Blackheath & Melbourne

The train didn't take too long to get to Blackheath, in the Blue Mountains. About 2.5 hours. And it was fairly inexpensive. Which was a surprise! Given that e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g is expensive here in Australia.

I was staying at the Blackheath Caravan Park for 2 nights. My plan was to unwind and relax for the rest of the evening and plan my hiking the next day. The cost was actually A$37/night, but they gave me a spot that wasn't actually a vehicle/tent site, just a patch of grass near the reception building so they charged me A$20/night instead. For that, I was grateful. Such a nice family that ran the park. There were free BBQs and nice well kept bathrooms as well. A park was right across the street, so it was a nice quiet location. Many cockatoos and kookaburras as well. I set up my tent, unpacked my bag and was in bliss for the rest of the night!

In the morning, I walked to the Blue Mountains National Park office 2 km down the road to get some information. I needed to know what hikes to do. There was a lovely one starting right by the parks office that went to Blue Gum Forest down in the valley. So, that was the plan. I got 2 maps, filled out a trip intention form and got an emergency beacon. Now, I just need stove fuel and food.

Off to the train stop to go to Katoomba. Just a 10 min ride and I arrived. Katoomba is a very touristy town, but it's one of the larger ones in the Blue Mountains. None of the 4 outdoor stores had fuel however. I lucked out when I went to the hardware store and found some there. The owner actually had an open bottle of her own, and since I only needed 250 mls max, she gave me some of hers and charged me $2.50. What a sweet lady!

I went back to Paddy Pallin outdoor store to get some dehydrated food. Then the grocery store for some fruit, veg and buns. All set! I had some time to kill, so I walked down to Echo point to see the 3 sisters. It was a beautiful view. The 3 sisters are just 3 pillars beside one another along the canyon wall of the Jamison valley. But, still picturesque.

There was a small building nearby that had some shops, and a gallery inside that I went browsing into. There was an Aboriginal Centre downstairs called Koomurri. Free performances! I went in and watched a few dances and listened to the singing and didgeridoo being played. It was nice. I looked at the art in the gallery then headed back to the train to head home.

Had to get my packing all sorted on what to take with me for my 3 day trek. I put whatever I wasn't taking with me in the reception office as offered and had a hot shower. I wasn't sure if the river in the valley would be warm, so I figured, a shower was in order.

I set out at 9 am and started the Govetts Leap track. It was a very steep staircase made of rock going down the canyon wall. Many trickles of water along the way as well, making it very slippery. I had a few breaks as my legs were trembling so severely from all the weight of my backpack (about 15 kg). There is somewhere around 2,000 steps down into the valley. What a relief when I got to the bottom! There was a nice waterfall, so I took my bag off and had a snack. It felt like I was levitating without my pack! Crazy.

I found a crayfish in the waterhole. Hard not to miss really, they're a bright red-orange colour.

After a couple stretches, I crossed the brook and started along the Rodriguez Pass track to Junction Rock, which is about 4 km. There, I had a small lunch and enjoyed the scenery. The trail followed the water the whole way (had to cross the river 4 times) and I was surprised how warm it was. Would be able to swim in it no problem.

I continued to Acacia Flat which is where I set up camp for the next 2 nights (another 4 km). Now this was bush walking. Couldn't even see the trail there was so much overgrowth. I heard someone coming towards me at one point, and he was talking to his friends saying, "how do you know this is even the path?" And I answered him "Because you pass other people along the way." He wasn't expecting to see anyone and I startled him a bit, I think. It was funny. He laughed and said, "Good answer!" and let me by.

I was the first person to arrive, so I had my pick of the place. I chose a spot where a stump was nearby to use as a table and a log for sitting. It was fabulous. By early evening, 9 more people arrived for the night. I was surprised to see so many.

There were 2 outhouses and 2 paths that went to the river so you could wash up and get water for drinking or cooking. Really great spot. So nice to have a water source nearby. I had dinner and read a bit before bed. Cloudy night, but dry and warm.

After breakfast, I went on a small day walk to the Blue Gum Forest. Luckily, it wasn't far. My muscles were so stiff and sore from the stairs the day before, I really couldn't go too far. Just 2 km. I thought if I warmed them up it would get better... but not this day. Just needed to stretch and rest them.

Many Rosellas were flying around the Blue Gums. Beautiful birds, red and blue.

Of course, kookaburras, cockatoos, wren and a few others were around as well.

What makes the Blue Mountains so neat is the one million hectares of national park dominated by eucalypt forest, plus when looking at the landscape, it emits a blue colour from the way the light hits the atmosphere. Spectacular!

I hung out by the river, playing in the water and reading for the rest of the day before having dinner and watching the birds go to bed for the night. It was a lovely clear sky that evening. A bit cooler, but nice to see the stars. Lots of possums wandering around at night. Wished them a happy new year, but didn't see much of anything else :( I was hoping to see a wombat, but, nope.

On my last day, my muscles were doing a bit better, (albeit still sore) and I headed back to Junction Rock. There, I had a small break chatting with 2 German men, then continued south along Govetts Gorge to the Grand Canyon (a nice brisk 12 km, lol). I bumped into a nice man on a day walk from Sydney named Danny, and we walked the rest of the way to the Govetts Leap car park together. We talked about the national park (he'd been hiking it the last 10 years), his family, my travels and Vegemite. Lol, Aussies love that stuff. It's a yeast spread that tastes extremely salty and malty. Not my cup of tea. He had a Vegemite sandwich for lunch, and I had my veg and fruit. I really enjoyed our hike. We passed Beachamp Falls and soon arrived at the canyon. We took our packs off and walked through it to the dead end before starting the long ascent to the top. He told me I chose the right direction along the trek, because the steps on this side weren't as steep. Thank Goodness!

And he was right. It was much easier. By the time I reached the top of the canyon, my muscle aches were finally more balanced out :)

He offered me a ride back to my campsite, which I happily accepted. Such a nice person! We said goodnight and he headed home.

It was late by the time we got out. The park office and camp reception office was closed, but they knew I would be arriving so I just set myself up in the same spot as before. A shower was desperately needed. In I went, had a small dinner and then went to bed. I was out like a light! Slept so well that night.

I planned to walk to the parks office in the morning to drop off the beacon, but after I checked in with reception, 2 police officers came looking for me. They wanted to check to make sure I made it back ok since the parks office didn't see me the day before (they did close at 4:30 pm, kinda early). I was able to give them the beacon, and thanked them for following up. So nice to see that the trip intention forms are actually monitored. I talked to the parks office anyways, so they'd know the beacon was delivered and that I was ok. Nice to be looked after! It can be scary when hiking multiday trips alone in a foreign country. I was impressed, and pleased.

I stayed another night so I could get some washing done and rest up before the trip to Melbourne.

The next morning, I caught the train to Sydney Central Station and booked the last sector of my Greyhound ticket to Melbourne. The bus left at 8 pm so I has 5 hours to kill. I spent 2 on my laptop organizing photos and had a dinner and the remainder of the time having coffee.

I was on the street, outside the station, just wondering what to do, when a man in his late 50's said "you just knocked me with your backpack." I turned around to apologize and and with a sly smile he replied "now you knocked that guy, best to sit somewhere, hmm?" And with that, he offered to buy me a cup of coffee. He was staying at a hostel right across the street so I thought, why not? I have 3 hours to spare. He mentioned he just wanted to stop by the gun shop first, then we'd head there. When I stopped dead in my tracks looking at him like 'you're joking right?' he laughed and said not to worry. Just want to pick up a hat. I thought that was the weirdest place to buy one, but when he went in, I saw why. Lots of hunting hats where you could put sticks and leaves in, great for camouflage while birdwatching. Lol. So that was how I met Bob, from Sydney. We chatted till my bus was departing, and he helped me carry my belongings there. We exchanged contacts, and he said that he couch surfs so I'm more that welcome to stay at his place if I came back to Sydney. I might just take him up on that offer. He was a really nice man, and I felt comfortable around him, so why not? Would help the bank account. It's at least A$30/night for hostels in the city. He said, to look him up on the couch surfing website to read reviews, and let him now if I was interested and hugged goodbye.

My bus was an overnighter so I didn't arrive till 8 am. Again, I was able to sleep, so I was able to stay up and do activities for the day.

After checking into my hostel, Hotel Discovery, I went for a meander along the Yarra River to the sport Precinct, and then up to Fitzroy Gardens. I was just pulling out my book, sitting by a pond when a lady named Susie came up and started to talk to me. Next thing you know, I made a new friend. She had a seminar in the evening and asked if I wanted to join. I thought, why not? I had nothing else to do. So, we exchanged numbers and I planned to meet her at her hotel for 6:30 pm.

It was about changing your beliefs to better yourself and overcome illusions of limitation you set up for yourself. It was... interesting. You know, the power of the mind and all that. It went on pretty late, I stayed to chat afterwards so I didn't get back to my hostel till after 10 pm.

When I got there, one of the girls in my 8 bed dorm was singing loudly to herself on her bed, listening to music on her laptop, then rolling over giggling to herself. It was weird. I asked the girl below me if she was like this all night, but she said "she's been like this all day! She was crying and yelling earlier. Seems happy now. I was going to ask her to keep it down, but she doesn't seem stable. Security told me to let them now if we have any problems." Wow, so something must have happened earlier if security said something. I got ready for bed thinking, 'it's late, I'm sure she'll settle down.' But when I was about to climb into bed, She had her bottle of wine and was not going to stop anytime soon. Seeing how 2 others were already trying to sleep, I decided to go to reception. I asked who I talk to about a disturbance in my room and the security right away asked if I was in room 217. Yes, I was. "What is she doing now?" Lol, I told them, and at the mention that she was drinking, they brightened. They had a legitimate reason to evict her. No drinking in the rooms are tolerated. So, she had to leave. Craziness! The rest of the night was uneventful, yay.

I spent the next 2 days, exploring the city, with all it's neat shops, alleys and artsy eateries and walking the botanical gardens and Shrine of Remembrance. Nice view of the city from the latter.

Then, Saturday morning I checked out and Gordon (my 3rd cousin) picked me up. He had his 2 boys Lauchlin (7 yrs) and Brodie (5 yrs) with him. Yay, get to meet them! New family. We stopped by his house, near Brighten, so I could drop my belongings off and see his wife, Michelle. Then, we were off to his cricket game. His dad, Douglas (my 2nd cousin) met us there. Which was good, I still didn't understand the game. Finally, I now get it. Between Doug, Gordon, Lauchy and Brodie, I finally understand. And it's nothing like baseball!

Doug took me for a scenic drive to see Bayside and we caught up on family. I was so happy to be with family! I have a wonderful one and love them all dearly.

Once back at the game, Michelle arrived with the kids, and the boys had a little cricket game of their own. When, the game was over, Doug went home and the rest of us went back to the house for a take out Chinese dinner and social time in the backyard. I met Brett, the neighbour and his german shepherd, Memphis. It reminded me of that TV sitcom "Home Improvement," Brett stood on a ladder so he could see over the fence to talk with us. Funny. Very nice guy, loved the kids, and they loved him!

I played with the boys a bit, playing basketball and even jumped on the trampoline. I was giggling just like I was a kid again. Too fun! But exhausting. They have so much energy.

After the kids went to bed, it didn't take long for the adults. I was really excited about my own room and big bed. It was heaven. I slept like a baby. Slept in late too. Got woken up in the morning by Brodie giving me a gentle shake asking "you getting up now?" Lol, kids. So, without further delay, I got up, got ready for the day, packed my belongings and had breakfast. After we relaxed a bit, we all headed over to Doug and Allison's place in Edithvale.

When we arrived, Allison had a wonderful lunch ready for us. She even baked fresh bread, apple pie and chocolate cake! Now that's a way to have repeat visitors! Lovely food like that. I ate till I was about to burst. So much nicer than backpacker food. I was spoiled. I love family!!

Michelle had errands to run, so she had to take off. But Gordon stuck around for the afternoon. The boys and I went to the beach nearby. There were little beach huts in all sorts of colours and guess how much they go for? $200,000!! They were nothing more than a brightly coloured shed! Unreal!

The little ones were learning to swim, and the waves were a decent size so we all had a swim. They did very well. Loved to duck under the wave each time it came by. The water was chilly at first, but then ok. Kind of like the big cool swimming pool back at home. Much warmer than our Pacific!

Once back at the house, Gordon took off and the boys stayed for sleep over for the next 2 nights like me. We had spaghetti for dinner and more dessert! Jello and ice cream too! Soon after, the kids went to bed, and Doug Allison and I read in the living room till bed. Great day!

After breakfast the next day (and a game of catch with the boys), we drove out to Arthur's seat to see the view of the bay and wander around, then continued to Portsea for picnic lunch. The boys had fun chasing and running from the waves, trying not to get wet (but to no avail). The rip was too strong for swimming, but it was fun watching the kids. Then we headed home. It was a lovely drive.

We went to the park where we played a game of cricket. Brodie isn't too much into sports, so Allison timed him running across the field to see how fast he could go. We all had a great time. Pizza for dinner, and then I showed the boys my underwater diving videos. They had endless questions about sharks! It was really fun teaching them about those magnificent beasts. Oh, snakes too. Lauchy had a big interest in them. Brodie loves animals too, but his attention span only lasts so long. Still just 5, so you know how it is.

The next day, Doug had a game of golf in the morning, so Allison took the boys to the park so I could use the computer. I booked a tour to see the Great Ocean Road the next day and then met them at the park. Different one than the night before, near the wetlands and golf course.

We went back for lunch, and Doug came home not long after. After a little quiet time, we drove back to Gordon and Michelle's to drop off the boys, had a small visit, then I said my goodbyes. Lauchy even shed a few tears at my departing. He's a sensitive guy. I had to leave quickly so I wouldn't start!

Allison and Doug drove me back to my hostel. So sad to leave, but I was so glad they had time to fit me in their busy schedule. It meant a lot to me. Wish the planet wasn't so big sometimes! Could visit more. Sorry no photos of family, I'm not putting them up due to request :)

I checked into the same room as before, had a shower then read before going to bed. I had a cold now and wanted to save my energy for my tour the next morning. One thing I like about this hostel, great bathrooms! Very big and there's 2, just for girls!

I got picked up from my accommadation at 7:15 am and started my full day tour with Wildlife Tours to the Great Ocean Road. We had a couple lookout spots for photo opps at Bells beach (famous for surfing) and Memorial arch, and enjoyed the townships we passed through until we reached Kennett River. Here we spent some time looking for wild koalas and feeding the wild King Parrots and Rosellas. I saw 2 koalas and many birds. They were gorgeous! Pretty bold as well, even landed on some people to eat the birdseed.

Then we went to Apollo Bay for our lunch at Illuka. It was very good! We drove to Otway's Rainforest for a walk along the boardwalk at Mait's Rest. Nice temperate rainforest.

Following that was the 12 Apostles, Loch and Gorge and the London Bridge. We had lots of time to walk the foot paths to different viewpoints. Even learned about the famous shipwreck, the Loch Ard, at the Loch and Gorge. After, we headed for the long drive back to the city. Didn't get back until 8:30 pm. Off to bed I went!

The last 2 days were pretty quiet. Mostly just resting to get over my cold. I did get a chance to meet up with Patricia, one of my old coworkers from Central Victoria Veterinary Hospital back in Victoria, BC. She was locuming here and there and is now living in Melbourne. We had coffee and a nice 2-3 hour visit.

Today I'm hanging out at the hostel until I leave for my bus. I'm catching the Firefly coach to Sydney at 7 pm. It's overnight and Bob's going to meet me at the station at 7 in the morning. I took him up on that offer! After being in such a big hostel, I'm happy to stay at a quieter place!