Looking Back - Australia and New Zealand

Cases that made the news while I was here

• The parole of Schepelle Corby, who was convicted of drug smuggling in Indonesia and for whom the first sentence would have lead her on death row.
• The bush fires around Melbourne.
• The public killing of Marius the giraffe by a Danish zoo. 

What I learned

• The difference between a poisonous snake and a non-poisonous one. 
• First aid for a snake bite or other venomous bites.
• The fact that despite the amount of planning, unexpected things will happen.
• You  have to take responsibility for your own mistakes and let others take responsibility for theirs.

Places I didn't get to see (but will come back for)

• Coral Reef, Australia
• Cradle Mountain, Australia
• Darwin, Australia
• South Island, New Zealand

Willow Creek Winery

When coming to Australia, I had really wanted to see some wineries. It seems the main wine region was around Adelaide and we were not heading this way. Thankfully there were some wineries around the Mornington Peninsula.

However, the day we prepared to go, we discovered most of the wineries opened their cellar doors only once a week and obviously, our day was not it. We did find one site called Willow Creek (http://www.willow-creek.com.au/new-cms/index.php) and, after looking up Google Map, we climbed on our bikes and got on our way.

We  would be biking a total of 32 km that day in hills, but we were dedicated to this adventure. At least we thought we were. As the kilometers went by, we started to reconsider. The question of turning back became about how much was still ahead of us vs. what was behind us. Thankfully we did make it to the said winery without turning back.

Quite hungry, we were looking forward to having a taste of the food served at their restaurant. Sadly, we had just missed lunch time. So we did the next best thing and we started walking the grounds, pulling out a meal replacement bar and munching on it.

The  grounds were beautiful and we were not surprised to learn that weddings sometime took place here.

Once we had walked around the grounds for a bit, we were ready to taste some wines. Willow Creek's wine consist of three whites, one red and one rosé. My favorite was the Chardonnay.

We also learned about the concept behind the Chardonnay Project : one fruit parcel to obtain four different wines - different simply due to slight changes in the making process. It was an initiative to include employees in the wine making process. It seems you can order the 4 bottles online, I'm really considering it...

(Vines  almost ready for harvesting, covered to prevent birds from eating all the grapes.)

The highlight of my visit was the man behind the counter. He was really interesting and he even let us have a sneak peak at the barrel room.

We talked about many things, from how a good port can transforms the taste of blue cheese to the very important roles of winemaker Geraldine McFaul and of viticulturist Robbie O'Leary. He also mentionned that each winemaker has its own signature, Geraldine McFaul seems to be about getting the most out of as little intervention as possible.

Among other things, I was amazed to find out that a barrel costs about $1200 and can contains 300 bottles of wine. It made me dream for a moment of studying wine making.

Mornington Peninsula

After the heat of Alice Springs, we were eager to head to the coast. Sadly, the day we arrived in Melbourne, the temperature was hotter there than in Alice Springs itself. Thankfully, the temperature did drop.

From Melbourne, we made our way to the Mornington Peninsula, which was easily accessible from the city. There we were close to beaches and wineries, but I will talk more about the winery we visited in my next post. So yes, after the deserts, the beach scenery was most welcome.

We also went with our host to Frankston to see the old war installation and read up on the subject of conscription in Australia.

Our host, Tim :

Desert Hymn

Happy, the song from Pharrell Williams, was the hymn of our adventure in the Australian desert. We played it every chance we got and when it was time to part at the end of the adventure, me and the girls danced to it.

It would be hard not to be joyous hearing it and I believe good memories will surface anytime I hear it now.

Enjoy!

My Encounter with a brown snake

In my part of Canada, spiders and snakes are not something to be worried about. The worst we get is a rare black widow that could get transported with imported grapes. You can find some kind of rattlesnake in the Prairies. Otherwise, we sometimes worry about bears, wolves or pumas. That's all I can think of. Here, in Canada when we speak of Australia, we often joke that everything in Australia wants to kill you. It does seem like they have the highest ratio of deadly animals by square kilometer.

We were four foreigners and our guide sitting around the campfire on our second day in the outback, at night when almost everybody else were asleep. A tiny snake slithered past us, even making its way on one of the guys foot before slithering discreetly away.

The guys quickly mentioned it, which led to the guide flashing a light on the said snake. What happened next was quite surprising, the guide jumped up, grabbed a shovel and decapitated the snake, stating he couldn't afford to let it loose in the campground.

Turns out, the innocent looking snake was either a king brown snake or some other kind of Australian brown snake, which are highly venomous. Even the bite of a baby is really dangerous and would have required the administration of an antivenom without delay.

This snake encounter actually piqued my curiosity and, when I was back in Alice Springs, I headed to the Reptile Center to learn more. This is where I learned that venomous snakes, such as cobra, will have fangs and constricting snakes, such as pythons, will have rows of teeth pointing backward and acting as anchors.

Also, unlike venomous snakes found elsewhere, venomous snakes in Australia will not leave puncture marks since their fangs are too small. Rather, they leave scratch marks. Looking at fangs of snakes from South East Asia, you can really see a difference in size. Wearing pants and shoes will prevent entry of venom in Australia, not so elsewhere where the fangs are big enough to pierce the fabric.

Interested in Australia's deadly animal?  Read this article from the Australian Greographic : Australia's most dangerous predators

Alice Springs, Australia

My visit to Alice Springs could be described in three words : excruciating, enchanting and awestriking.

It was excruciating because of the heat. As soon as we step foot in Alice Springs, the weight of the heat dropped on our shoulders like a ton of bricks. I know it will sound silly of me for mentioning it, but I never drank that much water without needing to go to the bathroom. Our guide recommended to drink at least one liter per hour. And you know when I had said I would most likely miss hot showers? Forget that, in Alice Springs, I missed cold showers. It seemed the coldest the showers could get were lukewarm.

Also, the heat meant that we had to be up at around 4 to 5 am every morning, because some sights got too warm during the day to be able to do them safely at any other time. Past 11 am, the conditions in King Canyon get dangerously close to those of an oven. On one occasion, the soles of a walker's running shoes have melted while he was climbing Uluru (not when I was there) and some walkers have died abruptly of the heat in some of these spots. I guess what I'm trying to say is that, like any desert, the extreme temperature and conditions are a definitive issue.

It was enchanting because we were told so many aboriginals stories on the different rock formations. We learned a bit about the mythology of the residing tribes and their stories about gods traveling and creating the various rock formations as they went. Every boulder and crevice seemed to have a meaning. It was interesting to try to spot the rocks in the shape of a sleeping snake, a resting koala or an elephant trunk. Colors also had meanings, like grey streaks believed to be the ashes of a creature that caught on fire aeons ago.

It was awestricking, just, well... because. I would have difficulty describing the feeling you get when you stand in the middle of the Australian desert on top of a enormous rock formation which burned ocher color turns the color of amber as the sunrise strikes it. It's just magical. Or the vastness of the empty plains surrounding you, which are the color of rust due to the high iron content of the soil.

 (Looking up)

We were there for a total of three days, touring the outback. Our guide had tons of information about survival in this arid region like how to hunt for wichetty grubs, which are eaten by aboriginals in Australia.

A tree partly dried up could be a good indicator of the presence of wichetty grubs in its roots.

Our guide found tons of things in the desert, including this thorny devil :

Our last stop was the camel farm before on our way back to Alice Springs to catch our flight to Melbourne :

Only one road leads in and out of the Outback, it's long and hot and appears interminable. The good thing is you can't  take a wrong turn on it. I strongly encourage you to travel it! This was an incredible adventure.

Finally, this trip somehow ended with me having this python on my shoulder thanks to our awesome desert guide from Emu Run Tours (check them out here). As strange as it sounds, this snake was actually quite gentle and its skin was quite smooth, not rough at all!

Good address : Annie's Place - the friendly backpacker.

Animistix

Sydney Harbor was filled with very talented street performers and we stopped to watch acts from a few of them. One group that especially caught our attention was Animistix - they did trance music coupled with traditional instruments.

We ended up buying their two discs.

You can listen to their music and read up on the members of the group here : http://www.animistix.com.au/

Surfing in Manly Beach

One of the things I wanted to do in Australia was to learn how to surf. How could I not?

I wasn't sure which beach to go to, but I was advised by my Australian host to go to Manly Beach if I wanted a less crowded spot. Turns out this was the right decision, as the Manly Surf School was one of the only ones still open after the summer holiday.

We reached this location through a ferry, which is a common mean of transportation here. The area surrounding Manly beach is quite lively and would be a nice area to stay in as well. Other than the beach, it is a nice zone to explore on foot.

The waves were quite big and I was sent tumbling a few times all the way to shore. I was bruised and sore by the end of the day, but most importantly I managed to stand up a few times. Once, I even made it to the sand still standing. The instructor really knew how to get his point across and transfer the necessary skills.

All in all I had a fantastic day and I was quite happy with myself, as my goal for the day was to stand up once.

La Soirée, Sydney, Australia

 (Sydney Opera House)

 
I like going to see shows in other countries, so how could I not stop by the Sydney Opera House for a performance? We chose something different this time, which would take me away from the ballet, orchestra and opera I generally opt for. Among many shows that sounded amazing, we went for a show called La Soirée (see their website here).

 (Photo credit : La Soirée Website)

The Opera House description was the following :

Expect the unexpected as the world's greatest exponents of cabaret, new burlesque, circus sideshow and vaudeville take centre stage! Featuring original La Soirée cast member Miss Behave with her infamous sword swallowing act and British cabaret star Ursula Martinez armed with her mischievous disappearing hanky! For the first time in Sydney two of the world's finest aerial artists Hugo & Katharine will send shivers down audience member's spines with their gravity defying acrobatics and one of Sweden's finest circus acts 

David & Fofo will amaze audiences with ping pong balls, juggling, and acrobatics. Coming out of retirement for one final swan song are circus royalty The Skating Willers and rounding off the incredible line up are La Soirée favourites Le Gateau Chocolate and Jess Love!

Personnaly, I loved it. I thought it was highly entertaining. There was a good balance of the funny and the enchanting. I loved the acrobatics acts and the cabaret singing (with outrageous lyrics such as "a cat has nine lives, but a pussy only has one"). I also found quite clever the dramatic reading of harlequin's passages by a man in tuxedo 

 (Sydney as night)

This show might come to Montreal. If it does, don't miss out. It's definitely worth seeing!

(Sydney at night)

On an almost completely unrelated note, if like me you love dramatic reading of silly things, have a look at this video! Makes me crack up every time.

Blue Mountains, Sydney, Australia

About an hour away from Sydney and easily accessible by train are the Blue Mountains, with their treks for all levels of fitness. I was not fully prepared for the splendor of the first trek we did, which winded its way around a waterfall that seemed to be layers upon layers of smaller waterfalls. I took many pictures, most of which do not do justice to the breathtaking views.

The trek was a relatively steep descent, with many pools in which you could jump to refresh yourself. If the descent was long, the ascent was plain arduous. This is I believe one of the hardest trek I have done, because whatever distance you cover downhill, you must climb again. At one point I was convinced my heart would pound its way out of my chest.

 (Not for those afraid of heights...)

The views were well worth it though.

 (Another waterfall picture, just because.)

We then moved on to see the Three Sisters and my host in Sydney proceeded to tell me of the legend behind them. Once again I was amazed at the heights (it was a long way down from the view point…) and vastness before me. 

(The rock formation called The Three Sisters)

There seem to be many versions of the tale which you can find online, but this is the one I heard :

Three beautiful sisters, Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo had fallen in love with three brothers from another tribe, yet tribal law wouldn't allow them to marry. The brothers decided to capture the three sisters, which led to a tribal war.

As the three sisters were in grave danger, the witch doctor from their tribe turned the three sisters to stone to protect them. However, he  was killed before he could revert the spell and the magic bone used for casting was lost. People for years upon years have searched for the bone to reverse the spell, but it was never found. (Marika and I, somewhere along the waterfall trail)

Maria's Island

Maria’s Island served many roles since the 1800s, notably as a whaler camp and a penal settlement in which the Irish nationalist leader William Smith O’Brien was incarcerated. It is now a tourist area with camping sites and beautiful walks. The island can be accessed by ferry from Triabunna and it has no cars, shops or anything of the like. Visitors must be entirely self-sufficient.

Landscapes on treks

 (A wild wallaby)

 

It is now home to many endangered birds and animals, including as of recently (November 2012) Tasmanian devils. The Island is looked after by rangers. Among the staff is a Discovery Ranger, charged of leading activities to educate the population about different subjects. I was lucky enough to attend an activity on birds and the means by which the general population can help protect them. An example of measure would be to ensure that dogs are kept on a leash when on the beach, to avoid disturbing nesting grounds.

Birds

(When I was on Maria's Island, many of these birds were washing up on shores inexplicably. Rangers were working intensively to figure out the cause of death and put a stop to it.)

 

 

The Discovery Ranger loved her work so much, she made me envious. You should have seen her when she started talking about albatrosses!  

But in the end, I am left with one main question: Was it wise to introduce Tasmanian devils to an area filled with endangered birds? The Discovery Ranger assures that populations are being monitored and that there has been no impact so far… But one can’t help be worry about long term repercussions of this initiative, even if there is strong reasons to maintain “insurance” populations.

Bones of a whale that washed up on the shore, they are now exposed all year long.