Posts
May 30, 2014 – Sydney and
the end of Australia
Sydney, Australia
Day 113 - Distance biked
so far: (7,785 km)
I continued on the Southern Coast of Australia, stopping to camp at
caravan parks if I was in a town or hidden out of sight on the sides of the
road if I were between towns. One night I was tucked into my sleeping bag and
heard some rustling outside my tent. Since I am out of crocodile territory and
they don’t have bears, I wasn’t worried but wanted to see what it was. I reached
for my camera, unzipped my tent and caught this guy, staring at me. I tried to
get his attention and to see if he would come closer but he really didn’t pay
much attention to me and kept on doing whatever possums do at night.
 |
| My possum friend |
I had made the decision to avoid Melbourne as I continued down the
road. I really liked the city of Adelaide and would be ending my Australian
adventure visiting both Canberra and Sydney so I decided to stick with the nice
small towns dotting the coast. You can bypass Melbourne by taking a few ferries
connecting the Mornington Peninsula to Philip Island. Philip Island is the home
of the Little Penguins and the famous Penguin Parade.
The Little Penguins are the smallest species of penguins, growing on
average to just 12 or 13 inches. The Nature park was set up to provide
protection from predators who would feed on them as they make their daily walk
to and from the sea. There are hundreds of burrows dug into the ground where
the penguins sleep. Every morning, they get up at dawn and walk to the ocean
where they spend the day diving for food. They all waddle down to the sea in
small groups, like workers walking to a construction site. Visitors are only
allowed to visit in the evenings so I made my way there to join the crowds.
A number of stands have been set up about 10 meters from the sea and
there are spotlights to provide better sight. As the sun goes down, you can see
them in the distance, swimming in large groups, and it looks like a black mass of
oil slowly making its way to shore. They wait for the sun to go down to avoid
potential attacks from above by birds of prey. You can hear them making a fuss in
the distance; obviously chatting about the fish they caught that day, maybe the
big one that got away. Suddenly, as the waves crash a small group appeared as
if out of nowhere and they stood up, had a quick look around and started
walking towards the shore. It is hilarious to see them struggle up the sand and
the hills behind the viewing areas; they are clearly more at home in the water.
There are boardwalks set up throughout the area and you can walk literally
right beside and a few feet above them as they make their way to their
particular home. They are very strict about not allowing photographs because it
is dark and the flashes will scare the penguins. I took a photo of the
advertisements and this is what the penguins looked like as they walked out of
the water.
 |
| The Little Penguins |
I loved being there and was the last person to leave the park. I would
just watch them in their natural environment and found myself encouraging them
as they walked past. I would say things like “you’re looking good” and “keep it
up, you're almost home” and felt like a spectator watching a marathon race and
encouraging the runners. I think they appreciated it.
As I often mention, it can be lonely on a bike trip, particularly at
night if you sleep outside of a town in the wild. I cook my dinner then go into
my tent to read before going to sleep. I like staying at caravan parks because
I usually have an opportunity to meet people. Another option is to use warmshowers,
a travel website used by cyclists who offer their homes to other cyclists. It
is difficult for me to use that site because I don’t carry a phone, so need an Internet
connection to arrange a date and time to meet.
The Wi-Fi connection in Australia is far below the level in SE Asia so I
have often gone long periods without being able to get on a computer but one
day made contact with Mark and Lilian Duthie. They offered to host me for a
night and it was through Lilian’s persistence and flexibility that we were able
to meet up and I am very grateful that she did.
One day Mark and their 2 daughters Katherine and Alyssa met me at the
youth hostel where I was staying and spent their entire Sunday showing me around.
Lilian is a nurse and had to work but Mark and the girls were great hosts as we
toured the beautiful areas around their home that I would never have seen on my
bike. The Duthie’s have an interest in travel and the girls would talk about
their hiking in Peru, paddling down the Amazon in Brazil or cycling in Holland
with the same ease and familiarity that most teenage girls talk about their
cell phones or the latest boy band.
We went to the Tarra-Bulga National Park and did a few short hikes and
enjoyed the cool autumn air.
 |
| Nature’s colors |
 |
| Autumn in Victoria |
The Duthie family live on a farm with horses, cows, a bull, a black
lab and the girls often go for horse rides. I supervised as they fed the cows
and horses.
 |
| Katherine, Alyssa and their horses |
Here is a view from the field with the horses. It is an amazing place
to live and raise a family.
 |
| View from the Duthie farm |
Mark cooked a great dinner for all of us and we enjoyed an evening of
conversation about all of our travels. I slept really well in a nice bed full
of warm covers and woke up with the house empty. This is a perfect example of
the kind of hospitality you find around the world. They invited a perfect
stranger into their home and then trusted me to be alone in the morning. I packed
up, gave a good stomach rub to my new friend Whistler and then continued on.
Thank you Mark, Lilian, Katherine and Alyssa for your kindness and hospitality,
it was great to meet you all.
 |
| Whistler |
I left that morning and continued on quiet side roads and trails. I am
in agricultural area here as you can see from this view as I headed out of the
farm.
|
| View leaving the Duthie farm |
I passed the 8,000 km mark as I cycled in the south of Australia.
 |
| 8,000 km’s |
How’s this for a creative mailbox.
 |
| Dinosaur mailbox |
I cycled on some old railroad trails that Mark and Lilian told me
about. It is great to be on them as they are hard packed, right in the middle
of nature and no cars. One of the trails was 100 km in length and I didn’t see
a single person on it for the entire stretch.
 |
| Rail trail in Victoria |
The old rail trails still have some of the old trestle bridges. This
one isn’t used anymore but is a perfect example of the hard work involved in
building them.
 |
| Old Railroad Trestle |
After just close to 5,000 km’s of cycling in Australia, I crossed into
my 4th state or territory, New South Wales (NSW).
 |
| Welcome to NSW |
The coastal area south of Sydney in NSW is spectacular, certainly on
par with the Great Ocean Road. The main road would follow the coast but you
couldn’t see the ocean unless you took a side road which I would as my day was
nearing an end. The first stop on the coast was Eden, a place that got its name
because of sunsets like this that I captured from my tent.
 |
| Eden |
The coast was rough and rocky and then you would get to a town with
sandy beaches in the harbors. This is an example of the coast just on the edge
of Eden.
 |
| Rough Coast in Eden, NSW |
Then you would see a sandy beach in the town.
 |
| Beach in Eden |
Then you get back on your bike, heading away from the ocean and soon
see inland lakes and mountains in the distance.
 |
| Inland lake in NSW |
The roads on the coast are very hilly and the constant up and down
made for some beautiful but tough cycling days. I had the misfortune of having
some bad weather earlier in Australia with a lot of cold, wet and windy days
but the last 2 weeks of my time here was absolutely perfect. The days were up
to about 25C with blue skies and calm winds. It is also autumn here so you get
the variety of colors to go along with the weather, very much like what you
would see back home in Canada. I love how I would often see a lonely maple tree
in a sea of green.
 |
| Fall |
I am on the east side of the Great Dividing Range mountain range that runs
north to south in Australia. The mountains are close so I could often see the
ocean and mountains at the same time.
 |
| Ocean and mountains |
The coast is dotted with small fishing communities and I biked from
one picturesque town to the next. One of my favorites was Bermagui. I would
walk along the harbor at night to see the boats and would often see pelicans
floating by waiting for the fishing boats.
 |
| Sunset over the harbor |
It looks like these 2 had an argument.
 |
| Pelican argument |
But a little while later they made up.
 |
| The Pelicans are friends again |
I biked as far as the town of Bomaderry and then took a train into
Sydney. The traffic 100 km outside of the city was getting heavy with large
trucks and lots of cars so I decided to get off the roads. I had repeatedly
heard how busy it would be going into Sydney and was told there are regular
trains that allow bikes and will go right into the city center so it was an
easy decision.
I arrived at the train station and quickly found a youth hostel and
set about locating a bike store. I have to get a few things checked out because
my next stop is the very remote Arctic Circle in Canada and I need a dependable
bike. I am also getting new tires because the first 800 km in the North will be
on gravel roads. Mine are really worn out. I found a bike store and arranged
for them to check a few things and then to put my bike in a box so I can take
it on the plane. I will pick it up on May 30th, and then go straight
to the airport.
I had a few days in Sydney and my usual routine for the first day or
two is to just wander around without a specific destination or plan in mind. If
you always go to the main tourist areas you miss out on the side streets that
often provide surprises that many people don’t see.
The main point of interest for me was to just see the harbor and enjoy
the beautiful weather. I would take long walks and meander through the side
streets heading in the general direction of the harbor. The Sydney Opera House
is one of the world’s most distinctive buildings. It was built in 1973 and
became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. Here are a few familiar pictures
of the iconic structure.
 |
| Opera House |
 |
| City and Opera House |
Near the Opera House is another famous structure, the Harbour Bridge.
Here I am on another beautiful day in Sydney.
 |
| Me at the Harbour Bridge |
My time in Australia is coming to an end and it seems that I have been
here a long time. It was 2 months ago that I arrived at the top end of
Australia and spent a few days in Darwin. The city was the gateway to the long
stretch in the Outback. I loved the desert area but when I think back to the
month cycling from Darwin to Adelaide, one thing stands out. As I biked I
noticed that almost all of the people passing in vehicles on the other side of
the road would wave as they went past. One morning I decided to count how many
times someone would pass and not wave. It took most of the day before one
vehicle went by where the occupants didn’t wave or honk their horn. It’s that
kind of friendliness that continues to amaze me as I bike through the world. I
remember at least a dozen people stop when I was cycling in the desert and hand
me a bottle of water and a number asked if there was anything I need. I was in
a campground in Eden, cooking my breakfast when a woman walking her dog stopped
to talk with me. A few minutes later her husband came over and said that his
wife told him about my bicycle trip to support an orphanage and he handed me a
$50 bill. I don’t think a single day went by where someone didn’t offer
encouragement in one way or another and that is what you remember most about
travelling and what makes travelling with a bicycle so engaging.
On May 30th I am flying from Sydney to Vancouver. I have to
buy a warmer sleeping bag, a water filter and a few other items for my journey
to the North and also for my time in the higher elevations in the Rocky and
Andes Mountains further south. I will then start the 3-flight journey to
Inuvik, Northwest Territories, and Canada. It will be a 23,000 km journey from
the top of the world above the Arctic Circle to the bottom of the world in
Ushuaia, Argentina, close to Antarctica. The interesting thing about the route
is that not only do you go a long way from north to south but the west-east
distance from Inuvik to the tip of Argentina is also the equivalent of crossing
the entire width of Canada. Inuvik will be the farthest western point, so in my
southeast meandering through North, Central and South America, I am slowly,
ever so slowly, heading back to Bangkok.
Here is a summary of a few things since I left Bangkok on January 15,
2014.
Days on the road – 136
Km’s cycled – 8,741
# of flat tires - 3
Countries visited – 5 (Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia,
Australia)
Money found on the road - $21.59 (to be donated to Angel House after 2
years on the road)
Books read in Australia:
- Remarkable Times: Australian Politics 2010-13: What Really Happened by Laurie Oakes
- Cycle of Lies: The Fall of Lance Armstrong by Juliet Macur
- Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power by Steve Coll
- The Orphan Master’s Son: A Novel (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) by Adam Johnson
In the meantime, the Angel House Orphanage continues with the
important work of finding homes for children. People from around the world are
starting to support the Orphanage and one family from Singapore sent a large
box of toys and Baby G was first in line to try one out.
 |
| Baby Boy G |
Last week Angel House had another successful adoption. Baby girl S found
a new home in Hawaii. It is a wonderful moment when a childless family can be
matched up with an abandoned baby but it’s also a difficult time. David and his
staff spent 3 years with this beautiful girl, changing her diapers, providing
food and shelter, taking her for doctor visits and ice-cream, all the things
families do together. The girl also had a large group of friends at the
orphanage, the other children waiting for parents. The orphanage was the only
home she ever knew and David and his staff were her surrogate parents. She has
to say good-bye to the only world she has known and all her friends.
The other side however is that you have a family that invested a lot
of money and time to find a young girl and now they have one. You can see the
joy in the parents eyes along with a little fear and uncertainty in Baby S but
one thing is certain, her world is about to change for the better with loving
parents, a chance for a good education and to be a part of her own family.
Another success story at Angel House Orphanage and it is these stories
that make every single pedal I make worthwhile. Congratulations to David and
his staff, and to Baby S. God bless you and your new parents.
 |
| Baby S |
No comments:
Post a Comment