The Great Ocean Road

You will appreciate what I am about to describe if you have ever driven along a stretch of bumpy, pot-holed stretch of road and then come across a sign warning of "Bump Ahead". It is as if the Roads department only had six signs warning of bumps and the crews had to choose the spots they thought were the worst.

Here we were, driving along the Great Ocean Road (GOR), an absolutely stunning drive along the South Coast of Australia just west of Melbourne, constantly climbing and descending around hairpin turns and switchbacks with the sea on our left and cliffs on both sides. What does the sign say? Winding roads next 4 km. Who's kidding who? The road was no less winding after the sign than what we just experienced! That is, they were amazing. The entire drive along the GOR was perfect. It was worth the two days to get there.

We actually left a couple of days earlier and travelled along the Princes Highway to a town called Lakes Entrance. The driving that day was clear and smooth. Stopping for a coffee break, lunch, and the occasional stroll on one the roadside beaches was the recipe for a perfect day. Lakes Entrance is a very touristy town which is known as an area with a very high concentration of fresh-water lakes: a general rarity in Australia. We stayed in a tidy place called the Heyfield Motel (highly recommended), had barramundi and chips for dinner (highly recommended), and went for a 6km walk along the seashore (highly recommended). We slept well that night and set off early for Melbourne the following morning.

Our drive to Melbourne was also good. The skies were overcast, the scenery was rolling and beautiful, and we did pass over the Snowy River. We did not want to go into the Melbourne, which is situated at the north end of Port Phillip, but chose to take the ferry from Portsea at the end of the Mornington Peninsula across the channel which opens up into the ocean. The ferry crossing was about 45 minutes and by then the sun had come out. Arriving on the other side of the peninsula, we located, without too much difficulty, an older hotel room in a town called Ocean Grove. A very nice feature of all our accommodation so far has been the availability of kettles, bowls, plates, and cutlery to use in your room, and on this night we had some tasty pasties, and dessert. We slept well.

The Great Ocean Road was our destination the next day. In addition to the great driving and scenery was our stop for coffee in Wye River, groceries in Lorne, London Bridge, Gibson's Steps (where we were able to climb down to the sea - see photo), the Twelve Apostles, and the Grotto. Have I used the word "amazing" yet? At 5PM we decided to head back towards Melbourne.

By 7:45PM we were in Melbourne seeking accommodation. Due to the Australian Open and a Poker tournament rooms were difficult to come by. Thanks to the very kind assistance of a clerk at a downtown hotel, we were able to locate a room in St. Kilda's: an area known for its bars, nightlife, pier, and proximity to Albert Park where the Australian F1 race is held in March. As per our routine, we had dinner in our room and followed that up with a walk to the end of the pier; this gave us a perfect photo of Melbourne at night. We slept well.

The next morning we walked around Albert Park and then drove off to Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral; Bishop Peter Stasiuk, the Ukrainian bishop for all of Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania, was formerly the parish priest at Holy Eucharist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Toronto, which was my parish. It was nice to visit with him as we caught up with some news and heard about his preparations for World Youth Day in Sydney. The rest of our day was spent touring downtown Melbourne, going to the Queen Victoria Market (where John bought a green, brimmed hat with the Aussie kangaroo on it), taking the free tram around the City Circle, and enjoying the great weather. We headed off towards home and three hours later found ourselves in the town of Chiltern, Victoria, just outside of New South Wales. Our accommodation that evening was excellent and is highly recommended.

After a stop at the Chiltern Bakery the following morning, we sped off, in the rain, towards Batemans Bay. Eight hours later we reached our destination. Our drive included stopping in Corryong, the town dedicated to The Man From Snowy River, travelling through the Snowy Mountains, and making our final descent to Batemans Bay down the slopes of Clyde Mountain.

Imagine taking the Great Ocean Road with all of its twists, turns, and steep drop-offs, bringing it inland a few hundred kilometres, and removing all of its guardrails: that is what the Snowy Mountains were all about. It is no wonder that drivers are obliged to put chains on their tires for some sections of the road in winter; they would be impossible to traverse in the snow without them. Along the way we also caught a glimpse of the Snowy Mountains Hydro Scheme which is a massive hydro-electric project built decades ago and which, I am led to believe, provides a good portion of Eastern Australia with its power.

After turning east at Canberra we headed towards home. About thirty-five kilometres out of Batemans Bay, the Snowy Mountains appeared out of nowhere! Where did all these cliffs, and hairpin turns come from? It was the Clyde Mountain. We were making our descent from 1000+ metres above sea level to sea level, and it was quite the drive. The descent seemed to go on for 15 to 20 kilometres, and all we wanted was a stretch of straight road after all the hours of turning back and forth. This last stretch of highway from Canberra to Batemans Bay is known as the King's Highway.

This place is beautiful.

A Beautiful Day in Batemans Bay

After a couple of overcast, cooler days in Batemans Bay we are experiencing a perfect, blue-sky, summer's day. When the cicadas are buzzing at 8 in the morning you just know it will be a good one. Today we went to a gentle beach called "Long Beach". Although it was quite breezy the waves weren't quite big enough for the boards we brought with us. An eight-year old veteran did explain the finer points of boarding and Natalie was able to catch one or two; we are looking forward to frequenting the beaches. As well, because the air was so warm the water, cool at first, was easy to adapt to. To paraphrase Susan: I could live here; I don't miss winter a bit.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, the great variety of bird songs each day is something we are enjoying. From the murderous sounds of the cockatoo, to the monkey-like holler of the kookaburra, they are all quite enjoyable and recognisable so far: until this morning. We were waking up to the birds and we heard a deeper, sharper sound and couldn't quite figure it out...it was the neighbour's dog! Yes, we felt silly.

The birds themselves are plentiful and frequent visitors of our home, though not all at once; one day the cockatoos will appear, and another, the lorikeets. Then there are the king parrots, and the unnamed bird which sounds an awful lot like a lamb bleating (it very well could be: we've never seen it). You can tell by the photos just how lucky we are.

So far, the summer we have here is quite like a summer in Barry's Bay: generally warm. Whereas we rarely see too many days above 30 at home, we were told to possibly expect some real stinkers here in February. Don't worry, we will keep you posted.

Well, have a great day.

Sydney to Batemans Bay

Sydney was great. The Aquarium, seeing our friends from Perth, Simon Johnson (Pam and Jeff will love this place), and the great people made for such a great stay. Being able to relax while my sister, Bernadette, expertly navigated us throughout the city made our two days so pleasant. On our way out of the city on Saturday morning, we stopped with Bernadette at friends of hers who have taken her on as a daughter: it's nice to know she has such good people around her.


A highlight in Sydney was our visit to the Sydney Aquarium. It was here we saw all kinds of animals which inhabit the waters of Australia, including the Great White Shark, seals, and the Saltwater Crocodile. The pictures of these creatures say it all.



The drive to Batemans Bay was 4-plus hours of twisty roads, hills, scenic lookouts, and the occasional traffic jam. Imagine driving along the south coast of England through Devon, but on a much larger scale, and you will have an idea of what our drive was like. We managed to hit the posted speed limit all of three times but were usually below or well below because of the hill, twist terrain, or traffic. Apparently the Christmas season is one of the busiest travel times of the year and we happened to find ourselves in the middle of it. Would we do again? In a heartbeat - it was amazing.

On the way down we stopped at a village called Kiama (long-i). It had great surf, and is especially known for a blow hole in the rock. This is a formation of overhanging rock, close to the surface of the sea, which has developed a fairly large hole in it over time. As a result, when the waves crash in beneath the rock the water comes through the hole much like a geyser. As you can see from the photo it is quite impressive.



At about 3 PM we arrived at our new home in North Batemans Bay. Ivan's mother, Mila, was on hand to greet us and see that we were safe, sound, and comfortable. The fine hospitality did not stop there. Over the next couple of hours and days we were visited by other family and friends of the Bandurs; their welcome was most generous and we feel completely at home here. A special thank you to all who have taken the time to greet us is necessary at this point. The house and property itself are also beautiful. Already we have been visited by wallabies, cockatoos, parrots, kookaburras, and rainbow lorikeets. We look forward to more of the same and others too in the next year.



Sunday morning found us at St. Bernard's Church for 8AM mass. During mass we were occasionally distracted by the view of the ocean through the windows, but did manage to stay focused most of the time. It seemed really strange to be celebrating the end of the Christmas season - in 30°C weather. The churches in Australia are preparing for World Youth Day '08 in Sydney and there was evidence of various activities within the church and diocese of what is to come; if it's anything like WYD in Toronto it'll be amazing.

We have had tea with Marianne's mom, set up a bank account, toured my new school, swam at a couple of gorgeous beaches, and watched monstrous pelicans perch themselves atop street lights (watch out below). Over the next couple of weeks: we'll swim some more; travel to Melbourne; John will prepare for school; and we'll try to find the balance between rest and activity.

P.S. As I was resting this afternoon, after mowing and trimming the lawn, I realized that I did not have a bunch of odd jobs to complete around the house. It was such a good feeling. I imagine Ivan and Marianne know the feeling.

Have a great day.

Here We Are

We are finally in Australia after many days of travel. After transfers
in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, three days in Fiji, and final four-hour
flight into Sydney, we finally made it.

Our journey began with breakfast and cards at Nana's and Grampy's house in Thornhill.
After a good breakfast and two loner hands by Nana to win the euchre
game, we were off to Terminal 3 at Pearson International Airport.

Checking in involved re-sorting out luggage so that none of our checked bags
exceeded the 50lb maximum. After good-byes were said we continued on to
customs and security (please remove your shoes) before arriving at our
gate.



The flight to Minneapolis was in a Canadair regional jet (capacity - 60 passengers) and went very well. Our luggage had been forwarded to Fiji and we took the leisurely stroll through the airport: what a beautiful airport! The long walk to our next gate took us past many people, shops, and restaurants. We had a good dinner, stretched
our legs, and made our way to our next gate.

The second leg of our journey was also with Northwest Airlines. It was on a Boeing 737.
We arrived in LA four hours later; 8PM local time, 11 PM our time.
After exiting the plane we proceeded to Terminal B: our third gate.
Getting to the gate was much crazier than the previous two. LA was very busy and involved getting new boarding passes as we were changing to Air Pacific. Our plane for this flight was a 747 Jumbo Jet; it was
enormous (it had two levels of seats!). The 11 hour flight was tiring
but the staff were excellent.



Landing in Nadi (pronounced "Nandi") was smooth and not very hard to take. Getting off the plane and stepping into the warm morning air (24 C) was something to experience. Just inside the terminal building all were greeted by four men playing
traditional Fijian tunes on their guitars and ukuleles; I automatically
thought of how much my dad would enjoy being there. Our passage through customs was fairly quick, and it saw most people shed at least one layer of clothing before being served by the immigration attendant.

We boarded the bus to our resort, The Hideaway Resort, and arrived about 90 minutes later. The morning sky was mostly cloudless, the fields were green, the homes were tidy, and many people were walking (not too many owned cars) to their work. We arrived at our resort about 9AM, and tucked our luggage into storage until our bure was ready. We enjoyed breakfast, swam, and rested our weary bones.


Over the next three days: Rachel and Susan snorkeled
around a rocky outcrop and saw some really neat fish, while John and Natalie practised closer to shore; John took a SCUBA introductory lesson - very cool!; the four of us went on a horse trip to the hills overlooking the coast (wow); swam; slept; woke up really early; travelled into a nearby village for the afternoon; slept; met a fabulous family from Perth, Western Australia; and enjoyed the pool some more.


Our departure on Thursday morning would have been
more difficult if we weren't on our way to Australia; Fiji was a
beautiful place to visit with wonderful people and it was difficult to
leave. We were blessed with wonderful people and just the right weather
the whole time we were there.

The flight to Sydney was on the same kind of plane which took us to Fiji: a 747 Jumbo Jet. Our flight was generally smooth and landed safely just after 1PM local time.
Customs and Immigration were very polite and quick and by 2PM we were
met by my sister, Bernadette, who lives here. We spent the afternoon
with her driving around Sydney, walking aroundBondi Beach, and planning
activities for the next couple of days. Actually touching down in
Sydney was the "it's for real" moment: we are really here. Bernadette
commented how nice it was to have us, and how natural it was to have us
around; we commented on how natural it was to be there.




















So here we are, and our luggage made it too. Yeah!

Christmas in Thornhill

Good evening.

For those of you new to our blog, it is basically us chronicalling our journey to Batemans Bay, NSW. You may or may not find the posts interesting or even relevant. That's okay because we are not always interesting or relevant; we're just people.

We arrived safely at Susan's parents this afternoon and had a great visit with some of her family . In today's technology crazy world, have you had the chance to view real slides on an old-fashioned slide projector? It's great not having to wait for something to reboot or locate folders. We did just that and the fact that many of the slides were in sideways irrelevant, it was just good to go back in time; I guess that is why most people, when asked what they would grab first if there was a fire, would grab the photo albums (or cds or memory sticks).

Words to live by: Take half as much clothing and twice the money you think you will need. Tomorrow is packing day and we've got our work cut our for us as we decide what we really need to take. A friend of ours spent a couple of years teaching at a school near Brisbane where even the staff wore uniforms. What a great idea!

3 days to go. Have a great day.

Christmas with Family: Part I

Christmas with John's parents was very nice. We arrived on the 23rd (see previous post) had a quiet evening with mom, dad, and whoever else was here. Christmas Eve morning found a couple of us under the weather and happy to rest in bed. Susan picked up whatever Rachel had the night before but within 24 hours was back to normal. It was a blessing in disguise in that we found ourselves not running around all over the place and being too busy.

Having said all of those things about not being busy, I confess that I went out with my brother to do some shopping (first Home Hardware, then the Mall in Newmarket). Grace under Pressure. In the end we found everything we needed to.

That evening I went to Christmas Eve mass with mom and dad while Susan and the girls continued to recover. Mass was preceeded by a beautiful Nativity play (which I will park in my brain for future school plays). There was a 30-foot spruce Christmas tree, Father's homily was very good, and my brother played well in the choir. Father's Christmas Day bulletin was full of wonderful stories and reflections on Jesus, His birth, and how the Christmas Season has a wonderful way of briging the best out of all of us. Afterwards a couple of the musicians came back home for a drink and we all discussed the merits of various bands and bass players from the 70s.

Christmas morning was very nice. Everybody was up by 8AM and we sat around sharing and opening gifts. A funny moment was when Susan opened her gift from Rachel, a Josh Groban Christmas CD, and my brother asked who it was for. He thought we accidentally opened up his gift to mom; the identical CD. We then went to the 10AM Christmas morning mass (Susan wants a BMW after driving my brother's to mass) together.

Family was beginning to arrive back at the house and we started preparing Christmas dinner. By 5PM all was prepared and set up. This was the first Christmas in my parent's new house and we were able to set up a long series of tables in the dining room/living room, something we were never able to easily do at home. The food was delicious and there is enough left over to be enjoyed over the next couple of days as family continues to come in.

We said a number of good-byes to family and headed off to bed. Sleep came quickly and easily last night. We are fortunate.

Three more days as I write this.

We hope everyone had a peaceful and happy Christmas.

Good bye, Barry's Bay

Here we are with my family on the 23rd of December. We will be staying with them until Boxing Day, at which time we'll head down to spend time with Susan's parents until it is time for us to leave.

Our day went quite well. Going to Mass Saturday night gave us the whole morning to tidy things up. Dishes were washed and put away, linen was laundered, wood and kindling boxes were brought in, last minute instructions were written down for our exchange... At about noon I went with the girls to help decorate the church for Christmas while Susan gave the final once over; things looked so clean and clutter free that she just had to take pictures of them! I can't wait to see them.

The drive was grey but good. We had rain for the better part of two hours and that was finally replaced with clearing skies and cooler air. There was very little traffic and our total journey took about 4 hours, which included a few small stops. Although we topped up with wiper fluid this morning we never had to use it but we did manage to find cheap gas in a small town called Norland - it was 98 cents per litre for regular, where most other places were at least 102 cents per litre. We were very thankful that the rain never turned into snow or freezing rain.

Well, I've got to go. Have a great night.