A Trip to Australia: New South Wales (page 2 of 2)

Wednesday, November 22, 2023 Mallacoota - Lakes Entrance We’d woken up yesterday pretty sure we’d spot koalas—every forum was overflowing with “In Mallacoota, they’re falling out of the trees!” But in the end, not a single one in sight. Granted, the day was short, cut short by heavy rain and near-permanent darkness... A bit frustrated, we flipped through the Lonely Planet and scrolled on Google. Everything pointed to Raymond Island. There, for sure, they’ve got ‘em! As part of a conservation effort for this already endangered species, 32 koalas were brought over from Phillip Island in 1953. Since then, they’ve thrived peacefully among a friendly human population... Shall we go see?





Well, gotta admit... We didn’t feel ripped off at all!



A festival!

It’s a real little paradise. Life is teeming here! Along the trail, we also came across an echidna feasting on an anthill! !



As the Americans say, it’s amaaaazing!







We’re heading back in the late afternoon—45 minutes by road to Kalimna Woods Cottages. Once again, we find ourselves in the middle of nature, surrounded by a chic neo-hippie decor that instantly delights us. It’s sooooo romantic!

In the middle of nowhere, right in the heart of the jungle!

Thursday, November 23, 2023 Lakes Entrance - Wilsons Promontory We woke up to some pretty gloomy weather, despite the charm of the place. So, we decided to hit the road. We powered through about 3 hours of driving while listening to podcasts about Lebanese politics. Meanwhile, little by little, the clouds cleared, making way for some beautiful sunshine that we soaked up with delight!





We headed straight to the campground to try and negotiate a room with a toilet—something I’d missed when booking. But it was fully booked. We’d have to do without. I guess their hedges will appreciate the nitrate boost, at least. Besides, they didn’t have internet either. "Just enjoy nature," the girl at reception told me with a smug smile, clearly pleased with her own uninspiring remark. We didn’t stick around. We took a walk along the prettily named Lilly Pilly Gully (named after a common plant around here).













We really struggled to find something to eat. We were ready to drive even more since Google only suggested that, but then we stumbled upon a tiny, unexpected shopping area that saved us the trouble. It wasn’t much, but we managed to get a pint of tap beer and a pizza.

Friday, November 24, 2023 Wilsons Promontory - Melbourne A 2.5-hour drive. They’d warned us about rain, but it came later. Before checking into our room, we managed to take a first walk around this sprawling city, so different from its rival Sydney. Wilder, less polished. To be honest, it’s a bit of a mess! But it’s got charm! !

After the street museum, we checked out the museums with roofs... As expected, it rained... So, the SBS at Federation Square... Gorgeous!

Like this piece by Australian artist Paul Yore, "Fags hate God," which is super provocative!

Or this other sculpture by Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, "Bi Warrior Figure"

Mark Hilton’s "don’t Worry" is definitely worth a closer look...







Viva Gibb

Robert Rooney

A Self Portrait by Albert Tucker

Rupert Bunny

No comment...

We snagged a luxurious room on the 9th floor, but it’s still no match for the incredible Meriton in Sydney!

Saturday, November 25, 2023 Melbourne We were promised endless rain… Nope! Not a drop fell! So we roamed this city again—it’s like Blade Runner’s Los Angeles! Here, it’s trams instead of the metro. They work just as well, and on top of that, you can scope out the streets and the locals going about their day. We got off at Queen Victoria Market (or something like that).



They sell *everything* (and anything, really)! With Christmas coming up, it gave us tons of ideas. Get ready—you’re gonna *love* it!







Okay, it’s not paradise either…

The city is way more “political” than its sister, Sydney. There’s a bit of tension in the air—protests about femicides, protests about mass surveillance… We’ve got the same concerns pretty much everywhere in the world.

We went to see the exhibition on ancient Jewish culture books at the State Library Victoria. Given the bombings in Palestine, we definitely had to go through security checkpoints with bag searches. Still, it was worth it. They’ve got some really fascinating stuff that’s well worth the visit!









On Saturdays, it’s a battle of ideas.

The wild hope of finally putting an end to the devil that corrupts everything!



Here, nothing is off-limits…

It’s also the international festival of style!

We laugh at French references…



After that, we explored Fitzroy, the trendy neighborhood in the city…

Back home…

And then...

Eyes wide open, mind alert, and pen at the ready. Thanks for this stroll through Melbourne.

P.S. Mentioning Melbourne in an NSW thread is asking to wake up a centuries-old rivalry. You’re living dangerously. 😮

Oh well, actually, the Jervis Bay Territory *does* exist! My reply wasn’t ironic—I was initially going to say we were still in New South Wales, but after checking Wikipedia:

The Jervis Bay Territory (in English: Jervis Bay Territory, JBT) is an internal Australian territory located in the southeast of the Australian mainland. Adjacent to the Tasman Sea, it’s surrounded by the state of New South Wales. It’s the smallest mainland Australian territory by both population and area.

The territory was purchased by the Australian federal government in 1915 from the state of New South Wales to ensure sea access for the federal capital, Canberra, during World War I. It was part of the Australian Capital Territory until 1989, when it separated to become an autonomous territory.

The attentive reader will have noticed that we’re no longer in New South Wales...



I couldn’t figure out how to rename this travel journal. Oh well. I’ll keep going (just a bit more) under this name... Sorry...

I just discovered the Jervis Bay Territory. Maps actually makes the mistake because when you type "Jervis Bay," it suggests "Jervis Bay New South Wales."

Maps isn’t wrong—if you type "Jervis Bay New South Wales," Jervis Bay and Hyams Beach *are* in New South Wales. But if you type "Jervis Bay Territory," you’ll see it’s clearly marked and located just below the bay, where the national park and the village of Jervis Bay are.

Fun fact: only 310 people live in the territory! :)

Hi! I don’t know Jervis Bay or Raymond Island (I didn’t rent a car in Sydney!). They’re cute, those red koalas. And now I get why I didn’t see any black swans on the Swan River—they’ve crossed the country!

Anyway, I’m still loving it, including sharing your meals and happy hours, happy or not! Just a little cold… But hey, we knew that!

See you!😊

The attentive reader will have noticed that we’re no longer in New South Wales...



I couldn’t figure out how to rename this travel journal. Oh well. I’ll keep going (just a little longer) under this name... Sorry...

I just discovered the Jervis Bay Territory. Maps actually makes the mistake because when you type "Jervis Bay," it suggests "Jervis Bay New South Wales."

Maps isn’t wrong because if you type "Jervis Bay New South Wales," Jervis Bay and Hyams Beach are indeed in New South Wales. However, if you type "Jervis Bay Territory," you’ll see it’s clearly marked and located below the bay, where the national park and the village of Jervis Bay are.

Fun fact: only 310 people live in the territory! :)

Thanks for the clarification! I checked it out, and sure enough, Maps is right.