“With Enchanted Eyes We Watch As These Sweet Moments Turn To Memories”

Going to Australia. We flew west for more than a dozen hours into the night, trying futilely to outrun the sun. It caught up with us about an hour before the plane was to land at Sydney and the crowded cabin slowly came to life, people stretching and yawning and trying to grasp the reality that we have just crossed the entire Pacific Ocean. We’re going to be in Australia! I had not slept a minute since leaving Minneapolis/Saint Paul the day before; I’ve never been able to truly rest on an airplane so this was not unexpected but I was starting to feel the effect of the many hours without sleep. The movies shown during the flight were mostly not the kind in which I was interested, so at one point, I just threw the blanket over my head, removed the earphones, and attempted to rest. I remember hearing a small child ask his parent if “that person is afraid”.

TThe landing at Sydney was uneventful but I found getting through Customs to be a stressful experience. I had a connecting flight to Brisbane and a short time to make it because the flight from LAX had been delayed about four hours, but Customs was a slow and, I thought, a confusing process. I believed I had declared all food and agricultural products prior to landing but a machine alerted to my neck pillow which I remembered is filled with buckwheat hulls. Fortunately, since they were only hulls, I was eventually allowed to proceed and even to keep my wonderful little pillow. However, my time to catch my Brisbane flight was now seriously in jeopardy and I tried to get directions from someone (anyone!) as to the location of the domestic terminal. Someone in Customs pointed vaguely to the right and said the terminal was in that direction but did not give me any indication of how far away it was. I was also told that there is a bus that circles the international terminal and I can get to the domestic terminal by taking that bus. I stood outside for what seemed a long time and the minutes were ticking away and I did not see any bus. I was about to take off walking to the right in hopes of seeing some glimpse of where I needed to be when I spotted a cab and managed to get the driver’s attention. This was very fortunate since the domestic terminal is actually a considerable distance from the international terminal. Of course, I had not felt I had the time to change my US dollars to Australian dollars at the Sydney Airport but the driver accepted the US money and I was able to get on my flight to Brisbane with almost no time to spare. The flight from Sydney to Brisbane is quick, about an hour, and my friend Paul, an Australian native, was waiting for me when we landed. I had met Paul some years before when he lived and worked in the US. When he moved back to Australia, I shamelessly took advantage of his invitation to set up a “base” in his guest room so I could explore the Gold Coast of Australia as I chose.

Needless to say, I was exhilarated and exhausted at the same time upon finally getting to Brisbane. Paul lived in Banora Point which was about another hour’s drive in his “ute” but I was happy to be on the ground and enjoyied the ride. We stopped in Coolangatta for a light lunch and I had my first taste of Barramundi, a fish native to Northern Australia. Besides being a very tasty meal, the Barramundi has an interesting life as they are protoandrous hermaphrodites … they all start life as males, reach maturity about three or four years of age and then change gender and become females around the age of five. After lunch, we went on to Banora Point and, although I was now seriously ready for a nap, Paul advised me to stay awake until dark to prevent any jet lag. Since this was my first international flight ever — and Paul has made this trip more than 50 times — I took his advice. It was a very pleasant day and I spent the time relaxing in the back yard and becoming reaquainted with Paul’s Border Collie, Buster, who had also relocated from the US to Australia with his master. Paul had acquired another Border Collie since returning to Australia, this was a young dog who had been a stray and was about to be destroyed when Paul stepped in and gave him a home … and named him Nick … for the “Nick” of time.

That evening Paul was hosting a barbecue for a few friends in honor of a Rugby game which they were watching at his home. I was able to stay awake for the barbecue and a few drinks. I watched a bit of the Rugby game and suddenly it was dark … Paul pointed out the Southern Cross that lives in the sky right above his house and I excused myself and headed for the guest room. I’m normally a very light sleeper and since my bedroom was in close proximity to the living room and the enthusiastic cheering for the Bulldogs, I wasn’t sure that I would be able to sleep. I was wrong.

Over the next two weeks as I explored the Gold Coast, I found the Australians to be a very friendly and hospitable people. They are well-traveled and I met many who told me they have visited the United States. I was very impressed with their knowledge of world affairs and their interest in United States politics and policies. I was able to spend some time in Surfers Paradise, Tweed Heads, and Brisbane. From Brisbane I took a day tour to Lamington Mountain where I walked a suspension bridge through the treetops, stopped at O’Reilly’s Resort for lunch and heard the story of the Stinson Air Disaster which occured in that area, and on the way back to Brisbane, thoroughly enjoyed a wine tasting at a local winery. Paul took a little time off from his job and took me out into the “bush” so I was able to see the true Australia and not just the things most tourists see. We went to the Murwullumbah Valley to a little village called Stoker’s Siding and then on to a slightly larger town called Tyalgum. In the Tyalgum Pub we met a young man named Brad who told us he was a drover; he certainly looked the part in the traditional Australian hat and garb. On another afternoon, we went to Spring Brook which is in the mountains above the Murwullumbah Valley. We ordered lunch on an outdoor patio and I tried another traditional food alled “damper” which is homemade bread. The lunch was served and in a matter of moments, the trees above us were filled with Lorikeets, the brightly colored birds found in abundance in this part of Australia. In just another few moments, our table was filled with the Lorikeets helping us eat our lunch and they particularly seemed to enjoy the damper so I told them they could have it all. This particular cafe has a sign advertising that their food is “Fit for a Yowie”. The Yowie is the Australian version of our Big Foot and another patron of the cafe began telling us his story of when he actually saw a Yowie right there on that mountain. The cafe even has a plaster cast of the Yowie’s footprint and a scrapbook full of newpaper articles regarding the frequent sightings and describing the terrible screaming sounds the Yowie makes. This was a most enjoyable experience and I hope to take the drive up that mountain again to eat at the “Yowie cafe” when I go back to Australia.

As an Unbridled Traveler, I’m already eagerly anticipating my next Australian Adventure …. I can’t wait to see the Southern Cross again and, maybe next time, I’ll even see my very own Yowie!