Cruise Ship Australia

Sydney Australia

Our main flight across the Pacific was scheduled to leave Houston at 8pm on Friday, 2/17/24.  We arrived early, of course.  Soon, the captain arrived at the gate and picked up the mic, which was very unusual.  He stated it was his last flight after 41 years of flying for United.  Also, his grandson will be on board.  This got a round of applause.  Next, he gave the good news.  Because of a strong tailwind, the 17 1/2 hour flight will be one hour less.  The bad news is we cannot land early in Sydney and will take off one hour later.

The longest night

The flight was very looooonnng.  We took off at 9pm Friday and would land at 7am on Monday.  Crossing the international date line means missing Sunday.  Fortunately, we will get a day back on Feb 29, leap day.  It was dark when we took off and never got light until Australia was in sight.  We were traveling in the same direction as the world spins. 

We had to plan to get enough sleep to compensate for missing two nights but to allow us to sleep when we got to Australia.  We were very prepared for the long trip, and the adventure was worth it. 

Monday, Feb 19

On arrival, passport control and Customs went smoothly.  We picked up a sim card for my old extra phone to communicate and navigate.  We picked up the rental car we had booked and headed out of Sydney as quickly as possible.  We do not like big cities and wanted to meet my second cousin, 90 90-minute drive south down the coast.

 We got to our hotel, unpacked, and took a one-hour nap.  Just after our nap, second cousin Jane asked if we were up to meeting for dinner with her husband Rob.  They picked us up, and we ended up at the Jackeroo Pub.  We did lots of family catching up.

I apologize for being late.  I had arranged to stay with them in 1981 as I applied for immigration to Australia.  My move involved stopping in Los Angeles to experience the US culture before completing my trip to Australia.  I never made it.  Of course, I ended up staying in the States, getting married, and becoming a citizen.  Australia lost out.  So, this trip to Sydney is a long overdue pilgrimage.

Tuesday, Feb 20   

We both slept surprisingly well after the 17-hour time change, all refreshed.  We headed to Jane and Rob's house and met their son Harry, 21.  Jane had to work, so Rob took us on a mountain tour to hunt for wild Kangaroos.  Merry visited many thrift shops, which are very popular in the country.  We ended up in Belmore, a sheep [Ram] town with the world’s largest [concrete sheep], 50ft tall, called the Big Merino.  We could even go inside. 

After lunch, out of nowhere, it started to rain quite hard.  We continued around a loop, ending at a double waterfall at Belmore.

We ended back at my cousin's house, and we returned to our motel for a quick nap.  In the evening, Cousin Jane and Ron met us at a restaurant near our motel in Kiana.  A lovely day.

Wed Feb 21

We had a slow start and then explored the local Kiana town center.   A charming seaside town named the ‘best small town to live in, in Australia’ award.  Next, we traveled to the larger city of Shell Harbor and explored the city mall and bigger shops.  I enjoyed Bunnings, a big box hardware store like Home Depot, a place where I feel at home.    After lunch, we returned to meet Rob in Kiama to visit the farmers market celebrating its 10-year anniversary.  We had an ice crème and sampled wine.  After the market, Rob gave us one last tour inland to Berry, kangaroo hunting.  We walked the main street and then headed home.  No luck with the kangaroos.  I think kangaroos don’t exist, like the Loch Ness monster.

Back at the motel it is time to pack up, as we leave for a day in the big city- Sydney the next morning. 3.5million population.

Thurs Feb 22

We packed the car and headed north for our last full day before our cruise.  We stopped in a small town on the outskirts of Sydney Engadine.  We wandered around the town center and had lunch at what they call Macka, short for Mcdonald's.

After lunch, we held our breath as we entered Sydney for real, white-knuckling as the Aussi guidance from the car’s GPS.  We filled the car with petrol, wormed around the winding roads, and found our hotel for the night.  Dunkirk Hotel.  It is an upscale bar and restaurant with a dozen rooms upstairs.  When they said on the first floor, that meant one story above the ground floor, so all the bags needed to be dragged up.  A smaller room with no AC except a ceiling fan and a down-the-hall bathroom.  It was the only hotel in town that cost less than $250, and we paid under $100.  Not a problem for one night.

We quickly had to leave to return the car to the airport, after which we took the light rail to the Sydney Opera House.  We had tickets for the play ‘RBG - Of Many, One’  the story of the second U.S. female Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  A wonderful one-man show, a packed house, and well appreciated by the mostly Aussie audience.

In the next episode, you will hear about the start of our cruise.