Friday, September 29, 2006

Darwinism

Darwinism


Today we are poking around the cultural exhibits and activities here in Darwin. There are several interesting museums showcasing indigenous art and their correspondong gift shops which feature Chinese-made replicas of said indigenous art. Nothing says 'Australia' like a plastic, half-scale digeridoo.

One of the more remarkable things about Darwin was Cyclone Tracy. On Christmas eve in 1974, Tracy came and absolutely devestated the town. Something like ninety percent of the population was left homeless from the disaster. Being Christmas and all, many didn't want to be disturbed by the evacuation, especially considering a false alarm cyclone earlier in the week. As a result, hundreds died. Yet, given the town was made of corrugated metal roofing at the time - which was then whipped about at 200mph - it is surprising the total wasn't higher.

Tonight we're going to do a harbour cruise around the local waterways. No promises of crokkies, but the sunset should be spectacular.

posted by ncawthon at 12:54 PM

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Exploring the Top End

Exploring the Top End


After a quiet night in Darwin, we're all tuckered. The day began with an early morning flight from Perth to the Northern Territory, from which we were all a little worse for the wear.

The Qantas flight had about a dozen children on it, all whom were seemingly out of control. There's nothing like a row of screaming kids on takeoff and landing saying they're going to die and that they're sick. Somebody please call the Northern Territories Youth Discipline Authority. It was a case of social contraception. To compound things, we had some severe turbulence coming into the humid air of Darwin.

Darwin itself is predictibly hot and sticky. We're situated next door to the botanical gardens, which provides a good supply of geckos to oogle. We went to a community market along the esplanade which felt very local. Local artisans were selling their mostly non-imported wares. Peggy bought a funky hippy skirt, I bought a belt buckle, Frank bought two crepes (banana and strawberry, respectively) and Chana bought a toy boat powered by burning vegetable oil. Oh, I also found a massive Australian-sized beer, which I am having trouble finishing. It is a cool bottle, but the purchase was certainly quantity over quality.

Tomorrow is more puttering around the 'top end', as they call it and its' local waterways. We head to a giant Crocodile-shaped hotel at Kakadu the day following.

posted by ncawthon at 9:50 PM

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

William, it was Nothing

William, it was Nothing


Having extended our leash as far as it could go, we're hightailing it back to Perth for one last night in the heart and soul of Western Australia.

This morning we explored William Bay, a fantastic natural swimming hole right out of the town Denmark. Astute readers will know that the newest arrival in the Mannen / Kousser clan is christened William, motivating us to stop and explore every street, bay, car park and by-way named William. William Bay has been the highlight thus far. Although the wind was constantly howling (similar to the actual William) it was absoluelty gorgeous. Large granite slopes descending into a protected lagoon. Frank was so enthused about climbing that his left leg slipped and unexpectedly explored one of the tidepools. All was well, but we did spend the next 200 km with a sock hanging out our window, a poor man's tumble dryer.

Our hearty lunch today was eaten at William's woolshed in the town of Williams. The town is known for having the world's fastest sheep shearer and the world's slowest kitchen staff. Tonight we will tear Perth to shreds and head off to Darwin in the morning.

posted by ncawthon at 5:47 PM

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

A Treemendous Experience

A Treemendous Experience


September 26th marks the day of the tree here in the southern forests of Western Australia. Our day has been driving all around eucalyptus forests and learning about (hopefully not falling from) the different trees.

This morning, we came about the Bicentennial Tree, the tallest publically-accessible tree platform in the world. Normally I'd be all over a good climb, but this thing was a sketchy encounter at best. Steel bars were impailing this tree in a coil-like pattern all the way up the top. The highest platform, 210 feet tall, was used for fire lookout by the forestry department. Now, the tree has been turned over to tourism, inviting any unsuspecting sap to try and climb it.

No way this attraction would last a day in the states. One slip and you could easily fall to your death. Just slippery steel bars spaced four feet apart with no under-carriage or lanyard to clip onto. I got about thirty rungs up, enough to break a spinal cord, and started thinking twice about the whole thing. Back down I went quite gingerly. Peggy, the excellent tree climber she is, scampered up to the first platform which was about 40ft up. Didn't fare as well going down, but she got back to earth OK. There were some teenagers that did the whole tree - the steel bars were almost vertical at the end - they were much braver than I.

posted by ncawthon at 7:15 PM

Monday, September 25, 2006

From Sea to Shining Sea

From Sea to Shining Sea


Hello from the Southwestern most point on the Australian continent, the Leeuwin lighthouse. This is our second lighthouse of the day, having been to the Naturaliste lighthouse this morning. The Leeuwin is the marker between the Indian and Southern Oceans, although I couldn't eyeball the immediate difference between the two.

Earlier in the day, we went spelunking into the Mammoth Caves which was neither mammoth, nor contained mammoths at any point. The wine region here in Western Australia shares the same geography as the cave region. Margaret River is a quaint little town with surrounding wineries and olive orchards. We poked our head into one of the oldest wineries in the area for some sipping and supplies, planning to sample the local product in full when the day's driving is done.

The driving has been good, we've made good time and spotted plenty of critters on the road to pull over and take a look at. Roos were spotted in the wild today, as was a large Goana lizard. Neither were taken home as dinner.

posted by ncawthon at 6:45 PM

Sunday, September 24, 2006

One fish, Two fish, Whitefish, Bluefish

One fish, Two fish, Whitefish, Bluefish


Today we have had an invigorating day exploring Rockingham and Penguin Island. We're making our way South East from Perth down the coast and will spend the night in Bussleton. Penguin Island was a nature preserve just off the coast a quarter-mile or so and full of.... wait for it... seagulls.

A lively place, we saw sea lions, dolphins, pelicans, penguins, terns, lizards and jellyfish on the small little island the size of a football field or two. The highlight was the feeding of the rehab penguins (Betty Ford clinic of the penguin world) and watching them waddle to and fro. The long term residents of the rehab center had become snobby foodies, rejecting the whitefish sardines by emphatically shaking their heads no. They much more prefer the bluefish, which look identical. Fussy penguins are pretty amusing.

The seagulls were also very interesting, as they were roosting with nests everywhere. As we walked along the boardwalk, every twenty paces or so a gull would squawk up and try to defend their nests. They're not too smart, having made their nests so close to the raised boardwalk. I'd never seen seagull eggs before, there the color of chocolate mint jellybeans, green with brown flecks... camoflauged, no doubt.

Our tour guide ferry driver told an interesting story of the Christmas tsunami and how a couple dozen people got swept out from trying to cross the exposed sand bar onto the island. It is easy to forget that we're straddling the Indian Ocean, having been so accustomed to dipping our toes in the Pacific.

posted by ncawthon at 5:13 PM

Freo, at Last!

Freo, at Last!


We're enjoying a cloudy day in Freemantle, or as the locals affectionately call it, 'Freo'. The Aussie rules football team here just lost to Sydney last night, so the town is in a general state of despair. Freemantle is on the Indian Ocean, at the mouth of the Swan river. Perth is place on the same river about 20 kilometers upstream. Freo is a shipping town (much like Oakland) and has embraced their heritage of whaling, shipwrecks and general surlyness. We've been to two aquatic-themed museums, the shipwreck museum and the maritime museum. I wonder if there was a falling out at some point between the two.

Freo has preserved all of its old architecture and buildings, a contrast from Perth which has adopted a more modern urban mantra. There are sections of the city that feel like a hodgepodge of different condo developments. Perth has an isolated, mid-western feel, like a Billups, Wyoming or a Sioux Falls, South Dakota . Today marks the 150th anniversary of the City of Perth and there couldn't be less made of it. A drawback of being a sleepy little town, I guess.

posted by ncawthon at 11:15 AM