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  • Adventuring Down Under
    Dag 124

    Kimberley Expedition: Day 2 (Morning)

    13. april, Timor Sea ⋅ 🌬 86 °F

    We had an unusual start to our day … an uncommon occurrence on an expedition!

    We got to sleep in this morning as breakfast was at 8:00a! All because the schedule was turned on its head due to the delay leaving Darwin yesterday. When I rolled out of bed around 7:00a, Coral Discoverer was still sailing through the Joeseph Bonaparte Gulf … heading towards Koolama Bay for today’s off-ship Xplorer activity at King George River.

    After breakfast, we went on a tour of the bridge. Well, tour is a bit of an exaggeration, since the bridge on this 70-pax vessel is quite small. But our group of 10 squeezed into the space and Captain Josh explained about the instrumentation while Captain Peter, who will be taking over for the next expedition leaving from Darwin, was manning the helm as part of his familiarization training in these waters.

    Next up, Anne gave a lecture entitled “The Making of The Kimberley’s Coastal Sculptures.”
    She made use of a multi-layered sandwich to demonstrate how the rocks were shaped by the movement of the tectonic plates … the bread slices representing the hard rocks and the peanut butter and Vegemite representing the softer rocks. Her lecture also briefly delved into the Aboriginal creation ancestors — The Wandjina. We hope to see some of the art she showed us later during this expedition.

    I actually think it was good that today’s schedule was flip-flopped … moving the lecture to the morning. This allowed us to get a better grasp of the formation of the landscape we would be exploring this afternoon. And it underscored that we are in a region with some of the oldest rocks on earth … dating back some 1.8 BILLION YEARS … a number that is hard for me to wrap my head around.

    By the time we were finished with lunch, it was time for us to prep for our afternoon outing.    Les mer

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  • Adventuring Down Under
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    Dag 123

    Kimberley Expedition: Day 1

    12. april, Timor Sea ⋅ ☁️ 86 °F

    What is The Kimberleys?

    It is the region in the far northwest corner of Australia … often described as the Earth’s last true wilderness area. It is the part of Western Australia that has rock formations that date back billions of years. It is an area of stunning natural landscapes … ancient Aboriginal rock art … wildlife … and more. It is one of the parts of Australia that had the earliest settlements … with the first humans going back some 65,000 years.

    We will get to experience a tiny piece of all this during our 10-day expedition. And it all started with boarding our expedition vessel — Coral Discoverer — around 8:00a at Darwin’s Fort Hill Wharf.

    Once onboard, we were directed to the dining room where tea/coffee/scones were set up. We were then invited to check-in to our cabin. B21 — our cabin — was easy to find. Go up one set of stairs to the Promenade Deck and walk all the way to the aft. The cabin is comfortable … if basic. We are next to the access door to the aft promenade deck, which I expect we’ll be making good use of to get around the ship.

    Due to an issue with one of the cranes used to load/unload the zodiacs, we were not on the move until 10:00a. Even then, Coral Discoverer just sailed out to an anchorage in Darwin Harbour to continue the repair work. The good news? The delayed departure won’t impact tomorrow’s plans … except for flip-flopping activities ... lectures in the morning; off-ship exploration in the afternoon.

    As has been our experience on other expeditions, our day was a busy one … settling into the cabin; exploring the public decks to acquaint ourselves with the vessel’s layout; taking advantage of the open bridge policy for a visit and chat with the Duty Officer; attending the muster drill and the mandatory safety briefing … followed by the expedition briefing by Katie, our Expedition Leader (EL). And that was all before lunch.

    By the time lunch was over, Coral Discoverer was on its way for real, heading out to the Timor Sea.

    After a break of about an hour, the afternoon activities picked up … a helicopter briefing for those wanting to book the optional outing to Mitchell Falls (we’re taking a pass … don’t want to risk triggering my vertigo); an introductory lecture about the Top End and The Kimberleys. And then it was time for Captain Josh’s Welcome Drinks … followed by dinner. But wait. We weren’t done for the day. After our meal, The Kimberley episode from the BBC Coast series was screened in the Bridge Deck Lounge. A good way to wrap up the first day of the expedition.

    Time to turn in for the night. We’ve been told that the forecast is looking good for our trip and Coral Discoverer should not be dancing much as we make our way from the Timor Sea to the Indian Ocean.    Les mer

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  • Adventuring Down Under
    Dag 123

    Darwin: Coral Expeditions … Kimberleys

    12. april, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    Embarking the 70-pax Coral Discoverer for our expedition trip to the Kimberleys in far northwestern Australia. We will be traveling from Darwin to Broome.

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  • Adventuring Down Under
    Dag 122

    Darwin: Top End Birthday Celebration

    11. april, Australia ⋅ 🌙 82 °F

    After the loud music during dinner at Shenanigans, we needed some peace and quiet. So, we headed to the Esplanade, intending to stroll back to the hotel. The ever-changing sunset colors slowed our steps.

    Mother Nature’s celebration of my special day!

    Tomorrow we head off on our Kimberleys Expedition!    Les mer

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  • Adventuring Down Under
    Dag 122

    Darwin: Pre-Expedition

    11. april, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    After collecting our bags at DRW, we hopped in an Uber for the ride to the Double Tree by Hilton on the Darwin Esplanade … the same hotel where we stayed prior to our rail journey on the Ghan earlier this month.

    Once we were settled in the room, we went down for a light lunch poolside. Now that “The Wet” is over, the humidity wasn’t as bad as we’ve experienced on previous visits to Darwin. Definitely comfortable enough to sit in the shade.

    After lunch, Mui went out to run errands. I used the time to update my journal. When he returned to the hotel, we used the guest laundry to wash a few things. By 5:00p, our chores done, it was time to head out for a birthday dinner at Shenanigans … with a slight detour when we came across St Mary’s Star of the Sea Cathedral and I spotted some stained glass windows to photograph.

    This St Mary’s is the second one in Darwin. The first one was severely damaged during the WWII bombing of the city in February 1942. Mass was being said when we arrived, so we took a seat in a back pew and waited for the service to be over. The stained glass windows were worth the wait. We even spotted two small tributes to the US War Office and the US Air Force for assisting in the defense of Australia during WWII.

    Dinner itself at Shenanigans was good. But the music level from the live band was an abomination. So loud that we could barely hear ourselves speak even though we were on the far side of the patio. How anyone who was close to the band could even stand to sit there is beyond me!    Les mer

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  • Adventuring Down Under
    Dag 122

    ADL to DRW

    11. april, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    An early flight today from Adelaide in South Australia to Darwin in the Northern Territory.

    Having checked out the security queue at ADL yesterday we knew it was going to be looong. So, we skipped the breakfast included in our room rate and walked to the terminal around 5:30a. Good timing. The queue was long(ish) but moving steadily. That changed pretty quickly for those who piled in behind us.

    The Embraer 190 that would be taking us to Darwin pulled up to the gate at 6:53a. Not a good omen for our 7:35a departure. We were indeed delayed for about 80 minutes … due to an “engineering issue.” Ugh!

    Once onboard, the flight was uneventful. Breakfast was served once the plane leveled off. We flew over varied scenery as we made our way north through the Red Center of Australia. Alas, my porthole was badly scratched … missed a lot of good photo ops … caught a few.

    The cockpit crew made up 20 minutes of the delay and we were only an our late when we landed at DRW.    Les mer

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  • Adventuring Down Under
    Dag 121

    Adelaide: Himeji Garden

    10. april, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    As we were leaving the Southern Australia Museum, we noticed a banner at the Art Gallery of South Australia next door. It was promoting the 18th Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art. After taking a quick peek, we continued with our plan to visit Himeji Garden … a short Uber ride from the CBD.

    As one might guess from the name, this is a Japanese Garden. It symbolizes the sister city relationship between Adelaide and Himeji. Hidden behind a hedge just inside the gatehouse — which is modeled on a temple — one has no idea what to expect until you round the corner. And then … behold the beauty of grounds designed using Japanese garden principles.

    Himeji Garden is small, but has features that are of great religious significance to the Japanese people. It blends two classic garden styles. One is the “s’ensui,” … a lake and mountain garden where water and the imagination create images of vastness of grandeur. The second is the“kare s’ensui” … a dry garden where rocks and sand evoke the presence of water, even the sea itself.

    The s’ensui — or the lake — is the heart of the garden. It is shaped like the character “shin,” which means heart or soul. The calm water suggests purity and tranquility of the heart, which Buddhists believe is necessary to reach enlightenment and ultimate happiness. The water that flows into the s’ensui from a waterfall is intended to recall the wild mountain torrents of Japan.

    We wandered the trails winding through the garden, using a brochure we found at the entrance to identify the various features that make the garden so special.

    To get back to our hotel at ADL, we first took a bus from Himeji Garden to Grenfell Street in the CBD. Our timing was good and we managed to get on Bus 157 without too much of a wait, get off at the Grenfell Avenue stop, walk to stop #U2, and hop on the next J2 bus to ADL. Adelaide has a great public transportation system.

    Arriving at the airport, we walked back to the hotel for a bit of time downtime to relax and organize our bags for our Darwin flight tomorrow. Before we knew it, the sun was setting off in the distance … giving us a colorful wrap-up to our day.    Les mer

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  • Adventuring Down Under
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    Dag 121

    Adelaide: 18th Biennial @ AGSA

    10. april, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    Next door to the South Australian Museum is AGSA … Art Gallery of South Australia.

    Since we had visited the museum in January, we had no plans to go there again. But then I noticed the banner announcing a new exhibit … “Inner Sanctum” … the 18th Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art … “… offering a snapshot of contemporary Australia that is reflective and hopeful.”

    So, we went in for a Quick Look-see.

    Interesting … colorful … and in some cases, thought provoking.    Les mer

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  • Adventuring Down Under
    Dag 121

    Adelaide: South Australian Museum

    10. april, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    When we decided to book the Atura Hotel @ Adelaide Airport, we knew we would need transportation to get into the city today to do a bit of sightseeing. Our research showed that there were two public buses that left from the airport that would work for us … a 5-minute walk from the hotel.

    So, after breakfast, we walked over to the bus stop, bought our day passes, hopped on the J2 bus, got off on Greenfell Street in the CBD, and cut through Rundle Mall to get to the South Australian Museum (SAM) … with a short coffee break at Caffe da Marco since we had some time to kill before the museum opened at 10:00a.

    Google bills SAM as a natural history museum. It is more than that. Exhibits range from the first signs of early complex life and some of the oldest rocks in the world (3,600 million years old), to a comprehensive collection of Aboriginal culture, to minerals from all over the world and Australian meteorites, to taxidermied animals, to artifacts from Pacific Cultures, to the Australian Polar Collection … heavily focused on Mawson’s expedition, to Ancient Egypt artifacts … including a couple of mummies, and more.

    We thoroughly enjoyed the museum … and were especially left in awe of the Addyman Plesiosaur, the finest known opalized fossil anywhere in the world.    Les mer

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  • Adventuring Down Under
    Dag 120

    Bye Bye KI … Hello Adelaide

    9. april, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    As we were leaving the Sculpture Trail in Penneshaw, one of the volunteers mentioned that we’d find a mob of kangaroos at the end of the road.

    With about 45 minutes to spare before we had to check in for the ferry to the mainland, we decided to see if we could find them. Alas none to be seen anywhere. But we did see sheep that weren’t leery of people approaching the fence line.

    The 45-minute ferry ride was uneventful, though there was quite a bit of motion of the ocean when the vessel reached the mid-point of the Backstairs Passage. Before we knew it, the announcement was being made for the drivers to go to their vehicles to prepare for disembarkation.

    A smooth drive to Adelaide … slow until we got to a passing lane where we could get ahead of a semi-full of sheep that had crossed over on the ferry with us. Traffic in the suburbs was slow going and it was 2:30p by the time we made it to the airport.

    With an early flight on the 11th, I had opted to book us into Atura, the airport hotel that is attached to the terminal instead of staying in the city. Turned out to be a good choice. Our room is small … but with all the amenities we need. A modern ambiance with simple but colorful furnishings. The bonus? Returning the car to Budget was easy … just a short walk back to the hotel once we had accomplished that task.

    We spent the afternoon relaxing. I managed to do some catch-up bookkeeping until the kitchen opened and dinner service began at 5:00p. The Hangar is an open-concept restaurant in the lobby. We were resigned to typical airport hotel food, but were pleasantly surprised by both the taste and the presentation. We shared a variety of dishes and a sweet treat.

    Tomorrow is a sightseeing day in the city. We plan to check out what we didn’t have time for when we visited Adelaide off the Regatta in January.    Les mer

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