July Australia Holiday & 1/2 Marathon



Sydney Opera House.

So I was looking for a long distance race to go to and local friends had suggested that I try the Gold Coast Marathon, in Australia...so I started to look into that, and in doing so I found another smaller race in the Hunter Valley area of New South Wales. Anyway, really long story short, the flights were inexpensive, so we all decided to go.  It has been a dream of both Roxanne and mine to visit Australia and although I think for both of us it's more the Outback that is appealing, we weren't going to argue with a few days in Sydney and Newcastle instead. So excited and looking forward to some cooler weather (July is fall/winter in Australia, so MUCH cooler than Penang), we began our journey. After a 7 hour flight from Singapore, we touched down in Sydney, picked up a Holden Commodore (GM's Australian brand) and headed off to Newcastle.  The trip took about three hours and although we found it difficult to find the hotel initially, after some brilliant navigating and finally realizing every town and village in Australia has a "King Street", we arrived.  After a late lunch we set out for a walk around Newcastle Beach.  Newcastle, like Sydney, is right on the coast and thanks to a stiff breeze, the waves were up and it was really cool to see "big" waves (still nothing compared to the Gold Coast).

Newcastle Beach

you can almost hear the BOOM!

 

The next day we headed out to Hunter Valley Gardens, to pick up my race kit, check out the venue and do some further exploring. This is one of the wine regions of Australia, and the gardens themselves are supposed to be quite beautiful. We expected that during this time of year though it might be a bit less colorful than normal, but we were not disappointed.

 

Brenna, bundled up and rosy cheeked!

Moon gate garden, Hunter Valley Gardens,  NSW

 

Race starting Area

 

It was still a really beautiful walk in the crisp, cool air.  It was chilly, mid 50's, with a pretty good breeze. We had a good time wandering and my excitement for the run was building (you can read more about the run at http://www.afloridianrunnerinpenang.blogspot.com). We also took some time to venture into a couple of wineries and picked up a bottle of Shiraz and a cheese platter for some late night snacking.  On the drive out, we had seen road signs warning us of kangaroos, but we had yet to really see any.  However, as dusk approached we spotted a few out in the fields grazing with the horses. That was really cool- kangaroos are zoo animals for us and to see them in the wild like that was really just awesome, a highlight for sure!

 

Kangaroos!!

Gorgeous sunset

 

So after a 45 minute drive back to Newcastle and an early dinner we settled down for an early morning start, as the next day was race day! I was so happy to have Rox and Brenna there with me, but it was COLD...I would say mid 40's when we arrived, and it was lightly raining.  As the sun came up it warmed a bit, but the overcast skies for most of the race kept it cool.  I did not mind that one bit and the finish line was emotional for both Roxanne and I as this race marked the one year anniversary of my accident. I ran the race and ran it really well.   As proud as I was for my accomplishment, I think Roxanne was even more so!!

 

 

So with most of the day left and a clearing sky, we headed back to Newcastle.  Roxanne wanted to shoot more photos down by the beach and I needed to eat.  We had found a great restaurant, called "Elements", that made great coffee and organic "good for you" food, so after a quick shower for me and some brunch, we went a-wandering again.  The rain did us in eventually, but Rox got some great shots as Brenna and I napped in the car...We also had a chance to go into downtown Newcastle and although it was a Sunday and not much was open, it was still nice to see some of the older buildings and steep streets.  It reminded us of the downtown areas in Maine...

Rox can find a lighthouse anywhere!

Rainbow

The 1920's Newcastle Beach Ocean Baths...the Blue car is ours.

Rules!!

Rox drove up this street twice...just for fun!



It would have been nice to know more of the history of these old buildings.



The next morning after a quick breakfast we were off to Sydney. Other than the zoo and the Opera House we really had no plans. The first challenge was even getting to the hotel and the "discussion" between Roxanne and I about our difficulty locating said hotel made it even more evident that we would not do well at all on the TV show "The Amazing Race." Once we did find the hotel, we got our bearings and headed down to Darling Harbour (yes, "harbor" is spelled with a "u" in Australia and all UK-influenced countries).  As usual, we were starving by the time we set out and ended up stopping in the Hard Rock Cafe for an American style burger....expensive, but tasted like home!

 

After lunch, we headed over to the aquarium in Darling Harbour where we saw loads of beautiful fish and sea creatures.  It was a relaxing way to spend a rainy afternoon/ evening.  On the way back to the hotel, we stopped in a (touristy) shopping mall since Brenna's primary objective, even more than the zoo, was to find Moshi Monster stuff she cannot find in Penang.  We spied a magazine/ book shop and darted in....it was HEAVEN for Brenna Boo!!  Moshi school supplies, the latest magazines and tattoo packs - she was so excited we thought she would burst!  Mission accomplished (or appetite whetted...certainly not sated!).

 

The next day we woke to more rain, but decided it was our best chance to visit the Taronga Zoo, so off we went to the harbour to catch a ferry.  Although we arrived soggy, the rain kept the crowds away and the animals active!  We absolutely loved the zoo...so many animals within good view and in natural habitats.  We quickly fell in love with the koalas and spent quite a while watching their every move.  Rox counted up her photos of the koalas and realized she shot over 100 of these little guys alone (~400 total for the day)!  We also enjoyed the kangaroos, echidnas, (sleeping) Tasmanian devils and other great animals native to Australia.   The only native animal we didn't see was a platypus (sleeping)...

 

Brenna got to pet a wallaby!

 

Us with "Lincoln"



 

As the day went on, the weather cleared and we were treated to beautiful views of the Sydney Harbour from the zoo.  The following day was clear and bright - perfect for viewing the Opera House and a tour of the Harbour via ferry.  So after a quick breakfast, we headed down to Circular Quay to view the iconic Sydney Opera House.  It's just as lovely as it looks on TV!

 

 

Then it was on to the adjacent Royal Botanical Gardens for lunch.  The Gardens were beautiful and worth spending more time than we had...maybe on another visit....but after hours of walking, Rox was done and needed to get off her feet (or hip).   So we hopped the ferry and opted to take the long way back to Darling Harbour, which allowed us to see the rest of the sights and learn a little history from the on-board guide.  Timing was perfect as we were also treated to an amazing sunset...

 

 

 

What a fitting end to a fantastic trip...the next morning we were up early to return the rental car and make wings back to Penang.... we thoroughly enjoyed our trip and hope to visit "Oz" again soon... as Brenna said, it was "like home, but with an accent."