New Year road trip day 3: Mallacoota

On the third day of our road trip we had a quick look around Lakes Entrance before setting off for Mallacoota at the pointy end of Victoria.

 A yacht just after entering the eponymous entrance

 Synchronised preening near the North Arm Bridge

Nigel No Neck tries to act natural

Our first stop was Marlo, a small coastal town where the Snowy River flows into the Tasman Sea. We saw seals! There were a few people fishing from the jetty and the local seals obviously knew they could expect some fishy tidbits to be thrown their way.  There were two of them and they were very playful. Only one got a fish while we were there because the fisherman only caught one. 

 The mouth of the Snowy River

The man with a baby for a head

We continued along the coast, stopping at Cape Conran and Cowrie Bay. We took a short walk along a trail through banksia scrub to the rocky beach. 

 Old banskia, new banksia

 Slabs of rock with sharp vertical corrugations

 Smooth blue-grey rocks as big as cantaloupes

Beach art (not of our making)

I picked up some small smooth stones from the beach - there's something very pleasing about holding a smooth stone in the palm of your hand - and we hit the highway again, where rolling hills and farmland had given way to native forest on either side. Next up was Cann River for lunch.

 Charming little church in Cann River

We attempted a walk beside the river after lunch, but unlike most signposted walks, the narrow trail was just a narrow path of flattened grass through the bush. We're all for getting off the beaten track, but not if there's a strong risk of a surprise encounter with a snake (especially as we had bare skin at snake height). It was hot and super humid anyway, so I didn't mind getting back into the air conditioned car. 

While zipping along the highway again we spotted a turn off for Genoa Point in the Croajingolong National Park and hung a rightie onto the gravel road.  Like a lot of places we visited on this trip, this was a spontaneous side-trip. I did do some research before we left, which is where I read about Agnes Falls at Toora, but other stuff we saw signposted along the way and decided to visit on the spur of the moment. We also stopped off at information centres to investigate local walks and attractions. Planning ahead is good, but I think the essence of a road trip is to make it up as you go along.

Anyway, this gravel road was rough, rutted and winding and consequently it felt very long. We finally got to the car park for the walk to Genoa Point to find that it would take a few hours to get to the peak and back, which was more time than we wanted to invest in it. 

So it was back onto the rough gravel road again. We did see a goanna, so it was a worthwhile tangent. 

Tree hugger. It was about a metre long

Ready for his close up

We arrived in Mallacoota around 5 o'clock and booked a motel room. Apart from our first night in Foster, we didn't book any of our accommodation in advance. I think a lot of people must have gone back to work on 5 January so we didn't struggle to find a place to stay anywhere. 

We put our bathers on and headed for the beach - First Bastion Point for a view of Gabo Island. This is the island I mentioned previously that is often mentioned on the ABC weather report (which is because it's a shipping reference). In the end we didn't visit it, but we did see it and its pink granite lighthouse in the distance. 

 Teeny weeny lighthouse at far right 

Closer (hazy) view

It doesn't look it from a distance, but the Gabo Island lighthouse is the second-tallest lighthouse in Australia. 

A beautifully refreshing sea breeze was blowing as we walked along the beach to where the sea and the lake system meet, so we didn't end up going for a swim. I did get my feet wet though and picked up some shells. 

There was an information board at a deck overlooking the beach with information on local flora and fauna, including the Gloomy Octopus. The Gloomy Octopus!!! I thought this was hilarious. How do they know it's not a happy octopus? Can you pick it? 

Yeah, I know, it's hard enough to see the thing, 

let alone determine its emotional state

Then we headed to Betka Beach, on the recommendation of our motel caretaker. During a stroll along the beach I found this blue creature. 

At first I thought it was dead, but as my poking finger got closer to it, it started to wave that tentacle around. Consequently I kept my finger to myself. I guessed it was a blue bottle jellyfish, which I knew to be a nasty customer. When I got home I  googled it and discovered a blue bottle is the same thing as a man o' war jellyfish (which isn't actually a jellyfish). Definitely a nasty customer - its stings are extremely painful and, in rare cases of allergic reaction, can cause deadly side effects. They can still sting for hours or days after death so if you see one on the beach that looks dead, no poking! 

Betka Beach also had a lot of rugged rocks, this time with beautiful ochre seams running through them. We were there during the golden hour, which made them even more attractive. 

Looks like the beach artist was here too

Another local 

Betka Beach - mouth of Betka River in the foreground

From Betka Beach we set out on a coastal walk, much of which took us through tunnels of ti tree that were otherwise deserted and quiet. It was a little spooky. 

 

Dinner-plate-sized spider webs, 

for added spookiness

By now it was dinner time so we headed back into town and ate in the motel restaurant (more scotch fillet and chips for me). Luke had a swim in the motel pool, but I was too tired. Another early night ensued. 

Friday night replay

This evening was a carbon copy of last Friday night for Luke and me: a balmy evening stroll through the backstreets of Richmond for a burger and gelati on Bridge Road. 

This time we walked there along Rowena Parade and The Vaucluse to have a look at the grand old houses in daylight. Before we turned the corner into Rowena Parade, we stopped to look at the strange new gate on the old building on the corner of Lennox Street. And then I noticed what I had never seen on the dozens and dozens of times I've passed by previously: very faint old signs. 

 General house repairs

There's a sign between the upper and lower windows, but

 all I can make  out is "& Sons Carpenters"

I'm usually too busy admiring the building's peeling shutters. 

Moving right along... there are some beautiful old houses at the top of The Vaucluse, which is possibly the most elevated spot in Richmond. All the better to look down on the heaving mass of working class people  around you, way back when. 

 Shady garden path 

 This is probably the grandest house. It's 

for sale if you  have a few million dollars

 spare to splash around

A window of St Ignatius 

A less grand home a few blocks away  on the 
corner of Mary Street

Lady Santa 

The evening's best sign find: 

Sack merchants! 

The building is now a dwelling 

Help me! 

We had burgers at Grill'd and then gelati at Fritz. I had blood orange as usual - it was a super zesty batch - and I also had a scoop of caramelized fig and roasted almond. It was as tasty as it sounds.  That reminds me, fig season is pretty much upon us! Yay. 

We walked back along Bridge Road then through the narrow streets between Church Street and Punt Road.  If we keep this up, we'll have traversed every street in Richmond before too long. Like last Friday, it was a very pleasant evening for a stroll - it was warm  and the scent of flowers and garden sprinklers were in the air. The smell of garden sprinklers reminds me of being a kid. 

As we headed along Goodwood Street towards Punt Road, I commented on a stern looking building and Luke (who obviously has better eyesight than I do) spotted a bunch of very faint old signs on the front. It was too dim for a photo by then though, so I'll go back again. 

 Pretty flower 

Bird on a wire

   

Baby, signs, rude word

I visited my friend Paul's newborn baby Eliza Grace today. She's lovely. So tiny (although average sized). I had a little cuddle and she didn't cry too much (she did fart though. I made sure to point out that it was bub, not me). I may or may not be a wee bit clucky...

I saw some old signs on shopfronts in North Melbourne as I went by on the tram to Paul's. I wanted to yell, "STOP THE TRAM!" but instead I got off on the way home and took photos.

Advertise in The Age and Herald down the centre

Wertheim something...

And this church: 

I went to Lincraft today for more supplies for my projects and I couldn't resist making a naughty word with the 3D cardboard letters. A four-letter word. Something tells me I'm not the first peurile shopper to do this since the U, C and K were already in place; I just had to move the F. I wonder how often the staff have to undo the shenanigans of people like me? I put all the letters back into their proper place after taking a photo of the rude word though.

 Doodle of the day

Home again, home again

It's Lady Liberty! (surprise, surprise)

I'm back! New York was all kinds of awesome, but it's also great to be back in my beloved Melbourne (and my own bed) again. I was worried Melbourne might seem a little hokey and unexciting viewed through Big Apple-tinted glasses, but I'm actually appreciating its compactness, slower pace and less crowded spaces. In fact, I'm falling in love with it all over again.  As much as I loved New York, I will never love anywhere the way I love Melbourne. My heart will always be here.  

So...New York! What else did I do? So much! For the sake of (relative) brevity, here are the highlights from when I last blogged:

The very unassuming exterior of the Canaan Baptist of Christ 

* I attended a gospel church service in Harlem, which was just like in the movies - the choir's goosebump-inducing singing, the clapping, the amens and hallelujahs, the matriarchs decked out in their finery and, best of all, the pastor working himself up into a booming tirade in the pulpit. It was awesome!

I don't have a religious bone in my body, but I found the experience quite moving - they were very welcoming of visitors and made a special effort to acknowledge and include us in the proceedings (including passing the plate...). But it was also affecting being in the presence of such joy and passion and community spirit (no, I won't be converting).

The Mets' mascot, imaginatively named Mr Mets

* A Twitter friend from LA was also in NYC and he took me out to the ballgame - the Mets (NY) versus the Phillies (Philadelphia). I don't understand the intricacies of the game, but it's pretty hard not to get a buzz from a stadium full of sports fans and from experiencing an event that's a huge part of the fabric of life in the place you are visiting. And there were the little things that go along with it - the hotdogs, the team mascot, the singing and in-between-innings rituals, like pointing the camera at couples in the crowd who then have to pash. Everyone plays along with gusto. It was fun.

* I visited Coney Island. For anyone who doesn't know, Coney Island is a beachside neighbourhood of Brooklyn (about 50 minutes by train from Manhattan), which is home to an amusement park that has seen better days. The park still has few old iconic rides - like the Cyclone rollercoaster which dates back to 1927 - but there's also a lot of empty spaces enclosed behind chainlink fences, and flaking paintwork. As I'm a big fan of faded glory, I loved it. It's awesome in a really tacky way. I barely removed my camera from my hand.

The Cyclone

It's also home to the self-proclaimed best hotdog in New York - Nathan's. I had one and I can say confidently it was the best hotdog I had during my stay, and I ate a few in my two weeks there (I quickly learnt not to ask for cheese however. What actually is that yellow sludge? Is there a nation that has done more to ruin cheese than the US? Actually, come to think of it, they didn't stop at cheese...) 

Nathan's World Famous Frankfurters

* My LA friend, J, also took me with him to the launch of a book written by a couple of actors/comedians he knows at a classy hotel in Tribeca (famous for the Tribeca Film Festival started by Robert De Niro).  I got a copy of the book - called You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up - signed. Even though I'd never heard of the authors, I thought it would make for a more unique souvenir than an "I Heart New York" T-shirt...not that I didn't buy one of those too.

* After the book launch J and I took a cab - my first NY cab ride - to Grimaldi's, a pizza place under the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. The cabbie, who was Pakistani, was far more interested in grilling J about whether WWE wrestling is fake than he was about having an Aussie in his taxi. I guess they see so many tourists, you'd have to be from the moon to pique the interest of most cabbies.

Mmmm....pizza (it's so good I look like I'm on drugs)

It was past 10pm when we got to Grimaldi's but we had to line up to get in, such is the popularity of the restaurant. J says it's the best pizza in New York and it was indeed delicious, although much the same as a quality pizza back home, which makes me think most pizza in New York is average.

After the pizza we went down to the waterfront looking towards Manhattan where J got talking to a pair of sisters, one of whom was living literally on the same block as my hotel. Even in New York, it's a small world.

* I went to a stand up comedy show recommended by J, which was being filmed for a submission to Comedy Central. I hadn't heard of the comics, Helen Hong, Joe De Vito and Rodney Laney, but they were hilarious and there was barely a reference that went over my non-American head. I laughed my head off.

I went on my own but a couple of girls from Brooklyn sat at my table and they were very friendly. I found New Yorkers far more polite and friendly than I expected, which was a nice surprise.

I drank a couple of Long Island Iced Teas at the show and was a wee bit drunk when I left. Oops. Despite that, I found my way to the Rockefeller Centre and visited the Top of the Rock Observation Deck to admire New York at night. After that I met J, his sister and a friend for a meal. It was nice to do something normal away from the tourist beat with locals.

* I went to see West Side Story on Broadway, which I chose because I hadn't seen it and it's set on the Upper West Side of New York (where I stayed). I'm not a huge fan of musical theatre, I have to say, but when in New York... I enjoyed it (particularly the hot young guys and their toned biceps) and the Palace Theatre was beautiful.

The Palace Theatre on Broadway

* I mastered the subway. OK, perhaps "mastered" is overstating things, but I found it easy to get around on the subway system and never once ended up in the wrong place. I even managed several interchanges at a couple of the busiest subway stations without a miss-step. Travelling in peak hour wasn't that big a deal either. I made my first foray onto the subway in the morning rush hour and was a little disappointed it wasn't more chaotic! Yes, the trains were crowded, but no worse than in Melbourne. 

I didn't listen to my iPod or read anything on the subway at all for my entire stay - watching and listening to the people around me was entertainment enough.

* I visited St Patricks Cathedral (the largest Gothic-style cathedral in the US), Trinity Church and St Paul's Chapel, which are all spectacular examples of architecture. Trinity Church and St Paul's both have very old, leafy graveyards adjoining them, with many headstones so old the epitaphs have worn away. It was weird being in a cemetery in the middle of a bustling city, with people treating it like a park. They were peaceful and shady.

The graveyard at Trinity Church

* I visited the International Centre of Photography which was hosting several excellent, but quite confronting, exhibitions. One, photos by Ed Templeton, included a photo (supposedly) of a junkie on the streets of Melbourne.

I bought myself a Colorsplash camera in the Centre's giftshop, which is my favourite souvenir and I can't wait to play with it. It's a low-tech, 35 mm camera with a changeable coloured flash that bathes your subject in coloured light, producing cool, artsy type photos.

This camera is my first foray into the world of Lomography, which is a global community of creative types using this and other low-tech, old-school cameras to produce artsy pictures that don't confirm to the accepted rules of photography. It's going to be weird going back to using film and having to wait to see the results of my efforts!  

The view from the Empire State Building (Chrysler Building at left)

* Yes, I did all the other touristy things - I visited Times Square, the Statue of Liberty (a little underwhelming) and the Empire State Building, and caught the ferry to Staten Island. I walked down Wall Street past the New York Stock Exchange and went to the World Trade Centre Visitor Centre, which I found curiously unaffecting, perhaps because I didn't have time to really linger and absorb it.

Me and the Brooklyn Bridge (from South Street Seaport)

I walked the Brooklyn Bridge on a beautiful sunny morning and visited downtown Brooklyn, Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, which was a nice break from the tourist throng. I was glad to see more of New York than Manhattan, which is the only one of the five boroughs that most tourists' visit. I managed four out of the five (even if I only set foot on Staten Island for 30 minutes between ferries).

* Oh, I got an unexpected stop over in Los Angeles! My flight from LA to Sydney was pushed back a day due to a mechanical problem, so I got put up at a nice hotel for the night with a late check out and free meals in the hotel restaurant. Sweet!

After a good sleep sprawled on the plush, king sized bed, I spent half the day at Venice Beach, which was more seedy than I imagined from what I'd seen in the movies. I confess I didn't really like it much...it does have the faded glory thing going for it, but it's far more tawdry than Coney Island. I did take a lot of photos and I met a couple of hip hop artists who told me they're coming to Australia next year for the Big Day Out and have been in negotiations with Triple J, Australia's youth radio broadcaster.

Me and the hip hop dudes.  (Yes, I bought their CDs.

I don't even like hip hop much. I'm such a softie!) 
 

The rest of the day I spent and at a shopping mall near my hotel buying clean undies and toiletries (I packed in a hurry and didn't have these items in my carry on) and spending some of the money that I surprisingly had left over after New York. It was pretty much like a shopping centre back home.

Then it was back to the hotel for a shower, a feed and shuttle bus to the airport.  

The setting sun from my hotel room (near the airport)

One of the best things about my holiday was simply the fact that I was there. It took me a few days to stop walking around thinking, "Wow, I'm in New York City! I'm in another country! At last! I've done it!". I get to cross off the number one thing on my list of 101 Things to do Before I'm 40, which is to take an overseas trip. Yay!

But the best and most significant thing about my holiday is that despite my lack of travel experience, my initial trepidation and somewhat fragile emotional state, I did it on my own - and not only coped with it, but kicked arse. My experiences with my Dad's illness and death this year have already shown me that I am much stronger than I ever imagined I could be, and my New York trip reinforces that. Turns out I'm strong, self-sufficient and capable. Go, me! I feel like whatever comes my way, I'll handle it.

SQUIRREL!

P.S. See my other blog over the coming days for more - and better - photos from my trip.