The Auld Dog Visits Lands of Kiwis and Kangaroos

FINAL DAY IN MANLY AND AUSTRALIA The bittersweet day had arrived -- last day in Oz and last day to be with our dear friends until who knows when.  I assume that most people who've been away from home for a month miss it and are ready to return.  Yet how can you want to leave one of the most beautiful, peaceful places on this earth and dear friends with whom you only get to spend time every few years?  But here we are, so let's make the most of it. As with most days, we each began the day doing our own thing.  For me that meant a walk north to Freshwater (which isn't) beach and the Duke Kahanamoku statue.  I had checked closely with Mr. Google Map, so walked along the beach promenade to Queenscliff, where I looked for Sir Edmund Hillary and a sherpa guide.  What lay ahead were streets laid out over cliffs that would make San Francisco look like Greenwood, MS.  Son of a beach!!  I made it over the precipice and down the cliff face (without r...

A MANLY MAN AT MANLY BEACH Although not by original design, today turned out to be something of an endurance biathlon for me.  When we had visited Manly with Keith & Di in July 2014 (their winter), we had walked along a scenic walkway that runs south from Manly Beach. Today I would retrace some of that route.  I hadn't planned to go far, but just to go exploring.  There are some beautiful sights ... Shelly Beach, Cabbage Tree Bay (where people swim and snorkel on an adjacent reef), then onward to North Head, where there are old gun batteries built for the defence (there I go again, spelling it in Aussie) of Sydney Harbour.  It was steeper and longer than I had anticipated, so obviously had taken longer ... considerably longer. The trail ... uphill, of course! Fishing off the rocks ' Manly Beach WWII artillery battery on North Head Oh, and Aussies do have a sense of humour ... After getting cleaned up and recover...

A BIRTHDAY AT MANLY Today was a special day because it is Di's birthday ... and a milestone one at that (though I will tastefully avoid mentioning which).  What better place to celebrate a birthday than Manly Beach?!   My day began with a touch of the sublime along with the mundane.  Manly is truly a magnificent beach ... clear, green water, nice surf, lots of blondish sand, lifeguards from a number of Surf Patrol Lifesaving Clubs (think I counted 4 in the approx. 1 km length of the beach), a wide brick promenade alongside the beach, green trees along the promenade, picnic tables, showers for surfers and swimmers, a nice playground for kids, and public restrooms.  I began my day with a walk to the north end of the beach, which is actually at a neighborhood called Queenscliff, then back to our hotel, the Sebel Manly Beach.  Very serene way to start the day. Manly Beach and promenade from our balcony Queenscliff Surf Lifesaving Patrol Su...

PLANES AND BOATS AND TRAINS ... AND RENTAL CARS Arose with mixed feelings: sadness at leaving the natural beauty and numerous attractions of the Otway/Apollo Bay area, but looking forward to our stay at Manly Beach. The clouds were dense and the rain intermittent as we broke camp and loaded the car. There was a bright rainbow to the north, however, as we turned in that direction to follow a winding mountainous road toward Melbourne. [cue Paul McCartney]. Once through the mountains we could have been in rural Mississippi ... broad fields of recently harvested hay; heaps of cattle (Angus, Hereford, Holstein, Brahman), as well as sheep and horses; small towns with churches, a general store, and a ball field ... only the eucalyptus/gum trees are different.  In less than 3 hours we were turning our rental car in near Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne.  Flying Tiger Air, and having learned our lesson about sweating a close call on making the cutoff for the flight last...

SURF PATROL COMPETITION AT APOLLO BAY We awakened, as predicted, to heavy rain and dark skies. The forecast was for this type weather all day today and tomorrow. We lounged around, did laundry, sipped tea and coffee (I’ve become quite the barista with the Expressi machine). Suddenly the rain stopped, and the clouds began to break. Keith was feeling a bit crook with a head cold coming on, so the girls and I went to Apollo Bay for some souvenir shopping. There’s a surf competition scheduled for Apollo Bay this weekend. We watched a little and took a few pictures. At Di and Susan’s suggestion I bought a scallop meat pie at the bakery for lunch, along with a lemon meringue tart and a saucer size ANZAC biscuit for us to share. We had lunch on the balcony, made even more enjoyable by the sailboat race getting underway across the bay and a dozen surfers riding some nice swells just down the hill from us. The good life! Victoria Surf Patrol competition at Apollo Bay Sailboats in ...

CAPE OTWAY As my blushing bride of 45 years slept in, Keith, Di, and I drove the ~20 miles to Cape Otway for  a walk along the Great Ocean Walk and for me to see the lighthouse there, which was built in 1848, making it the 2nd oldest in Australia. Thankfully after melting in jeans yesterday I had the foresight to wear shorts and a lightweight t shirt. The walk was fairly hilly, but it was a beautiful trail with several ocean views from high along the cliffs. We saw one other couple along the way.  Part of Great Ocean Walk After about 70 minutes I turned back so I could tour the lighthouse (something they weren’t as interested in). Going back I almost walked up on a wallaby and saw lots of birds. I was hot and thirsty, so had a drink made with passion fruit, guava, and some other fruit ... the fizz, wet, and sugar were wonderful after the walk. I very much enjoyed the lighthouse ... have a special feeling for them, perhaps because the Biloxi Lighthouse ...