Moving from Melbourne to Marrawah

Ned Kelly Graffitti on Hosier Lane, Melbourne, Australia.

More of Hosier Lane's finest.

Late 19th century Melbourne Station with massive, modern high rise in background.

Devonport, Tasmania's candycane lighthouse - 2 hours off the ferry (Spirit of Tasmania).

The wharfs at Stanley, Tasmania, full of lobster ("crayfish") traps. - 5 hours off the ferry.

The top of the Stanley "Nut." - 6 1/2 hours off of ferry.

Return to Australia

While I enjoyed my time at home- Hopewell, VA, where Spring was in full force - I must admit, I was yearning to get back to the "Great Southern Land." However, given my latitude, one has to think, why would I ever want to leave Spring, which eventually turns in Summer, to head in Autumn, which will eventually lock into Winter?

Well, I guess the allure lies in the idea of hiking through wilderness in Tasmania. Crisp days, hiking along jagged ridge lines overlooking pristine lakes, a ragging ocean, and soft meadows that steal all the mind's thoughts.

In consequence, Jessie and I our steadily making our way down the South Eastern Coast of Australia, and hitting every National Park along the way, or so it seems. Apart from writing a novel on each of the parks, which I could easily do, I'll just provide a brief but descriptive overview of each.

I will start with parks in the northern coast of NSW, and work my way to the south. Get Ready:

1. Yurayguir - Home of the elusive coastal emu, which we did not see, however we did see its tracks in the sand. This coastal park encompasses the largest stretch of protected shoreline in NSW, and includes multiple secluded beaches (and surfing). Best thing = playing beach volleyball with 7 friends, and no one else in sight.

2. Dorrigo - Easy hike through the rain forest. Our first introduction to the Superb Lyrebird; a bird famous for its ability to mimic other sounds (known to mimic chainsaws, flute songs, cell phones, and babies crying). Best thing = seeing and hearing the Lyrebird.

3. Cathedral Rocks - Hike through 3,500 ft. dry eucalyptus forest to granite outcroppings that look like "sumo wrestlers doing Kama sutra." Best thing = friendly possums lending a helping hand at dinner time.

4. New England - A World Heritage Area, and NSW's most inaccessible park. Only 2 1/2 hours from the coast, but more than 5,000 ft. in elevation, this was our first introduction to cold weather in Australia (38 degrees F). Best thing = hiking through ancient Antarctic Beech forests, fern gullys, areas where you thought moss and lichen might actually start to grow on to you (considering it had already taken over everything else), and doing it all in "cold" weather (55-60 degrees F - during the day). and we saw a quoll (meat eating marsupial).

5. Boodoree National Park - Part of the Australian Capital Territory and managed by the local Aborigines. Aside from having some of the worst campsites, this park can definitely claim to have the best views of the Pacific from its 300 ft. tall bluffs. However, we didn't see any whales during our morning breakfast taken on the tallest cliff in the area. Best thing = having possums join us for dinner.

6. Pebbly Beach - 7 km of dirt roads leads one to the beach where kangaroos rule. Often seen playing in the waves, Jessie and I had the opportunity to pet our wild, but tame, two-legged friends on the grass covered dunes. Best thing = snorkeling in the kelp forests and successfully stealing the lives of two innocent fish, who hopefully appreciate how good they taste breaded with peri peri spices (HA HA Dinner!).

7. Mimosa Rocks - Another coastal park notorious for its snorkeling. However, cold and rainy autumn weather kept Jessie and I out of the water. Best thing = finding perfect abalone shells.

8. Wilson's Promontory - A mix of Cathedral Rocks and Pebbly Beach. Abundant wildlife on shore is supposedly trumped by the variety of critters found just offshore. While we didn't go snorkeling, Jessie and I plan to visit the park again. Best thing = Emus! Wombats! Wallabies! Para! Fox! White-sand beaches of Little Oberon Bay.

Picture Perfect Points

Just thought that I would share some photos of the area where we surf and live.

Overall, the waves are generally good, if not down right perfect. The stormy weather comes and goes with almost daily rainbows. And the refreshing mornings spent eating muesli and drinking coffee, at Point Danger are soo refreshing.

This is Point Danger, where Jessie and I eat breakfast ("brekky"). It sits high atop an igneous bluff and overlooks Snapper Rocks to the North, and Duranbah ("D'Bah") to the South. They have nice covered pavilions and electric grills ("barbies") which makes eating a "breeze." However, sometimes it's too windy and making a salad with shrimp ("prawns") is impossible.

This is the view of Snapper Rocks from Point Danger. When viewing this picture, the surfers woudl be heading towards the left, into Rainbow Bay, which is out of the frame.

This is looking across Rainbow Bay, just inside of Snapper Rocks, at a place called "Marley's." This is where people "Bob" up and down, and wait to paddle back into the line up at Snapper. The surfer here is running to jump into Snapper.

Surfers waiting to make the jump off of Snapper Rocks. This is surge on a small day, maybe 4ft. The rocks are extremely sharp, and accidents occur frequently on the rocks. Not sure if these two made it out...

This is one of many perfect right hand peelers at Snapper/Rainbow Bay.

The view from Snapper Lifesaving Station 1, looking towards Greenmount.

Looking straight out from Greenmount point. The grandeur of the Pacific Ocean...

Greenmount Point looking towards Kirra Jetty. Locals say, "Kirra used to be home to the best barrels on Earth! But now, all the bloody sand that makes Superbank [wave from Snapper all the way to Kirra Jetty] has killed Kirra!" Basically, some local surfers are pretty upset about beach rejuvenation.

Typical afternoon view looking towards Kirra from Greenmount Point.

Surf Lifesaver Dies in Competition

Considering my last post, this is extremely unfortunate news.

Please read this excerpt from The Australian...

A 19-year-old national titleholding surfer has died after being hit by his own ski while competing in rough conditions off the Gold Coast.

Paramedics attempted to resuscitate Australian Surf Life Saving Championships competitor Saxon Bird on Kurrawa Beach and continued CPR while he was transported to Gold Coast Hospital by ambulance.

But he died in hospital on Friday afternoon, officials said.

The teenager's surf ski washed onto the beach around 11.30am (AEST) on Friday during the under-19 ironman event.

After an air and sea search of a one kilometre section of the beach Bird was located by a fellow life saver less than an hour later.

The championships have been suspended and a decision will be made by Saturday morning on whether they continue.

A strong rip is running along the water's edge about 10 metres out from the sand, with waves between 1.5 and two metres.

Organisers deemed conditions at Kurrawa safe enough to go ahead with the event on Friday, despite two people being injured in rough conditions at the surf carnival this week.

Cyclone Ului is whipping up rough conditions along the Queensland coast.

Bird, from Denistone, in Sydney's northwest, was representing the Queenscliff Surf Life Saving Club.

He was a member of the NSW surf life saving high performance team and has taken a number of national titles over the past four years.

Robert Gatenby, 15, a member of Kurrawa's under-18 boat crew, drowned at the 1996 nationals at the same beach, as Cyclone Beti ravaged the Queensland coast.

The boardwalk fronting the surf clubhouse is named in his honour.

Competitive "Carnival" in Kirra

The Australian Surf Life Saver Association has existed since 1907, and its members have created an Australian icon. Distinguished by their bright red and yellow quartered swim caps, and always lathered in zinc, these men and women have demonstrated a proficiency in surf awareness, survival, patrol and rescue procedures, and emergency care that has gained them international recognition and prestige. In fact, rumor has it that no one has ever drowned between the red and yellow flags at any beach in Australia (flags mark patrolled swimming areas).

While a licensed surf life saver has to be equal to or greater than 15 years in age, training for this elite group begins at a much earlier age. And it's competitive "surf carnivals," like the one a saw today, that help hone the skills needed for the future professionals. Smaller carnivals are held throughout the Australian summer November - April, but large carnivals, identical to the one occurring today, occur infrequently, and are quite a spectacle.

The events are driven by volunteers collected from 10 or more regional surf clubs, each with hundreds of members. It's important to note that these events are driven by volunteers (despite the fact that each club has a corporate sponsor, like Kellogg's for example, that pay for swimsuits, watercraft, and other necessities), because not all volunteers are well organized, and that becomes a huge factor when trying to manage a couple hundred pre-teens, of both sexes, on a blazing hot day in the summer, with competitive blood pouring through their veins. If you can imagine, there is a lot of waiting, and therefore a lot of frustration, particularly among the parents. Just think about the stereotypical excited summer swim team parent, and then multiply that stereotype times 1,000, given the vigor of Australian competition, and then you have your surf life saving parent.

Overall, the kids, ranging from 8 to 15 years old, engage in some serious fun. Actually, I should probably call them all "Nippers," just to be proper (term used for kids in the life saving hierarchy). Whether it's long ocean paddles on the boards, long ocean swims, sprints on the beach, or combinations, the kids are just out to (win) have fun, and of course get some exercise while doing it.

An absolutely Australian show!

Pros and Double Rainbows (con't.)

The PERFECT CONDITIONS on day 2 of the Quiksilver Pro 2010. Jessie and I are in this photo, just to the right of the guy in the orange shirt. The waves were 3-4 ft., and it was "tube city" out there. YES! ... we did surf later that day, and conditions were still unbelievable.

This is me and Dane Reynolds who is from sunny California, and ranked #10 in the World.

And here we have Stephanie Gilmore, 3x Women's Surfing World Champion
This is Dusty Payne, 21 year old ASP tour rookie, from Maui, showing us how he can "rip the lip." This was 4-6ft. surf yesterday. YES!... I did surf again, and got TUBED.

Pros and Double Rainbows

Jessie and I are beginning to understand why 10's of 1,000s of people decide to establish roots along the Gold Coast of Australia. With the perfect mixture of sunshine and rain, warm water and waves, and now an internationally reknowned surf competition to top things off, we are truly enjoying one of the best environments the world has to offer (at least for a couple of ocean-loving surfers). Seeing the world's best surfers perform on some of the world's best waves should be as commentators at the Quiksilver Pro surfing competition have said, "one of the seven wonders of the world!" Honestly, watching Kelly Slater (9x World Champion), Mick Fanning (2x World Champion), Dane Reynolds, Jordy Smith, and other well-known pros dance on the turqouise face of perfect right-hand peeling barrels is a sight for sore eyes. Furthermore, there is something to be said for seeing the event in person. While watching the rounds on t.v. may be exciting, it cannot compare to the feeling one gets when standing knee-deep in the surf and seeing Kelly Slater get tubed 20 yards in front of you. To see the passion in the surfer's eyes as they run by you on the beach, to hear the crowd around you cheer, to feel the salt spraying off of Snapper Rocks...

Regardless, the Quiksilver Pro won't be over fo another couple of days. So, if you want to catch all the action, then check out the link I have provided in the right hand corner of my blog. You can watch all of the heats. WATCH KELLY'S HEAT, DANE REYNOLD'S HEAT, AND JORDY SMITH'S HEAT.

Colassal Cottages and Crazy Critters

For the past two days, Jessie and I have been enjoying the beauty of Watego's Beach from a $16.5 million dollar "cottage." While visiting Watego's Beach is itself a treat, visiting Watego's and staying in "THE HOUSE" among multimillion dollar mansions is a real experience. 11 Marine Parade is across the street from "Rae's on Watego's," a boutique resort with worldwide acclaim. However, we learned from the staff at Rae's, having had a VERY nice dinner there (+$700 for five people), that staying in "the house across the street," represents an unprecedented level prestige. Despite the prestige, I wouldn't say that this house coaxes one to be utterly hedonistic. Perhaps it's the laid-back attitude of its tenants; three up-and-coming professional gamblers from North America? Drinking a James Boags, heating t.v dinners in the oven, and jumping off of the roof into the 9ft swimming pool are there idea of fun; the glamour comes second, and any sort of decadence is circumstantial, not necessarily sought.

Regardless, they have managed to rent a house that some backpackers (Jessie and I) would give an arm and a leg to stay in. Fortunately we've been able to keep all of our limbs.

Aside from letting us crash in their house. They also paid for my visit to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. At first sight, the Sanctuary seems a bit of a joke, meaning a small tourist trap where you pay big bucks to see lorikeets (extremely common bird in Australia) and white people dancing like Aborigines. However, train tracks, hidden from passersby, take you through to well-oriented displays of Australia's most famous creatures. You'll see that I took advantage of tamed roos, cornered cassowaries, and docile tree kangaroos.

Some Storms and Surf

Four days ago, while eating on top of the rock headland that overlooks Duranbah Beach in Coolangatta, we were met with a storm. Since the storm rolled through, nothing has been the same.

First, the surf has picked up. Now, 4-6 ft. waves are everywhere; whether it be Currumbin River Mouth in the north, or Duranbah Beach in the south (20 minutes apart). But so are the crowds.

Now, I did not think that the crowds were too bad, until yesterday,when the "thinkable" finally happened. . . I destroyed another surfer's board. Yep, sliced it up pretty bad with my 8" long fin.

So, what happened? Well, it was late yesterday afternoon, and the sun was setting on glassy waters at Currumbin Rivermouth (a.k.a "The Alley"), and I managed to paddle into a 5-6 ft. right-hander. Then, while pumping down the line (more like flying/racing) I came to an unexpected halt. Fearing the worst, I immediately swam to the surface. Fortunately, there wasn't an unconscious surfer floating next to me, however, I did managed to lodge my fin about four inches deep into the side of his nice, new-looking shortboard. Despite the unfortunate occurrence, the surfer, while noticeably disheartened told me not to worry about paying for the repair, and basically told me to, "Have a good evening and don't worry about it."

I'll have to share more surf pictures, but for now, enjoy... ( I am not in any of them).