Notes from the Road - Australia #1 - October 4, 2002 First of all Australia is HUGE (almost as big as the USA)! Much to our dismay, 2.5 months was not nearly enough time to explore this beautiful country. However, we did get a chance to see some lovely places. Namely: Cape Tribulation, Fraser Island, Noosa, The Great Ocean Road, The Grampians, Marysville. When we return to Australia someday (after we get jobs, get rich, and retire), we must hit Perth and Darwin. The people were warm, outgoing, full of good humor, and very welcoming. Some of the unique Aussie expressions have made their way into our vocabulary. Some of our favorites include: "on the piss" (drinking), "lovely" (to describe everything), "bugger" (grrrr!!), and "good on ya, mate" (good job, thanks). Australia has many unique attributes that the US doesn't have. Here are a few: - Cricket - Aussies absolutely love Cricket as I guess most of the Commonwealth countries do. I have to admit as a US citizen we're don't have a grasp of the game, nor do I care to. It actually is not interesting to catch the evening Australian sport report and find out that Australia beat Sri Lanka by a score of 948-622. Plus, they have 1 day and 5 day long games, and we always hear from the other travellers that they think Baseball is boring? Whatever, I'd rather watch paint dry than be forced to watch a bunch of guys in starched white outfits and bad hats pretending to be tough. - Aussie Rules Football - This sport was started in Australia and is similar to Irelands Gaelic football and traditional Rugby. Either way, this is one tough sport that is more interesting to us American Football fans than traditional rugby. It was pretty fun being around for the "Grand Final" which is what they call their Superbowl. - Gambling - Aussies will bet on anything! Really, they spend so much time at the Pokies (slot machines) and horse races that they even have a term - a "Punter" for a person who makes a living as a gambler (of which there are many in this country). They also have the world biggest Casino in Melbourne, pretty hard to believe with Las Vegas leading the gambling world. - Bad & Bland Food - the Aussie serve fries or "chips" with everything here. Of course you'll see them with a heaping portion of mayonaise for dipping instead of ketchup (or tomato sauce). They also have a fascination with pies. Not Grandma's desert pies, but the variety with strange meats and sauces in very unusual combinations (i.e. - Tandoori Lamb w/Bacon and Cheese). Also, beets or "beetroot" is served with almost all meat dishes especially beef. They love these purple pickled things with almost everything - salads, roasts, as a sidedish, etc. I think the worst is to scum up a perfectly good hamburger with a big slice of beetroot. Gross! Notes from the Road - Australia #2 - October 3, 2002 Just a few things we noticed while driving around Australia from mid-August to November 2002. .. Music -- Most of the stations seems to play current tunes as well as music from the 70's, 80's, and 90's. So at any given time, one is likely to hear Pink Floyd followed by Pink! Weird. There aren't that many stations here, but most of them broadcast world and local news every hour. While we REALLY like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and U2, the stations here replay their new albums over and over and over again. I guess it's like that in the States too, we just didn't have the same amount of time on our hands to appreciate the radio hour after hour. Roll-on vs. stick This country doesn't seem to have proper deodorant. There are only about 4 brands for men - two of which are cologne scented Puma & Adidas, one of which is Tea Tree oil, leaving pretty much only one other choice - good old fashioned Roll-On. Seems no one here has heard of the normal sticks/gels we are used to in the States. So with the choices being limited here in Australia, I have to become used to the cold, clammy, putrid-smelling ("morning rain") comfort of the Ronex brand roll every morning. ICK! Can I just get a decent cup of joe? --No, it is not possible to get a regular cup of drip coffee at any cafe in Australia unless you are very lucky. It seems the Aussies are more fascinated with the Italian style Espresso coffees. These types of coffees cost more and have fun names like "Flat White", "Long Black", "Short Black", and of course lattes and cappuccinos. It took a few bad ordering mistakes to find something to satisfy Dave's caffeine addiction. And yes, we did manage to find one store in Melbourne in which Dave could buy his perfect cup of joe. You guessed it - Starbucks, of course! We've resorted to carrying around a coffee plunger, bag 'o sugar, and coffee, so Dave can inexpensively feed his habit whenever the need strikes. Naked Volunteerism -- It is VERY entertaining to peruse our WWOOF booklet (Willing Workers On Organic Farms). While most of the classified-like postings are for farm, orchard, or B&B work, some other opportunities just aren't up our alley...NO Interest! Cattery -- Basically a kennel for cats. I like the name! Reminders of Texas lt seems that small towns are the same everywhere----Texas or Australia--same shit 1/2 way around the globe. -- On our 3 days of driving (~ 1000 miles) south from Cairns to Brisbane, we hit several small towns. In one of the towns, there was a spring festival taking place in the city center. For some reason I thought that by leaving the USA, I would not have to witness the chicken dance or macarena for a while. WRONG! I also found similar crafts, oils, plants, hammocks, and lavender soap for sale that one would find at any festival around the US. -- Driving the 1000 miles in Australia seemed like a drive though west Texas--long, endless, straight roads without many hills. Boredom set in after the 2nd day. The hourly news update (carried on every radio station) actually said the same thing EVERY hour without much change. We played the requisite license plate and "Who am I" car games. After getting sick of the bad tunes on the radio, we actually were so frustrated that we sang along with the fabulous opera station. No joke! Dave actually may have inherited a good singing voice...he just doesn't know it. So much potential!! Out of the Loop --I NEVER noticed the International Space Station until I found myself working on a farm in the country without much outdoor lighting at night. The ISS was the brightest of all the stars and guided us (along with the moon) from the workers' cottage to the main house for dinner. On the way back from dinner, the ISS was always in a completely different place in the sky. We were COMPLETELY CLUELESS that this bright light was the ISS and were confounded for many days at this "travelling star". Perhaps it can only be seen from the Southern Hemisphere?