Day 197-203: Sydney/Katoomba/Melbourne
Trip Start
Sep 12, 2004
1
35
57
Trip End
Jan 05, 2006
Sydney/Katoomba/Melbourne,
Australia
Sunday, April 3, 2005
We were supposed to check out at 10 this morning, but King had been up early and done his usual morning coffee run and had got us a late check out at 12 for no extra money which was marvellous so no rushing around. Had a leisurely breakfast which even included fruit...as usual Chris was the last one up...lazy bugger! No jog this morning...you think I'm mad?? Even went back to bed for a quick nap after breakfast coz it took it right out of me! Showered, packed and we were all out on time. Paid up at reception....ironically for some reason they'd put one Kids Club session on our bill...pointed out that it was highly unlikely that we would be using the Kids Club - I mean the cabin had 5 homos in it for goodness sake! Back over the lake on the ferry and started the journey home....loads of traffic on the road, again to be expected. Had one food stop on the way pretty much when we were in Sydney, luckily the weather was good tho so the journey didn't feel too bad, plus we played our own travel version of Trivial Pursuit en route. Got back to King's place after dropping Chris off at about 5.
Just picked up some stuff I'd left there and King drove me to Central to catch the train to the mountains....it was the first time i've carried the new pack on my back and it was sooo bloody heavy! Annoyingly one of the retaining straps which holds one of the metal harness bars in place broke...not too serious, can still use the pack as normal but a bit annoying that it broke the first time I used it, obviously I'm not gonna be able to take it back to the Sydney store so gonna have to hope they have a Melbourne branch. Got the 6.04pm train, it was slowly getting dark at this point so couldn't really take in the views on the way up there, arrived on time tho around 8pm. Asked a group of women where the YHA was when I left the station, 5 min walk down the main street apparently....well seemed more like 15 but that's coz of the pack, luckily most of it was downhill but not looking forward to the walk back. You certainly noticed the difference in temperature up here from Sydney, could see my breath and had to put my jacket on...that hasn't been out since South Africa!
Anyways...got to Katoomba all ok, and the hostel is great - it's in a heritage building which used to be a cabaret and ballroom, so the lounge area is the ballroom bit, all wooden floors, art deco detail, and even the stage is still there, big kitchen, big rooms with plenty of storage...lovely - and the bedroom I was in was tidy which made a nice change to BIG in Sydney. The welcome when I got to the room wasn't quite so great, when I walked through the door I saw one guy so said hello...his reply was "Ssshhhh"....turned out someone was sleeping in the bed in the annexe part of the dorm, well I wasn't to know that. Of course that immediately put me off talking to that miserable bugger. So unpacked my stuff and went down to the kitchen to chuck some food together. Checked the boards for ideas of what to do and decided to get the Explorer Bus and work my way around the main sites using that. Was knackered from all the travelling so was in bed about half 10.
Tuesday 29/03/04:
Woken up around 8 by the other guys in the dorm moving around, but that was kind of a good thing coz I put the alarm on for 8.30 anyway as I wanted to get an early start. Had brekkie and showered then went to get the Explorer Bus from Katoomba High St at 9.30. First stop was the Katoomba Cascades, a small waterfall, and then the path lead up to Scenic World which is a big tourist thing which has three 'rides' on it - Skyway, Flyway and Railway. All of them give great views of the mountains and the valley. Initially only decided to go down to the valley floor on the Flyway and come back up on the Railway which was $14, it was another $14 to do the Skyway on it's own. The Flyway was great, it takes you down to the valley floor at a really steep angle and there's great views, then you walk along a walkway back to the Railway, there are a few routes you can choose from short to long...of course I took short coz I'm trying to cram a lot into the day. The Railway back up was amazing, originally it was the track they used to haul coal up to the top of the mountain so it's very very steep and takes you through a tunnel in the rock. Having done the 2 I should really have done the rail first as going down would have been more fun and scary than going up.
Caught the Explorer Bus Cliffs and Valleys tour which is free with the ticket, it was just a 30 min tour in an opened top double decker but worth doing as it showed us a few more views of the area. It dropped us back at Scenic World where I had 30 mins to kill so decided to do the Skyway. It was cool in the end, it's a cable car which goes out over the valley and stops, just dangles there, plus it has a glass floor so you can stand on it and just look at the tops of the trees way below you - mildly disconcerting but still fun. After that I caught the explorer to Echo Point and the Three Sisters. This is the main tourist bit of the Blue Mountains with a big lookout point and a walk over to the Three Sisters which is basically 3 monoliths kinda sticking out into the valley. You can walk over to the first of the sisters and stand at the bottom of it, however you have to go down the Giant Staircase to get to it which is very steep and a bit of a hike back, of course being the superfit guy I am I did it with no problems.
Next stope was the Leura Cascades which is another waterfall type thing, very pretty and a nice walk alongside the water, took plenty of pics too....then onto Leura itself which is a little town with a few shops and cafes so stopped there for something to eat and drink.....and then I came back to Katoomba, getting back just after 5. Went to the Coles supermarket which was right round the corner from the YHA to get some stuff for dinner. Just chilled in the room for a bit and then a new guy came into the room - Chris from the UK, only in Oz for a couple of weeks visiting friends. We ended up having dinner together chatting about travelling and giving him tips for stuff to do in Sydney. Didn't have a very late one due to the exertion of the day....bed about 10.
Wednesday 30/03/04:
Early start again...well early for me, up about half 8. Had booked a trip to the Jenolan Caves today and the coach was picking up at 10.30 so had a leisurely brekkie. Weather wasn't too lovely, cold, cloudy and spitting with rain occasionally - so the perfect day for being in a cave! We spent quite a bit of time faffing around picking up people in Katoomba, plus we made a couple of scenic stop offs en route so in the end we didn't actually get to the caves until half 12. The trip there was good tho, the driver was a very good tour guide pointing out stuff on the way, the scenery was gorgeous and some of the roads there were very scary with sheer drops within a few inches of the road.
There are a number of 'show caves' - ie the ones there public are allowed into, there are over 200 caves only about 10 of which are open to the public. I went in the Lucas Cave which is apparently the best but this means that it gets quite busy and there are lots of tourists around....eurgh! Had an hour to kill before my cave tour started to had some lunch and milled around. The cave was spectacular, all sorts of limestone formations and it had all been beautifully lit. It's amazing to thing that this was once all ocean floor and the caves aren't actually underground, they're within a mountain. The tour lasted 90 mins with plenty of opportunity to take pics, there were quite a few others on the tour but hung around at the back to get pics without people in them. We emerged from the cave at half 3 with the coach leaving at 3.45. It wound it's way back up the mountain and we headed back to Katoomba getting in at 5.
The evening was quiet again, I had dinner and then bumped into Chris again so chatted with him whilst he was having his. Went for a walk around the town in the evening to walk off the meal....and other than that nothing else, in bed by 11.
Thursday 31/03/05:
Check out is 10am but as usual was up around half 8, had brekkie, got ready, packed stuff, took some pics of the hostel and was out at 10. Walked to the station to get the 10.24 back to Central...sweated like a bitch carrying the backpack...it was uphill this time :O( Train was on time, pretty quiet too but as we got closer to sydney it filled up, I had to take my backpack off a seat for some old woman...I mean doesn't she realise that I don't want it getting dirty laying on the floor!!....no luggage racks on these trains either!! Train arrived on time too at 12.30 so just jumped onto another platform to get the train to the airport. I noticed that the trains running there were all new, superswish and fancy....clearly they want people to think all the trains are like that when they arrive into the airport....if only! Checked in with loads of time to spare as it only takes 10 mins from Central to the Domestic Terminal. Had a Boost whilst waiting to board and read the paper.
Plane was off on time, slightly bumpy as we rose through the dark clouds which were covering Sydney but once we were above them it was a smooth quick flight...took off at 14.15 and landed at 15.30. The weather was very very different from Sydney, 28C, sunny and blue skies....a nice welcome to Melbourne. Collected the baggage and got the Sky Shuttle into the city, and then got the complimentary shuttle which took me to the YHA there. I couldn't really decide where to stay and as I was so impressed with the YHA in the Mountains I thought I'd try the one in Melbourne - Melbourne Metro as it's known - which is apparently 10 min walk from the city. The building's not too beautiful, some 60s looking thing and inside was a bit drearier than the Mountains, the corridors were all a bit too dark for me. The room wasn't too bad tho, bright but a bit warm tho there was a fan. Looked like there was only one other in the 4 bed dorm which is good....booked 3 nights initially just in case I don't like it.
Dumped all my stuff and put the food in the kitchen...was getting past 5 by this time so went for a wander to the nearest supermarket round the corner. The hostel is actually in North Melbourne, it is a 10 min walk to the city, but that's the edge of the city, and quite a few more minutes to the centre - I'll see how I go and may try and find something a bit closer to the centre. Came back and chucked some food together...the hostel does have a cafe and the food seems reasonable but can't really afford to pay for a meal every day...kitchen is quite small probably to encourage people to use the cafe! Put some laundry on and watched a little telly after dinner and got chatting to a med student called Ross from the UK. He's in Melbourne doing some stuff for his uni course and leaves for Brisbane tomorrow. We played a couple of games of pool which he both won....bugger! Finished off the laundry...took bloody ages coz I put too much powder in first time so there was residue all over my clothes, so had to do it again....more money! Finally got it all dried and done about half ten....knackered from all the travelling so went straight to bed.
Friday 01/04/05:
Had a fantastic nights sleep!! Wasn't woken up too early and clearly the other bloke doesn't snore coz I didn't hear a thing. Decided that I should go for a swim, you get one free swim pass for the local pool with the stay so used that, had some brekkie and then wandered down to the City Baths. It only has a 30 metre pool so had to do 60 lengths to cover the usual distance I was doing in Sydney. Felt better for it tho....went for a wander afterwards, my first venture into the city, to get my bearings. Found a decent cheap net cafe not too far from the hostel so finally caught up with the diary and emails...took bloody ages!! Got chatting to a guy called Josh online, seemed a nice bloke, into photography, acting, dancing, jack of all trades kinda bloke. He was coming into town so we arranged to meet for a coffee....spent an hour or so chatting, got on pretty well - he offered to be a tour guide for me next week as he works flexible hours and isn't working much next week, so it'll be cool to get a tour of the place from a local.
Walked into the city afterwards down to Federation Square where the big Tourist Info place is and picked up a load of guides plus the local gay papers....also bought a travelcard thing so I can get around on the trams, trains and buses....tho in the city it's mainly trams. Got back to the hostel just after 6....was out much longer than I thought I would.....chucked some dinner on and watched the Simpsons then American Idol in the communal TV lounge place thingy...god knows why I watched American Idol....really don't care who wins. Afterwards jumped in the shower and got ready for a night out. Had done some research and worked out where the bars are...it's not like in Sydney where they're all practically on one street...they're more spread out here and difficult to get to. There are 3 or 4 on Commercial Rd in a suburb called Prahran so worked out which trams I needed to get. Left about half 9, didn't get to Commercial Rd until just before half 10 coz I had to get 2 trams and there was a wait for both of them.
Started off in a bar called Diva...very quiet and quite small so only had one drink there - and they're more expensive than Sydney!!! Thought that Syd would be the most expensive place in Oz. Moved on to the Xchange Hotel - $9 door charge!!...god this place is expensive. Was in there at 11....public transport stops at midnight so had to decide whether to get the last tram or stay and spend a shed load of money on a taxi....well in the end after a few vodkas decided to stay on. Got chatting to a guy called David, a pommie guy living and working in London over here visiting friends for a couple of weeks...a policeman no less!! Very very good looking....couldn't believe he started talking to me! Anyways, hung out with him for the rest of the night and his friends...3 girls who work for Virgin Blue, turns out he used to be a trolley for Virgin Atlantic which is how he knows them. Finally left the club just before it was closing about 3, David was staying with a friend who lived in an apartment right on Commercial Rd, about 5 mins away....suffice to say he kindly offered to let me use his sofa.... ;O)
Saturday 02/04/05:
Had a lazy morning getting the tram back to the city just before 12 having a Boost for breakfast en route. Got back to the hostel about 1, got changed and went for a wander to the net cafe to update the diary, and then went to the Queen Victoria Market to get some stuff in for dinner. Also done a little research into other backpackers and found a couple which look really nice and are closer to the city, The Friendly and The Greenhouse backpackers...owned by the same people so will go check them out and see if it's worth moving to one of them. Funnily enough Ross mentioned The Friendly a couple of nights ago and said it was really good. Nipped into the Queen Victoria Market which is opposite the net cafe to get some veggies and meat for dinner...bargains! Huge huge market which sells absolutely everything.
Then I wandered down to the Greenhouse backpackers to have a look around. Nice place though a little bit more downmarket than the YHA but not a lot. Looks like a good place to do stuff too, loads of trips and freebies; 30 mins internet a day, breakfast, pancakes on sunday, bbq on wednesday....so will probably move there later in the week. Just caught the tram back to the hostel where I had a late afternoon nap.
Woke up about 8, feeling a little peckish so got up and went downstairs to cook dinner, had a lamb stir fry with a Mongolian Lamb sauce with the stuff I bought from the QVM, very nice indeed....and as a little treat I had an ice cream from the cafe kiosk for dessert. Basically for the rest of the evening I vegged in the hostel, didn't really fancy going out after last nights late one. Watched an AFL game which was on the big screen, think I kinda worked out the rules...but who cares about the rules when there are loads of fit blokes running around in vests and tight shorts. Also discovered the roof terrace which is gorgeous and has fantastic views of the city skyline and out to the suburbs. Went to bed about midnight in the end....still only one other person in the dorm, some old german bloke I think, wasn't there when I went to bed anyway.
Sunday 03/04/05:
Had decided to go for a jog this morning, but when I woke up about 9 I discovered that it was raining, and frankly I don't want to keep fit that much! So decided against it....had only booked 3 nights when I arrived so needed to go downstairs to extend the stay at reception, when I got there they checked and there were no free beds!!! They were all booked other than a couple of beds in female only dorms or private rooms at $64 a night. Couldn't believe it, so basically I had to quickly revise my plans, plus I had to check out at 10 now. No time to shower, just got everything together and checked out. Had a bit of brekkie and stored my luggage so I could go to the net cafe and do some more research on the hostels.
Was thinking about possibly going to stay in Prahran which is where the bars are that I went to on Friday night, at least if I stay out there I can still get to and from the city by tram during the day, and if I go out late I can roll home to a hostel without an expensive taxi run. Anyway, researched those hostels and found a couple that look good, but in the end decided to go to the Greenhouse so that I'm based in the city for the week, then move to Prahran for Friday night and the weekend. Phoned the Greenhouse and they had hardly any beds left....and I could only stay in that room 1 night!!! What the hell is going on in Melbourne this week??? So anyway booked that as she said that they may be able to extend me if some people leave. Got all my stuff together and moved hostels.
Weather is much cooler today which is nice when you're hulking a massive backpack and 2 bags of food across town....tho of course I got the tram for most of the journey. Arrived at the Greenhouse and they put me in a mixed 4 bed dorm for tonight, and said they should be able to get me a bed for the rest of the week but I'll have to move rooms tomorrow...which is fine. Dumped my stuff in the room, no one else in there whilst I was so dunno who i'm with. Had a shower which was wonderful as I haven't had one all day. Then went to the kitchen and cooked up dinner...same as last night as I had the ingredients. Whilst got chatting to 2 girls and a bloke, all English, I'd overheard the guy talking in kitchen and thought I recognised the accent...and guess where he's from.....Great Yarmouth!! Poor bugger! Name is Michael, youngish guy I think, travelled here via New Zealand and now has no money so is looking for a job so he can carry on travelling. Nice bunch tho, think it feels easier to meet people in this hostel too.
Hung out in the hostel for a couple of hours reading and also watching the end of American Pie: The Wedding....don't think I'm too bothered about seeing the whole thing tho. Then went up to the net cafe to kill the rest of the evening, uploading more pics, finishing this weeks diary and chatting. Wasn't too late back at the hostel...we'll see where I end up tomorrow.
