Domestic Flights in Australia
I write today in attempt to channel my inner zen. I am looking, searching deep down for some means of mid-flight tranquility as six children (yes I said six) all under the age of 5 sit in the row behind me with their mother. As I desperately attempt to block out the wailing baby, the constant kicking of my chair, the battle to keep my window blind open and the general coughs and irritable sounds from behind me; I look forward and spot a guy who has been chatting up the stranger next to him for the past 3 hours. I hope some beautiful romance flourishes of it - because how wonderful to meet someone on a plane - but I am once again quickly reminded of the unpredictability of flying and how 90% of the time you are bound to get pissed off at something before you disembark. This wasn’t the case a mere few hours ago however. As I embarked to the airport an air of excitement grew within me and the element of adventure quickly returned. Rushing through security I was interested to discover there aren’t any liquid restrictions when you are flying on domestic flights - even if my flight was longer than the majority of my previous international flights. The domestic terminal at Melbourne also lacked in many amenities but none the less my traveller spirit returned and I was pleased to proudly wander around the airport with my backpack and complain about expensive food. Although flying with TigerAir meant that I had no leg room and is in close competition to EasyJet for poor plane/flight quality, a clear summer sky over Australia meant for phenomenal view. The outback below was a sandy landscape of straight cut lines that divided fields and farmland. Square cut forests ajoined these fields and beyond could be seen brilliant white salt lakes and the brightest turquoise coastline I have ever seen. I’m not sure whether seeing a Bush Fire can be classed as the highlight of my flight, but it certainly made for fascinating aerial viewing despite its calamitous effects below. This landscape is the most beautiful space I have seen from a plane (so far). What was rekindled today, and the key thing that I've certainly missed, is the sense of excited adventure of arriving in a new city without a clue what to do. As I look down on the new landscape I am reminded of how much more of Australia there is to explore, and how many new people I am yet to meet. I can’t wait to use my intuition to make my way from the airport, the same intuition that allowed me to survive Nepal and China beforehand. I also equally look forward to Perth Fringe and finally grasping something I truly love. Dear god, I've just looked up and the guy now has his arm around his fellow passenger - good job! Behind me the air hostess is now in a panic and holding one of the children as the others scream. Wish me luck for the rest of the flight.
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An average day in Melbourne’s CBD quickly plunged into chaos when a maniac driver, known to the police for causing havoc all day, decided to run down pedestrians along the main public walkway. I was just a minute away from the carnage and also experienced the very real feeling of panic.
It only took a blink of a second for the busy street outside to transform into herds of people hurriedly running in the same direction. There were screams, and perhaps I can blame my inherent survival technique but my initial reaction quickly had me thinking where would be a good hiding place. I instantly (and sadly) thought of a gunman and expected to see a figure appearing from the alley way. As people continued to run and no terrifying figure appeared, I next thought bomb - an attack - or maybe some big accident. Either way when I asked anyone what exactly they were running from each informed me that they ran with the crowd, had no idea and were equally as scared and unaware. The running crowds must have lasted for about 5 minutes and demonstrated a reaction of a city like many others, that is on edge. The street eventually became a group of confused loiterers who anxiously looked around like meerkats, wondering why they had just ran here. Still unaware of the events unfolding on the next street I decided to walk down the alleyway onto the middle of Bourke St. Walking past turned over dining tables and shattered glass, it initially looked like a fight had broken out making me feel silly that someone had even uttered the word terrorist. Emerging onto Bourke Street however I was met with hundreds of iPhones videoing and photographing the scene. This scene that lay out in front of me were dozens of people collapsed on the pavement floor, blood and paramedics doing resuscitation. The police were already cordoning off the area, screaming at the public to move yet it didn’t stop many standing their ground and filming the ordeal. Upon asking a filming bystander she peered at me, with one eye still on her little smartphone screen, and I was informed that a car had deliberately hit pedestrians with his car. In light of our news recently addled with car attacks in European cities, I felt heavy and anxious as it once again dawned on me that this could be a terrorist attack. Rather than finding myself as an annoying bystander however I slunk back to the shop and waited for the headlines to start. It was about fifteen minutes before the breaking news hit twitter and soon after many local Melbourne news websites and we finally had confirmation that it truly was a deliberate car attack. It was agreed that the shop quickly shut as no-one could confirm what precisely caused the attack and whether there was any further risk in the city. With my bike parked on Bourke Street itself I now had to attempt to manoeuvre the hectic city streets to get home. Pushing past scores of spectators looking on in awe as ambulances and police cars rushed to people’s aide I felt increasingly troubled by the amount of phones and snapchats I saw. Grabbing my bike I embarked on a long walk through the city as the roads were closed. The rumours had spread quickly and the snippets of conversation that I overheard in the streets made the incident sound like a mass catastrophe / gunmen shoot-out / planned terrorist attack. There were queues of cars, hundreds of pedestrians and a number of police officers attempting to keep the flow moving. In the opposite direction flooded photographers, journalists and camera crews. We cannot shy away from the fact that sadly many people, and children, lost their lives on this day and many more people have been affected in some way. I walk through Bourke Street every day and as the piles of flowers grow in memoriam of the lives lost, so grows the crowd of people filming and photographing this scene and it’s pretty difficult for me to stomach. I am left wondering whether photography of this sort, the type that undeniably ends up on social media, should be allowed at this sort of tragedy. Is it disrespectful to snap away at the detriment of other people’s lives? Is it a good way to expose the goings on in the world away from any political slants of the media? Is it even possible to stop things like this? How did you hear about the events that unfolded on that day in Bourke Street? It’s an interesting, bitter-sweet argument to consider and one that I don’t know the answer to. The Australian Open
It is still unbeknown to me how I fell into having an interest in Tennis, but somehow I did. Following this moment I attended Wimbledon twice, bought a white visor, tennis racket, white dress and played two tennis games dressed head to toe like the world number 1. What’s even better than failing to play tennis however is the chance to experience one of the tournaments. There is excitement in the air as you mingle with important people, watch your favourite players and endure countless queues for entry, drinks, food and basically doing anything. So of course I was in the right place at the right time to attend the Australian Open and leapt at the chance to buy a ticket. Starting in 1905 the Australian Open is the first of the 4 grand slam competitions of the year, and has been held in many cities in both Australia and New Zealand. Initially there weren’t many foreign players as it simply took so long to travel to Australia by boat (around 45 days) yet as technology and transport have since gone through the roof the tournament now sees a crazy amount of attendees and competitors. I couldn’t wait to go even if naturally coming from England, I was about to spend the day comparing it to Wimbledon. What benefitted me was the chance to buy a discounted grounds pass after 5pm, as I had been working every day. You can pick these tickets up online for $35 and allows you access to all the show courts and the Hisense Arena. Like me, if you go in the first week, this means you’ll probably catch some really good games and bump into some really good players. I bought my ticket and headed over to the park - flashed my ticket - and went straight in. As opposed to its English counterpart which has seen me line up for almost 5 hours (two years running) in the famous ‘Queue’ it doesn’t appear that you are required to buy grounds passes on the day, yet it felt like cheating that it was so easy to enter. The weather was hot, another stark difference, and as I walked further into the park I was amazed by both the sheer magnitude of the place and the sheer amount of drunk Australian people that met my gaze. The courts here are a brilliant blue colour, rather than your standard court colour and before long I was walking past reams of interesting games - and queues to get into seeing them. I wasn’t be able to locate an official list of play anywhere or even a map to explain where all the courts were, so instead I went straight to the bar to buy an overpriced beer. The venue itself is perhaps more aesthetically pretty than in England. They incidentally set up an ‘English Garden’ where you could drink expensive English ales and eat strawberries and cream. This section was next to the Parisian Quarter where you could buy champagne and coffee - and next to that is the Australian Garden - which is where you could find the passed out drunk hooligans. Afterwards we headed to Court 2 to watch an evening game - unaware that we were about to see an Englishman, Evans, play against Cilic. Looking around we had chosen the only court where the entirety of Melbourne’s English expats were sitting. And I liked it. There were also a number of free gigs occurring at the event and we had managed to time it perfectly to watch The Temper Trap play a live set next to the arenas - now you don’t get free gigs like that in London! As the evening wore on and the sun began to set, the area sunk into a cool breezy setting and I had no warm clothes to save the day. Yet there was one final thing that we needed to see, and that was watching the star players warm up on the smaller courts. Pushing past the crowds to the back corners we managed to see Djokovic warming up before sitting on the hill (that resembles Murray Mound) to watch Murray start his evening game. Of course there aren’t really that many differences between the Australian Open and Wimbledon, even if I have a feeling that Australian tennis hooligans get far more drunk than the English ones. Yet although this was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I was grateful to experience, I will always have a soft spot for queuing up in the rain at Wimbledon. The Great Ocean Road - Two Day Road Trip
One of the best features of living in Victoria is how close we are to the Great Ocean Road. The road, actually built as a war memorial nearly 100 years ago, stretches 151 miles along the Southern coast of Australia and weaves amidst mountains, cliff sides and national parks. Although a popular tourist destination I knew little about the route itself or where would be the best to stop and sightsee yet embarked on a two day adventure with a car and three other girls. Annoyingly I found little information online, so here’s my two day budget backpacker’s itinerary to the Great Ocean Road. Day 1 We departed Brunswick at 9am and with coffees in hand, headed straight for the coast. The drive took around two hours on the motorway before we even caught a glimpse of the sea, yet travelling through a countryside that looked more like England than Australia certainly added to the excitement as our adventure drew closer. Suddenly, quite out of nowhere, the road narrows and you are greeted by the roaring waves and salty smell of the Bass Strait sea. I had never been so far away from home (quite literally) yet we weren’t going to be deceived by the first beautiful beaches we saw - there were even better sands awaiting us. Once you pass through the wooden gateway that announces ‘The Great Ocean Road’, the route itself is pretty straight forward. It is a singular winding road and you can often find yourself stuck behind slow moving tourist busses and Sunday drivers yet the scenery truly makes up for it as you are reminded more of a warm Italian coastline than Australia. 1.Lorne The first stop was Lorne. This busy seaside town is both popular with holidaying families and arguably has the most beautiful golden beach I have so far encountered. We had around half an hour to dive into the warm, alluring waves before heading to the supermarket to stock up on healthy snacks and buy some ice to cool the cooler of beers. The morning was ticking on so we jumped back into the car and pushed on, eager to miss the slowing tourist busses. 2. Kennett River Our journey out of Lorne was the most picturesque section of the road and the contrast of a light turquoise sea and huge waves against the backdrop of golden cliff sides adorned with forests is both beautiful and incredibly instagram worthy. An hours drive along the winding road also saw us pass several tempting beach spots and a number of orange bollards that sadly mark where cars have veered off the cliff side - a stark warning to drive carefully. We stopped at Kennett River for another half hour break and followed the general direction of people walking up a dirt path and pointing at trees. The river itself meanders down through the forests into a valley and meet at the sea creating another incredible setting. What is even better about this spot is that the trees there are filled with wild Koalas and although they don’t do much apart from sleep, it’s a beautiful feeling to really witness something that reminds you that you are in Australia. 3. Apollo Bay For the next leg of the road the scenery changed a little and although you still follow the sea on cliff side roads, what is eye opening is the forests that surrounded us. This section was victim to powerful bush fires last summer and instead of luscious greenery, we drove through forests of blackened, dead trees that are a haunting reminder to the power of nature and the power of heatwaves in Melbourne. Apollo Bay was the next stop where the waves are quieter and the water is even clearer. Although less of an exciting beach and full of children because it’s safe enclosure, the rolling hills that surround it really reminded me once again of the English countryside - it was like I was in the Pennines again (but a warm version). Here we opened our first beer of the day too, the driver only allocating one, and off we embarked to the final leg of the day’s journey. As the afternoon rolled on the air was warm as I gazed out of the open windows with a beer, scenery and good travel music. 4. Twelve Apostles The next drive veers away from the sea so we could stop craving a quick dip, and instead be awed by a weaving drive through Oatlands National Park. The lush green woodland expels a powerful fresh smell and towering redwood trees truly humble you with their size. Rolling our windows down we were greeted by the noises of the jungle, with crickets and birds and other potentially stranger Australian wildlife. After filling the car with the smells of woodland we pushed onto the 12 Apostles which is perhaps the most famous landmark on the route. These sandstone towers stand just off the coast line and their close proximity to each other makes them really fascinating. You can also certainly tell when you have arrived here as it is overrun with tourists. Despite the crowds and selfie sticks this does not shy away from the awe-inspiring rock formations that we caught in the early evening golden sunshine - they truly are beautiful, immense and a sign of the power of the roaring sea that eroded them. After a few quick pictures however, the crowds were beginning to irritate our care-free group and we agreed it was time to try and settle for the night. 5. Port Campbell As the night began to dawn, we drove to the closest town in the hunt for a place to sleep. Being budget travellers we brought a tent with the ‘intent’ of finding a spot for free. Unfortunately pushed for time and with an exhausted driver we agreed to simply try the cheapest camping ground. After speaking with locals we discovered the Recreation Ground at the back of the town is the cheapest spot to sleep - and if you drive in from the back entrance (after 9pm the office shuts) and hide in the bushes you technically don’t have to pay the $15 pp fee (or you could just hide some people in the car). Pitching our tents and drinking some more cooler beers we headed into the town to see if there is anything going on. Safe to say there isn’t. After a terrible game of pool in a locals bar where we were the only women, and the only ones not watching horse racing, we headed back for more beers under the stars. Day 2 6. Johanna Beach After a restless night in a cold tent surrounded by terrifying animal noises, we embarked on our return journey that would take us on the same route (although I was keen to check out the Grampians my travelling buddies weren’t). It began as a scorcher of a day and promised to be one spent mostly on a number of beaches. Our first stop was Johanna Beach, which was less than an hour from the Apostles and could be found down an unassuming dirt track. Because of it’s quiet location it remains unknown on the tourist track meaning our morning dip/shower was on a completely isolated and beautiful beach. From there we pushed on back to Apollo Bay for a quick snack and then onto Lorne - as we all agreed it was the most beautiful of our locations. 7. Teddy’s Lookout Arriving in Lorne in the early afternoon, there were more crowds here enjoying the waves in comparison to our previous trip. I decided to stray away from the beach for a while to explore the town and venture up to Teddy’s Lookout which is situated only a half an hour hike away and offers panoramic views of the national park and the entire turquoise shoreline. The hike reminded me of my Himalayan climb, and was perhaps steeper than the mountain in Asia. Yet from the moment you begin to ascend the hill the views become greater, leaving you wondering what’s at the top. First passing houses, then lodges, then a forest I finally climbed to the look out, but the beauty of what I saw I feel I simply can’t explain in words. 8. Erskine Falls After a couple of hours sweating away on the hot Lorne beach, we decided a good way to cool off was to check out the nearby waterfalls. A quick drive will have you at the popular destination of Erskine Falls and a climb down a long flight of stairs will have you at the photo-worthy bottom. Although annoyingly busy and full of tourists, it’s worth a visit as the entire area is full of hidden waterfalls if you venture far enough and a nice respite from the hot sandy beaches. 9. Split Point Lighthouse As the sun began to set on our second day, we still had a relatively long and winding drive back into Melbourne and so had just enough time to check out a famous light house before we left the Ocean Road. The beautiful all-white lighthouse is extremely pretty and not a very popular tourist spot, yet more importantly it had a starring role in one of my favourite childhood TV shows ‘Around the Twist’ (if you didn’t watch this as a child, what were you doing!). We drove back to Brunswick, tired and a little sunburnt yet thoroughly pleased with how far we had driven in two days. Although the drive was excruciatingly long it didn’t feel like a burden as the scenery simply from the car window is enough to keep you mesmerized. The trip has left me wanting to see more of natural Australia, and I’m certain that I’ll do the Great Ocean Road even another time - perhaps better packed for camping though. Top Tips Bring CD’s as the radio will not work along most of the route and it saves you messing around with music on your phone (as you’ll need to save your phone battery). If you don’t have CD’s stop in a charity shop in every town and pick up one CD at each stop (like we did). Our music choices were: Day 1. All of Fleetwood Mac Day 2. All of David Bowie. Highlights Enjoying the scenery and having a beer whilst the sun was setting and the wind was blowing through my hair, and not being designated driver. Lowlights Almost freezing to death without a sleeping bag. Escape to Victoria's real beaches (Torquay)
Along with the New Year comes a heatwave to Melbourne. And so rather than spending January nestled beside cosy fires, wearing Christmas jumpers and generally hiding your newly developed Christmas belly, you have to actually get out of bed here - because it’s too hot not to. With a lust for adventure, today took me to a new part of Victoria (one with a beach naturally) and having never experienced real waves before a plan was devised to head to surfer’s paradise Torquay. This beachfront area of Victoria is naturally a much more beautiful, scenic and warm area in comparison to its English counterpart. Yet they are both quite difficult to reach. This part of Australia is the start of the famous Great Ocean Road and is home to beautiful golden cliff sides that join onto even more golden sandy beaches. Although I was driven to adventure however, I of course couldn’t exactly drive to this location - and so once again meticulous public transport plans were devised. Leaving at 9am a intercity train took us to Southern Cross station. From there we changed twice to jump onto the V line (the faster outer-city trains) and before I knew it we were hurtling through barren countryside landscapes towards Geelong. I was surprised. Amazed almost, that having been totally engrossed in city life I had forgotten quite how vast Australia was. Even despite an hours train journey south (half the time it takes from London to Manchester) we had barely moved across the state and I was quickly reminded that this isn’t even the real countryside, the real ‘bush’, as they say. The journey took almost 3 hours to reach the sleepy beachside town, yet the wonderful route itself was certainly part of the experience. Torquay Surf Beach was cram-packed as predicted. Yet rather than our English beaches full of sun-burnt families, screaming kids and over-priced ice-cream vans, Torquay was full of super healthy twenty-somethings, actually good music coming from speakers, body boarding teens and a general good Aussie vibe. The water was warm and the day was spent floating around the shallows and sunbathing on hot sands. Climbing over cliffside later on in the afternoon we quickly reached the next beach Jan Juc, which is more secluded and has bigger waves and better surfers. And it could’ve gone on forever. This coastline has beach after beach around every hidden corner and leaves me so thankful to have the opportunity to live so close to such natural beauty. The day was well worth the travel and left me imagining how perfect and carefree a life could be spent simply living on a beach. Despite a 4 hour journey back to reality, the city has similar relaxing beach vibes and reveals a much slower, happier pace of life. As I sit here planning my next coastal tour however, we just hear the news that there have been several shark-sightings around Melbourne’s most popular beaches... (PS: head to my Arts & Writing page to see a new article about Skareboarding in Nepal!) |
Tamara DavisonNepal, China, Malaysia, Australia, Argentina. Archives
November 2017
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