Murray Oz Blog - Part the Second

The Amazing Race 12 Finale and 13 Upcoming Race

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 21:39:00 +0000

Being addicted to the Amazing Race, and having travelled to the other side of the world, over 60,000 km last year, I must point out that the Amazing Race 13 will probably be shot this spring (April?) or earlier (due to the writer's strike in the US).

Join in the fun of watching "the not exactly reality TV show" as people travel around the world doing not so realistic things...

An Inconvenient Truth

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 02:51:00 +0000

I saw the film on opening night in Toronto back in the spring of 2006. I was impressed by both the brilliance of the documentary as a film, but also the powerful message that Al Gore was trying to communicate in it. There are lots of points to argue, and the polarised politicians and pundits are still arguing while the planet takes a tailspin down the drain.
I had to watch the film 4 times this week as all the Grade 8 Science classes watched it as an introduction to "Water Systems." It is as strong a message now as it was in '06. People who have not seen it should be embarrassed to say so. I recommend that you do. Judge for yourself.

Day 364- Home in Oakville

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 00:37:00 +0000

We are home!
After a year in Australia, we have arrived home to the cold and snow.

Day 363- Bohemian Rhapsody

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 02:59:00 +0000

Manhattan Beach- Venice Beach- Santa Monica Pier- Sunday, December 23

To see our Photocast from our NZ and LA adventures, click here:
http://photocast.mac.com/rod.murray/iPhoto/nz-photocast/index.rss

We had varied amounts of sleep after our long flight to LAX yesterday but we all made it out of bed by noon, and headed for the bagel shop for cream cheese bagels. From near the hotel, an old railway right-of-way runs down to Manhattan Beach, so off we trotted on such a winter's day. We weren't California dreaming. This was real. It was sunny and +25 C.
There were walkers, skaters, cyclists galore. Matheson convinced us we had to visit the bohemian area of Venice Beach. So we inisted he haul out his US$ that he had saved from last Christmas and pay for the taxi. He did.

Venice Beach is well known for its bohemian atmosphere where almost anything goes. It's worth a look. More skaters, skateboarders, plus hundreds of street vendors selling everything from the sublime to the ridiculous. Some wore Christmas outfits. Some wore next to nothing at all. Colleen took pictures. The boys loved it, especially the rapper who thought I was skater type from the T dot, and the panhandler who needed me to help him because he was $2 short to buy his medicinal marijuana "cause you look like a stoner from way back." They were all harmless folks and we got great entertainment from them.

Onward we strolled towards sunset over the Pacific Ocean for our last time. We arrived at the Santa Monica Pier in time to catch dinner at Bubba Gump's famous seafood restaurant. Remember Forrest Gump when he arrived at the Santa Monica Pier? He stopped, turned around and ran back across America. We just ate the shrimp.

We took another taxi back to Manhattan Beach (we pooled our US$ for this one and had just enough). Matheson bought a Christmas Day shirt at Macy's, which was still open late Sunday. Then it was off to bed for the early flight home.

Day 362- You only live twice

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 18:01:00 +0000

Auckland- LAX- Saturday, December 22

It was to be the day we would get to live twice. We sat in the garden of our hotel room reading and taking advantage of the late check out. Taking the shuttle back to Auckland Airport, we began the long, arduous task of flying back to North America on the Qantas QF25 Auckland to LA run, a 12 hour flight.
Of course, it was late departing, but we bumped into Annika Pint, one of our exchange friends from Toronto who had already been on the go since early morning Melbourne time as she was doing the flight home in one go- Melbourne, Auckland, LA, Toronto. After departing, we were served a lovely, if not repetitive dinner (fly a little bit and you start to feel like the meals are the same).
Later, as darkness fell, Annika came to visit us in the back. In fact, we were lucky enough to get the second to last row of the 747's middle section. The movie selections, once working, were varied and we all chose something to entertain us. Dinner done, movie watched, snacks served, lights lowered and we still had 8 hours to go. Thankfully, most of us were able to sleep on the plane, and I was surprised to discover, when I awoke, that we had under 3 hours to go.
Since we had crossed the dateline, we had to move our watches back 21 hours (or 3 forward, if you wish), keeping in mind that it was Saturday all over again. Arriving at LAX around 11 a.m. in sunny and +13 ℃ skies, we collected our things and hailed a van taxi to our Manhatten Beach Hotel, just a few kilometres away.
We all planned to get over jetlag as soon a spossible, so Colleen and I went for a walk, but got no further than the Manhatten Village shopping mall, only 400 metres down the street. Of course, there was an Apple store there (do you think I would have planned it otherwise?)
Off to bed and a wonderful sleep, except that I was wide awake at 1 a.m. We all slept in and found the getting going to be difficult, but the day was calling. Should we do the Beach or the Crystal Cathedral? My sister emailed to encourage the Crystal Cathedral. The boys' sleep needs, and our jetlag was going to determine the day.

Days 358-361- South Island cross-section and North Island thermal delights

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:44:00 +0000

Fox Glacier- Hasst – Lake Tekapo- Christchurch- Auckland -Rotorura- Wednesday, December 19 to Friday, December 21

Wednesday
It was a good choice that we made to stay the night in Fox Glacier. The drive down the coast in the morning was spectacular as well as challenging. We stopped often for views out over the Tasman Sea, where seals played on the remote beaches at the base of cliffs. Our rock collection grew by a few more kilos when we all went beachcombing at Haast Beach. It is here that Highway 6 turns inland and winds back up into the Southern Alps, through raging rivers, deep, U-Shaped glacial valleys.
Again we found ourselves stopping, first at Roaring Billy Falls that plunge into the Haast River. The eroded flat rocks in the river bed were perfect for the world stone skipping championships, which were handily won by Rod, after setting a 12 skip record using a beautiful piece of water flattened gneiss that seemed to want to jump the white caps of the fast flowing stream.
Onward we climbed the winding highway through Haast Pass and the views were humbling. The Alps here are still snow capped and the run-off creates stunning waterfalls everywhere. We lunched at a beautiful bend in the road looking back towards Mount Tasman, near Fox Glacier, now many kilometres to the north. Moving on, we made a quick stop at the Haast River gorge where the river funnels through a narrow rock channel. We met up with the family from the UK who had been on the glacier climb with us the previous day.
The sunny and mild weather was a wonderful tonic to the rainy few days that proceeded. Highway 6 continues up into the high lake country and it was here that we had to decide whether we would turn south to Queenstown, New Zealand’s adventure capitol. We needed to be back in Christchurch by late afternoon Thursday, and the map showed a 7-8 hour drive from Queenstown to Christchurch. We reasoned that even if we made it that far, we would not have enough time to enjoy any of the activities. So north we went, towards the high mountain country east of Mount Cook.
This is LOTR (Lord of the Rings) country, where many of the segments in the movie were filmed. It is a high plateau that is dry and barren. We wound our way through places with lyrical names like Tarras, Omarama and Twizel. Occasionally, a pass is crossed and the scenery changes. This is perhaps the most amazing part of traveling in New Zealand. The scenery, the climate, the weather and the vegetation all change in a short amount of time. We would learn that this is true on the North Island as well.
We pulled into Lake Tekapo, a beautiful village on a large aquamarine lake with the prettiest church location on the planet. The altar has a large window that looks out over the lake.
We had an argumet over the accommodation we would stay in, since the area is served by an IYHA International Youth Hostel), a BBH (New Zealand Hostel) and a Holiday Park, all featured in our Lonely Planet. Colleen got her wish of a cabin by the lake. We did laundry until late into the night after a great dinner at the local skiers’ hangout known for great pizzas- we choose a spicy pepperoni and a venison/pumpkin combo for something unusual. The walls were plastered with famous ski resort posters: St. Anton, Austria, Courcheval, France, Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy, St. Moritz, Switzerland, Innsbruck, Austria, Lake Placid,NY, and North Conway,NH!

Thursday
In the morning, we had a quick bite of breakfast and rolled on towards Christchurch. We made a stop in Geraldine to see the Guiness Book of World Records listed largest wool sweater. In the same store was a medieval themed back room where an eccentric man showed us his life size reproduction of the Bayou Tapestry made from shards of metal discarded during the production of sewing machines. Each 2 mm square piece of metal was hand painted and stuck to double-sided masking tape. The tapestry covered 2 walls and included an interpretation of the missing section. Now if that wasn’t enough, the owner has also created a detailed CD-ROM in which everything in the tapestry is linked and which also includes the creator’s hidden puzzles. There was more, but all Matheson could say was how this guy was borderline genius.
Later, we arrived in Christchurch, a beautiful city that has, as its centrepiece, a magnificent Anglican Cathedral. The boys’ choir was rehearsing for Christmas Eve, and it was for me, perhaps, one of the first true signs that Christmas was just a few days away. They began with “Adam Lay Y Bounden” and the amazing acoustics magnified the heavenly harmonies. I would have stayed to hear the whole rehearsal and get deeper into the Christmas moment, but the airport was a cross-town journey in heavy traffic. We strolled the square back to the car, where a market was in full swing. Matheson scored a wonderful NZ Alpaca wool jacket, knit in Nepal and sold to him by a Peruvian. Go figure.
Our Qantas flight to Auckland, on New Zealand’s North Island, was great except for the back row seats. We loved the wonderful grandmother who checked us in. She did not want to see our passports since she “always trusts Canucks.” She also felt sorry for Colleen, whose suitcase was somewhat heavier than the 20 kg domestic flight limit, not to mention the rest of our bags plus a guitar and a skateboard or two.
We boarded the hotel shuttle with our assortment of gear and crashed into beds in a beautifully renovated hotel room near the airport. As we fell asleep, a plan was drafted to get up early, hire a car from the airport, and drive the 3 hours to Rotorura to see the amazing volcanic and geothermal area, as well as go Zorbing, a New Zealand adventure must-do-activity.

Friday
Dawn came early and I grabbed breakfast while the others slept. The shuttle over to the airport was right on time and I was back with a car in minutes. We were off to Rotorura once we figured out the highway system. The drive was just under 3 hours and we arrived in the beautiful, green coloured hills surrounding the town to discover the Zorbing site was just off the highway.
Zorbing, for the uninitiated, is an adventure activity where you climb into a partially water filled clear plastic sphere which is attached to another, larger, air filled sphere. The operator adds warm water to the inner ball as you slide in, and then you roll down a large hill, sloshing around in the inner ball. Got it? See www.zorbing.com if you don’t get it.
So the boys were pumped and the 3 of us (Colleen declined) changed into bathing suits and hopped into the back of their ascent van, house music pumping beats at full blast. The Contiki expedition bus group that was ahead of us was comprised of a group of young international travelers. Apparently some of them had not come prepared with bathers as a few of them were rather scantily clad. Colleen remarked that the real show was not the descending Zorbs, but the unique outfits worn by the Zorbers.
We decided to descend together, all 3 of us in one Zorb. We had been given first hand descriptions of the descent, all by friends who had done this solo. The groups we saw coming down the hill were heard first! Doing this as a group was going to be fun.
It was all of that and then some. I belly laughed all the way down, and Colleen reported that she could hear us from far up the hill! Our combined weight in the Zorb really made a difference to the speed of descent, and we even bumped the retaining fence at the bottom. We slid out through the hole, and were ready to do it all again, if it weren’t for the price! We did, however, splurge on the CD of photos and the t-shirt.
We found a place to eat in downtown Rotorura and then went to the Thermal Wonderland to see the boiling mud pools, craters and geysers. Here, water emerges from deep underground at temperatures as high as +200 ℃ due to the great pressure. This area is one of the most active geothermal areas of the world, and the sulfur smell everywhere was proof. We waded in Kerosene Creek, where the temperature was moderated by the cooler spring fed water.
We started back towards Auckland to beat some of the Friday holiday traffic. It was, after all, the first day of summer holidays and the end of school here. The roads were busy with vehicles towing boats and trailers. But it did not seem to take long to get back to Auckland via the alternate route.
We retired to our room, rented a video and fell asleep after our big day.

Day 357- Fox Glacier

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 08:47:00 +0000

Franz Joseph to Fox Glacier, New Zealand- Tuesday, December 18

We left the caravan park in time for our 10:45 a.m. briefing before our 4 hour ascent of the Fox Glacier, one of two easily accessible glaciers here. It is a quandry to drive through a rainforest to reach a glacier. We donned boots, packs and snacks, and boarded the old bus for the foot of the glacier. It was almost sunny, compared top the dense cloud and rain of the previous days. The hike up the side of the U-shaped valley carved by the glacier 18,000 years ago was challenging, and short sleeves were in order. Once we climbed down the stairway onto the ice, about 2 km up from the terminal face, the chill was quite noticeable.
The guide, John, a young ex-New Zealand army officer, taught us how to put on our crampons. Off we went, exploring the blue ice. We took numerous photos, and we were reminded that this was the best day for climbing the glacier in days.
It was well past 4 p.m. when we got back down. I was in no condition to drive further south and across the street was another Backpackers hostel. I reserved their last family dorm room and we unloaded our gear.
It was off to a nice restaurant for steak, salads and ribs and brown pop on tap.

Later, we drove out to Lake Matheson, which is world famous for its reflections of Mount Tasman and Mount Cook and the glaciers. Matheson had us take numerous photos of him next to the signs, the lake, the cafe..

What a day!

Day 356- I came for the fishing, not for the fish

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 09:10:00 +0000

Greymouth to Brunner Lake to Franz Joseph Glacier- Monday, Deecember 17th

The radio announcer reminded listeners this morning that it's one week until Christmas Eve. We can't believe it. He also advised of imminent heavy rain.
Kevin and I went fishing at Brunner Lake. With all the rain in the mountains yesterday, and the forecast for more heavy rain today, the fishing could be good, or slow. We headed off with our guide to the mouth of one of the large rivers that feeds this 54km long lake, which holds very large Browns. They often feed in the shallows by the river's mouth. It was very overcast and dark with the rain, so it was hard to spot them tailing. But they were there. Just when I got one spotted, Kevin, who was now fishing up river, landed a nice 18 incher and lost another on a spinning rod. The guide was impressed. I missed taking the photo proof.
We all worked our way upstream, spotting only a few when the guide would normally see dozens on a brighter day.
It was a beautiful setting for fishing and I know the fish were there. We got very wet in the 3 hours or so we were out. Despite the cost, I enjoyed my day.
Driving back to Greymouth in the pouring rain to pick up Colleen and Matheson, we repacked the car and started south along the west coast of the South Island. Landing in Franz Joseph in the late afternoon, we settled into our cabin at the Holiday Park. Dinner was eaten in a very nice restaurant under the shadow of the glacier, which had only now emerged from the heavy clouds and mist. Awesome sight!

Day 355- "To Venture is to Risk Death"

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 04:23:00 +0000

Arthur's Pass to Greymouth, NZ- Sunday, December 16th

"To venture is to risk death.
Not to venture is to have died already."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

(on the T-shirt of the Global Village Backpackers Hostel, Greymouth, NZ)

In the last 36 hours there have been lots of times to contemplate what we have done over the year, the friends we have made, and the challenges we have overcome. The task of packing up was monumental, and I have to publically acknowledge that Colleen did most of it, since I was preoccupied with school end-of-year tasks, functions and responsibilities. We made it though.
There were many teary goodbyes. The kids have so many friends that they left behind. So did we. Work colleagues and friends from walking and book clubs.
But this experience has been wonderful and challenging and rewarding despite the end being bittersweet. I listened to Diana Krall sing Joni Mitchell's famous "A Case of You" while the others slept on the plane. I am glad they were asleep 'cause my eyes welled up with the famous line, "I drew a map of Canada, Oh! Canada..." It was then that I realised that we weren't on another Aussie cross country plane tour, but on our way home. And leaving did, as Diana Krall sang, "taste so bitter but you taste so sweet..."

So here we are on the South Island in the heavy rain, but enjoying every moment. It's giving us time to think, reflect, and unwind, and get some sleep.

Monday, I will go fly-fishing in this famed haunts of the brown trout and lose myself in the pursuit of a big one. But as I am not there for the fish, but rather for the fishing, I will enjoy myself anyway.

Day 354- Welcome to Middle Earth

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 03:58:00 +0000

Saturday, December 15th- Melbourne to Christchurch, New Zealand

I did not think this day would ever really arrive. But it did. We had been up most of the night, with visitors, last minute packing and cleaning, and an early alarm clock that woke us to say, "Get to the airport! You are leaving Australia today!"
We slept most of the way on the plane and arrived in the Kingdom of Middle Earth in the late afternoon. All still exhausted, we drove the road west across the Canterbury Plain where it became a windy mountain road.
"I can see why this was used to make Lord of the Rings," said Kevin in the back seat. "It's because it has such a mystical look." And he is right, it does.
We arrived in Arthur's Pass, in the middle of the Southern Alps, in the late afternoon, exhausted, but thrilled at the backpackers hostel that I had booked. A series of railway cottages, beautifully renovated, with comfortable beds. surrounded by snow capped peaks, and waterfalls. Middle Earth it surely is.
We skipped supper after our late lunch on the road in a quaint little cafe and went straight to bed. It was the first night in 4 weeks that I have had more than 6 hours of sleep. I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow, and it was only 8:30 p.m.

Day 353- Goodbyes...An Australian view of a Canadians

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 06:09:00 +0000

Melbourne- Friday, December 14th, +31 ℃

I said goodbye to my colleagues today, and it was a weepy moment all round!
On a lighter note:

This was sent to me by my friend, Diane, who is living in Kuwait:

An Australian Definition of a Canadian - Written by an Australian Dentist re: Pakistan Newspaper Ad - Reward for killing a Canadian

You probably missed it in the local news, but there was a report that someone in Pakistan had advertised in a newspaper an offer of a reward to anyone who killed a Canadian - any Canadian.

In response, an Australian dentist wrote the following editorial to help define what a Canadian is, so they would know one when they found one.

A Canadian can be English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. A Canadian can be Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, Arab, Pakistani or Afghan.

A Canadian may also be a Cree, Metis, Mohawk, Blackfoot, Sioux, or one of the many other tribes known as native Canadians. A Canadian's religious beliefs range from Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu or none. In fact, there are more Muslims in Canada than in Afghanistan . The key difference is that in Canada they are free to worship as each of them chooses. Whether they have a religion or no religion, each Canadian ultimately answers only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.

A Canadian lives in one of the most prosperous lands in the history of the world. The root of that prosperity can be found in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms which recognize the right of each person to the pursuit of happiness.

===================================

Canada- we're coming home!

I left the school's luncheon early, having to say goodbye to my colleagues, now friends. I drove the extra suitcases to the airport and sent them home via Qantas Freight. It cost me an arm and a leg!
Later, Colleen and I walked through the house with Mary, the sister of my exchange partner. Everything was OK. The 3 of us enjoyed dinner at a favourite Glen Waverley outdoor cafe. The evening was memorable as we sat, talked about the exchange, the year, travels etc.
We arrived home to find that the house had been invade by "3 trillion" (Mat's words) teenagers who had come to say goodbye to the boys. After everyone left, we stayed up until past midnight doing last minute tasks. It was going to be a short sleep.

Day 349- Goodbye Luncheon

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 12:05:00 +0000

At the home of Bruno and Margaret D'Elia, Glenroy- Sunday, December 9th

Time was running out but we had to see Bruno and Margraet D'Elia, Joan's father and step-mom who have been so kind to us this year. Also attending were Mary and Susan, Joan's sisters and Susan's husband Gerrald. Now all of them have been to visit Joan and Denis in our house in Oakville at one time or another throughout the year.
It was wonderful to catch up on their Canadian adventures and to hear about how the other end of the exchange was going. Bruno and Margaret had been to a dinner at our house with Colleen's Mom and Dad as well as mine. The 6 parents, I'm sure, had a few laughs and shared many stories about us all. We heard only a few!
It was, sadly, time to say goodbye to all, and we parted knowing that we would probably see one another again. This was one of those unexpected things about going on an exchange- that you gain new friends far away, and you get to know your exchange partner's families.

On the way down the Citylink tollway, I took a detour through the Docklands. It is here that Lonely Planet has its headquarters in an old warehouse. I just had to have my photo taken outside the building. Lonely Planet had its humble beginnings here in Melbourne and has grown into a worldwide phenomenon. The boys rolled there eyes at their father, Colleen went along with me and took the pictures. I fulfilled a lifelong dream...maybe I will become a LP writer some day. I here they are hiring for a Darwin based writer...

Day 348- Muzzdog's Surprise Party

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 11:48:00 +0000

At the Home of Lisa and Andrew and Tom Danks- Saturday, December 9th

We were ivited to the home of one of my students, Tom, whose mother, Lisa, has become friends with Colleen through book club and walking club. It was, much to my surprise, a surprise party! My class, many of their parents, and members of their family came along to say goodbye. And they brought presents too!
It was a touching moment. Cathy Standring, my Principal back home in Mississauga, asked me in an email whether I had left a legacy. I wasn't sure at that point. But now I am.
In case you did not know, the Australian short form for Murray, is "Muzza." My class now calls me "Mr. Muzzdog," a name given to me by one of my students.

Day 346- Celebration or "it could be the most significant night of your whole...LIFE!"

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 11:57:00 +0000

The school held its annual "Celebration Night" under a 2000 seat carnival tent on the front Oval. Wow! The music, singing, nativity story, bands, orchestras, and musical production excerpts were amazing! The students here are very talented to say the least. What an event! And to think you would pay for this kind of show in Las Vegas, it was that good!
One of my colleagues, and also a parent of a student, passed me coming out of the afternoon rehearsal. "This will be one of the most significant nights..." he began. I expected him to say, "Of the year!"
It was a lifetime event afterall. Who would have thunk it?!

Day 341- Last chance to do the Beach thing

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 07:45:00 +0000

Phillip Island- Smith's Beach'- Saturday, December 1st

To see a live Webcam of Smith's Beach, click here!

Funny thing about living in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are backwards. Did you know they celebrate Christmas in summer here?!

We set out for Phillip Island early this morning, stopping in Cranbourne to grab some beach wear. I can throw away my glasses 'cause I've seen everything now! In the shopping mall, the Christmas shoppers are everywhere! Dressed in t-shirts and shorts, and all the summer clothes are in stock. They even had a band playing "White Christmas." Now this is possibly the funniest thing I have seen in a long time.

Our day at the beach was sensational! A little cool near the ocean, maybe +22℃ but bright and sunny! The water was at least +20℃ too, which is pretty good for the Southern Ocean on the first day of summer. Colleen and I sat in beach chairs, still pinching ourselves that we were sitting on a beach in Australia. Still hard to believe that this dream was still going after 11 months. Only 14 more sleeps. Mat, Kevin and I were in the water for longer than a few minutes, Kevin and I longer than skinny bones Mat.

We spent time at Ocean Surfboards shop in Cowes, on Phillip Island. Matt needed a new wallet. I, of course, needed my afternoon cappucino in a streetside café.

It was a great day! The last we will spend at the beach here in Australia.

Day 331- "Koala Emergency on the Freeway..." or Matheson's Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 09:39:00 +0000

Melbourne- The morning traffic report began "There's a koala emergency on the freeway..." You know you are in Australia when...

It was Mat's birthday today! He's officially 17!

Day 330 - Let it be, Let it Be, There will be an answer...

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 04:29:00 +0000

Victorian Centre for the Performing Arts- Hamer Hall- Southbank, Melbourne- WEdnesday, November 21

Colleen got tickets for a great concert in the city. An Australian group backed by a superb band played and sang the best of Lennon and McCartney. We had dinner in Southbank first, then walked over to the concert hall. The songs went on forever, it seemed. What a great team they were. Three hours later, they were still singing Beetles songs.

Day 327- Family ITF Picnic and Beach Party

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 04:28:00 +0000

Williamstown, Vic- Saturday, November 17

We were invited to the home of Leslie Parking and Joe Milling, who live a few blocks from the beach opposite the Port of Melbourne. What a great view of the city. Joe is the painter who did my watercolour.
The teens went swimming and then we ate, and took a large family photos. It was hard to say goodbye, as we will not see mny of our western and overseas friends for a while.

Day 326 - Victorian State Reception and ITF Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 04:26:00 +0000

The Ministry of Education Building in downtown Melbourne, was the site this evening, of an official reception (read free drinks) offered to all new outgoing Exchange Teachers, and those of us, like myself, who will be returning to their home countries. Julie Frei, the only American in our group, spoke on our behalf and did a wonderful job reflecting on the year.
I had raced home in the +30 degree heat from Camp, grabbed a shower, welcomed the Winsers (Winnipeg) and Neufeldts (Aylmer, ON) from Inverloch and Wonthaggi, on the Bass Coast (they asked if they could stay over at our house), and we all headed into the city for the evening's events.
We met many of the new group of exchanglings who have been selected to go overseas and do what we have just done. We were all dressed to the nines and looked so good, we could hardly believe we were teachers, let alone Canadians, at that!
Grabbing a taxi across town, we had a our final ITA (International Teacher's Association) dinner high above the city in the Rialto Tower. Overlooking the city and Port Phillip Bay, the sun set as we dined on salmon, lamb and beef, listened to stories and speeches, and socialised until well into the evening.
The highlight for me was when John Scott (Elora, ON) called me up to receive a gift from our group of exchangees, a framed watercolour print of Wineglass Bay, Tasmania painted by Joe Milling, partner of fellow echangee Leslie Parking. I was recognized for setting up "Canteachinoz," an Internet discussion group for all of the Canadians (and later many of the others) on exchange to Australia. The fact that we were able to contact most of the exchangees across the country, arrange accomodation, rendezvous while travelling, invite people to parties or just comment on how things were going seemed to reasonate with the rest of my colleagues. It truly was a special moment.
Joe's watercolour is quite sigificant to me, as we met Joe and Leslie twice one day while in Tasmania, the second time while they were on their way out, and we on our way in, to Wineglass Bay. I, of course, swam in the bay and it was a very beautiful place, perhaps my favourite, of the many places we have seen here.
We retired to our house, after saying tearful goodbyes to our friends from across Canada, the USA and the UK who we knew we would not see for some time. In another special moment, we were called to the front to receive back our goal setting sheets from last January. Whilst at the front, we had to sing our national anthems. We started out of key, and once I set them straight, we sang "Oh Canada" with great gusto. Then we kept on going with "The Star Spangled Banner" (as we did not want Julie to have to sing alone), and "God Save the Queen" (because Leon and Jeannie did not want to sing alone). Besides, it was symbolic that our group never cared for a moment where we were all from, but that we had shared a whole year together and had become great friends, not to mention a great source of support for one another.
It was 2 a.m. before all our house guests settled into bed, not wanting this wonderful evening to end.

Day 321 -326 Return to Chum Creek

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 04:19:00 +0000

Chum Creek Outdoor Education Centre, Yarra Ranges, Victoria- Sunday, November 11 to Friday, November 16

It was the return to Chum Creek for a week with my class, after a long time period away. It was, in fact, Day 52, February 15th, that we were here last. The class spends a week camping, doing challenge activities like High Ropes and hiking, and teambuilding.
We arrived Sunday just before eleven, and I was glad that Mike, the Director, stopped all of the kids as they got off the bus for a moment of silence, the date and time being 11-11. I told the kids just before we held our monet's silence that this was for the great men and women, many Australians and Canadians, who gave their time, and sometimes their lives, in the service of the military. I mentioned Dad, who was Able Seaman John Murray in the Royal Canadian Navy.

The theme for thr week was "Time Passes, World Change." The plan was to do activities that relate back to the challenges of life throghout Australian History: Abriginal Period (40,000 YA), The Explorers' Period (200 YA), the Settlers' Period (150 YA), The War Years (1914-1918), The Present, and The Future.

We began our activities with a 2 night campout to remind the students of how Aboriginals gathered, cooked and ate their food. The following day, students hiked back to the Field Centre property, to use the Low Ropes Course. They also spent time alone, contemplating the beautiful mountain forests that surround the site.
Wednesday, they were given a chance to give the Flying Fox a try (what we call a Zipline) and do some "hard yakka," just like the early settlers did. And it was a warm day too. The High Ropes Course challenged even the most confident of 13 year olds.
Thursday began with a tour of the Toolangi State Firest, wher Matheson had visited early this year with his Geography class. The 7 km hike back through the woods was just what we needed, as the warm day and walk through the tall trees was a challenge, as well as a great experience.
Collen, Matheson and Kevin visited Thursday evening for the roast beef dinner, and it was, as they agreed, worth the drive, especially for the meal!
Friday, the students headed home, tired, but having gained many new insights into themselves, their abilities and how they came face to face with their phsical and pschological limits.
This is a Wesley highlight!

Days 312-316- Full Circle- Back to Sydney

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 13:26:00 +0000

Melbourne –Sydney -Bondi Beach -Manly –Blue Mountains -Katoomba -Sydney –Melbourne: Friday, November 2 to Tuesday, November 6

Time was running out for us to use up our free Virgin Blue flight credit after our trip home from Darwin when we were bumped to a flight via Brisbane. The Melbourne Cup is held the second Tuesday of November and for residents of Victoria, the day is a public holiday. Added to that, Wesley College takes Monday as a midterm break and makes a 4 day weekend out of it. Our quandary was how far we could go on our credit in 4 days. Gold Coast, Hobart, Adelaide, or Sydney?
We settled on a trip back to Sydney so that we could do a few more city things, go to Bondi Beach, see the Bondi outdoor sculpture exposition, maybe return to Manly to browse the shops, and to see something new, the Blue Mountains.
Friday night we scrambled to the airport, not realizing that half the city would be trying to travel west on the Monash Freeway. The traffic was horrendous and the automated road signs indicated the airport would take well over an hour to reach. It took longer than that. We dropped the car at a long-term parking space and ran to the shuttle stop. We arrived at the Virgin Blue self check in computer with less than a minute to spare, dropped off our baggage and ran to the boarding gate. We were in luck when we found out that the plane had arrived late and we still had a few minutes before boarding.
Off to Sydney, which is just over an hour by plane but a full day’s drive if one chooses to go that way. We picked up our hire car and Mat navigated us in the dark to the home of my friends George and Robyn Atkinson in Canada Bay. We caught up with them until late in the evening and finally put ourselves to bed.
Saturday morning dawned cloudy and cool, which is not typical of the city tis time of year. The boys were determined to visit Bondi Beach, so off we went, bathing suits and all, just in case. Navigator Mat got us there just fin, and we parked, watched the surfing competition and quickly put swimming out of our minds. The lifeguards had the flags up but no one in their right minds was in the water.
The boys tried their luck on Bondi’s famous skate park, watched the surfing competition and checked out the surf shops. On the other hand, Colleen and I walked the trail towards Bronte Beach, where the annual Bondi Art and Sculpture display was running. The combination of setting and the unique sculptures, from the surreal to the silly, made this alone worthwhile.
We parked downtown and grabbed a Manly ferry for the afternoon. Browsing shops, watching the surfers, enjoying the food, we stayed until near dusk.
After and all night thunderstorms, Sunday was clear and breezy and we joined Robyn and George at his parish of St. Luke’s Burwood, afterwards lunching on the main street of the suburb.
We had a mission that afternoon, as a friend of my mother’s had requested that we research the grave of her sister and nephew at the Rookwood Cemetery in Sydney. I had phoned over on Saturday and received information about the location of the grave. George, who claimed to have lots of friends there (sadly, he is there all too often due to the aging of his parish), offered to take us on the tour. Rookwood is one of the largest cemeteries anywhere, and it would have been difficult for us to find our way around. We toured the Catholic Mausoleum (the new way to be interred) and then went on a search. Fortunately, the graves are in sections and are marked with numbers. Once we got the pattern, we located the grave. It was not the one we were looking for and the office was closed on Sunday. George took us through other sections of the cemetery, each as large and as the others: Chinese, Anglican, Muslim, Jewish, Croatian, Greek Orthodox…
We dropped off George and said our goodbyes, with the proviso that George and Robyn would come and stay with us next summer in July 2008.
The sunshine and warmth of the day were misleading as we drove the Great Western Highway up into the mountains. We planned a rendezvous with fellow exchanglings Tom and Ginette Andress and family from Hillsburgh, who have been in Sydney this year. They visited us last April in Melbourne. They were at Echo Point, the lookout over the Blue Mountains in Katoomba. Little did we know that it was quite cool and breezy until we got out of the car. It was great catching up with them. They had planned a exchange teacher’s weekend of their own and gave us some great tips on places to go and what to see in the area.
Monday’s weather was cool and damp, and drizzle was falling. We picked up some wonderful baked goods at the great bakeries in Katoomba and drove to Jenolan Caves (http://www.jenolancaves.org.au/), one of the largest collections of underground cave anywhere. We were thrilled to tour one of the caves (Lucas) with a tour guide, which took almost 2 hours. We also took the self guided tour through the Nettles Cave, which took another hour. It would have taken a full week to tour all of them, each one uniquely spectacular. It was a good day to do this as the cool, wet weather was not conducive to hiking and sightseeing above ground. Besides, we had not brought enough warm clothing with us.
Tuesday was even wetter, so we walked the main street of Katoomba exploring the shops. Then we stopped in at various towns along the way, Leura, and Wentworth Falls to name two. Leura was particularly pleasant, and we picked up a few souvenirs here at the all-wood shop.
The weather began to clear, or so we thought, so we took an hour hike from Wentworth Falls Reserve to the Princes Lookout for a great view of the Wentworth Falls and the Jamison Valley. It was the only hour of the day when heavy rain did not fall. But the mist shrouded mountains and falls were spectacular!
Heading back towards the city, I called the Rookwood Cemetery Office again and was able to determine that we indeed had been given incorrect information. I carefully wrote down the correct details and Navigator Mat directed me back to the cemetery for another try. The office was still open so we asked for more precise information so as not to waste time so late in the day (as we had a flight to catch). It did not take long to find the numbered grave. My mother’s friend, who had emigrated from Italy to Canada after the war, had a sister who had done the same, to Australia. Her son had died as a young child in 1948. The sister had passed away in 1990. We stood in silence for a moment, regretful that we had not bought flowers to add to the stone on the grave for that purpose.

In loving memory of
Our darling son
Robert John McCue
Died November 24th, 1948 aged 2 years

At Rest
Giovanna Erminia McCue
Died 26th of January 1990 aged 69 years
Her courage was our strength
RIP

It was a peaceful place, and we took a few photos, but could not find the piece of information that was missing, the boy’s birthday. We walked through other sections, many military, and found soldiers who had gone to distant shores to fight at Gallipoli, in France, and in other far away places. It struck me again that the young men and woman who went off to war from this country were so far from home when they arrived in Europe, the South Pacific, Korea, and Vietnam.

Our weekend was quickly coming to an end, and we navigated back to Kingsford-Smith Airport, where we arrived in this country 10 months ago, jumped on our Virgin-Blue flight back to Melbourne, collected our car, and drove home. It was late and we were tired, which was balanced by the fact that we only had 3 days left in the week.

A footnote: Our exchange friends, Cam and Cathy, and their son Josh, had traveled to Uluru for the weekend (despite this being their second exchange, only Cathy had been to Uluru). They were lucky enough to see rain on the Rock, a most rare event, (once in a few years) they captured in photos. The whole Outback village of Yulara, even the employees, left their posts to see the rain. The picture does not tell the whole story.

Photo of "Rain on the Rock" by Cathy Boote

Days 306-307- Hallowe'en Party

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 09:03:00 +0000

Melbourne -Geelong -Port Arlington -St.Leonard's -Queenscliff -Sorrento -Mornington -around Port Phillip Bay in 36 hours -Saturday, October 28 - Sunday October 29

Yes, we were off on another adventure. This event had been pencilled in months ago when fellow exchanglings Blair and Susan Michaud, from Alberta, ghoulishy volunteered to host a Hallowe'en Party at their house in St. Leonard's, on the Bellarine Peninsula. This area we had never explored, and is in the south west corner of Port Phillip Bay. We had also been invited to visit the home of Keith and Barbara Jones, relatives of our exchange partners. They live in Geelong.
Our route would take us around Port Phiilip Bay, seen in the Map above. We live SE of the City, and would take the M1 through it to Geelong, then, out to the Bellarine Peninsula between Port Arlington and Queenscliff. We would stay in Port Arlington and then Sunday, return via Queenscliff, across "The Rip" via the ferry, and back home through the Mornington Peninsula.

We arose early on Saturday, Matheson being first as he had to clean up after his two night school dramatic performance of "The Pink Panther" (which, I must say, was one of the funniest plays I have seen in a long time!). We picked him up from school and hopped on the M1 through the City towards Geelong.
We had a wonderful visit with Keith and Barbara Jones who had visited our home, and their son Denis, my exchange partner Joan, and their grandchildren, Ben and Zack, last May and June. It was great catching up with our exchange partners' family, as this is one of the things that makes an exchange very enriching. Exchanges allow you this unusual insight into your exchange partners by means of their families, their colleagues, their neighbours, but rarely your actual exchange family. We enjoyed lunch over discussions that varied from travel, to politics to magic! Keith and Barbara had lived in Toronto while Keith was with IBM back in the 1970's. This was one of the reasons we were matched with Joan and Denis, as they wished to see where Denis had lived as a boy of 11 years and had included their desire to be in Ontario on their exchange application.
Late in the afternoon we departed on the half hour drive to St. Leonard's arriving after 4 pm to a full house and a veritable smorgasbord of costumes! Most of our exchange friends from around Victoria had made the trip to this wonderful corner of the State.

Hosts- Blair and Susan and family from Barrhead, Alberta
Kim and Marlene- Edmonton
Wayne and daughter Megan- Winnipeg
Leslie and Joe and family- Woodstock
John and Lori and family- Tilsonburg
John and Cathy and family- Elora
Annika- Toronto
Julie- Washington State
Kiersty and Mark and family- Netherlands
Leon and Sarah- UK
June and grandaughter Stef-Mississauga

We laughed a lot at each other's costumes, enjoyed beverages and a pot-luck dinner. Many of the visitors stayed overnight with Susan and Blair or in the vicinity. We booked a last minute place a few kilometres back in Port Arlington, and were joined (as there was an extra bedroom) by June and her grandaughter. Next morning, we drove back to St. Leonard's and enjoyed a breakfast with many of the overnighters.
Most of the visitors then headed off to Queenscliff, a beautiful historic town at the mouth of Port Phillip Bay. We enjoyed the market, the fish and chips and strolling the shops where we continued to bump into our partygoing friends!
Jumping on the 2 p.m. ferry across "The Rip," the kilometre wide channel that leads out of Port Phillip Bay into the Bass Straight, we arrived in another scenic seaside town, Sorrento. From here, it was an hour or so back along the shores of the Bay, through Mornington and Frankston, to Glen Waverley.

We realised that many of the beautiful sites of this area are very close, and we may find ourselves in one of these pretty villages, or a nearby winery, or swimming at one of the wonderful beaches in the next few weeks, if we can find the time.

Days 298-300- ITA Weekend- Carpé Diem

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 09:20:00 +0000

Melbourne-Wodonga-Mt. Hotham-Sale-Melbourne: Friday, October 19-21

The local ITA (International Teacher's Association) had planned a weekend in northeastern Victoria in Wodonga, which is on the Murray River. Not wanting to miss another chance to see a new and different part of the state, we left Melbourne on Friday afternoon and followed the Hume Highway northeast to the border region.
Wodonga is a border city, and lies opposite the Murray River from Albury, New South Wales.
We were given directions to the home of Gavan, Margaret and Charlotte Brown, who have twice been on exchange, to Alberta and Birmingham, England. Once out of the city, it was a 3 hour drive to our hosts' home south of the town. Arriving in the dark, we were not able to appreciate the wonderful surroundings that awaited us.
We were instructed to meet the other attendees at the visitor centre on the causeway across the Murray that links the two cities. Colleen, Kevin and I, along with the Brown's teenage daughter Charlotte, arrived in time to explore the farmer's market that was already underway.
Shortly, we met up with Kim and Marlene Norsworthy (Edmonton) and Jeannie Whitehead (UK), who were the only other attendees (Jeannie by default, as her exchange is in Wodonga!).
The turnout was disappointing, but we more than made the best of it! Having Jeannie as our senior tour guide and Charlotte as our junior guide, we quickly planned out our day to include visits to the Murray River, the War Memorial, the Albury Train Station (very beautiful and historic architecture, and having the longest platform in the southern hemisphere), the Hume Dam, the Hume Reservoir (sadly only 25% full) and an original post-war immigrant village. And this was just the morning tour! The problems this area is experiencing with water are so apparent when looking at the reservoir. We drove the boat ramp 250 metres to the bottom and were still 500 metres from the water. No significant rain has fallen here in the last 6 months, whereas south of the Alps, just a few hundred kilometres away, severe floods were experienced this past winter.
We drove off to the historic gold mining village of Yackandandah for lunch and were joined by Charlotte's parents. We also visited Beechworth, where Ned Kelly was captured. This gold town was so rich that all the buildings were constructed with very resilient local yellow coloured granite, and so they have all survived, and the town has an amazing 19th century feel. The shops were quaint, the bakery and candy shop were worth the line ups and the Ned Kelly history palpable. Colleen even sent a real "telegraph" to her Mom and Dad from the old "Telegraph Station."
Later, we drove back to Albury and enjoyed a lovely BBQ at the home of other former exchange teachers. It was too bad that our contingent was so small as they missed a wonderful day and a great party!

We awoke very early on Sunday with the goal of returning to Glen Waverley by the Great Alpine Road. This route winds its way through the hills south of Yackandandah, through Bright, over the top of the Alps at Mount Hotham Ski Resort, and south down to the ocean near Sale, and back to Melbourne. This route is significantly longer and slower than the Hume Highway and would take over 7 hours. Our reasoning was that this would be our only chance to see the eastern Alpine Country and Mount Kosciuszko, the highest mountain in Australia (in the NSW section of the Snowy Mountains).
An interesting aside to the drive was that it was already quite warm when we left and along the road, we expected we might see a snake or two sunning on the black asphalt. We did! The first one already had the Michelin imprint still left on it, and the second, a large black snake coiled in my lane, also received my Michelin tread design, despite me swerving to miss it.
We had been on the road since 7 a.m. heading for Bright, where we enjoyed croissants and lattés. Then came the steep, winding climb to the top of Mount Hotham village (1,750 metres ASL, just 100 metres below the summit). The hairpin turns and blind corners would be a nightmare in winter! It was almost +20 C at the top with a gusty wind and most of the snow at the summit was gone, so the ice and chain warnings were unnecessary.
The descent through Dinner Plain was much more gradual down to Omeo. Then we followed the road along a beautiful river valley for many more kilometres, arriving at Bairnsdale, on the A1 "Princes Highway" near Lakes Entrance just after noon. It was worth the extra time and sometimes slow going to enjoy this wonderful alpine area.
The next part of the drive we had done back in January in our rented motor home and was easy. Just a 3 hour drive, which Colleen and I shared, and we were home.
It was another excellent weekend! Thanks to the ITA's who planned it, our gracious hosts who provided bed and breakfast, and for those who were able to particpate, it was worth the drive. We enjoyed making new friends and seeing fellow exchangees.
Don't miss this corner of the country if you have a chance to go!

Days 291-293- Sydneysider meets Melbournian

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 08:18:00 +0000

Days 291-293- Sunny Days in Melbourne

Melbourne- Friday, October 12 to Sunday, October 14

We had the pleasure of a visit this weekend from my former Ruth Thompson Middle School colleague, Sunny Jatana, who has immigrated to Australia after studying here a few years back. He taught with me in Canada in 2006 and finished the school year in 2007 before moving here. It was the end of his school holidays so he decided to come down to the better city (he lives in Sydney) to see what all the fuss is about here in Melbourne.
I picked up Sunny at Southern Cross Station Friday night where he had finished the 12 hour bus journey late Friday, and we explored the city on Saturday.
We sampled the Queen Vic Market, the Immigration Museum, Melbourne Central Shopping District, the Shot Tower, Flinders Lane Cafés, Ian Potter Museum of Art, The Indian Music Festival at Confederation Square, St. Kilda Pier (another latté stop!), quaffed foamy beverages on the street in St. Kilda, rode the trams and trains...
As you can see, we packed in a lot in one Saturday, and would have continued through Sunday, except that Sunny was due back in Sydney for a Sunday afternoon wedding!
It was a great weekend of pretending to be a Melburnian and showing off this great city to the noveau Sydneysider.

Days 282-286- Chilin' in Darwin

noreply@blogger.com (rodmurr) — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 11:37:00 +0000

Day 282- “Crikey! There’s another croc!” - Mary River Billabong Cruise

Point Stuart to Darwin via Litchfield National Park- Wednesday, October 3, 2007

It was still dark when Colleen and I arose and first checked the location of the St. Andrew’s Cross spider just in case it had found its way into our luggage. It was still where we had seen it the night before.
The Mary River Billabong is one of the largest rivers in the area that is cut into billabongs (disconnected ponds) during the dry season. The 15 km section that we cruised has the largest population of crocs, both Estuarine and Freshie, anywhere. No sooner had our guide, a kind of Crocodile Dundee wannabe, launched the tour boat, we were sitting amongst a group of crocs 100 metres down the bank. Seeing the two species close up, one beside the other allowed us to learn a lot about their similarities and differences. Freshies, we were told, are not interested in eating you, while the Estuarine (or Salties), actually want to hunt you down. I was not prepared to test this proposition.
The bird life in this billabong is quite diverse. Our first observation of bird life here was a Jabiru, a large stork like bird, fighting a crocodile over a fish meal! The croc lept from the water but was no match for the bird, believe it or not!
The Mary River area is world renowned for its bird life, and as our guide began to name of the birds we were observing, I began a list that kept going down the page. The birds were in such number and variety that one could easily forget the number o crocs in the water! They are everywhere! It may be true that the largest concentration of both Estuarine and Freshwater Crocs is found here. It certainly looked that way.
Heading off towards Litchfield National Park, we stopped at Banyan Tree Caravan Park for lunch under the giant fig tree. The area here is well known for its diversity of termites, and more specifically, the various forms of mounds that different species contruct. Some make no mound at all, but two species, the “Cathedral” and “Magnetic” create unique towers, the former a corrugated mound up to 3 metres and the latter, perfectly north-south aligned that look like tombstones.
The afternoon was spent in the cool waters of Florence Falls, swimming in the deep pool while being pinched by Barramundi.
Finally, we headed back towards Darwin and its humidity, to be dropped off in front of the Cavanagh backpackers. We were picked up by by my friend Steve Hawkins, who was on exchange to my school in Mississauga in 2004 and who now works for the Northern territory Department of Education. His apartment faces the Beagle Gulf of the Timor Sea and we watched the sun go down over the ocean from his 3rd floor verandah as we caught up on our adventures and his most recent travels.

Day 283- Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory

Darwin- Thursday, October 4

We were moving slowly as it was the first day of not having to rise early in 3 weeks and some of us were having a harder time than others getting out of bed. When we had all got ourselves going (Steve had gone off to work after dropping me off at the airport to hire a car), we drove to the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. The collection of Aboriginal art, Cyclone Tracy memorabilia and WWII Darwin bombing archives is quite extensive. We met Danielle, one of our Wayward Bus travelling companions, who had the rest of the day to kill in town before her flight home to Brisbane.
The Museum turned out to be one of those little gems where the small but eclectic exhibits give one deep insights into the city and the Territory. The Cyclone Tracy exhibit was particularly extensive, and we were reminded at how often the city has had to be rebuilt due to war and storms.
Downtown's Smith Street is a pedestrian mall with many Aboriginal Art Galleries to explore. We inrerupted our shopping with a visit to our first Cold Rock Ice Cream parlour, which has outlets around Australia. This was our first and the ice crea, rates very highly. Little did we know that Steve's work colleague owns the Baskin Robbins across the street.
We returned to the Thursday evening Mendil Beach Market and did more serious ouvenir shopping, buying some Aboriginal prints from an Arnhem Land artist, and some tacky souvenirs too, which shall be given to some lucky (or unlucky as the case may be) friends back home...so watch out!
For supper, we met Steve at the Stokes Hill Wharf, which has a wide variety of "take-away" restaurants. We sat on the pier and watched the sun set as we ate Thai food washed down with various local beverages.
Near the wharf is the outdoor "Deckchair Cinema" which is exactly like its name. Although the film selection was not the best choice, we had a great time sitting under the stars watching the film.

Day 284- Darwin's WWII History

Darwin- Friday, October 5

East Point Military Museum is a privately owned museum set up in the battery and gun emplacement with a replica 9.2 inch gun that was built near the end of the war and never used. We visited part way through the morning. There were lots of old artillery and vehicles, but the heat outside sent is back in, where lots of war memorabilia were on display. The highlight, though, was a 15 minute film about the bombing of Darwin by the Japanese. It was hard to imagine that the city suffered over 300 casualties, and that the 64 bombing attacks are not well known.
Later, we returned to the downtown area and expored more art galleries (much to the chagrin of the boys).
We headed back to Steve's, crossed the road by the bay and swam in the pool in the heat and humidity of the late afternoon as the sun set again over the Timor Sea.

Day 285-286- Homeward Bound, but first, let's go for a swim

Time was running out and we felt that we had to make good use of our last day in the heat of the Tropics. Colleen and I got up early and walked the track along the ocean for and hour before returning to Steve's. The boys were barely awake, so we rousted them, told them to grab their bathing suits ("bathers" in Oz), and headed out of town to the nearest swiming hole, Berry Springs, about half an hour south of town.
We grabbed breakfast on the way and were swimming by 11 am. The pools were warm and the sun strong. Colleen, still not quite fully comprehending the tropical sun, forgot to put on sunscreen. Even in the water, it seems, you get quite a burn here, and we were all nicely coloured after our swim. We walked the Monsoon forest track in the park and then drove back to the city.
Arriving back at Steve's, we loaded his gear into our car, as he was heading to the airport on his way to Thailand for his holiday. All we had to do was lock up when our flight was scheduled a few hours later.
Unfortuantely, his flight was cancelled and I had to drive back and get him. Steve spent the next few hours rebooking his flight for early Monday. AS Steve was rebooking his flight, we received a call from Virgin Blue requesting that we change routes from the Darwin to Melbourne non-stop to a Darwin-Brisbane-Melbourne flight. The incentive was a free flight home, or rather, a credit for the value of our flight. Economically, it made sense, but the 2 a.m departure, stopover in Brisbane, and the connecting flight home were very uncomfortable. But I am getting ahead of myself.
We had another swim, went with Steve to a downtown restaurant highlighted in the Lonely Planet Guide (The Duck's Nuts), and then headed to the airport ourselves.
It was a long wait, a crammed red-eye flight, and very uncomfortable. We arrived back at Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne at 9 a.m., tired and without transportation home. A taxi ride home is over $100, so we took the bus-train-bus option.
Finally, at 10:30, we stumbled off the bus at the bus stop next to the house, weary but very happy about our 3 week Outback adventure.
We have seen parts of Australia that many Australians have never seen. We have experienced the true Outback and the Red Centre and the Top End. We have watched the sunset over the desert, over Uluru and over the Timor Sea.
And Monday, when I go back to school, there are only 9 weeks left here, and we will be heading home. Time is running out.