Number 6: Drive up the coast of West Australia and snorkel with Whale Sharks (achieved- mostly)
Of all the goals on my list, this is one of
the most significant. I have been planning it for over 10 years. I started the
moment my plane touched ground in the UK last time, returning from six months
volunteering in Australia. Those times had been some of my most character
building and memorable. Some were happy. Some were rather dramatic. Many
provided inspiration for some of my best writing. All helped shape my life
today and the adult I have become. (I use the word ‘adult’ loosely.)
You know I love a list. Just imagine: ten
years of sub headings, spreadsheets and tick lists. How ironic, then, after so
long planning that I should miss the Whale Sharks by about a week. Ah well. For
those of you used to my shoddy time keeping, this might not be a surprise.
The lack of the world’s largest marine
mammals did not dampen the experience. There were so many other fabulous wonders.
To describe them all would take more words than a poor blog-reading audience
could endure. My travel journal is over 250 pages long! So, I’ve tried to summarise
the many sights, sounds and smells that Australia had to offer over the last
month.
In terms of variety and itinerary, my
planning did work well. Last time, having had a closer encounter with the
interior outback than intended, a major aim was to stick to the coastal edges
and let someone else do the driving. In addition, there were places I wanted to
return to, old and new friends and family to meet and areas I had yet to visit.
Sitting with a map in front of me, I found myself marvelling at how stupidly
big Australia is. ‘So if I just hop on a train from here to...oh four days.
Right.’
Somehow between planes, trains, ferries,
buses and cars I still managed to cover a lot of ground. I started on the east
coast in Sydney, with its iconic harbour, botanic gardens, glorious national
parks and some fantastic chocolate sundaes. Via train to Bungendore and
Canberra, I watched the rolling hills and dry farmlands of New South Wales pass
my window, with the occasional kangaroo hopping towards the shade. Getting lost
in Melbourne was fun; the hipster districts and south bank arts scene, beer
o’clock in the sunshine and just wandering and wondering past the mix of
historic and modern buildings.
The next two weeks were spent exploring the
West Coast. Stepping off the plane, the heat enveloped me like a warm blanket.
For someone who spent the last two years working in a crypt in Scotland it was
like recharging my batteries.
From attractive Perth and Fremantle we drove
through tall forests of peeling red gums towards wineries and some of the most
stunning beaches I’ve ever visited- with barely a person on them. We camped for
several nights in a national park, with gaudy parrots, galahs and big fluffy
kookaburras for company. Fortunately I didn’t share a tent with any snakes or
spiders!
The final week was a group tour up the
coast to Exmouth. When booking I had been worried it would be like an
incredibly late gap year and I would be the age of everyone’s granny. My
concerns were unwarranted. I met some of the loveliest people to share that
beautiful coastline with.
Having spent so much time previously on the
East, the West was a real contrast. There are less people for a start and many,
many miles between sights. I loved the views of semi-arid desert, broken by
anthills and the odd emu. Rock sites like the Kalbarri (where we abseiled in
the early morning), dolomites and stromatolites were like alien landscapes,
built and decorated with unique colours and formations.
We stayed in a ranch, sharing our kitchen some
many-legged creatures, and a magical beachside resort in Monkey Mia where the
dolphins came to the shore for breakfast. (We didn’t eat them.) The
snorkelling, too, was magical even without the Whale Sharks. In water that was cold
for Australia, a mere 26%, we swam through blue and turquoise ripples with
clown fish, catfish and fantastic corals. It was like another world down there,
one I would love to explore further. (Learning to dive is on the list.)
On the return to Perth there was sand
boarding to try, resulting in face plants and pockets of sand, then an animal
rescue centre where we made friends with an adorable baby kangaroo. Every day
ended with the most glorious sunset. Nature really did put on a show.
All good things come to an end. Fortunately
for me, my last weekend included a whistle stop return to the place where I had
been so happy before: Batreach animal rescue centre in tropical Queensland.
From dry deserts to sticky heat.
Winding up the mountain road I couldn’t
help grinning at the remembered landscape; slopes of rainforest trees leading
down to the coral sea. Kuranda, atop its tropical mountain, really does feel
like an outpost. I even returned to Cairns via a historic railway that carved
its way through the rainforest.
At Batreach I was greeted by an unchanged
sight: the little wooden hut on the edge of the rainforest. My fruitbat friends
squawked a welcoming racket. Some of the individual bats I worked with were
still alive after twelve years absence. How incredible. There were new furry
friends too, like a baby possum who treated me like a climbing frame. Such
strange familiarity; sitting with a glass of chilled wine on the veranda,
looking out into the tangle of jungle barely kept at bay. It was as though the
years between had never existed.
My overriding memories of Australia will be
of beautiful landscapes and lovely people, of fruit and veg ripened in the warm
weather and some of the most stunning wildlife I’ve ever experienced. After a
month living out of a bag I was ready to come home, but I know one day I will
return. There is still more to do, even on this list of forty things. I didn’t
learn to surf, or swim with dolphins. And then there are the elusive Whale
Sharks. Better start planning now...
