The Land Down Under

We've been in Australia about a week, and we're still startled by what a change it is from the earlier stops on our trip. We're no longer uncomfortably hot and sweaty, this being their winter, and it's just so easy to do everything. Being in an English-speaking first world country is a shock to the senses after the places we've been lately, and we feel like we don't really know what to do with ourselves without cultural artifacts and unusual customs to learn about. Still, we're getting by with plenty of time on the beach (between chilly breezes), long walks in national parks, and 30 Rock DVDs on our laptop (we bought copies of all 3 seasons in Thailand and we're catching up on everything we've ever missed! It's awesome!). We've also been graciously hosted by a friend of Ben's in Sydney (in her gorgeous apartment with Opera House views!), and then by Leese family friends outside of Sydney in their beautiful home, so the days of roughing it are feeling somewhat distant.

I really loved Sydney and can see why so many people enjoy living there - it's one of the most naturally beautiful and laid-back major cities I've been to. The Botanic Gardens fill the middle of the city, water is everywhere, and the Opera House and Harbour Bridge are visible from hundreds of vantage points, so the entire city looks like a postcard. We were struck by how quiet it is - everywhere we walked, we were alone on every block, except for the dozens of runners in the Botanic Garden. It felt like everyone was on holiday and didn't tell us, but after speaking with a few locals, it turns out Sydney is always naturally this quiet. It took a little getting used to after being in crazy Asian cities, not to mention New York, so instead of people-watching, we strolled around and looked at buildings and views instead. Another quirk we've noticed here is the light - maybe it has to do with being below the equator, or maybe it's the clean air, but the light is gorgeous here. Sunsets seem to last a few hours, so everything takes on an orangey glow all afternoon - it's a photographer's dream!

During our second morning in Sydney, it was pouring rain, so we took refuge inside the Museum of Sydney and learned about the arrival of the English to the "undiscovered" island filled with Aborigines. Australia is quite young, its founding even more recent than that of the US, so all the historical accounts felt quite vivid and new. The museum appeared to be making an effort to pay special attention to Aboriginal history, which I found interesting. It seems like the US still doesn't know what to do with its displaced Native Americans.

One of the highlights of our Sydney visit was an architecture walk, which we did the next day. We ambled around with an architect who happened to be a capable lecturer, and learned about the Opera House and its counterpoint, a skyline-dominating office building designed by Renzo Piano. I've never really understood the intellectual side of architecture, but the guy did a good job explaining the relationship and symbolism of the two buildings. The Opera House really is one of the most dynamic and spectacular buildings I've ever seen, its base supposedly representing the sandstone cliffs of Australia, and the white shells representing clouds, all within a perfectly symmetrical whole structure. It really is a gorgeous symbol for Sydney.

While in town we also managed to take a stroll through the very chilly Manly Beach, filled with gorgeous sunshine and brave surfers, and see the excellent Sydney Zoo! It might be the only way I get to see a koala, duckbilled platypus, and kangaroo, so we took advantage and had a great time. Like everywhere else in Sydney, the zoo has great city views, so it was really amazing to see the fantastic animals and exhibits in such a beautiful setting.

Thanks to Ben's family friends who hosted us in Parramatta, just a few miles down the river, we got to head out west for a couple days and take in the Blue Mountains, so called because the eucalyptus and tea trees give off a visible blue haze. We hiked through the mountains for an entire day, saw the famous Three Sisters cliffs, and didn't get lost or stranded once on the trails, so we're hoping those days are behind us. The mountains and views were gorgeous, and we loved the little repurposed coal-mining train that shot us vertically up the mountainside, saving our feet the 200 or so steps.

Once we finally decided we'd thoroughly taken advantage of Sydney and environs, we hopped on a Greyhound bus (which has turned out to be a great way to get around Oz cheaply!) and headed for the beach! The next few days were spent at Coff's Harbour, a rather sleepy beach town with absolutely amazing waves. We discovered that, if you ignore the ocean, smaller-town Australia is startlingly similar to smaller-town Texas, which perhaps explains why I feel so at home here. Once we got to Coff's, we traipsed for miles with our bags, trying to find our hotel, and we realized that there were no buses, trains, or taxis, and everything was really sprawling and spread-out, because everyone has their own SUV or pickup - much like Texas! The fast food and chain stores all looked very familiar, as did the scrubby green/brown trees and grasses. Everyone we met was extremely friendly and helpful, there is a strong Christian community, and the food portions are impossibly huge. It's uncanny - like a Bizarro Abilene on the beach.

Try as we might, it was just too cold to lie on the beach our first day, so we explored it on foot and stumbled upon a surfing competition! I'd hoped to see some good surfing here, since I've never really been around big waves before, and was not disappointed. The competitors were amazing! I intend to try surfing for myself while we're here, and I hope I'm at least able to stand up. These guys made it look so easy! We sat in the sun for hours watching the surfing before getting some fast food for dinner - our only option since everything in town closed at 6pm (another Australian quirk we've noticed. Everything closes so early! What do people do at night?!).

Other highlights in Coff's included the very cute weekend market, lined with local vendors with their handmade soaps and wood carvings, whale-watching on Muttonbird Island (sadly, no whales appeared for us), and the awesome Pet Porpoise Pool! It's sort of like a mini Sea World, but we were able to get up close and personal with some dolphins and sea lions, who were very affectionate.

Soon enough, it became time for us to leave Coff's and move on up the east coast, so we made the long walk back to the Greyhound stop, carrying our luggage and wishing we had a Texas-sized vehicle of our own...