Sydney surely ranks among the most stunning cities in the world to arrive in by air ( or sea for that matter ). When approached from the Pacific it’s exciting to catch that first glimpse of coastline, admire the miles and miles of golden beaches and ( still ) be amazed by so many red tiled roofs…! I gaze in awe though, when the plane banks around ( as it often does ) giving a birds eye view of magnificent Sydney harbour, the bridge and especially the Opera House. Along with Ayer’s Rock ( Uluru) it’s probably the image most people associate with Australia. Hard not to get a bit sentimental whenever one comes “home” ( no matter where home is ) and I’ll confess, as an Aussie, that I often find myself humming a few lines of that Peter Allen classic ( de facto national anthem ? ) “I Still Call Australia Home”, to myself. The song became so popular in fact that QANTAS featured it prominently in at least one of its marketing campaigns. I’ve included a clip below – Aussie readers will know the clip well and our many non-Australian readers can just enjoy the song ( it’s only 3 minutes ) and get a glimpse of some of the stunning scenery and amazing sights that we have come so far to see. Enjoy…….
Sydney was, of course, our first stop and just an easy 3 hour flight across the Tasman from Auckland. Uneventful, other than being a bit late, the flight got us in, bags came through OK and Lois’s long stay visa was processed in minutes. Could not have been easier ( hope our van is processed as quickly ! ). Given our long term plans it was reassuring to have had this special visa done well in advance.
Our dear friend Roxanne ( who we were delighted to host in Canada just a few months back when she joined us for our daughter’s wedding ) was expecting us and, as always, it’s so nice to be greeted by good friends. A relaxing evening of catching up was followed by a scrumptious breakfast at one of Balmain’s many funky boutique eateries before a short visit with other good friends, Justin and Angie. We’ll have more time for a detailed catch up with both ( and hopefully many other Sydney-based friends ) when we get our van and can spend more time there – for now the plan was simply to move on to Forbes and rest up a bit after almost 2 weeks of pretty continuously moving.
I come from a beautiful town in Central Western NSW called Forbes; as the local saying goes, “You can take the boy out of Forbes, but you can never take Forbes out of the boy”. There’s definitely truth in it and while our travel plans in Australia are expansive, both Lois and I were truly excited to be spending time in Forbes with the many, many friends and family that are still lucky enough to call it home. It’s where we plan to spend most of the time between now and when the “Talisman” unloads our van onto the docks in Melbourne ( more on that saga later – for those specifically following the shipping side of this trip see the postscript at the end of his blog ). Forbes is ( usually ) an easy 5 hour drive but torrential rain slowed us up just a bit. The last thing needed was rain since the whole area around Forbes had been severely impacted by heavy flooding only months earlier, evidence of which was still apparent in nearby towns we had to pass through, and ( as we would later see ) in Forbes itself.
My younger sister Kaz always opens up her wonderful home to us and this visit was no exception. Great to catch up with her, my other sister ( Sue ) and all the kids and grandkids as well as many old friends who still live in, or near the town. The rest of the week gave us plenty of time to catch up with all. It’s just the kind of wonderful small country town you can return to after many decades away and feel like you never left – priceless ! Many relaxing days here with Kaz and visits to other old friends and a few local sights during our first week back.
With our ship’s unloading delayed ( see below ) we’ll spend a bit more time in and around Forbes in the coming week before making our way to Melbourne as the ship docks. It seems like an eternity ago that we parted with our van in Savannah and now it’s just off the coast of Australia. Small world…….!
Shipping Update:
What’s that old saying, “When it seems to good to be true, it usually is” ? Alas, so it goes with our shipping saga. The Talisman arrived early in New Zealand and left in time for a January 25 arrival in Melbourne, fully 3 days earlier than originally expected when it sailed from Savannah. Wonderful, we thought ! Then we noticed it proceeding very slowly across the Tasman Sea to Melbourne. Reason ? Port congestion in Melbourne. Ughh ! So much congestion, in fact, that it will likely sit outside the harbour until it’s expected day of cargo discharge on February 7 ! Won’t bore people with the minutiae of why, how etc…..it just is ! More details next blog when there will hopefully be an update.
“If it’s sent by ship then it’s a cargo, if it’s sent by road then it’s a shipment.”
Apparently your car-go by a ship 😂
Couldn’t resist Jeff
😂 😂 😂
Yes, that was a good one !
Haha!!! Good one Ernie!
Another great read. Glad to hear you made your destination. Look forward to the next one!
Take care
Cargo and shipment…….never thought of it that way ( lol ! ). Hope all’s well guys.
Well, now I know ! That’s a good one, Ernie, my Saturday am laugh lol !
Oh boy. The shipping shenanigans begin. When I bought my dump truck, the container ship sat outside the straight of Juan de fuca for weeks in the “container ship parking lot of the Pacific”! Can’t wait to see you hit the road with the van!
So nice to see your emails coming in on Saturday morning’s 😊 I can only imagine how much it suck’s knowing that the van sits right there waiting to hit the road. Have fun in the meantime.
It’s torture lol ! Hi to Spencer
And Melbourne looks like the “parking lot of the South Pacific”, OMG !
Great blog as always Jeff and Lois. Looking forward to what lays ahead!
Thanks Brent ( hi to you, too Lisa ). Jackie says it’s cold so you’ll be looking forward to getting away soon no doubt !
This is so exciting. We just did a short trip to Australia a few years ago. Sydney is so beautiful and impressive.
Indeed Abe, and I never tire of seeing it from the air as we arrive!
I really enjoy waking up on Saturday morning with a coffee and getting your updates! Glad you made it to your home town. You even got some chocolate treats on your arrival. What a nice Welcome!! Enjoy your 2 weeks in Forbes before your new travels begin!
Hi Kim !
Too funny you should just write, Lois and I were ( literally ) just chatting about about you guys yesterday ( drove to Sydney and back to switch cars – lots of chatting time lol !). Hope all is well at home ( Jackie says it’s cold ). Hi to Andy and kids.
Hi guys. Welcome back. Hoping we’ll get to see you whilst you’re in Aus. Meanwhile have a great time
Hello Fiona !
Nice to hear from you, and yes we will absolutely connect while we are here. We literally just zipped through Sydney on arrival but will be back ( at least once ) when we have our “wheels (can’t wait for that ! ). Look forward to seeing you guys !
Welcome home to Forbes. Nothing like home….
Yes, that’s so true !
Enjoy your visit in Australia. I’m glad that you are finally there.
Looking forward to all your next blog(s).
Bert in Mb Canada -32c this am
Thanks Bert ! Holy cow…… -32 ??? And we thought -26 was rough !!!