Into Australia

Monday 9th Feb
A day of relief and sadness. To be getting off Tonga but leaving our friends. Stefan drove us to the airport complete with a very passable impression of an Indian taxi driver. We were finally leaving – even the departure lounge was a blessed relief with its air conditioning. First flight to Auckland was straightforward and link to Sydney went well with a short interchange. That was were our luck ended. We had hoped to pick up a hire car that evening and met the shuttle bus a little late but with some hope that we might get there in time. It was when the driver claimed he had no change that things got farcical. One couple getting out of van to use ATM coming back with only a 50 dollar note. When we finally got going was fairly obvious we would not be able to liase with the car hire company. We made the decision to ask at the hostel where another couple were heading – no luck all full. It was now getting dark so we made a quick decision to stay at a hotel called the Astoria without bothering to look at the room - big mistake. The room ended up being dirty, bug ridden and noisy – all night take away directly outside the window. As it was late we had to make best of it and duly put out sleeping bags on bed and headed out for a drink. The area was called Kings Cross and mirrored the London equivalent – enough said. A long night and restless night followed.

Tuesday 10th Feb
Picked up our hire car very early. At least seemed to be a good model. Headed out of the city in search of Lane Cove campsite. Unfortunately the map we were using was not good. Eventually stopped at a garage in suburbs and purchased a better one. The campsite proved to be a good recommendation by our swiss friends. It was in a small National Park with loads of wildlife. The camp kitchens were well equipped but open to the elements on three sides. We opted to stay for four nights as we had lots of plannning to do. Settled down for an early night and to catch up with missing sleep.

Wednesday 11th Feb
Spent the day in a local shopping centre getting our camping equipment together again. Fortuneately there were several discount stores so we soon replenished our stocks. The shopping centre was one which could have been transplanted from one country to another. Frustrating design which meant you had to walk past every shop to find what you needed.
We went back to campsite getting into rush hour traffic jams – something we hadnt experienced for a while. In the evening we had signed up for a wildlife walk around the site with one of the rangers. She gave an informative talk before taking us on a torchlight tour. It was very enjoyable and showed us the massive variety of creatures and birds we were living with here. Possums were spotted regularly – mostly around rubbish bins – were they forage for scaps. Found a rarer ring tail possum in one of the trees. Spotted bandicoots which look like large jumping rats. We were also shown the roosting kookaberas. The most spectacular resident though was Warren the Water Dragon – a metre long lizard.

Thursday 12th Feb
Went into the centre of Sydney today using a rail, bus, and ferry pass. Got off the train early and walked over the Sydney Harbour bridge. On descending the bridge walked into a pretty area of small streets, galleries and coffee shops called “ the Rocks”. Linda was not feeling too good at this point so decided to limit what we intended to do. The gallery of Contemporary Art proved to be a highlight as we managed to link in with a guided tour. This gave us an insight into some of the local modern artists. Outside on the wharf enjoyed watching a street artist climb up 20ft into the air onto a BMX on a pole and then juggle with a sword, flame stick and an apple – he was very funny with his banter too. Walked around the Circular Quay to the Opera House. Strangely all the doors seemed to be locked and the place very inaccessible. I had the idea of catching a ferry back which linked with a bus service. The journey back took us ages because the bus we intended to catch stopped running at 4.00pm which seemed ridiculous. This meant we ended up walking long distances and catching buses which took us on circuitous routes. We eventually arrived back at the campsite just as night was falling.

Friday 13th Feb
We intended to use the time on the campsite to organise ourselves for the Oz trip. Today we returned to the shopping centre to see if we could get our booster jabs. Not successful as the nurse wasnt there. Linda not feeling well now and very queasy. We opted to go and see the Changeling at the cinema. Good in parts.

Saturday 14th Feb
Went back into Sydney to try and get a camper van booked. On the way met the German couple we had bumped into previously – gave us some information on a cheap van they had hired which distracted us a little from our objective. Realised later on that rates vary according to where you pick up the van. They had hired it in Brisbane and were travelling to Sydney. All the van hire rates are more expensive if you move out from Sydney which must be more popular. Went to the city library to find out if there were any available. Lovely building but came away having achieved very little. Linda now not feeling good so decided to return to campsite. The rain and cloud has been with us now since we came to Australia and there is no doubt it is beginning to wear down our spirits. Is the first prolonged spell of bad weather we have experienced but wet and gloomy dont help your perceptions and motivation. The evening did not improve with regard to this. The rain bucketed down for most of the evening and we returned to our tent fearing it might have been swept away in the rain. Not a good day – one bright spot is I managed to make a provisional booking for a van.