Travelling in the company of young adventurers

Climbing down to rock pool in Karijini National Park.

“All right travellers, how are you?” This was the standard greeting of the energetic tour guide, driver, cook and general trouble shooter, who brought to my mind Johnny Depp’s character Captain Jack Sparrow.

4x4 tour bus.

I wanted to visit Broome, a Western Australian town with a unique history. How would I cover the distance of more than 2200 kilometers from the state capital of Perth? Should I fly in and out? Take a bus? I wasn't about to drive on my own. The best option seemed to be a tour which would allow me to see some of the sights along the way and even some off the main road. 

Watching all the 20 somethings board the bus the last Monday of March I wondered what I had gotten myself into. There were a few people apparently in their 30s and early 40s but I was by far the oldest group member. We were 6 men and 15 women of varied occupations from England, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland and Canada. 

Up close with the dolphins at Monkey Mia. 

Over the next 10 days we chatted about our homes, families, travels and career paths. We commiserated about the heat, flies, long periods of sitting on the bus and some of the toilets we encountered. On the bus we listened to music or watched videos about Australian culture and history and some of the areas we were visiting. Some of us read and most of us dozed off occasionally.

A fly veil was a necessity  for much of the trip - here in  Kalbarri National Park.

Ashburton River in flood due to recent heavy rains.

This was a shed before a recent cyclone. 

We visited several distinctive ecosystems that are World Heritage sites. Activities included hiking (usually down into gorges and back up) and swimming in the sea and in fresh water rock pools. Some people went snorkelling which I have done before and did not try this time. There was an extra day trip to swim with whale sharks that several of us, me included, decided it did not fit the budget.

The Pinnacles in Nambung National Park.

Termite mound.

We camped 4 nights and stayed in hostels and 

cabins. We worked in teams to prepare meals and clean up. After sunset, Orion, the Southern Cross and other constellations filled the sky. Over Easter weekend the moon was full.

We saw this cute lizard on a gorge walk.  

Keeping our water bottles full was vital.

Our second campsite was in Karijini National Park, home to several species of poisonous snakes, where our guide patrolled the camp ground before he let us off the bus. Despite the shrieking from the toilet one night, the small snake curled up there was a non-poisonous variety and the only one we spotted.  

Preparing lunch.

Campers sleeping outdoors in swags on camp cots. 

My green tent is to right. 

I suppose if I had looked harder I might have found a seniors’ tour – with more comfort at greater expense but not likely so enjoyable.

We reached Broome & Cable Beach by sunset April 8th. 

Sharing hospitality with other women travellers



Sharing a meal with an Australian Broads member.

 

Travelling alone, as many women do from time to time, it is wonderful to arrive to a friendly welcome. Broads Abroad, established about 18 months ago by Australian Mandy Rowe is a network of women who like to travel. Most members are over 50.

 

Broads meet other Broads visiting their city or region, show them the sights or get together for a meal, and when possible offer a short homestay. The Broads network is growing in far flung countries.



Accommodation provided by a Broads Abroad member.

On my current travels in Australia and New Zealand I have had homestays with Broads members in Wellington, Canberra and the East Gippsland area. I have also met Broads for meals or drinks in several other locations. In one city where I was doing a house and dog sit I met another member to walk her dogs and the one I was looking after. The orange scarf has been chosen as the symbol to recognize other Broads Abroad.

 

By their orange scarves you shall know them. Canine friend models one of my scarves.

 

Being quite nomadic at present I am not able to offer a bed to other travellers. However, it is my intention to do so once I am settled again. I was able to help one Australian woman with some travel arrangements in my home city of Edmonton.

 

Orange maple leaf scarf I bought in Ottawa.

 

As I travel, the Broads Abroad network is one of the first sites I check to see if there is a member where I plan to visit. I also recommend membership to other women travellers I meet. To learn more about Broads Abroad see Mandy’s public Broads Abroad page on Facebook.
www.facebook.com/BroadsAbroad

To request membership go to the Broads Abroad site. www.broadsabroad.net

Once a member you will be able to join the private Facebook forum where members share travel tales, photos and tips.

 

 

 

Enjoying the night life

Not being a pubs and clubs person, I am usually ready for a quiet evening in, especially after a busy day. Occasionally something will get me out at night.

The lake in the Zealandia sanctuary valley. 

Most recently it was Zealandia in New Zealand’s capital city of Wellington. Zealandia is an environmental project with a mission to restore part of the central city as closely as possible to conditions before human arrival some 700 years ago. 

Shags or cormorants at Zealandia.

In a 225 hectare sanctuary valley cleared of introduced predators, native birds have been released. At Zealandia one of the main attractions is the Little spotted kiwi, one of 5 species of New Zealand’s iconic, flightless bird. As kiwis are nocturnal, a night tour is the way to see them – if you are lucky.

Little spotted kiwi by Jim the Photographer, Delaware Museum of Natural History

Wilmington DE July 6, 2013 http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcapaldi/9249951024/ Licensed under Creative Commons.

On a 2 ½ hour guided walk carrying torches (flashlights) with red filters, our small group watched a kiwi at very close range (it almost ran into us) and saw many other New Zealand birds and insects including the weta. 

Weta, a unique New Zealand insect; this one a female & likely a tree weta. I photographed it next day in the  Museum of Wellington City & Sea.  http://www.museumswellington.org.nz/museum-of-wellington-city-and-sea/ 

We also encountered tuataras, only remaining representatives of an order of reptiles that was plentiful in the age of dinosaurs, plus glow worms, eels and other fish. Under a full moon we listened to the bird calls and appreciated the fresh and otherwise quiet air.

Learn more on the Zealandia site:
http://www.visitzealandia.com/

Other night walks I recall with pleasure years later include a fairy penguin tour in Tasmania and an overnight hike in Lamington National Park, Queensland. On the historic side were ghost tours in St. John’s, Newfoundland and at Port Arthur, site of a penal colony in Tasmania. The top photo is my son on our 2005 ghost tour of Port Arthur.

Relishing the quiet life in a smaller city

Picnic point lookout in Toowoomba

After a busy month of sightseeing in Melbourne, it has been a pleasure to have a change of pace. This month I have been house and dog sitting once more in the lovely city of Toowoomba, Queensland. Its population of about 160,000 falls within my ideal range for a place to live.

Bunya pine, a native tree, in a city park.

Early morning dog walks along quiet residential streets and through green parks provide an abundance of sensory input. Bird life is represented by the distinctive calls of the kookaburra, whipbird, Australian magpie, and various brilliantly feathered parrots. 

Scarlet rosella.

Native trees, garden flowers and other botanical specimens amaze with their shapes, sizes and colours. What olfactory delights my canine companion has enjoyed I do not know but mine have included eucalyptus, rose, jasmine and frangipani.

The delicately scented frangipani.

Days to work on my genealogy and family history research and writing. Time to read – outdoors on the patio if I want. Occasional trips to the grocery store. So far so good with driving the car on the other side of the road. I have finally learned to signal/indicate turns with the proper lever instead of turning on the wipers.

A field of galahs.

Social activities with friends I met last year and with new contacts – a family barbecue; drinks in a café by the park; 10-pin bowling; circle dance; a walk in a park with my charge, two other dogs and their human companion.

The largest hibiscus flowers I have seen. 

This is my life in Toowoomba in a home away from home where for the present I am not a tourist but just living a typical retirement in a different setting. 

Paperbark trees at the bird sanctuary.

Saluting a vigorous street life: Melbourne

Federation Square is Melbourne's main meeting place.

“What do you like best about Melbourne?” a friend asked me. I think the answer has to be the energetic and energizing activity on the streets.

My second morning here I participated in a tour led by a volunteer with the Melbourne Greeter Service. http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/visitors/services/greeter/Pages/GreeterService.aspx

One of the tour stops was in Hosier Lane. This and other lanes are filled with ever changing street art.

Creating street art in Hosier Lane.

The same weekend a two day art event featured a display in Federation Square, the main downtown meeting place where something is always happening.

Bed Square in Federation Square, part of Mel+Art event.

Other days in Fed Square I saw various promotions for fitness and sport including a touring display of the Asian Cup for football (soccer) to be contested in January 2015 in Australia. 

The cup tour was billed as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for fans to see and be photographed with the AFC Asian Cup. Not being sports oriented, I didn’t get a photo of it but another day did get one of a Zumba dance demo that people eagerly joined in.

Zumba demo attracts participants. 

Two days after the visit of the Asian cup, a crowd gathered across the street outside Flinders Street Station to see Australian race driver Daniel Ricciardo promoting the Australian Grand Prix to be held in Melbourne in March.

Driver Daniel Ricciardo promotes the Australian Grand Prix.

This being the Christmas season, there are almost daily outdoor performances by various local choirs.

Carols by a school choir.

What if it rains or the sun is just too hot? At Fed Square there is covered, open space in the Atrium. One day I heard a gospel choir there and another day watched a graceful Chinese exercise class. I also saw a group of women crocheting poppies in preparation for Anzac Day in April.

Volunteers crochet poppies for Anzac Day 2105.

Bourke Street is a pedestrian mall except for the trams that travel it and Melbourne’s large Chinatown is also bustling with activity. Many lanes reveal numerous cafes and shops, some quite tiny.

Even on a rainy day cafes in the lanes are busy.

The streets are packed with people almost all day and numerous buskers ply their trade. So far it’s never dull on the streets of Melbourne’s city centre.

One of the gates to Chinatown.

Recognizing bold women

As I travel I am drawn to women’s history.

Women are persons - 1929 Canadian victory.

Currently exploring Melbourne, Australia, I was delighted to discover the Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden in King’s Domain. Established in 1934 as part of the city’s centenary celebrations, the garden acknowledges the contributions of women to the early development of the state of Victoria. Gardens and history, two of my favourite interests, in one place.

Melbourne's Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden.

Also in Melbourne I learned more about Australian and Victorian history at the Old Treasury Building, which houses gold vaults from the gold rush era as well as rare and historic documents from the Public Records Office (state archives). 

Australia’s first women’s suffrage organization was formed in 1884 by Henrietta Dugdale and Annie Lowe. The Old Treasury Building has on display the 1891 Victorian Women’s Suffrage Petition, aka the Monster Petition, with nearly 30,000 signatures supporting women’s right to vote. The petition was entered into the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register in 2008. Australian women gained the right to vote in federal elections in 1902.

1891 Victorian Women’s Suffrage Petition.

In Ottawa, Canada recently, I visited the sculptures on Parliament Hill commemorating The Persons’ Case which acknowledges the 1929 legal victory of a group of Alberta women who had struggled for years for women to be appointed to the Canadian Senate. 

While women had the right to vote in Canadian federal elections from 1919 and the first woman, Agnes McPhail, was elected to the House of Commons in 1921, the Canadian government had continued to deny women’s right of appointment to the Senate. 

Canada's Famous Five sculpture on Parliament Hill, Ottawa.

The British Privy Council, the last court of appeal at the time, overturned the previous ruling of Canada’s Supreme Court, stating that the word persons in The British North America Act of 1867 includes women, thus making them eligible to sit in the Senate. 

Judge Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney, Nellie McLung, and Irene Parlby became known as the Famous Five and the Persons’ Case had broader implications for women’s right to participate fully in public life. 

This entry is dedicated to the memory of my late mother Betty who was her own woman in her own quiet way. 

Revisiting Montreal's Expo 67 site

Autumn leaves brighten Buckminster Fuller's iconic geodesic dome.

In Montreal I have just had the opportunity to visit Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène and Île Notre-Dame, site of Expo 67. 

Expo 67 site is now Parc Jean-Drapeau, named for the mayor who initiated Expo 67.