Tuesday, December 19, 2006
G'bye
Well after 317 days my time in Oz ended on Sunday. To mark my departure I retraced my steps back to Philip Island on Thursday to see the little penguins again before I left. As before, at sunset they all paddled in and came onto the beach in groups of 10-20, and after a hesitant start waddled up the sand dunes to their burrows. Boardwalks around the dunes let you get really close to them and within a very short time we were surrounded!
Then on Friday spent a day back in Melbourne for a final shopping frenzy. Then somehow managed to pack everything before leaving Sunday afternoon. Very mixed feelings upon departure as so sad to leave but looking forward to exploring SE Asia.
Final reflections on oz below....
Another reason to love oz - Gisborne Station, 8:30am, rush hour, on Thursday....
Baby penguins in burrow
Possibly the worst picture of penguins ever! was taken undercover as photos not allowed. Is the penguins coming in from the sea.
Bourke St, Melbourne
Things i'll miss (and won't!)
There are many things I will miss about Oz, the unspoiled beauty of the national parks and beaches, swimming in the sea, the sunshine, the best mangoes and avocados i've ever tasted, a feeling of safety (I didn't encounter any crime) but most of all i'll miss the people & the (mostly) friendly and laid back Aussie attitude. I was amazed and delighted time and time again by the generosity of those who included me as part of their family or community. Without a doubt my best experiences in Oz were those when I was wwoofing, spending time in places off the beaten track and sharing experiences with others whilst working towards a common goal.
But it wasn't all a bed of roses. At times I felt my heart was breaking being so far away from family and friends, particularly missing out on seeing my nephews and neice growing up (tho regular home videos helped ensure I did not miss out entirely). There weren't many things in Oz that made me happier than the arrival of a home vid on dvd.
There are also a number of aspects to travelling in oz that I have happily left behind, in particular sharing a room in hostels with multiple strangers who...snore / decide it would definately be appropriate to have an all night rave in the next room / come in drunk at 2am, make loads of noise and switch on all the lights / use alarm clocks with enough decibels to wake the dead, usually at 5am / utilise every inch of floor space leading to a middle of the night trip to the loo turning into an episode of the krypton factor* (*delete as appropriate). Also successfully producing a meal in a kitchen being simultaneously used by 10 other people requires speed, agility and total dedication.
Other things I wont miss are
- tomato picking in the rain (enough said!)
- overnight bus journeys (no you don't get used to them)
- mozzies, leeches and things after your blood in general
- the heat of north west oz
- bank charges (in oz banks charge for everything)
But on the whole the good stuff far outweighed the bad during my trip and am already looking forward to going back someday.
Favourite places
This is a tricky one as there are so many to choose from. I would say the most breathtaking sights I saw are..
1) The great barrier reef (the most amazing thing I have ever seen)
2) Kakadu national park
3) The penguins of Philip island
4) Blue mountains
5) Great ocean road
6) Wollongong buddhist temple
7) The rainforest & beaches of North queensland (in particular seeing the harvest moon rising from the ocean (huge and bright red)
8) The flying foxes of Sydney botanic gardens
9) The abundance of wildlife in Yuragir national park
But when all factors are taken into account (people, location, food etc) these are my all time favourite places in oz...
1) Bundaleer (fantastic on every level, turned out I saved the best til last)
2) Sanctuary, Mission Beach (lovely people, great food, in the rainforest)
3) Kakadu national park (totally breathtaking)
4) Blue mountains, Katoomba (ditto)
5) Philip Island (adorable penguins :-)
6) Margaret river (where the streets are paved with chocolate and cheese)
7) Merimbula (stunning beach, chilled out little town, lots of pelicans!)
8) Magnetic Island (an island paradise, well the bits which weren't a building site anyway)
9) Coral bay (yet another amazing place by the sea)
Stuff I learnt
I learnt many new skills including gardening, painting & decorating, furniture assembly, entertaining small children, dog looking after & how to make a perfect coffee, amongst others. Other lessons learnt...
- There are many things in oz that can kill you, but most wont
- Expectations are a very dangerous thing
- First impressions are almost always decieving
- You most often find the best things when you don't look for them and least expect it.
- Always use the correct pen when writing on a CD and have a backup copy of pictures!
- Always pay full attention when deleting pics from a digital camera (as I learnt to my cost that fateful day in Sydney when trying to delete a pic whilst simultaneously crossing the road and being blinded by the sun. I erased all 250 pics instead ;-(
- Little old ladies with wheeled trolleys may look innocent and harmless but they wield a terrible power against unprotected toes.
- When an Aussie refers to an english person the word pom is always preceded by bloody
- Never discuss cricket, rugby or football with an aussie male (especially the Ashes!)
- Never jump off a step wearing flip flops in an area where building work is taking place (nail thru heel, ooooouuuccchhh!!)
And most importantly...
ALWAYS, always, always have a plan B!
Hope to keep blog going in Asia but not sure how often will update....
Then on Friday spent a day back in Melbourne for a final shopping frenzy. Then somehow managed to pack everything before leaving Sunday afternoon. Very mixed feelings upon departure as so sad to leave but looking forward to exploring SE Asia.
Final reflections on oz below....
Another reason to love oz - Gisborne Station, 8:30am, rush hour, on Thursday....
Baby penguins in burrow
Possibly the worst picture of penguins ever! was taken undercover as photos not allowed. Is the penguins coming in from the sea.
Bourke St, MelbourneThings i'll miss (and won't!)
There are many things I will miss about Oz, the unspoiled beauty of the national parks and beaches, swimming in the sea, the sunshine, the best mangoes and avocados i've ever tasted, a feeling of safety (I didn't encounter any crime) but most of all i'll miss the people & the (mostly) friendly and laid back Aussie attitude. I was amazed and delighted time and time again by the generosity of those who included me as part of their family or community. Without a doubt my best experiences in Oz were those when I was wwoofing, spending time in places off the beaten track and sharing experiences with others whilst working towards a common goal.
But it wasn't all a bed of roses. At times I felt my heart was breaking being so far away from family and friends, particularly missing out on seeing my nephews and neice growing up (tho regular home videos helped ensure I did not miss out entirely). There weren't many things in Oz that made me happier than the arrival of a home vid on dvd.
There are also a number of aspects to travelling in oz that I have happily left behind, in particular sharing a room in hostels with multiple strangers who...snore / decide it would definately be appropriate to have an all night rave in the next room / come in drunk at 2am, make loads of noise and switch on all the lights / use alarm clocks with enough decibels to wake the dead, usually at 5am / utilise every inch of floor space leading to a middle of the night trip to the loo turning into an episode of the krypton factor* (*delete as appropriate). Also successfully producing a meal in a kitchen being simultaneously used by 10 other people requires speed, agility and total dedication.
Other things I wont miss are
- tomato picking in the rain (enough said!)
- overnight bus journeys (no you don't get used to them)
- mozzies, leeches and things after your blood in general
- the heat of north west oz
- bank charges (in oz banks charge for everything)
But on the whole the good stuff far outweighed the bad during my trip and am already looking forward to going back someday.
Favourite places
This is a tricky one as there are so many to choose from. I would say the most breathtaking sights I saw are..
1) The great barrier reef (the most amazing thing I have ever seen)
2) Kakadu national park
3) The penguins of Philip island
4) Blue mountains
5) Great ocean road
6) Wollongong buddhist temple
7) The rainforest & beaches of North queensland (in particular seeing the harvest moon rising from the ocean (huge and bright red)
8) The flying foxes of Sydney botanic gardens
9) The abundance of wildlife in Yuragir national park
But when all factors are taken into account (people, location, food etc) these are my all time favourite places in oz...
1) Bundaleer (fantastic on every level, turned out I saved the best til last)
2) Sanctuary, Mission Beach (lovely people, great food, in the rainforest)
3) Kakadu national park (totally breathtaking)
4) Blue mountains, Katoomba (ditto)
5) Philip Island (adorable penguins :-)
6) Margaret river (where the streets are paved with chocolate and cheese)
7) Merimbula (stunning beach, chilled out little town, lots of pelicans!)
8) Magnetic Island (an island paradise, well the bits which weren't a building site anyway)
9) Coral bay (yet another amazing place by the sea)
Stuff I learnt
I learnt many new skills including gardening, painting & decorating, furniture assembly, entertaining small children, dog looking after & how to make a perfect coffee, amongst others. Other lessons learnt...
- There are many things in oz that can kill you, but most wont
- Expectations are a very dangerous thing
- First impressions are almost always decieving
- You most often find the best things when you don't look for them and least expect it.
- Always use the correct pen when writing on a CD and have a backup copy of pictures!
- Always pay full attention when deleting pics from a digital camera (as I learnt to my cost that fateful day in Sydney when trying to delete a pic whilst simultaneously crossing the road and being blinded by the sun. I erased all 250 pics instead ;-(
- Little old ladies with wheeled trolleys may look innocent and harmless but they wield a terrible power against unprotected toes.
- When an Aussie refers to an english person the word pom is always preceded by bloody
- Never discuss cricket, rugby or football with an aussie male (especially the Ashes!)
- Never jump off a step wearing flip flops in an area where building work is taking place (nail thru heel, ooooouuuccchhh!!)
And most importantly...
ALWAYS, always, always have a plan B!
Hope to keep blog going in Asia but not sure how often will update....
# posted by Beth D @ 5:20 PM 
