COBBOLD GORGE – AND THE GLASS BRIDGE

On November 17, 2021 By alisonferryIn Australia, History, TravelLeave a comment

AUSTRALIA’S NARROWEST GORGE

This was the second time we have visited Cobbold Gorge and it won’t be the last! A really spectacular location in the Gulf Savannah region, this is a breathtaking part of the Outback. We loved it the first time but since then a spectacular glass bridge has been built and is Australia’s first fully glass bridge spanning a 13 metre gap and with a 19 metre drop into the water below. I was thinking of the Grand Canyon bridge and wondered if it measured up but there is no comparison. This is just amazing because of the location and also because of the size – tiny compared to the Grand Canyon but equally impressive.

Cobbold Gorge Village http://cobboldgorge.com.au is part of Robin Hood Station which is a working cattle property and is a 6 hour drive from Townsville or Cairns. The drive itself is interesting through ancient geological landforms and small townships in the Gulf Savannah region. Forsayth is closest to the station and tours run to Cobbold Gorge from there as well.

The cattle seem unperturbed by motorists on their way to the village and we passed many termite mounds of all sizes and shapes which stood out in the red earth. Wildlife was abundant – red and black cockatoos, lots of kangaroos and even wedge tailed eagles.

On arrival at the village we checked into our accommodation which was in the Boundary Huts – very comfortable, air conditioned rooms with ensuite and tea and coffee making facilities as well as little verandahs to sit and soak up the views.

There is a variety of accommodation to choose from and many arrive with caravans or campervans and are fully catered for in the nearby campground. We chose to dine at the restaurant which is located next to the swimming pool overlooking the lagoon. Great food, wonderful ambience and there was even a guest playing his guitar – what more could you want?

*The Infinity pool overlooking the lagoon and the lagoon at sunset*

To visit the gorge you must do a tour with a Savannah Guide which takes 3 hours. A short bus ride takes you to the starting point for the walking/boat tour – our group was small and the guide very informative. We started with the walk which was about an hour and a half and began along the water’s edge and then up through interesting country and onto the sandstone escarpment. The guide pointed out various species of spiders with finely spun webs, hollows for wildlife and beautiful paperbarks.

What fascinated me was the “Soap Tree” – a very special tree nestled near the water’s edge with leaves that make “soap” and is apparently a godsend for those out in the bush with very few supplies. First you find the tree, then you gather the leaves and rubbing them between your hands, magical soap appears!

We climbed the escarpment and heard some of the history of the place and stories of the pioneers who first came to this part of the country. Then we walked across the ancient landform to a point at the top of the gorge where the bridge is located. The gorge is stunning with 30 metre sheer walls from the bottom of the water to the top of the escarpment. The bridge shimmered in the morning light and we had to put on special covers over our footwear so as not to scratch the glass before gingerly walking across!

Whilst admiring the view and becoming more confident about walking on glass, a small boat was silently gliding through the gorge below – this was another group who were to do the walk after the boat trip.

A short path down the escarpment to the water’s edge and it was time to do the electric boat trip – the guided cruise takes about 45 minutes and is a wonderful way to see this beautiful gorge. The boat is so silent and gliding past the sheer rocks which one could touch and then looking through the crystal clear water, it was a dream. There are fresh water crocodiles resident in this place, known as Johnson River Crocs they are harmless and just add to the mystique of the area.

We watched tiny spiders weaving webs and saw butterflies and dragonflies flitting through the rocks. At one point the guide pointed out a place he calls “Duck Rock” – it is the narrowest point of the gorge and only 2 metres across and thus he calls out “Duck” to avoid the looming overhang! Then we saw the bridge from the water – and how spectacular that was!

Back at the village and eager to find out more about the history of the station, I found a very informative poster about Francis Cobbold and I pondered his life and times and wondered what he would think now – hopefully he would be proud of the fact that so many have enjoyed this remarkable part of the outback thanks to the ongoing pioneering spirit of the Terry family of Robin Hood Station.

We had one final thing to do before we ventured on our road trip and that was to enjoy the Outback sunset from the Quartz Blow – a short distance from the village and down a fairly rough track we found a beautiful spot to sit and watch the sky turning yellow, then pink and finally vivid red whilst enjoying a glass of wine, beer and some nibbles. A perfect end to a perfect day and a great finale for our friends from WA.

LONGREACH – THE HEART OF OUTBACK QUEENSLAND

On November 5, 2021 By alisonferryIn Australia, History, Travel1 Comment

PIONEERS, EXPLORING, GLAMPING AND HERITAGE

Each time we visit Longreach, we discover something new in this heritage area. It’s an easy town to get around, no crowds, no traffic and limitless horizons. The skies are always clear and the air is crisp in winter and warm in summer. There is a lot to experience and with limited time available to us, we planned ahead and made the most of every moment. The big excitement for the kids was the glamping experience!

Mitchell Grass retreat http://mitchellgrassretreat.com.au is a tented glamping resort close to town on the Muttaburra Highway. We have stayed in many African safari tents over the years and this one rates very highly and, in fact, is super luxurious! There are 15 canvas tents which are either King or twin size all with ensuites and a private deck. We loved the fire pit in front and at night the kids roasted marshmallows whilst watching the night sky. Breakfast baskets are delivered to your room each day and are delicious. Self catering is easy with a mini kitchenette fully equipped and a barbecue at each room.

The first night we chose to go to Smithy’s Outback Dinner and Show on the banks of the Thomson River. The dinner was delicious – camp oven themed with damper and billy tea or wine and beer – followed by a show on the river stage. The performer told stories and sang songs all with a country theme. His two border collie dogs, although not part of the show, sat quietly on the stage and captivated everyone!

The Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre was originally opened by the Queen in 1988 and was recently refurbished and reopened in April of this year. It has been modernised and has interactive and immersive experiences and is wonderful for all ages. It brings to life the rugged landscape of the outback, revealing the incredible and sometimes unknown stories of the everyday people who lived and worked on the stock routes. Allow lots of time for this!

After wandering around the museum for a couple of hours, it was nice to sit down in the outdoor theatre and watch the Outback Stockman’s Show. The Showman, Lachie Cosser tells the story of real life stockmen and women who work on the land today as well as telling tales of what it was like in the past. He had working dogs, horses, sheep and a quiet bull to entertain us and his young son gave a whip cracking display. http://stockmanshalloffame.com.au

After a quick lunch in a very hip cafe serving both vegan and cafe style meals, we headed to the Qantas Founders Museum http://qfom.com.au. With so many different tours and experiences, it is important to book ahead. I was particularly interested in the main museum and the Catalina Display – these displays tell the story of Qantas from the outback days and what life was like in 1920’s outback Queensland to the present day. With so much to see – oral displays, video talks, artifacts and interactive exhibits you could easily spend a couple of hours here before going to the Aviation Park and walking through various aircraft.

Best time to visit this lovely outback town is probably in the winter months – at least for me – and we will definitely be back to check out some of the experiences we didn’t have time to do! I can honestly say that here there is something for everyone.

PRE-HISTORIC LIFE IN WESTERN QUEENSLAND

On October 6, 2021 By alisonferryIn Australia, History, TravelLeave a comment

Dinosaurs and more dinosaurs!

The Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History is located 24 km south of Winton on the “Jump Up”. Locals know this term but I discovered that The Jump-Up is a large mesa plateau that is approximately 270m above sea level and stands 75m above the surrounding land and forms part of a mesa formation called the Vindex Range. Like much of the Winton Shire, the Jump-Up is part of the Winton Formation, which is dated around 95-98 million years old.

We decided to go early so we could maximise our time taking in the various displays, movies and self guided walks as well as enjoying the stunning scenery and native flora and fauna. This museum holds the largest collection of Australian dinosaur fossils in the world.

From the start we were amazed at the location – the museum complex sits on 1800 hectares of spectacular mesa plateau and the scenery is vast with lots of walking trails and wildlife.

This is also a working dinosaur museum with the most productive Fossil Preparation Laboratory in the Southern Hemisphere, so we headed to the lab first to gain a little insight into the life of these pre historic creatures and the area they lived in 1000 million years ago.

A short stroll later took us back to the award winning Reception area which opened in 2012 and contains a shop, cafe, staff facilities and a Holotype room, also known as the Collection Room. Designed to blend into the surrounding Jump-Up rock, the building takes on the earthy hues and textures of the surrounding landscape. The concrete walls of the building were coloured and stamped with latex mats that were moulded from the rock surface of the Jump-Up rock. A life sized, 5m long bronze statue of Australovenator (“Banjo”) stands at the entrance to the Reception Centre.

The Collection Room is fitted with audio visual equipment which complements the guided tours by showing animation footage of western Queensland’s dinosaurs. This was fascinating and the children were captivated especially as the footage consists of excerpts from the documentary Monsters in the Outback – the video of which the kids watched in the car prior to our visit.

Then we hopped on the Noble Express shuttle – a little bus which took us to the Dinosaur Canyon Outpost and the March of the Titanosaurs exhibition.

The Outpost is perched on the cliff overlooking Dinosaur Canyon and includes 300 metres of elevated concrete pathway throughout the gorge below. Five outdoor galleries are positioned along the pathway, which resembles a treetop walk as it winds throughout massive boulders and thick vegetation below the rim of a gorge. The Dinosaur Canyon exhibits recreate life as it would have appeared during the Cretaceous Period including: Dinosaur Stampede, Pterodactylus Family, Kunbarrasaurus ieversi, Death in the Billabong and Valley of the Cycads. Australia’s first International Dark-sky sanctuary is here and the building is currently under construction. When finished it will be called the Gondwana Stars Observatory and will enable visitors to see the quality of the dark night skies without any threats due to its remote location.

The March of the Titanosaurs exhibition is in a purpose built room which is temperature controlled and displays a 54 metre long Snake Creek tracksite which was discovered on a property near Winton.

The tracksite was made when herds of sauropods roamed western Queensland, when the landscape was covered in temperate rainforests and muddy billabongs. The tour guide showed examples of footprints and other animal prints of a diverse ecosystem that included lungfish, small mammals, turtles, crocodiles, ornithopods and tiny therapods.

Outside was a life sized dinosaur with its young – something else to impress young and old alike!

There is much to see and do hee so my advice is spend the day, take a picnic and try not to cram everything in at once. We were lucky to be there in August when the weather is beautiful – and loved this sign ….

I have no doubt that we will return to this fascinating part of Outback Queensland, after all it is right on our doorstep!

View of the Jump Up from the road into Winton.

THE DINOSAUR TRAIL

On September 23, 2021 By alisonferryIn History, TravelLeave a comment

DISCOVERIES IN NORTH WEST QUEENSLAND – Richmond and Winton

Children the world over have all loved or been fascinated by Dinosaurs at some point in their childhood. With current Covid restrictions, we are limited as to where we can go but fortunately we live in Queensland, Australia and so it was a no brainer to have a little road trip and discover some of Australia’s dinosaur history.

Our first stop was in Richmond, a small outback town some 490 km from Townsville and with a population of around 648 people. Once part of the vast inland sea in pre-historic times it is best known for its marine fossil discoveries and is a service centre for the surrounding pastoral industries. A small, privately owned museum named Kronosaurus Korner was our main focus and is well worth a visit. Here you can step back in time and watch prehistoric creatures come to life. Most of the collection in the museum were donated by local graziers, often discovered whilst mustering cattle and working the land. These marine fossils from the Early Cretaceous period include the 100-115 million year old (Aptian–Albian) remains of marine reptiles, dinosaurs, pterosaurs, birds, fishes, crustaceans, cephalopods, gastropods, bivalves, echinoderms, plants and trace fossils.

It is worth watching the short movie before self guiding through the museum as everything is well explained and the visit is really enjoyable – our little folk loved it all and took great delight in telling us all about what happened millions of years ago!

Life sized models are outside the museum and are a real drawcard.

Richmond takes pride in it’s “tidy town” title and it is certainly that. We loved the wide streets and colourful bougainvillea down the centre as well as the public rubbish bins cleverly disguised as dinosaurs!

After a comfortable night at the Ammonite Motel and breakfast in a small ‘at home’ restaurant located in an old Queenslander, we hit the road to Winton.

As part of the great inland sea millions of years ago, it is awe inspiring to drive along the endless straight road framed with colours of the outback. The blue sky, red gravel road, various hues of green and gold of the grasses make a beautiful picture and sometimes it is possible to see stock casually roaming the vast land. Winton is 278 kms from Richmond which made for an easy drive. A small outback town, it is known as the birthplace of “Waltzing Matilda” as well as the Dinosaur capital of Australia and the birthplace of Qantas. The main street of the town is wide and well kept with an attractive garden down the centre strip and iconic images throughout.

To give us a sense of history in this town, we decided to stay at the North Gregory Hotel which has been hosting visitors since 1899. However over the years the hotel was destroyed by two fires and was finally rebuilt in 1955. This hotel is a true Aussie battler, surviving fires, drought, and hardship, and was affectionately named Queen of the Outback. It was here at the Gregory on April 6, 1895, that Australia’s unofficial national anthem, Waltzing Matilda, was played in public for the first time. During the 1920s, secret meetings took place at the hotel, as Winton locals met to form a small airline called QANTAS. The 36th president of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson, stayed here when his plane was forced to land in the Outback during World War 2.

It was an easy walk to the Waltzing Matilda Centre which is the world’s first museum dedicated to a single song! Banjo Patterson wrote the words to the song and here we learned about his life as well as much, much more about the music. The children were fascinated to see Long Playing records as well as various types of players.

In keeping with the musical theme, we next visited the Musical Fence. This is the first permanent musical fence in the world and was designed by percussionist and composer Graeme Leak. It is a wire fence installation that can be played as a musical instrument and visitors of all ages are welcome to “have a bash” and create some music – and fun!

A small museum dedicated to dinosaurs is also on the main street and is worth a visit especially if you don’t get time to visit the new Australian Age of the Dinosaurs museum located just out of town. Here at the small museum life sized models of these pre historic creatures gives you a sense of the enormity of the living beings of the era.

Next it was time to visit the wonderful new museum “The Australian Age of the Dinosaurs” which is the subject of the next post.

RAVENSWOOD – A GHOST TOWN

On July 15, 2020July 15, 2020 By alisonferryIn Australia, History, TravelLeave a comment

It has been a few months since the last blog thanks to Covid 19 and all the restrictions placed on us. At the start of the year I imagined the travel side of this blog would be all about Iceland. Our trip was booked, the wedding planned and all was in place – until the Pandemic struck! So, we are biding our time and hopefully will be able to get to Iceland in the future.

Meantime we are exploring our own backyard and last weekend we did a little road trip to Ravenswood. This charming heritage listed township is 89 kilometres west of Charters Towers and was once a thriving gold mining town. There are lots of stories and history is at every turn you make. Apparently in 1868 whilst mustering cattle, a local pastoralist by the name of Marmaduke Curr stopped to have a drink of water from Elphinstone Creek and saw specks of gold at the bottom of his pannikin. The area quickly became part of the gold rush. IN the boom era there were over 50 pubs and a population of over 5000. Today it is a virtual ghost town with a population of around 255.

We set off on the 130 km drive from Townsville on an all bitumen road. Recent rains had turned the country into a palette of greens and small farms with Brahmin cattle are interspersed along the route. An hour and a half later we drove into the historic town.

It was quiet and the first stop we made was at the Miner’s cottage – on the right in the above picture. This was a brief history lesson for Bea – age 9 – who has not spent a lot of time in the bush and who was fascinated in the lives of the children at that time.

The last time I was here was years ago with my daughter’s school class and we visited the school at the time. Bea was intrigued to know it was a one teacher school, with all students from years 1 – 7 in the same room and taught by the same teacher! Then there were about 17 students in total.

The old cottage is original and displays how the miner and his family would have lived in the late 1800’s.

The kitchen was an eye opener, as was the bedroom. Seeing this made young Bea thankful for what she has at home!

Outside was the laundry and the outhouse – I had to marvel at the fortitude of the pioneers, both male and female, who sacrificed so much to live the dream of finding that large gold nugget. For many it was hardship and disappointment and for others there was success in measured amounts. This is related as well at the local cemetery where gravestones tell of mining and horse accidents, illness and child influenza. Pioneers came from all over the world in search of a new life and many descendants are still in the area.

The old London Mine built between 1903 and 1915 consists of a headframe with mullock heaps to the north and south. Today we can walk to the entrance and stare down and imagine the miners toiling in impossible circumstances years ago. There are old chimneys, rusting machinery and old shafts throughout the town making the journey an informative one, especially for eager young minds.

The quaint shops – no longer trading – show some of the merchandise that would have been available at the time. A fun thing to do is to pose for a photograph outside and imagine you are out for a Sunday stroll in the early part of the century, dressed in your Sunday best and carrying a parasol for the sun. Note the bag of money held by the male!

We had lunch at the historic Railway hotel where little has changed. There are some original fittings and furniture, the ceilings are pressed metal and there are large french doors opening onto the verandas at the side. It is possible to stay here and during the winter season it becomes quite busy with passing travellers keen to experience a night in the old town – along with ghosts and wildlife!

We had a delicious home cooked lunch here and wallowed in the feeling of yesteryear.

On the way home we stopped at the White Blow Environmental park which is about 4km from town along the road to Ayr. The large quartz outcrop is a prominent feature of the park and is about 15 metres in height with a diameter of 45 meters and is the largest of several masses of quartz in the area. The quartz is estimated to be about 300 million years old.

We took the road to Ayr which gave us spectacular views of the Leichhardt ranges and was devoid of any traffic. We did see wildlife, including this curious little fellow out for a munch of newly grown grass.

Ravenswood Roo

An easy day trip and a little bit different. Now to explore some more although the island calls this weekend!

KOBE – and a step back in time

On January 12, 2020January 12, 2020 By alisonferryIn History, TravelLeave a comment

6th OCTOBER 2019: Our next destination was Kobe, a city which opened as an international port in 1868. It is a beautiful location that stretches between mountains and the ocean. For me this has a personal connection. My grandparents were married here in 1914. My grandfather worked for Lever Brothers – now Unilever – and was sent to Japan in 1912 to open a soap factory for the company. Foreigners began working and settling in Kobe only forty years beforehand and the settlement was in its infancy. The area known as Kitano was where the foreigners built their homes, it was close to the port and on the slopes of Mt. Rokko. I was keen to see where my family lived and worked, especially as I have done a considerable amount of research on life in Kobe at that time.

Our train journey from Oita took about two hours to Osaka which is very close to Kobe. We had booked a hotel right on the water and close to the old foreign settlement. As it happened this was where the Rugby Fanzone was situated and so we were able to wander down to the area and see a match on the big screen, have a few drinks and enjoy the atmosphere and try to win prizes!

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This area is relatively new and the port has grown in recent years. In 1945 during World War 2 the main area of Kobe was destroyed by bombs but the Kitano area was saved as it was a foreign settlement. However, years later earthquakes devastated the city and many areas were affected – although once again, somehow Kitano escaped relatively unscathed.

The Port area – known as Harborland – is full of restaurants, shops and bars and we had no trouble finding a great place to eat as well as watching entertainment.

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Many of the restaurants had plastic images of the food on their menu – including one for children complete with an Australian flag! This is quite useful when language is a problem – just point to the dish you fancy.

We took a taxi up to Kitano which has now been designated under the “Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings” act by the government. Immediately we could see the attraction the early foreigners saw – on a hill with cool breezes and a view. Several houses have been restored and are open to the public either as museums or restaurants and it is a lovely area to stroll around.

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Some of the streets are very narrow and steep and in the past would have had rickshaws as transport or maybe just two feet! This is where my grandparents had a house, which is sadly no more but the block is there with a remains of a building.

Close to Kitano is the Shin-Kobe Ropeway which is a ten minute cable car ride up Mt. Rokko. At the top is the Kobe Nunobiki Herb Garden which is one of Japan’s largest herb gardens with about 75,000 herbs and flower gardens with around 200 varieties plus a series of Glasshouses, fragrance museum and cafe and restaurant.

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It was a beautiful day and we had stunning panoramic views on all sides of the cabin. We could also see the western part of Osaka and the Seto Inland Sea. Passing over waterfalls and cultivated gardens, the ride was a surprise to say the least.

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At the top we found a European style building which was the Fragrance Museum and cafe and a pleasant outdoor seating area.

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After a cold drink and a wander around the museum and shop, we were advised to walk down to the mid station and along the way admire the herbs and gardens and the Glasshouses mid way. It was fascinating; the herbs were all grouped in various categories – the Potager (kitchen herbs) was lush and sweet smelling, as were all the herbs which are tended daily and made me wish I could do even half as good a job at growing!

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Then we reached the Glasshouses and another surprise awaited. This was a tropical paradise with masses of flowers, potted plants and a mini waterfall and stream in several greenhouses. It was totally magical and in one we came across what was to be my favourite of the whole exhibition – a beautiful statue of a Mother and Child, presented in 1993 by the Italian city of Terni to Kobe. The sculpture embodies the desire for eternal friendship and for love to be nurtured throughout the world.

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The lushness of the tropical garden complete with butterflies and birds made it hard to to tear ourselves away, there is so much to savour and enjoy.

In another section is an area representing the interior of a home – with a dining setting and bunches of dried herbs. Outside is a gorgeous terrace where we had a glass of wine before taking the cable car back to the bottom.

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This Ropeway and Gardens is definitely something every visitor to Kobe should do, it is surely one of the best places to be in Kobe. At night the views are apparently amazing with the sunset and then twinkling night lights of the city. We didn’t do it this time but if we ever return, that is on the Must Do list.

Our time in Kobe was short but sweet and once again, we felt that it warranted another trip to Japan – next time to visit the onsen at Arima which is close by. For now though we have lovely memories of this “City of Love” with strong feelings of family.

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HIROSHIMA and a call for PEACE

On January 10, 2020January 10, 2020 By alisonferryIn History, Travel2 Comments

OCTOBER 3RD 2019 : We decided to spend a night in Hiroshima on our way to Oita for another rugby game. It was a good decision. Hiroshima is far from depressing – it has new buildings and wide, leafy boulevards. The public bus system is easy to navigate and our first destination to visit was obviously the Peace Park. On 6th August 1945 Hiroshima became the target of the world’s first atomic bomb attack. The Peace Park is a reminder of that day and has many moving messages of Peace. I personally found the museum a bit confronting and could only take in so much sadness, however the Park itself is wonderful with lots of statues, memorials and the central feature, which is a long tree lined Pond of Peace leading to the cenotaph. This is a curved concrete monument holding the names of all the known victims of the bomb. The Flame of Peace at the pond is set to burn until all the world’s nuclear weapons are destroyed.
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Hiroshima-03 Just beyond the cenotaph is the Atomic Bomb Dome which is a very sobering sight.

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This building was built in 1915 by a Czech architect and was the Industrial Promotion Hall until the bomb exploded almost directly above it. Everyone was killed but the building was left standing and a decision was made after the war to leave the shell standing as a permanent memorial.

I loved the Children’s Peace Monument which was inspired by a little girl who was 2 years old at the time. When she developed leukaemia at the age of 11 she decided to fold 1000 paper cranes. In Japan the crane is a symbol of longevity and happiness and she believed that if she achieved her target she would recover. Sadly she died before she reached her goal but her classmates folded the rest. The monument was built in 1958 and her story inspired a nationwide spate of paper cranes which continues to this day – we were given some on arrival in Sapporo for example. Surrounding this monument are strings of literally thousands of colourful paper cranes sent by children all over the world as well as Japan.

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We walked all over the park and enjoyed the serenity of it all as well as the monuments which are artistic in their own way and very meaningful.

Later we walked to Hiroshima Castle which was originally constructed in 1589 but was totally destroyed by the bomb. It was rebuilt in 1958 and is now a museum. The Castle is surrounded by a moat which is full of carp – and weeds – and is impressive. We climbed up to the 5th floor – looking at the historical artefacts on each floor which didn’t have much explanation in English, so again imagination came to play – and we had a wonderful view of the city and surrounding park.

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Strolling through the Park we came across a Shinto Temple and a wedding party had just arrived. It was a thrill to see the traditional dress. The bride in a Shinto gown and the groom in a dark coloured costume which involved a skirt. This prompted a google search on Shinto weddings!

We enjoyed this cosmopolitan city and the covered shopping malls but most of all we came away with a deeper understanding of the dreadful nuclear event of 1945 and the ramifications it has had for generations afterwards.

SAPPORO – JAPAN’S NORTHERN CITY

On September 26, 2019 By alisonferryIn History, TravelLeave a comment

Four days in Sapporo is not nearly enough! The city has a lovely feel to it – unhurried, clean and very friendly. It is easy to walk around and the public transport is very frequent, efficient and cheap. We didn’t get into the mountains but did visit the pretty little town of Otaru.

The local train to the port city runs several times an hour and the journey takes about 40 minutes. Otaru flourished from the Meiji to the Trisha Era and was known as “the entrance of the North”. It is a fun place to walk around and our first encounter was with the fish market, situated next to the station.

This is a popular place for the locals as well as visitors and the variety of seafood on offer is staggering. We found a little restaurant behind one of the stalls and had a wonderful lunch of sashimi and rice with roe – the roe is plentiful and is sold in jars and buckets!

The Otaru Canal is a beautiful attraction and is reminiscent of days gone by. Old warehouses line the canal and are now shops and restaurants. There are other lovely historical buildings nearby which have been preserved and are also banks and offices.

That night, back in Sapporo, we went to Odori Park where the Autumn Festival was in full swing with food and drink stalls and tents in abundance. We wandered through the Park and ate the biggest scallops we have ever seen

Plus other delicacies and ramen noodles – which is a speciality of Sapporo.

The Hokkaido Historic Village is an open air museum of relocated and restored buildings that represent the history of Hokkaido from 1868 to the 1920’s. We reached it by local train from Sapporo and on entering took a short ride around the village in a horse drawn tram. In all there are 52 buildings representing the Town, a Fishing Village, Farm Village and a Mountain Village. Each building shows the lifestyle of the people of that era.

It was easy to imagine life in those days – and wonderful to see local schoolchildren enjoying an excursion to learn about the history of their region.

HONG KONG – AND A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

On September 17, 2019September 17, 2019 By alisonferryIn History, TravelLeave a comment

Hong Kong isn’t just all about shopping and crowds. It is easy to get away from all of that and find some relatively quiet places whether by the beach or in the hills. This trip I wanted to do just that and revisit places I knew well as a child. Things have changed, of course, but some things remain the same and then the memories come flooding back.

Far from the madding crowd and mayhem in the city below is a beautiful walk around the top of the Peak. This is where we lived and today it is exactly as it was – quiet, peaceful and leafy. It is much cooler than in the city and the views are stunning – but different to our day as the construction of multi storey buildings has filled the landscape below and the vista to the islands beyond is now hazy due to pollution.

9F2B496F-4223-482C-A682-8389FE87EBBA — A view from above

The Star Ferry has been crossing the harbour for decades and is, to my mind, the best way to go from one side to the other. The trip takes no more than ten minutes and is a pleasant way to travel. We did this so often as children – there were no cross harbour tunnels or MTR trains in those days. A vehicular ferry was available to take cars and passengers and on weekends we would often “drive” to Castle Peak or the New Territories and part of the excitement of the day was taking the car ferry!

Kowloon today is so different from the island – it is a mixture of crowds, smells, hustle and bustle, jewellers, hawkers selling copy watches or handbags, tourists galore and shop after shop. In spite of all this it was lovely to see a couple of colonial buildings preserved and now used as hotels or for retail.

The Peninsula Hotel was another favourite and although the decor has changed, the lobby is still magnificent and the staircase – which featured in every Ball or formal event – is the same.

Towering skyscrapers dominate the waterfront and reclaimed land is making the harbour even smaller – however, I could still find the old Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club which seems to be dwarfed these days.

A bus ride to Stanley is always a great outing. This little village was a quiet residential area with a small beach and good swimming. There was also a market where we bought Christmas gifts and local wares. Today it is a really pleasant place to stroll along the waterfront, visit one of a number of cafes or restaurants and, of course, wander through the market. There is a lot of history here as a Prisoner of War Camp was located in the village during the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong during the Second World War.

Blake’s Pier, which used to be in the city and where we met to go out on launch picnics, has been relocated here and is used by many pleasure boats each weekend.

The beautiful little temple of Tin Hau, the Goddess of the Sea, features very much in the lives of local residents here. On entering the temple the smell of joss sticks and the smoke wallowing all around is almost overwhelming. There is a row of gods and goddesses on each side of Tin Hau and they seem to be watching you. To see the locals pay their respects and bow and pray is humbling and it is obvious that their beliefs are very strong.

And finally there is the food – a plethora of choices, any number of cuisines but always present are noodles – oodles of noodles and it is fascinating to watch them being made!

FROM THE OUTBACK TO THE COAST AND HOME

On June 5, 2019June 5, 2019 By alisonferryIn History, TravelLeave a comment

Our last leg before home and quite a few kilometres to put in front of us yet but the roads are straight and there is little traffic compared to the coast road, so it is easier driving. We take breaks very couple of hours and at Coonamble stopped for a picnic by the (dry) river which was one of our favourite meals – sushi and sashimi from a sushi bar in Dubbo.

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Country folk are proud of their towns and so many in this area have large, ugly wheat or grain silos by the side of the road. One way to brighten up the vista is to engage an artist to create “Painted Silos”. One very good example is at Weethalle where the art beckons you almost from the horizon!

It would be worthwhile doing a road trip just checking out all the painted silos!

On the Queensland border we found a typical outback pub – corrugated iron and hitching rails but with so much character. This one is at Hebel and there were several old timers contemplating the world problems over the never ending glasses of beer!

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Soon it became dark and this always poses a problem whilst driving in the country as the kangaroos, wallabies, goats and sometimes pigs wander onto the sealed road or are attracted by the car lights. There is always road kill at the side of the road so the message is “don’t drive at night” . Nevertheless the sunsets in the outback are glorious and this one was no different.

The clouds seemed to set the horizon alight, everything was still and it was total magic watching the colours change quite quickly before the sun dipped over the horizon altogether.

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We spent the night in St George and had dinner at the local pub where the message was very clear to all and sundry

The next day we had a short break at Surat – a small rural town on the Balonne river and which has become known for its fishing and its park along the banks of the river.

The area around is scenic and there are vast reserves of oil in the Surat Basin – as the website states: “Hydrocarbons in this part of the Surat Basin are generated in the underlying Bowen Basin Permian sequence and are liquids rich. Oil is also trapped in the Triassic age Showgrounds Sandstone and in the Jurassic Age Evergreen Formation. It is estimated that the “potential recoverable resources” are between 200,000 and 300,000 barrels.”

Our final stop just before we reached home was in the historic town of Charters Towers. Beautiful heritage buildings line the main street and this is where the first stock exchange in Australia was built in 1888 and is indicative of the rise and fall of fortunes in the Charters Towers goldfields. Today it is an Arcade of shops and cafes and is a perfect spot for a light lunch before resuming one’s journey.

It has been a wonderful trip and an eye opening insight to the vastness of Australia. We covered 17,500kms in just 7 weeks and yet there is more to see and experience. What will remain foremost in our minds are the long, straight roads, the vast open country, rolling hills and fertile farmlands, cotton balls by the side of the road in the cotton growing area, the never ending sunsets both on the coast and in the outback, the Nullarbor cliffs and coastline, oysters and seafood, road trains and fabulous Kakadu as well as all the Aboriginal history throughout the whole country. There are termite mounds by the thousands, millions of sheep and lambs, wallabies and wildlife and, of course, the fabulous little country towns and the welcoming people in every place. This is Australia!

I can’t wait to go again!