Australians at McMurdo

Last week, McMurdo was visited by two groups of
Australians from the Australian Antarctic Division
(AAD) on their way to Casey Station. The AAD and
the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) has an
agreement in place where the AAD flies USAP personnel
from Christchurch to McMurdo via their A319 Airbus.
USAP then reciprocates by flying AAD personnel to
Casey via our LC-130s. This set up has been in place
for a couple of years now and it seems it is a win/win
situation for both parties. It was fun for us to see
all of the yellow-coated Australians enjoying themselves
at McMurdo. One of the two 26 person groups was delayed
for a couple of days due to bad weather here. It was
fun to imagine if we would be stranded at Casey for a
couple of days and were able to explore the area there.
Before he left, our friend Simon gave me a couple of
the 100 year commemorative patches for the AAD (pictured
above). Lynn and I have a special place in our hearts
for the AAD since we were able to receive a really nice
tour there last year during our visit to Hobart. I hope
the folks that were here felt just as welcome as we did.

SYD = Not Very Nice

The Sydney Airport (SYD) has always seemed fairly pleasant.
Nothing spectacular mind you, but nothing horrible either.
Until now. We should have know something was wrong when
we arrived on our way to Hobart. We decided to spend the
night at an "inexpensive" hotel near the airport. To catch
a shuttle to the hotel, it cost $6 per person each way to get
to the hotel. Yikes!

We had a really nice stay in Tasmania and our flight from
Hobart to Sydney was uneventful. We decided we would stay
at the airport since we didn't really want to spend the night
at a hotel and go through that whole shuttle situation again.

Now, here's another major flaw with Sydney's airport. The
Domestic Terminal and International Terminal aren't connected.
You can catch an airport bus (for a fee) or a taxi (for a fee) or
a subway (for a fee). Of course the bus only runs until 8pm,
the taxi would be exorbitantly expensive and the subway was
hard to drag bags through. I've never been to such a place that
made it so difficult for it's patrons to just complete the basic
act of traveling!

After we finally reached the International Terminal where we
hoped to find a cafe or someplace to hang out for the night,
we were informed by a man in a sport coat (see photo) that
we could not stay in the terminal since it closed at 11pm.
Aargh! We were "welcome" to be herded into a tiny area in
the basement area, where we and 50 or so other folks would
also be spending the night. They then started to close down
metal gates with bars down over the walkways to the rest of
the terminals and the exit doors. Only one door was left
unbarred and if you left, you couldn't get back in! It felt like
a concentration camp! Then, when it didn't seem it could
get worse, half a dozen women in yellow vests walked around
and asked everyone to see their passport and flight itineraries.
One guy asked a vest-wearer, "I have nothing else to do, but
come to the airport and hang out? Of course I have a ticket!"

We survived the night and didn't get much rest, but eventually
the rest of the airport opened up to us, we took a shower and
were on our way.

I found out that the city of Sydney literally sold the airport to
a second party and this huge business conglomerate is alienating
not only international travelers, but local Australians as well.
All in the quest to make a buck. It was a pretty bad experience
and the city of Sydney should be ashamed of itself!

Not Your Average Road Signs

While driving today, we saw some road signs that you just don't
see back home. We're used to seeing signs to watch out for
deer, elk, etc. This sign warns us to watch for Tasmanian Devils.


This sign, of course, cautions us to be on the lookout for Kangaroos!


My favorite is this sign...watch out for Wombats!

We saw a Penguin caution sign too, but weren't quick enough to
snap a photo. Oh well, maybe next time!

Tasman Peninsula

This is our last day in Tasmania and we wanted to see some of the
coastline of this beautiful state. Even though Port Arthur is the most
famous part of the Tasman Peninsula, we didn't feel that a quick run
through of the historic site would do it justice. We plan to come back
to the area in the near future, so we decided that we'll visit Port Arthur
then. In the meantime, there is so much beauty in this area, it wasn't
hard to fill the day. The first interesting thing we saw was a boat
going through the swing bridge. It was fun to watch the bridge
turn and run parallel to the water. Apparently, it's a unique enough
event that dozens of cars pulled over to the side of the road to
watch. There's a story that a fee must be paid to the bridge tender
to have the bridge opened. That fee is a bottle of beer!


At Tasman National Park, there is a pullover called Devil's Kitchen,
where you can see the effects of the waves and tides on the cliffs.
This is a pretty dramatic coastline, and it's being worn away slowly
by erosion.


We took a short hike to a place called Tasman Arch. This is a
direct result of the erosion I mentioned. Someday the bridge part
of this arch will collapse.


There are lots of beaches that would be fun to spend some time on,
just taking a long stroll.


Our last stop was at the Tessellated Pavement State Reserve.

According to Wikipedia: "A tessellated pavement is a rare erosional feature
formed in flat sedimentary rock formations lying on some ocean shores.
The pavement bears this name because the rock has fractured into polygonal
blocks that resemble tiles, or tessellations. The cracks (or joints) were formed
when the rock fractured through the action of stress on the Earth's crust and
subsequently were modified by sand and wave action".

This is one of the few places on earth this occurs, and it was interesting to see.


One could spend several days on the Tasman Peninsula, exploring all the small
bays and inlets and many of the tiny towns. I'm looking forward to visiting again
someday.

Elizabeth Street Mall

In downtown Hobart, there is a really nice pedestrian shopping mall
called Elizabeth Street Mall. It reminds us a lot of the Cashel Street
Mall in Christchurch and has some really neat stores, including an
Australian Geographic Store and even a Target...just like in the States!


I really liked the covering at one end of the mall. It has a cool
look to it, without being oppressive. I'm glad they didn't cover
the whole mall with this though.


My favorite thing is this neat old Kodak sign. Very retro.

The View From Here

This is the view from our hotel room. Hobart is a really pretty
city. Lots of parks, near the sea, hilly. Definitely a place we'd
like to see more of. Maybe sometime in the future.

Pie

We've traveled in many places around the world and they are
called by many names. Calzones, Pasties, Empanadas, Pot Pies,
etc. But in New Zealand and Australia, they are just plain "pies".
These are little hand held meals that come in all varieties and
most are yummy...my favorite is steak and cheese. It seems like
you can't get a bad pie in Australia or NZ though and the best ones
are at out of the way places where you would never think you could
get a gourmet meal.


We ran across a little place while driving called Brighton's Best
Bakehouse, just north of Hobart and the Pies there were phenomenal.
The place was busy even in the middle of the afternoon.


Plus, the people were really friendly. It made the pies taste even
better!

Baa Ram Ewe!

Sheep Dog Trials at the Bothwell International Spin-In,
in the Central Highlands of Tasmania.

Bothwell International Spin-In

Almost by accident, we attended the Bothwell International
Spin-In, located in the Central Highlands. I saw an advertisement
for it on television and then saw signs advertising it in Hobart. We
didn't have much planned for this afternoon, so we made the scenic
90 minute drive through the Central Highlands and found ourselves
in the tiny town of Bothwell.


The Spin-In was dedicated mostly to what else...spinning. However,
this was what Lynn really came for! There were also sheep and
alpaca exhibits, weaving, knitting and other fiber arts.


Lots of displays were dedicated to finished knitted products and
there were several speakers as well as several tents and many booths
with artists selling their wares.


The Spin-In was held at the local elementary school which was
adjacent to the community swimming pool. I got a kick out of this
sign!


When we started back to our car, we ran across these nice folks who were
very excited to show us their knitware!

Salamanca Market

One of Hobart's biggest attractions is it's Saturday Salamanca Market.
We joined the throngs and although in many ways it seemed similar to
our Farmer's Market in Grand Junction, it was much much larger.


The market started in 1971 with 12 stalls. Now, it has 300 stalls and
attracts 25,000 people every Saturday. When we first arrived it was fairly
quiet, but as the morning went on it became very crowded.


We made a few small purchases, knowing we'd have to carry them all the
way home to the States. Lynn found a essential oil booth and purchase
some local Eucalyptus, Tea Tree and Lavender oils that are native to
Tasmania.


We also purchased some fruit leather. Really tasty!


If we hadn't seen the Tasmanian Devils at Bonorong, this might have been
the closest we'd come to seeing the real thing. I think these probably
aren't as ferocious as they look!

Australian Antarctic Division

A number of years ago, I made contact with a gentleman named Nick, who
at the time was employed by the Australian Antarctic Division, which is located
in Kingston, Tasmania which is just outside Hobart. Nick sent me a very large
copy of the pennant used by the ANARE (Australian National Antarctic Research
Expeditions). This was a predecessor of the current AAD. I've kept in touch with
Nick and since we were visiting the Hobart area, I contacted him. Although he
retired from the program, he's still involved, and was kind enough to give us a
tour of the facility.


The headquarters is a series of buildings all connected together. Originally, it was
built to resemble floating icebergs.


This is a much smaller version of the pennant that Nick sent me.


They have a really big library with everything and anything Antarctic-related.
This photo only shows a small part of it.


Graeme is the Assistant Librarian of Client Services and makes a great cuppa!
He went with us on most of the tour and introduced us to lots of the folks that
worked there.


We were shown and allowed to open an original copy of "Aurora Australis".
Printed by the 1908 Shackleton Nimrod Expedition, this was the first book
ever printed in Antarctica and it's estimated only 100 were printed. Only
70 or so have been located and this is one of them.


The cover page of "Aurora Australis".


While we were walking around, we saw the offices of the Aviation
Department. I've worked with these folks while at McMurdo.


We also saw a model of the Airbus A319, which is operated by
Skytraders for the AAD. We've both had the chance to fly on this
plane both northbound and southbound from the Ice.


The American stations keep most of their supplies in warehouses
on site. The Australian program keeps most of their goods here
in Kingston. Sure, their stations have their share of items on location,
but most everything comes from here.


Even their boating supplies are brought here to be stored and repaired.


These are boxes of films from expeditions and seasons past that are
being stored here until they can be preserved and processed. Graeme
is unsure how long this will take and where they will go since like everybody
else these days, the programme is cutting spending.


We're familiar with the Clothing Distribution Centre (CDC) at the
Antarctic Centre in Christchurch, but the AAD has their own. It's a bit
smaller the the counterpart in NZ, but significant nonetheless. It was
really interesting to see the similarities and differences in clothing
gear between our program and theirs.


We are issued "Big Reds" while apparently, some of their folks are
issued "Big Yellows"!


The AAD is one of the few places away from Antarctica itself that
Antarctic Krill are raised.


The krill are in these tanks. Can't see them? Neither can we!


I found the AAD headquarters to be kind of a combination of USAP's
Washington, Denver, Christchurch and stations all rolled into one.
This is a really nice cafeteria that is set up for visitors and employees to
use and enjoy.


There is actually a small visitor centre at the AAD. Mostly it is for
school groups and such, but if I hadn't contacted Nick ahead of time,
I might have been disappointed. Nick and Graeme told us that the
higher ups didn't really want to emphasize the public being involved
or even interested in the programme, which results in a pretty small
public presence. I was interested in the few items they did have though,
such as the glove that was on the hand of the first hand planting a flag
at the South Pole. Kind of odd, but kind of cool at the same time.


Of course, Bruno went along with us and had his picture taken with a
few new friends that had worked in Antarctica with the Australians.
They must have had a big dinner, because they were absolutely stuffed!


After a really nice visit of the facilities, Graeme treated us to a nice cuppa and
presented us with a copy of "The Silence Calling" by Tim Bowden. it chronicles
the history of the ANARE and is a great book. Of course Lynn, Nick and I posed
for a photo and we were on our way.

It was really great to see how another Antarctic program besides ours and New
Zealand's operates. I've heard that the Australians have been trying to get the
USAP to move their operations from Christchurch to Kingston but I doubt it will
happen soon. In light of the problems that Christchurch has had with the
earthquake, I think the two programs are even closer now than before and most
folks wouldn't want to leave Christchurch. Thanks to Nick and Graeme for
spending so much time with us nutty Americans, taking the time to show us
everything they take so much pride in.

Bonorong

"Bon-a-rong" - Aboriginal meaning "Native Companion"

Arguably, the Bonorong Wildlife Centre is one of the best places
in Tasmania to see different kinds of wildlife native to the area.
It's not a zoo, but a sanctuary for injured and orphaned wildlife
that unfortunately will not be able to go back to the wild.


One thing I really wanted to see while we are in Tasmania is a
Tasmanian Devil. Yes, I'm an American, and I grew up watching
the Looney Tunes version of the Tasmanian Devil. I'm happy to
report that the "real" devil isn't much like the cartoon version. Yes,
it can be ferocious, but it doesn't spin in circles. It does however,
pace very rapidly and has really strong jaws. Unfortunately, more
and more devils in the wild suffer from Devil Facial Tumour Disease.
According to our guide, this disease will wipe out virtually all of the
devils in the wild in the next 20 years. They are hoping to be able to
repopulate the wild with devils from facilities like Bonorong, where
they are disease free.


this fellow is a Wombat. He was very cuddly and cute, but when
he gets older and reaches puberty...not so much. He'll get very
aggressive and even fight his mother if he has to


We've seen Koalas in zoos before, but never this close up. They are
simply fascinating! they actually sleep 80% of the time and when they
aren't sleeping, they're eating Eucalyptus leaves. As cute as they are,
our guide told us "There isn't much going on behind those eyes",
meaning that they just aren't that bright! We were able to pet him
and when you removed your hand, it smelled like Eucalyptus. It
seeped through his pores and fur.


This guy seemed to be wondering why Lynn was petting his back!


This is a Kookaburra, and it has a sad story. He had owners in the
outside world and was kept indoors. The owners tried to clip his wings
so he wouldn't fly. Unfortunately, they cut too much of his wings, so
now he'll never fly again. How sad! He can't defend himself from
predators because he can't fly away. Fortunately there is a happy
ending. There is a lady Kookaburra from the wild that comes to visit
him at night, and she doesn't care that he doesn't fly!


I waited for over ten minutes for this little guy to come out of his hiding
place so that I could see him and take his picture. He's a Echnida,
and although he's a mammal, he lays eggs! He eats ants and
termites that he catches with his sticky tongue.


Hundreds of Forester Kangaroos live at Bonorong. Most of them
are very friendly and tame. They'll even eat out of your hand.
We were told the best place to pet them is right under the chin
in the neck area.


Lynn spent quite a bit of time with this friendly little bird.
He even tried to eat her camera!