see what adventures, fortunes, pitfalls, and general shenanigans we get up to.

 

Neither myself (Will) or my traveling companion (Andrea - also girlfriend) have ever traveled to Australia. Andrea has done some traveling to Korea and area were she taught English for about 3 years. I have traveled across much of lower Canada, and been to many parts of the USA. I have also been sailing in the British Virgin Islands (Love it!).

 

This trip however is different for both of us. My self, I have never gone anywhere to live and work I new nothing about; let alone another country. Andrea has never done a major move were she didn't have a job and living space ready and waiting. So for both of us, this trip will prove most interesting and entertaining.

 

I wanted to post videos of our exploits, and do a sort of weekly podcast, but I have to put that on hold for now, as I just don't have the funds to purchase the equipment. I will be posting many photos.

 

So tag along for A Year in Australia (OZ).