Another day passed with a complex emotion. Happy that I was still in Australia to observe, appreciate and enjoy the wonderful places that He created, and sad because the trip was almost coming to an end, and highly motivated to spend more time in Australia in the future.
The morning was pretty nice and great. We were neighboring with 2 guys from Victoria. I couldn't remember their name but one of them used to work as military medical caregiver in Butterworth around 1960s. He approached us when he knew that we were Malaysians. We had a long chat and they were chatty type and fun to be with. One thing I love about Australians, they are friendly and helpful. Not to say our Malaysians are sucked but most of the people there would greet us with either 'Hello' or 'Good Morning' whenever they pass by.
We packed everything and checked out from the caravan park. Our initial plan was to head to Wollongong straight from Mittagong. But then we diverted to Camden when we saw a road sign to Camden after the exit at Hume highway. We didn't know what do they have in Camden but since we have ample time, we just rely on the roads signs. We couldn't find the TIC so we parked our motorhome at the center where a museum, the city council, old police station, fire station and library were located.
Walking without the guide of map and not knowing the attractions were not one of our best. After taking photos of the Camden City Council, we returned to our motorhome, and head for Camden TIC which is 1.4 kilometers away. The TIC was a small cottage transformed to an office. There, we were told that Mt. Annan Botanical Park was worth visiting. And before leaving Camden TIC, we grabbed several small souvenirs. We headed to Mt. Annan Botanical Park and the weather was cloudy and grey.
Next spot was Wollongong. We drove until Wollongong city and then made way to Wollongong Harbor. It was not a huge harbor but it has 2 lighthouses, the old and the new. I was not so sure which is which but I one thing I knew, this was my first 'close encounter' with lighthouses. There were two lighthouses, one was exactly at the harbor, and the other was larger and located a few minutes away uphill from the former. I guess I have a thing for lighthouses. Errr...that does not mean I am the most eligible individual to be a lighthouse keeper, do I? I saw many pictures of lighthouses in different places and I was hoping I would see one, and so did I. I wished to see another larger and more interesting lighthouses somewhere, someday.
The morning was pretty nice and great. We were neighboring with 2 guys from Victoria. I couldn't remember their name but one of them used to work as military medical caregiver in Butterworth around 1960s. He approached us when he knew that we were Malaysians. We had a long chat and they were chatty type and fun to be with. One thing I love about Australians, they are friendly and helpful. Not to say our Malaysians are sucked but most of the people there would greet us with either 'Hello' or 'Good Morning' whenever they pass by.
We packed everything and checked out from the caravan park. Our initial plan was to head to Wollongong straight from Mittagong. But then we diverted to Camden when we saw a road sign to Camden after the exit at Hume highway. We didn't know what do they have in Camden but since we have ample time, we just rely on the roads signs. We couldn't find the TIC so we parked our motorhome at the center where a museum, the city council, old police station, fire station and library were located.
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| Camden City Council |
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| Camden Tourist Information Centre |
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| One of my shots in Mt. Annan Botanical Park |
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| This plant is really odd. It has small yellow flowers and its fruit resembles mini pea pod. |
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| This is not a duck. It looks like a duck |
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| The dried form of this flower is frequently used to make handcrafts sold almost everywhere in Cameron Highland |
Next spot was Wollongong. We drove until Wollongong city and then made way to Wollongong Harbor. It was not a huge harbor but it has 2 lighthouses, the old and the new. I was not so sure which is which but I one thing I knew, this was my first 'close encounter' with lighthouses. There were two lighthouses, one was exactly at the harbor, and the other was larger and located a few minutes away uphill from the former. I guess I have a thing for lighthouses. Errr...that does not mean I am the most eligible individual to be a lighthouse keeper, do I? I saw many pictures of lighthouses in different places and I was hoping I would see one, and so did I. I wished to see another larger and more interesting lighthouses somewhere, someday.
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| Wollongong Lighthouse |
Birds were everywhere, especially the albatrosses. Sometimes I could see them flying and enjoying the blowing wind and once awhile they seem to hover in the air. There were also pelicans, with their long and strong-looking beak. They reminded me of the cartoon, Finding Nemo. Seriously, my heart was all about the natures; sea, hills, mountains, flora and fauna. I would spend time observing and appreciating the serene environment here but time and weather did not permit me to do so.
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| A pelican. |
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| View from Wollongong Harbor |
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| Lots of albatrosses |
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| The new, or maybe the old lighthouse, I'm not so sure. |
When finished and our tummies were fulled with fish, chips and veges, we headed to Lane Cove Tourist Park. It was peak time so our plan to reach Lane Cove by 6.30 was delayed. The rain made us to slow down and we were worried that we couldn't reach Lane Cove by 7 pm, when the park office was already closed. So just to be safe and just to make sure we don't have to spend extra money on accommodation, we called the office informing and confirming them our presence. And it was a wise thing to do because the park ranger would be in the office until we arrived. FYI, Lane Cove is actually a National Park. And rated as one of the most environmental friendly tourist park. When we head to our site, we saw wild animals such as possums and glimpses of raccoon passing our vehicle. Too bad it was dark and we couldn't take pictures of these cute creatures.
We ended our day today at approximately 9 pm. Sweet dreams to one side of the earth, and good day to another side of the earth.
Day 10 : Mascot - Bondi Beach - Sydney
Greetings from Lane Cove. We woke up in the middle of the national park, and helped ourselves with breads, peanut butter and hot beverages. While having breakfast, there were a bird and turkeys nibbled on the the ground of our site, which I thought they were hoping for some free special feed from us. Sorry, park rule said visitors shouldn't feed animals here.
Today, was the final day of our trip ..sob..sob...The first thing we must do was to secure a hotel in Sydney city or somewhere nearer to the airport. As I have recalled, the BIG4 was one of the tourist park nearest tp Sydney and we got there first. Well, it was neither close to Sydney nor the airport. While we have already decided to stay in BIG4 Tourist Park, the reception there was being so generous by helping us to search a reasonably priced hotel which is near to the airport. And finally we came out with IBIS Airport Hotel in Mascot, which was a few minutes away driving or from Mascot station. So we checked-in first and ensured all of our belonging were removed from the motorhome.
Next, we sent our motorhome to car wash centre. Well, for Malaysian, don't get surprised if you see the cheapest car wash service in Sydney is AUD35. Horrible isn't it. That was so typical of Sydney, being the 3rd most expensive city to live in, and maybe to visit after London, New York and Tokyo. Done with the expensive service, it's to say goodbye to our motorhome.
We have one whole day before we return home next morning. So we decided to visit Bondi Beach, which was less than 10 kilometers away from Mascot. We took a train from Mascot train station to the Central, and changed train to Bondi Junction. And to get to the beach, we took a bus. Accessing every single attractions in Sydney was easy and should be cheap. We should have purchased the day card, which enabled us to go anywhere n Sydney with less hassle and saved us a lot of money. But since we didn't start the day much2 earlier, we had limited time and purchasing the day card would be a waste. I advice those who wished to visit Sydney and explore every single attraction in Sydney, please..I repeat...please purchase a 1-day card or multiple day card for your convenient, unless you have no other ways to waste money *wink*wink*.
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| Hot dude with his surfboard. |
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| The nice cliff in Bondi |
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| Really nice wave for surfing, but don't hit the rock. |
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| Any idea what does it cost to buy a unit of apartment here? |
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| Two rainbows at Bondi Beach. The secondary rainbow is the faint one. |
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| I guess this pavilion would be full of happening things in Summer time. |
The sun was about to disappear, leaving its red-orange tint within the clouds. We left Bondi beach for Bondi Junction and took the train to Circular Quay. I was planning to stroll along the Royal Botanical Garden but since it was already dusk, we didn't manage to do that, rather strolling along Circular Quay and photographing the Harbor Bridge and Opera House by night. We did another round of souvenir shopping too. There wasn't much to do left for the night, so before we return to the hotel, we had dinner at McDonalds, having fillet-o-fish, fries and tea. That was sufficient for us.
It was a farewell time and we reluctantly left Sydney. Till we meet again some other day.
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| Harbor Bridge at night |
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| Sydney Opera House at night |
Day 11 : Country Home
We woke up at 5.30 am and took the 6.35 airport shuttle. At 11.20 am, D723 took off from Sydney International Airport. So long..land of kangaroo!!
EXPENDITURE
1. Motorhome hire/day : AUD53
2. Powered site for motorhome/day : AUD33
3. IBIS Hotel : AUD189 -
4. *Glenbrook Highway Hotel : AUD115 - did not book a site at caravan park earlier
5. *Less than 5 hrs parking in Sydney : AUD83 - could not find a spot to park the motorhome
6. *Hop On Hop Off / person : AUD40 - totally forgot we parked the motorhome in Sydney
7. Taxi to motorvan depot : AUD21
8. Fuel : AUD210
9. Souvenirs & shopping : AUD 300++
10. Public transport /person : AUD 12
11. 2x groceries at Woolworth : AUD 160
12. *McDonalds : AUD 70 - we bought lots of food, why waste?
13. Three Sisters Kebab : AUD 60
14. Airport shuttle/person : AUD 6
* indicates wastage that was not supposed to happen, with justification.
We woke up at 5.30 am and took the 6.35 airport shuttle. At 11.20 am, D723 took off from Sydney International Airport. So long..land of kangaroo!!
EXPENDITURE
1. Motorhome hire/day : AUD53
2. Powered site for motorhome/day : AUD33
3. IBIS Hotel : AUD189 -
4. *Glenbrook Highway Hotel : AUD115 - did not book a site at caravan park earlier
5. *Less than 5 hrs parking in Sydney : AUD83 - could not find a spot to park the motorhome
6. *Hop On Hop Off / person : AUD40 - totally forgot we parked the motorhome in Sydney
7. Taxi to motorvan depot : AUD21
8. Fuel : AUD210
9. Souvenirs & shopping : AUD 300++
10. Public transport /person : AUD 12
11. 2x groceries at Woolworth : AUD 160
12. *McDonalds : AUD 70 - we bought lots of food, why waste?
13. Three Sisters Kebab : AUD 60
14. Airport shuttle/person : AUD 6
* indicates wastage that was not supposed to happen, with justification.
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