A friend of mine that I went to school form Kindergarten through to Grade 12 with, Jolene Ninness (Bond), had moved to Australia, and we had the good fortune to meet up and visit! So, the last few days were spent a little more in-land and getting a good firsthand look at the countryside, Hunter Valley region.
It was a rather busy set of days, with various sightseeing events jammed in together. Here were some of them:
- Maitland Gaol (Jail) — a Jail tour led by an ex-inmate. We were given a firsthand account of prison life and conditions as of his 1976-78 term in the slammer. Some of the rooms are haunted! This was a pretty interesting tour, and we went on the evening tour, which was a BYO Flashlight.
- Dolphin Cruise — An afternoon cruise out on the waters to look at dolphins. There were quite a few to see, so that was pretty lucky!
- Day at the beach! Everyone loves a day at the beach, even if its "almost winter" here (20°C isnt cold!) Out at Crowdy Head Beach was a calm bay with constant and manageable waves that were loads of fun diving into. Uh oh, someone forgot to let the sunscreen set in and got a small sun burn!!!
We have now flown up to Brisbane on JetStar, (a discount carrier that even puts WestJet to shame!) and have taken a train down to the City of Surfers Paradise, which is Australia’s theme park answer to Orlando and LA. More details when time permits…