Tuesday 29th of March - Skydive!

Today was the day for my next big adventure: Skydive!

Always wanted to try this, and today it was time!

It would be a tandem jump, with an experienced instructor guiding me. http://topendtandems.com.au/

I got a short briefing, and after that, into the aircraft!

The pilot is warming up the engines...

Up up in the air!

And... ready to jump! Walk out on the wheel and...

Jump! Wow! What a cool experience!

Free fall from 12000 feet! 3600 meters!

It was absolutely incredible! Falling down towards the ground, through the clouds!

At 3000 feet (900 meters) Ashley pulled out the parachute, and we were gliding slowly towards the beach.

I must admit that I got really airsick here. My stomach did not feel well.

Fortunately I hadn't eaten before the jump. :-)

And... landed!

I did it! It feels so great!

Monday 28th of March

Today I flew from Perth to Darwin (northern Australia).
It's lovely warm and humid here.
I am staying in an apartment, and I have my own laundry machine!
A pool just outside the apartment, with its' own waterfall!

Tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday) my next adventure starts.
No, I am not going to tell you yet... I will keep you curious... :-)

See you tomorrow!

Sunday 27th of March

Today I drove from Albany to Perth, 400 km!
Tomorrow I have a plane to catch...

Saturday 26th of March

Today I wandered around in Albany. It is a quite small town, with a very lovely and old-style central part.

This is the road through central Albany. Watch the wonderful sea view!
On the right side you can see the city hall.

Here is a closeup of the city hall. A wonderful old-fashioned building...

 This is the magnificent university building. They knew how to make good-looking building in the old days...

Suddenly I saw lots of photographers close to the water. Here you can see three of them, and suddenly I could see at least half a dozen more. What in the world were they doing there? I had to go and ask!

It turned out to be a photographic course, and the photographers were picking their own motives. There were two teachers around, instructing them. Had I only known this earlier, I would have decided to join them.

Friday 25th of March

Today I had a wonderful walk in the Porongorup national park. Boy, it was hot! Really fantastic weather, the Australians never seem to run out of sun! Or maybe I have timed it right... :-)

There were only Mother Nature's own sounds. Birds, the winds, and silence...
A lovely scent in the air, and a small breeze against my cheek...

This one is called Tree in the Rock. For obvious reasons. The tree is actually growing right through the rock!

The trees are really tall!

This is one of the fantastic views during my walk. Amazing!

And this one!

There were not as many flowers as I had hoped. These were some of the very few flowers I saw. But they are beautiful!

These rocks gave me good protection from the sun, when I was taking a break. It was nice and cool in the shadow, and the view from there was magnificent, so I stayed there a while... :-)

Thursday 24th of March

Today I visited Valley of the Giants. This is a forest of extremely tall trees, and you can walk up in them!

Here I am standing 40 meters up in the air. Watch the magnificent view from here.
The pathway moves exactly like the trees, swaying in the wind.

Here you can see the enormous size of these trees. Compare with the guy at the bottom right. These trees are huge!

Wednesday 23rd of March

Today I drove from Busselton to Albany, which is my new "home base".
It gets dark very early here, about 7pm, and it is VERY dark here at night, I can tell you.

Tuesday 22nd of March

Today I visited a reptile park close to Margaret River. Dangerous creatures... Luckily they can't get to you!

A lizard, like taken directly from the dinosaur ages!

I wouldn't want to meet this one a dark night...

This toad is sitting totally still. Could have been a statue. Only when the chest moves when it is breathing, reveals this it is alive.

Later I visited a huge limestone (kalksten) cave, the Mammoth Cave, close to Witchcliffe. Marvellous stalagmites and stalactites from ground and ceiling, and the cave is 80 meters long. This felt like walking right into a fairy tale (saga), visiting the cave where the dwarf king lives!
Sometimes you could hear the water drops falling from the ceiling. Absolutely fantastic!
They had even found animal skeleton parts in the limestone!
Strangely enough I was totally alone in here, making it a very special experience. It was a little chilly down here, about 12 degrees. But coming from above, where it was about 30 degrees, it felt very refreshing.

Strangely on both these visits, I was completely alone. Felt very unusual, but definitely the way I would want it. I like to take time, and feel what it feels to be there.

Monday 21st of March

Today was planning day. I looked around flight and hotel agencies, deciding what to do in the near future.
This is a spontaneous trip, just to make it more fun.
But I will not tell you what I decided, until just before I get there... :-)

Sunday 20th of March

I drove into Busselton today. They have a beautiful beach, with a 2 km long jetty (brygga), with a small train taking tourists.

It seemed to very popular among the kids to jump from the jetty into the water, they took turns, and looked to have a really good time. Didn't have my shorts with me, or I might have joined them. :-)

I drove further along the coast to Yallingup, where it was supposed to be good surfing. I can tell you, the waves there were fantastic, much better than in Lorne. I only saw one guy surfing, but he was good!

I was on my way to a waterfall, which I ended up never finding. But I ran across some vineyards,

one with a pond with a really beautiful statue in it,

and a restaurant close to it. Really good energies there!

Saturday 19th of March

Today was travel day!
Got on a direct flight to Perth (Western Australia), where I rented a car, and drove to Busselton, about 220 km south of Perth.
Got to the B&B just after sunset, so nothing more to do today.
I thought I would do some planning for the next day, before going to bed. I lay down on the bed, just to relax for a few moments, and that was a big mistake! I completely dozed off, and woke up two hours later, all dizzy in my head. Brushed my teeth, and went properly to bed this time. :-)

Friday 18th of March

Today was a 4WD (4 wheel drive) adventure to Mt Conner, about 85 kms from Uluru.
This was one of the best tours I have been on. We were a very small group, 4 people, and Trevor leading the tour was extremely flexible, wanting to give us the most he could. And he certainly did!

We were taken on an offroad tour. First stop was Lake Swanson, a very small lake, with salt floating around it. Normally this lake is dry, but since there had been some heave showers recently, there was water in it.

We were taken to a dried-out river, where we could walk on the river bottom. There were also some tiny melons, which Trevor told us tasted very badly, but could be eaten if needed.

Which he told us an acquantency of his had made him do, leaving him in the bush with nothing but these melons to eat. Not a friend to keep, I'd say.

During the trip we suddenly saw a lizard run across the road. Trevor tried to steer the car to cut him off, but failed. One second later he was out of the car, running after the lizard.

I came after him with the camera, and Trevor traced the lizard down to a hole, where he was hiding. So unfortunately he escaped...

Twice we also spotted cangaroos. Trevor instructed me to walk real slowly, and stop now and then, and I managed to get quite close, and get some good photos, before they were hopping away.

It was now very cloudy, with some blue sky in between. The sun was now going down. Trevor brought us some champagne glasses, to drink while watching the sunset. The clouds got the most amazing colours, it was such a magnificent sunset!

This was one of the best tours I have experienced, and also one of the most costly. But it was good value for the money!

Thursday 17th of March

Early rise today too!
Today was the Kata Tjuta Sunrise tour!
Kata Tjuta is the national park where Uluru is.
This time we drove to a place much further away from Uluru, where (fortunately) there were not so many visitors. We had the lookout more or less for ourselves.
This sunrise was really spectacular! I will share the pictures with you as soon as I can, you have to see them! So wonderful colours, red, yellow, orange, dark blue, light blue, the whole spectrum!
After the sunrise we walked into the Walpa Gorge, a gorge between 36 huge stones, also in the Kata Tjuta national park. A very lovely walk!

Wednesday 16th of March

Early rise today! Going to the Aboriginal Uluru Tour, starting at 5.30 am.
We started with watching the sunrise close to Uluru (Ayers Rock). The rain had ceased, but there were still a few clouds in the sky. They caused the sunrise to become even more beautiful! We could also see how Uluru changed its' colours during sunrise.

After this the aboriginal guide, told some of their stories in Anangu language. This was translated by another guide. We were also shown how to throw a spear. Didn't manage very well, but at least I tried.
We drove around Uluru, so we could many photos. Uluru is quite huge!

In the evening there was another tour, the Kuniya Sunset Tour. We walked very close to Uluru, learning about aboriginal cave paintings, rituals when boys became men, and other interesting stories.
It was very cloudy at sunset, so we could not see the beautiful colours this time. But I had already seen them this morning. :-)

I will publish pictures at a later time, it is not possible to do from here. :-(

Tuesday 15th of March

Today I flew from Melbourne to Alice Springs, and from there to Ayers Rock airport. There was a 2.5 hrs delay in Alice Springs, due to that the had to switch to another plane. Besides that, everything went smoothly, and I had lots of time to read on the airport. :-)

When arriving at Ayers Rock airport, too my big surprise it was pouring down! Really heavy rain! Warm and lovely rain! (It's usually quite dry out here.)
I think I was the only one who had an umbrella with me.

There is a tourist village Yulara here, where I am staying at the Lost Camel Hotel. I got a very nice room, and there's a swimming pool at the hotel.

Monday 14th of March

Today is relaxing and transfer day.
Going back to Melbourne, and tomorrow morning I will fly to Uluru/Ayers Rock.
I'm excited to see this great rock in the middle of nowhere!

Sunday 13th of March

Today was the third and last day of surf school. Hilariously fun, and now I'm getting good at it!

I managed to catch about half of the waves I tried!

Here is how it works: (Photographer: Maureen Dandy)

First wait for the wave, get up to speed, and when the wave hits the board, 3-4 more crawl strokes...

then hold on to the board, get up...

Getting up even further, still holding my hands on the sides of the board...

and standing up!! I am now riding the wave!!

all the way to the shore!

Tired but happy, after 2 hours of surfing!

Thanks a million times, Maureen, for taking these photos! I truely appreciate it!

Saturday 12th of March

Second day of surf school! Still amazing!
Today I managed to surf all the way in to the beach, twice! I love this!
Lots of sun today, so I gut sunburned in my face. But it was definitely worth it!

Friday 11th of March

Just got back from surf school! And what an experience it was!
We were 4 students. We got our wetsuits, our surfingboards (9 feet 6 inches long), and 15 minutes of instruction. Then out into the waves!
The beach is made of lovely sand, gradually getting deeper, so I can walk up to 100 meters out. The waves here are MUCH greater than at home, some were 2 meters high!
I did what the teacher said. Lay on the board, crawl to increase the speed, wait until you feel the wave, crawl 3-4 more times, sit on the board, one leg up, and splash! Fell down into the water!
Try again. Repeat the same, one leg up, stand up, and I am surfing! For 10 seconds! On 2nd attempt!
This was every bit of fun I had hoped it to be!
It is more exhausting than I had imagined, so after an hour I had to take a short break.
Then back into the waves again!
I noticed there usually comes one small wave, followed by two or three bigger. I wait for the small one, crawl to increase speed, wait until the big one comes, and up! And I am surfing!
My record for the day was 30 seconds, standing on the board!

Tomorrow morning at 10 starts my 2nd lesson. Can't wait for it. Even if my muscles are very tired right now!

I'm so happy I tried this! I have now ticked off two items on my bucket list.

Thursday 10th of March

Now I am back on the mainland again!
Flew back from Launceston to Melbourne yesterday, then took a train to Geelong, and from there a bus to Lorne.
And guess why I am here? Do you know what's great in Lorne?

SURFING!

I have never-ever tried this. But I got so fascinated by this poster with a guy on a surfingboard, and a huge wave behind him. And I always wanted to do this!

Starting tomorrow, I will learn how to surf! I will learn to ride the waves!
Which is really the name of the surfing school here, http://www.gorideawave.com.au/ .

I expect to get plenty of water down my lungs :-), but I will definitely master surfing!
I have booked three lessons, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. No turning back now! And that's the way I want it.

Today was relaxation. Continued reading my booked, and met a few of my neighbours. It seems Australians like to have vacation in Tasmania.
I also added pictures, as I had promised. (I finally found a good Internet cafe in Launceston.)

Sunday 6th of March

Today  was sunny too! It felt so good to just sleep until I woke up, without any alarm clock. I decided to just stay at the cabin today, read a book, stroll around the resort, and just relax.
I have a table with 2 chairs just outside the cabin. A bag of peanuts, a glass of orange juice (OJ is the official abbreviation here), my book, and sunny weather. Could it be any better?

Saturday 5th of March

Today I took a long trip (about 180 km east of here) to see the St Columba Falls, Tasmania's highest (93m).
Lovely roads with fantastic views. I stopped frequently to take photos. Every now and then there was a viewpoint. Made aquaintence with a couple, and learned from them that this was an unusually cold summer. It was about 20 degrees, even if sunny, so I had to wear my summer jacket.
After about 2 hours I came to an unsoiled road (without asfalt, only soil).  I had been warned that my car insurance would not cover driving on these roads. Well, having driven for 2 hours, I decided to go anyway. There was a 10 km drive on bad roads.
Finally I arrived at the Ralph Falls, which is not as high, but while being here I might just as well see both.
There was a 15 minute walk through rain forest, before reaching the falls. The weird thing was that I was completely alone here. Did not meet one single person. I felt privileged to have exclusive access to watching the falls, standing on a platform at about the level of the top of the falls. (The picture is looking down the waterfall).

On the way back I noticed a trail, leading to the falls. Suddenly I found myself 2 meters from the falls! Wow, what a view! I filmed it, with the camera pointed vertically, with the falls roaring next to me.
If this wasn't enough, I spotted two wild cangaroos on my way back, and managed to film one of them. There was a slamming sound as it was jumping.

It was getting late now, and probably 1-2 hours until sunset. So I was in a little bit of a hurry. Couldn't find any road signs to St Columba Falls. Had to follow the map and my intuition. Which led me wrong at first, but finally got there.

This is a majestic fall! 93 meters high, and 42000 litres per minute! There was a 10 minute walk to the falls, and with the sun setting, I had to hurry. But when I got there, it was worth everything! I was at the base of the falls, and a enormously roaring sound. It made me feel really small. It felt absolutely fantastic to be there! And I was alone this time too! This is the way sightseeings should be!

Friday 4th of March

I am staying at a resort in Tamar Valley, just northwest of Launceston. I decided to just drive around. I noticed there were many vineyards along the lake.  My first stop (pictures to come later) was at a giant lonely pinetree (sv: tall).  There was a sign saying that it was planted as a memory of a boy who died, fighting in the first world war. This was not an ordinary tree, it looked very beautiful, even after 90 years.

(Yep, it is my car to the left.).
I went down to the beach, and could see some rocks erecting from the water. I could see they were volcanic rocks.
I have always liked the sound of waves against the shore, so I stayed for a while and enjoyed it.
I continued, and when the road intersected, I tried to take the road closer to the lake. At one of the houses they had an upside down boat model as a mailbox! It kind of fit in, so I took a picture of it.
By the way, the lake is surrounded by high hills, and coming from Skane which is very flat, I like those hills.

Further along the lake, I found a port for small boats. Along the shore were extremely many shells, with razor sharp edges. Wouldn't have wanted to walk there!
Finally ended the day at pub/restaurant by the water, and had the most delicious chicken with chips (pommes frites).

Tasmanien / Tasmania

Today I arrived in Launceston, Tasmania. I had rented a small car at the airport. I can tell you it was rather thrilling to drive it in the beginning, considering they have leftside traffic. You get in on the "wrong" side. The first surprise came when I wanted to use the light indicator, signalling to turn right, and turned on the windscreen wipers!

After that I drove rather smoothly to Tamar Valley Resort, where I got a small cabin. Absolutely beautiful surroundings, exactly what I needed to relax!

Next to the cabin you can see a glimpse of my car.

I will do nothing more today, but tomorrow I will visit a nearby waterfall.

Today I was in Royal Botanic Gardens just south of Melbourne. This is a truely amazing garden, with lots of exotic trees and plants. Felt so good, I stayed there the entire day. The first picture reveals what I like to do most... :-)

Here are some of the beautiful birds I encountered:

Yep, it's a pelican. This was the only successful shot, it was rather shy.

After this, just when heading home, I passed a theater play. They were playing Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors in just 30 minutes, so I decided to join. It was fantastic fun! Lots of misunderstandings, and the compulsory happy ending! Unfortunately I was not allowed to take photos during the play :-( .

Tomorrow morning I will go to Tasmania. See you there!