A bird on Heron Island
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.
Not a heron, but there are thousands of these everywhere.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Heron Island week one
On the 22nd, I got a plane from Sydney to Brisbane and then a seven hour train from there to Gladstone. Gladstone is a small industrial town on the east coast of the country, but more importantly for me, the gateway to Heron Island.
Lying 72km off the mainland, Heron Island is 40 acres of coral cay in the southern section of the Great Barrier Reef. I got a job there on the 20th, and would travel there on Monday.
So on the 23rd, I went down to the marina in Gladstone and boarded the daily ferry to the island, with the trip lasting just over two hours. Sailing to Heron is about the equivalent of going to France and back from England at the nearest point.
When I got to Heron, I was immediately struck by its beauty. It's literally like walking into a postcard or travel brochure, with white sandy beaches and crystal clear water. One of the chefs, James, met me at the jetty and took me for a short walk through the main parts of the resort where I would be working, before handing me over to Steve, my roommate. He then showed me all around the island, explaining how everything works. Believe me, it's a lot to take in!
Basically the whole island is split into the resort, a research station and the rest is national park. The staff village is where I live in the middle of the island and accommodation is in twin-share rooms, each with cupboards, verandahs, tables, chairs and fridges. It's not on par with what the guests are used to, but it's certainly more comfortable and relaxed than many hostels. Toilet and shower facilities are shared, but the facilities block - nicknamed Siberia for some reason - is only a short walk away from my room.
I started work on Tuesday and worked every day of last week up to Sunday (the 29th, if you're keeping track). I work in the resort's kitchen as a 'stweard', which basically involves cleaning up, washing dishes and some simple food preparation. It's hard, intense work, but the numbers of guests is declining all the time at this part of the season and it's worth it to live on Heron Island.
The main benefit of living on Heron is that you can enjoy the same lifestyle that guests do, to an extent. All of the activities are available at a hugely reduced price; fishing is $2.50 instead of $65, while a trip in the semi-submersible is $0.40 instead of $30. You can also just relax at the beach, have a swim or go for a walk amongst the coral any time you're not working and beacuse the island is so small, you can get to the beach in about two minutes (walking around the island only takes 20).
All but one of my shifts so far has been 3pm to midnight, thus allowing me to have the entire morning and much of hte afternoon off. I've taken the oppurtunity to fill up this free time with all sorts of activities that we can do for free or a low cost. On Wednesday I went for a free two hour reef walk, which is a guided tour of the inner coral reef. Because coral surrounds the island, you can walk straight off the beach into it and get up really close at low tide. It was a really interesting walk because I've never seen coral up close before and even though it isn't the colourful type that you see in the media, it's fascinating.
On Saturday I went on the semi-submersible, where you sit in the hull of a boat which is lined with windows, so you can look out over the coral and see it like you would if you were diving. They take you out over the outer section of the coral reef, where it's much deeper and more colourful. You can also see all sorts of animals swimming by, from turtles and fish to eagle rays and sharks.
Talking of sharks, Heron Island's beaches and coastal waters are surprisingly safe. There are no box jellyfish - the worst type - and even the less harmful ones are never seen at the beach. There are reef sharks, but they only grow up to about a metre and are more scared of humans than we are of them. Cutting yourself on coral is the only other real danger and that can be easily treated. The best part of the beach apart from the sand is the water temperature though, a warm 25 degrees celcius.
On Sunday I went fishing for three hours before work, which was enjoyable even if I was the only person on the boat not to catch a thing! There's time yet though, especially if it only costs us $2.50 for each trip.
What else is there to say about living and working on Heron Island? Well, it's like living in an aviary sometimes, with about 300,000 birds on the island and only about 300 people at the moment. It's not uncommon to be the 'target' of birds as you walk under trees, so you just walk around a bit quicker than usual! Food on the island is also pretty good too. There's a self-service staff canteen that you can go to at any time during the day where you can help yourself to the three meals served per day along with an ever-present salad bar and (even better) an ice cream freezer.
So I've enjoyed my first week on Heron Island and intend to stay the remaining twelve. It's hard work in the kitchen for sure, but the benefits of living on Heron make it all worth while. It's so relaxed there and such a great experience. Let's hope it stays that way!
Lying 72km off the mainland, Heron Island is 40 acres of coral cay in the southern section of the Great Barrier Reef. I got a job there on the 20th, and would travel there on Monday.
So on the 23rd, I went down to the marina in Gladstone and boarded the daily ferry to the island, with the trip lasting just over two hours. Sailing to Heron is about the equivalent of going to France and back from England at the nearest point.
When I got to Heron, I was immediately struck by its beauty. It's literally like walking into a postcard or travel brochure, with white sandy beaches and crystal clear water. One of the chefs, James, met me at the jetty and took me for a short walk through the main parts of the resort where I would be working, before handing me over to Steve, my roommate. He then showed me all around the island, explaining how everything works. Believe me, it's a lot to take in!
Basically the whole island is split into the resort, a research station and the rest is national park. The staff village is where I live in the middle of the island and accommodation is in twin-share rooms, each with cupboards, verandahs, tables, chairs and fridges. It's not on par with what the guests are used to, but it's certainly more comfortable and relaxed than many hostels. Toilet and shower facilities are shared, but the facilities block - nicknamed Siberia for some reason - is only a short walk away from my room.
I started work on Tuesday and worked every day of last week up to Sunday (the 29th, if you're keeping track). I work in the resort's kitchen as a 'stweard', which basically involves cleaning up, washing dishes and some simple food preparation. It's hard, intense work, but the numbers of guests is declining all the time at this part of the season and it's worth it to live on Heron Island.
The main benefit of living on Heron is that you can enjoy the same lifestyle that guests do, to an extent. All of the activities are available at a hugely reduced price; fishing is $2.50 instead of $65, while a trip in the semi-submersible is $0.40 instead of $30. You can also just relax at the beach, have a swim or go for a walk amongst the coral any time you're not working and beacuse the island is so small, you can get to the beach in about two minutes (walking around the island only takes 20).
All but one of my shifts so far has been 3pm to midnight, thus allowing me to have the entire morning and much of hte afternoon off. I've taken the oppurtunity to fill up this free time with all sorts of activities that we can do for free or a low cost. On Wednesday I went for a free two hour reef walk, which is a guided tour of the inner coral reef. Because coral surrounds the island, you can walk straight off the beach into it and get up really close at low tide. It was a really interesting walk because I've never seen coral up close before and even though it isn't the colourful type that you see in the media, it's fascinating.
On Saturday I went on the semi-submersible, where you sit in the hull of a boat which is lined with windows, so you can look out over the coral and see it like you would if you were diving. They take you out over the outer section of the coral reef, where it's much deeper and more colourful. You can also see all sorts of animals swimming by, from turtles and fish to eagle rays and sharks.
Talking of sharks, Heron Island's beaches and coastal waters are surprisingly safe. There are no box jellyfish - the worst type - and even the less harmful ones are never seen at the beach. There are reef sharks, but they only grow up to about a metre and are more scared of humans than we are of them. Cutting yourself on coral is the only other real danger and that can be easily treated. The best part of the beach apart from the sand is the water temperature though, a warm 25 degrees celcius.
On Sunday I went fishing for three hours before work, which was enjoyable even if I was the only person on the boat not to catch a thing! There's time yet though, especially if it only costs us $2.50 for each trip.
What else is there to say about living and working on Heron Island? Well, it's like living in an aviary sometimes, with about 300,000 birds on the island and only about 300 people at the moment. It's not uncommon to be the 'target' of birds as you walk under trees, so you just walk around a bit quicker than usual! Food on the island is also pretty good too. There's a self-service staff canteen that you can go to at any time during the day where you can help yourself to the three meals served per day along with an ever-present salad bar and (even better) an ice cream freezer.
So I've enjoyed my first week on Heron Island and intend to stay the remaining twelve. It's hard work in the kitchen for sure, but the benefits of living on Heron make it all worth while. It's so relaxed there and such a great experience. Let's hope it stays that way!
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Off to Heron Island
Today all I did was to prepare for going to Heron Island tomorrow. This morning I went down to Work and Travel to check my email and the woman from the resort had sent me a load of information and forms to read through, which I did. You can find out about Heron Island at their website.
So I went and bought a pair of steel-toe-capped work boots, a new pair of jeans (my old ones fell apart in New Zealand) and three shirts. Being an exclusive resort, you've got to dress 'smart casual' a lot of the time when you're not working, so I've replaced a few older T-shirts that are wearing out with these new smarter ones.
So this might be the last time you hear from me for a while. There's no mobile phone coverage on the island and only one computer for 135 staff! I should be able to access the Internet at Gladstone, the mainland town nearest to the island, maybe once every ten days or so.
Tomorrow I catch a flight from Sydney to Brisbane, then get a train from Brisbane to Gladstone in the afternoon, arriving at about 6.30pm. On Monday morning I'll catch the ferry to the island and I think I actually start work on Tuesday.
So I went and bought a pair of steel-toe-capped work boots, a new pair of jeans (my old ones fell apart in New Zealand) and three shirts. Being an exclusive resort, you've got to dress 'smart casual' a lot of the time when you're not working, so I've replaced a few older T-shirts that are wearing out with these new smarter ones.
So this might be the last time you hear from me for a while. There's no mobile phone coverage on the island and only one computer for 135 staff! I should be able to access the Internet at Gladstone, the mainland town nearest to the island, maybe once every ten days or so.
Tomorrow I catch a flight from Sydney to Brisbane, then get a train from Brisbane to Gladstone in the afternoon, arriving at about 6.30pm. On Monday morning I'll catch the ferry to the island and I think I actually start work on Tuesday.
19
Friday was my 19th birthday, my first away from home and probably my most eventful. In the morning I went to the Work and Travel office, read my emails and then arranged to meet up with Ness and Brian, some friends I know from home (Ness is the daughter of our neighbour at home and now lives out in Australia with Brian).
I met Ness down at Circular Quay and we caught a ferry to Manly, one of the suburbs on the northern shore of the harbour. We went for a quick walk round and it seemed like a nice place, although a bit too like an English seaside resort (they actually wanted to rename it Brighton a few decades ago).
After Brian picked us up and drove us back to their house, Ness drove me around the area to show me a few local sights. When we were at a lookout overlooking Manly, I got a phone call from the woman at Heron Island. She offered me the job!
Of course I accepted and much relieved, I returned with Ness to their house for dinner. We had a nice meal accompanied by champagne (and even custard; a favourite of mine that's rarely available outside of the UK in a ready-made form).
I got a phone call from home which was great and it was also nice to be with people I know for my birthday. I knew that Christmas and my birthday wouldn't be normal for these two years, but at least I've been with farmiliar company for both.
I met Ness down at Circular Quay and we caught a ferry to Manly, one of the suburbs on the northern shore of the harbour. We went for a quick walk round and it seemed like a nice place, although a bit too like an English seaside resort (they actually wanted to rename it Brighton a few decades ago).
After Brian picked us up and drove us back to their house, Ness drove me around the area to show me a few local sights. When we were at a lookout overlooking Manly, I got a phone call from the woman at Heron Island. She offered me the job!
Of course I accepted and much relieved, I returned with Ness to their house for dinner. We had a nice meal accompanied by champagne (and even custard; a favourite of mine that's rarely available outside of the UK in a ready-made form).
I got a phone call from home which was great and it was also nice to be with people I know for my birthday. I knew that Christmas and my birthday wouldn't be normal for these two years, but at least I've been with farmiliar company for both.
Bear
Bear
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.
Forgive me, I don't know exactly what type of bear this is!
Friday, January 20, 2006
A Zoo and an interview
On Thursday morning I went down to the Royal Botanical Gardens because it's one of the quietest places I could find and had my phone interview with a woman at Heron Island. I think it went fairly well even though I was hurried on some questions and couldn't answer fully. They'd also changed my application to be a kitchen steward instead of a room attendant because there were other people more qualified.
After the interview, I went back to the Work and Travel office and then had lunch before going to Taronga Zoo. Located across the harbour on the northern shore, it's fairly expensive compared to something like the aquarium, but probably worth the cost. Like any zoo, there are plenty of tigers, lions and the like, but this one has a more Australasian theme with plenty of kangaroos and other native animals, some of which I haven't seen before.
After a trip to the zoo, I returned to Base Backpackers and then went to the Work and Travel office where they were hosting a 'Northern Territory discovery night'. It was basically a big PR event with lots of tour operators and the tourism board for the NT there, but they were giving away free food and drink as well as prizes. The Northern Territory isn't one of the most popular areas of Australia, but it's definitely worth a visit and it's somewhere I'll no doubt be heading sooner or later.
After the interview, I went back to the Work and Travel office and then had lunch before going to Taronga Zoo. Located across the harbour on the northern shore, it's fairly expensive compared to something like the aquarium, but probably worth the cost. Like any zoo, there are plenty of tigers, lions and the like, but this one has a more Australasian theme with plenty of kangaroos and other native animals, some of which I haven't seen before.
After a trip to the zoo, I returned to Base Backpackers and then went to the Work and Travel office where they were hosting a 'Northern Territory discovery night'. It was basically a big PR event with lots of tour operators and the tourism board for the NT there, but they were giving away free food and drink as well as prizes. The Northern Territory isn't one of the most popular areas of Australia, but it's definitely worth a visit and it's somewhere I'll no doubt be heading sooner or later.
The day I bought an umbrella
In short, Sydney's weather is hardly ideal at the moment. Every day it's raining very lightly, but enough to stop you from going out and doing anything. It's so frustrating to be stuck inside or limited to indoor attractions. So on Tuesday I went and bought my first umbrella, in summer-time Sydney of all places!
After going to Work and Travel in the morning to check on the Internet, I met up with Victoria for lunch. She was travelling off to Melbourne, so I said goodbye shortly after and walked to the Sydney Aquarium in Darling Harbour.
Apparently the Sydney Aquarium is the country's most visited attraction, and I don't know whether to be surprised at that or not. I would have thought that something like Uluru or the Opera House would top it, but not so. When you visit the aquarium though, it's obvious why it's so highly recommended by everyone.
The aquarium is split up into different zones themed by environment, incorporating all sorts of different marine wildlife, from starfish to alligators and sharks. There are even three tanks which you can walk through in glass tunnels, with the fish swimming all around you.
After visiting the aquarium, I went to Work and Travel and then to Base Backpackers to book a few more nights, before going to Hyde Park to have a quiet read. That evening I had a walk around Darling Harbour, which I hadn't seen at night before.
On Wednesday morning I checked out of the Wood Duck Inn and got a taxi back to Base, where I checked in. My new room is actually double the size of the old one with the same number of beds, which is quite unusual for a city hostel.
I spent much of the day at the Work and Travel office, waiting for a phone call from the people at the resort, but they didn't call so I asked the job advisors to follow up the application. The woman who had handled my application arranged a telephone interview for the following morning, which I was really pleased about because I could at least prepare for a certain time and not spend whole days worrying about phone signal strength.
After going to Work and Travel in the morning to check on the Internet, I met up with Victoria for lunch. She was travelling off to Melbourne, so I said goodbye shortly after and walked to the Sydney Aquarium in Darling Harbour.
Apparently the Sydney Aquarium is the country's most visited attraction, and I don't know whether to be surprised at that or not. I would have thought that something like Uluru or the Opera House would top it, but not so. When you visit the aquarium though, it's obvious why it's so highly recommended by everyone.
The aquarium is split up into different zones themed by environment, incorporating all sorts of different marine wildlife, from starfish to alligators and sharks. There are even three tanks which you can walk through in glass tunnels, with the fish swimming all around you.
After visiting the aquarium, I went to Work and Travel and then to Base Backpackers to book a few more nights, before going to Hyde Park to have a quiet read. That evening I had a walk around Darling Harbour, which I hadn't seen at night before.
On Wednesday morning I checked out of the Wood Duck Inn and got a taxi back to Base, where I checked in. My new room is actually double the size of the old one with the same number of beds, which is quite unusual for a city hostel.
I spent much of the day at the Work and Travel office, waiting for a phone call from the people at the resort, but they didn't call so I asked the job advisors to follow up the application. The woman who had handled my application arranged a telephone interview for the following morning, which I was really pleased about because I could at least prepare for a certain time and not spend whole days worrying about phone signal strength.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Art Gallery of NSW
Art Gallery of NSW
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.
An exhibition in the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
The Endeavour
The Endeavour
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.
A replica of Captain Cook's Endeavour at the National Maritime Museum.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Work
Going around New Zealand for three months without working puts a dent in your budget to say the least, so I've been looking for work since I've been in Sydney. On Friday, I went to an orientation talk at the Work and Travel Company office, which lasted for four hours and went through a series of topics, from the facilities available to us and working in Australia to tax and beach safety. After that, we all went out for lunch down the road and then I spent much of the afternoon going through various bits of paperwork that needed to be filled in for me to start looking for a job.
On Saturday, I went down to the Work and Travel office early and gave in all my forms to one of the employment advisors. She said that if I wanted retail work of any sort, I would have to go door to door, because shops don't really come to them to look for workers because we're bound by a limit of three months to work for one company. So I spent most of the afternoon going to various shops and enquiring about vacancies. I left my CV with a dozen of them, but the general vibe I got was that no one was really looking to hire because of the time of year.
That evening I went to The Spirit of New Orleans: Jazz in the Domain, a free concert in one of the city's central parks. About 70,000 turned up to see the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Terrance Simien. There was a great atmosphere and although you couldn't see a lot from where I was, the music was great.
On Sunday I had a day off from worrying about finding a job and went first to the New South Wales Art Gallery. It's got a fairly diverse range of galleries, with European and Australian art, old and new. There's also a exhibition on Pissaro on at the moment, the 'first impressionist', which was interesting although very busy. I had lunch in the cafe there and then continued down to Mrs Macquaries' Point, a great viewpoint over the harbour only sploilt by the overcast sky. I then headed back to the city centre via the Royal Botanical Gardens, which are surprisingly good and full of all sorts of plants and animals you'd never see at home, but I guess that's kind of obvious.
When I got back to the city centre, I got on the monorail for the first time. It's a small circuit, looping to Darling Harbour and back every four minutes or so. It seems more of a novelty than anything, but I guess you've got to do it once. So I got off at Darling Harbour, just to the west of the city centre, where I went to the National Maritime Museum. Like a lot of the museums in Australasia, this one is both excellent and free. One thing I did pay for though, was entry to a replica of the Endeavour, the ship that Captain Cook sailed to New Zealand and Australia (amongst other places) in. It's exactly the same as the original, except this one has a 400bhp engine, something I'm sure Cook would have found useful!
That evening, I went to another free Sydney Festival event, this time in Darling Harbour. The Concert of Fire wasn't as big as the Jazz in the Domain, but it was definitely more spectacular. It was basically a series of percussion pieces interjected with fireworks, a strange but suitable mixture. I also met a girl there called Victoria there, who was also an English backpacker. Like me, she'd been to several of the Sydney Festival events, particularly the free outdoor ones.
On Monday, I got up early and checked out of Base Backpackers and went to the Work and Travel office. There I applied for a resort job that I'd spotted on Saturday. It involves living on an island on the Great Barrier Reef for three months, working as a room attendant for 35-40 hours a week. It would be fantastic if I got it and at the time of writing, I'm waiting for them to call me.
I then got a taxi to the Wood Duck Inn, another hostel I'd read about in the Rough Guide. It was still fairly central, but not as expensive. In fact, I got a two bed dorm for only $20, which is almost unheard of. After dumping my stuff there, I met up with Victoria for lunch and then we went to the Museum of Sydney, which had a special exhibition on Bondi Beach on as well as its permanent ones.
Admittedly, I spent a lot of the day glancing down at my phone to check if I still had signal, just in case the resort company would phone me! I hate having to wait like that, knowing that what you're doing in the next three months is dependant on whether you get a job or not, and that decision is in someone else's hands. Anyway, wish me luck!
On Saturday, I went down to the Work and Travel office early and gave in all my forms to one of the employment advisors. She said that if I wanted retail work of any sort, I would have to go door to door, because shops don't really come to them to look for workers because we're bound by a limit of three months to work for one company. So I spent most of the afternoon going to various shops and enquiring about vacancies. I left my CV with a dozen of them, but the general vibe I got was that no one was really looking to hire because of the time of year.
That evening I went to The Spirit of New Orleans: Jazz in the Domain, a free concert in one of the city's central parks. About 70,000 turned up to see the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Terrance Simien. There was a great atmosphere and although you couldn't see a lot from where I was, the music was great.
On Sunday I had a day off from worrying about finding a job and went first to the New South Wales Art Gallery. It's got a fairly diverse range of galleries, with European and Australian art, old and new. There's also a exhibition on Pissaro on at the moment, the 'first impressionist', which was interesting although very busy. I had lunch in the cafe there and then continued down to Mrs Macquaries' Point, a great viewpoint over the harbour only sploilt by the overcast sky. I then headed back to the city centre via the Royal Botanical Gardens, which are surprisingly good and full of all sorts of plants and animals you'd never see at home, but I guess that's kind of obvious.
When I got back to the city centre, I got on the monorail for the first time. It's a small circuit, looping to Darling Harbour and back every four minutes or so. It seems more of a novelty than anything, but I guess you've got to do it once. So I got off at Darling Harbour, just to the west of the city centre, where I went to the National Maritime Museum. Like a lot of the museums in Australasia, this one is both excellent and free. One thing I did pay for though, was entry to a replica of the Endeavour, the ship that Captain Cook sailed to New Zealand and Australia (amongst other places) in. It's exactly the same as the original, except this one has a 400bhp engine, something I'm sure Cook would have found useful!
That evening, I went to another free Sydney Festival event, this time in Darling Harbour. The Concert of Fire wasn't as big as the Jazz in the Domain, but it was definitely more spectacular. It was basically a series of percussion pieces interjected with fireworks, a strange but suitable mixture. I also met a girl there called Victoria there, who was also an English backpacker. Like me, she'd been to several of the Sydney Festival events, particularly the free outdoor ones.
On Monday, I got up early and checked out of Base Backpackers and went to the Work and Travel office. There I applied for a resort job that I'd spotted on Saturday. It involves living on an island on the Great Barrier Reef for three months, working as a room attendant for 35-40 hours a week. It would be fantastic if I got it and at the time of writing, I'm waiting for them to call me.
I then got a taxi to the Wood Duck Inn, another hostel I'd read about in the Rough Guide. It was still fairly central, but not as expensive. In fact, I got a two bed dorm for only $20, which is almost unheard of. After dumping my stuff there, I met up with Victoria for lunch and then we went to the Museum of Sydney, which had a special exhibition on Bondi Beach on as well as its permanent ones.
Admittedly, I spent a lot of the day glancing down at my phone to check if I still had signal, just in case the resort company would phone me! I hate having to wait like that, knowing that what you're doing in the next three months is dependant on whether you get a job or not, and that decision is in someone else's hands. Anyway, wish me luck!
Monday, January 16, 2006
Sydney
On Thursday, I spent my first full day in Sydney walking around and getting my bearings. From Base Backpackers, I walked 1km north to Circular Quay, the city's transport hub at the harbourside, before continuing round to the Opera House. Australia's iconic building is as beautiful as you might think, and more imposing than in any pictures of it. You can't walk inside unless you're on a tour or going to a performance, but the exterior is probably enough for most people. It's a great landmark for Sydney and without it, I don't think it would have anything like its unique identity.
From the Opera House, I walked back around through Circular Quay to The Rocks, Sydney's historical quarter. It's here that the city grew from and it contains Sydney's oldest (still standing) private house. From The Rocks, I ventured up on to the Harbour Bridge and along to one of the pylon lookouts, which look like little castles at each end of the bridge. For only $8, you can get a similar viewpoint to that of the full bridge climb ($160) and you can your camera up to get the photos you want, not just one included in a package.
After returning to Circular Quay, I went to The Domain, a central park, and then on to the State Library which was interesting if a little stale. I then went back to the Work and Travel Company office to get my membership card, which gave me access to all their services, like free Internet. Just to recap, Work and Travel are a company who provide a job finding service, as well as combining things like accommodation, visa applications, tax file numbers, etc. in several of their packages. Basically, they make a lot of things a little bit easier.
In the evening, I went to Olympic Park where free films are being put on as part of the Sydney Festival. They've got a big screen in a large grassy area in front of the main stadium, and all you have to pay for is the transport to get there. I met an English girl there called Tracey, who was doing exactly the same as me, checking out all of hte free events being put on as part of hte Sydney Festival. We watched Triplets of Belleville, a French and English animated film which I knew nothing about before I saw it, but turned out to be excellent.
From the Opera House, I walked back around through Circular Quay to The Rocks, Sydney's historical quarter. It's here that the city grew from and it contains Sydney's oldest (still standing) private house. From The Rocks, I ventured up on to the Harbour Bridge and along to one of the pylon lookouts, which look like little castles at each end of the bridge. For only $8, you can get a similar viewpoint to that of the full bridge climb ($160) and you can your camera up to get the photos you want, not just one included in a package.
After returning to Circular Quay, I went to The Domain, a central park, and then on to the State Library which was interesting if a little stale. I then went back to the Work and Travel Company office to get my membership card, which gave me access to all their services, like free Internet. Just to recap, Work and Travel are a company who provide a job finding service, as well as combining things like accommodation, visa applications, tax file numbers, etc. in several of their packages. Basically, they make a lot of things a little bit easier.
In the evening, I went to Olympic Park where free films are being put on as part of the Sydney Festival. They've got a big screen in a large grassy area in front of the main stadium, and all you have to pay for is the transport to get there. I met an English girl there called Tracey, who was doing exactly the same as me, checking out all of hte free events being put on as part of hte Sydney Festival. We watched Triplets of Belleville, a French and English animated film which I knew nothing about before I saw it, but turned out to be excellent.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Goodbye New Zealand, Hello Australia!
On Monday, I went into Napier town centre to re-confirm my flight to Australia, then got on an Inter City coach to Auckland, which left at 11:30 and didn't arrive until 18:30. I checked into Auckland Central Backpackers again, this time for a couple of nights, before going for a short walk around the city centre. The next day I went to the IEP office in the morning and updated this, since I was about a month behind! In the evening, I went out to an IEP pubmeet, which was at the Empire Hotel where they were again holding a quiz night.
On Wednesday, I checked out of ACB, went to IEP and used up my New Zealand phone card by calling home, Rebekka and my grandmother for an hour (in total, not each!). At about 11, I got on the AirBus coach to the airport, which took about an hour to get there. Learning from previous experience, I allowed more than enough time to check in, have lunch, pay my departure tax and go through security. I got to the gate early enough that a guy from the Department of Tourism (or similar) asked me to contribute to a survey and go through a ton of questions with me. They basically wanted to know where I had been, for how long and what I'd done; which took about 30 minutes in all. Once I was finished with that, it was time to board and on I got, leaving a country I'd been in for the last 91 days.
So, final impressions of New Zealand... Well, I couldn't recommended it enough as a place to visit. Its landscape is its strong point and within it there's so much variety, not just what you see in the likes of The Lord Of The Rings. The South Island in particular, has golden sandy beachs, tropical rainforest next to glaciers, spectacular fjords and towering mountains, breathtaking coastal scenery, shimmering lakes and wildlife to match any number of countries. Better yet, this is all so close together and accessible, while remaining largely unspoilt. Beaches, roads and the like never seem to get busy. New Zealand is geared up for tourism and reliant on it, but it's not overwhelmed by it either.
The flight itself was fairly routine, a three hour hop across the Tasman Sea to Sydney Kingsford. When I got there, I didn't have any problems with immigration, even though I put down that I'd recently been in a rural area, a question that's red-flagged. A representative from the Work and Travel Company met a girl who had flown in from Hawaii and I in the arrivals lounge and drove us to our hostel in town, going via a few sights like Bondi Beach. We were checked in and given a few pieces of information about the area, before being left to unpack and get to know our roommates.
After being in New Zealand for three months, there are a lot of things here that are fairly similar, but the weather certainly isn't. When I walked out into the car park at hte airport, it was like hitting a wall of heat. It was just so hot and humid, even though it was lightly raining. Whatever the weather, whatever time of day it is, you never need to wear more than one layer of clothing. The climate certainly takes a bit of getting used to!
On Wednesday, I checked out of ACB, went to IEP and used up my New Zealand phone card by calling home, Rebekka and my grandmother for an hour (in total, not each!). At about 11, I got on the AirBus coach to the airport, which took about an hour to get there. Learning from previous experience, I allowed more than enough time to check in, have lunch, pay my departure tax and go through security. I got to the gate early enough that a guy from the Department of Tourism (or similar) asked me to contribute to a survey and go through a ton of questions with me. They basically wanted to know where I had been, for how long and what I'd done; which took about 30 minutes in all. Once I was finished with that, it was time to board and on I got, leaving a country I'd been in for the last 91 days.
So, final impressions of New Zealand... Well, I couldn't recommended it enough as a place to visit. Its landscape is its strong point and within it there's so much variety, not just what you see in the likes of The Lord Of The Rings. The South Island in particular, has golden sandy beachs, tropical rainforest next to glaciers, spectacular fjords and towering mountains, breathtaking coastal scenery, shimmering lakes and wildlife to match any number of countries. Better yet, this is all so close together and accessible, while remaining largely unspoilt. Beaches, roads and the like never seem to get busy. New Zealand is geared up for tourism and reliant on it, but it's not overwhelmed by it either.
The flight itself was fairly routine, a three hour hop across the Tasman Sea to Sydney Kingsford. When I got there, I didn't have any problems with immigration, even though I put down that I'd recently been in a rural area, a question that's red-flagged. A representative from the Work and Travel Company met a girl who had flown in from Hawaii and I in the arrivals lounge and drove us to our hostel in town, going via a few sights like Bondi Beach. We were checked in and given a few pieces of information about the area, before being left to unpack and get to know our roommates.
After being in New Zealand for three months, there are a lot of things here that are fairly similar, but the weather certainly isn't. When I walked out into the car park at hte airport, it was like hitting a wall of heat. It was just so hot and humid, even though it was lightly raining. Whatever the weather, whatever time of day it is, you never need to wear more than one layer of clothing. The climate certainly takes a bit of getting used to!
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