Edi – Page 7 – Over 50 Aussie female solo traveller USA road trip and beyond

Darwin WWII Museum

The first time I realised Darwin, well, anywhere in Australia was bombed during WWII was in Baz Luhurmann’s epic movie “Australia “. I knew Japanese minisubmarines entered Sydney Harbour but I never learned any of this at school!! It’s a disgrace we weren’t taught this important history. The museum shares Darwin WWII stories of people from all walks of life and embarrassingly made me aware of my lack of historical knowledge of my country. Sure I am first generation Australian born of Italian parents but this history should be mandatory in school. This museum is set in pretty grounds with lots of equipment salvaged from the bombing.

More than 270 people perished on 19 February 1942. Luckily the government evacuated women and children following the bombing of Pearl Harbour. But Darwin was taken by surprise.

List of enemy aircraft and what was attacked

Here is a statue representing The Digger and all who have served, past and present, to pritect our freedom and Gunner the kelpie who alerted allies when Japanese aircraft were approaching.

On my travels I have also learned about Japanese and German boats and mines along the New South Wales coastline during WWII. These maps from the Fisherman’s Cottage Museum in South West Rocks NSW show the positions of mines and the loss of life and vessels

Darwin Day 3

Oh the weather here is fabulous. Funnily the locals told me it was cold at 25 this morning. Darwin city is so pretty with an area called the Waterfront. Lovely cafes and restaurants and an area to swim which is protected from crocodiles and Box Jellyfish.

The Parliament House looks like it is from a tropical island.

WWII Darwin was bombed by the Japanese for 6 months. Hard to imagine this harbour under attack

Oil storage Tunnels were built but the war ended prior to them being used

Puppet “The Digger” was made from WWII parts.

Some of Darwin

Darwin Day 2

Visited the Museum and Art Gallery Northern Territory MAGNT as it has a history of Australia’s most devastating Cyclone, Tracy.

Tracy destroyed Darwin on Christmas Day 1974 and left 48000 people homeless. MAGNT also had Year 12 Art student exhibits. Some amazing talent but I felt a lot of sadness from their art works which depicted their fears, loneliness, confusion and anger experienced during this pandemic and how art helped them cope.

For my overseas friends who always wonder how we can live in a country with the most venomous animals in the world, I learned we have cute coral and plants which are deadly also.

But this part of the world is known for crocodiles. Sweetheart had a reputation for attacking boat outboard motors, not humans.

Across the road from MAGNT is Fannie Bay. Don’t be deceived by how pretty it looks. Not a good time to swim here with deadly box Jellyfish in season.

Darwin

My first plane trip since November 2019. Like many people I have had several trips cancelled because of the pandemic. London, Port Lincoln, Tasmania twice. I am so happy this trip did not get cancelled. Do I remember what to do? It was different. Had to wear a mask for 4 hours but I am travelling again!! This is my first time in the Northern Territory.

Hello Darwin! Oh the weather is divine. I left Sydney this morning 8 degrees Celsius. Darwin is 31!! First stop is the Palm City Resort. Dumped my bags and explored The Esplanade through Bicentennial Park.

The sunsets here in Darwin are spectacular. I couldn’t get to a beach in time but this view isn’t bad.

Had one of the best Italian meals at the Il Piatto at the Mindil Beach Resort Casino. I think I am starting to remember how to do this

Easter 2021

First break away since Covid19 with my previous trip overseas was a 30 day Trans Pacific cruise in December 2019.

CV19 has forced us to look at what is in our backyard. As most countries around the world, Australia does not allow us to leave our country. Not such a bad thing when you have this beauty nearby.

With our low rates of CV19 most of our country has opened up for Easter. Queensland has caused a bit of panic with 2 clusters shutting down the Greater Brisbane area and the Byron Bay area of NSW is under some restrictions but on the whole we finally have some freedoms.

Avoca Beach is 1.5 hours from Sydney in an area known as the Central Coast of NSW with 40 beaches.

Five minute drive down the road is Copacabana Beach. Not to be confused with the one in Rio de Janeiro, which I have been to several times. This Beach has no crime, no oil slicks, no crowds, no high rise. It does have clean sand and surf, surfing, fishing and a slow beach lifestyle.

We stopped in a town called Kurri Kurri and discovered the Big Kookaburra

Kurri Kurri was a mining town and the town depicts some of its history with murals throughout the town

Covid19 travels

2 January 2021

My last trip was in December 2019, a 30 day cruise from Honolulu to Sydney on the fabulous Norweian Jewel . Who knew what was to hit the world. As many in my Australian state of New South Wales, we cannot leave our country and more often our state is shut off from the rest of Australia. I have been working for an essential service so had funds to renovate my home, which was a distraction until our restrictions would be lifted.

As many people I had travel plans for Great Britain – cancelled. Then we were able to travel within Australia so Christmas was booked with family in Port Lincoln – cancelled. New Years Eve in Tasmania – cancelled. So we had a Covid19 safe Christmas and New Year celebration at home. There was a very big positive to Covid19 and that was my boys and I were together for these celebrations for the first time in 7 years.

Today was the first time I have travelled from my home since December 2019 by driving 1.5 hours north of Sydney. First stop the lovely Hawkesbury River

Next stop Somesby Falls just outside Gosford.

A colourful bush turkey.

Onward to Norahead to the lighthouse built in 1903

Which overlooks a popular rock fishing spot

Budgewoi a quaint fishing spot.

Caves Beach has 2 faces. A family beach and caves which can be explore at very low tide

Covid19 has taken away a lot of our freedoms but given us the opportunity to appreciaate what we have in our backyard.

Love tree of Budgewoi.

Houseboat

All aboard

Captain Elise

45 minutes from Sydney Harbour is a totally different water world, the Hawkesbury River. This was the location for my 60th birthday celebration, on the Banjo Paterson houseboat on this beautiful part of Sydney. I celebrated four days with 8 of my closest and dearest.

Dinner

Breakfast

Snacks, champagne wine

Sydney Harbour

March 2019

Living 15 minutes by train to the most beautiful harbour in the world, I am often somewhere nearby. Either on a cruise ship ready to sail out

or at the Opera Bar enjoying a drink with friends

Twilight sailing on Sydney Harbour

Easter Road Trip End

27 April 2019

I left Griffith at 9:00am and arrived home at 4:00pm. On Thursday 18 April 2019 I left work at Rozelle and started this road trip to the Outback. I have completed 2,800 kilometres (1,740 miles) in 9 days. I am very pleased with what I have seen on this trip. I was actually more frightened doing this trip than the USA road trip. Here in Australia we have very remote areas which I did not experience in the USA. There are not as many vehicles on the road and I was without GPS and phone reception for 2 days at one stage. Not even the hotel I stayed in at White Cliffs had any internet. Lots of rough roads, water over the roads in areas which had the first rain in 2 years, quirky characters in the remote roadhouses along the way, magnificent colours of landscapes which change from dry red earth of Broken Hill, pinks of the open mine in Cobar, to the lush green of Mildura, the Murrumbidgee and Murray Rivers and the beautiful grazing land of the Riverina.

The last couple of stops were firstly Barellan, a small country town of 390, the home of Wimbledon Champion Evonne Goolagong, with a giant tennis racquet in her honour.

Of course it is defined by its pub, the Commercial Hotel.

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Temora is known as the friendliest town in NSW and famous for their air shows. I didn’t see any air shows but here is one of their pubs and one of their churches.

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People think I am crazy doing this on my own, but I am enjoying solo travel so much. It is exciting and addictive, as it gets the adrenaline and endorphins pumping. The more I travel the more I take in and want to explore the smaller towns. I would do so much more in each town if I planned differently, but I didn’t give myself much time to plan as I decided to do this trip a few days before I left.

I have audio books which keep me entertained and awake and thank my local library for providing this free service.

Home now and ready to go back to work until I go off on another odyssey.

Easter Road Trip last leg

26 April 2019

Balranald has cute frog sculptures around town.

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As I approached to stop at Hay, I decided to go through to Griffith. Griffith has a colourful history with a large Italian population who influenced the area’s wine, fruit and vegetable industry. I had dinner at the Griffith Returned Services Leagues Club and had this pumpkin soup in a bowl as big as a basin.

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This Fairey Firefly aircraft is a monument outside the Griffith Returned Services Leagues Club.

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Next time I go to Griffith I will take a walk around the Hermit’s Cave area.