September
14th
After
cold, rainy and windy New Zealand, we were
looking forward to throwing off our winter
woollies and basking in the Aussie spring-time
sun. Guess what? When we arrived, it was cold,
rainy and windy. We took the train to meet
up with our new hosts Sue (G's Dad's cousin)
and her husband Ron who thanked us for bringing
the Pommie weather with us. We were made to
feel right at home, spent a day sorting stuff
out and on the evening had a bonza family
barbecue, and in true down under stereotypical
way we both "threw a shrimp on the barbie".
The next day we experienced the Wollongong
highlights. With Sue, Ron and Summer (one
of their granddaughters), we headed to Kiama
to see one of the local attractions: a blow
hole (this is where water spurts up through
a hole in the rock face when the waves are
strong enough). En route to the steel works,
we spotted some massive pelicans which would've
been more at home in Jurassic Park. We took
the coastal road to Stanwell Top to take in
the views. Our host had however saved the
best 'til last, taking us to Keira's namesake
- Mount Keira, where Graham couldn't resist
but to mount Keira! We ended the day with
a few schooners of Toohey's New and good company
at the local 'club' which reminded us of the
facilities on a cruise ship, without the seasickness.
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Kiera
throws a shrimp on the barbie
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Blowhole
rainbow |
After
just a couple of days in Oz Graham (not in
his right mind) took a gruelling journey (approximately
30 hours door-to-door) from Sydney to Manchester
via Bangkok and Dubai, so he could attend
his cousin's wedding. With only 5 days in
England, G had a lot to cram in. Starting
with a few emotional reunions with family
and close friends. Especially exciting was
seeing Mum, Dad, Bro, Uncle D, Rob and the
man of the week, cousin Danny. That out of
the way, he went to play football (typical).
The Wednesday was spent popping over to York
to see more friends, including Stef &
daughter Maddie. His timing was impeccable
as only a few hours after he left, Stef gave
birth to her second child (welcome to the
world Harry). G got quite a few second glances
when he went back to work to say hello to
old colleagues before shooting off to meet
the Pudsey Amateurs gang to play yet more
football. The first of many beers followed
that evening and another late night. The wedding
ball started rolling on the Thursday with
an mazey drive to Bowness on the side of Lake
Windermere where we eventually reached our
destination despite a few navigational arguments.
Mingling and more reunions later the reason
for G's crazy trip back to the UK had arrived.
G's cousin Danny was to marry his fiancee
Helen.
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Here's
looking at you
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K,
Summer and Sue at Stanwell Tops |
G was part of the wedding party as an usher
but also had the responsibility of delivering
a speech. The wedding day was an emotionally
charged roller-coaster for many with lots
of highlights. To name a few... baby James'
inappropriate shouting when the registrar
asked if anyone had any objections, Danny
misplacing his wedding ring only hours after
getting it, the speeches (especially the best
man's) and the champagne reception on Lake
Windermere. G's poem went down quite well
too...
There
is no one quite like Danny
Thank god there's not another
To me he's more than a cousin
He's practically a Brother
A
best friend, a team mate, my family
We were 'bred' from the same loaf
They say blood is thicker than water
I say...Danny is thicker than both
A
footballer, a builder, a dancer
A businessman full of ideas...
Some of his crazy suggestions
Have nearly brought me to tears
But
one thing Danny's got right
Is when he got down on one knee
To propose to the lovely Helen
A happier man you will not see
I
don't recall much from the stag
do
Snow, a tram, the thumb game
But, after what we did to Danny
...He will never be the same
But
that's another story
One later for the bar
We're here for the wedding day
Some of us have travelled far!
I
have come all the way from Australia
To be honest, it felt like the moon
I wouldn't have missed it for the
world
And I'll see you on your honeymoon
I
welcome Helen into the family
Now that she's married 'Dan the
man'
What have you let yourself in for?
Now you've joined the 'Relton' clan
A
beautiful bride, a handsome groom
It was bound to be a thriller
But so much organizing and planning
Danny...did it turn 'H' into Bridezilla?
The
wedding ceremony was amazing
Dan was on time, the first that
I've seen
But I couldn't help looking around
For photographers from 'Hello' magazine
Seriously,
let's all raise our glasses
To wish them all the best
Before they leave our company
And sneak off to their love nest
So
here's to the Father-in-law's daughter
And here's to the Mother-in-law's
son
And here's to the vows they've just
taken
And the life they've just begun
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It
had to be done...
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Yet
more Keira stuff |
As always, the night do was pretty eventful,
with lots of Kam-era moments, and a few drunken
episodes, including appearances by 2 Elvis
lookalikes. G spent the night on the hotel
sofa, tired and jet lagged but having made
the most of his wife being on the other side
of the world by dancing with almost every
girl at the wedding! The following day, hungover,
everyone headed their separate ways into the
torrential rain. G and family had the perfect
hangover cure with fish 'n' chips in Settle
on the way back. G met up with his Grandma
who had also been burning the candle at both
ends in Blackpool before saying his emotional
farewells. Despite having had an average of
only 4 hours sleep per night for about a week,
jet lag, and a cold, it was worth it just
to see everyone. That said, it was great to
go 'home' to Keira.
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Barbershop
Quartet
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Like
Father like Sons |
Meanwhile, Keira spent
many days researching the next part of the
trip, quickly realising the unimaginable vastness
of Australia. After some initial hesitation,
she booked herself on a Sydney Harbour Bridge
climb, taking a 2 hour train ride into the
city for her first Aussie adventure. The climb
was easier than expected and the 360 degree
views - right up to the Blue Mountains in
the west - was spectacular. Before the exhilaration
had even worn off, Keira had a lovely surprise
visit from Sabrina (witness at the wedding)
as she walked out from the bridge climb. Sabrina
had managed to track K down from her emails
and had a rare weekend off, so they spent
the evening together with Jim (the other witness),
catching up at their home. The next day was
spent 'window shopping' at the trendy Paddy
and Glebe markets with a quick stop for lunch
on the famous Bondi Beach. The highlight of
the week however, had to be being driven down
Keira Street on the way into Wollongong! Eat
your heart out Sydney Harbour Bridge! A few
more great home cooked dinners later, the
shopping for Oz had been bought, the research
done, bookings made, and the time was ripe
for Graham's return.
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In
the wall
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A
family day out - fish and chips |
Once reunited back in Oz, Graham tried to
recover from the jet lag before we caught
a train to Melbourne. To summarize, our first
2 weeks in Oz/UK were filled with mixed emotions,
lots of reading, being spoilt and Pommie-bashing
from Ron.
It's
up there with the cricket...
They like to hand out a thrashing
A national sport in the making
The game of Pommie bashing!
It's best to just play along
Not take too much to heart
Because perhaps they haven't noticed
Most were Pommies in the start
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Before
the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb
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Keira
successfully climbs Sydney Harbour Bridge |
September 24th
On
our 10 hour train journey from Dapto to the
capital of Victoria, Melbourne, we spent a
couple of hours writing our website update
(during which we ritually find ourselves on
the verge of splitting up, deciding what to
write and how boring it sounds). We had an
initial shock at being back in hostel dorms,
but unfortunately the hostel had even more
surprises for us, including bugs crawling
out of the microwave, smelly fridges that
made you want to throw up, and crap security
(a friend had his big backpack stolen from
our room).
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Aunty
Joan and Keira
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Keira's
Melbourne relatives |
Whilst in Melbourne we visited the Museum
- they had a real forest inside the museum
and a resident blue whale skeleton - cool!
We ventured out of the city to go see Keira's
Aunty Joan, cousin Sandra and family who she
hadn't seen in years, enjoying a lovely lunch
together. After, we had to race off to watch
local rivals Collingwood (Magpies) versus
the Western Bulldogs fight it out in an Aussie
Rules football match at the MCG. It was an
intense atmosphere so we played it safe and
rooted for the Dogpies..."Go Dogpies!".
The game is a bit like a grounded version
of the Quidditch without the broomsticks but
with lots of punching.
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Aussie
rules match at the MCG
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At
the MCG |
We took a day trip to the Yarra Valley wineries
and en route our non-PC driver stopped so
that we could feed wild cockatoos and other
exotic birds, two of which bit the hand that
fed them (ungrateful buggers!). We also took
a short scenic steam train ride through some
native woods before having lunch and sampling
some local Aussie wines. We weren't that impressed
and much preferred New Zealand wines! That
evening we met up with 'Rockstar' James who
we first met in Fiji. It turns out his old
band in England are supporting 'The Glitterati'
(G's school friends) in Southampton...it's
a small world.
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Feeding
the locals
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Going
down the line... |
Having overslept, we still managed to catch
our coach tour to take us along the Great
Ocean Road (allegedly the most scenic coastal
road in OZ). On the way we had our first taste
of Aboriginal culture, a community that is
often exploited but rarely embraced in modern
'white' Australia. We were told that AbORIGINAL
Australian people represent virtually 3% of
the population yet 40% of the prison population
which we sadly sense is a by-product of the
'outcast' attitude and racism towards the
indigenous people. The highlights of the Great
Ocean Road were watching the surfers on the
swell, seeing the wild koalas up close (they
sleep 20 hours a day!), a stroll in the forest,
the natural rock formations of the 12 apostles
and London Bridge, and Lochard Gorge, where
the remains of bottles from the Shipwreck
in 1878 are still being washed up on the beach.
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Yarra
Valley vineyard
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Us
and rockstar James |
On
the south coast of Australia
Lies the Great Ocean Road
A beautiful scenic getaway
To escape from your abode
That's what a couple did do
Living life without a care
Sneaking around having fun
In an extra-marital affair
A stroll across London Bridge
A rock formation, stunning views
But unbeknown to them
They were soon to get their dues
As the nursery rhyme goes
London Bridge did fall down
A near death experience
Soon relief became a frown
They were stranded on the rock
Just the two of them no less
To be rescued by a helicopter
Watched by the Nations press!
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The cheesiest thing that we have done so far
has to be the official 'Neighbours' tour that
took us to Erinsborough High and the world
famous Ramsey Street, where we met Dr Karl
Kennedy. We were transported back to the city
and at the same time back to our youth whilst
watching classic episodes of the soap including
Keira's favourite, Charlene and Scott's wedding..."Don't
it make you feel good...inside!?"
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A
bit of food before another 20 hours
sleep
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The
twelve apostles |
We flew to Sydney which was G's 4th visit
to the airport without seeing any of the city
so it was nice to be spending 7 days there
this time. We also treated ourselves to our
own double room for G's birthday - he was
stoked! The party kicked off on the 16th with
Graham's 30th birthday. It was great to open
the cards from family and friends and especially
the dosh which was put to good use. It was
an amazing day and went something like this:
We met up with G's cousin Daniel and his new
wife Helen (congrats!) on the steps of the
Sydney Opera House at midday. Surprisingly,
it felt quite normal, as though we were out
in Leeds. We immediately hit the Opera Bar
meeting up with more relatives Sue, Donna
and Tamika. After lunch we said goodbye to
the Wollongong gang and then had a beer in
Sydney's oldest pub. We admired the views
from Dan and H's honeymoon suite overlooking
the harbour, with a few glasses of wine before
treating ourselves to dinner with Dan and
H (team Relts) at the 360 degree revolving
restaurant at the top of the Sky Tower. A
bit pricey but worth it for the incredible
night city views. We had more drinks back
at the hotel and met up with Jim, Sabrina
and their friend Tina. Then we hit the town!
After some cocktails we went to the coolest
bar in Sydney (literally), Minus 5. The whole
bar is made of ice, including the glasses,
and due to the cold you are limited to only
30 minutes inside. We donned our Eskimo coats
and gloves, drank vodka punch and boogied
to keep warm. As nobody had organised a stripper
for Graham, Danny stepped in with the entertainment
until he was unfortunately (perhaps fortunately)
stopped by the staff. We didn't get to see
his birthday suit. It was a fantastic way
to turn 30 and it was great to be able to
let our hair down.
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Spot
the difference
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London
bridge has fallen down |
In the aftermath of the birthday celebrations,
feeling a little worse for wear we headed
out after brunch to catch a festival called
Earthdance, where we found out a little more
about Australia's environmental position which
doesn't make for good reading. They are equally
bad if not worse than the USA for CO2 emissions,
reiterating some of what G had been reading
in the book 'The Weathermakers' by Tim Flannery
- a must read (if a little scary) book about
the history and future impact of climate change.
We signed a few petitions and tried our hand
at some meditation, also enjoying a nice cup
of fresh chai tea...FAR OUT, MAN! That evening
we spent some quality time with Jim and Sabrina
at their place, enjoying a BBQ, and good company.
A few Coronas later, Jim revealed his fiercely
competitive streak over a game of Monopoly.
The next day the 4 of us drove out to see
the Baha'i temple - a place of worship that
refreshingly encourages and encompasses all
faiths and religions. There are only 7 temples
in the world but the Baha'i faith has many
followers. On the way to Manly we stopped
off at some of the beaches north of Sydney,
including the one used for the Home and away
'Summer Bay' diner. We were dropped off at
manly Beach where we spent the afternoon before
meeting up with Dan & H for a few Bavarian
beers as the sun set.
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Back
to school
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Us
and Dr Karl Kennedy from Neighbours |
The day after we were up early for the Blue
Mountains tour. They are so called because
the vapour from the Eucalyptus trees generally
gives them a blue hue. On the way we took
a pit stop at the Olympic Park. Before lunch
we took a ride on the world's steepest railway
(52 degree drop), had a short forest walk,
and had a cable car ride back to the top of
the canyon. We saw the Three Sisters, yet
more rock formations - you just can't tire
of nature's wonder's!!!! On the way back we
saw an aboriginal rock carving of a Kangaroo,
and shortly afterwards saw the real thing
- some wild Kangas with their Roo's (Joeys).
We took a river cruise back which took us
under the harbour bridge. That evening we
met up for drinks with Dan and H and said
our goodbyes...it was amazing to meet up with
them on the other side of the world and to
admire the bat shit on Dan's shirt (from the
bats that flock round the Opera House at night).
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Outside
Harold's house
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A
view of Melbourne |
On our last full day in Sydney we did a tour
of the Opera House which was a little disappointing
as we couldn't take photos in the performance
areas and we didn't get to see the Opera theatre
or the Studio. We met G's old school friend
Jane who he hadn't seen for 10 years for a
drink before going to see the Tempest performed
by Australia's leading Shakespeare Company.
Next stop Cairns.
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An
amazing birthday present
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Birthday
bash |
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The
birthday gang
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Birthday
smiles |
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They are so cool!
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A
birthday kiss |
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The
Baha'i temple
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Fish
for tea? |
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Aussie
mates a beach north of Sydney
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Team
Relts at Manly |
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At
the Blue Mountains
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Aboriginal
Kangaroo rock engraving |
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Kanga
and Roo
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The
bridge in the reflection of the Opera
House |
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Opera
House in the sun
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This
is just getting too much! |
