The Feral Ramblings

Introduction: 
First a word of explanation. I wrote these as "Postcards" to send daily to the Guesbook while I was in hospital. They were not from a genuine holiday and some of it is pure invention. I'll leave that for you to decide which bits. Much of the description came from different holidays I've taken or those of my friends.

New Zealand is definitely not a Day trip from Australia.

Joh and Flo are Garden Gnomes, the Aussie version of Arthur and Guinevere.

The entry for Friday 11th October was the first time I used Feral Rambler as a nick after David Hannah, who became a good friend, complained about the feral ramblings on the Guesbook. He didn't know what he started LOL!!!

Elaine (Feral Rambler or ^FR^)

Day 1: Dear Corrie friends: Today I started the first day of the rest of my life. Off to see the world. Naturally I'll be sending you regular postcards to keep in touch. My holiday of a lifetime began at the Big Pineapple tourist attraction just north of Brisbane. All the tourist coaches stop there. It has a giant pineapple that you can climb, a little train that takes you through the pineapple plantation and the animal nursery. I just HAD to ride on the nut-mobile to the macadmia nut plantation. Charles and Di rode in the caravan of nut shaped carriages and now it's SSOOOO fashionable! GOT MYSELF a HUGE Macadamia Nut Sundae with Caramel Sauce and for Joh and Flo, a very tasteful musical ceramic pineapple that plays "Yes we have no bananas". Wish you were here.

Elaine
Brisbane, - Monday, October 07, 1996 at 08:41:13 (EDT)

Day 2: Dear Corrie friends: Today I visited Rockhampton which is the beef capital of Queensland. (Note to myself - write to Fred Elliot). In honour of their source of wealth, the city fathers have erected a larger than life statue of a bull on every main highway in and out of town. These bulls are of various breeds and are accurately portrayed in their full anatomical glory. But, unfortunately, one of them is directly outside the local university, and it has become a point of pride for every red blooded student to capture a memento. The city fathers are tired of replacing the lost parts and have attatched them by chain. Except for the one outside the university. It remains emasculated. GOT MYSELF a souvenier nut cracker, and for Joh and Flo, a very tasteful tiny plastic plaque of bull horns to hang on the fence behind them. Wish you were here.

Elaine
Brisbane, Q Australia - Tuesday, October 08, 1996 at 13:57:34 (EDT))

Day 3: Dear Corrie friends: Today I went on a wonderful half day walking tour of the backstreets of Darwin. The tour guide was none other than R Jamie. The leaflet had said that lunch was included but we had to beg for money and fix bicycle tire flats to prove ourselves worthy. Me, I pulled a Joyce, showed a little leg to an elderly, potbellied, bespectacled fella and had a lovely 4 course meal. (This has given me a few ideas about how to finance the rest of the trip!). GOT MYSELF a new friend and Joh and Flo can get their own. Wish you were here.

Elaine (N/A)
Darwin, Australia - Wednesday, October 09, 1996 at 10:15:46 (EDT)

Day 4: Dear Corrie Friends: Here I am in the Northern Territory, sometimes called the Never Never. The ad says "You'll never never know if you never never go." So I went. First stop was Alice Springs where I was just in time for the Henley-on-Todd Regatta. It is held annually on the Todd River. "So what?" I hear you say. The Todd River is dry, it's a river of sand. All the boats are of the step in and hold them up variety, and the crews run like the blazes carrying their boats. The one I liked was where they lay tracks on the sand and you have to row a bathtub along the tracks by "rowing" in the sand with an oar. That was a scream! Disaster almost struck this year when it RAINED! The regatta could have been flooded out! Luckily it wasn't and it was great fun. I bought an Alice Springs teaspoon for my Mother's teaspoon collection, and a badge for R Andrew. Wish you were here.

Elaine (You can't reach me here!)
Alice Springs, - Thursday, October 10, 1996 at 08:14:22 (EDT)

Day 5: Dear Corrie Friends: Hello from the Red Centre! It's called the Red Centre of Australia because it's red. When you fly over it and look down that is all you see for hours and hours. A bit south and a bit west of Alice Springs is Ayres Rock, THE place to visit in Australia. Its Aboriginal name is Uluru but whatever it is called it is awesome! Naturally I had to climb it. In my dreams. It is a climb only for the very fit. At dusk I took my place with the other busloads of tourists at the designated photo spot, and took my photos of this magnificent rock in its isolated splendour as the sun went down. The colours changes are unbelievable and as a hundred cameras clicked and whirred, I remembered my favourite verse..... I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges, Of drought and flooding rains, I love her far horizons, I love her jewel seas, her beauty and her terror, A wide brown land for me. Then it was back to the tourist shop for emu steaks and GOT MYSELF a souvenir Ayres Rock in a snowstorm. Wish you were here.

Elaine (The Feral Rambler)
Australia - Friday, October 11, 1996 at 10:42:11 (EDT)

Day 6: Dear Corrie Friends: Next stop Adelaide, City of Churches. It's a beautiful city of parks and stone architecture but my destination was the Adelaide Oval, the prettiest cricket ground in the world. After countless summers of seeing it on TV, I had to see for myself famous old scoreboard and gracious stand immortalised on our stamps so many years ago. GOT MYSELF a batsman at the stumps in a snowstorm, and for Joh and Flo, a miniature cricket bat signed by all the captains of the Australian Cricket teams back to Bon Bradman. Wish you were here.

Elaine (On the road again)
Adelaide, - Saturday, October 12, 1996 at 09:35:46 (EDT)

Day 7: Dear Corrie Friends: Today I just HAD to do a bus tour of the vinyards and winerys of the Barossa Valley. Not that I'm much of a drinker myshelf. The people here a so welcoming. Everywhere we stopped we were offered free shamples of the wines of that winery. I noticed that some of my group weren't really wine drinkers. They were actually spitting the wine out! I bought sheveral bottles of a rather pleasant Cabernet Sauvignon for Paul, and I think I'm going to shleep quite well tonigh.......

Elaine (Outta touch)
Toronto isn't even on my itinerary, - Sunday, October 13, 1996 at 09:11:13 (EDT)

Day 8: Dear Corrie Friends: Here I am in Melbourne, the beautiful capital city of the State of Victoria, where the seasons really are seasons (and you can experience them all in one day), and the buildings reflect the wealth of the early gold rush days. I've just been to visit the Old Melbourne Gaol. What a gloomy place. Perfect for R Steve I would think. I saw the old flogging triangle and the gallows where they hung Ned Kelly, our most famous bushranger who made himself a suit of armour and thought he was invincible. His final words were "Ah well, such is life." After that I took a ride on the "Puffing Billy" steam train up into the Dandenong Mountains. Every year they have a race, runners vs the train, and this time the runners would have won easily. Puffing Billy ran out of Puff! GOT MYSELF a Puffing Billy in a snowstorm for my growing collection. Wish you were here.

Elaine (Living on the edge)
Melbourne, - Monday, October 14, 1996 at 08:23:59 (EDT)

Day 9: Dear Corrie Friends: I'm still in Victoria. I've been to see the penguins at Phillip Island. As Pa Larkin would say, "Perfick"! After a lovely drive along some rugged cliffs we were at Phillip Island in time for a picnic lunch. A group of us walked down to see the seals basking on the rocks. After a bit of a snooze it was time to make our way to the penguin viewing area where the guide told us all the facts about these tiny penguins. For a long time nothing happened then just as our eyes were straining to see just after sunset, the water started to surge as in ones and twos and then in scores the little penguins surfed the waves on to the beach, and then stood up and waddled up the dunes to their nests, full of food for their babies. What a hush there was. No-one wanted to startle them. It was all over too soon and we all headed home. GOTTA very tasteful stone fairy penguin garden ornament for Joh and Flo. Wish you were here.

Elaine (Not here)
Victoria, Australia - Tuesday, October 15, 1996 at 09:23:28 (EDT)

Day 10: Dear Corrie friends: Today I'm in Wagga Wagga which some of you might not know, is the home of the world's only House of Curlers. They've accumulated the actual rollers from the likes of Phyllis and Vera. Of course, the center piece of the museum, is Hilda's set complete with kerchief. GOT MYSELF a gold trimmed Ena Sharples hair net to wear on special occasions. Wish you were here.

Elaine (Elaine@Feral.one)
Wagga Wagga, - Wednesday, October 16, 1996 at 08:05:46 (EDT)

Day 11: Dear Corrie Friends: I'm back up north today in Cairns, tropical paradise of the north and playground of the rich and famous. I had to ride on the the Skytrain. It is a Ski-lift that travels from the bottom of the Mountains over the Canopy of the Rainforests. The scenery is out of this world....beautiful cascading waterfalls, (well it is a Rainforest), butterflies (mainly large VIVID blue) in abundance....birds of all varieties singing their own individual songs and there is an over head walk that you can use half way up (or down whichever way you travel). The journey ends at a place called Kuranda (a very commercialized village) but beautiful. Just before you get to the Airport there is a long walkway out into the Mangroves about 1 metre above the mudflats....with lots of sea type creatures....crabs....mud fish that actually walk in the mud....well sort of slither. One of the guys fell in! This was 1 hr prior to getting on the return plane..he was cleaned up as best could be. But he got a couple of peculiar looks from the Boarding staff. GOT MYSELF a parrot mobile, 2 feet across that flaps its wings when you pull a string. Wish you were here.

Elaine (Having a great time)
Cairns, - Thursday, October 17, 1996 at 08:03:50 (EDT)

Day 12: Dear Corrie Friends: I couldn't leave Cairns without a visit to the Great Barrier Reef so I took the launch out to Green Island. The trip took quite a while so I was glad of my quick acting anti-seasick pill. Well I know it would only make you jealous if I described the deep amazing blue of the water, the sparkling white sandy sandy beach fringed with palm trees and the cloudless blue sky, so I won't. People were snorkling, and sunbathing or sipping cooling drinks under the palms, but I boarded the glass bottom boat and a did gentle tour across the shallow reefs of coral and the brightly coloured fish skimming in and out. Beats my screensaver any day. Back on the Island I GOT MYSELF a hat woven from palm leaves and a t-shirt, riotously printed with tropical fish. I considered abandoning the rest of my holiday and staying right there but I could not disappoint my Corrie friends, so tingling just a little with sunburn, I headed back to the mainland and the rest of my journey. Wish you were here.

Elaine
Sunny Cairns, - Friday, October 18, 1996 at 08:06:21 (EDT)

Day 13: Dear Corrie Friends: Today I day tripped to New Zealand and visited the Waitomo caves to see the stalactites and the glowworms (which you do gliding on an underground river in a boat, in the dark, in silence, because speaking makes the worms switch their lights off). Included with the day tour is the Hot Water Beach on the Coromandel Peninsula where you dig yourself a hole in the sand and it fills with a hot spring, where you can bathe. After that, I took off in a floatplane from Lake Rotorua to fly up over Mt Tarawera. The mountain split open in 1886 with a huge eruption that killed umpteen people, and the crater still looks quite interesting today. Later, I visited a large apple tree in Hastings which has 127 varieties grafted onto it. It bears them all and makes quite a sight in late summer. GOT MYSELF a bedside lamp with a big model glowworm at the top with a light in its bottom worked by a switch. The plaque base reads: "I wish I were a glowworm, A glowworm's never glum, How could you be unhappy, When the sun shines out your bum?". Wish you were here.

Elaine
New Zealand - Saturday, October 19, 1996 at 08:33:40 (EDT)

Day 14: Dear Corrie Friends: Today, another day trip, where I visited Dootown in Tasmania. Dootown is a small holiday cabin village where Hobart people have "baches" as they call them in New Zealand. In Dootown everything is called Doo. The houses have nameplates saying Doomee, Doous, Thistledoo, Doonuthin, etc. There's no shop, so the only souvenirs that I GOT MYSELF were photos of the name plates. Wish you were here.

Elaine (Dooin' the sites)
Dootown, - Sunday, October 20, 1996 at 07:50:34 (EDT)

Day 15: Dear Corrie Friends: This morning, I received a call from the Queensland police. It seems that in my absence, Joh and Flo have been misbehaving - something to do with pumpkin scones. The neighbours have complained that the shrieking can be heard for miles and that there are crumbs in all the gutters. I popped home to properly chastise them and found that Paul was missing me, my kitchen cupboards need re-alphabetizing, the allamanda is in bloom ..... I'm going to have to keep a close eye on things here for a little while so I have postponed the rest of my trip. GOT MYSELF a warm and fuzzy feeling. GLAD TO BE HOME. p.s. I have arranged for a U-Haul truck to bring home the souvenirs - wait until I tell Paul that we need a bigger house!

Elaine (Home at last!)
Brisbane, Australia - Monday, October 21, 1996 at 08:17:49 (EDT)