November, 2025 - Wheels on the Go

November 30, 2025 – Australia – Sunrise Drive from Port Douglas to Cairns – Boarding the Queenslander Overnight Train to Brisbane!

November 30, 2025December 2, 2025Lmnei

Holy cow! I woke up before the 4:30 am alarm clock! Wow! Needless to say it is EARLY! We are almost packed except for our items in the fridge (snack food and beverages) and we left the hotel after checking out on time, before 5 am. Me and being on time in the morning do not normally go together!

We had a very nice drive down the Great Barrier Reef Drive along the coast to Cairns. We saw the sun rise and Andrew even stopped the car so I could take a picture at a beach! We were actually running early (but not speeding) – Google Maps said it would take 1 hour and 2 minutes and it took about 45 minutes including the photo stop. Perhaps it is because there were 3 construction stops that were controlled by lights again, however the waits were very short, where during the day they might have been longer. Here are our morning drive pictures!

Needless to say, we picked a gas station to fill up and funny enough it was around the corner from where the car drop off location was! At that point I called an Uber (it was about 6:10 am now and we were DEFINITELY running really early) to take us to the Cairns Train Station. The lady driving the Uber was in the neighborhood and picked us up almost immediately! We had a very quick drive to the Cairns Railway Station – we chatted about taking the train to Brisbane and she thought we were crazy for not flying as it is only an hour’s flight! It was rather interesting though after that discussion that she dropped us off at the entrance to the Tourist Train to Kuranda – we needed to be on the other side of the tracks! Good thing the elevator was working and there was an elevated walkway to get to the other side of the tracks to where the Queensland Train would pull into the station a few minutes later.

At 6:40 am (we got there just before 6:30 am) the baggage drop opened up and we then sat and sweated, just like we used to do in the evenings in North Carolina, however it was frigging 6:30 am and I was soaked with humidity! The train was in front of us but we could see them servicing/cleaning it. About 30 minutes later, after losing about a litre of water and Andrew NOT being able to find any coffee (not a good situation) they allowed us to board the train. They had a nice little ramp for me to use – not the huge thing that I was sitting next to pictured below! We were booked into Rail Beds on the train – this train had reserved regular seating (2×2 seats) or Rail Beds which were in a 2×1 configuration. Now this is where it gets REALLY stupid! My Rail Bed was number 2 – it was a single rail bed. In front of me was Rail Bed 5. Next to me was Rail Bed 1 which was also an accessible rail bed as it had extra space for a guide dog to lay down. The carer’s bed for Rail Bed 1 was Rail Bed 5 which was in front of me. Andrew’s Rail Bed, which he was traveling as my carer, was Rail Bed number 4 which was on the aisle next to the other Rail Bed number 3 which was at the window. An unknown lady was in Rail Bed number 3 and would be there for the majority of the trip. This is a VERY stupid setup. A carer needs to be able to HELP someone so sitting forward and diagonally from me is no use. Also, as the Rail Beds come with in seat videos, as soon as Andrew put his ear phones on (this did happen) I could not get his attention for assistance.

I was dreaming up what items I could start throwing at him when the car attendant came by with tea and coffee and biscuits as we had just left the station. She actually told me that the way these beds are set up is stupid as the people who need assistance (I am thinking more like if I was traveling with Karen) cannot get it! She offered to tap Andrew on the shoulder for me however I just smiled and said I would figure things out. Once the morning tea service was completed and they had verified everyone who was on the train, the car attendant actually came back and told me that there was another disabled person going to join the train overnight with a carer and they have an extra single seat up front in the car and she was going to see if the lady next to Andrew would like to move. Of course the lady next to Andrew wanted to move as she could see that we were together and she also suggested that I move into her Rail Bed. So I did! It worked out wonderfully as then later that afternoon, an elderly lady who was visually impaired got on the train with her daughter as the carer and some other family members who had Rail Beds more to the front of the car, and the two ladies could be across the aisle from each other which helped them out too! Now we were in business on our 24+ hour trip to Brisbane!

With our Rail Bed purchase came meals too – we were fed lunch, which I had a mango chicken with peas and rice and a gluten free toffee cake with custard! I had to ask a couple of times if it was REALLY gluten free as it was pretty good! We then settled in for a nice SMOOTH ride down the east cost of Australia! It was interesting as each day Andrew looks up the weather where we are going and we were aware that rain had been forecasted – sure enough it happened when we were on the train! That said, the landscapes we passed by were very beautiful despite the black clouds above and the occasional watering of the windows!

Andrew spent most of his time watching movies and listening to music – I do not know what ones Andrew he watched however I typed up what to say on my website (no online access unless at a train station) and watched 1 movie and several really funny Aussie TV shows! The movie that I watched was the “Making of Crocodile Dundee” which I did not know the background of and how big an impact it had on Australia! It was very interesting and timely considering we are in Australia! The TV shows were a bunch of game shows – however one made me laugh so hard that I actually passed out and Andrew wondered what happened to me! That was a bit of a bizarre moment for me!

Dinner was then served and Andrew had pork and my meal was some very well cooked Barramundi fish with veggies and squash. The best part of the meal though was in the little tinfoil package which had a GF label underneath – it was a garlic cheese biscuit! Mmm good! I actually consumed it without needing butter! The chocolate cake with chocolate sauce was good too – however after not doing anything all day having two desserts was a bit much!

After dinner we could select to have our beds turned down at 8 pm or 9 pm. I was ready to go at 8 pm as I was starting to find the Rail Bed seat a bit uncomfortable and wanted to recline a bit more. The seat did recline, and the foot rest did go up a little bit however not much and the seat bench pictured above worked wonders for Andrew as his legs are long, however my legs could barely hold it down. In fact when I passed out laughing my feet fell off and the seat went up with a bang which was loud Andrew said – that is how he noticed that I was in la la land.

The Rail Bed seats actually fold down into nice flat, firm beds. The back of the seat folds onto the seat and then another portion folds out which extends into a bed. It was all done electronically – you could not do it yourself – the carriage attendant had to do it with a remote that plugged into the seat. The bed had a mattress cover on it and they gave you a duvet to cover you for the night which was nice and warm! I was as snug as a bug in my little Rail Bed! The one funny thing we learned, which if we had known better we might change for next time, is that the window seat bed is longer than the aisle seat bed so that the window seat person has about 8 inches to pass by at the end of the bed from the aisle person to get out if they need to use the toilet or whatever on the train in the middle of the night!

At this point in time, the train was actually running about 2.5 hours late – no idea how it got to run that late – we seemed to be stopping and starting fairly fast at the various train stations – there were not a lot of them. When we stopped in Townsville where the crew changed and the train took on more water and possibly fuel (not sure about this) I tried to call my parents as I knew my sister was visiting them that evening and the train left the station sooner than planned so our conversation got cut off as I lost my data connection!

I must admit though I enjoyed this train ride WAY better than the Indian Pacific one in terms of rocking and rolling. These cars are meant for travel and are built for sleeping too where the Indian Pacific Railway, while a very beautiful and historic system, does not have the more modern technology that keeps the train cars from rattling and swaying through the night.

Lets see what tomorrow brings us while on the train!

November 29, 2025 – Australia – Port Douglas – Daytrip to Mossman Gorge in the Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation

November 29, 2025December 1, 2025Lmnei

Today we are going north, as far north on the highway that a 2 wheel drive car can go – which is Cape Tribulation, Northern Queensland! It is about a 90 minute drive in total to get to Cape Tribulation, with a couple of stops and a ferry ride on the way!

After yet again a wonderful breakfast of an omelette, chicken sausage along with some fruit, we were off on our road trip! Our first stop is Mossman Gorge, which is in the Daintree Rainforest, which has a raised walkway in the forest to see the gorge and also accessible transportation from the visitors centre to the entrance to the walkway to get there! It is only about 20 minutes up the road, so an easy drive to start!

Arriving at Mossman Gorge the rain forest is LUSH and thick – the Visitors centre is also very appropriate like most visitor centers we have encountered in Australia – not ostentatious and sticking out, but melding into the environment! Despite the humidity and temperature that was rapidly increasing, I passed by the ice cream freezers in front of the information counter and bought our admission to the Gorge. We could have walked the 30 minutes up into the gorge however $15 AUD was worth not having to do it in this heat! The first bus was not accessible so we waited for the next bus which had a ramp for me. Off we went on our 10 minute drive up the road to where the tree top walkways and entrance to the Mossman Gorge begins.

Mossman Gorge is part of the “Wet Tropics” UNESCO World Heritage site due to its exceptional natural beauty, outstanding example of evolutionary history and is a significant habitat for rare and endangered species along with unique plants and animals that are not found anywhere else. The Wet Tropics Area goes from Townsville, which is south of Cairns, to Cooktown which is north of Cape Tribulation and covers 894,420 hectares.

We walked through the tree tops to first the swimming area and then the view point – there were more trails that could be walked however they involved stairs and were not walkways so as directed by the bus driver, we stayed off them. At the view point here is my panorama view of what we saw – the water was so clear!

Water flowing down into the Gorge area where people are swimming. It has a sandy bottom too!

Most of the water that feeds the Mossman Gorge is not from rainfall, which I found to be very interesting! It comes from the moisture in the “wet” forest that drips down into the soil and then forming the various rivers that lead out to the sea.

After stopping by the cafe in the Mossman Visitors Centre to get some cold drinks, where the cafe also acts as a training centre for indigenous youth, we were on our way to Cape Tribulation and what I will call the most expensive ferry ride in the world!

On thing that I had read about in the Mossman Gorge and people are warned about are the Cassowary birds. These are fairly large birds based on what I had read and they are also fairly aggressive and one should stay away from them. Several people had spotted them based on my readings in the Mossman Gorge, however we did not see any. They are native to Northern Australia along with some other tropical locations such as New Guinea. The birds are flightless, and they are the third-tallest and second-heaviest living bird, smaller only than the ostrich and emu. Cassowaries are very wary of humans, but if provoked, they are capable of inflicting serious, even fatal, injuries. They are known to attack both dogs and people. The cassowary has often been labeled “the world’s most dangerous bird” however statistically the ostrich still kills more people each year (2-3).

Driving up to the ferry that crosses the Daintree River, which costs $51 AUD return for a 15 minute cable crossing in each direction (I think these ferries are free in the interior of British Columbia) there was a wooden image of a Cassowary that I took a picture of just so I could have a life sized image. Then shortly after that the small motor home we were following along the road stopped and we wondered why and guess what was in the middle of the road blocking the one lane bridge? A live cassowary bird just strutting about! Here is the wooden image and then the real thing! It is quite at LARGE bird! The 1M marker that you see beside it and the Oliver Creek sign is to let drivers know how high the creek is above the road – so that cassowary is at least 1 metre tall!

We then continued our drive up the highway to Cape Tribulation. It was like the road to Hana on Maui at times! Lots of turns and also driving through a cut in some heavy vegetation! Then came the speed bumps! Not sure which brilliant engineer invented them however I think they ran out of concrete when forming the speed bumps and so they decided to “fill” with huge rocks. Well, over the years the concrete has worn away and left what I would call “speed bump rumble” strips! Very interesting to drive over!

Here is my panorama picture of Cape Tribulation Beach –

View of Cape Tribulation Beach – lookout above located in trees around corner to the right

As we are as far north as one can do on the regular road, we are now heading south towards Port Douglas again! I did not know until I saw the sign, that this road is actually called the “Great Barrier Reef Drive” and it goes from Cape Tribulation down to Cairns! Interesting as in the next 24 hours we will be driving the complete 125 km distance!

Along we drove, past some very organized road construction, over some one way bridges over some very peaceful looking rivers, past the Daintree Tea fields and yet more “speed rumble strips” until we got to the Daintree Ice Cream company which was our reward for our excursion of the day! Wow – did they have some GOOD ice cream! I had chocolate coconut while Andrew stuck with the awesome plain chocolate flavour! Now, for the last little bit of our journey being some tourist busses who were also visiting the same Ice Cream stop on their way back from Cape Tribulation!

Back at the Sheraton Port Douglas now, we packed up as we have an EARLY departure for Cairns the next morning! We are taking the Queenslander Train from Cairns to Brisbane which is an overnight train that departs the Cairns Train Station at 7:40 am and gets in the following day at 9 am to Brisbane’s Roma Train station! We are an hour north of Cairns and need to gas up the car and drop it at the airport prior to taking a taxi or Uber to the train station… Departure time? 5am! Time to hit the sack for some quality sleep time – who knows what type of sleep we will get on this train ride tomorrow night!

November 28, 2025 – Australia – Port Douglas – Day at Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas Resort and dinner at Harrisons

November 28, 2025November 30, 2025Lmnei

Lets go for breakfast and show you the where we eat breakfast and how bright and open the area is! For my Celiac friends – that is a gluten free toaster, toast, gluten free bags of Corn Flakes, GF Wheetbix and GF Granola on offer along with a bunch of apples!

Two buffet bars to the left and hot food / omelette station to right

Its time to sit and sweat on the beach! Okay, well not the REAL beach as there are no beach loungers out on 4 Mile Beach or more importantly to me, umbrellas (not the ones that go into the drinks although those would be nice!) to protect me from the EXTREME rating for UV rays that this area of Australia currently is rated, however it is the resort “pool” beach! Yes, in several places they bring in sand and place it at the waters edge and then it goes into the water so it feels like you are at the beach! Wahoo!

The “commute” to the beach was quite short – out around the pool to the other side – if I could walk on water it would have been even faster from our balcony! They had some really nice mesh loungers and HUGE umbrellas stuck into the ground that did not move which was great if there was any wind or breeze at all. Nope, frigging hot day again! We got our pool towels out and sat down and started sweating. I called my parents from the beach lounger and was talking to them, lying on my side, while wearing a tshirt and when I got off the phone Andrew pronounced that I was “sweating a lot”. First a lady perspires! Second – what the dickens was he talking about? My the back of my tshirt was completely soaked and I had done NOTHING but drink water and talk to my parents! Yikes! Very soon after that we ended up getting into the pool to cool down!

The pool water, which was supposed to be salt water, was highly chlorinated! Makes sense as it is a pool! The design of the pool was pretty cool though – the sand sloped down into the pool however it was kept from sloping all the way down by a gentle slope up – which Andrew figured out as he is taller than me – that kept the sand in that area of the pool. Then the pool dropped down in depth to about 6 feet and then back up where the balconies were with the ladders to get in. Interesting design! Here are some pictures:

We were QUITE parched after that sit and sweat and swimming session of a couple of hours and unfortunately the sun was moving and Andrew’s lounger was no longer in the shade! Time to move on. We went to the Pool Bar and got a carafe of water with lemons and sat down to have some nice cold water to drink! We actually had to refill the 1.5 litre carafe again we were both so thirsty! Here are some pictures of where we sat and the area (which I know is not accessible) for the Pool Restaurant. We sat instead in the Lagoon Restaurant area which was closed but then I did not need to go uphill climbing with my walker.

Now back in our room for some cooling down time, we eventually got ready to go for dinner. I had booked reservations as suggested at the hotel’s upscale restaurant called Harrison’s. It is a very well reviewed and rated restaurant in Queensland. Great for a treat! It was a lovely evening walk there and they had a table set up for us right on the lagoon which was great! Only issue with the restaurant? To get to that table required me to go down stairs! They said we could eat in the back corner of the restaurant instead which was a fairly dark area, however the ambiance was just not there! Sitting on a balcony surrounded by water as the sun set sounded MUCH more appealing!

The restaurant indeed was very high end and a special occasion definitely to dine there! While there was more on the menu for Andrew to eat – I quickly narrowed what I wanted for dinner – shrimp on the barbie – Aussie style! I had the 6 huge shrimp along with some brown butter mashed potatoes which I shared with Andrew who had pork tenderloin for dinner. There were quite a few wait staff at the restaurant, however our waitress had a certain “air” about her that I recognized but I could not place. I also could not place her accent but it sounded pretty familiar to me the Aussie slant to it was throwing me off! I finally asked her if she was from Australia and she said “no” and as soon as she said the word “no” I knew what she was going to say next – she was Parisian! It all fit together – she was kind of abrupt with the guests – polite but abrupt like we had experienced in Paris when we were there a few years back and that accent – if you took that Aussie layer away was the same as a person I volunteer with at YVR who is also from Paris! I then addressed her in French and explained we were from Canada which is bilingual and I am a volunteer at YVR airport and I am required to speak “plane” French. (that is not plain – but PLANE as in travelers) She thought that was funny! Off she then went – quickly and as abruptly as she appeared!

Next though she had the dessert menu and “oh la la” she said, there is a “sans glutin” item for me to enjoy! I wish I remember its name though – we think it was called the Volo! It was sheets of meringue, sorbet, fruit and whipped cream. Really it was a pavlova (national dessert of Australia) deconstructed! Andrew got a different desert whose name we cannot remember either however it was something like Mumu! It was basically a ball of cake, which they poured brandy over and lit it on fire!

Okay, so after that dessert session my Libra diabetes alarm was going off quite frequently however it was an AMAZING dinner! We completed the dinner by going to the lobby of the hotel using the GOOD elevator and getting some brochures to where we wanted to take a day trip to tomorrow – Mossman Gorge, Daintree Forest and Cape Tribulation! Looks like I have some planning to do overnight! Join us on our excursion tomorrow to the far north east corner of Queensland also called FNQ!

November 27, 2025 – Australia – Port Douglas – Exursion to the North Edge of the Great Barrier Reef to Snorkel!

November 27, 2025November 30, 2025Lmnei

Let’s get up early and go snorkeling! Today we need to be in the Port Douglas Marina – about a 5 minute drive away – by 9 am to catch a boat to take us out to the northern edge of the Great Barrier Reef. After doing some research several months ago I had selected Quicksilver to take us to the Outer Barrier Reef. Previously I have been to the Great Barrier Reef with Karen, out of Cairns, however as we are about 1 hour north by car, this will be a different portion of the Great Barrier Reef.

For those who do not know about the Great Barrier Reef – it is the world’s largest coral reef system, located off the coast of Queensland, Australia, and is visible from space. It is composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands, spanning approximately 2,300 kilometers and covering an area of about 344,400 square kilometers. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1981, it is the planet’s largest single structure made by billions of tiny organisms called coral polyps (living organisms) which form over 400 types of hard and soft coral, and it also supports an immense diversity of marine creatures such as sea sponges, anemones, worms, and mollusks and marine life such as the endangered dugong (“sea cow”) and six of the seven species of marine turtles.

For all the companies that provide “tours” to the Great Barrier Reef, they must have a permanent dock or “pontoon” installed near to the reef they visit so they are not constantly anchoring and destroying the ocean bed each day. This is also way more environmentally friendly and protects the UNESCO site. There are also only a limited number of companies that can provide trips to the Great Barrier Reef and in the fee you pay to the company, there is included a conservation fee paid to a fund that protects the reef activities. Today, we will be going to Agincourt Reef, which is called a jewel-like ribbon reef on the very edge of the north edge of the Great Barrier Reef.

After a filling breakfast at the hotel, we were on our way! All decked out in our swimwear with various things like knitting and Mr. Dass’s book to keep me company on the 90 minute ride out to the reef and back. Check-in was very simple and we then waited for permission to get onto the boat. I was a bit concerned about getting onto the boat as it was so high up in the water! However once they allowed us onto the dock, I saw a ramp all the way up onto the boat and I was MUCH relieved! They did said that the boat was accessible!

We were greeted when we got onto the boat and lead to a table where I could park my walker and sit comfortably. Very soon afterwards a family with a young kid who was screaming moved into the section of 4 seats behind us, so we quickly moved to the other accessible table on the other side of the boat! The other lucky thing about this sailing is that the boat was only about 1/4 full. Normally they take 200 people to the reef each day and today there were just less than 50 people.

The ride to the reef was very smooth – so smooth that I got a bit sleepy and lay down for a nap on the 2 chairs beside me! Good thing we had beach towels from the hotel for a pillow! Andrew in the meantime watched a video about Marine Life that the Marine Biologist onboard the boat was putting on upstairs and no accessible to me.

A LOT has changed since I last took a cruise to the Great Barrier Reef – while I cannot remember if we are using the same company, I did have a fairly bizarre experience on the boat – the head lifeguard came to visit me about my “medical conditions” and to see if it was safe for me to snorkel! First I was a little taken aback, however I filled out the form and he came back to “interview” me. He asked things like how long it has been since I have snorkeled (3 weeks), what medication I take and then based on what I filled out told me that I had to wear a red life preserver when in the water and a red tipped snorkel. I also had to swim within the penned area! He did know that I would be swimming with Andrew though. Did not make a difference. Oh well, those are the rules! NONE of this applied when Karen and I went snorkeling previously! They probably would not have let her into the water the way they were dealing with me!

Once we arrived at the pontoon, everything sprung into action – staff donned their various gear and then people got off as they were pretty excited to start snorkeling or scuba diving. There are all sorts of things that are offered – mostly an upgrade – such as being able to scuba, rent underwater cameras, snorkel with the Marine Biologist, have pictures taken by the photographer, take a helicopter ride – those are some that I remember.

While it is best to visit the Great Barrier Reef for visibility and calm seas are typically from May to October, I was aware that it was November and some nasty weather had just taken place in Northern Australia. The sea was a bit choppy at the pontoon in my impression for snorkeling however we are here lets jump in! We got off the ship and I found a fairly steep ramp down to the snorkeling/scuba deck which was awesome! There was a sign about getting a Lycra suit which puzzled me and I saw a bunch of people wearing what I thought were wet suits. Nope, they are Lycra suits just like the green men at the Canucks games wear but these are black! You have to put one of these on to go snorkeling due to the stingers in the water at this time of year! Great – like I needed something heavy on me to drag me down! So off we went to get our Lycra suites which were basically head to toe – including a hat and mittens attached to the long sleeves for the hands and the feet just had straps as one is supposed to wear flippers. I do not wear flippers as they will hurt my muscles in my leg and affect my back – been there and do not need to do that again! I also have fairly powerful swimming legs when they want to work!

Now we look like aliens, we got our snorkel gear and I got my red PFD and red tipped snorkel and Andrew chose to get a PDF for himself too and we were ready to go! Now I did have to go down some stairs to get into the WARM water – however it was fairly easy with rails and then benches you can sit on in the water to get used to it and then a lower platform to step onto to swim from. Very easy to do and we were off! I snorkeled around a bit and saw some lovely brain coral, some very large fish and lots of white spiny coral with a few tufts of blue coral thrown in for fun! However I was battling both my PDF riding up around my ears making it hard to swim and the wave action. This was just not too enjoyable! Time to reset and retry! I then got out with the assistance of the lifeguard and optimized my gear and Andrew and I then tried again but to no avail. I kept on getting pushed into the ropes that were the barrier that I was to swim around – so I left Andrew out swimming and enjoying himself and I went back to take some pictures and hang out on the deck! Here are some pictures that I took –

After all that snorkeling we sure built up an appetite! Lunch was served back on the boat and that is also where we changed out of our swimming gear and back into some dry cloths! The lunch was wonderful – I got a chicken sandwich plus some GF cookies and a vegetable / egg frittata thing and they also told me that the Indian chicken dish on the buffet was gluten free – which I paired with the white rice for an extra treat! I then relaxed, read and knit while Andrew went and climbed down into the Underwater Explorer to check out what he could see! Being a bit claustrophobic at times and the stairway was VERY steep, I passed on that adventure! Here is what Andrew captured!

The temperature outside was about 38 degrees today – which is down from the 45 degrees with humidity we hit yesterday, so when we returned to the hotel, we were happy to have Air Conditioning in our room! The water at the Great Barrier Reef was so nice and warm considering it was still the same body of water that flows into Vancouver too! We then relaxed for the evening, Andrew had some cold beverages and as we had both a big breakfast and a fairly good lunch, we just had snacks for dinner before calling it a night!

Here is a panorama picture from the balcony of our hotel room as the sun fell.

Not sure what trouble we are going to get into tomorrow however I am sure we will get up to something! Check out what we end up doing!

November 26, 2025 – Australia – Port Douglas – Power Outage, Accessibility and Grocery Shopping!

November 26, 2025November 30, 2025Lmnei

I was up early YET AGAIN and having some quiet alone time on the sofa, occasionally interrupted by some snoring noises coming from across the room, when all of a sudden I noticed that the light next to the bed I had turned on, went out. I thought maybe it was on a timer and I had left it on too long. The Sheraton Resort that we are staying at is really into conservation efforts – I was reading in their brochures how much they recycle and also there are 1.5 litre bottles in the room where you can fill them with water from water stations around the property – such as downstairs by the elevator. You actually can choose between chilled still, sparkling or ambient temperature water! Quite fancy! I continued to work away on my laptop as I was already using it not plugged in and was happy on the couch!

A couple of hours later, Andrew got up and was frustrated as he could not use his shaver as there was no charge left in it and the charger was not working. This was about 7 am. In Australia, the shaver plugs are 110/220 volt and a North American 2 prong shaver plug can fit into them. I suggested that he use my converter plug that goes from an Aussie plug to North American plug instead at a different spot in the room and it did not work. Then I plugged in my laptop to the converter plug as I knew it had charged my laptop overnight and it was not charging the laptop now… At that point the light bulb came on in my MIND – I remembered the light going off – I think the power is out! I tried messaging the front desk through the Marriott app on my phone but that did not work so then I phoned them (thank goodness for the International Phone plan that Telus came out with the month before I left) and sure enough the power is out to the hotel. That means I am now stuck in our room unless I want to go down 6 flights of stairs as the elevator is not working either!

I called the hotel back after a while and mentioned that we cannot get to the buffet breakfast due to this and they offered Room Service and took our order and we had a lovely breakfast in the room! I felt for the guy who brought the trays and had to climb the 6 flights of stairs! Breakfast in the room was a nice experience! The only thing that was missing from our order was Andrew’s coffee and my apple juice. I called them again to remind them that those items were missing and at the same time the lights came back on! Andrew at this point was DESPERATE for some caffeine so he made some coffee in the room and within 10 minutes another cup arrived along with my bottle of apple juice!

Now, for a tour of the hotel! First our room…

We, after successfully taking the elevator downstairs, walked out of the North Tower that we were in and around one of the pools to 4 Mile Beach which runs from the town of Port Douglas, north of the hotel, along towards the Sheraton Hotel and a bit further south down the beach. Right now, you cannot swim in the ocean as there are jelly fish with deadly stingers on them – they come out from November to March – tourist season! Here is a picture of 4 Mile Beach –

Panorama of 4 Mile Beach – walk 2 km to Port Douglas to left and end of beach to right.

The hotel has salt water pools and lots of them – some have beach access and some have access from wharf like structures. There is a swim up bar and a restaurant near the pool along with, we soon found, the Feast Restaurant, where the morning buffet breakfast is served. However by the time we got from our hotel room around to the Feast Restaurant and up the ramp – I was both covered in perspiration and exhausted! I decided to go up to the lobby which is above the Feast Restaurant to chat with the Elite Members desk where I checked in. Last night, when I asked them (as they had neglected to tell me) where the breakfast was, they told me there was an elevator in the lobby that went down to the Feast Restaurant.

I asked a server in the Feast Restaurant where the elevator to the lobby was and she looked at me kind of strange while at the same time Andrew said he found the elevator – it was right next to the restaurant called Harrison’s where we were planning on going for dinner on Friday night. I went up the elevator while Andrew climbed the stairs. Out the elevator I walked and there were more stairs to get to the lobby – no ramp to be found! Very bizarre! I called the hotel on my phone (again happy I have this Telus plan) and the operator came out and said I had to take the elevator I came up in back down to the Feast Restaurant and then go into the restaurant and by the washrooms there is a DIFFERENT elevator that goes to the lobby. Why the server did not tell me that I have no idea. I got into the elevator to go down and Andrew went back down the stairs. The elevator would not move. I got out of the elevator and then the door closed and it went down to where Andrew was! Go figure! He sent it back up for me and I repeated and it would not go down. Andrew even tried calling the elevator and it would not go down. I called the operator again and said there is a minor situation with the elevator not working… Soon a front desk clerk arrived and he tried to help however he also was shocked that there was no ramp up to the reception area! The Chief Engineer was called and when he arrived – guess what happened? The elevator behaved! I then got back into the elevator with him and then went to the other elevator and went to the lobby. At this point – this “exercise” had taken over 30 minutes. I was furious.

I spoke to a very nice Manager on Duty named Jaime and explained how wonderful the correspondence with the hotel had been, I let them know what my accessibility needs were, however being placed at the far corner of the hotel on the 3^rd floor with a power outage is not a good start! Also, I was having some issues finding my way around the hotel grounds from an accessibility standpoint – I had found the ramp to the Feast Restaurant now, however the distance to travel is quite far and my expectation from the discussions that I had with the staff were that I would be closer and that the hotel was WAY more accessible, based on what is listed on the website, than it currently is. Such as the bump to get into the room – why does it exist where the rooms in the hallways that are Air Conditioned have a flat entry? Bizarre planning when building the hotel! I could see the lip on the 1^st floor but not the 2^nd or 3^rd floors.

Long story short, I pointed out the room type I had originally booked and where I ended up was not really an upgrade but a downgrade and I was perplexed with what happened and that no one had mentioned to me how to get around the property from an accessibility standpoint when it is obvious that it is not very accessible compared to what is listed on the website. She agreed and found a closer room for us, which funny enough, was a similar room type that I had booked and even funnier – had a walk in shower! It was an identical room to the one we were in on the 3^rd floor however it has a swim-up balcony with a ladder to get into the pool (which would not work for me). I had booked a lagoon/pool view with a balcony. Sometimes I wonder about my communication skills vs. people’s reading and listening skills.

We then went out to the local grocery store – Coles to get some groceries and beverages for our stay. As always, I enjoy shopping in different countries to find different gluten free items and I found a WONDERFUL soft, squishy set of 4 brioche buns to make sandwiches! I was so excited! After Andrew patronized the Bottle Store, we went back, dripping wet yet again, to the comfort of our hotel room to relax and have some dinner!

Now that we have wasted 1/2 of a day, we went back to our 3^rd floor room and packed up (well Andrew packed as I had not unpacked) so that they could move us to a different room. Eventually that happened and Jaime and Allan, who had checked me in and is new to the hotel, came with her so that he could learn better the needs of people who use wheelchairs or walkers like me. The new room as I mentioned was just perfect and very similar – only negative is it still had the little bump up to get into the room. I can handle that if I pay attention! The benefit is that about 200 feet away is a ramp into the Ballroom space and through that corridor, is the Feast Restaurant where we need to go for Breakfast. It is not a kilometer walk sweating away, around all the pools to get there each morning! We thought we would celebrate this achievement of moving rooms and a quasi relaxation day buy going to the Lagoon Restaurant which serves Asian Small plates. We got there and it was closed as it was a Tuesday! Again, the website failed us – now it is only open Wednesday through Sunday. Oh dear. Andrew deserved a drink so we went into the Feast Restaurant, up the elevator to the lobby and to the Rain Tree Bar where they were supposed to have drink specials on.

We found a ramp! There is a ramp from the lobby to the entrance to the Daintree Bar – unfortunately the ramp does not go down any further so unless you like sitting at high tables or at the bar (both of which have tall chairs) again, not very accessible as the main part of the bar is down some stairs! Oh this hotel is sure not what the website indicated! We enjoyed a nice drink and then went on our way back to our hotel room. That said, the bar was pretty impressive with its wall of alcohol bottles that Andrew and I gazed over and tried to figure out how they were arranged!

Well, back to our “lagoon view” room now to get some sleep as tomorrow is going to be a busy day! We are off to the Great Barrier Reef!

November 25, 2025 – Australia – Cairns to Port Douglas Drive via Kuranda

November 25, 2025November 29, 2025Lmnei

We had to be out of the Mantra hotel by 10am so we were up fairly early and had a quick breakfast in the room and departed the hotel, with me filling up our water bottles in the lobby for the drive as I was certain it was going to be a hot and humid day! Here is the morning sunrise over Cairns –

We got to our car parked in the accessible parking spot and no tickets which is good however the birds in the tree had done a number on it overnight! We were now driving a very dirty car! Oh well, those are the breaks! The Mantra had limited free parking and I thought why take up one of the stalls when we can park on the street instead? Yup! Paid for that with a dirty car now!

We quickly got out of Cairns and on the drive to Kuranda. Most people, including when Karen and last visited Kuranda, take the train up one way and the skyride back down. The Kuranda Tourist train leaves from the Cairns train station, where we will be departing in 5 days to take the Queensland train to Brisbane. They do have a bus that returns people who take the skyride down from Kuranda back to the bus station. It is a worthwhile trip, however I distinctly remember how hard the train trip was on Karen and myself and personally, despite Andrew liking trains, I really did not want to experience it again. I was doing some reading prior to our trip and saw that we could take some “backroads” to Kuranda and then continue inland around to Port Douglas, which is north of Cairns by an hour. That is what we ended up doing!

It was a nice drive – at times reminded me of driving the Hope Princeton with the curves in the road and there was some construction going on however it was very well managed with temporary stop lights and queuing to use the single line. Soon we got to the Barron Falls Lookout, which is actually a stop on the train trip up to Kuranda. After parking at the lookout and walking down the sloping raised accessible pathway in the woods to the viewpoint what do you think showed up below us? The train! It stopped on its way to Kuranda village which was only about 10 more minutes up the small mountain. We got to see the train pull in below us and the people get out to take pictures of the Barron Falls (which were pretty small at this time of year) and then we went back to continue our drive to Kuranda town.

Kuranda is in the rainforest that surrounds Cairns and goes up the coast past Cape Tribulation. Port Douglas, where we are staying is on the beach, about 1/3 of the way to Cape Tribulation. I remember getting to Kuranda on the train with Karen, it being 100% humid and hot and seeing all these really cool artisans selling some very interesting handmade goods! I am not sure if it was because we drove into town, it has been 27 years, or COVID hit this area really hard but Kurana was just not the magical place that I remembered. It was 100% humid and hot though! I did buy some Australian souvenirs at a shop and then we walked around for a while, but the artisan feeling was gone. There were more tourist attractions (traps) now to visit too. I was just turned off! That said, we had some ice cream – good thing to do when it is bloody hot! Walking back to the car, I decided I needed a cold drink for the drive so we stopped at a restaurant stand and look what I found! Gluten Free Rice Burgers! Now, with this heat, there was no way I could eat one of these so I just took a picture instead and got my Coke Zero! Then we continued our drive to Port Douglas through the back hill country!

It was an interesting drive – unfortunately taking pictures from a fast moving car is not my forte so my pictures did not work out! It is also hard for Andrew to stop when there are cars behind us. We drove through some really nice small towns and then started down into a valley towards Port Douglas. We saw that there recently had been some type of forest fire (not huge trees – more like small trees but the ground was smoking and the trees were burnt) and that stunk as we drove by however we soon made it into Port Douglas and to the Sheraton Mirage Resort where we are to stay for the next 5 nights.

Finally we arrived at the Sheraton Grand Mirage Port Douglas Resort. I have been impressed with this resort so far – really early they sent out an email, as I am a frequent guest at Marriott hotels, asking me if there was anything that we wanted to do or needed during our stay. I responded indicating that I needed a shower chair for the walk in shower in the upgraded room that I had booked and I had some questions about activities as the original email mentioned booking early due to school vacations and holidays. They were awesome at getting back to me and told me that we were just before the school holidays, so we should be fine not making reservations at the restaurants however the Great Barrier Reef cruises do fill up. I then booked both dinner at the hotel and a trip to the Great Barrier Reef from Port Douglas. They also confirmed a shower chair would be in our hotel room.

I was met at check in and addressed by name, which surprised me, when we arrived and we were checked into the hotel. They mentioned they had “upgraded” us to a 3^rd floor room in the North Tower. I thought that was strange as I had booked a Lagoon/Pool view room that I thought was on the 1st floor. However, I figured it had to do with the shower situation. The bellmen took our suitcases to our room and I was driven in a cart while Andrew drove around and parked. He then jumped onto the cart and we were driven to the North Tower where our room was located. It required us to take an elevator up to the top or 3rd floor, go through 2 doors where there were hotel rooms in an air conditioned corridor with flat access and then to our room which had about a 4 inch lip to get into the room. I thought that was strange due to the discussions I had with them with regards to accessibility and the fact that they said we were upgraded. Sure enough, there was a walk in shower and a shower chair so I was happy! There also was a balcony however it faced the garden, it was not the Lagoon/Pool view room that I had paid to upgrade to. No issues I thought – just happy to be here!

We were going to go for a walk to check out the property however someone fell asleep (common occurrence at this time of the day in this kind of heat) so we postponed the walk until the morning!

November 24, 2025 – Australia – Sydney to Cairns – Travel Day and Seafood Pizza!

November 24, 2025November 29, 2025Lmnei

Again, we were up in good time to have a wonderful breakfast at the Pier One Hotel and then we departed, via Uber for the Sydney Airport to travel on Virgin Airlines to Cairns. We had a very nice Uber driver and on the way, I had booked to drop one piece of luggage off for storage as Andrew and I will be back at the airport on December 6th to overnight prior to flying to Singapore. No issues with Virgin Airlines moving our pre-assigned seats this time and got onto the plane just fine! It was just under a 3 hour flight to Cairns, which included a 1 hour time change with surprised us. Sydney, Australia area recently switched to Daylight Savings time however we soon found out that Queensland, where we are heading up north, does not switch and remains on the standard time. There are funny time zone changes all over Australia – sort of a bit like Canada – Newfoundland and in the Interior of BC.

Arrival at Cairns Airport was MUCH more smooth than the last time I was here 27 years ago! They actually have air bridges ways now! Once we found my walker (I do not think it is common for walkers and wheelchairs to be brought to the plane door in Australia and I seem to remember now Karen having that issue when traveling) we were able to walk through the airport – which it is a nice compact airport and out into the HEAT to get our rental car! Holy smokes! The humidity and heat was like walking into a hair dryer on the highest hot setting! We looked up the temperature and it was about 39 degrees and it was 6 pm in the evening! We got our rental car and made it to the Mantra Hotel which I had elected to stay in for our 1st night prior to driving to Port Douglas and the resort that we were headed for. I had done that for 2 reasons – not to tire Andrew out from traveling and then driving and 2nd, I thought driving to a village named Kuranda would be a nice option on the way to Port Douglas instead – we would get some mountain driving in!

We had a ocean view, kind of, from our hotel room. More like a tree top view! Cairns has changed QUITE a bit from what I remember of it 27 years ago. I picked this hotel for its location which was next to the Cairns Night Markets which Karen and I explored last time we were here however the waterfront of Cairns has now fully been filled in and a huge swimming pool installed! It looked really great from our balcony other than all the trees that have now grown into the area!

It was time to find some dinner so we decided to go for a walk and find someplace to eat along the boardwalk. Prior to getting to the boardwalk though we walked around the area that used to be beach and a pier (that I remember) and saw this beautiful swimming HUGE swimming pool that now fronts onto the beach with a walkway in front of it. The pool starts with a very narrow end and the slopes down deeper with some sand and different pool areas at the end as you can see.

We actually parked the car in front of the hotel in the daily parking bays, as it seems that the accessible parking had no time limit on parking there – such as overnight! The hotel required a checkout by 10 am so we thought the car would be just fine and we could see it from our room too! Tomorrow – back to the village of Kuranda!

November 23, 2025 – Australia – Sydney – Whitecaps, Dinner Cruise and Sunset at the Opera House

November 23, 2025November 28, 2025Lmnei

I woke up pretty early this morning to a VERY foggy harbour! The picture I took from the window did not work out so here is a different one that shows just how foggy it got compared to the bridge which the hotel was under. Apparently the ferries have issues running in the fog. By about 9 am it had lifted though and Andrew and I were able to go down for breakfast and we even snagged a table outside on the deck! Here is the picture of the fog along with some other pictures of this beautiful hotel –

We then relaxed for the rest of the day – I did some travel scouting for our future travels along with found out how to store luggage while we go north for 2 weeks and Andrew followed the Whitecaps, his favourite soccer team, while they played the LA FC soccer team and WON! At that point in time, and on a high, we departed for our Captain Cook Sunset Dinner Cruise that was leaving from Wharf 6 at Circular Quay!

Then we departed on the Captain Cook ship – which was 3 levels high – however with no elevator! So while we had purchased a more expensive dinner that was being served on the upper decks, we were given a window table on the main deck instead to watch the world go by and eat our dinner! Lets get sightseeing!

Our Dinner cruise is now over and the sun is starting to set and it is a beautiful WARM night for a walk so we decided as we were half way there, to walk over to the Opera House and take a peek at what we could see! The last time I went to the Opera House with Karen all we could do was walk around the bottom level as there was no way of getting upstairs – they had not build the elevator yet – they had escalators but her manual wheelchair would not fit on the escalator and also if I remember correctly they did not want us to try! So I was interested in seeing what was available now 27 years later!

Well, that was quite an evening! The Sydney Harbour is immense with so many little bays and then the islands in it too! It was awesome to sit and watch the world go by as we ate dinner. However for me the highlight of the evening was our impromptu walk to the Sydney Opera House – I had not planned on walking that far as I was still having some issues with pain, however after sitting for a couple of hours on the boat I was motivated to walk! As I said above, my goals were no that high, no pun intended – I was pretty aware that when the Opera House was built, which started in 1959 and opened in 1973, they were NOT thinking about wheelchair access! I was also aware that it was renovated in the mid-90’s as Karen and I were there in 1998 and at that time we were unable to get upstairs.

I was quite surprised when approaching the Opera House and its grand bank of stairs, that there was a sign for wheelchair access under the stairs, so we went and explored it of course! Well, sure enough, they have now put in what I would call a “fancy” service elevator which takes you up to the main floor of the Opera House. Yes the escalators are still there and I saw the sign still that no wheelchairs are allowed. I wish I had taken a picture of the elevator though as it did not have a ceiling which was kind of interesting! It was basically a nice elevator that was a platform with buttons on the side to go up and down a floor. Also on the ground floor where we entered were the appropriate washrooms that the Australian government now requires for accessibility.

So we went up the elevator and it was obvious that a concert was going on at the Opera House. The lobby was like the QE theatre with a coat check and employees in various positions guarding entrances – where I wanted to go was to the outside plaza that was at the top of the steps that I could not climb! But NO. There is a sign on the door and a rope across saying that during performances these doors are locked. Now, that did not make sense to me – I just took the elevator up and was in the lobby – other could do that – I guess they just do not want the general public coming through these doors and having to manage that volume. Fair enough. However the elevator is so I can get OUT so I can see from the Plaza as I cannot climb the 50 or so steps! I politely explained this to one of the ushers who was a bit confused, but got his manager and then a security guard and they let Andrew and me out onto the plaza and stood at the door until we returned.

It was SO NICE to be up that high! Beautiful view just as the sun was going down! As we were out there I saw people go up to the doors and try and get in despite the signs and get turned around, so I tried to time our return to the doors where they were waiting for us without being detected however someone did follow us and they were turned away – they tried to say they were with us but the guard knew better than that! I felt bad, however there really should be a better way to manage accessibility to such a popular tourist attraction than what we ran into. I suspect if there had not been any events going on in the building, that access to the elevator would not have been available.

Andrew and I then walked all the way back to the hotel around Circular Quay and the base of the bridge to the other side. It was very nice with the warm breezes of the evening. The sky was also pretty clear and I got a good shot of the moon! When we passed by the old buildings next to the Overseas Terminal, we noticed that what we thought was just seating prior, were actually 3 fairly high end restaurants that had their seating on the dock – very European like! Reminded me of being in Rome but the view was MUCH better in Sydney!

Back at our hotel we had a nightcap on the pier as we had 2 free drink coupons that the hotel had given us prior to retiring for the evening. Tomorrow we are going to the airport and flying to Cairns! Looking forward to returning to the north east part of Australia!

November 22, 2025 – Australia – Sydney – Circular Quay Markets, Metro System and Visiting friends Fijian style!

November 22, 2025November 27, 2025Lmnei

After another delicious breakfast in the restaurant, I contacted the daughter, Priya, of Mr. Dass and his wife, who I wanted to meet up with. Andrew and I then departed to visit the Markets at Circular Quay on the way to the Metro station to take the train to Kingswood, which is a suburb of Sydney. I would estimate, based on the distance, if we left from Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver, to be fairly far into Surrey, where we needed to go. Priya had given me directions which seemed pretty simple – get on the metro at Circular Quay and change at the Central Station (where we got off the Indian Pacific Train where there also is a Metro station) and then stay on the Metro to Kingswood. I was trying to type this into Google Maps so I could follow it however to no avail! I then resorted to the nice bellmen who knew me as they had to put the ramp down for me whenever I came back to the hotel to get us sorted out.

The bellman printed out a route for me and said something in a fairly heavy Indian accent that I did not understand, about train servicing work. The route looked fine to me and so into my purse it went and we were off to check out the Markets!

We walked around to the Circular Quay again and up some of the side streets to check out the market stalls. It is a VERY well organized market that happens on weekends in Sydney. I was looking for 2 things – a lanyard for my phone as my current one had broken and also flowers to take Mrs. Dass who was in the hospital. I was successful on my 2nd item only – which was awesome! I found a vendor who hand crafted paper flowers for wrists, headbands and chokers! Of course I bought a headband for myself and I bought a wrist band for Mrs. Dass. I thought it would be a perfect “flower” gift for someone in the hospital who cannot have a lot of flowers! I have included a picture of the headband that I bought which the wristband matched so you can see how beautiful the artistry is!

Now, as we were at Circular Quay, and I had my handy instructions from the bellman, it seemed very simple to get to the Nepean Hospital to see Mr. and Mrs. Dass again. I had heard from Priya in the morning that Mr. Dass had remembered me and was looking forward to meeting me again! We got to the station and found the lift to go upstairs to where the track was located. A station attendant actually flagged me down and asked if I needed a ramp to get onto the train, which I asked if it was level and he said yes, so then I said I thought I would be okay. Sure enough the train arrived and it was a level entrance like the Skytrain however the gap was about twice as wide! So basically I just jumped over it instead of rolling over it so my wheels would not get caught.

We rode 3 stops then changed, according to the bellman’s directions to another train. This time I was sitting next to the train map and I was plotting out all the stations that we had to go to and change trains, which were 4. We had done 1 change already. In looking at the map I realized that the instructions that Priya had sent me were MUCH more direct! So I messaged her and told her what the bellman printed out for me and she said it did not make sense. So Andrew and I got off the train and turned around, heading back a couple of stops to where we could catch the direct train like that Priya told us to take instead. That is where things fell off the rails, as the saying goes.

First, the station I chose to get off at was not wheelchair accessible! Yes, I could go up the escalator (not supposed to but hey – if I need to it is possible) however the other track we needed to change to was up STAIRS and that was a no go for me! AGAIN the station attendant asked me (these station attendants are awesome!) where I was going and I mentioned Kingswood and that is why we are trying to get on the Number 8 line. She then told us to get back on the same train in the same direction, which came again in 10 minutes and go 2 more stops and change to the Line 8 at that point as there are lifts at that station. Sounded good – however she then told me in understandable language what the bellman mentioned to me which I did not comprehend – Line 8 has track maintenance going on as it is a Saturday so the train stops about half way and we need to then get on a bus which will take an hour to get to the next station – it will be an express bus though. She had an app on her phone for helping people and I took a picture of what I was to do and then we were off – to go 2 more stations and then switch tracks to come back through this station above and onward until the bus bridge where we needed to get off.

Getting of at the station where the train stopped, Andrew and I were VERY confused as to where we were and where the bus stand was for the bus we were supposed to catch. I asked someone and they sent us to one side of the station and then that was incorrect so we walked back and at that point, Andrew asked another person and he pointed us in a different direction and then came running after us and took us up the lift and directed us to the correct bus stand as he was “horrified” he gave us incorrect information! We got onto that bus and sat down and right in front me was a screaming child! Oh joy. I just cannot get away from them! Luckily an elderly gentleman gave the child in the pram a “lolly” and everything settled down and she eventually fell asleep on our 50 minute drive along the express way. Needless to say, if Andrew and I had continued on the route that the bellman had given us, we would have been at the Nepean Hospital by now!

According to what the train attendant had shown me on her phone, the bus was going to take us to a certain train station and then we should take a different train (which also stops at this same station) back 2 stops to get to the Nepean hospital. Priya had messaged me that she would pick us up at the Kingswood station station where we were to end up, which I thought was great! As the bus came off the Highway, one of the passengers sitting across from us said to one of his kids – “see that is the Nepean Hospital” and sure enough, written as you can see below, sideways up the building it said Nepean Hospital! Skip getting on a the train going 2 stations! There was at taxi stand at the train station where the bus dropped us off and we took a taxi back instead. Enough travel on transit for that day! We left Circular Quay at 12:30pm as planned (actually a couple of minutes earlier) and were supposed to arrive at Kingswood station by 2pm. It was now 4pm! We saw a LOT of Sydney along the way however it was time to visit my friends parents!

I did let Priya know that we were in a taxi and arriving at the hospital very shortly. It is a BEAUTIFUL hospital – a public hospital like in Canada however newer. We arrived on the floor that Mrs. Dass is located and I turned the corner and ran right into PJ’s dad – just as I remembered him from 25 years ago! It was great to see him again! He is Fijian with white hair and quite statuesque looking with a big smile! He was so happy to see me and Andrew and made us feel at home right away.

Andrew remained in the very nice lounge area and had coffee with Mr. Dass while I went down to Mrs. Dass’s room and met with her and Priya along with some other relatives that were visiting, including PJ’s younger brother who is now a grown man! The last time I saw him he was about 14 years old. Like his dad and mum, along with his sister, he is also a very well known Fijian Indian musician in the Sydney area. In fact he had to leave soon for a concert after I arrived, however it was great seeing him again. I was surprised how many memories of my times with PJ came back to me when I was there – some of my memories were a bit confused from a time perspective, as they were affected by some of my treatments after my accident, however they came back nevertheless. One of the most interesting of them was the interactions with Mr. Dass and his philosophical outlook on life. He is a very well traveled and studied man and I remembered when back sitting in the lounge with Andrew and Mr. Dass, just how much PJ and his dad and I got into some discussions about people and the meaning of life as Mr. Dass had observed it around the world. It was at that time, Mr. Dass told me he had written and autobiography a few years back and would love to give me the book and he had one at home for me!

I then went and spent some more time talking to Priya and her mum, who unfortunately has the same brain cancer that PJ passed away from in 2004. Her mother is doing okay and her brain cancer was operable and she is recovering now. It was interesting as the neurosurgeon visited when I was in the room with Mrs. Dass and Priya and Mrs. Dass came to life and gave the neurosurgeon all kinds of grief about being in the hospital and wanting to go home! That is a sign of someone who is recovering in my impression! About that time Mr. Dass popped into the room then and invited us to dinner at Priya’s house. He said he had asked Andrew’s permission to ask me which I thought was amusing but awesome from a cultural perspective! I of course agree as ANY food cooked by the Dass family in my mind is AWESOME! I had one of my top 10 meals cooked for me by Mrs. Dass which was curry Dungeness Crab! Obviously not getting that down here, however their curry meals are lovely! After Mrs. Dass had her evening meal, we all climbed into a VERY small car that Priya had borrowed (trunk did not work so walker was beside me in the back and Andrew and I shared the back seat) with 3 bags of food and went to her house which was a very nice 3 bedroom house where she and her parents lived near the hospital.

A friend of Mr. Dass brought over some Kava and we took part in drinking some of it – Andrew more than me – that was his first time trying it – then Mr. Dass found a bottle of some bubbly wine that Priya had won at some point in time and Andrew opened it and we all sat down for dinner. Oh boy, I knew from the past that Fijian’s eat with their fingers. I had forgotten to tell Andrew about that. Priya did a very nice job in bringing Andrew and I forks for our food when she realized that fingers were not our style. If I had been alone I might have been okay however I had not washed my hands since the hospital! We had curry chicken and potatoes, jasmine rice and dahl. Well that is what I had! Andrew and Mr. Dass also had some other unknown and heat unknown dishes that had been prepared – breaded fish etc along with the bubbly wine. I knew that the curry chicken and potatoes was very mild as it had been fed to Mrs. Dass so it would probably be okay with me and it had no flour in it. Dahl and rice – right up my alley! It was an awesome meal and we finished it off with some VERY sweet mango’s!

It was now getting late – about 10:30 pm, so I called an Uber and we were driven an hour back to our hotel in comfort! Before leaving though Mr. Dass gave me his book and I promised to read it and keep in touch with him! It was a really inspiring and though provoking afternoon – remembering the past, their eldest son, my friend, who had passed away, Mr. Dass partially grieving the future of his wife passing away and also the life that they left behind in Fiji so they could be in Australia with their daughter. It was an experience I did not expect on this trip, but something I will treasure!

Now, tomorrow, we are going to take a sunset cruise! Also I am aware that Andrew is interested in a certain Whitecaps Soccer team and how they are going to do in the playoffs! Let’s see what happens!

November 21, 2025 – Australia – Sydney – Relaxation Day

November 21, 2025November 25, 2025Lmnei

Today I got up and the whole harbour was socked in with fog/clouds. It was not even worth taking a picture as it was white and you could not see anything! Good day for relaxing and recharging!

We went down to breakfast after a bit of a lie in and had yet again a wonderful breakfast buffet experience. Today they were offering smoothies and as there was another guest with Celiac they offered to make a smoothie for me at the same time. I guess they thought Andrew wanted one too as I ended up with 2 small GF smoothies!

The breakfast buffet comprises of a pastry section (not pictured), a hot section, a cereal and guacamole section (make your own) and then a salad and bread section. In between the cereal and salad section was a gluten free section with bread and a toaster, along with blueberry muffins and banana bread. Oh the banana bread was delicious! Some of it actually made it into my paper napkin and up to our room as it was SO GOOD! This buffet was $38 each however as we stay at Marriott Hotels a lot, part of my benefits are free breakfasts, so we tend to eat a big breakfast to set us up right for the rest of the day!

We were then up in our room relaxing with the balcony doors open as the air conditioning was still broken in the hotel, when a knock happened on the door and we received a delivery from the hotel! They had “forgotten” to replace the gift they sent me yesterday (a Lemington cake which I could not eat and Andrew did not want to eat as it is covered in coconut) and here was a platter of the gluten free items that I just had at breakfast! Nice thought! We watched a lot of harbour traffic throughout the afternoon and also got our laundry done at a nearby location which we scoped out the night we arrived and all in all it was a great relaxing day! I did some trip planning – including what we were going to do tomorrow along with up in Cairns and the Gold Coast at this time too. We also found out there is another cruise ship terminal on the side of the bridge that we are on – so opposite to where we landed. It seems that Carnival Cruise lines, which has a ship in the area, docks primarily there.

When we went for dinner on Wednesday night when we arrived, I noticed on their weekly specials that Friday night they had fish and chips – so I asked the waitress at that time if they could make them gluten free and she said yes. So as it is Friday, we returned to the restaurant for gluten free fish and chips! Andrew, as he normally does when we are out, ordered beef for dinner and when my fish and chips arrived I was quite surprised! It was NOT what I was expecting! It was a piece of Dory fish, skin on, and chips! The waitress then said to me (as obviously my face did not look right) “did you expect deep fried fish and chips” which I said yes! She then said this is what fish and chips means here! Not a problem! I like Dory fish – just peeled the skin back and it was delicious! The chips were good too!

Well, I hope tomorrow is a nicer day! It was a great day to spend some down time of a trip that in the last 2 weeks has been pretty well on the go all the time – especially with the Indian Pacific – way more busy than relaxing than I expected it to be!

Lastly, Happy Birthday to my mother, whose birthday it is in Canada today, November 20th!

November 20, 2025 – Australia – Sydney – Ferry and Lunch with Sarah along with a visit to Manley Beach and gluten free goodies!

November 20, 2025November 25, 2025Lmnei

We had a wonderfully HOT sleep at the Pier One Hotel last night! Their Air Conditioning is broken! So we opened the balcony door and slept to the harbour breeze instead. It is about 24 degrees right now and lets say a bit sticky! There is a wonderful blue sky though and we got to get going to breakfast so that we have the energy to get to Circular Quay to meet Sarah!

After a wonderful breakfast at the restaurant in the lobby of the hotel – great buffet of food and a gluten free station which I loved, we were off on our walk to Circular Quay! To get there, as we were on one side of the Sydney Bridge, we needed to walk under the bridge and then around to Circular Quay, past the Overseas Terminal where we arrived. The Manly Ferry leaves from Quay 3 and we arrived just in time to get on the ferry! Similar to Vancouver, they have a card you can use on the ferry, and you can also scan your credit card to pay, which we did. Very convenient service!

When we got to the Manly Ferry Terminal, the 4 Pines Restaurant was across the street from the terminal. I had selected this restaurant due to its location as Sarah said she could meet us at the ferry terminal. The restaurant also had gluten free food on its menu which was a bonus! I had forgotten to check one LITTLE thing – was it accessible! Nope! So up about 20 stairs I went so that I could have lunch with my friend! It was awesome sitting on the balcony watching people arriving at the ferry terminal – we were the first patrons to arrive at the restaurant (yes we were early for once) so we got to select where to sit, and the place quickly filled up! I loved the reservation sign they had on the table – hand written with the 4 Pines logo on the back!

At that point, I phoned my mother to wish her a happy “Australian Time Zone” birthday as it is November 20th and her birthday were we are located! In Richmond, BC, where she is located – her birthday will be tomorrow…

Sarah arrived along with her Aussie accent she has acquired and we both had the shrimp tacos for lunch while Andrew had a burger! The pub actually brews its own beer so the display of beer options was a bit large, however Andrew finally settled on one that he was going to taste with his lunch. It was great seeing Sarah after all these years and hearing about her family who has grown – her oldest son Hamish was having his Grade 10 Formal tonight – which is like a graduation of sorts – at this point they continue at school to go to university, they go to trade school or to work. The other interesting thing that is happening in Australia, which I first thought I heard about in Melbourne but thought it could not be true, is that kids under 16 are going to be banned from Social Media and having cell phones effective December 10th. For Sarah’s youngest, that will only last a few months until he is 16, however it is a pretty interesting thing for the government to crack down on!

Sarah had to go back to work to a meeting so Andrew and I decided to walk to the beach in front of the 4 Pines restaurant, which was next to the Manly Ferry terminal. I THOUGH that was Manly Beach, however it was not. Manly Beach is on the other side of the peninsula so we then walked over to that side – much better!

We sat at the beach for a while and then we walked down the main street of Manly Beach which is sort of like Granville Street in downtown Vancouver – no cars allowed. There were lots of stores including a nice Gelato place named Anita’s where we stopped for a cool afternoon treat! Then on our way to the Ferry Terminal Andrew spotted a very important store “Whole Green Gluten Free Bakery”! Sarah had mentioned that one was going to open up and I had looked on Google Maps and Google for one however could not find one within 2 kilometers. Funny we would run into it on our walk! Needless to say, I patronized the store and ended up with a spanakopita, 2 Portuguese custard tarts and 2 chocolate croissants! I cannot wait to try them! Also, there was a Coles Grocery next door, so we acquired some snack food and things to make lunch/dinner in the room and we were ready to rumble and get back on to the ferry!

We quickly scanned onto what I thought was a waiting ferry, however it has just arrived and still had to let people off! Once we boarded, we sat downstairs as normal and had a great ride back to Circular Quay where we got off the ferry.

Now we are walking back to the Pier One Hotel for the evening. It was a full day! On our way there, we pass by the Museum of Contemporary Art – which was funny as it had a huge sign about it saying “MCA” and I thought when I saw the building from a far, that it was missing the “Y” and that it was probably a hostel like building. Nope! Now we are closer I see why the Y was missing! There were two interesting art pieces out front – this “eye” and the braided head of a woman! We then walked back around the Overseas Terminal and under the bridge to our hotel!

Lindy Lee, *Moon in a Dew Drop*, 2000 Artwork Installation

We relaxed tonight and had some of our goodies that we bought from Coles for dinner! Tomorrow we are not sure what we are going to do – the weather forecast is for rain! That is not good!

November 19, 2025 – Australia – Indian Pacific Train – Off Train Experience – Thrilling Rides in the Blue Mountains, Arrival in Sydney

November 19, 2025November 24, 2025Lmnei

Okay, morning came REALLY early today! That rock and roll train ride we are on is something that I will not miss. I much rather be on the sea which seems to have a pattern to its craziness than the sideways and up and down jerking of the train. Again, I felt like I was in a blender or a rock tumbler!

Our dining card indicated that breakfast was from 6:30 – 8:30 am. So around 7:45 am Andrew and I decided it would be a good time to get ready for breakfast and there was a knock at our door. It was Lily – the carriage attendant telling us that the train is arriving in Mount Victoria in 15 minutes and we need to leave what we want to have carried off the train for us in our room with a tag on it (which they provided the night before). That would be our roll aboard suitcase with our 2 days of clothes and various other items. Still in my night clothes we had to move fast! Andrew visited the bathroom/shower while I changed, took my medication and went to the next carriage to try and find something simple to eat like the chia pudding I had the day before. I ended up with toast for each of us (mine GF of course) and jam, coffee for Andrew and tea for me! They helped me carry it back to our room and we were able to have a quick breakfast before getting off the train. We said goodbye to our train compartment, and we got on the bus for our off-train excursion! Here are some pictures of the train and our bedroom that I took today –

Now that we have arrived in the beautiful station of Mount Victoria, we were ushered off the train and onto waiting busses. Once onto the bus and quite quickly onto a small highway, we had to stop for a “weight” check! While I have seen trucks having to do this in North America, I have never see busses do this before! We passed and the sign indicated that we could return to the highway – phew!

Today we are visiting the Blue Mountains, which are a World Heritage-listed area, known for their “soaring sandstone ridges wrapped in native flora”. Scenic World, which is where we are headed, includes four phenomenal mountain experiences – the Scenic Skyway, which takes you over ancient ravines, with 360-degree vistas and then onto the Scenic Cableway that glides over the forest to the valley floor and then up the Scenic Railway, the steepest passenger railway in the world! Once we complete that, we will go to Echo Point Lookout, which is perched on the edge of the escarpment in the town of Katoombah, for lunch and then be taken to the train station for a 2-hour private train ride into Sydney Central Station where our Indian Pacific Journey will end.

The Scenic Skyride was like the Grouse Mountain gondola but about twice the size – it went from one cliff to another in the National Park. It was a bit scary hanging between the two points however the view was phenomenal! It was like going from one edge of the Grand Canyon to the other in about 5 minutes (although the edges of this Grand Canyon were closer).

Panoramic view I took from Skyride

Once we were off the Skyride, we moved to an area in the building where a guide met us, named Warren, who had set out Aboriginal information and he did a talk for us. It was fascinating! He is half aboriginal himself and has spent a lot of time learning about the aboriginal people of Australia. There are over 200 different nation groups around Australia all with different languages or dialects. What intrigued me the most though was the gift that his mother gave him when he was in his 20’s which was a red kangaroo hide with his family “tree” drawings on it in the aboriginal language. He held it up for us and explained how it shows his parents, uncles, aunts and then him and his wife and two daughters. It also shows his aboriginal name, which is mother gave him and what his strengths are. The other interesting thing is that this belongs to him and when he passes away, it will be buried with him – it is not something that his family keeps. They believe that when the person’s life ends, so does their journey on the hide and so it is buried with them too.

There were other things on the tables that we talked about also – from eucalyptus leaves which smelled wonderful when you rubbed them, to different things the aboriginal people create and or use like blades or spear heads out of rock, wooden implements or plants which are very similar to the indigenous people in British Columbia.

Next, after visiting the ladies room and seeing a sign that is all so common in tourist areas these days, we went downstairs to get on the Cableway which would take us down, DOWN to the valley floor. Holy smokes – it was a good thing I was sitting down as when the car launched forward it suddenly went down a huge DROP and I am NOT a roller coaster type person! My stomach was in my throat! My mother would NOT have liked this either!

Now at the bottom and feeling much better, there was a wonderful boardwalk which we walked along and our guide, Warren, talked about the different features of the cliffs above us and how the nations would traverse down them at certain times of the year. He also talked about the different plants that we saw such as umbrella ferns. The floor of the valley did contain a mine many years back and while it has now been closed off, the entrance and the furnace where they burned the fire which pulled the oxygen through the mining shafts was still evident.

Then we came upon the “Scenic Railway” which I thought Andrew and I had seen on a railway show already on TV so I was expecting this “steepest railway in the world” to be an actual train with an engine. Warren, the guide said he would walk me back to the Cableway so I could ride back up, however I know how much Andrew likes trains so I said I would go down the 12 stairs and get onto the train – thinking it was a TRAIN. Okay, now, in all honesty, this was NOT a train ride. It was a reverse rollercoaster in my opinion, and it was NOT fun. There were signs about adjusting your “ride” to be laidback, original or cliffhanger. Warren took my walker folded up in a bench two rows in front of us however I was a BIT concerned when I saw the “train car” arrive and it was already on a slope and we had to get in over the edge and sit on the bench – the one that had different positions. I have NO IDEA what position our bench originally was in, however I am suspecting it was a cliffhanger situation and the train took off before we could figure it out and upwards and forwards we flung! I felt sorry for the man in front of me as I fell forward against the bar that was above the seat and put my knees into his back! All I could do was hang on while we were at a 50 degree climb upwards back up to where the Cableway originally left from. Holy cow (and a few other choice words) that is something I did NOT need and then I had to climb 20 stairs to get up to the building! Oh joy, I love it when people are up front and tell me what to expect. I think this is going to take me a few days to recover from! It was fun but my heart – yikes!

Now on solid earth, we got back on the bus – which I have neglected to point out is a wheelchair accessible double-decker bus, and we were driven to the Echo Point Lookout where there are some lovely restaurants, where we then had lunch, courtesy of the Indian Pacific Railway. We then were able to walk around the Echo Point Lookout and take pictures (and go shopping) and eventually our red double decker bus came to pick us up again to ferry us through the town of Katoombah to the train station. Oh wait. There were 2 red double-decker busses there and there were people on our bus that did not belong! They had to get off first. Then a couple of blocks later, a man from our group realized he left his jacket and wallet at the restaurant, so we had to go back and rescue it before getting to the train station! Good thing the train was delayed getting to the station!

Panorama view from Echo Point:

The train ride into Sydney was really nice. The train was a double-decker for the most part and really clean. We were able to sit on the entrance level where there was accessible seating and it was a very comfortable ride! I of course made use of the time and made a desk out of my walker and did some blogging now that we have re-joined civilization and my internet now works!

Train we rode from Blue Mountains to Sydney

At the Central Station, we then caught a taxi to take us to the Pier One Hotel which is right under the Sydney Bridge. We had planned to stay at this hotel when we were coming in 2020 and I had booked it far enough in advance so that we were able to stay on points as it is a VERY expensive hotel! It is about a 10-15 minute walk to Circular Quay which is on the other side of the bridge and right in front of Circular Quay is the Overseas Cruise Terminal where we arrived on the Noordam!

We got checked in and they put the ramp out for me so I could get into the hotel and then they explained that the lift that normally is used to get up the 8 steps from the entrance into the hotel was out of service, so there was a different way I could enter the hotel from the other side of the pier, which we then used later that night. The service at this hotel was unbelievable. QUOTE. We were upgraded to a room with a Juliette balcony (I had booked a water view) which was wonderful as it was HOT in Sydney so being able to open the balcony door was really nice!

Andrew and I went down to the restaurant for dinner and as we had a fairly good lunch, we just had some appetizers instead. I had some octopus on potatoes with pesto which was awesome and Andrew had some shrimp toast and fries – which were also gluten free as they have a gluten free fryer in the kitchen! After dinner we went for a walk along the piers – one to stretch our legs and to try and get the pain in my hip sorted out and second, I had found a laundry service that was near the hotel called “Wash on the Rocks” which would do a bag or two of laundry for you! We wanted to see where it was located so we could drop off some laundry the next day!

We then retired for the night. I am really excited about tomorrow as we are going to meet my friend from Class Software in Manly Beach! Sarah and her husband moved to Australia in early 2000 as Sarah is part Australian by birth and they have had a family here. On top of that we get to take a ferry!

November 18, 2025 – Australia – Indian Pacific Train trip – Off train experience – Visit to Broken Hill

November 18, 2025November 24, 2025Lmnei

Ever felt like you were lying sideways in a blender and trying to sleep? That was us on the Indian Pacific Train last night! I have taken lots of train rides in my life – Via, Amtrak, English, French and Italian trains along with the Ghan in Australia however I have never felt like I was being heavily vibrated all night long! Even the staff on the train said that the travel to Broken Hill, our next stop, was a bit “rough” last night! Great! We had just gotten rid of our “sea” legs and now we had to get “train legs”!

I was up early – at about 5 am as I could not handle the rocking and rolling anymore – half concerned I was going to fall off the narrow twin bed and the other half was that my back was getting sore from the jostling. I decided to visit the “bar” car which was right next door! Well, on a moving train, using a walker to get from carriage to carriage is a bit of a challenge! I first had to figure out how to open the door! In the “folds” of the protective covering between the cars, there I found a green button which flipped open the doors – not inward to the car – but towards me, teetering on the platform between the two train cars with my walker collapsed! Try again – this time I put my walker in a different position so when the doors flung open I could propel myself forward – success! Lets just say I did not enter the bar/sitting area car that elegantly however I remained standing which is good! There was a train attendant already there and I think I shocked her with my abrupt entrance! She offered me some tea, however I had a can of my old standby with me – Coke Zero – so I consumed that instead. I then had some peace and quite, albeit a bit wobbly, to do some writing! Only issue – no internet! So this is coming to you later alligators!

After a while, Andrew met me and we went for Breakfast. While we were on the waiting list for breakfast a man named Henry was wearing a Canada sweat shirt, and as I was wearing my Canada ball cap – I asked him where he was from! Oh, he had bought this shirt when he was on the Via Rail train from Toronto to Vancouver a couple of years ago, as he had gotten cold and he just liked wearing it – he was from near New Orleans! I was not aware that the dining car sat people in 3’s or 4’s so eventually a table came up and the hostess sat Henry with Andrew and I for breakfast. I know this is going to be VERY hard to believe, however from the point that we met Henry until we said goodbye, I do not think I said more than 10 words, other than to order my breakfast! He talked NON STOP about everything under the sun, including the orange haired individual that is causing havoc in the USA right now. Very opinionated American man! He was traveling with his wife, however she was resting so he had gotten up early. They were on the train from Perth to Sydney and were not getting off in Broken Hill as his wife did not feel like taking a tour. I was surprised how well Henry was able to breathe in his breakfast while still talking to us! Luckily they needed our table, so Andrew and I proceeded to leave and Henry was still talking to Andrew and the hostess intervened with my walker and said that there are others waiting for the table! As we left she apologized for sitting us together however most people on the train, after the 3 days from Perth, will not sit with Henry for meals due to his verbal diarrhea!

Once we are off the train, we got on motor coaches and we were off on our selected off train experience which is “Silver City Highlights”. This is a description of the tour:

“Departing from Broken Hill Station, this tour takes guests on a scenic drive through the heart of Australia’s outback. As you journey to the Living Desert State Park, knowledgeable drivers share fascinating insights about the rich history and unique landscapes surrounding Broken Hill. Arriving at the park, guests will experience the famous Living Desert Sculptures, a collection of striking sandstone artworks set against the backdrop of the vast desert. While soaking in this captivating scene, enjoy the flavours of native teas and Wattleseed brew, adding a touch of local culture to the experience.
Next, the tour heads to the Sulphide St Railway & Historical Museum, where a guided tour reveals the town’s vibrant past. Explore exhibits showcasing Broken Hill’s mining heritage, early railways, and its role in shaping the region’s development.
The tour concludes with a visit to the iconic Line of Lode Miners Memorial. Perched on a hill overlooking the town, the memorial offers breathtaking panoramic views, a moving tribute to the miners who contributed to the town’s legacy.”

What an AWESOME tour this was! It was about a 45 minute bus ride through Broken Hill (aka Silver City due to the mining) to the Living Desert State Park where we saw some emu’s beside the road ranging free – those are some BIG birds! It is really cool to see them run in the outback with their tail feathers fluffing behind them – unfortunately I did not get a picture of it! Soon we arrived at the Living Desert State Park and got to walk around and look at the various sculptures that were there that had been carved by people around the world.

Stopping just outside of Broken Hill – Outback

Now at the Living Desert State Park, we parked beneath the Living Desert Sculptures which are 12 sandstone sculptures in the middle of the desert outside Broken Hill. They are located on a 1 km walking trail that is located on a hill named Sundown at the top of the park. On April 1, 1993, an artist named Lawrence Beck organized a sculpture symposium of artists from around the world to carve into giant sandstone blocks weighing more than 53 tonnes that had been shipped by local contractors from Broken Hill, at no cost, in from the Wilcannia region in Australia. Apparently, Broken Hill is home to many artists and is known for its paintings, but not sculptures. The actual carving of the sandstone was very difficult as the tools that the artists were provided were not strong enough. So more time and tools were needed and finally, six weeks later, the artists unveiled their creations, and now this site is one of the most photographed in the Australian outback. While we were there at about 11 am, I can see how the light at sunrise or sunset would affect how these sculptures would be viewed and the different moods they would portray. Here are some of the sculptures with the name, their artist and where they live!

“Facing the Day and the Night” Edwardo Nasta Luna – Mexico City, Mexico

Panorama view from the top of the sculpture hill towards Broken Hill town.

We then got back onto the bus and drove into Broken Hill and up the huge tailings pile left from the mining days, to the top to the museum to represent the miners of the area. It was a pretty powerful exhibit and area! Here are some of the pictures that Andrew and I took –

On top – Visitor Centre on left, Miners Memorial on the right

View from top of tailings pile near visitor centre –

I did not make it to the display honoring the Miners as I got stuck in the washroom (locked out) – here are Andrew’s pictures of what he saw –

Next we drove back into town to the Railway Museum – that was quite a display! It seemed to be a labour of love from the community based on what I saw – a bunch of retired people who volunteer and keep the Railway Museum going each day – including a 96 year old volunteer in the gift shop! The experience started with a skit put on by two of the volunteers and then we could take various tours of the trains and museum on display. Andrew and I split up at this point so he could go climb onto the early trains where I took the accessible tour thought the museums.

After that wonderful tour, we got back onto the bus and re-joined the Indian Pacific Train – first for lunch, then to spend the afternoon and then for evening dinner and an overnight right to our next stop – Blue Mountains! The food on the Indian Pacific Train was unbelievably good – especially from a gluten free perspective!

When we got back onto the train, we realized our lunch time on our dining card matched the time on the clock! We were not told very much about our dining card other than these were our dining times. We therefore went through to the dining car and were seated for lunch at 1 pm. We shared our table with a lovely mother and daughter who live just south of Brisbane, AU. The mum is not only a Celiac, but dairy free too! We got to share some gluten free buns for lunch and I had a wonderful swordfish filet for lunch with a delicious green curry risotto. I had maple ice cream for dessert!

Then it was back to our carriage and bedroom for some afternoon relaxation and further blending action from the tracks! I proceeded to almost complete the winding of the wool that I had bought on Kangaroo Island – the wool I bought at the Pike Place Market is still in jail in the suitcase somewhere in the baggage compartment of the train! I still do not know what I am going to make, however as I think I mentioned previously, I have enough for a short sleeved sweater and the wool is just heavenly to feel!

It was amazing how fast the time when by – we watched out our window and there was a road next to the train along with some pipes. Along that path we could see both kangaroos hopping and emu’s running – it was fascinating to see! When I took the Ghan with Karen we did not see all this wildlife! Also our Ghan trip was overnight – if I remember we boarded in the afternoon and ate dinner while traveling along the outback and then slept overnight and woke up in Alice Springs. Today we actually got to see some of Australia go by our cabin window!

Eventually 6 pm rolled along and we made our way through the bar/sitting car to the dining car. It was at this point in time I figured out the doors on the train! I did not have to push the darn green button beside the door, which was pretty awkward to do with a walker in front of you – instead the wait staff on the train pushed a button on the ground next to the door and the door opened! Now why did someone not mention that to me? You learn by observing sometimes!

For evening dinner we shared our table with a couple from outside of Sydney. They were pretty Australian like and the gentleman was very opinionated. He also was not impressed with how the train was bumping along! We had a great dinner again – I had some cauliflower soup, that was okay, some very moist chicken and then an “Eton Mess” which I first had in Ireland, as my dessert. I think this is the 3^rd time I have had an Eton Mess now and I really liked this one – the one in Ireland the meringue was a bit hard, the one on the Noordam was just too sweet and this one was really perfect – a mix between soft meringue, fruit, whip cream and some custard. Not overly sweet – just perfect!

Back in our bedroom for the night, I was NOT looking forward to being rocked to sleep again tonight however what was one to do? Andrew looked pretty comfortable in his cocoon bed so off to sleep I went! I rocked away for about 3 hours and then a miracle happened – we had to wait for another train! Silence and stillness at 3 am! From then on I finally got some sleep!

Tomorrow we will be exploring the Blue Mountains which are a couple of hours outside of Sydney.

November 17, 2025 – Australia – Flight to Adelaide, Check-in to Indian Pacific Railway, Seppeltsfield Winery dinner and back to the train!

November 17, 2025November 22, 2025Lmnei

We were off in good time to get to the Melbourne Airport – this time we took the tollway and it was much faster! I do not mind driving surface streets if it is at night like when we arrived at 10 pm however when it was going to take double the time to drive to the airport on the surface streets vs. the tollway, the tollway was the way to go! The rental car company only adds a dollar to the toll, so that is not a bad expense to save that much time. Pretty smooth drive to the airport and we got the car filled up with petrol and returned with no issue.

Moving to check-in – for the domestic airlines in Australia they are REALLY big on self check bagging which is getting more popular in Canada. However if you have a mobility device to check in like a walker, it does not allow you to get your baggage tags! Andrew could get his baggage tag but not me. That requires an agent intervention. Also they weigh EVERYTHING here! They asked how much my walker weighed and I guessed (a pure random guess) 8 kg and she went and weighed it and guess what? It was 8 kg! Good to know! So it got is baggage tag along with my luggage and then the dreaded putting it onto the luggage belt happened. On the luggage belt, which you are supposed to do yourself, it is weight and sized. If it is not correct it is rejected. Our first suitcase was rejected for some unknown reason – however I knew it was the right size and weight – it said it was only 9 kg and I knew it was about 20 kg. We tried again as the agent came back with my walker and magic! It worked! Technician proximity syndrome rules again! The rest of our luggage was onto the belt and whisked away just fine.

Andrew, not sure what planet he was on or if he had not had enough caffeine, returned our baggage cart with my roll aboard suitcase which normally contains my medical stuff, however this time, as we were getting on a train had our clothes for 2 days, and left it on the cart! Another passenger saw it sitting on the returned baggage cart and came and got Andrew to mention that he might want the bag. Oh the trials and tribulations of traveling! Now we are set, bags checked, need to go through security! Security here in Australia is great! They have the more advanced bin system like YVR is putting in where there are 4-5 stations where people line up to put their things in bins and the bins are fed under the table so there is no waiting for them. Also, as I think I already mentioned – there are no walk through scanners or body scanners where you have to hold your arms up – you just stand sideways with your arms crooked and your feet apart between to wide walls and they can tell if you are carrying anything or not. As I carry a battery pack for my phone and laptop, in Australia, it needs to carried on you so I carry it in my purse as it always needs to be inspected after going through the scanner. Overall – very fast process and no laptops or other electronic devices need to come out of bags which is also awesome! Less crowding at the security lines!

I did neglect to mention that we did have a LITTLE issue with seating on this flight. Originally we were assigned seats 15A and B however the computer reassigned us to 27A and 27B as I cannot sit in an exit row due to having a declared disability (using a walker). That is an issue as in Australia rows 16 and higher board from the back of the plane and I was NOT going to climb those stairs! They did find seats for us more forward in the plane which was great – however I was a bit concerned when I first saw our boarding passes!

We arrived at the Adelaide Airport with no issues and picked up our luggage (as we had been her only 5 days prior) so we knew where we were going. It is not a large airport! We had passed the Taxi Stand when picking up our rental car the first time through so this time we just went to the Taxi Stand and got a taxi to take us to the Parklands Train Station in Adelaide to catch the Indian Pacific Train. The instructions for the train were not very specific – I knew that it left at about 10 pm at night, and that they were serving dinner at the train station prior to that, and it was recommended that we check in about 3 hours in advance. It was now about 3 pm so I figured we were pretty early, as when we drove up in the taxi there was no one to be seen such as the counter pictured below! Sure enough though inside the station there were people at the check-in counters more than happy to help us! We got our luggage checked in to Sydney and then the roll aboard checked in which was going to be placed in our train bedroom. We kept our knapsacks with us as at that point they contained my electronics and medication.

We sat in the lovely waiting area at the train station and eventually a really nice lady named Meg came and joined us – she works for Journey Beyond who runs the various Australian trains – The Ghan (which I have taken to Alice Springs with Karen however it runs Adelaide to Darwin and back), The Indian Pacific (Perth – Sydney and back), The Great Southern (Adelaide to Brisbane and back) and the Overland which is a day train from Adelaide to Melbourne and back. Today, Meg was making sure we had all the pertinent information that we needed for the evening and she also checked in with regards to my dietary needs. We found out that we were actually taking a bus to a winery that was about an hour away for dinner and dancing and then would be returned, with the other train passengers who had gotten off the Indian Pacific at a stop a bit earlier and gotten on similar busses, at the Adelaide station at about 10:30 pm to start our journey to Sydney.

Just before 5 pm the bus driver came and got Andrew and I so that I could get on the bus and he could stow my walker. There was another lady who also used a walker, younger than me, who also was helped onto the bus by her husband. We ended up sitting with them at dinner time. The drive to the winery was lovely – my pictures did not work out though that I took through the bus windows – they are all blurry! The one thing that I did learn was they have two different kinds of wines vines in Australia – they have the vines that go on trellises like we see in North America and then they have “bush” vines which are much older and have come from Germany. Both are hand picked, however the bush variety are harder to harvest and are much more expensive a wine.

At the winery we were lead into another shed – so Aussie – and a beautiful display of the wines that the Seppeltsfield Winery produces. I was also really glad to see they had a unique vintage on hand called Coke Zero too for those who do not drink wine! Andrew was very happy with the wine selection that came with both dinner and the after dinner port! Shortly after arriving, we were seated – first all the people who were on the train were seated in their sections based on the train – there is Platinum, Gold Premium and Gold accommodation. Then there was the table for the “joiners” as we were called – the 18 people, including Andrew and I that got on in Adelaide who were on a separate bus.

The food was exquisite – I have no other words to say – I cannot comment on the “shared platter” food as I was fed my own plate due to the possibility of cross contamination with gluten, however my pesto chicken was moist and tasty – such an excellent job at cooking it for a banquet situation of about 200 people! The “shared platter” food was a selection of roasted beet root, eye fillet beef, marinated chicken with basil/pesto and crispy chicken skin, along with a bowl of potatoes and carrots. The chef then came up on the bandstand and talked about the history of the winery and the food preparation and how it is all locally sourced. Then he talked about the dessert, which were brownies and some other assorted items, however the port that the winery makes was included in the brownies. Now I cannot report in on the brownies, I had a wonderful GF ice cream, fruit and chocolate shavings desert, however Andrew had both the port (mine and his) and the brownie and he did say they were very good! I think really good as check out that last picture! He had no issues falling asleep that night!

The winery then did a demonstration of how they “burn” the cask to age the port to enhance the flavour. The layer of burnt wood acts as a filter stripping away unwanted flavours from the spirit as it ages and mellows any rough edges. As char, it also gives breaking down hemicellulose in the wood surface to form disolvable sugars that create caramel, toffee, nutty and maple flavours. Unfortunately as I was seated, along with the lady beside me, I could not see the demonstration, however Andrew got a picture of it afterwards! They used a flame from a propane tank to do the job.

Then the band started playing and the fiddler who was part of the band came down onto the dance floor and lead the dancers around the dining room as she played along – it was a really fun thing to watch! Along with having to use the loo, which was located outside, I also took a walk at that point across a little bridge to stretch my legs in the still warm air of the evening. On my way back the chef was standing outside in his white jacket, so I thanked him so much for my awesome gluten free meal and that it is so comforting to be able to come to an event like this in Australia and be fed (along with bread), which is a luxury that we often do not get without extra work or advance planning in Canada. He appreciated the feedback!

Soon after I returned from my walk outside, we were lead back to our respective busses for the 45 minute drive back to the train station – this time it would be shorter as we were not going to be in Adelaide rush hour traffic! We quickly boarded the train, met our train attendant named Lily, and got settled into our bedroom! I have more pictures tomorrow of our compartment, tonight it was fairly dark so the only picture I got were from the outside and a very happy train sleeper – not for long though!

Tomorrow, after breakfast, the train stops in Broken Hill, which is a fairly important town in the history of Australia and it’s mining industry – more on that tomorrow!

November 16, 2025 – Australia – Melbourne – Victoria Market shopping, St. Kilda and Brighton Beach visits and Beach Houses!

November 16, 2025November 22, 2025Lmnei

It is Sunday! A great day for a drive! We are going to go to Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market and then to visit some beaches to see some VERY expensive property! Let’s go! First, navigating to the CBD of Melbourne with Andrew driving – quite a task! We made it to the CBD however soon we realized that we had to go right, and as I mentioned yesterday, we ran into a hook turn! I was SO GLAD I had learned about them! Here is how Google describes them –

“A hook turn in Melbourne is a right-hand turn made from the far-left lane at designated intersections, which are common in the city’s CBD where trams operate. This maneuver allows cars to turn right without blocking tram lanes by first moving into the intersection from the left, stopping in a designated area on the far side, and then completing the turn when the light for the road they are entering turns green.”

Do you want to see a video about it? Check this out: https://youtu.be/813AJZdX5HY

We were successful on our first try! Yahoo! Soon we arrived at the parking area for Queen Victoria Market where I saw some Accessible parking signs along with some metre spots. We saw an empty accessible spot and I checked Google (my friend) and sure enough, if you have your placard, you get to park for free for the time listed – in this case 2 hours! Bonus! Now, let us go shopping!

The SHED (that is an Aussie term for a tin roofed building) that the Queen Victoria Market is under is HUGE and is very well organized! As we walked in from the parking area, there were lots of Aisles with letters and each store was listed with a number on a chart – so they were pretty permanent stalls in the market. Starting with A and up to about G – those were all merchandise stalls. Then came the produce and those kinds of stalls in the aisles after that. Across the lane was a building, where we ended up for some food – which had a food fair, and it also shared space in that shed with the seafood and meat part of the market. The Market runs 5 days a week – not on Mondays or Wednesdays which I found interesting!

When walking the Aisles and trying NOT to buy anything, I ran into a Syrian store with a very nice gentleman from Aleppo, which is a city in Syria. I surprised him with the two Arabic words that I know – hello and thank-you and he was QUITE the sales man – basically sucking up to Andrew to get me to purchase things! He even offered Andrew a chair to sit in while I shopped! I did get a couple of items from his store – that was about all that I got at the Queen Victoria Markets. I was good!

We eventually went across the lane to the food fair and I was pretty excited to find some Singapore Noodles, which are made with rice noodles, curry, scrambled eggs, chicken and shrimp that could be made gluten free! Andrew and I shared the dish before going back to the car and driving out to the beaches we wanted to see!

Now, back in the car, we are driving to St. Kilda Beach – which is a pretty well known beach south of Melbourne. Along the way we saw some really nice wrought iron on buildings and some art deco buildings. Eventually we arrived at the St. Kilda Beach! We drove past the Marina, the pier and then past the salt water Bath House! Eventually we made it to a park where there was a beach we could get out and look around – it was beautiful – waves crashing in on such a pristine beach!

Then we continued driving to some of the most expensive real estate in the Melbourne area based on square footage – no, these are not houses on the street – these are the famous beach houses of Brighton Beach! Some of these beach houses which have no electricity or plumbing sell for upwards of a million dollars! Most are passed down in families for use during the summer beach days. Formally called “Bathing Boxes” most were built between 1907 and 1933 with a total of 93 bathing boxes on the beach today. As you can see they are painted very unique colours representing patriotism or family heritage. Right now, other than a place to change your clothes for the beach, they are primarily used to store beach equipment and for gatherings of family and friends. I must admit the beach in front of them was not that large – so it must be quite crowded during the full summer months!

However the beach for me was a trove of sea treasurers – shells! I have acquired an assortment of them that I hope will make their way home in one piece! First, here are the pictures of the Beach House and Lifeguard Station and the path down to the beach which we traveled. It was a nice walk however Andrew did mumble something about seeing an elevator – however I thought that was strange as they had a path so we proceeded down the path! Soon we found ourselves at the bottom in front of the Lifeguard station where they were hosing down their equipment (and the picture I took the guy is hosing down his legs) from the beach and putting it away for the night. It was only about 4 pm however I guess they close up shop early! We then proceeded onto the beach to view the bathing boxes!

Brighton Beach House & Lifeguard Station

Here is a wonderful view of the bathing boxes along the beach with Andrew the subject of the picture! See what I mean about the beach not being very long in front of the boxes! I was able to walk along the part of the sand where the waves were coming in as it was fairly solid for a fair ways to view the boxes and also the shells at my feet!

We then drove back to the hotel, which was not that far away. St. Kilda and Brighton Beach are suburbs of Melbourne, just like Richmond, so it was actually a fairly short drive back to Richmond, where we were staying. Next to our hotel is the Yarra River, which runs through Melbourne, this is a picture of it and the park that surrounds it.

Now it is time to pack as tomorrow is a BIG day – we are flying back to Adelaide in order to join the Indian Pacific Train as it travels from Perth to Sydney. You can get on in Perth and travel all the way to Sydney, however due to the high cost of this train, I thought that the 2 night, 3 day experience from Adelaide would be awesome for Andrew’s introduction to Australian Luxury trains! Now, to pack…and ensure our luggage is under 23 kg! More tomorrow!