Australia 2024
The day after Christmas we had left
Medford to spend winter in Ajo, AZ. There was no trailer to tow on this trip.
However, we were still riding in a fully loaded pickup.
Three months in Ajo seemed to fly by. Anne spearheaded the February quilt show, and it was its usual success. The three exterior doors on our house were in horrible shape. We visited Lowe’s in Buckeye and we left after purchasing three fiberglass built doors, three security screen doors, and two cans of paint. Lowe’s delivered the goods a week later.
The woman who lives next door to us, Margaret, recommended a handyman named Jason, to fit the new doors. Jason and his son drove to the house at 0830 on February 20th. When they drove away at 1630 all of the new doors had been installed. Within the next two weeks, the doors had been trimmed and painted.
Now Casa Duncan was ready to receive guests. This year’s first guest was Christina, aka Chrisie, Anne’s cousin. Chrisie lives in Eugene. She flew into Mesa’s Gateway Airport and she rented a car for the two hour drive to and from Ajo. Chrisie and Anne are the best of buds. We all shared a fun week together. It was great to have her
Visit.
Mid-March found us greeting Paula and her sister, Gerri. They, too, arrived from the airport in a rental car. They were true tourists. When there had been a scheduling conflict with Anne’s day, they would hop in their car and they would discover something wonderfully new to see. After a week at Casa Duncan, the ladies drove to Tucson. Paula’s granddaughter, Peyton, is a freshman student at the university. This week’s visit seemed a bit of a daytime “whirr”, but we had nice visits over dinner and into the evenings. A couple of days after the ladies left Ajo, so did we.
We needed a couple of days in Medford to prepare for the next Rob and Anne Great Adventure. This journey would be a family trip to Australia.
Arrangements have been four months in the planning. We asked Chris and Matt to work together to find at least two weeks that they could take time away from their jobs. Of course, they had to be the same couple of weeks. Anne, Rob, Chris, Michel, Matt and Anne’ are going to share a trip Down Under.
Anne and Rob are taking care of the travel expenses, which include a special tour in Australia. Scheduling and pre-paying for everything was a bit of an international nightmare, but it all got done in time.
Rob and Anne have returned to Australia a couple of times since their return to America in the late 1970’s. The boys have never been back. It was time to introduce them to their old homeland and friends.
Anne took on the monster task of securing all of the to and from airline tickets. We each were responsible for receiving the necessary Australia travel visas. The visa application is done on-line. One fills out a form and waits a day or so for the approval notice to arrive. For five of us that is how the process for the visa went.
The visa application asks if you have had any convictions. On a day long ago, Matt had received a DUI citation. He answered Yes to the question. His entry visa was denied. The only way that he could get a visa was if it was based on compassionate reason, e.g., the death of a close family member who was resident in Australia. Even if approved, it would take a couple of weeks to process the approval exception. There wasn’t time for this form of a request, besides no one had died.
Matt emailed the Australian Consulate and presented them with a plea based upon the one-time nature of the family trip down-under. The consulate came back with observation that Matt had been born in Australia. They recognized that he was a citizen of the country. He didn’t need a visa, but he did need an Australian passport. Based upon this revelation, the consulate had a temporary passport in the mail within a day. Yea. The trip for six was on again.
We were all anxious as the departure hour neared. Had all of the pre-planning been done completely? Tucker drove us from Chris’ house to the airport. We passed through security and we waited for the 1:54pm flight to San Francisco (SFO). Then came an announcement that our departure would be delayed due to runway work being done at SFO.
The delay time was used to sit for a lunch at the airport’s second floor Bar & Grill. In a short while we were called o board the plane. We landed at the San Francisco airport at a little past 5pm. We received a text from Matt that they, too, had just landed. We will meet them at our international departure gate.
Knowing that my hip would not welcome the long walk from the domestic side of the SFO terminal to its international side, Anne had prearranged a wheelchair service. This was a wonderful thing to have done. We each carried a backpack and we pulled a small suitcase. The path to our departure gate 10G was a good mile away. I wish that Anne had arranged the service for herself as well. This was the way to travel within a large airport.
While enroute to the gate 10G, Chris and Michel had split away to do some shop visiting. This had put them several minutes behind us. At 10G we created a collection of luggage near our lounge seats. Chris and Michel were off once again.
Matt and Anne’ finally showed up. Their trek to gate 10G had been even longer than ours. We stopped long enough to hug and greet one another before we received thumbs-up to go forth and seek a Tinny. Anne would stay with the luggage.
It wasn’’t too long into our ale quest journey that my hip was slowing us down. Anne’ spotted an empty wheelchair near a gate. Matt learned that the chair had been abandoned. Now, it was ours.
Yankee Pier was the first ale sot that we came onto. We were shown to a table and IPAs were bought for Matt and Rob. Anne’ ordered a white wine. Sadly, the bottle of wine ran out at half of a glass. The barkeep made up for this with a second full glass of a similar wine.
It was great to begin to learn what has been happening with Matt’s work and with the going-ons at their home. Sweetwater Music, in Fort Wayne, is where he directs the purchase of accessories that will be featured for sale with their product line of guitars. He told me that the company recently acquired a firm which specializes in the manufacturing of items, such as guitar cases, which can be custom designed. His work at the company is going well, and he is remaining very busy.
Chris and Michel were seen walking past the Pier. Matt leaped up and he flagged them down. We had left Anne alone at the gate too long. We finished our drafts and left.
The boarding gate opened on time. We were eager to find our seats and to get buckled-in. We sat idle for an hour and a half. The pilot told us that we had a great tailwind. He said that the Aussies frowned on arriving too early. He said that the flight time would be 14 hours and 20 minutes. Was this all fluff? Perhaps.
We were crossing the Pacific on a Boeing 777. The triple seven is a large, comfortable aircraft. It has two massive engines. Our seats were to the rear of the wings so we got to share in some of the roar of the beasts. Sleep on this flight was done with catnaps. Two meals were served and there were plenty of snacks for in between.
When I was flying, I picked up a multi-engine certificate by putting in the flight hours in a twin engine piper. One of the significant benefits of having additional engines is for in the event of an engine failure. Part of the training in the Piper was to be able to manage an engine failure happening during the climb-out after takeoff. The task becomes one of creating stable, safe flight on the one engine and then returning to the airport for a single engine landing. The huge 777 may never lose the performance of one of its massive Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines. However, while flying the 7,424 mile wide Pacific Ocean…
The airport in Sydney, Australia is very large, and it is very busy. Nearly 50 million passengers pass through the airport each year. Almost 1,000 aircraft fly in and out of the Sydney field each day. As it is with all large airports, they are designed to serve the hiking craved sector of the population. At no airport will the departure gate be anywhere nearby the landing gate.
Carry-on luggage wheels chatter as they are rolled across the unknown lengths of tiled hallways. Rob’s wheelchair rattles as it is being kindly pushed towards the exit gate location by either Chris or Matt. As it turns out, the wheelchairs may have actually been designed to favor the hiker, as well. The unpadded chair seat is made of molded fiberglass. Sitting in the chair for a few minutes leaves the passenger with the feeling that his body’s inability to walk long distances may have been healed.
The mainland of Australia is divided into seven geographical regions: five of the areas are states, and two are federal territories. The nation has a total of 16 regions. It has six states, three internal territories, and seven external territories.
West Australia is the largest state, with the Northern Territory (NT) coming in third. Second place goes to the slightly larger northeastern state of Queensland. That is for landmass. Population, however, is a different story. The award for the most dense population goes to Victoria. It has 28.47 people per square kilometer. Queensland has 2.93 people per square kilometer, West Australia shares a square kilometer with 1.08 people, while the Northern Territory has but 0.18 people per square kilometer. Folks in the NT are few and far between. You may have to survey over 5.5 square kilometers before you come across someone to have dinner with.
The total population of the NT is 252,600 people. Compare that to New South Wale’s population of 8,395,000. Within the NT, its capital city, Darwin, holds the medal with 171,264 people.
The NT is known around the world for its well established agriculture and its horticultural export products. Livestock, seafood, fruit and vegetables, and forestry products are shipped from Darwin’s ports. The two main industries in the NT are government services, primarily for the Indigenous Aboriginal peoples, construction, and the mining sectors.
Darwin has Australia’s busiest seaports. The main commodities exported are confidential items (most likely liquified natural gas) (65%), petroleum and related products (15.5%), with ores and metal scrap (7.3%).
With the entry to, and with the passport and custom exit from the Sydney airport completed, we were loaded onto a Boeing 737 for the four hour flight to Darwin. The 737 is not as well served for the passengers as was the 777. For example, on the back of the seat in front of you in the 777 was a built-in, full service entertainment center. The programmable instrument included live flight data-logging. In order to stretch the feeling that the cross-pacific trip will never end, one can observe where the plane currently is in relation to some island land masses. It displays how many miles have been flown and how many are left to go. The same can be said of the elapsed time in the air and how much time remains.
Between catnaps the travel logging seemed to slow down. When last observed there were over 9 hours of flight time remaining. Now, after the sleep, there are still more than 9 hours left to go. This is mentioned because as tedious as the observed times were, the information was there for the taking.
The 737 seats did not come with a package similar to the 777. Travel time between Sydney and Darwin was just four and a half hours. It seemed, however, that without travel logging the time stood still.
At approximately eleven thirty in the morning, two days after the trip had begun, we had arrived. With carry-on bags in tow, we walked the Darwin corridor to its baggage claim exit doors.
Anne had arranged the rental of an SUV large enough for six plus luggage from the Dollar Rental company. Matt was named the designated driver for our Northern Territory adventures. So, it was he who got to go outside the terminal into the tropical heat to retrieve the vehicle.
With seating for seven, there was little space left over for the collective pile of luggage. Chris stepped up as the load master and he soon had all of the travel pieces neatly interwoven to fill all remaining space. He had been trained well.
OK, Matt, take us to 23/58 Bayview Boulevard, Bayview, NT. Without any difficulty the Subaru’s GPS took us to Bayview Boulevard. Now, where is 23/58? Anne had rented a three
bedroom condominium in Bayview. After several minutes of search confusion, it was realized that 23/58 meant unit 23 at 58 Bayview Boulevard. Now, why wasn’t that obvious?
The second story condominium has a balcony which overlooks the bay. Directly in front is a yacht passage lock that is used to float from the higher level condominium docking area into the bay. The bay water depth is dependent upon the tide cycle. At sunrise, with a freshly brewed cup, the balcony is comfortable. While still quite humid at this hour the air is cool. The bay’s mangrove forest is alive with awakening birds. The large grove to the west is caped with white flowers. Shortly after sunrise the carpet of white rose away in unison and flew northward. Those hundreds of birds lined the tops of the trees for nighttime roosting.
Across the bay to the southwest is the prominent skyline of downtown Darwin. Painted with the amber glow cast by the rising sun, the distant city is an impressive sight.
Matt had been designated our official NT chauffeur. However, he volunteered to be the family’s official chef. After settling into our selected bedrooms, a food store was chosen and a shopping list was drawn up. In the middle of the afternoon, on Saturday, March 30th the car was loaded and it headed for Woolworth’s, the fresh food people.
When the crew returned, Anne was still shaken by the amount she had just spent for groceries. The boys calmed her down when they had converted the Australian food bill into American dollars, which meant a much smaller number. It was discovery time for chef Matt. Where were the pots and pans and why are there so many different spray cans of insect and pest repellent in the cupboard with the spices? “Someone tell me how many degrees Celsius that 160 degrees Fahrenheit is?”
The meals took a bit longer to prepare than what Matt had expected. However, he did a fantastic job and the meals were complete, balanced and refined with trimmings.
Sunday, March 31st, is Easter. Following a wonderful breakfast and the memory of the
tropical sunrise, with the resulting cacophony of songs by the awakened wildlife, we headed into the city. The tourist goal for this morning was to experience one of Darwin’s large open air markets.
Yes, you can Google the address for such things, and we did. An easy, graveled parking lot was nearby. A block’s walk away, we entered the alley that was the market. Dozens of open-front tents offered goods which ranged from foods, to jewelry, to clothing. Booth after booth of ethnic specific foods were being presented. There was a refreshing Mardi Gra spirit emanating from the mass of market goers this Easter morning.
We were all a little more caught up on our sleep as we began to gather, around 0600, at the coffee pot. Today was going to be our first national park excursion. Monday, April Fools Day, was going to be spent touring Litchfield National Park.
Litchfield National Park is located approximately ninety miles from Darwin. The park contains Wangi Falls and it is bordered on the western edge by the River Adelaide. We drove the loop which ran inside the park. The loop linked the trip to Wingi Falls, as well as to Tjaetabe Falls, Tolmer Falls and Florence Falls.
Today’s weather was to be in the mid-to-high eighties, with humidity posted at 99%. Rain was forecast at 70%. We found a covered picnic table at Wingi Falls. Anne had made sandwiches for everyone and we had loaded them into the esky along with water and beer. After lunch, the walk was made to visit the falls. Anne and Rob stayed behind and they watched personal gear that had been left on the table.
The loop road within the park is very irregular and hilly. Add to those initial conditions a monsoonal down pour and the driving became very scary. The wipers weren’t adequate and the highway became flooded. Then, as soon as it had started the rain fall stopped.
The main north/south highway in Australia’s outback is the Stuart Highway, aka, A1. This road will take you from Darwin, at the top, to Port Augusta in South Australia. The Stuart Highway has been an economic carotid artery on the continent for many decades. When Anne and Rob lived in South Australia (SA) in the seventies, the Stuart Highway wasn’t much more than a well-worn dirt trek. One needed to drive at over 50 mph before the infinite series of potholes became just a “buzz” underneath. Three and four trailer caravans, popularly known as freight trains, owned this highway. The dust cloud signature of a freight train could be seen across the flat outback for many miles ahead. The freight trains still rule, but their environmental impact has been tamed with white lines and divided pavement roads.
When you see a name like this on the map you cannot help but wonder what the town must be like. We were going to be taken right past Humpty Doo, so why not stop and have a look. The Humpty Doo shopping center was agead on the right. Hold your comments about the Humpty Doo Hotel. The mall has a Woolworth’s food store. Chicken stir fry is what comes out of the kitchen tonight. Four shoppers were dropped off near the Woolworth’s food store. Chris and Rob drove back to the Center’s entrance. At the lot’s entrance was a petrol station, a drive-up bottle shop, and the Humpty Doo Tavern.
Chris parked the Subaru and we found our way into the tavern. The tap row had a modest selection, but it did have a pale ale choice. Chris’ choice was a pint of cider. Twenty dollars AU bought us a pint of each. After retreating from the rugged parkland loop road, the ale was the right thing to do.
The rain had begun again, the shopping was finished and a partial car load was waiting for us. Chris and Rob dashed to the drive-through petrol lanes. Matt drove in from the rain and we loaded up.
Tuesday morning it is 78F at 0600. The forecast is cloudy, 70% chance of rain, with a high of 90F. The current humidity is 93%. The expectation of today is to drive downtown and do a walkabout. This afternoon we will drive to the WWII War Museum.
On February 19, 1942, the Japanese air forces lay siege on Darwin. Plane after plane flew over the harbor city dropping bombs and strafing surviving motion with 50mm machine gun fire. Rich with oil reserves and Empire sustaining minerals and metals, Australia was to be a must have conquest.
The northern, West Australian city of Broome was also attacked by air a number of times. Sydney harbor was attacked by two midget submarines. After the February fall of Singapore, the Australian government, military and the people were seriously concerned about a Japanese invasion. This fear led to a rapid expansion of Australia’s war economy. It also brought closer ties with the United States.
A ground invasion of Australia had been hotly argued between the Japanese army and naval forces. The army felt that as many as ten divisions, up to 250,000 men would be required to secure Australia’s far north central and western coastal areas. The transportation of a force of that size would require up to two million tons of shipping.
The Japanese navy wanted to limit an invasion to securing the northern enclave. The army argued that given the allied counter offensive, anything short of the conquering of the
entire Australian continent should not be considered. A continental invasion was beyond Japan’s abilities. An invasion of Australia was laid to rest.
The subsequent attacks on northern Australia’s ports were not precursors to an invasion. The February 19th attack on Darwin and the March 3rd attack on Broome were conducted to prevent he use of these cities by the allies as bases to contest Japan’s invasion of the Dutch East Indies. The attack on Sydney harbor, in May 1942, had the intent of diverting allied attention away from Japan’s attempt to capture Midway Island.
The Darwin Military Museum, located in East Point, NT, was the museum we chose to visit. The East Point Reserve was an actual Australian defensive location. Huge 9 inch cannon structures were still in place and the collection and display of military history seem natural for the location. The museum presented a griping history of the war years for the Australian’s. Indeed, during those years of the 1940’s, Darwin was Australia.
The Sundancer’s Sunset Dinner Cruise of the Darwin harbor was our treat for Tuesday evening. After a short, refreshing stop at the condominium, we set out for the harbor dock yards. The Sundancer was berthed at Dock #1. The three-hour long harbor cruise was slow and easy. The large forty-foot catamaran was fitted with a single mast, and it was stocked with
chests of chilled, sparkling Brut wine. Once deck seating spots had been chosen by the twenty plus guests, a beautifully tanned and suggestively dressed deckhand began issuing glasses of the refreshing wine.
After a few minutes into the cruise, a second young woman deckhand began circling the large deck with offerings of hor d’oeuvres. The captain had a CD player on the foredeck, beneath the mast. Hit songs from the 60’s broke the dominant presence of the sound of the bows advancing through the waves. The large front gap between the two bows was covered with netting. The net held beanbags which set around the cable walled perimeter. The younger of our party walked across the net and found the bags to their socializing satisfaction. There was, however, no way that this old man was going to put his weight on the thin black netting that formed a border between comfort and an unwelcomed bath.
There was no sightseeing purpose of the harbor cruise, other than to be able to capture an unobstructed view of the fabled saltwater sunset. More wine and more dishes kept coming from the kitchen below deck. Soon, the socializing on deck became the ships dominate noise source. The champagne glasses were refilled and new dishes were presented.
The western skies were cloud dominant and they were preparing to present a remarkable sunset. This was to be some many minutes away. The active socializing between newly acquainted friends prevented the visual awareness of the nature of the clouds overhead. There were a couple of very dark and heavily ladened cumulus mixed among the otherwise tranquil mass of fluffy white.
Gaiety on the newly painted, gray textured deck was replaced with shock and with bursts of panic as the Sundancer passed through a heavy curtain that separated hot humid air from instant body drenching wetness. Lightening flashed and thunder exploded. A fortunate
few had found early refuge in the limited space below deck. The heavy rainfall subsided. The air held a high damp humidity. A light mist greeted the guests as many climbed back onto the deck. The soft black pillows that had been used for sitting directly on the deck had all been stacked in a corner of the cabin. They were too wet to be of further use.
Dusk was ebbing at the bows. The Sundancer’s captain maintained a constant crawl eastward towards the port. Deckside socializing had regained its former strength. As the sky grew darker, there appeared a narrow window of scarlet blushed gold light forming on the western horizon. The much highlighted feature of the cruise failed to develop. The captain maintained an eastward crawl. Perhaps a handful of guests glanced to the west to view what they had paid for.
The Asian chef had turned out the advertised ten courses of a meal. There had been no main entree, it was just one tray of something snaky after another. The bubbly never stopped. Below deck there were to large round rubbish bins filled to near overflow with glass carcasses of the once lively Brut Champagne.
The distant red and blue channel markers were growing slightly brighter. The large catamaran was skillfully guided to its earlier abandoned ropes. They would be reused to secure the Sundancer to its Dock #1 berth. The captain had completed the three hour cruise of Darwin’s harbor. The Sundancer was put to bed for another day.
Wednesday morning saw the Duncan party gathering slowly around the dining room table. Matt had mapped out a plan for the day’s adventures in Darwin. The car was cooled down inside, loaded, and it was ready to leave parking spot twenty-three. By 10 o’clock we had left the underground parking lot and we were headed towards the Aboriginal art center that had been briefly visited yesterday. Re-exposure to the hundreds of painted and unframed works awaited us. Yesterday’s critique of the art center seemed to be spot on. There were hundreds of rapidly painted canvases. Some featured desirable themes, but all of them screamed mass production. One large, floor rug size painting was posted for sale at $100,000.
A walking stick, or perhaps a ceremonial wand, was tagged for $900. The dowel-like stick was approximately three feet long. The dowel had been wrapped to within five inches of each end with a hemp-like string. In six inch segments, the wound string had been painted in different colors. The colorfully banded stick was of value if all of the string was removed. Other than for that, it was just plain $900 ugly.
Thursday morning the house was alive by 0600. Matt and Anne’ wanted to visit the botanical gardens, while the air was still on the cool end of the thermometer. They had set
departure time for 7am. The sun was on the horizon at 0652. A few minutes prior, the harbor master had driven in with his Toyota utility flatbed truck. Far back in the upper boat parking lot there were ripples coming from the hidden docks. Both ends of the lock had closed gates. From his elevated control center, the harbor master directed the filling of his monstrous bathtub.
When the lock was filled to the level of the boat garage the harbor master opened the inner gate. Lights at each side of the enormous barrier flashed. Slowly the gate folded down into the stale green water. After a few minutes, green lights flashed and the large boat slowly entered the lock. She was followed immediately by a small outboard motored craft. Once both vehicles had entered, the rear gate was raised to seal the lock once again.
The boats began to lower. In a very short amount of time the roof mounted air conditioner units on the large boat disappeared. The harbor gate began to open. The small boat was the first to exit. Slowly, the large craft began to appear beneath the limbs of the
bankside tree. Its limbs couldn’t fully shadow the huge white craft.
It was decided, Chris, Michel, Matt and Anne’ were going out to find some sandy beaches. Their first choice was Mindle Beach, but maybe there are others. Meanwhile, the more elderly, beach experienced couple stayed behind in the cool condominium. The experience at the beach, from Matt’s report, was that the water was too hot to have enjoyed, even if they had wanted to jump in. Saltwater crocodiles and stingrays are a couple of the reasons why they didn’t want to go for a swim.
After showers and clothes changes, we were ready for a stop at one of the neighborhood bars. Today’s choice is the Zen Rooftop Lounge. The Zen is on the 16th floor of Darwin’s Ramada Suites Zen Quarters. Stairs were an option, but the vote went to the non-ventilated inside of the hotel’s elevator.
We were emptied at the lounge entrance. A tab was opened for drinks and we stepped onto the open air rooftop, where one could find a table and chairs. We chose a table that featured some shade. The weather today was clear, hot and humid.
At the chest high roof wall, you could walk 360 degrees around the Ramada’s rooftop. Pause at the Zen wall with a cool drink in the hand and look at the near-city composition. The views were spectacular. On the tiptoes it was possible to look straight down. The first thing that caught the eyes was a hotel fresh-water swimming pool. Two men sat on the water bound pool steps. One of the men was wearing a dark, long sleeve shirt. Or, perhaps it was the top half of more formal dress which had been worn to an earlier hotel function.
We enjoyed our relaxed evening. Matt shared experiences that he had had with more famous musician visitors to the Sweetwater shops. These celebrities were at the Sweetwater
venue to purchase equipment directly from the country’s greatest resource. This led to table talk about popular, and not so favorite performers who had been seen on the Jacksonville Britt Stage. The Britt is a hometown, open air stage that provides a popular hillside Saturday evening musical outing.
On the drive back to the condominium, we stopped at a Best Foods store for some dinner menu items. Open face quarters of tortillas were served. They were topped wih last night’s chicken stir-fry. Sprawled in seating spots around the living room, we enjoyed the simple dinner while we watched an Adelaide vs Melbourne footy match. I heard the Telly being turned off as Anne was waking me to ask if I wanted to stay up and watch more TV. It was past 9 o’clock. Bed was chosen.
Four thirty came early on Saturday morning. Clean up and go. We had to be at the Doubletree Hotel by six o’clock. Buses would take us from there to the Darwin Convention Center. At the center we could indulge in a complimentary breakfast. All of this so that we could be bused to the Darwin Rail Station.
It was early, but now we were running on the Ghan Expedition train line. Matt had returned the rental car and he and Anne’ had walked the couple of blocks to meet the center buses. The twenty-minute bus ride to the rail station was a chance to catch a nap. We had been assigned cabins 1,2 and 3 on the Gold Service carriage “O”. We boarded the train between carriages M and L. Carriage L is the Parlor Car.
The walk down the narrow, windowed carriage halls, while carrying a backpack and pulling a squirrely bag wasn’t fun. The doors between the train cars pushed open hard and they wanted to slam closed. Two cars later, we were at our rooms. We were home for four days. Time to begin relaxing.
The train isn’t anything like I had expected. It is better. Our room is small. It has twin beds. The top bed requires a ladder which attaches to the outside wall. The room has a shallow wall closet and a full service bathroom. The stateroom has two windows, one is in the room and the other is across the narrow hall if the door is open.
The train will make three excursion stops, however, the tracks between Darwin and Adelaide are there primarily for freight train service. This means that if a freighter needs to get by, then the Ghan will seek the closest pullover tracks and await the freight train’s passage. The waits may be quite long.
Our first off-train adventure is for a stop at Katherine. Flowing past Katherine is the River Katherine. This river is noted for its tourist attraction on a section called the River Gorge. The gorge is a couple of miles long. It is contained by high walls of fractured and season stained sedimentary rock. This deep, slow moving part of the River Katherine is trapped at each end by wide, shallow rapids. Tour buses ferried us from the Katherine rail station to the gorge entry point. There we were loaded onto large, flat bottomed river boats.
The Northern Territory has two seasons, wet and dry. March into early April is the end of the wet season. There are often monsoonal rains for a few minutes each day. There are pools of water in roadside attendance everywhere. For a resident tourist from one of the four
season states of Australia, the 150 foot width of the river and its depth through the gorge section must seem amazing in this water starved continent. For tourists from America’s Northwest, who have lived by the Rogue River gorge, have been to eastern Oregon’s Snake River gorge, and who have toured the Grand Canyon, the River Katherine gorge tour is a relaxing get-away.
The tour boat’s skipper did a marvelous job of narrating the history of Katherine and of this region of the NT. The value of the river trip was spoiled, however, because the boat’s PA system had a very nasty buzz from the speakers. Few of the words could be understood.
The town of Katherine marks the point where the traditional tribal lands of the Jawayn, Dogomaniard, Wordoman and the Alonginal people converge. It is where the outback meets the tropics. It is often called the crossroads of the north.
On Sunday morning, half of cabin O-1 was up and dressed by 0530. The train had been still on a side track for a couple of hours. It regained a speed of over 65mph just before sunrise. We were traveling due south. From the cabin’s window the scene brought one of a dawning day with dark, flatland bush rushing past.
I quietly exited the room and I raised the hallway window’s internal blind. To the east there was magic on the horizon. With no left or right interruptions, the bright orange and yellow pallet filled the view from the window.
Breakfast was unscheduled this morning. Between 7am and 9am, it was first come first served. While waiting for others to arrive, time was spent in the lounge enjoying morning latte and watching the changing landscape speed past.
At 11 am we are due to stop at Allice Springs. We selected a tour of Alice. We would be provided a box lunch. At 4 o’clock we will be returned to the train to freshen up for a 5:30 dinner under the stars.
Alice Springs is one of the most densely populated areas for Aboriginal sacred sites. The Aboriginal Arrente people are the traditional custodians of Alice Springs. About 25% of Alice Springs’ population speak Arrente as their first language.
Early in the 20th century, the telegraph was brought to Alice Springs. A cable was laid between Adelaide and Darwin. An intermediary relay station was located in Alice Springs. A cluster of stone block buildings was built on a knoll. The main attraction to the knoll was the telegraph station. The telegraph station served also as the post office. There was built a black smith shop and a barracks. The station was a vital link between industrial Australia, to the south, and the shipping link to the rest of the world through the ports of Darwin. The stone buildings on the knoll have been beautifully maintained. They are guarded by large, manicured gum trees. The telegraph station was run jointly by the NT and the SA governments until 1932. That year the property was returned to the Arrente Aboriginal people.
In the early 1950’s the world saw an education evolution born in Alice Springs. The education resources for children living in the outback, in small settlements or on cattle stations was limited. The student’s family could purchase textbooks, but there was no adherence to a curriculum and the student never saw a teacher. This was recognized as being unacceptable.
Wireless radio was first used and integrated into the central Australian education system by a woman who knew that there was a better way. Textbooks had been available. Now, with a ham radio transceiver, the outback youth could receive one-on-one attention and assistance with lessons. The methods developed in Alice have been adopted worldwide. With the advent of satellite communication, and with the arrival of the internet, interactive teaching capabilities have been much refined. A full, curriculum based primary and secondary education is now available.
On its surface, Australia presents a wholesome, picturesque setting. Stately gum trees shade homesites and they provide an opportunity for comfort from the often oppressive sun.
On the flip side of the picture is found the most death threatening country in the world. Perhaps it was through continental isolation. Or maybe because Australia is such a nice place to live. For whatever reason, the country harbors the greatest collection of venomous animals in the world.
Snakes of all wiggling sizes and colors, a large array of lizards, and the huge salt water crocodile can cloud the safety of a country stroll. Those are some of the animals that will hear you coming, and if not threatened may avoid contact. On the smaller, squishable size are the assortment of crawling bugs. The redback spider likes darkened hiding spots. It is the wise user who lifts the seat in a dunny to rest assured that there is nothing present that may wish an early morning bare skin bite.
A visit to the capitol city of central Australia won’t be complete without a visit to the reptile museum. At this Alice Springs facility one is educated by a trained, knowledgeable and highly spirited reptilian expert. Tell me now. Who doesn’t want to know all that they can about these horrible creatures.
Sunday ended with a bus trip from the Alice Springs’ train station to the telegraph station. The purpose of the visit was to enjoy a dinner under the stars. The choice of locations seemed curious for this type of an event, until the unique setting was seen. The actual telegraph station was open for inspection. Two men were working in the blacksmith’s building. They plied their trade with hammer, anvil and fiery hot metal. From square rod stock they were demonstrating the steps involved in creating a bottle cap remover.
With the darkening skies, illumination at the bases of the majestic, bare skinned gum trees brought a gift of artistic light to the grounds. A small field of tables had been set up nearby. Each table was lighted with a small lantern. We found a table and we parked for the evening’s activity. A large catering firm had set up serving tables and ovens. Each of the four courses was brought to the table during the next hour. A four piece band played through the dinner hour. After desert, the rural sky had blackened. The milky way and familiar constellations became visible. The band retired to applause. It was replaced at the microphone by an astronomer. The host had a bright sky-penetrating laser beam. With the beam, he could point to individual stars or constellations. He provided us the origin of names and the navigational interest that a given star may provide. The Southern Cross shone brightly above the foliage of a huge gum tree. He spoke in depth about the Crux constellation. Crux is one of the best known constellations in the southern hemisphere. It is easily recognizable for the cross-shaped asterism, the Southern Cross, formed by its five brightest stars. The constellation is associated with a number of stories and it figures prominently in different mythologies in the southern hemisphere. It holds special importance in Australia and New Zealand, where it is circumpolar and can be seen throughout the year. Composed of five stars that form the pattern of a diamond, the Southern Cross is the most distinctive feature of the constellation Crux, the smallest constellation in the sky. It gives the constellation its English name, the Southern Cross.
The Ghan traveled through the night. Early Monday morning it was announced that we would arrive at the Manquri siding around 0830. The breakfast was rushed and the buses were loaded. Our train coach, and two others were assigned to ride on bus #2.
John was the driver of bus #2. We have ridden with him before. John drove from the Manquri Crossing to Coober Pedy. The twenty some miles between the two stops was
traveled over the old Sturt Highway. The dirt road was a trip on a jiggle bus the entire way. Our breakfast meal had been turned to mush, by the time we arrived in Coober Pedy.
Opal was accidently discovered in 1915 during a gold mining expedition. The opal production in the Coober Pedy mines is the world’s largest. Since the early discovery, there have been restrictions added on to what a single person may do with a mine. Each individual can dig one mine shaft. The estimates are that there have been over one and a half million shafts dug to date.
Our tour of the town included visits to underground home sites, both older and newer styles. Because of the oppressive heat conditions during the center’s summer, a large number of Coober Pedy’s residents live underground. With the aid of six foot diameter rock borers, an entry tunnel is dug into the sedimentary wall of a knoll. This tunnel is then enlarged and side room branches are dug. Routes are carved into the walls, ceilings, and floors for pipes and wiring. The grooves are then cemented over. These residents are provided with year-round comfort and with nearly constant room temperatures.
In the 1990’s, John Mignone and I made a visit to Coober Pedy. Remembrance was
that back then the community was pretty sparce. We camped out in an early underground motel. That particular unit had been bored out with a 12 foot diameter borer for the main shaft. Side rooms that were used for sleeping were dug with a smaller shaft. The rooms were perhaps ten feet deep. There were no cement floors, and there were no beds. We slept in sleeping bags on the floor. Wow! A lot has changed.
Once covered by an inland sea, the opal was created from millions of years of skeletal remains being staked and converted into stone. The vast size of this rich piece of Australia has become a noodler’s dream. The township, however, is not an idyllic city. Nearly every backyard is cluttered with hardware or broken down machinery, the parts from which may one day come in handy. Some of the labeled streets have been paved, most are not. Dirt prevails in Coober Pedy. It seems like the town’s growth may be limited by the mine digs which surround it. Long time residents are none-the-less proud of what they have created and in the fact that this isolated population has a worldwide reputation.
At about the scheduled time of 11:30am, the Ghan Expedition train pulled to a stop at the Adelaide railyards terminal. Tuesday morning in the city was cloudy and the air was brisk. We were met by Cherri Lange and her son, Michael. Two vehicles were required to carry the
six travelers and their luggage. The ride from the terminal was directly to the Lange home, in the suburb of Marden, where Roger awaited us. We unloaded the cars and temporarily parked our luggage in the garage. Michael needed to return to work, so we said our thanks and our goodbye’s. After an initial welcoming visit, Roger drove Anne, Matt and Rob to the airport to pick up our reserved rental car.
As consumer’s can more often expect today, when an item is reserved for future use, it ends up being unavailable when called for. This was our seven passenger SUV example. We ended up with an eight passenger KIA vehicle. The price quoted for the unavailable car was applied to the KIA rental. This was OK. Both cars drove back to the Langes. Luggage was loaded into both cars and Roger led the way to the Levi Adelaide Holiday Park.
The Levi park is first a caravan park. It also has a couple of rows of new, one bedroom cabins. We were booked into cabins 3, 5 and 6. Each cabin had all of the normal motel room features. They also had full size freezer/fridge, ovens, burner top, kitchen sink and a table with chairs. The front porch had chairs, a side table and a small BBQ. Anne and I were booked in the park through Thursday night. We will then move into the Lange’s guest room. Chris, Michel, Anne’ and Matt will stay through Friday night. They will fly from Adelaide to the States early Saturday morning.
After getting setup in each of our cabins, we drove to the Lange’s for the afternoon and
for the evening. Roger maintains a large three car garage. Over the years he has rebuilt several classic autos. Today the garage is home to an Audi, a Triumph roadster and a Triumph sedan. Between the second and third cars, Roger has built a large slot-car track table. He has collected many slot cars. There are over a dozen 128th scale model cars. There are models of classic street and track vehicles.
Roger briefed all gathered about how to use the track system. Chris and Matt were both eager to begin racing. During the next few hours there must have been dozens of crashes. Both boys had to learn how not to over-drive their vehicles. We drove from the Langes talking about how well certain cars performed on the track.
Wednesday was loaded with activity. It began with a drive deep into the neighboring Adelaide hills. There, we checked into the Gorge Animal Reserve. Built on a gentle hillside, the Gorge reserve is several acres of natural flora woven with graveled paths. The paths take one past dozens of wire enclosures that have become the home for different species of mammal or bird. Large open areas in the reserve are occupied by wallabies of different breeds, and by many species of uncaged birds. The Gorge is staffed with younger adults. Some were tending to the special dietary needs of the animals, while others minded to the continuous need for maintenance of the tidiness of the
homes of their animal friends. All of the Gorge staff were dressed in a casual safari look.
At 1130 the koalas were presented to children, and to adults, to pet and to hold. As partners, Chris and Michel, and Matt and Anne’ took advantage of the unique opportunity to cuddle the warm, soft and docile animals. The tour of the Gorge Animal Reserve had been a wonderful way to spend the Aussie morning.
Hahndorf is a small town located in the Adelaide hills. The town was settled in the 19th century by Lutheran migrants. Hahndorf is known for its original German style architecture and for its artisan foods. The shops along main street in Hahndorf are very popular tourist attractions.
Matt found a place to park our KIA. We were going to walk a few blocks further to find the Haus, a highly rated German restaurant. Liter steins of ale were poured. Schnitzel, salad, fish & chips and hot dogs were ordered for our lunches. We ate on an open air balcony. We enjoyed the festive spirit of passing visitors. We walked through a few of the shops and we came away with some favored candies. The beauty of this visit to Hahndorf was in the town’s buildings, in the festive spirit of the visitors on the sidewalks, and in the Alpian-like location and the road it took to get there. If you travel to Adelaide, visit Hahndorf.
A request was made that a visit to the beach should be included. So, on Thursday we
loaded into two cars and we headed to the sands. On the way to the beach, we once again fished through the neighboring hills. We were being taken to Port Elliot. The mission at the port was twofold. First it was to find a place to eat, and second it was to have a stroll on the beach.
Two cars had been taken on the beach trip. There were too many of us for one car. With Roger driving one car, and with Cherri in the second car we were guaranteed travel commentary. Roger led us directly to a large parking lot that bordered the beach. At one end of the lot were changing rooms, showers and toilets. At the other end was a fish fry restaurant. We ordered our lunch meals and we ate them at an outside table.
After lunch, Matt and Anne’ walked the length of the beach on one edge of the
enclosed bay. The rest of us watched the waves pound the amber sands, or walked to the point of the pier which marked the other end of the crescent bay’s beach. This had been an active afternoon.
Earlier in the day Roger had led us to Beafield road in the northern suburb of Para Hills. Beafield, from Main North road, takes us past Para Hills High School. This is where Rob taught maths, in the early 1970s. Para Hills had been the first “Open Space” school in South Australia. The school had just been built. Rob was one of the school's original teachers. There is generally always some small way that a complex process can be performed differently. This is certainly true with how one is educated. However, there may be a positive correlation between the number of degrees an education administrator holds and how badly their directives can screw up the process that they profess to improve.
It is this former educator’s opinion that classroom education should include doors that close and walls that define the classroom space. The open space approach had neither of these. That had been an interesting experiment. A drive through the parking lot presented a campus complex of buildings that was greatly different.
Returning to the city via Main North highway, Roger made a diversion as we entered the Enfield suburb. A left-hand turn led us to Sattler Terrace. We stopped a few moments to gaze at the front yard of our former home at Number 10, Sattler Terrace. The lack of front yard upkeep presented a disappointing scene. However, it had been 45 years since it had been ours. The main point of the visit was to show the boy where we had called home.
Home after a busy day, it was decided that we should treat ourselves to some carry-out for dinner. Cherri and Anne came up with a wonderful selection of Asian prepared chicken and beef dishes. Following dinner, Roger and Rob challenged Cherri and Anne to pinochle. The evening finished in a two-for-two tie. More games were needed.
Friday morning was special. This was Rob and Anne’s check-our day at the Levi park. With their room cleaned and bags repacked, the team drove to the Lange’s. Following a wonderful breakfast, the men and women went separate directions. Cherri and Anne found
their way to the shops, Michel wanted to explore central Adelaide, and the guys, with Anne’, drove to Plympton to visit John Mignone.
Several years ago, John constructed a Superlite SL-C car. Manufactured as a kit, the track ready vehicle was distributed by a firm in Queensland. New to such a venture, John had received assistance at the Queensland plant. He spent a month at the plant, during the initial part of the build. John constructed a large garage at the rear of his Plympton home property. John moved the SL-C into the garage so that he could complete the enormous amount of detail work that needed to be done. He had the body painted a rich black. The seats which sat side by side in the tight cockpit were upholstered red.
A 5-Liter Chevy V8 was installed behind the seats. The motor was coupled to an Audi transaxle. The powerful V8 pounds its exhaust through un-muffled pipes to the rapidly passing
curbside. Forward lifting doors reveal a low footwell into what one must climb. John’s new car quickly passed registration and safety inspections. He was issued a Street Worthy Certificate for the SL-C.
The finished SL-C appears to be flawless in its construction. John had given Rob a ride in the car, shortly following its completion. The surrounding fit of the seats and the secure snug of the three point harness leaves one feeling like they may be ready for takeoff in a fighter jet. The engine roars and the upper body is jammed against the rear of the seat. This gorgeous track ready street car is everything and more. The SL-C wasn’t taken from the garage today but John fired it up for all to enjoy. We were rattled.
John took much enjoyment in what he had built. He was no longer a novice. John knew, instinctively, that he possessed a gift for craftmanship. He had space in his garage. John wasn’t though yet. John un-shelved his wrenches and he invested in a second kit vehicle. This one would be more complex in its construction demands. When completed, the car will be a replica of the Ford GT-40 that was used in the Ford vs Ferrari movie.
The build-time on the GT moved slowly. This was for two main reasons, firstly because
the detail involved had dictated this would happen, and secondly because receipt of critical components was delayed by the resources of the kit distributor. After eight years in its building, the GT-40 was ready for the South Australian State safety inspection process and ultimately the issuance of a road worthy certification. Like John’s SL-C, the GT-40 has been marvelously built. All eyes in the garage lit up when he ignited the fuel feeding the big Ford V8. Through straight pipe exhaust ports, the roar of the engine signaled power to all nearby structures. This level of strength may be unchallenged.
John signaled for Chris to climb in. He then slowly backed the car from the garage. He turned in around on the large cement pad that he had built with the garage. He slowly loped through his carport to the street. First gear and then second, the GT rapidly reached the corner. Now out of view, the GT’s signature echoed
from all directions in the Plympton suburb. Matt had the next turn and Rob had the last. The seat level is at, or just below that of the door jam. Getting into the car was a matter of finding the way to extend your legs down and into the deep body-well that is between the center console and the side wall. One needs to scrunch low so that the top of the door extension does not smash your head. The harness is snapped and snugged. The passenger is loaded. The gear shifter is on the right, just inside the driver’s doorway. The polished rods connected to the steel shifter are unupholstered and they tighten on their assembly as John pulls with strength from first gear into second. It had been perhaps no more that two seconds from idle that the engine had wound up tight. The body was shaken as we drove around the city blocks. In a normal vehicle the body shake would have been attributed to road noise. This morning, however, the engine was the source.
We returned to the house with several new things to talk about. The trip to John’s had been a treat. Later today the extended Lange family visited. Elise, Andy and Jayden were greeted. They were joined by Michael, Stephany and their two sons, Sebastion and Nate. Elise and her younger brother, Michael, are original Lange property. Our two families first met through the association that Chris and Elise had in their shared Kindergarten classroom. Friendships between the two families was quickly re-established. The afternoon became conversationally very active. It was great to see the two families bond once again. Should the paths of our youngsters cross again in the future, their juncture will be a spot recognized by its warmth and its friendship.
Anne and Rob said goodbye to their four travel mates. They were to be up before dawn to link up with their return flights to the United States. Unsupported levels of confidence that all would go well were expressed by them as we hugged our “See you later”.
Saturday Cherri and Anne were to spend the afternoon playing games with a clutch of Cherri’s lady friends. Roger took on some maintenance tasks around the home. The goldfish pond received needed cleaning with the power washer. Later that evening the wall behind the fish pond sparkled with reflected highlights of activity within the lighted pool. Following the evening dinner, which featured some leftovers from Friday’s large spread, it was the guys vs the gals at the pinochle table. After a handful of games, we retired. The to-be revisited score was left as boys ahead and girls behind.
Sunday afternoon was scheduled to be busy. Roger and Cherri had planned a reunion of Rob’s former high school teacher mates. Included would be John Mignone, Chris Basset, and Pat Van dersomen. Chris’ wife, Rosie and Patrick’s wife Michelle were welcomed as well. As founding members of the Thursday night poker club, the five men had formed tight friendship bonds. The ladies had also been involved in support of the weekly games. They, too, had formed lasting friendships. Each had brought a contribution to the late afternoon lunch.
We talked and we reminisced on our past Adelaide lives together. The evening bell tolled. It was time to pack up and leave. It was anxious to say goodbye to the old friends. The opportunity may not be there again to be able to hug a hello.
The lights at the Lange home were finally turned off after a re-match of pinochle was battled. Scared and slightly re-wounded, the ladies excused themselves near eleven pm.
Monday was fun. Around noon, Roger and I drove to Port Adelaide. The purpose was to visit Pirate Life Brewery. Located on Baker Street, Pirate Life is in a large old warehouse
building. Inside it is spacious and clean. A long bar presents a wall of information regarding current brews. To the sides are glassed-in views of some of the brewery tanks. Perhaps unique is the outside courtyard. One needs to walk through the yard to reach the front doors. The yard is expansive and it has many high and low seated picnic-like tables. Each is covered overhead with a fabric sunshield.
At the inside service counter, we studied the list of brews being presented on the tap wall. There were too many to choose from. We each settled on a tray that held four, one-cup glasses. Each selected what he was going to sample. We carried our trays to an outside table where we sipped while we visited. This was a very nice way to spend time with a friend.
While we were at the brewery, Anne was preparing a pulled pork dinner. This she served over open face hamburger buns. On the plate next to the meal was a ladle’s worth of beans with tomato sauce and a side pile of sole slaw. The meal was great. A blueberry muffin was enjoyed for desert. Now it was time for pinochle.
Some things are truly upside down, the Aussies put the adjectives first on some things. For example, where we would refer to the Mississippi River, the Aussies would say the River Mississippi. Today, Tuesday we are going to drive to the River Murray. The Murray has its origin in the Snowy mountains of New South Wales. This mountain range is in the southeastern region of Australia. It is the highest mountain range with Mount Kosciuszko, at 7,310 feet, being Australia’s tallest peak. The Snowies are part of the Great Dividing Range on the continent. The mouth of the River Murray is at the ocean, in Goolwa, South Australia. It is the largest river that runs through South Australia. On its way to the ocean, the River Murray has left a rich field of soil. Vineyards flourish on its imported nutrients.
We weren’t visiting the Murray for wine today. We drove to Mannum because it is a beachhead for activity on the river. Arriving at lunchtime, Roger parked curbside at the Pretoria Hotel. We were shown to a table, and we enjoyed Aussie beef pies for lunch. The pie was flushed with a dark Toothy ale.
River cruises are popular in Mannum. We didn’t want to do a cruise, but we did want to take the ferry across the river. Regular ferry service is available, all day each day. The cable drawn ferry costs nothing for the trip. It is viewed as an extension of the highway which continues on the other side. Loading six cars onto the ferry was quick. It took no more than a few minutes and we were driving on the other side. We stopped in the parkland, into which the vehicles were unloaded. Large willow trees were popular along the banks of the river. The return ferry carried only four cars. We drove off and turned right onto the highway towards Adelaide.
While Roger and I had waited for our Aussie Pies at lunchtime, Anne had found the hotel rooms which housed the “pokies”. She pulled her ticked when Roger fetched her. With lunch finished, Anne reinserted the credit ticket. A few pulls later the poky had finished its lunch.
With the poky left behind, we walked the main street of Mannum. A couple of years ago there had been strong rains in the Snowy mountains. This had caused the River Murray to rise above its banks to a flood stage. While walking the far side of the highway from the river, we could see the high water marks on the sides of the stone buildings. On the sidewalk near these buildings, one looked down ten or more feet to the river’s surface. The water marks were at shoulder height. At Mannum the river is about 50 yards wide. It flows slow and it is deep. To raise the surface of the river over 10 feet vertically meant that it was carrying an astonishing amount of rain water. Feats of nature are often very hard for a lay person to comprehend. Yes, it had rained hard for a few days well to the east of Mannum. That rain had fallen over a finite catchment area for the River Murry. How does nature keep such moisture burdened clouds airborne?
Roger and Cherri are avid bridge players. They belong to a club which meets Wednesday afternoons. This Wednesday they are to have the third match of four which will determine the year’s champion team. Based on scores from the preceding months, Cherri and her partner are in strong contention for the win. Roger and his teammate are not far behind with their third place standing. John has stepped forward to relieve our hosts of their escorting role for the day. He has planned a lunch stop at a popular French bakery, followed b a visit to the home of George Smith. George is a former biology teacher mate of Rob and John. After this visit, we will conclude with a sushi dinner.
John arrived at 84 Battams at the scheduled time of 11am. He drove his everyday car, a five-year-old Suzuki. It is a comfortable, zippy four-seater. The bakery is called Boulangerie. It is in the Goodwood suburb. The bakery offers a large variety of pastries. It features outside seating. We each chose a pastry treat, a cup of Latee coffee and we picked a comfortable outside table. We visited as we enjoyed the late morning treat.
George Smith lives in the Adelaide hills community of Bridgewater. John piloted his car onto the M1, or the South Eastern Freeway. The M1 is the primary route leading to Victoria to the east. Off of the freeway at the Bridgewater exit, we were once more driving on the narrow, curvy mountain roads. George and his wife, Sharon, live on the side of a hill. They have a tiered property with the single story, log sided home nested among well dressed shrubbery and trees. We were warmly greeted by a comfortably aging couple. Now white haired, George’s jocularity quickly took me back to our few years together at Para Hills High School. George taught biology, while I taught math.
Sharon had prepared a lunch for us, but it waited while George showed us some of the work he has done in the lower sited garage. He is near the completion of a tear-drop shaped caravan. Starting from scratch with a new trailer chassie, George has fashioned a beautiful veneer covered trailer. He is currently finishing the build by constructing a kitchen located inside the lift-up tail of the camper. George earlier built a very fine lathed-wood 16 foot canoe. He has a good eye for quality work. Sharon’s luncheon was light sandwiches and wine. We enjoyed a small amount while we visited the past.
While in the caron the way down the hill, John received a call from his friend, Jeff. Jeff is a gifted man with wires. He was responsible for installing the circuits in the GT-40. They arranged to meet this afternoon at John’s place. While we were so near, John opened his garage and showed Anne his works. John started the motor on the GT-40. We were all impressed with the body shaking power it presented. Jeff was interested in visiting with me about flying. He owns a couple of lightweight flying machines. A pilot for a couple of decades, Jeff has never sought a pilot’s license.
John invited Jeff to join us for dinner at the Sushi diner. The name of the eatery is the Sushi Train. We were quickly shown to a booth. A waitress took our orders for hors d’oeuvres. The booth had one end butting a low-profile interior wall. The wall was no higher than the booth seat backs. The wall was six inches wide. On top of the wall was a continuous loop of sushi dishes. The dishes passed by the booth riding atop a moving track. Every few dishes there would be a small sign the said what was immediately following. The idea is that one simply lifts away the sushi dish of their desire. None of this selecting involves the server. The hors d’oeuvres that we ordered arrived at the booth on a robot server. We lifted the dishes and then pushed the ‘Go’ button. The robot backed away from the table, turned and returned to the kitchen.
When we were finished with our meals, the waitress came by to give us a bill. Evey different serving of food had been served on its own color of plate. The waitress simply counted each color and added the prices for individual plates. This afternoon and evening with John had been very special. It had been fun to meet up with George and Sharon. Jeff, having had a couple of trips to the U.S. with his corvette club, was keen to hear everyone’s thoughts about the current political field. We were returned to 84 Battams where we hugged our farewells.
Cherri and Anne set aside Thursday afternoon to visit the David Roche Foundation Museum. The museum is the former home of Roche. He had inherited considerable money and he spent abundantly. The home and its contents had been donated to Adelaid as a foundation. The main draw for today’s visit was the rand collection of quilts which Roche had acquired. The ladies spent several hours viewing the opulent collection of excessiveness that David Roche had spent his fortune on.
On the return trip from dropping the ladies off, Roger discovered an event was going on at the archery range. The range is a large piece of the parkland that has been set aside for this use. It has a dozen large target butts mounted on stands. Behind the butts is a wooden fence that runs in front of a forest. Safety warnings flags are posted when the archery range is in use. Roger hurried home to collect me. We drove straight to the range. There we found that the event had finished. The field was bare. Shucks! That would have been fun to watch.
The Audi Quattro that Roger has been using had been borrowed from a friend called Tim. Roger had called Tim and he had arranged the return of the car. With some of Roger’s help, Tim is restoring a 1967 Alpha Romero. The car has been stripped and repainted. They are currently working to fit an air-conditioning unit in the engine compartment. The Audi has a long way to go before it is road worthy. Tim drove the two of us back to the house. We had just finished ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch when Cherri called. They were ready to be picked up.
Cherri made reservations for six o’clock for dinner at the Star of Siam, on Gouger Street. Adelaide has a dense city center population of Asian restaurants. We are having Chinese for dinner, to be followed by a night at Her Majesty’s Theatre. Reading menus in foreign restaurants is somewhat akin to picking up the special words that are associated with a new field of physics. Once one has mastered the specialized vocabulary, then the meaning of the paper can be read and understood. I didn’t try to decode the long Star of Siam menu. I searched for words that I knew. My plate would be deep fried chicken with cashew nuts. Yes, and a glass of chardonnay, too, please. The meal turned out wonderful. Some white rice was tossed in, and it was topped with soy sauce.
As one observed the number of people seated in the Star of Siam, as well as the population occupying the entire Asian food strip, you may come away with the impression that this was the only place to eat in Adelaide. The place was packed, and the noise of the people was stunning.
Roger and Cherri knew the way to the theatre. Earlier, as we approached the Star of Siam, it began to rain. Roger dropped us off and he left to find a spot to park. This was to be important later, as the walk to the theatre was long enough.
We had bought tickets to be part of tonight’s performance of Elvis: A Musical Revolution. Her Majesty’s Theatre, at 58 Grote Street is hard to miss. For a quarter of a block, the sidewalk is overhung with a dazzling lighted canopy. With preprinted tickets, we were presented directly to the red carpeted stairs. These took us to the top of the seating bowl that captured the performance stage. Our seating was perfect. About half of the way down into the bowl and we had above the head views of the stage. The show would begin at 7:30 pm. We had about five more minutes.
The Elvis story began in his pre-teen youth. He was seen being attentive to the music and religious activities of the mixed black and white neighborhood that he was raised in. A guitar came early. Elvis soon became old enough to form a band. His teen years was a struggle to gain notoriety and to be able to be heard on the radio. Through rapid set changes, the song and dance performance followed Elvis’ life through the Army and onto become, aptly labeled, the King of Rock and Roll.
The choreography was flawless. Performers in the leading roles didn’t miss a que. Actor Ian Stenlake played the part of Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’ career directing manager. Rob Mallett secured the lead role as Elvis Presley from more than 700 hopeful applicants for the part. The musical play shows Colonel Parker driving hard on Elvis. This was throughout Elvis’ professional career. The life-spirit of Elvis had taken a toll from the high public demands placed on him. At the play’s close, Elvis is seen walking into the blackness at the rear of the stage. All lights faded out.
It was time for us to exit stage right. Anne and I were chosen to stay behind at the theatre’s entrance. Roger and Cherri walked from under the weather shielding lighted canopy into the misty night air. They arrived at curbside about a half hour later. The day and the evening had been perfect. We were all ready for bed.
Four am came at four am on Saturday. We are headed for the Adelaide airport. This drive takes about twenty minutes. The city is quiet. Taxis dominate the streets. Roger and Cherri take us as far as the check-in security lines. There we say our sad goodbye’s. They have been the most gracious hosts. Sadly, though, the girls won eighteen games to the boys fourteen, They will be missed.
Three months in Ajo seemed to fly by. Anne spearheaded the February quilt show, and it was its usual success. The three exterior doors on our house were in horrible shape. We visited Lowe’s in Buckeye and we left after purchasing three fiberglass built doors, three security screen doors, and two cans of paint. Lowe’s delivered the goods a week later.
The woman who lives next door to us, Margaret, recommended a handyman named Jason, to fit the new doors. Jason and his son drove to the house at 0830 on February 20th. When they drove away at 1630 all of the new doors had been installed. Within the next two weeks, the doors had been trimmed and painted.
Now Casa Duncan was ready to receive guests. This year’s first guest was Christina, aka Chrisie, Anne’s cousin. Chrisie lives in Eugene. She flew into Mesa’s Gateway Airport and she rented a car for the two hour drive to and from Ajo. Chrisie and Anne are the best of buds. We all shared a fun week together. It was great to have her
Visit.
Mid-March found us greeting Paula and her sister, Gerri. They, too, arrived from the airport in a rental car. They were true tourists. When there had been a scheduling conflict with Anne’s day, they would hop in their car and they would discover something wonderfully new to see. After a week at Casa Duncan, the ladies drove to Tucson. Paula’s granddaughter, Peyton, is a freshman student at the university. This week’s visit seemed a bit of a daytime “whirr”, but we had nice visits over dinner and into the evenings. A couple of days after the ladies left Ajo, so did we.
We needed a couple of days in Medford to prepare for the next Rob and Anne Great Adventure. This journey would be a family trip to Australia.
Arrangements have been four months in the planning. We asked Chris and Matt to work together to find at least two weeks that they could take time away from their jobs. Of course, they had to be the same couple of weeks. Anne, Rob, Chris, Michel, Matt and Anne’ are going to share a trip Down Under.
Anne and Rob are taking care of the travel expenses, which include a special tour in Australia. Scheduling and pre-paying for everything was a bit of an international nightmare, but it all got done in time.
Rob and Anne have returned to Australia a couple of times since their return to America in the late 1970’s. The boys have never been back. It was time to introduce them to their old homeland and friends.
Anne took on the monster task of securing all of the to and from airline tickets. We each were responsible for receiving the necessary Australia travel visas. The visa application is done on-line. One fills out a form and waits a day or so for the approval notice to arrive. For five of us that is how the process for the visa went.
The visa application asks if you have had any convictions. On a day long ago, Matt had received a DUI citation. He answered Yes to the question. His entry visa was denied. The only way that he could get a visa was if it was based on compassionate reason, e.g., the death of a close family member who was resident in Australia. Even if approved, it would take a couple of weeks to process the approval exception. There wasn’t time for this form of a request, besides no one had died.
Matt emailed the Australian Consulate and presented them with a plea based upon the one-time nature of the family trip down-under. The consulate came back with observation that Matt had been born in Australia. They recognized that he was a citizen of the country. He didn’t need a visa, but he did need an Australian passport. Based upon this revelation, the consulate had a temporary passport in the mail within a day. Yea. The trip for six was on again.
We were all anxious as the departure hour neared. Had all of the pre-planning been done completely? Tucker drove us from Chris’ house to the airport. We passed through security and we waited for the 1:54pm flight to San Francisco (SFO). Then came an announcement that our departure would be delayed due to runway work being done at SFO.
The delay time was used to sit for a lunch at the airport’s second floor Bar & Grill. In a short while we were called o board the plane. We landed at the San Francisco airport at a little past 5pm. We received a text from Matt that they, too, had just landed. We will meet them at our international departure gate.
Knowing that my hip would not welcome the long walk from the domestic side of the SFO terminal to its international side, Anne had prearranged a wheelchair service. This was a wonderful thing to have done. We each carried a backpack and we pulled a small suitcase. The path to our departure gate 10G was a good mile away. I wish that Anne had arranged the service for herself as well. This was the way to travel within a large airport.
While enroute to the gate 10G, Chris and Michel had split away to do some shop visiting. This had put them several minutes behind us. At 10G we created a collection of luggage near our lounge seats. Chris and Michel were off once again.
Matt and Anne’ finally showed up. Their trek to gate 10G had been even longer than ours. We stopped long enough to hug and greet one another before we received thumbs-up to go forth and seek a Tinny. Anne would stay with the luggage.
It wasn’’t too long into our ale quest journey that my hip was slowing us down. Anne’ spotted an empty wheelchair near a gate. Matt learned that the chair had been abandoned. Now, it was ours.
Yankee Pier was the first ale sot that we came onto. We were shown to a table and IPAs were bought for Matt and Rob. Anne’ ordered a white wine. Sadly, the bottle of wine ran out at half of a glass. The barkeep made up for this with a second full glass of a similar wine.
It was great to begin to learn what has been happening with Matt’s work and with the going-ons at their home. Sweetwater Music, in Fort Wayne, is where he directs the purchase of accessories that will be featured for sale with their product line of guitars. He told me that the company recently acquired a firm which specializes in the manufacturing of items, such as guitar cases, which can be custom designed. His work at the company is going well, and he is remaining very busy.
Chris and Michel were seen walking past the Pier. Matt leaped up and he flagged them down. We had left Anne alone at the gate too long. We finished our drafts and left.
The boarding gate opened on time. We were eager to find our seats and to get buckled-in. We sat idle for an hour and a half. The pilot told us that we had a great tailwind. He said that the Aussies frowned on arriving too early. He said that the flight time would be 14 hours and 20 minutes. Was this all fluff? Perhaps.
We were crossing the Pacific on a Boeing 777. The triple seven is a large, comfortable aircraft. It has two massive engines. Our seats were to the rear of the wings so we got to share in some of the roar of the beasts. Sleep on this flight was done with catnaps. Two meals were served and there were plenty of snacks for in between.
When I was flying, I picked up a multi-engine certificate by putting in the flight hours in a twin engine piper. One of the significant benefits of having additional engines is for in the event of an engine failure. Part of the training in the Piper was to be able to manage an engine failure happening during the climb-out after takeoff. The task becomes one of creating stable, safe flight on the one engine and then returning to the airport for a single engine landing. The huge 777 may never lose the performance of one of its massive Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines. However, while flying the 7,424 mile wide Pacific Ocean…
The airport in Sydney, Australia is very large, and it is very busy. Nearly 50 million passengers pass through the airport each year. Almost 1,000 aircraft fly in and out of the Sydney field each day. As it is with all large airports, they are designed to serve the hiking craved sector of the population. At no airport will the departure gate be anywhere nearby the landing gate.
Carry-on luggage wheels chatter as they are rolled across the unknown lengths of tiled hallways. Rob’s wheelchair rattles as it is being kindly pushed towards the exit gate location by either Chris or Matt. As it turns out, the wheelchairs may have actually been designed to favor the hiker, as well. The unpadded chair seat is made of molded fiberglass. Sitting in the chair for a few minutes leaves the passenger with the feeling that his body’s inability to walk long distances may have been healed.
The mainland of Australia is divided into seven geographical regions: five of the areas are states, and two are federal territories. The nation has a total of 16 regions. It has six states, three internal territories, and seven external territories.
West Australia is the largest state, with the Northern Territory (NT) coming in third. Second place goes to the slightly larger northeastern state of Queensland. That is for landmass. Population, however, is a different story. The award for the most dense population goes to Victoria. It has 28.47 people per square kilometer. Queensland has 2.93 people per square kilometer, West Australia shares a square kilometer with 1.08 people, while the Northern Territory has but 0.18 people per square kilometer. Folks in the NT are few and far between. You may have to survey over 5.5 square kilometers before you come across someone to have dinner with.
The total population of the NT is 252,600 people. Compare that to New South Wale’s population of 8,395,000. Within the NT, its capital city, Darwin, holds the medal with 171,264 people.
The NT is known around the world for its well established agriculture and its horticultural export products. Livestock, seafood, fruit and vegetables, and forestry products are shipped from Darwin’s ports. The two main industries in the NT are government services, primarily for the Indigenous Aboriginal peoples, construction, and the mining sectors.
Darwin has Australia’s busiest seaports. The main commodities exported are confidential items (most likely liquified natural gas) (65%), petroleum and related products (15.5%), with ores and metal scrap (7.3%).
With the entry to, and with the passport and custom exit from the Sydney airport completed, we were loaded onto a Boeing 737 for the four hour flight to Darwin. The 737 is not as well served for the passengers as was the 777. For example, on the back of the seat in front of you in the 777 was a built-in, full service entertainment center. The programmable instrument included live flight data-logging. In order to stretch the feeling that the cross-pacific trip will never end, one can observe where the plane currently is in relation to some island land masses. It displays how many miles have been flown and how many are left to go. The same can be said of the elapsed time in the air and how much time remains.
Between catnaps the travel logging seemed to slow down. When last observed there were over 9 hours of flight time remaining. Now, after the sleep, there are still more than 9 hours left to go. This is mentioned because as tedious as the observed times were, the information was there for the taking.
The 737 seats did not come with a package similar to the 777. Travel time between Sydney and Darwin was just four and a half hours. It seemed, however, that without travel logging the time stood still.
At approximately eleven thirty in the morning, two days after the trip had begun, we had arrived. With carry-on bags in tow, we walked the Darwin corridor to its baggage claim exit doors.
Anne had arranged the rental of an SUV large enough for six plus luggage from the Dollar Rental company. Matt was named the designated driver for our Northern Territory adventures. So, it was he who got to go outside the terminal into the tropical heat to retrieve the vehicle.
With seating for seven, there was little space left over for the collective pile of luggage. Chris stepped up as the load master and he soon had all of the travel pieces neatly interwoven to fill all remaining space. He had been trained well.
OK, Matt, take us to 23/58 Bayview Boulevard, Bayview, NT. Without any difficulty the Subaru’s GPS took us to Bayview Boulevard. Now, where is 23/58? Anne had rented a three
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| Balcony View |
bedroom condominium in Bayview. After several minutes of search confusion, it was realized that 23/58 meant unit 23 at 58 Bayview Boulevard. Now, why wasn’t that obvious?
The second story condominium has a balcony which overlooks the bay. Directly in front is a yacht passage lock that is used to float from the higher level condominium docking area into the bay. The bay water depth is dependent upon the tide cycle. At sunrise, with a freshly brewed cup, the balcony is comfortable. While still quite humid at this hour the air is cool. The bay’s mangrove forest is alive with awakening birds. The large grove to the west is caped with white flowers. Shortly after sunrise the carpet of white rose away in unison and flew northward. Those hundreds of birds lined the tops of the trees for nighttime roosting.
Across the bay to the southwest is the prominent skyline of downtown Darwin. Painted with the amber glow cast by the rising sun, the distant city is an impressive sight.
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| Condo Sunrise |
Matt had been designated our official NT chauffeur. However, he volunteered to be the family’s official chef. After settling into our selected bedrooms, a food store was chosen and a shopping list was drawn up. In the middle of the afternoon, on Saturday, March 30th the car was loaded and it headed for Woolworth’s, the fresh food people.
When the crew returned, Anne was still shaken by the amount she had just spent for groceries. The boys calmed her down when they had converted the Australian food bill into American dollars, which meant a much smaller number. It was discovery time for chef Matt. Where were the pots and pans and why are there so many different spray cans of insect and pest repellent in the cupboard with the spices? “Someone tell me how many degrees Celsius that 160 degrees Fahrenheit is?”
The meals took a bit longer to prepare than what Matt had expected. However, he did a fantastic job and the meals were complete, balanced and refined with trimmings.
Sunday, March 31st, is Easter. Following a wonderful breakfast and the memory of the
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| Condo Exercise w/TV |
tropical sunrise, with the resulting cacophony of songs by the awakened wildlife, we headed into the city. The tourist goal for this morning was to experience one of Darwin’s large open air markets.
Yes, you can Google the address for such things, and we did. An easy, graveled parking lot was nearby. A block’s walk away, we entered the alley that was the market. Dozens of open-front tents offered goods which ranged from foods, to jewelry, to clothing. Booth after booth of ethnic specific foods were being presented. There was a refreshing Mardi Gra spirit emanating from the mass of market goers this Easter morning.
We were all a little more caught up on our sleep as we began to gather, around 0600, at the coffee pot. Today was going to be our first national park excursion. Monday, April Fools Day, was going to be spent touring Litchfield National Park.
Litchfield National Park is located approximately ninety miles from Darwin. The park contains Wangi Falls and it is bordered on the western edge by the River Adelaide. We drove the loop which ran inside the park. The loop linked the trip to Wingi Falls, as well as to Tjaetabe Falls, Tolmer Falls and Florence Falls.
Today’s weather was to be in the mid-to-high eighties, with humidity posted at 99%. Rain was forecast at 70%. We found a covered picnic table at Wingi Falls. Anne had made sandwiches for everyone and we had loaded them into the esky along with water and beer. After lunch, the walk was made to visit the falls. Anne and Rob stayed behind and they watched personal gear that had been left on the table.
The loop road within the park is very irregular and hilly. Add to those initial conditions a monsoonal down pour and the driving became very scary. The wipers weren’t adequate and the highway became flooded. Then, as soon as it had started the rain fall stopped.
The main north/south highway in Australia’s outback is the Stuart Highway, aka, A1. This road will take you from Darwin, at the top, to Port Augusta in South Australia. The Stuart Highway has been an economic carotid artery on the continent for many decades. When Anne and Rob lived in South Australia (SA) in the seventies, the Stuart Highway wasn’t much more than a well-worn dirt trek. One needed to drive at over 50 mph before the infinite series of potholes became just a “buzz” underneath. Three and four trailer caravans, popularly known as freight trains, owned this highway. The dust cloud signature of a freight train could be seen across the flat outback for many miles ahead. The freight trains still rule, but their environmental impact has been tamed with white lines and divided pavement roads.
When you see a name like this on the map you cannot help but wonder what the town must be like. We were going to be taken right past Humpty Doo, so why not stop and have a look. The Humpty Doo shopping center was agead on the right. Hold your comments about the Humpty Doo Hotel. The mall has a Woolworth’s food store. Chicken stir fry is what comes out of the kitchen tonight. Four shoppers were dropped off near the Woolworth’s food store. Chris and Rob drove back to the Center’s entrance. At the lot’s entrance was a petrol station, a drive-up bottle shop, and the Humpty Doo Tavern.
Chris parked the Subaru and we found our way into the tavern. The tap row had a modest selection, but it did have a pale ale choice. Chris’ choice was a pint of cider. Twenty dollars AU bought us a pint of each. After retreating from the rugged parkland loop road, the ale was the right thing to do.
The rain had begun again, the shopping was finished and a partial car load was waiting for us. Chris and Rob dashed to the drive-through petrol lanes. Matt drove in from the rain and we loaded up.
Tuesday morning it is 78F at 0600. The forecast is cloudy, 70% chance of rain, with a high of 90F. The current humidity is 93%. The expectation of today is to drive downtown and do a walkabout. This afternoon we will drive to the WWII War Museum.
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| Aussie Tank |
On February 19, 1942, the Japanese air forces lay siege on Darwin. Plane after plane flew over the harbor city dropping bombs and strafing surviving motion with 50mm machine gun fire. Rich with oil reserves and Empire sustaining minerals and metals, Australia was to be a must have conquest.
The northern, West Australian city of Broome was also attacked by air a number of times. Sydney harbor was attacked by two midget submarines. After the February fall of Singapore, the Australian government, military and the people were seriously concerned about a Japanese invasion. This fear led to a rapid expansion of Australia’s war economy. It also brought closer ties with the United States.
A ground invasion of Australia had been hotly argued between the Japanese army and naval forces. The army felt that as many as ten divisions, up to 250,000 men would be required to secure Australia’s far north central and western coastal areas. The transportation of a force of that size would require up to two million tons of shipping.
The Japanese navy wanted to limit an invasion to securing the northern enclave. The army argued that given the allied counter offensive, anything short of the conquering of the
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| Rest Stop |
entire Australian continent should not be considered. A continental invasion was beyond Japan’s abilities. An invasion of Australia was laid to rest.
The subsequent attacks on northern Australia’s ports were not precursors to an invasion. The February 19th attack on Darwin and the March 3rd attack on Broome were conducted to prevent he use of these cities by the allies as bases to contest Japan’s invasion of the Dutch East Indies. The attack on Sydney harbor, in May 1942, had the intent of diverting allied attention away from Japan’s attempt to capture Midway Island.
The Darwin Military Museum, located in East Point, NT, was the museum we chose to visit. The East Point Reserve was an actual Australian defensive location. Huge 9 inch cannon structures were still in place and the collection and display of military history seem natural for the location. The museum presented a griping history of the war years for the Australian’s. Indeed, during those years of the 1940’s, Darwin was Australia.
The Sundancer’s Sunset Dinner Cruise of the Darwin harbor was our treat for Tuesday evening. After a short, refreshing stop at the condominium, we set out for the harbor dock yards. The Sundancer was berthed at Dock #1. The three-hour long harbor cruise was slow and easy. The large forty-foot catamaran was fitted with a single mast, and it was stocked with
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| On the Net |
chests of chilled, sparkling Brut wine. Once deck seating spots had been chosen by the twenty plus guests, a beautifully tanned and suggestively dressed deckhand began issuing glasses of the refreshing wine.
After a few minutes into the cruise, a second young woman deckhand began circling the large deck with offerings of hor d’oeuvres. The captain had a CD player on the foredeck, beneath the mast. Hit songs from the 60’s broke the dominant presence of the sound of the bows advancing through the waves. The large front gap between the two bows was covered with netting. The net held beanbags which set around the cable walled perimeter. The younger of our party walked across the net and found the bags to their socializing satisfaction. There was, however, no way that this old man was going to put his weight on the thin black netting that formed a border between comfort and an unwelcomed bath.
There was no sightseeing purpose of the harbor cruise, other than to be able to capture an unobstructed view of the fabled saltwater sunset. More wine and more dishes kept coming from the kitchen below deck. Soon, the socializing on deck became the ships dominate noise source. The champagne glasses were refilled and new dishes were presented.
The western skies were cloud dominant and they were preparing to present a remarkable sunset. This was to be some many minutes away. The active socializing between newly acquainted friends prevented the visual awareness of the nature of the clouds overhead. There were a couple of very dark and heavily ladened cumulus mixed among the otherwise tranquil mass of fluffy white.
Gaiety on the newly painted, gray textured deck was replaced with shock and with bursts of panic as the Sundancer passed through a heavy curtain that separated hot humid air from instant body drenching wetness. Lightening flashed and thunder exploded. A fortunate
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| Cruise Enjoyment |
few had found early refuge in the limited space below deck. The heavy rainfall subsided. The air held a high damp humidity. A light mist greeted the guests as many climbed back onto the deck. The soft black pillows that had been used for sitting directly on the deck had all been stacked in a corner of the cabin. They were too wet to be of further use.
Dusk was ebbing at the bows. The Sundancer’s captain maintained a constant crawl eastward towards the port. Deckside socializing had regained its former strength. As the sky grew darker, there appeared a narrow window of scarlet blushed gold light forming on the western horizon. The much highlighted feature of the cruise failed to develop. The captain maintained an eastward crawl. Perhaps a handful of guests glanced to the west to view what they had paid for.
The Asian chef had turned out the advertised ten courses of a meal. There had been no main entree, it was just one tray of something snaky after another. The bubbly never stopped. Below deck there were to large round rubbish bins filled to near overflow with glass carcasses of the once lively Brut Champagne.
The distant red and blue channel markers were growing slightly brighter. The large catamaran was skillfully guided to its earlier abandoned ropes. They would be reused to secure the Sundancer to its Dock #1 berth. The captain had completed the three hour cruise of Darwin’s harbor. The Sundancer was put to bed for another day.
Wednesday morning saw the Duncan party gathering slowly around the dining room table. Matt had mapped out a plan for the day’s adventures in Darwin. The car was cooled down inside, loaded, and it was ready to leave parking spot twenty-three. By 10 o’clock we had left the underground parking lot and we were headed towards the Aboriginal art center that had been briefly visited yesterday. Re-exposure to the hundreds of painted and unframed works awaited us. Yesterday’s critique of the art center seemed to be spot on. There were hundreds of rapidly painted canvases. Some featured desirable themes, but all of them screamed mass production. One large, floor rug size painting was posted for sale at $100,000.
A walking stick, or perhaps a ceremonial wand, was tagged for $900. The dowel-like stick was approximately three feet long. The dowel had been wrapped to within five inches of each end with a hemp-like string. In six inch segments, the wound string had been painted in different colors. The colorfully banded stick was of value if all of the string was removed. Other than for that, it was just plain $900 ugly.
Thursday morning the house was alive by 0600. Matt and Anne’ wanted to visit the botanical gardens, while the air was still on the cool end of the thermometer. They had set
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| Lock Entry |
departure time for 7am. The sun was on the horizon at 0652. A few minutes prior, the harbor master had driven in with his Toyota utility flatbed truck. Far back in the upper boat parking lot there were ripples coming from the hidden docks. Both ends of the lock had closed gates. From his elevated control center, the harbor master directed the filling of his monstrous bathtub.
When the lock was filled to the level of the boat garage the harbor master opened the inner gate. Lights at each side of the enormous barrier flashed. Slowly the gate folded down into the stale green water. After a few minutes, green lights flashed and the large boat slowly entered the lock. She was followed immediately by a small outboard motored craft. Once both vehicles had entered, the rear gate was raised to seal the lock once again.
The boats began to lower. In a very short amount of time the roof mounted air conditioner units on the large boat disappeared. The harbor gate began to open. The small boat was the first to exit. Slowly, the large craft began to appear beneath the limbs of the
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| Lock Exit |
bankside tree. Its limbs couldn’t fully shadow the huge white craft.
It was decided, Chris, Michel, Matt and Anne’ were going out to find some sandy beaches. Their first choice was Mindle Beach, but maybe there are others. Meanwhile, the more elderly, beach experienced couple stayed behind in the cool condominium. The experience at the beach, from Matt’s report, was that the water was too hot to have enjoyed, even if they had wanted to jump in. Saltwater crocodiles and stingrays are a couple of the reasons why they didn’t want to go for a swim.
After showers and clothes changes, we were ready for a stop at one of the neighborhood bars. Today’s choice is the Zen Rooftop Lounge. The Zen is on the 16th floor of Darwin’s Ramada Suites Zen Quarters. Stairs were an option, but the vote went to the non-ventilated inside of the hotel’s elevator.
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| Zen Lounge |
We were emptied at the lounge entrance. A tab was opened for drinks and we stepped onto the open air rooftop, where one could find a table and chairs. We chose a table that featured some shade. The weather today was clear, hot and humid.
At the chest high roof wall, you could walk 360 degrees around the Ramada’s rooftop. Pause at the Zen wall with a cool drink in the hand and look at the near-city composition. The views were spectacular. On the tiptoes it was possible to look straight down. The first thing that caught the eyes was a hotel fresh-water swimming pool. Two men sat on the water bound pool steps. One of the men was wearing a dark, long sleeve shirt. Or, perhaps it was the top half of more formal dress which had been worn to an earlier hotel function.
We enjoyed our relaxed evening. Matt shared experiences that he had had with more famous musician visitors to the Sweetwater shops. These celebrities were at the Sweetwater
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| City from the Zen |
venue to purchase equipment directly from the country’s greatest resource. This led to table talk about popular, and not so favorite performers who had been seen on the Jacksonville Britt Stage. The Britt is a hometown, open air stage that provides a popular hillside Saturday evening musical outing.
On the drive back to the condominium, we stopped at a Best Foods store for some dinner menu items. Open face quarters of tortillas were served. They were topped wih last night’s chicken stir-fry. Sprawled in seating spots around the living room, we enjoyed the simple dinner while we watched an Adelaide vs Melbourne footy match. I heard the Telly being turned off as Anne was waking me to ask if I wanted to stay up and watch more TV. It was past 9 o’clock. Bed was chosen.
Four thirty came early on Saturday morning. Clean up and go. We had to be at the Doubletree Hotel by six o’clock. Buses would take us from there to the Darwin Convention Center. At the center we could indulge in a complimentary breakfast. All of this so that we could be bused to the Darwin Rail Station.
It was early, but now we were running on the Ghan Expedition train line. Matt had returned the rental car and he and Anne’ had walked the couple of blocks to meet the center buses. The twenty-minute bus ride to the rail station was a chance to catch a nap. We had been assigned cabins 1,2 and 3 on the Gold Service carriage “O”. We boarded the train between carriages M and L. Carriage L is the Parlor Car.
The walk down the narrow, windowed carriage halls, while carrying a backpack and pulling a squirrely bag wasn’t fun. The doors between the train cars pushed open hard and they wanted to slam closed. Two cars later, we were at our rooms. We were home for four days. Time to begin relaxing.
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| Gahn Sunrise |
The train isn’t anything like I had expected. It is better. Our room is small. It has twin beds. The top bed requires a ladder which attaches to the outside wall. The room has a shallow wall closet and a full service bathroom. The stateroom has two windows, one is in the room and the other is across the narrow hall if the door is open.
The train will make three excursion stops, however, the tracks between Darwin and Adelaide are there primarily for freight train service. This means that if a freighter needs to get by, then the Ghan will seek the closest pullover tracks and await the freight train’s passage. The waits may be quite long.
Our first off-train adventure is for a stop at Katherine. Flowing past Katherine is the River Katherine. This river is noted for its tourist attraction on a section called the River Gorge. The gorge is a couple of miles long. It is contained by high walls of fractured and season stained sedimentary rock. This deep, slow moving part of the River Katherine is trapped at each end by wide, shallow rapids. Tour buses ferried us from the Katherine rail station to the gorge entry point. There we were loaded onto large, flat bottomed river boats.
The Northern Territory has two seasons, wet and dry. March into early April is the end of the wet season. There are often monsoonal rains for a few minutes each day. There are pools of water in roadside attendance everywhere. For a resident tourist from one of the four
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| Fig Tree |
season states of Australia, the 150 foot width of the river and its depth through the gorge section must seem amazing in this water starved continent. For tourists from America’s Northwest, who have lived by the Rogue River gorge, have been to eastern Oregon’s Snake River gorge, and who have toured the Grand Canyon, the River Katherine gorge tour is a relaxing get-away.
The tour boat’s skipper did a marvelous job of narrating the history of Katherine and of this region of the NT. The value of the river trip was spoiled, however, because the boat’s PA system had a very nasty buzz from the speakers. Few of the words could be understood.
The town of Katherine marks the point where the traditional tribal lands of the Jawayn, Dogomaniard, Wordoman and the Alonginal people converge. It is where the outback meets the tropics. It is often called the crossroads of the north.
On Sunday morning, half of cabin O-1 was up and dressed by 0530. The train had been still on a side track for a couple of hours. It regained a speed of over 65mph just before sunrise. We were traveling due south. From the cabin’s window the scene brought one of a dawning day with dark, flatland bush rushing past.
I quietly exited the room and I raised the hallway window’s internal blind. To the east there was magic on the horizon. With no left or right interruptions, the bright orange and yellow pallet filled the view from the window.
Breakfast was unscheduled this morning. Between 7am and 9am, it was first come first served. While waiting for others to arrive, time was spent in the lounge enjoying morning latte and watching the changing landscape speed past.
At 11 am we are due to stop at Allice Springs. We selected a tour of Alice. We would be provided a box lunch. At 4 o’clock we will be returned to the train to freshen up for a 5:30 dinner under the stars.
Alice Springs is one of the most densely populated areas for Aboriginal sacred sites. The Aboriginal Arrente people are the traditional custodians of Alice Springs. About 25% of Alice Springs’ population speak Arrente as their first language.
Early in the 20th century, the telegraph was brought to Alice Springs. A cable was laid between Adelaide and Darwin. An intermediary relay station was located in Alice Springs. A cluster of stone block buildings was built on a knoll. The main attraction to the knoll was the telegraph station. The telegraph station served also as the post office. There was built a black smith shop and a barracks. The station was a vital link between industrial Australia, to the south, and the shipping link to the rest of the world through the ports of Darwin. The stone buildings on the knoll have been beautifully maintained. They are guarded by large, manicured gum trees. The telegraph station was run jointly by the NT and the SA governments until 1932. That year the property was returned to the Arrente Aboriginal people.
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| Original Equipment |
In the early 1950’s the world saw an education evolution born in Alice Springs. The education resources for children living in the outback, in small settlements or on cattle stations was limited. The student’s family could purchase textbooks, but there was no adherence to a curriculum and the student never saw a teacher. This was recognized as being unacceptable.
Wireless radio was first used and integrated into the central Australian education system by a woman who knew that there was a better way. Textbooks had been available. Now, with a ham radio transceiver, the outback youth could receive one-on-one attention and assistance with lessons. The methods developed in Alice have been adopted worldwide. With the advent of satellite communication, and with the arrival of the internet, interactive teaching capabilities have been much refined. A full, curriculum based primary and secondary education is now available.
On its surface, Australia presents a wholesome, picturesque setting. Stately gum trees shade homesites and they provide an opportunity for comfort from the often oppressive sun.
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| Lizard |
On the flip side of the picture is found the most death threatening country in the world. Perhaps it was through continental isolation. Or maybe because Australia is such a nice place to live. For whatever reason, the country harbors the greatest collection of venomous animals in the world.
Snakes of all wiggling sizes and colors, a large array of lizards, and the huge salt water crocodile can cloud the safety of a country stroll. Those are some of the animals that will hear you coming, and if not threatened may avoid contact. On the smaller, squishable size are the assortment of crawling bugs. The redback spider likes darkened hiding spots. It is the wise user who lifts the seat in a dunny to rest assured that there is nothing present that may wish an early morning bare skin bite.
A visit to the capitol city of central Australia won’t be complete without a visit to the reptile museum. At this Alice Springs facility one is educated by a trained, knowledgeable and highly spirited reptilian expert. Tell me now. Who doesn’t want to know all that they can about these horrible creatures.
Sunday ended with a bus trip from the Alice Springs’ train station to the telegraph station. The purpose of the visit was to enjoy a dinner under the stars. The choice of locations seemed curious for this type of an event, until the unique setting was seen. The actual telegraph station was open for inspection. Two men were working in the blacksmith’s building. They plied their trade with hammer, anvil and fiery hot metal. From square rod stock they were demonstrating the steps involved in creating a bottle cap remover.
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| Telegraph Station |
With the darkening skies, illumination at the bases of the majestic, bare skinned gum trees brought a gift of artistic light to the grounds. A small field of tables had been set up nearby. Each table was lighted with a small lantern. We found a table and we parked for the evening’s activity. A large catering firm had set up serving tables and ovens. Each of the four courses was brought to the table during the next hour. A four piece band played through the dinner hour. After desert, the rural sky had blackened. The milky way and familiar constellations became visible. The band retired to applause. It was replaced at the microphone by an astronomer. The host had a bright sky-penetrating laser beam. With the beam, he could point to individual stars or constellations. He provided us the origin of names and the navigational interest that a given star may provide. The Southern Cross shone brightly above the foliage of a huge gum tree. He spoke in depth about the Crux constellation. Crux is one of the best known constellations in the southern hemisphere. It is easily recognizable for the cross-shaped asterism, the Southern Cross, formed by its five brightest stars. The constellation is associated with a number of stories and it figures prominently in different mythologies in the southern hemisphere. It holds special importance in Australia and New Zealand, where it is circumpolar and can be seen throughout the year. Composed of five stars that form the pattern of a diamond, the Southern Cross is the most distinctive feature of the constellation Crux, the smallest constellation in the sky. It gives the constellation its English name, the Southern Cross.
The Ghan traveled through the night. Early Monday morning it was announced that we would arrive at the Manquri siding around 0830. The breakfast was rushed and the buses were loaded. Our train coach, and two others were assigned to ride on bus #2.
John was the driver of bus #2. We have ridden with him before. John drove from the Manquri Crossing to Coober Pedy. The twenty some miles between the two stops was
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| Cave Shopping |
traveled over the old Sturt Highway. The dirt road was a trip on a jiggle bus the entire way. Our breakfast meal had been turned to mush, by the time we arrived in Coober Pedy.
Opal was accidently discovered in 1915 during a gold mining expedition. The opal production in the Coober Pedy mines is the world’s largest. Since the early discovery, there have been restrictions added on to what a single person may do with a mine. Each individual can dig one mine shaft. The estimates are that there have been over one and a half million shafts dug to date.
Our tour of the town included visits to underground home sites, both older and newer styles. Because of the oppressive heat conditions during the center’s summer, a large number of Coober Pedy’s residents live underground. With the aid of six foot diameter rock borers, an entry tunnel is dug into the sedimentary wall of a knoll. This tunnel is then enlarged and side room branches are dug. Routes are carved into the walls, ceilings, and floors for pipes and wiring. The grooves are then cemented over. These residents are provided with year-round comfort and with nearly constant room temperatures.
In the 1990’s, John Mignone and I made a visit to Coober Pedy. Remembrance was
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| Older Cave Kitchen |
that back then the community was pretty sparce. We camped out in an early underground motel. That particular unit had been bored out with a 12 foot diameter borer for the main shaft. Side rooms that were used for sleeping were dug with a smaller shaft. The rooms were perhaps ten feet deep. There were no cement floors, and there were no beds. We slept in sleeping bags on the floor. Wow! A lot has changed.
Once covered by an inland sea, the opal was created from millions of years of skeletal remains being staked and converted into stone. The vast size of this rich piece of Australia has become a noodler’s dream. The township, however, is not an idyllic city. Nearly every backyard is cluttered with hardware or broken down machinery, the parts from which may one day come in handy. Some of the labeled streets have been paved, most are not. Dirt prevails in Coober Pedy. It seems like the town’s growth may be limited by the mine digs which surround it. Long time residents are none-the-less proud of what they have created and in the fact that this isolated population has a worldwide reputation.
At about the scheduled time of 11:30am, the Ghan Expedition train pulled to a stop at the Adelaide railyards terminal. Tuesday morning in the city was cloudy and the air was brisk. We were met by Cherri Lange and her son, Michael. Two vehicles were required to carry the
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| Cave Luncheon |
six travelers and their luggage. The ride from the terminal was directly to the Lange home, in the suburb of Marden, where Roger awaited us. We unloaded the cars and temporarily parked our luggage in the garage. Michael needed to return to work, so we said our thanks and our goodbye’s. After an initial welcoming visit, Roger drove Anne, Matt and Rob to the airport to pick up our reserved rental car.
As consumer’s can more often expect today, when an item is reserved for future use, it ends up being unavailable when called for. This was our seven passenger SUV example. We ended up with an eight passenger KIA vehicle. The price quoted for the unavailable car was applied to the KIA rental. This was OK. Both cars drove back to the Langes. Luggage was loaded into both cars and Roger led the way to the Levi Adelaide Holiday Park.
The Levi park is first a caravan park. It also has a couple of rows of new, one bedroom cabins. We were booked into cabins 3, 5 and 6. Each cabin had all of the normal motel room features. They also had full size freezer/fridge, ovens, burner top, kitchen sink and a table with chairs. The front porch had chairs, a side table and a small BBQ. Anne and I were booked in the park through Thursday night. We will then move into the Lange’s guest room. Chris, Michel, Anne’ and Matt will stay through Friday night. They will fly from Adelaide to the States early Saturday morning.
After getting setup in each of our cabins, we drove to the Lange’s for the afternoon and
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| Michel's Wallaby |
for the evening. Roger maintains a large three car garage. Over the years he has rebuilt several classic autos. Today the garage is home to an Audi, a Triumph roadster and a Triumph sedan. Between the second and third cars, Roger has built a large slot-car track table. He has collected many slot cars. There are over a dozen 128th scale model cars. There are models of classic street and track vehicles.
Roger briefed all gathered about how to use the track system. Chris and Matt were both eager to begin racing. During the next few hours there must have been dozens of crashes. Both boys had to learn how not to over-drive their vehicles. We drove from the Langes talking about how well certain cars performed on the track.
Wednesday was loaded with activity. It began with a drive deep into the neighboring Adelaide hills. There, we checked into the Gorge Animal Reserve. Built on a gentle hillside, the Gorge reserve is several acres of natural flora woven with graveled paths. The paths take one past dozens of wire enclosures that have become the home for different species of mammal or bird. Large open areas in the reserve are occupied by wallabies of different breeds, and by many species of uncaged birds. The Gorge is staffed with younger adults. Some were tending to the special dietary needs of the animals, while others minded to the continuous need for maintenance of the tidiness of the
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| The Guy's best Friends |
homes of their animal friends. All of the Gorge staff were dressed in a casual safari look.
At 1130 the koalas were presented to children, and to adults, to pet and to hold. As partners, Chris and Michel, and Matt and Anne’ took advantage of the unique opportunity to cuddle the warm, soft and docile animals. The tour of the Gorge Animal Reserve had been a wonderful way to spend the Aussie morning.
Hahndorf is a small town located in the Adelaide hills. The town was settled in the 19th century by Lutheran migrants. Hahndorf is known for its original German style architecture and for its artisan foods. The shops along main street in Hahndorf are very popular tourist attractions.
Matt found a place to park our KIA. We were going to walk a few blocks further to find the Haus, a highly rated German restaurant. Liter steins of ale were poured. Schnitzel, salad, fish & chips and hot dogs were ordered for our lunches. We ate on an open air balcony. We enjoyed the festive spirit of passing visitors. We walked through a few of the shops and we came away with some favored candies. The beauty of this visit to Hahndorf was in the town’s buildings, in the festive spirit of the visitors on the sidewalks, and in the Alpian-like location and the road it took to get there. If you travel to Adelaide, visit Hahndorf.
A request was made that a visit to the beach should be included. So, on Thursday we
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| Pier at Port Elliot |
loaded into two cars and we headed to the sands. On the way to the beach, we once again fished through the neighboring hills. We were being taken to Port Elliot. The mission at the port was twofold. First it was to find a place to eat, and second it was to have a stroll on the beach.
Two cars had been taken on the beach trip. There were too many of us for one car. With Roger driving one car, and with Cherri in the second car we were guaranteed travel commentary. Roger led us directly to a large parking lot that bordered the beach. At one end of the lot were changing rooms, showers and toilets. At the other end was a fish fry restaurant. We ordered our lunch meals and we ate them at an outside table.
After lunch, Matt and Anne’ walked the length of the beach on one edge of the
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| Lunch at Port Elliot |
enclosed bay. The rest of us watched the waves pound the amber sands, or walked to the point of the pier which marked the other end of the crescent bay’s beach. This had been an active afternoon.
Earlier in the day Roger had led us to Beafield road in the northern suburb of Para Hills. Beafield, from Main North road, takes us past Para Hills High School. This is where Rob taught maths, in the early 1970s. Para Hills had been the first “Open Space” school in South Australia. The school had just been built. Rob was one of the school's original teachers. There is generally always some small way that a complex process can be performed differently. This is certainly true with how one is educated. However, there may be a positive correlation between the number of degrees an education administrator holds and how badly their directives can screw up the process that they profess to improve.
It is this former educator’s opinion that classroom education should include doors that close and walls that define the classroom space. The open space approach had neither of these. That had been an interesting experiment. A drive through the parking lot presented a campus complex of buildings that was greatly different.
Returning to the city via Main North highway, Roger made a diversion as we entered the Enfield suburb. A left-hand turn led us to Sattler Terrace. We stopped a few moments to gaze at the front yard of our former home at Number 10, Sattler Terrace. The lack of front yard upkeep presented a disappointing scene. However, it had been 45 years since it had been ours. The main point of the visit was to show the boy where we had called home.
Home after a busy day, it was decided that we should treat ourselves to some carry-out for dinner. Cherri and Anne came up with a wonderful selection of Asian prepared chicken and beef dishes. Following dinner, Roger and Rob challenged Cherri and Anne to pinochle. The evening finished in a two-for-two tie. More games were needed.
Friday morning was special. This was Rob and Anne’s check-our day at the Levi park. With their room cleaned and bags repacked, the team drove to the Lange’s. Following a wonderful breakfast, the men and women went separate directions. Cherri and Anne found
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| The SL-C |
their way to the shops, Michel wanted to explore central Adelaide, and the guys, with Anne’, drove to Plympton to visit John Mignone.
Several years ago, John constructed a Superlite SL-C car. Manufactured as a kit, the track ready vehicle was distributed by a firm in Queensland. New to such a venture, John had received assistance at the Queensland plant. He spent a month at the plant, during the initial part of the build. John constructed a large garage at the rear of his Plympton home property. John moved the SL-C into the garage so that he could complete the enormous amount of detail work that needed to be done. He had the body painted a rich black. The seats which sat side by side in the tight cockpit were upholstered red.
A 5-Liter Chevy V8 was installed behind the seats. The motor was coupled to an Audi transaxle. The powerful V8 pounds its exhaust through un-muffled pipes to the rapidly passing
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| John & the GT-40 |
curbside. Forward lifting doors reveal a low footwell into what one must climb. John’s new car quickly passed registration and safety inspections. He was issued a Street Worthy Certificate for the SL-C.
The finished SL-C appears to be flawless in its construction. John had given Rob a ride in the car, shortly following its completion. The surrounding fit of the seats and the secure snug of the three point harness leaves one feeling like they may be ready for takeoff in a fighter jet. The engine roars and the upper body is jammed against the rear of the seat. This gorgeous track ready street car is everything and more. The SL-C wasn’t taken from the garage today but John fired it up for all to enjoy. We were rattled.
John took much enjoyment in what he had built. He was no longer a novice. John knew, instinctively, that he possessed a gift for craftmanship. He had space in his garage. John wasn’t though yet. John un-shelved his wrenches and he invested in a second kit vehicle. This one would be more complex in its construction demands. When completed, the car will be a replica of the Ford GT-40 that was used in the Ford vs Ferrari movie.
The build-time on the GT moved slowly. This was for two main reasons, firstly because
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| The Boys & Their Cars |
the detail involved had dictated this would happen, and secondly because receipt of critical components was delayed by the resources of the kit distributor. After eight years in its building, the GT-40 was ready for the South Australian State safety inspection process and ultimately the issuance of a road worthy certification. Like John’s SL-C, the GT-40 has been marvelously built. All eyes in the garage lit up when he ignited the fuel feeding the big Ford V8. Through straight pipe exhaust ports, the roar of the engine signaled power to all nearby structures. This level of strength may be unchallenged.
John signaled for Chris to climb in. He then slowly backed the car from the garage. He turned in around on the large cement pad that he had built with the garage. He slowly loped through his carport to the street. First gear and then second, the GT rapidly reached the corner. Now out of view, the GT’s signature echoed
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| "Climb in Chris" |
from all directions in the Plympton suburb. Matt had the next turn and Rob had the last. The seat level is at, or just below that of the door jam. Getting into the car was a matter of finding the way to extend your legs down and into the deep body-well that is between the center console and the side wall. One needs to scrunch low so that the top of the door extension does not smash your head. The harness is snapped and snugged. The passenger is loaded. The gear shifter is on the right, just inside the driver’s doorway. The polished rods connected to the steel shifter are unupholstered and they tighten on their assembly as John pulls with strength from first gear into second. It had been perhaps no more that two seconds from idle that the engine had wound up tight. The body was shaken as we drove around the city blocks. In a normal vehicle the body shake would have been attributed to road noise. This morning, however, the engine was the source.
We returned to the house with several new things to talk about. The trip to John’s had been a treat. Later today the extended Lange family visited. Elise, Andy and Jayden were greeted. They were joined by Michael, Stephany and their two sons, Sebastion and Nate. Elise and her younger brother, Michael, are original Lange property. Our two families first met through the association that Chris and Elise had in their shared Kindergarten classroom. Friendships between the two families was quickly re-established. The afternoon became conversationally very active. It was great to see the two families bond once again. Should the paths of our youngsters cross again in the future, their juncture will be a spot recognized by its warmth and its friendship.
Anne and Rob said goodbye to their four travel mates. They were to be up before dawn to link up with their return flights to the United States. Unsupported levels of confidence that all would go well were expressed by them as we hugged our “See you later”.
Saturday Cherri and Anne were to spend the afternoon playing games with a clutch of Cherri’s lady friends. Roger took on some maintenance tasks around the home. The goldfish pond received needed cleaning with the power washer. Later that evening the wall behind the fish pond sparkled with reflected highlights of activity within the lighted pool. Following the evening dinner, which featured some leftovers from Friday’s large spread, it was the guys vs the gals at the pinochle table. After a handful of games, we retired. The to-be revisited score was left as boys ahead and girls behind.
Sunday afternoon was scheduled to be busy. Roger and Cherri had planned a reunion of Rob’s former high school teacher mates. Included would be John Mignone, Chris Basset, and Pat Van dersomen. Chris’ wife, Rosie and Patrick’s wife Michelle were welcomed as well. As founding members of the Thursday night poker club, the five men had formed tight friendship bonds. The ladies had also been involved in support of the weekly games. They, too, had formed lasting friendships. Each had brought a contribution to the late afternoon lunch.
We talked and we reminisced on our past Adelaide lives together. The evening bell tolled. It was time to pack up and leave. It was anxious to say goodbye to the old friends. The opportunity may not be there again to be able to hug a hello.
The lights at the Lange home were finally turned off after a re-match of pinochle was battled. Scared and slightly re-wounded, the ladies excused themselves near eleven pm.
Monday was fun. Around noon, Roger and I drove to Port Adelaide. The purpose was to visit Pirate Life Brewery. Located on Baker Street, Pirate Life is in a large old warehouse
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| Mannum Hotel on the Murray |
building. Inside it is spacious and clean. A long bar presents a wall of information regarding current brews. To the sides are glassed-in views of some of the brewery tanks. Perhaps unique is the outside courtyard. One needs to walk through the yard to reach the front doors. The yard is expansive and it has many high and low seated picnic-like tables. Each is covered overhead with a fabric sunshield.
At the inside service counter, we studied the list of brews being presented on the tap wall. There were too many to choose from. We each settled on a tray that held four, one-cup glasses. Each selected what he was going to sample. We carried our trays to an outside table where we sipped while we visited. This was a very nice way to spend time with a friend.
While we were at the brewery, Anne was preparing a pulled pork dinner. This she served over open face hamburger buns. On the plate next to the meal was a ladle’s worth of beans with tomato sauce and a side pile of sole slaw. The meal was great. A blueberry muffin was enjoyed for desert. Now it was time for pinochle.
Some things are truly upside down, the Aussies put the adjectives first on some things. For example, where we would refer to the Mississippi River, the Aussies would say the River Mississippi. Today, Tuesday we are going to drive to the River Murray. The Murray has its origin in the Snowy mountains of New South Wales. This mountain range is in the southeastern region of Australia. It is the highest mountain range with Mount Kosciuszko, at 7,310 feet, being Australia’s tallest peak. The Snowies are part of the Great Dividing Range on the continent. The mouth of the River Murray is at the ocean, in Goolwa, South Australia. It is the largest river that runs through South Australia. On its way to the ocean, the River Murray has left a rich field of soil. Vineyards flourish on its imported nutrients.
We weren’t visiting the Murray for wine today. We drove to Mannum because it is a beachhead for activity on the river. Arriving at lunchtime, Roger parked curbside at the Pretoria Hotel. We were shown to a table, and we enjoyed Aussie beef pies for lunch. The pie was flushed with a dark Toothy ale.
River cruises are popular in Mannum. We didn’t want to do a cruise, but we did want to take the ferry across the river. Regular ferry service is available, all day each day. The cable drawn ferry costs nothing for the trip. It is viewed as an extension of the highway which continues on the other side. Loading six cars onto the ferry was quick. It took no more than a few minutes and we were driving on the other side. We stopped in the parkland, into which the vehicles were unloaded. Large willow trees were popular along the banks of the river. The return ferry carried only four cars. We drove off and turned right onto the highway towards Adelaide.
While Roger and I had waited for our Aussie Pies at lunchtime, Anne had found the hotel rooms which housed the “pokies”. She pulled her ticked when Roger fetched her. With lunch finished, Anne reinserted the credit ticket. A few pulls later the poky had finished its lunch.
With the poky left behind, we walked the main street of Mannum. A couple of years ago there had been strong rains in the Snowy mountains. This had caused the River Murray to rise above its banks to a flood stage. While walking the far side of the highway from the river, we could see the high water marks on the sides of the stone buildings. On the sidewalk near these buildings, one looked down ten or more feet to the river’s surface. The water marks were at shoulder height. At Mannum the river is about 50 yards wide. It flows slow and it is deep. To raise the surface of the river over 10 feet vertically meant that it was carrying an astonishing amount of rain water. Feats of nature are often very hard for a lay person to comprehend. Yes, it had rained hard for a few days well to the east of Mannum. That rain had fallen over a finite catchment area for the River Murry. How does nature keep such moisture burdened clouds airborne?
Roger and Cherri are avid bridge players. They belong to a club which meets Wednesday afternoons. This Wednesday they are to have the third match of four which will determine the year’s champion team. Based on scores from the preceding months, Cherri and her partner are in strong contention for the win. Roger and his teammate are not far behind with their third place standing. John has stepped forward to relieve our hosts of their escorting role for the day. He has planned a lunch stop at a popular French bakery, followed b a visit to the home of George Smith. George is a former biology teacher mate of Rob and John. After this visit, we will conclude with a sushi dinner.
John arrived at 84 Battams at the scheduled time of 11am. He drove his everyday car, a five-year-old Suzuki. It is a comfortable, zippy four-seater. The bakery is called Boulangerie. It is in the Goodwood suburb. The bakery offers a large variety of pastries. It features outside seating. We each chose a pastry treat, a cup of Latee coffee and we picked a comfortable outside table. We visited as we enjoyed the late morning treat.
George Smith lives in the Adelaide hills community of Bridgewater. John piloted his car onto the M1, or the South Eastern Freeway. The M1 is the primary route leading to Victoria to the east. Off of the freeway at the Bridgewater exit, we were once more driving on the narrow, curvy mountain roads. George and his wife, Sharon, live on the side of a hill. They have a tiered property with the single story, log sided home nested among well dressed shrubbery and trees. We were warmly greeted by a comfortably aging couple. Now white haired, George’s jocularity quickly took me back to our few years together at Para Hills High School. George taught biology, while I taught math.
Sharon had prepared a lunch for us, but it waited while George showed us some of the work he has done in the lower sited garage. He is near the completion of a tear-drop shaped caravan. Starting from scratch with a new trailer chassie, George has fashioned a beautiful veneer covered trailer. He is currently finishing the build by constructing a kitchen located inside the lift-up tail of the camper. George earlier built a very fine lathed-wood 16 foot canoe. He has a good eye for quality work. Sharon’s luncheon was light sandwiches and wine. We enjoyed a small amount while we visited the past.
While in the caron the way down the hill, John received a call from his friend, Jeff. Jeff is a gifted man with wires. He was responsible for installing the circuits in the GT-40. They arranged to meet this afternoon at John’s place. While we were so near, John opened his garage and showed Anne his works. John started the motor on the GT-40. We were all impressed with the body shaking power it presented. Jeff was interested in visiting with me about flying. He owns a couple of lightweight flying machines. A pilot for a couple of decades, Jeff has never sought a pilot’s license.
John invited Jeff to join us for dinner at the Sushi diner. The name of the eatery is the Sushi Train. We were quickly shown to a booth. A waitress took our orders for hors d’oeuvres. The booth had one end butting a low-profile interior wall. The wall was no higher than the booth seat backs. The wall was six inches wide. On top of the wall was a continuous loop of sushi dishes. The dishes passed by the booth riding atop a moving track. Every few dishes there would be a small sign the said what was immediately following. The idea is that one simply lifts away the sushi dish of their desire. None of this selecting involves the server. The hors d’oeuvres that we ordered arrived at the booth on a robot server. We lifted the dishes and then pushed the ‘Go’ button. The robot backed away from the table, turned and returned to the kitchen.
When we were finished with our meals, the waitress came by to give us a bill. Evey different serving of food had been served on its own color of plate. The waitress simply counted each color and added the prices for individual plates. This afternoon and evening with John had been very special. It had been fun to meet up with George and Sharon. Jeff, having had a couple of trips to the U.S. with his corvette club, was keen to hear everyone’s thoughts about the current political field. We were returned to 84 Battams where we hugged our farewells.
Cherri and Anne set aside Thursday afternoon to visit the David Roche Foundation Museum. The museum is the former home of Roche. He had inherited considerable money and he spent abundantly. The home and its contents had been donated to Adelaid as a foundation. The main draw for today’s visit was the rand collection of quilts which Roche had acquired. The ladies spent several hours viewing the opulent collection of excessiveness that David Roche had spent his fortune on.
On the return trip from dropping the ladies off, Roger discovered an event was going on at the archery range. The range is a large piece of the parkland that has been set aside for this use. It has a dozen large target butts mounted on stands. Behind the butts is a wooden fence that runs in front of a forest. Safety warnings flags are posted when the archery range is in use. Roger hurried home to collect me. We drove straight to the range. There we found that the event had finished. The field was bare. Shucks! That would have been fun to watch.
The Audi Quattro that Roger has been using had been borrowed from a friend called Tim. Roger had called Tim and he had arranged the return of the car. With some of Roger’s help, Tim is restoring a 1967 Alpha Romero. The car has been stripped and repainted. They are currently working to fit an air-conditioning unit in the engine compartment. The Audi has a long way to go before it is road worthy. Tim drove the two of us back to the house. We had just finished ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch when Cherri called. They were ready to be picked up.
Cherri made reservations for six o’clock for dinner at the Star of Siam, on Gouger Street. Adelaide has a dense city center population of Asian restaurants. We are having Chinese for dinner, to be followed by a night at Her Majesty’s Theatre. Reading menus in foreign restaurants is somewhat akin to picking up the special words that are associated with a new field of physics. Once one has mastered the specialized vocabulary, then the meaning of the paper can be read and understood. I didn’t try to decode the long Star of Siam menu. I searched for words that I knew. My plate would be deep fried chicken with cashew nuts. Yes, and a glass of chardonnay, too, please. The meal turned out wonderful. Some white rice was tossed in, and it was topped with soy sauce.
As one observed the number of people seated in the Star of Siam, as well as the population occupying the entire Asian food strip, you may come away with the impression that this was the only place to eat in Adelaide. The place was packed, and the noise of the people was stunning.
Roger and Cherri knew the way to the theatre. Earlier, as we approached the Star of Siam, it began to rain. Roger dropped us off and he left to find a spot to park. This was to be important later, as the walk to the theatre was long enough.
We had bought tickets to be part of tonight’s performance of Elvis: A Musical Revolution. Her Majesty’s Theatre, at 58 Grote Street is hard to miss. For a quarter of a block, the sidewalk is overhung with a dazzling lighted canopy. With preprinted tickets, we were presented directly to the red carpeted stairs. These took us to the top of the seating bowl that captured the performance stage. Our seating was perfect. About half of the way down into the bowl and we had above the head views of the stage. The show would begin at 7:30 pm. We had about five more minutes.
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| Elvis: A Musical Revolution |
The Elvis story began in his pre-teen youth. He was seen being attentive to the music and religious activities of the mixed black and white neighborhood that he was raised in. A guitar came early. Elvis soon became old enough to form a band. His teen years was a struggle to gain notoriety and to be able to be heard on the radio. Through rapid set changes, the song and dance performance followed Elvis’ life through the Army and onto become, aptly labeled, the King of Rock and Roll.
The choreography was flawless. Performers in the leading roles didn’t miss a que. Actor Ian Stenlake played the part of Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’ career directing manager. Rob Mallett secured the lead role as Elvis Presley from more than 700 hopeful applicants for the part. The musical play shows Colonel Parker driving hard on Elvis. This was throughout Elvis’ professional career. The life-spirit of Elvis had taken a toll from the high public demands placed on him. At the play’s close, Elvis is seen walking into the blackness at the rear of the stage. All lights faded out.
It was time for us to exit stage right. Anne and I were chosen to stay behind at the theatre’s entrance. Roger and Cherri walked from under the weather shielding lighted canopy into the misty night air. They arrived at curbside about a half hour later. The day and the evening had been perfect. We were all ready for bed.
Four am came at four am on Saturday. We are headed for the Adelaide airport. This drive takes about twenty minutes. The city is quiet. Taxis dominate the streets. Roger and Cherri take us as far as the check-in security lines. There we say our sad goodbye’s. They have been the most gracious hosts. Sadly, though, the girls won eighteen games to the boys fourteen, They will be missed.
