Flights and First Days in Australia
Robinson Australian Blog 2023
Friday, October 20 – Sunday, October 22
This is an unusual way to begin our trip to Australia. We flew from Toronto to New York City where we spent the weekend. We attended a party, a wedding and a memorial service during the weekend and we were very happy to be a part of each celebration.
Brent, brother of our daughter-in-law, Elaine was getting married to Nicola, a wonderful young woman from Brooklyn where Brent and Nicola live. Friday evening, they hosted a party for all the out of town guests. It was at a wonderful pub in Brooklyn and we enjoyed spending the evening with others who had also travelled from Toronto to be part of the weekend festivities.
Saturday was wedding day, held at an old industrial site, now transformed into an event venue. We arrived a bit before the ceremony and watched while the team of decorators put the final touches in place. There were at least a dozen people scurrying around, attending to final details that made the entire place transform from a warehouse into a spectacular setting for this wedding.
Guests arrived and were seated. We had the privilege of being in the front row to look after Harlow, our granddaughter, who was the flower girl for the event. Iain and Elaine were the MC’s for the ceremony and, of course, Nicola and Brent were centre stage. The ceremony was quite moving as personally written vows were exchanged. Soon, the bride and groom recessed down the aisle as husband and wife. There was a short break for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and then the main meal was served. Again, it was spectacular and fully enjoyed by all the guests. A live band celebrated the first dance and the rest of the evening was a great party.
Sunday was a day of remembrance of Angela Lukowski, mother of Brent and Elaine. It was exactly one year since she had passed away. She was greatly missed at this wedding celebration and a memorial service was held in her honour. A short worship service in a magnificent church preceded a dinner for a selected group of people. We were honoured to be included in that group and I had an opportunity to say a few words about our friendship with Angela.
After this event was over, we hurried back to our hotel to change our clothes and collect our luggage as we needed to get to the JFK airport for our first flight on our way to Australia. The flight was leaving at 1:30 am.
Monday, October 23 – Friday, October 27
We flew and we flew and we flew. Australia is a long way away. Our first flight took us from New York to Hong Kong. What surprised us was the route it followed. In our many flights to Asia and Australia we have always flown across North America and the Pacific Ocean to reach our destination. This flight, however, had an eastern itinerary that took us north across Greenland, over the Arctic, south over Russia and into Hong Kong. For the first time ever, Jim and I flew business class and we had our own large tv screens and a seat that transformed into a bed.
The time difference between Ontario and Western Australia is exactly 12 hours at this time of year. We did not even have to change our watches but we were certainly upside down when it came to day and night. Although it was Tuesday morning in Ontario, it was already Tuesday night in Perth. We ubered our way to our hotel and settled in our room. It was not long before we went to bed as we were very tired from the extended travel.
On Wednesday, we spent the day with tour guide, Peter, who is an expert in wildflowers. Western Australia is known for its widespread array of wildflowers in the spring (yes, it is spring in Australia). Because the season is unpredictable, we had missed the spectacular showing of fields of wild flowers. But Peter knew where to find many varieties in smaller numbers. It was a glorious day, spent with such a knowledgeable person. We were very happy with our visits to parks as well as drives through the countryside. Late in the afternoon he dropped us back at our hotel where we had dinner and again, fell into bed.
Thursday was moving day for us. We packed up early in the morning and took an Uber to the campervan rental location. We had to wait a while since they were very busy but finally it was our turn and we completed the paperwork and were given the keys to a 21 foot van, complete with beds, kitchen facilities and a bathroom.
I am the primary driver and Jim is the excellent navigator. It was a challenge to drive on the left hand side of the road through the centre of Perth to eventually find the highway that would lead us to the city of York where we parked our vehicle at the Travellers’ Rest Campground, made a light dinner and went to bed. The beds were certainly less comfortable that the hotel we just left. It was a bit of a fitful night for both of us.
Still on the hunt for wildflowers, we packed up the van and headed out first to see the delightful town of York. It is a very old town with wonderful architecture that has been preserved since it was first established in the late 19th century. Some of the gardens in town were spectacular. Roses are especially common in many different colours and varieties. After a lovely lunch and a tour of the town, we headed out into the countryside in search of more wildflowers and other points of interest.
This area of Western Australia is known as the Wheatbelt. We drove through vast fields of wheat, some already harvested and some still in the field. There were also fields sporting bales of straw, collected after the wheat was cut. There were also many fields of a grain that looked a lot like oats but had several heads on one stem. We also saw many different kinds of wildflowers along the edge of the highway. Spring really is a season of beauty in this region.
No drive in the country would be complete without seeing herds of sheep grazing in the fields. Some had been recently shorn and others were thick with wool. It is amazing how dirty the wool becomes from life on the land and how clean it is after it is shorn and washed.
We were excited to see any species of familiar birds today - gallahs, green-backed parrots, magpies, corellas, willy wagtails, ravens, sulphur crested cockatoos. We were pleased to be able to name so many since it has been 5 years since we last saw them.
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Our day began in Corrigan, a small country town, where we had spent another night in our caravan. We are feeling more comfortable in this vehicle the more time we spend in it. We changed our sleeping arrangement last night so that both of us could get out of bed without disturbing the other. It was a big improvement over our first night.
Although the van is 7 metres long, it is very compact inside. A tiny bathroom, complete with shower; a compact kitchen with a stove and sink (where is the dishwasher?); a sitting area that becomes a bed and, of course, the front seat for the driver and passenger.
As the principal driver, I have had to adapt to driving on the left, no turns on red lights, limited vision when backing up, wide turns due to the length of the vehicle, challenges parking due to the size of space required and a set of features at the wheel that are quite different from anything I have ever driven before. Day 1 was very stressful, day 2 was somewhat better and today, day 3, a sense of comfort embraced me and we were off to the races.
Our day today took us from Corrigan to Hyden and finally to Lake Grace where we are spending the night. All of these communities are in the southwest area of Western Australia, all new towns to us.
We continued our search for wildflowers and were well rewarded for our efforts on the wildflower Trail just outside Corrigan. The trail is 4.1 kilometres long and we saw thousands of wildflowers as we slowly drove along the dirt track. Yellow was the dominant colour, closely followed by white and pink. Stunning reds and deep blues also helped to make the roadside edges a veritable rainbow. Many clusters of multicoloured flowers were particularly beautiful.
We continued our journey for new experiences. We were well rewarded. First we came upon a Dog Cemetery where hundreds of dogs have found their final resting place. Headstones (one shaped like a dog bone) were festooned with flowers or memorabilia from the dog’s owners. The history of this place is that a single person buried his dog there, followed by another and another. Soon it became a sacred sight where owners (friends) could say farewell to their beloved pets.
As well as wheat farming, there is a great deal of sheep farming in this area. One of the challenges of having a large herd of sheep is that you also get a large group of lambs. Lambs are either kept for wool production or shipped to a butchery and turned into meat. Shipping the lambs is a challenge. One particular rancher came up with a unique idea. He rented a train car to ship his lambs to market. Other ranchers liked the idea and before long the “Lamb Train” was born. Many farmers shipped their lambs about twice a year without the challenge of owning or renting trucks, worrying about safety and good health on the road during the transport, or the time required to accompany the driver to the final destination. The train and several shepherds accompanied all the lambs and ensured safe passage for them.
Today, we also saw a section of the Rabbit Fence. Some of you may be aware that rabbits are despised in Australia, primarily because they eat the same foods as kangaroos and other indigenous animals and consume so much that it can put kangaroo lives at risk. There had been a previous attempt to limit the habitat of rabbits. It failed. A second effort was initiated in 1905. The idea was to build an impenetrable fence across Western Australia to prevent rabbits from migrating from east to west. The fence was 1166 km long. Roads had gates across them which drivers had to open and close as they moved from place to place. In some places the fence was doubled creating a no man’s (or rabbit’s) land in the space between them. Legend has it that many rabbits got caught between those fences and local residents enjoyed rabbit stew as a staple in their diets. The fence idea failed as compliance in opening and closing the gates weakened. Now rabbits and kangaroos share the habitat but rabbits are still intensely disliked by most Australians. No cute little bunnies here.
We continued along today’s route and came to Condinin. We felt like a snack and were hopeful about finding a bakery. A sign on the highway recommended CC’s for baked goods. Condinin was a small town and we drove around the main streets twice in search of CC’s. We left disappointed and empty handed. No CC’s and no treats for us.
Next, we drove to Hyden where we had lunch in a very pleasant café/bakery. It was good to be out of the van for a while and relax over our meal. Sausage roll for me and a chicken wrap for Jim. Jim also indulged in a custard danish. He said it was delicious. Custard is a mainstay in dessert creation in Australia.
From Hyden we went to nearby Wave Rock, an amazing rock structure that towers overhead and features diagonal ripples which look like waves. Quite impressive but not accessible in any way for people who are physically impaired. Consequently, I remained in the van while Jim followed one of the trails partway up the rock. Ho took some great photos.
Our next destination was Kulin where we found the Tin Horse Trail. Kulin is the home of some well-known horse races. This horse community came together to create imaginative and humorous horse statues to be displayed along a road now known as Tin Horse Trail. All manner of designs were on display (about 100 statues festoon the road). Horses as musicians, doctors, pilots, musicians, athletes and many others. The trail is about a 15 minute drive but it took us almost an hour as we paused at each sculpture to admire the effort or enjoy the humour.
Lake Grace was our last stop today, where we are spending the night. A simple dinner sandwiches on croissants and fruit for dessert brought the travelling day to an end. A spectacular full moon appeared in a clear sky as we ate. Pure beauty.
Jim has done some planning for tomorrow. I am writing this blog and organizing photos. A great day all round.
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