After waking up and poking around Sorrento, a gorgeous town that sits at the mouth of Melbourne Harbor straddling the Pacific Ocean, yesterday was spent kicking around Melbourne, a very unique place.

First, the obligatory beach shot before departing Sorrento. Three or four surfers were already out testing the early morning swell.

Matt, while contemplating the day’s coming attractions:

Melbourne is large, with a population of 4 million, and a reputation in Australian Rules Football (more on that later) to match. It’s quite spread out, and the shoreline approaching from the southeast reminded me of the Marina District in San Francisco. The entire shoreline of Melbourne Harbor is parkland – mile after mile of unbroken coast, sand and trees. Just incredible – no businesses, homes, restaurants or other buildings on the water – only nature, with everyone invited to partake. These guys really know how to live and understand what’s important.

As yesterday was Saturday, Matt suggested hitting Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market. Really fun to do some street photography, which I love. What a place – everything imaginable is for sale there, and we wandered over to the food court, where we found the best oysters we’d ever tasted, followed by great “take away” food to enjoy in the perfect weather outside.

Hmmm… American cultural imperialism at its best. We stayed away, but thanks for the offer, guys.

Melbourne’s commercial architecture is like none I’ve seen in other U.S. or foreign cities. Pretty bizarre overall, as though the local architects were eating the Koalas’ Eucalyptus leaves before hitting their drafting tables. The juxtaposition of old and new is fascinating.

Typical streetscape in an upscale neighborhood we passed through:

Inside and outside Melbourne’s Museum:

Shopping scene in Chinatown:

These folks must have been playing Pokeman Go. They had no idea that the real world beckoned them with great fun just steps from their screens.

This gent was the first homeless person I’ve seen in Australia, and I’ve covered a lot of ground. He seemed very happy, singing and laughing to himself. Pass the Eucalyptus leaves….

Another great idea from Matt – “Let’s see an Australian Rules Football match.” This is Australia’s national sport – a religion in every way. What a total blast. If you like U.S. football, soccer, hockey and lacrosse, you’ll absolutely love this game. Ten times as fast and fluid as NFL football, with tons of scoring (the final score was 105-77, with non-stop rock ’em, sock ’em action throughout). The field is just enormous, and the players don’t stop running for a moment during the game. The fans were fantastic and super friendly, explaining the game and its nuances to us. Many beers later, we were total converts. We hope to pick up some games back home on one of ESPN’s multitude of channels.

Before we wandered over to the game, we came upon two places – a bar and a condo complex around the corner from each other – with instantly recognizable names. Wonder if someone was playing a sly joke…

(Sorry – had a hard time with these photos. Couldn’t e-mail them from my phone to my notebook.)  Then we were off to dinner for some Asian cuisine, Matt’s request on his last night down under.

We spent today traveling the coast in search of local creatures. First stop – Raymond Island, where hundreds of Koala bears live in the wild. Seeing them is really neat – they watch you intently, but don’t move very much. Guess they’re too high on the Eucalyptus leaves… This guy was catching rays about thirty feet off the deck.

Watch your speed, mate.

Looking out from Raymond Island to 90 Mile Island, an enormous barrier reef.

Atop Mount Oberon in Wilsons Promontory, a huge and visually stunning park and preserve about a hundred miles southeast of Melbourne. We got skunked a bit with the weather on our climb, but all in all, it was a really nice afternoon and hike, with water all around us and wild, rugged lands extending to infinity.

Sun breaking through clouds after our descent. Too late to go back up and summit again…

The beach on the way back towards the coastal road.

A wombat grazing late afternoon in Wilsons Promontory. Very chilled – he did’t care that we walked right up to him. Don’t think he could run away too fast anyway.

Overall, a really nice day. Seeing animals in the wild that you’ve only seen in photographs is pretty special. Off to Sorrento tonight (English settlers must have been reminded of the Amalfi Coast when they landed there), then Melbourne tomorrow.

Yesterday was spent poking around and hiking the Sapphire Coast, an area  of incredibly rugged and gorgeous coastline. We started the day in Batemans Bay, approximately 150 miles south of Sydney, where we’d driven the night before.

What’s so fantastic about Australia is that the beauty is everywhere, and they haven’t spoiled it. In every town, the nicest natural areas are open for the public’s enjoyment and are beautifully maintained. It’s as though everyone is invited to share in what’s so special and revel in it so that things can be kept that way forever. What a great plan.

I’ll let the photos do the talking:

No Koala Bears on this hike (and we searched the Eucalyptus trees quite a bit, where they live and eat the leaves, which get them high – tough life), but pretty great scenery:

Matt just before getting attacked by giant man-eating ants:

Dusk walk in Mallacoota before dinner:

Look what we found. Kangaroos walk and run so strangely that it’s hard to believe they made it in terms of evolution. They’re pretty shy, but allowed us to get within forty or so feet. We didn’t want to push our luck, as we’ve heard that they can rear back on their tails and kick you across the street if necessary to defend themselves.

A great day. Tomorrow we’re heading towards Melbourne on the Victoria coast. This is my third Australian state so far after Queensland and New South Wales. What a great place. Hope to catch an Australian Rules football game tomorrow night. Supposed to be legal murder on pretty grass…

Last night and today found us back in Sydney, Matt for the first time. Great weather again, which makes checking out the sights so nice. We took the ferry out to Manly so I could show Matt around there and the harbor.

After Manly, we headed to iconic Bondi Beach to check things out. Sydney is loaded with gorgeous beaches and adjacent parks pretty much everywhere. So many neighborhoods have their own beach. Crazy cool. Bondi is where it all began, and is beautifully set and protected.

Bondi Beach in its glory:

We hiked the Bondi to Coogie trail – about 6 km along the water, with a thousand different views. Really picturesque.

How would you like to live here, with a fifteen minute commute to downtown Sydney?

Very valuable waterfront real estate:

Returning to Bondi late afternoon:

Had a fender bender with the camper the other day, which left it undriveable (we were struck in the left real wheel and it and the suspension were damaged). Our rental company hasn’t been able to find us another camper, as the past three weeks have been school vacation and all their campers are out on the road, so we grabbed a regular car for the time being. They hope to get us back into a camper, but the logistics of having another vehicle we picked up in Sydney to return there and snatching a camper elsewhere, as we make our way south towards Melbourne, make it unlikely.

The silver lining is that I may visit  Ayers Rock, which I was originally going to miss en route overland to Perth. An Aussie from Melbourne told me on Fraser Island that he’d gone last year for the first time and was absolutely blown away. His description reminded me of the Grand Canyon – you can see a thousand photos of it, but until you’re there, standing on the rim taking it all in, you’ve no idea what it’s all about. I’m checking that option out, but it should work. Oh, well… Life on the road – always an adventure.

Haven’t written for four days, but I’ve been busy and having lots of fun. Rambling on the coast in Marcoola:

I left Noosa Heads on Friday headed for Brisbane to pick up Matt. Great to see him, as always, after his long journey from New Orleans, and we were off to the mountains and beach in short order.

Matt is a terrific navigator, always finding neat and out of the way places. Our first stop was Lamington National Park, about 30 km inland from Brisbanne. What a cool place. A sub-tropical rain forest with a sky walk that’s over a hundred feet above the rainforest floor and a neat lodge, run by the Reilly family for over seventy years.

We hiked for three and a half hours among huge waterfalls, enormous old growth trees and total calm and serenity.

A really great afternoon, after which we watched the sun set while having dinner and beers. One thing that I’m still getting used to is that it’s winter here. The climate is fantastic – mid 40’s at night and 70’s during the day – just perfect. The days, however, are the shortest of the year, so it’s dark at 5:30. Big change from the northern hemisphere, where the days lasted forever in June and July. Oh, well…

After Lamington NP, we meandered to two towns on the coast that have a vibe like no other I’ve seen – Burleigh Heads and then Byron Bay. Both these places exude surfer cool through every pore. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is surfing or watching the waves and surfers tearing it up. Surfing really is the center of everything in this part of Australia, and people are so happy and friendly that you know it’s one of the secrets of life.

 Byron Bay also has a hippie coolness, with lots of youngsters out and about in dreadlocks, tie-dye shirts and groovin’ around.

We hiked out to the eastern most point of the Australian continent in Byron Bay, watching humpback whales on their journey to Australia’s warm northern waters to give birth and nurse before heading back to their Antarctic homes in October. They are a blast to watch.

Yesterday found us at Coffs Harbor in the morning. We pulled over at 6:30 am, before even having coffee, to watch the sun pour through the eastern sky, only to spy twenty or more surfers in the early morning waves, happy as clams, with more in the parking lot en route to the swells. Surfing really is a birthright here, and I was reminded of powder clause days out west – get your rides in early, then off to work, mate.

Overcast skies, but a neat place to hike out and look for whales.

After Coffs Harbor, we drove up into the mountains to Dorrigo National Park, a jewel in the New South Wales and National Park systems. Although relatively small, Dorrigo has stupendously large trees and views. The climb was over 3,000’ and the cooler climate was a delight after warmer temps down lower.

After dinner in the throwback town of Bellingen, we headed back down to sea level and Port Macquarie. Shots taken this morning while out and about after breakfast.

Decided to try my hand at scooter boarding in the bowls. Not.

Lots of photos and great travels. Off to Sydney for some exploring tomorrow. Should be fun to return after last week’s brief stop.

In case one had difficulty figuring it out with the stunning natural light, beauty, amazing weather and gorgeous sunshine completely surrounding you, the area I’m traveling through now is known as the Sunshine Coast. Quite superlative in so many ways.

I’ve found that the towns here range from unpretentious and hippie friendly to super swank and sophisticated. The common denominator in all of them, however, is the beach, ocean, surfing – everybody surfs here – and democracy on the sand. Everyone is just completely chilled and happy here. The food is great as well – seafood everywhere – and coffee fuels Aussies.

Rainbow Beach yesterday, mid-morning:

This is the second week of winter school holiday, so families are everywhere with their broods. No worries – kids are so well-behaved that they should bottle the recipe and sell it, especially in the States.

Here’s another shot of Rainbow Beach, my stopover the past two days. There’s a great combination around here of super lush vegetation running right up to sparking sand and the ocean. I’m reminded again and again of Hawaii. Ah, the ocean and sand…. An  intoxicating combination, indeed.

Later in the day. This looked like a lot of fun. Next time I’m in town I’ll be sure to saddle up.

This bloke was contemplating the morning today in Noosa Heads. Is there such a thing as zero stress level? You betcha, mate.

Noosa Heads is very special. It feels like kind of a cross between Palm Beach and Southampton, but of course different. Very elegant, but completely unpretentious at the same time. Absolutely stunning looking folks here, all of whom couldn’t be nicer or friendlier.

Sunrise this morning at my campsite. Time for a shower and shave. Ah, life on the road… Always unanticipated delights and surprises.

Hope I’m not boring anyone with photos of the beach and water lately. It’s just that this is pretty much what I’ve been eating, drinking and sleeping the past nine days. Not complaining, mind you – it has been absolutely fantastic in every way.

I’ll be in Brisbane the day after tomorrow to pick up Matt, so the scenery and vibe will change and I’ll be able to do some street photography, which I love. Till then, have a good one.

Yesterday was a day to remember. I had lunch the day before near Rockingham (called simply “Rocky” by Aussies) and chatted up the owner, who told me that she’d been all over Australia and if there was one place she absolutely considered her favorite and a do-not-miss destination, it was Fraser Island, conveniently located on the way to Brisbane. I decide to head there and research it a bit en route. Turns out that Fraser Island is pretty young geologically – 800,000 years or so – and its sand has been a gift from Antarctica over that time, with winds, tides and ocean currents moving and creating it gradually.

Fraser Island is the largest island composed entirely of sand in the world – approximately 70 miles long by 10-15 miles in width. From Wikipedia – The island has rainforests, eucalyptus woodland, mangrove forests, wallum and peat swamps, sand dunes and coastal heaths. It’s made up of sand that has been accumulating for approximately 750,000 years on volcanic bedrock that provides a natural catchment for the sediment which is carried on a strong offshore current northwards along the coast. Unlike on many sand dunes, plant life is abundant due to the naturally occurring mycorrhizal fungi present in the sand, which release nutrients in a form that can be absorbed by the plants.

The island’s sub-tropical rainforest was incredible. It sits in a low-lying pocket in the center of the island that catches huge amounts of rainfall after the tall eastern facing dunes lift it up then drop it from incoming storms. Rainforest trees that hadn’t been logged measured 10-12′  in diameter at the base (larger stumps from logged trees were also scattered about). Areas that had been replanted after logging only fifty years ago (fortunately, logging was fairly limited on Fraser Island) had trees that measured almost three feet across at their base which were 150′ tall. Amazing.

It’s an absolute natural wonder and a Unesco World Heritage Site (one of many in Australia), and is reachable only by 4WD because its roads, hacked out by hand during its timber days last century, are primitive and comprised entirely of really soft sand that you pretty much have to rip through or get bogged down and towed out of. Queued up for the ferry. No need for a pre-ride wash:

We were really fortunate to have Butch as our driver (frickin’ nuts behind the wheel) and natural guide for the day. Here’s a shot of one of the the sand “roads” crossing the island, just wide enough for one vehicle (and barely so for a large one like ours that seated 25).

Entry to 75 Mile Beach, which serves as the island’s main N-S roadway and landing site on its eastern shore.

Butch ripping it up on 75 Mile Beach, after scaring the daylights out of us in the rain forest, with trees whizzing by a foot from both sides of the bus at 40 mph:

The SS Maheno wreck on 75 Mile Beach. The Maheno was a New Zealand ocean liner built in 1905, enormous for its day at 400 feet, converted to a hospital ship during WW I. It ran aground on Fraser Island in a cyclone that struck in 1935 and remains locked in place, five of its decks below the beach, slowly giving itself up to the sea and elements. Pretty stunning to see and get close to.

We stopped at Lake McKenzie, a spring-fed jewel 300′ above sea level, in the center of the island, for a hike and tea. Gorgeous place, with the whitest sand imaginable. It’s said that there’s no finer exfoliant in the world.

Buzzing by the landing strip (small cones let you know where you’d better not drive) at mach speed on 75 Mile Beach:

Butchie expounding on the island’s natural wonders. His knowledge was absolutely encyclopedic and his enthusiasm completely contagious.

We just made the last ferry of the day off island, as someone in a 4 x 4 in front of us broke down (fuel pump, they said) and a circus of towing, moving vehicles and backing up long ways with nowhere to go ensued to right things. You could tell they’d seen it before. All in all, a really fun and rewarding day. So glad I visited. I’m finding, as I have on so many other road trips, that talking to the locals about great places to see is really the best way to go. Off to Rainbow Beach for another day of chillin’ and adventure.

Yesterday was a reset day – I took time to restock the camper with food and bevies, relax, organize a bit and kick around the many places and sites I’d like to see while meandering from Cairns to Perth. My camper has been great. Very roomy and comfortable, with a full kitchen, bunks up and down (for some reason, I sleep better than anywhere else in camper vans on road trips), space to walk around in and a surprisingly good stereo when connected to my iPod and iPhone. So good to have my music on the road. Here she is:

I did a bit of caving in the afternoon directly on the Tropic of Capricorn at, oddly enough, Capricorn Caves. Neat place with a fascinating native Australian history. Like many awesome natural sites around the  world, it was held by the ancients to be deeply spiritual and directly connected to the maker. Nowadays, many folks get married deep below the surface in its cathedral (go figure). Just before heading down:

Some of the spaces were extremely tight – I had to crouch down and shuffle sideways to get through one particularly narrow and winding passage. All in all, quite interesting.

After leaving the caves, I happened on this bus, which really grabbed me. Reminded me in a sense of Chris McCandles’ bus in Healy, Alaska, which I shot while on my trip there. It seemed to call out to me, letting me know that it was happy to be aging gracefully through the years and more than content in its current state. A lesson on life, I suspect… I hung out for  a while before moving on, admiring its beauty and classic patina.

After a while, I felt as though it was speaking to me. What a communicative face.

Later in the afternoon I rolled into  Yeppoon, a charming small town on the way to Agnes Water, Seventeen Seventy / 1770 (yes, that’s the place’s name) and Brisbane, where I’ll meet Matt this week.

This morning I arrived in  Agnes Water, way off the beaten path, and its neighbor 1770. Agnes Water is a tiny and remote outpost encircled by national parkland and the Pacifc Ocean, pretty much off the grid. It’s super chilled and cool – a perfect place to spend time and unwind. Another 7 kilometer beach made for a great hike at low tide this morning. I walked to land’s end in this photo. There’s something about the beaches here – in addition to being stunningly beautiful and plentiful, they’re just enormous in terms of how big and long they are. Australia is the land of sand and sea.

The view from a great little restaurant at a campground I visited in 1770, with really nice cabins on the beach (yes, I was tempted…):

1770 is said to make Agnes Water feel like a metropolis. That’s pretty funny.

Spending the afternoon in The Town of 1770 (its official name, bestowed by Captain Cook once again) was so relaxing that the next step would be a coma. The landscape here is vast, making you feel very small and insignificant. Really powerful.

Checked my pulse after a bit and it was 12. Even with school holidays this week, everyone here is so relaxed that it’s uncanny. Those Aussies… gotta love ’em.

Side note – I’m experiencing a couple of technical glitches with the site at the moment – comments aren’t posting, although I’m receiving them (thanks, everyone) and photos aren’t enlarging when clicked on. Research hasn’t helped, but I’ll figure these gremlins out.

Wow. The Whitsunday Islands are beyond amazing. Located off the coast of Airlie Beach, a sleepy coastal town that’s growing up pretty quickly, the islands are comprised of 74 protected small to quite large outcroppings, all of which were connected to the mainland during the last ice age. Captain James Cook named them when, in June of 1770, he first spied them on Whit Sunday, a religious holiday in the UK following Easter. Captain Cook went everywhere, literally, in the world. A brave man and crew, no doubt incentivized by the riches and surprises awaiting them in places near and far. Our departure point for the Whitsundays at Airlie Beach’s port:

Whitsunday Island, the archipelago’s namesake, was my destination yesterday. The entire island is a national park, forever wild and protected. Whitehaven Beach, seven incredible kilometers in length along on its east coast, is reported to have the purest white sand in the world, rumored at 99.8% silica. Its texture is so powdery fine that it remains completely cool underfoot, even on blazingly hot days, because its stark white color reflects so much light and heat and because there are virtually no spaces between its fine grains to trap hot air and burn your feet. Net result – a delight to walk on all day.

We snorkeled all morning along a completely deserted beach among the Great Barrier Reef’s coral and fish. Fortunately, the Reef is doing well here compared to some other areas affected by warming sea temperatures. The colors were startling. Swimming among the teeming marine life and vivid colors made for a great experience.

A surprise – me in front of the lens, at my sister Lisa’s urging. Total chill zone, with our boat anchored just off the beach before a great hike and lunch. The boats we rode in for 60 nautical miles during the day’s excursion ripped along at 50 mph, accelerating super fast and maneuvering crazy well. They’re 38′ rigid pontoons with twin 250 outboards at $500K a copy. Whoa – nice toys.

Life is often incredibly serendipitous. The photo I chose as the banner image on my blog’s home page, having no idea exactly where it was in Australia, was where we ended up yesterday – Hill Inlet on Whitsunday Island. Here’s one of my images of it, with a 35′ or so sailboat riding the tide in for scale. Amazing coincidence, considering that I wasn’t even looking for it. Our guides said that it’s the third most photographed site in Australia. Time to find the other two now…

One of our guides insisted on taking my photograph overlooking Hill Inlet. Being there and on Whitsunday Island was truly sublime. I really didn’t want to leave late in the day, but duty (cold beers and live music overlooking the port in Aerlie Beach) called.

Back in port after a rollicking return voyage around and through the Whitsundays. The kids running the tour and our three boats – and they were in their early 20’s – were really adept at going super fast, pulling wicked turns very close to each other at warp speed and in general having a complete blast. A perfect ending to a great day.

A couple of early and very preliminary observations on Australia so far – this place is frickin’ big. Really big. I’ve traveled 800 km during the past four days, through impossibly green mountains, blue seas and white beaches, and barely scratched its surface. Spectacular landscapes just keep coming right at you, in rapid succession, with a wonderful tendency to overwhelm your senses. Fine with me – bring it all on. Also, the people here are just fantastic. Everyone I’ve met, and I’ve met loads of folks, couldn’t be friendlier or more accommodating. People really enjoy every minute of each day here. Overall, a great start to the trip. Off for some great hiking and beaches near Mackay, today’s destination.

Landed in Sydney on Wednesday and decided, because of a  long layover to Cairns, to explore the city and bay a bit. What a fantastic place – incredibly clean, beautiful and cosmopolitan. The architecture is a very interesting blend of classical mixed with bold and new.

The weather could’t have been better – 50 degrees F at 7:30 am, warming up to 65F by noon. Aussies are astonishingly attractive and friendly. You feel as though you’ve known everyone you speak with for years. Great folks. A bit puzzled by this store’s name:

After wandering a bit through the financial district and grabbing breakfast, I headed over to the ferry terminal to see the inner harbor by boat. Everyone said it’s a must to get the lay of the land. This classic I spied en route was towing a mint Airstream – funny to see them juxtaposed downtown in a major urban area. I immediately thought of Ward.

Here’s the Sydney Opera House as we slid by, shimmering in early morning light:

I then rode the ferry to Manley, a bedroom community and tourist haven (great combo) 25 minutes by boat from the inner harbor, due east of downtown. Manley is unique because it fronts Sydney Harbor on its west side and the Pacific Ocean on its east. Both are separated by only a quarter mile stretch of land with charming restaurants, shops and taverns scattered about. I met the most delightful couple in their eighties while sitting on a bench at the beach in Manley – both are German, having come to Australia by themselves fifty some-odd years ago, after which they made their separate ways then met and fell in love decades ago. How delightful they were to talk to and meet. I’m always so heartened to see enduring and true love.

After flying from Sydney to Cairns, I picked up my camper van and made my way to Palm Cove and Trinity Beach yesterday. Both are 20 – 30 miles north of Cairns and are well-known as escapes / havens for Cairns residents. They are each incredibly beautiful, small towns with no buildings higher than the tallest palm trees. What a great idea.

The views looking out on the ocean from Palm Cove and Trinity Beach are sublime. Both towns reminded me of Kauai in terms of their ocean views and majestic, verdant mountains spilling down to the sea when you turn around. Just a great day and time.

I’m off to Whitsunday, its islands and the Great Barrier Reef today. Really looking forward to it. I’ll post again after my visit there.