Mon Repos Turtle Rookery

Friday night we did what is possibly the coolest thing ever. After Matt got off work we hopped in the car and headed down the coast toward Bundaberg. This is the farthest south we have driven down the coast to date. We were pleased to see how green and lush everything is now compared to when we made this trek a few months ago before the rains. The purpose of our trip was to go to the largest Loggerhead Turtle nesting site in the world. From November to February the turtles arrive here to lay their eggs and 8 weeks later those eggs hatch and tonight we were hoping to see some turtle hatchlings.

We arrived at the conservation center just before the doors opened at 7pm. The center is dedicated to protecting the turtles, understanding more about the life cycle of the turtles and educating the public on this unique and threatened species. The center itself has numerous displays on the knowledge their scientists have accumulated over the years and runs videos to educate visitors on the history of turtles and people's affect on them. After checking in, reading the displays, and watching the videos all we could do was wait to be advised if there was "any action" on the beach.

At about 8:15 a volunteer came up and said they were ready for the first group (that was us) to head down to the beach. After receiving a few instructions we were led down a dark but paved path to the beach to the site were a clutch was hatching. Once we arrived to the beach, all torches (flashlights) were turned off and we made our way down the sand to the nearest dune. We made a circle around the nest as a volunteer lit the nest and we watched and waited. It only took a few minutes and we could see a disturbance in the sand. The next thing we knew tiny little turtles were emerging from the sand making their way onto the beach. Turtles smaller than the palm of your hand were digging their way up to the surface so they could head toward the water. It was at this point one of the volunteers would collect them into a holding pen until they all had emerged. They were expecting half a clutch to come out, approximately 60 turtles.

It took maybe 20 minutes for them all to surface. It was then that one of the volunteers allowed us to hold and photograph a few unlucky creatures. The sex of the turtles is dependent upon temperature. So although they couldn't tell us the exact sex of the turtles, they knew that this beach produces mostly females. The turtle that Matt had the honour of holding was a bit cheeky and she bit him (I just figured she wasn't stupid). Since only 1 in 1000 of these turtles will survive into adulthood, she'll probably be the one! The turtles were surprisingly soft to touch.

After we were allowed our photo opportunity, we all lined up down the beach to the water. We stood with our legs apart and shining our torches at the person in front of us' feet, forming a lighted tunnel to the water. It was then that they opened the pen and the turtles began their arduous adventure to the open seas. Our job was to assure they all made it to the water following our lights. This is a critical stage in their life because it is during this stage that the turtles are "imprinted" with the information of the earth's magnetic fields that they need to return to this beach 30 years from now and lay their eggs. Matt had the privilege of being the last in line and had them crawling over his feet as they tumbled into the water.

Once the turtles make it into the water they begin their 3 day journey swimming to the south pacific current. Once they hit this current they can kick back relax and ride the current and concentrate on more important things such as eating and staying alive!

Trivia Night

Tuesday night we joined some friends from work and headed to the Heritage hotel (bar) to play trivia.  For those of you who have never been to a trivia night, people form teams and write the answers to verbal questions, usually in a few rounds.  The winner usually gets a bar tab for a prize.  It is a good excuse for a pint or two and to hang out with your friends.  Our team consisted of a few Aussies from the local Uni, 2 pommies (Brits) I work with and an Australian who has been living in Canada, we were quite a multinational team.  Liverpool kids was our chosen name after Paul's hometown.  We started off hot in the first round, due almost entirely to Laura who has a knack for identifying TV shows based on a few bars of the theme song.  We all contributed in the rest of the rounds and we came from behind going into the last round to win at the end.  We won a $100 bar tab, but as we had already had plenty of the amber nectar for one night we decided to keep it for next week.  

2x

Tuesday was my last official day on the track. I started the day off with a bang and went for the AM road ride at 5.  It was still dark when we started riding and really didn't lighten up enough to turn off the lights for another 15 minutes.  The ride is called the angle and is a big triangle.  After we took the last turn we started a pace line and the speed really turned up.  I am happy to say I was one of only 3 other guys who were consistantly able to put down the hammer at the front, the other 10 guys rotated in from time to time.  I think that the track training gave me some speed in the legs as well as some stamina.  The first time I did this ride after 1 month off the bike, I was dropped half way home on the last leg.

So, not having had enough pain for one day, I went to the track in the afternoon.  It turned out to be the last practice of the year.  It had some fun riding up and down the banks and savoring being out on the track for the last time.  By the end of the session my lags were completely dead.  But that was expected.  At least I will not have to keep swapping my pedals from bike to bike anymore.

108

Well today I finally made myself get up at 5AM on a weekend and go for a bike ride.  I am sore and tired now, but happy I finally did it.  We rode out from Rocky prior to the sun rise and were out at the beaches in the early hours of the morning.  My odometer said 108.5 Km when I returned home.  Not bad seeing as I  have not had a ride over 60Km since arriving in Australia.  We stopped at a bakery in Yeppoon a little over the half way point for a little rest and refuel.  I choose an apple pie and a bottle of chocolate milk.  My quads were burning on the return to town, but I couldn't slow up to warm down. I was climbing the last hill 500 meters from my house and was riding next Chaddy (Rock Racing's Glen Chadwick), his cool down was a bit quicker than mine. 

Skipping back to Saturday night, I had a track race.  We had a nice warm up and just as we were beginning our race it started sprinkling.  By five laps into the race the track was too slick and they called the event.  Turnout has been dwindling so it may have been the last race of the year.  Road season is due to start in April.

Sydney: Day 5

Tuesday was our last day in Sydney. We had a 5pm flight, so we had plenty of time to catch a few sights before we headed home. So we headed to the Chinese Garden of Friendship in Darling Harbour. These gardens were designed by architects in Guangzhou, China, which is Sydney's sister city. In the Dragon Wall (see picture), one dragon signifies Guangdong province; and the other, New South Wales. There is a pearl in the center that symbolizes prosperity. Complete with waterfalls, a lake, and pavilions, this garden proved to be a bit of peace in a busy tourist area of the city.

We met a friend of mine from high school, Scott, who now resides in Wollongong (just south of Sydney) for a boozy lunch at the only microbrewery in Sydney, the Lord Nelson. On his recommendation, I tried the fish and chips and Matt, the pie floater. The floater is a meat pie sitting on a bed of mashed potatoes topped with pureed green peas swimming in gravy. A truly Ozzie dish!

After spending a few hours eating, drinking and comparing all things Ozzie an American might find odd, we parted ways. Scott went back to work and we headed back to our hotel to pick up our bags via the Royal Botanic Gardens. The Gardens sit on the harbour's edge on Farm Cove and their motto is "Please walk on the grass. We also invite you to smell the roses, hug the trees, talk to the birds and picnic on the lawns." So we took a meandering path around the water's edge enjoying the gardens and getting one last look at the Opera House and Harbour Bridge before heading home.

Sydney: Day 4

Today we journeyed to the Blue Mountains. The mountains are located approximately 2 hours (by train) east of Sydney. They get their name from light reflecting on the oil that is released from the eucalyptus trees that primarily make up the forest. The mountains form a canyon with a tree-filled valley. We took the train to Katoomba and arrived to some chilly weather. So, our first stop was to get some hot soup for lunch and put on the extra clothes that we brought with us for the higher elevation.

Re-fueled and warmer we headed out to the 2K walk that led to the canyon rim. Once we arrived there we took a short path down to the rim trail where we could get a better appreciation for the canyon. We spent the afternoon hiking along the trail toward the next town over, Leura, where we would catch our train home. One of the most famous features of the canyon, Three Sisters, was on our way. Aboriginal legend holds that these sister were turned to stone by their witch-doctor father to protect them from an evil bunyip (which Ronnie, the trainer who I work with, describes equivalent to our Big Foot, but with fewer sightings).

We continued on passing numerous waterfalls and cascades that you could see from various viewpoints along the way. Just the breadth and depth of the canyon was beautiful in itself. It reminded us of our own Grand Canyon but filled with trees. As we got closer to Leura, the gentle rain started, which then turned less gentle rain and more full on downpour. Needless to say we decided to head for town.

Fortunately, we weren't that far from Leura at this point and since the towns were pretty small there weren't too many roads to get lost on, so we followed the traffic which took us to the town center. Matt checked the train schedule and discovered we had about an hour to kill, so we found a coffee shop to get something to warm us and wait.

While Katoomba is described as being more bohemian, Leura is more stylish in a Victorian sort of way. The town center is lined with posh restaurants and stores enticing to the tourist, especially on a rainy day. The first coffee shop we found had seating in the rear that overlooked the mountains. A perfect spot to spend some time. We opted for hot cocoas (I have forgotten to mention all of the hot cocoas here are served with large marshmallows, yum!) Matt couldn't resist a snack of apple rhubarb cobbler with raspberry sauce and cream. It disappeared so quickly that it was the first time we have ever considered ordering seconds on a dessert! Although later that night at dinner, back in Sydney's Surry Hills district, we almost had a second serving of panna cotta, which Matt had been craving all week.

Sydney: Day 3

Today we were late risers due to the festivities of the night before. So, once we were up we decided to head to the Sydney Fish Market for lunch. It looked to be not too far from the map and it was overcast, so we headed over on foot. We didn't count for the humidity and by the time we got there we were a bit warm. Anyways, once we arrived we entered the market that was swarming with people. Since it was Sunday, the trading side was closed, but unless you have special permission a tourist can't enter there anyways. The market not only housed a number of seafood retailers and restaurants, but a bakery, a cheese shop and a wine store as well. Due to the numbers and the types of seafood, it is said that this is the most diverse fish market after Tokyo. We perused the different vendors and came up with a game plan: I would get the fish fillet grilled and some chips (french fries) and Matt would get the sashimi and oysters (famous Sydney Harbour Rock Oysters). Whomever was done first would get the wine! Thirty minutes later we had a picnic on the water. Everything tasted delicious...if we were living in Sydney we would be eating here every weekend!

With full and happy bellies, we headed to our destination for the day: Manly Beach. To get to Manly you have to take a ferry which is also a great way to see Sydney Harbour. The ferry terminal was across town, so we passed through Darling Harbour on our way there. Sydney's Chinese New Year celebration was still going on and today's featured event was the dragon boat races in the harbour. We took the pedestrian bridge over the water, which turned out to be an excellent viewpoint for the races, so we stopped to watch for a while.

We arrived at the ferry terminal in time to catch the next ferry to Manly, we purchased our tickets and found seats in the stern. The ferry ride took about 30 minutes passing by the Opera House, Fort Denison and a number of beaches and islands along the way. Once we arrived in Manly we strolled down towards the beach. There were a bunch of stores along the way and I proceeded to do a little shopping. The waves were looking good to Matt, so he rented a surf board. He caught one really good wave, but this was not witnessed. I opted to do some reading under the cover of some trees, as it had started to rain.

Ironically enough, the rain stopped just after Matt returned his surf board. We were both a bit chilled, so we found a coffee shop where we lingered waiting for the next ferry home over tea and hot cocoa.

Sydney: Day 2

Saturday we awoke to a bright, sunny day. The weekends in Sydney are filled with local markets. The most famous, Paddington Market, was first on our list for the day. So, after a quick breakfast in our room, we hit the streets. Paddington, also a neighborhood in Sydney, was just a short bus ride from our hotel. This neighborhood is well known for its shops and restaurants and also the Victorian architecture that is marked by the wrought iron "lace" verandas. Its market is known for the unique variety of items you might find on any given weekend, as well as wares from numerous up and coming designers trying to make it. And just because they are up and coming does not mean cheap!

So once we arrived in Paddington, we spent some time wandering through the market checking out all of the goods. After we hit the sidewalks in search of a mid-morning snack. We were definitely in the right place and had no trouble finding a cafe for some pastries and coffee. After being re-fueled we wandered along the back streets a bit to catch some of the architecture. We also managed to find an aboriginal art gallery and great bookstore were we spent some time browsing. Our wandering took us over to the King's Cross neighborhood where we arrived at the local market just in time for lunch. Luckily for us, this market specialized in food, so some dumplings, egg rolls, fresh fruit and a muffin for dessert and we were fed.

King's Cross architecture was originally Victorian style with the luxury buildings having a view of the harbour. This made for a nice walking tour of the neighborhood. The highlights here were the Elizabeth Bay House and Del Rio. Elizabeth Bay was constructed in the 1830s in the Greek Revival style. Its highlight is really the manicured grounds, complete with coy pond, which overlook the harbour. There were a number of people just basking in the sun enjoying the view while we were there. Just down the street Del Rio stands and is constructed in Spanish Mission style. Now an apartment building that could use a few repairs, you could imagine what it would be like when it was built in the early 1900s.

After a long day of walking we headed back to our hotel to get some rest before our big night. We were headed to the Opera House to see Nigel Kennedy and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Back at the hotel, things were just getting started for the famous Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. The parade is held on Oxford Street, just behind our hotel. Turns out this world famous event draws approximately one million visitors! No wonder we had trouble finding a place to stay.

So after we had rested and gotten ourselves ready for the concert, we headed out to get some dinner. However, the parade route started at the end of our block so we had to go a bit out of our way to get to the restaurant. No worries, it gave us an opportunity to take in some of the amazing and sometimes shocking costumes that were wandering up and down the streets. Too bad we didn't bring the camera.

Sydney: Day 1

We arrived in Sydney Thursday night, but since it was late our first day really didn't start until Friday. Our day started off with a walk to the harbour. The harbour was busy with ferries coming in and out, a cruise ship docked, aboriginal street performers and tourists wandering the streets. It was here that we took our first sights of the Opera House. After sitting and enjoying the view we wandered over to the area known as the Rocks. This area was named after the cliffs that the area was built on. It housed some of the first buildings and streets that were constructed in Sydney. Today it is filled with restaurants and shops catering to tourists. On Friday and Saturday it houses a small outdoor market as well. When we passed through they were just setting up and we made a mental note that a lot of the food looked good. We wandered on through the winding narrow streets heading toward Observatory Hill where some nice views of the city and Harbour Bridge were provided. Since it was approaching lunch by now we decided to make our way back down to the market to find something to eat.

As we approached the market the smells of food wafted toward us and as we got closer we could hear the sizzling of food cooking. The vendors had wood burning fires and gigantic skillets to cook their food. I decided on the paella that had been calling my name earlier and Matt opted for the grilled spinach and feta on Turkish bread. We were not disappointed. Once we were fed we decided that we would head to the famous Bondi Beach for the afternoon. So we headed back to our hotel to grab our swimsuits and towels.

A train and a bus ride later and we were at Bondi. Surrounded by cliffs we opted for the clifftop walk before we hit the beach. The walk wound its way along the coast and offered some beautiful ocean views and amazing natural rock features. There are also a number of saltwater pools along the way. Once we had returned to Bondi, Matt jumped into the waves for some body surfing while I took a rest on the sand. Later as the sun was getting lower in the sky and the air was getting cooler, we started packing up to go. Fortunately, the pub across from the beach still had 15 minutes left of happy hour and plenty of outdoor seating. We ordered ourselves a jug of Coopers and some salt and pepper calamari and enjoyed the the rest of the afternoon.

Increasing Speed

Well, it finally stopped raining here in CQ (central queensland).  We have had 3 weeks of straight rain, which has meant that I have had only one training session on the track in that time.  That one lasted a 25 lap warm up before the sky let loose.  Monday the rains stopped and we were able to practice.  Our sessions are geared for towards the junior national championships in the middle of March, I will not be competeing, just missed the age cutoff (19).  But Alex will be and as it is only her and I who show up this late in the season, we do work outs designed to help her medal.

The highlight of monday was a 2 lap motor paced sprint where by the 3rd repeat I was able to hold 55.8 km/hr and I reached a sustained speed of 60 km/hr on the last 1/2 lap.  Tuesdays excitement was for the flying 200 meter sprint, I broke my previous best time by 8 tenths of a second to 13.08.  My leg speed is finally getting there.  By the end of March I may be able to call myself a trackie.