Traveling to Western Australia and the Outback in 2007

 

Suzy saying good bye to Final Straw for a few days

 

We departed Mooloolaba in May 2007 and sailed south to Brisbane.  We decided to stay at Rivergate Marina and wait for the arrival of the Dockwise ship, Yacht Express, which was sheduled to bring Final Straw to Ensenada, Mexico in mid-July.  Since we had a few months to wait, we decided this was a good time to visit a part of Australia we hadn't yet seen.  So, we made plans to spend 12 days in Western Australia and the Northern Territories.  

We started the trip by flying out to Perth on Wednesday, June 6th.  Rivergate Marina is right on the Brisbane River and is conveniently located about ten minutes from the airport.  Considering Perth is some 2700 miles from Brisbane, about the same distance as a drive from New York to LA, we decided it would be best to fly. 
 
We arrived in Perth that evening and stayed at a B&B in one of the suburbs.  The next day, we drove to Fremantle where all of the 1987 America's Cup activity took place.  When Australia won the Cup away from the New York Yacht Club, they broke the longest winning streak in sporting history, 132 years.  That was a BIG deal and the Aussies were "over the moon" with pride.  Alan Bond was the financier behind the campaign and he was from Perth.  The Royal Perth Yacht Club became the first defending yacht club in America's Cup history after NYYC.  Dennis Connor was the skipper who lost the Cup and the NYYC wasn't very happy about losing the coveted trophy.  So, Dennis came to Perth representing the San Diego Yacht Club as a challenger with the goal of winning it back.  In an incredible comeback, which happens to be the name of his book about this event, he won the Cup and was, once again, an American hero.  San Diego Yacht Club kept the Cup for the next eight years.  The racing in Fremantle was fantastic stuff with some of the best video of spectacular racing in Cup history.  This was due primarily to the size of the seas and a strong afternoon wind caused by a weather pattern affectionately called the Fremantle Doctor (or Docker depending on the story you believe).  Jimmy Buffet wrote a little song about all of this hoopla called "Take it Back".

 

 
The Americas Cup used to be here!
 
 
We stayed at a place right on the water at Fremantle overlooking the area where they held the racing.  The next day, we stopped by at the Royal Perth Yacht Club to see the all the memorabilia they have from that big event.  Like New Zealand, sailing is a big sport in this part of the world.  They start young and take it very seriously.

 

 

 
 
 
The famous Perth black swans
 
 
Perth is well known for its large black swan population.  In fact, the flag of Western Australia has a black swan embossed upon it.  We came across these fine specimens at one of the parks along the Swan River.  There were hundreds of them walking around the various parks and swimming in the rivers.
 
 
 
 
One of the highlights for us was visiting the Shipwreck Galleries, a part of Fremantle's impressive Maritime Museum.  The exhibits are exceptionally well done (and we've been to quite a few Australian maritime museums now!).  The centerpiece is the remains of the Dutch East Indian merchant ship, Batavia, which shipwrecked on a coral reef not far from Perth in 1629!  It's a fascinating story of life in the seventeenth century and the greed of a mad heretic who led history's bloodiest mutiny to capture the treasure aboard.  She was loaded with thousands of Dutch guilders (worth multi-millions now) that was to be used for trading in the Far East.  She was the flagship of the Dutch East Indian Company.   The story of recovering and preserving the sunken stern is a fascinating story in itself.
 
 
 
 
Standing in front of the remains of the stern of Batavia
 
 
After a few days in Perth & Fremantle, we drove south about 3-1/2 hours to the Margaret River in far southwestern Western Australia, basically at the lower left corner of Australia (kind of like San Diego is to the US).  Margaret River is one of Australia's most famous wine regions.  It's truly  gorgeous country with some fantastic surfing spots on the Indian Ocean.  The photo below is from the deck of a restaurant where we had lunch after an exhausting morning of wine tasting.  
 
 
 
 
Bunker Bay Beach overlooking the Indian Ocean
 
 
We saw some great surfing spots and have some good video of the breaks.  It was pretty interesting to see cars with surfboards on top parked in front of the vineyards so their occupants could do a little tasting before hitting the surf.  There are about a hundred different wineries in the area and some are really world class.
 

 
Entrance to Voyager Estate Vineyards
 
We stopped at maybe 15-20 different vineyards based primarily upon recommendations or notable awards they received.  One of the more beautiful grounds we visited was at Voyager Estate.  They have one of the best Chardonnays (2005) in the Margaret River Region and a very good Shiraz (also 2005) and a beautiful rose garden.  I actually enjoyed stopping to smell the roses here! 
 
 

 
Wine tasting at Laurance Wines
 
One of the prettiest wineries we visited was Laurance.  They've spent a small fortune decorating and landscaping the place.  And, they have a very nice 2006 Chardonnay.

 

 
 
 
Wine glass chandelier at Laurance Wines
 
We got a kick out of the creative chandelier hanging in their entryway.  They also have a somewhat controversial golden maiden statute in the middle of their pond that is the subject of great discussion in the region.  The shire (like a city council in the States) has told them it must be removed.  So, there's a big legal battle brewing over the "rights" of a property owner to do what he pleases on his own property.  Sounds like democracy in action!
 

 

After three and a half days at Margaret River, we drove back to Perth before heading to Alice Springs in the Red Center of Australia. 
 
 
 
 
 
Alice Springs in the heart of the Australian Outback
 
 
The next day we flew to "The Alice" which is billed as the closest city to every beach in Australia.  They forget to tell you its about 1000 miles to the closest one.  But, due to its central location, the premise is actually true.  The soil is pretty red in the Outback, thus the label of being in the Red Center.  It's also home to a large population of indigenous Australians, the Aborigines.  They have a mystical culture and beliefs that are quite interesting.  Alice Springs had several galleries and a cultural center that displayed Aboriginal art and artifacts.  
 
 
 
 
Having a schooner of VB at Bojangles in Alice Springs
 
One thing we were advised to do by Aussie sailing friends back in Mooloolaba was to visit Bojangles Tavern.  It's an interesting place with some real characters hanging out there.  I must say, they did have a really cold VB (Victoria Bitter beer) on tap and all the shelled peanuts you could eat.  You just drop the shells on the floor and they clean them up after they close.  So, here we are in the middle of the Australian Outback and we're told we're live on the internet.  That's right, there are six web cameras in the tavern that run 24 hours a day AND if you see someone you know, you can buy them a drink over the internet from the other side of the world!  Now how cool is that!  Just go to the Bojangles website, register on a secure web page and buy a drink.  They take credit cards or Paypal and announce over the PA system whenever someone buys a drink.  Very clever, the power of the information revolution via the internet!
 
 
 
 
Standley Chasm in the West Macdonnell Range
 
The next day we decided to drive the 4-1/2 hours south to Uluru, or Ayers Rock as many know it.  Just before leaving for Uluru, we stopped at Simpsons Gap and Standley Chasm in the West Macdonnell Mountain Range.  The area is reminiscent of New Mexico, Arizona and West Texas, but, believe it or not, it's bigger.  Sunlight plays an interesting role in changing the colors of the red soil in the Outback.  It makes the region a photographer's paradise.  At Standley Chasm, they instruct you to come between 11 am and 1 pm for the best viewing.  We and thirty others arrived at the same time all with cameras in hand.  Jockeying for a spot to take pictures without getting others in your shot was a challenge.  It was a beautiful place though and we did get some nice photos and video.
 
 
   
 
 
A real Outback dinner as opposed to dinner at Outback 
 
We arrived in Uluru around 2 pm and checked into the appropriately-named-for-us Sails in the Desert Hotel.  It was a very nice place and the room was quite comfortable.  That evening, we made a reservation to go to the Sound of Silence dinner.  It's held on the top of a big sand dune on the desert floor with a distant view of Uluru.  The evening is well planned and you are well cared for by the staff.  A lone digeridoo player greeted us as we watched the sun set on Uluru.  Then, we were treated to ca napes of emu, kangaroo and crocodile along with fine Australian sparkling wine.  This was followed by a walk to the dinner tables where we had a nice gourmet buffet dinner.   After dinner, there was a very interesting and humorous talk about the stars and constellations of the Southern Sky.  It was a very nice evening, albeit, quite cold (about 35 deg F).  July is  midwinter here in the Southern hemisphere!  But, we stayed pretty warm with the big outdoor heaters, a nice campfire and a port dessert wine in here in the desert. 
 
 
 
 
Uluru/Ayers Rock at late afternoon
 
We came all this way to see the world's largest monolith, a great big piece of sandstone rock.  You only see about 10% of it above ground.  It's truly enormous (over 1200 feet high and about six miles around the base) and more impressive than we expected.  The indigenous Aboriginal tribes of the area believe it is sacred ground and they co-manage it with the Australian Parks System.  Probably the most impressive thing about Uluru is how the sun changes the colors of the sandstone rock from a deep purple to various red hues and eventually a most brilliant orange.  We got up early the next morning to see sunrise on Uluru.  We weren't disappointed as the photo below shows.
 
 
 
 
A bright orange glow on Uluru at sunrise
 
It was a magnificent sight.  Until you walk up to the base, you really don't get the impact of just how enormous it really is.  There are a number of trails you can walk and it really takes a couple of days to give this place justice.   We spent most of the morning climbing around the base of the rock.  Then, we visited the local Aboriginal gallery and saw some very interesting artwork.  The paintings relate stories that the artist is allowed to tell by elders of their tribe regarding ancient Aboriginal beliefs. 
 
The next day we drove back to Alice Springs to spend the night before catching our flight back to Brisbane.  
 

 

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