An Alphabetical Stroll Through Bali and Australia-A is for: A BIG, FAT FINALE!! Link to new Africa TR (4/5)

[Steppesister]

I was actually thinking that when you first mentioned driving. My first experience driving in the US was in Vegas. I am definitely scarred for life and have vowed to never ever attempt to drive the strip again lol!

Yeah, I'm a US driver and I don't think even *I* would attempt that!

We have black swans everywhere in Perth. There was a time when I was a kid when I thought white swans were only in movies and books lol!

I truly was amazed at how incredibly different the birdlife was there!!! So many species we can ONLY see in zoos here.

That's ok, I love to see all types of wildlife... birds included.

I actually was playing a little game with myself to see just how many new-to-me birds I could find and get a photo of. It was.. a lot.

We have some incredibly treacherous waters around us - the Bass Strait between Melbourne and Tasmania is no picnic either.

I only learned that when I was actually ON the ferry over to KI. EEK! I had NO idea. And yes, that's definitely another area we certainly learned about during our time on Tas.

He does look quite menacing from the front! Most of them remind me of Kanga from Winnie the Pooh and look kind and gentle. You got some great photos!

You've seen this, yes?

Spiders on the other hand... Again though, you don't generally see the big ones a lot.

I do NOT do spiders. EVER. I have a horrible PTSD from almost being bitten by about 10 black widows (at the same time) when I was a kid. I walked into a shed and all these shiny black spiders shot out from the doorframe into the middle of it just as I was about to walk in. Nope. Don't do spiders.

This is a beautiful photo too!

Thanks! I think it's one of my faves!

Haha I don't think I've ever seen anyone deliberately take a photo of a seagull! Try to get within about 50 metres of any beach in Australia with fish and chips, and you'll get mobbed.

OH I don't normally either, but this is a species we don't have on our coasts, so I wanted to add it to my "collection".

Yeah... while we have amazing Asian food in Australia, we're not generally that great at ribs.

Nope, at least this rack wasn't. Lesson learned! (Now I"m craving ribs! I live where they are soooooo good. They are so tender they fall off the bone, the sauce it sweet and spicy, mmmm.....!!!!!)

Hopefully the next lot goes a bit quicker for you!

Done for today, but a little behind on my Case Study write ups.

How exciting! I'll be keen to read about that in the lead-up to our January trip!

Hopefully I can make good progress on this TR so I can get to writing that one after the first of the year!

 

[Steppesister]

And Crepes and Cakes...

No, the bakery was last chapter.

I wonder what happened to make them leave?

That's a very good question! Similar migratory patterns happened in the Southwest US and those were due in large part to climate change 5-7 thousand years ago.

I've never had the pleasure of driving on the "wrong side" of the road.
No idea how I'd do!

Honestly after the first day or so it's not that bad. But, I will say... the roads ARE a LOT narrower making for some nail-biting situations. And don't get me started on round-abouts!

Those were pretty good! Those tiny lanes, huh?

soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo tiny!!!! I swear I thought I was going to have a head on every single time I passed a car.

I was fully expecting some beavers...

Huh! I wonder if Australia even HAD beavers. They do have a similar animal, but I'll get to that.

I had no idea there was a certain age restriction for that.

It's kinda when you start to feel "old".

Those are cool. I'm trying to remember if I've ever seen one, and I don't think so.

I honestly don't even know if we have them in N. America!

A quick google pulls up this:

"Black swans are native to Australia and Tasmania, but have been introduced to many parts of the world, including North America. In the United States, it's rare to see black swans outside of captivity, but they have been reported in Florida and California. For example, in 2020, black swans were spotted in Lake Forest, Irvine, and Newport Beach in Orange County, California, and in Santa Ana in 2021. There's no evidence that black swans are breeding in Florida, but persistent sightings may be due to releases or escapes. The San Francisco Zoo & Gardens also has black swans in its Puente al Sur exhibit."

Very nice and interestingly shaped.

Each one was so different! I can post the three of them side-by-side after I show each one.

Fun name... for a not-so-fun area.

Yeah for sure. Scary, but creative naming for sure.

There's hardly a spot where a ship hasn't wrecked!

RIGHT?! Wait til you see Tasmania.

Geez! He looks about ready to take on the world!
(Or drown a dog... )

TBH, he kinda freaked me out. I didn't wanna get any closer for sure. I was NOT going to get out of the car!

I have no idea how you know this!

I really enjoy botany and took many botany classes in college. I'm terrible at my hardwoods that grow around my own state though.

Glad to see you got to see the light.

Only you would get a kick out of it instead of running away screaming.

That's me!

All right! I'm going to book my flight right now!


Wait...


You're not talking about the plant are you?

Are we back to the rough and tumble of Australia?

Nice to post a sign warning people that they live there. You wouldn't want to enter without knocking.
That'd just be rude.

Might be a rude awakening anyway.

Changed my mine. I like this shot the best.

They really were close enough to tough (we dared NOT!). I think they were used to tourists and people.

If you were told to bring some fries near it, and you did, would that make you gullible?

https://images.app.goo.gl/EU8sem4TQyiDNC6t7

That was the first thing I thought of when I saw the photo.

Not that I'd touch a dead fish, but I did a little research and I guess you can get poisoned by one, even dead, by handling.

That sounds pretty good.
Not sure where I'd get my hands on Mulberry gin let alone Crème de Mûre.

Amazon? No idea! Do you have Total Wine up there?

Not surprised you passed on that. You'd want to grill or pan fry that I'd think; not microwave it.

There was a BBQ at the next place, but I didn't want to spend my vacation grilling. I knew we'd be out long hours and ready to have easy meals.

Sounds great! Can't wait to read all about it.
And with Kari, too! Make sure you say hi to her for me.

I sure will!!!

 

[Steppesister]

Hiya Whereabouts in Belfast do your relatives live? I laughed at the “ Not Disney lovers but still nice”
Have you ever visited here?

YAY!!! You've connected!

 

[Steppesister]

I'm fascinated by lighthouses and we have toured a few of them in different states. The isolation for the three families must have been very difficult. It is hard to live off the land.

I love them too. They really are testimony to the hardships people endured in the age of exploration. That land was NOT very hospitable nor arable; it's very rocky and I"m sure it was very hard to grow ANYTHING at all!

The kangaroo looks a little scary.

Sure was to me!

That is probably the scariest looking seed pod I have ever seen.

All the little faces!

That sounds like fun. It has been a while since you have been to WDW. It will be interesting to read about this trip.

It's been well over 3 years!! I don't think I've been since I went with my daughter Mikki and certainly not since school and that's been 2 1/2 years!

 

[Steppesister]

That is a very husky kangaroo!! Holy smokes, I didn't know they grew to be THAT big!!!!

He was easy 6 feet tall. Probably more. And his arms were enormous!

BIG YAY for your Disney trip plans!!!! My Mom and I just booked a Disney cruise on the Wish (with a bonus MK day the day before we sail) for May. I'm so excited to have a countdown!

BIG YAY!!! Been a VERY long time (for me) since I was there. This will be my first Disney Line Cruise so I'm anxious to see what all the hype is. Aren't countdowns fun?

 

[zanzibar138]

I truly was amazed at how incredibly different the birdlife was there!!! So many species we can ONLY see in zoos here.

I love the blue wren



I sincerely hope you also got to see (and hear) plenty of kookaburras!

You've seen this, yes?

I have now!

I do NOT do spiders. EVER. I have a horrible PTSD from almost being bitten by about 10 black widows (at the same time) when I was a kid. I walked into a shed and all these shiny black spiders shot out from the doorframe into the middle of it just as I was about to walk in. Nope. Don't do spiders.

I think I have PTSD just from hearing about that story. Aren't black widows really dangerous? What happened?

OH I don't normally either, but this is a species we don't have on our coasts, so I wanted to add it to my "collection".

I'm afraid I'm not that familiar with seagulls that I would be able to tell the different species apart lol!

Huh! I wonder if Australia even HAD beavers. They do have a similar animal, but I'll get to that.

Nope, definitely no beavers. Took me a while to figure out what animal you were talking about, but I think I've got it figured out!

That is probably the scariest looking seed pod I have ever seen.

May Gibbs actually made a villain out of a banksia seed pod. Say hello to the banksia men!



And the seed pod they're based on...

 

[Steppesister]

I sincerely hope you also got to see (and hear) plenty of kookaburras!

WE did! We DID!!!

 

[pkondz]

Sigh.... I'm never going to finish this TR.

You’ll get there.

I heard about it from an ex-coworker who'd gone a few years ago.

Well there ya go … I don’t know your ex-coworker.

There was coffee involved.

Kinda wanted some.

Knew it.

That's how gaming works.

Here's one to get you started:

Easy! That is a non-pine.

Kinda like when the toilet and sink drain the other way?

I think a lot of people still think that’s true.

It's almost like you know me!

Who?

You're on a (bakery) roll.

Hey, it's almost like you were there!

Kinda not upset I wasn’t there for that part

How to Turn a Ship Into a Vomitorium

Were there some who lost their cookies?

It wouldn't be the first time.

Haven't seen that.

Shame! Great movie.

Nor that.

That one not so much.

Sounds like you're ready to buy a dragon fruit and make that salad.

Gotta tame it first.

 

[pkondz]

No, the bakery was last chapter.

It’s always time for a bakery.

That's a very good question! Similar migratory patterns happened in the Southwest US and those were due in large part to climate change 5-7 thousand years ago.

Maybe so. Would make sense.

soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo tiny!!!! I swear I thought I was going to have a head on every single time I passed a car.

Huh! I wonder if Australia even HAD beavers. They do have a similar animal, but I'll get to that.

I highly doubt it.

honestly don't even know if we have them in N. America!

A quick google pulls up this:

"Black swans are native to Australia and Tasmania, but have been introduced to many parts of the world, including North America. In the United States, it's rare to see black swans outside of captivity, but they have been reported in Florida and California. For example, in 2020, black swans were spotted in Lake Forest, Irvine, and Newport Beach in Orange County, California, and in Santa Ana in 2021. There's no evidence that black swans are breeding in Florida, but persistent sightings may be due to releases or escapes. The San Francisco Zoo & Gardens also has black swans in its Puente al Sur exhibit."

Huh!
Let me know when you’re in Florida if you see any.

RIGHT?! Wait til you see Tasmania.

TBH, he kinda freaked me out. I didn't wanna get any closer for sure. I was NOT going to get out of the car!

No you sure as heck weren’t!!

Are we back to the rough and tumble of Australia?

Sure. Let’s call it that.

Not that I'd touch a dead fish, but I did a little research and I guess you can get poisoned by one, even dead, by handling.

Amazon? No idea! Do you have Total Wine up there?

No we don’t. Amazon, maybe?

 

[Steppesister]

I think I have PTSD just from hearing about that story. Aren't black widows really dangerous? What happened?

They can be, but not usually deadly. They can make you very ill with a rigid abdomen and cramps, and you certainly don't want a bite. My dad's been bitten and he said it was VERY painful and did make him sick.

Luckily I saw these in time and backed up. WAYYYYYY up.

I'm afraid I'm not that familiar with seagulls that I would be able to tell the different species apart lol!

I'm not that much of a bird geek either, but the ones we have don't have a red bill for sure.

Nope, definitely no beavers. Took me a while to figure out what animal you were talking about, but I think I've got it figured out!

A teaser...

May Gibbs actually made a villain out of a banksia seed pod. Say hello to the banksia men!

I can so totally see that!

And the seed pod they're based on...

Okay, that is so uber cool!! I have many fond memories of my childhood spent at my grandmother's house pouring over these books by Cicely Mary Barker:



I'm talking HOURS and HOURS!

 

[Steppesister]

You’ll get there.

Someday. I hope anyway. Long way to go yet!

Well there ya go … I don’t know your ex-coworker.

Nope, I'd imagine not!

Easy! That is a non-pine.

So close!

I think a lot of people still think that’s true.

I think you're right!

Who?

Kinda not upset I wasn’t there for that part

This was a piece of cake compared to the Delos one. Best part? I didn't spill my coffee.

Were there some who lost their cookies?

Not that I saw, but our little corner was pretty quiet.

Gotta tame it first.

How does one do that?

It’s always time for a bakery.

You're on to something! MMm, almond croissants!

I highly doubt it.

You do?

Huh!
Let me know when you’re in Florida if you see any.

I for reals think they have some at AK.

No we don’t. Amazon, maybe?

Checking...

 

[pkondz]

Someday. I hope anyway. Long way to go yet!

Good! More to read.

So close!

Okay… pine, then.

This was a piece of cake compared to the Delos one. Best part? I didn't spill my coffee.

Well done.

How does one do that?

Talk nice to it before eating it.

You do?

Yes

 

[Paulaparm]

Breathtaking seaside photos!!

 

[Steppesister]

Breathtaking seaside photos!!

Why thanks!!! It is such a beautiful country and I have so much more to show you!

 

[zanzibar138]

They can be, but not usually deadly. They can make you very ill with a rigid abdomen and cramps, and you certainly don't want a bite. My dad's been bitten and he said it was VERY painful and did make him sick.

Luckily I saw these in time and backed up. WAYYYYYY up.

Oh, I missed the 'almost' in your first post Phew, close call!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

BIG news!!

I will finally be writing a true DISNEY report in the mid-range future and I am ready to announce that I recently booked and paid for a 6-night stay at All Stars Music/ Ladies Trip with @disneyAndi14 followed by a cruise on the Dream with @Malia78 in early December.

Ok I don’t know how it happened but somehow I left off at sausage rolls and then missed a chunk of your report so I’m heading back to read but spotted this along the way and just wanted to say how excited I am for you

 

[pkondz]

We didn’t see any pelicans, but Anara was completely enamored with the black swans. She couldn’t help herself and exclaimed, “Mom! I thought they were only fictional, like only in movies and books! They’re so beautiful!” I admit, I was rather smitten myself.

And yet... apparently they can cause... incidents...

https://thechive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/daily_gifdump_4774_06.mp4

 

[Steppesister]

And yet... apparently they can cause... incidents...

https://thechive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/daily_gifdump_4774_06.mp4

 

[pkondz]

 

[Steppesister]

D is for: Duck Ponds and Distilleries​

I reached out to Anara a couple of days ago and asked her to read the last couple of chapters and to add anything she thought I'd forgotten. She wanted to make sure I mentioned that the lady that you can hear in the dolphin video had told us that the crossing to KI is indeed a particularly dangerous one. It didn't surprise them one bit that the ferry was having a tough go of things and they can very rarely make it there without some maneuvering.

Also... those driving videos: "Stay on the left." <5 minutes later> "MOM, stay on the LEFT!!!" <turns the signal on, but the wipers go instead (yes, the wipers and turn signal are on the opposite sides)> " " "Shut up." <does it again 3 minutes later> "Oh my God, Mom, stay on the LEFT!" "I'm TRYING!"

I also forgot the story of when we were checking into our AirBnb and our hostess was a Kiwi and had this super thick accent that we had a hard time understanding at times. She was showing us the food options for breakfast and told us at one point, "There's "ighs" in the fridge". Anara, doesn't miss a beat and asks (out loud! ) "That sounds interesting, what are "ighs"? After a couple more tries we finally understood she was talking about EGGS! Buahahahahahaha!

Okay back to the current chapter:

Day 13 would prove to be a long one, but we didn’t feel a need to set an alarm or be up too early. Good intentions aside, I was up at 8:00 and decided to take a quiet walk on Baudin Beach and let Anara get a bit of extra rest. I grabbed the camera and off I went…

The stairway down to the beach provided a perfect vantage point and gave a good bird’s eye view of well, the birds. (I apologize in advance, again. This, and the next chapter, is very bird heavy.) Nearly at eye-level I spotted an entire flock of Little Pied Cormorants basking in the branches of a eucalyptus. It’s hilarious that they can do that with webbed feet!

(Little pied cormorant)​

The sun was already warm as I made my way down to the water’s edge, but as I got nearer, I stopped and stood amazed at this enormous Australian Pelican. Had I known I could see one within a few steps of our Airbnb, maybe I’d have saved the Pelican Lagoon stop the day before for this day.

(I tried not to scare him this much. Look closely)


​

There were a smattering of other gulls and terns floating around in the little bay or scavenging for a bit of breakfast in the sand and they were certainly fun to watch, but mostly I just soaked in the sun and enjoyed my bucolic stroll before our full day of touring. I was a bit surprised that the tide pools really didn’t have anything in them like starfish or even shells.

​

It was a short walk as I didn’t want to get too late of a start, and I still needed to get some coffee on board and get Anara moving. On the way back I was treated to the incessant squawking of the resident flock of Galah (or Rose-breasted Cockatoo). These are ubiquitous in Australia, and we saw them in several of the places we visited; the novelty of such a lovely bird, despite the racket they make never wore off. I tried to get video of them flying but they are as quick as they are noisy.

(Much better photos of these coming up...)​

Anara woke up and started getting ready while I put the French Press to work. Mmm, coffee! Our hostess provided a really wonderful variety of breakfast items including cold cereals, instant oats, yogurts, fresh fruit, and even eggs if you wanted to use her community kitchen to cook them. There was fresh KI honey, teas, and bread as well. I have no idea what either of us ate before we packed up our bags and left but it was enough and that's what counts.

I was just getting the hang of driving again when we realized we’d forgotten to grab all of our food from the fridge for our meals for the next couple of days. UGH! Luckily, it only added about 30 minutes to our day and we didn’t arrive hours later that night hungry and totally out of luck.

Here is a map to orient you to the route for our day:

​

Our first stop was the American River and Pelican Lagoon Sanctuary. We parked the car at the campground and took a perfect walk along the shore on a nicely maintained walking trail.

​

The variety of birds was truly astounding, and I added a few more to my growing collection. I’m sure there were a ton more out there that my lens just wasn’t long enough to photograph. While I was entertaining myself with the camera, Anara found a termite hill to diddle around with. No, there was no explosion of insects as she’d hoped. Maybe that’s for the best.

​

The actual campground was our first introduction to the enormous differences between US and Australian campgrounds. At most US “State” campgrounds you pay around $20-$30/night and get (this is a generalization and most of my camping experience is in Oregon) a picnic table, and metal fire ring and/or a raised BBQ, a water tap but it’s usually one shared between 10 or 15 sites and you have to walk a bit to it, and maybe some grungy community showers. The several we saw in various part of Australia included PROPANE (WTHeck?!) a sink with water (if the tank was full), a nice picnic table, a food prep counter that was COVERED (say, what?!), and a community shower/toilet. I can’t compare the prices because I failed to look at how much a site cost, but I can also tell you that there are TONS of FREE camping areas with many of the same amenities that we came across as well. Again, this is just an outsider’s perspective, but color me impressed!!

Anyway, here's the presentation of birds at this stop:

(Black Swan)


(Little Pied Cormorant)



(Australian White Ibis)


(Great Egret)


(White-faced Heron)


(Masked Lapwing)
​

Near where the car was parked, we came across this little memorial:

​

It was good to take a moment to pause and remember the huge involvement and sacrifices our Aussie friends made to the various war efforts over the years. In WWII alone: “Australia lost 34,000 service personnel during World War II. Total battle casualties were 72,814. Over 31,000 Australian became prisoners-of-war. Of these more than 22,000 were captured by the Japanese; by August 1945 over one third of them had died in the appalling conditions of the prisoner-of-war camps.”

Sobered, we struck out for destination #2- Duck Lagoon and Eucalyptus Oil Still.

(These Eucalyptus Tunnels never got old!)​

The visit to KI was very intentionally added so we’d have the best opportunity to see as much Australian wildlife as possible. I didn’t really mean for it to be 90% birds, but I wasn’t sad when it was. Even Anara got a bit enthusiastic when we made our way to the duck blinds at the little lake. “Mom, did you get that one?!” “Over there, that one is new.”

I will let the photos do the talking here and will try to caption the ones I could ID with Google’s help.

(Australian Magpie)


(Black-tailed Native Hen)


(Juvenile Superb Fairywren- trust me, they are AMAZING when all growed up. )


(Scarlet Robin)


(Galah/ Rose-breasted cockatoo)


(White-faced heron)​

At this same location, we got to learn about a by-gone industry that KI once held. As you’ve seen, Australia has vast forests of eucalyptus; in fact, 75% of the Australia’s forests are made of the over 800 species!! It’s no wonder then that the trees have been put to good use! Did you know that eucalyptus oil is still used in medication, cleansers, pain relief, insect repellant, and mouthwashes to prevent dental disease? The abandoned equipment of the old still that extracted eucalyptus oil is here and apparently one of the best-preserved examples found in Australia today. I tried to take photos of the informational signage and if you’re interested you CAN read them if you zoom in and scroll around. It’s actually a pretty fascinating process and similar to the same distillation process you’d see for moonshine (or any other alcohol, including the Balinese Arak I showed you) but on a much larger scale.

​

Here is a little bit of information that I could find though: (scroll down past the image that comes up when you click on the image below)

https://flic.kr/p/2k78nDG

There is still a commercial operation on the island at Emu Ridge, but we opted to skip that knowing I probably wasn’t going to buy anything there after any (paid) tours they’d offer.

Again we were rather smitten with the quality of Aussie campgrounds and… okay, bombshell… had I to do another Australian tour someday, I would 1,000% rent a camper van and do that. I would still have the option of eating out, but with cooking facilities at the campgrounds this seems like a GREAT option! Especially since there are SO many places to just pull off the road and onto the beaches for free. (Correct me if I’m wrong on this one, @zanzibar138 but that’s the impression we got?) That way you can shuffle along and make longer stops if you find yourself in love with a certain place without the constraints of reservations.

​

With that I'll leave off and try to get one more chapter posted before my next rotation starts at the beginning of the month.