Day 9: Up into the Rainforest

Today we went on a wonderful excursion to Kuranda, a village high above Cairns in the rainforest. For our journey up into the hills we boarded the Kuranda Scenic Railway.



The construction of the line from Cairns to Kuranda was an engineering feat of some magnitude, which began in 1887. 1500 men built the track, carving out 106 cuttings and 15 tunnels, by hand with just picks and shovels, and building 55 bridges. The line opened in 1891.





We wound slowly up the track towards Kuranda.



Stony Creek Falls.



The view looking back towards Cairns.

We arrived at Kuranda's Federation Style Station, completed in 1915. It is a sight to behold, overflowing with many colourful rainforest plants.













Kuranda has plenty of wildlife viewing opportunities, which we rather ignored, preferring the shops displaying Aboriginal art.
These designs were just part of the pavement.








It was just delightful!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Days 7 and 8: On to Cairns

An early afternoon flight to Cairns gave me some time in the morning to walk to the Rocks area.



Looking across from the Rocks to the Opera House.


The building on the right started life as a rather elegant Police Station. This view is typical of Sydney, with its mix of historical and modern.

Later in the afternoon, after a three hour flight, we arrived in Cairns.

My hotel room has a balcony with these views.







The next day we had an early start, driving up the coast to Port Douglas to take a boat to the Agincourt Ribbon Reefs, which run parallel to the Continental Shelf. Three of the group were brave enough to snorkel, but I have to confess that I was not one of them!

Here are the intrepid snorkelers:


Pretty difficult to pick anyone out, since they all wore very attractive black lycra onesies, which were supposed to protect from sunburn and the stinging jellyfish.

In the meantime the three wimps went down in a submersible to view the reef. I took loads of pics, of which these are the best. Unfortunately I was sitting on the wrong side of the craft.









I suppose that the photos do at least prove that I was there and we did see some pretty amazing fish. However, I think I would have definitely have preferred another day in Sydney!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Day 6: More Impressions of Sydney

This was to be my day for more sightseeing and just a little retail therapy, to be followed later by an experience of the Sydney opera scene.

Firstly I decided to pick up my opera ticket and was amazed to see that P & O's Arcadia was in town. Most of the people in the queue at the Opera Box Office seem to have come from the cruise.jl,


Then I set off to visit the Queen Victoria Building which houses one of the most historic and beautiful shopping centres I have ever seen.



The outside is elegant, but the interior is just glorious, a real journey back in history.











I also discovered the Strand Arcade, where I bought a hat, which, I was assured, could become an heirloom! The hat shop is a true delight.










Later in the day I set out for the opera, seeing the harbour in the evening light.






As you can see, the waterside was heaving with people enjoying themselves. "Real buzzy" was the way Cherie described it to us.



The sun set behind the Arcadia.




The production of Carmen was amazing with wonderful staging, fantastic cast and a fabulous orchestra. Sadly, photography was not allowed.



Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Day 5: A Harbour Cruise and a City Bus Tour.

For me, being in any city where there is the possibility of being on or near water is always a delight and Sydney is no exception. The two hours spent cruising in the harbour under a bright sky and in warm sunshine were just wonderful. Adding to the pleasure was our friendly and knowledgeable guide Cherie, who, with her husband and children, had emigrated on the very last ship which brought the £10 Poms to Australia in the 1970s.

Here are just a few harbour views.















Following the cruise we took the land route, seeing the city sights from a different perspective.



The Harbour Bridge and the Opera House looking back from Mrs Macquarie's Point.







The Bridge and the city skyline from the North Shore at Kirribilli: a different perspective.




The view from South Head as we took the coastal route to Bondi Beach.







Even on a Monday, the beach was busy, with plenty of sunbathers and surfers, enjoying the beautiful day!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Day 5: A tour of the Opera House

The day started at the Opera House with the information that the tour would involve 200 steps! I took a deep breath....
From the outside this is without a doubt one of the most recognizable buildings in the world, so discovering how it came into being was fascinating. The winner of the competition was a relatively inexperienced Danish arthitect, Jørn Utzon. His design only made it to the final judging because one of the judging panel arrived late and retrieved his rather rudimentary sketches from the pile of rejects. During the building phase it ran up against almost unsurmountable techical problems, but Utzon was single-minded in his approach and had a clear vision of his intended outcome, which he saw through, but not right to the end. A change of government led to a serious personality clash between Utzon and the newly appointed Minister of Works, which resulted in Utzon resigning from the project.
Sadly he never returned to Australia to see the building completed, although cordial relations have been re-established and his architect son is right now working on a renovation project.
The exterior of the building and its iconic shapes, with their covering of dazzling white ceramic tiles with each chevron surrounded by cream tiles which throw the whiteness into sharper focus are what I personally find the most remarkable. The interiors of the various venues seem relatively less spectacular. Simplicity and functionality are the foremost impression.












Views from inside looking towards the Harbour Bridge can be stunning.












I will be going to the opera tomorrow, so there may be more news to come!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Days 3 and 4: On to Sydney

After rising at 5.30 for an early ride to the airport for a flight due to take off at 8.55, it was somewhat depressing to spend the next 7 hours of Day 3 at the airport.

Unusually for Dubai, I imagine, the city was shrouded in thick fog, which seemed to send the airport into a tailspin. Many incoming flights had been diverted to Bahrein and since the fog did not really start to lift until 11.00, the airport was clearly finding it hard to cope, with very little information forthcoming.

However, we did take off eventually, but not without incident, since 7 passengers were missing when we were ready to go, and only 3 of them could be traced, resulting in off-loaded luggage.... I can only conclude that they were somewhere in the vast airport, fast asleep.

In the end we arrived in Sydney and It was time to start exploring. From my hotel room I could just about see a glimpse of the Harbour Bridge, but a better view could be seen only a few minutes walk away at the Circular Quay, which also provides a good viewpoint for the iconic Opera House.









I couldn't wait to see more on Day 5!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad