JAH Trinity - Australian News

Adelaide-based migrant Milton Westcarr reports on his latest travels around Australia.

AUSTRALIANS seem to enjoy quite a few Bank holidays; there's even one for the Queen's birthday each June 12 th !

This year I decided to make the most of the break and pack in plenty of sight- seeing over the long weekend. I loaded my station wagon with plenty of luggage and set off with five friends.

We headed out to Cape Bridgewater on Victoria's south coast. At over 6O0km it wasn't your average weekend drive! Along the way we visited Mount Gambier in South Australia and we scaled the slopes of an extinct volcano to peer down into the Blue Crater Lake.

In November, a peculiar natural phenomenon takes place. The colour of the lake changes from dull grey to brilliant blue. It changes back again at the end of the summer, around March. Contrary to public perception, Australia is not all barren and red desert. It's fertile, lush and green, particularly along the highways. The tall, elegant eucalyptus trees grow in abundance and stretch as far as the eye can see.

We passed miles of vine- yards as we drove through the wine-producing McLaren Vale area of South, Australia. It reminded me of all the delicious wine and port I bought a while back from Chateau Dorrien Wines and the Martin Meadery in the famous Barossa Valley.

When we eventually arrived at our campsite, nine hours after setting out from Adelaide, there were already three car loads of people up there. Two had come up from Melbourne and the other had driven the same road as us from Adelaide.

We all met up for dinner and I was introduced to another new experience. As we sat around the large campfire, branches were passed around to everyone so marshmallows could be placed on the end of the stick to cook in the fire. I was fascinated by the bush experience: songs were sung and jokes were told it was great.

The next day we joined up for a 14km coastal walk. The spectacular views across Portland and Discovery Bay were just stunning. The cliffs were 130m above sea level and were ideal for watching the beautiful sunset on the horizon. The meandering path- ways followed the coastline as the scenery and topography constantly changed.

One section is well known for its ‘lunar landscape' and is named the petrified Forest, it consists of bizarre rock formations; I have never seen anything like them before. Down in the sea, seal colonies swam amongst the rocks. There were also fresh-water pools, natural springs and powerful blowholes. At the end of the walk I sat on the beach listening to reggae, watching the waves roll in and the sun setting. It was an idyllic setting.

We drove home along the coast road and stopped at Robe in SA. The sea was so crystal clear fish could be caught by hand.

Australia has an astonishing amount of stunning natural beauty and it is no wonder that thousands of migrants, like myself, have decided to make ‘the Lucky Country,' as it is known, their home.

My eldest sister Jaki, invited me to her graduation ceremony at Sydney University a few months ago. So I saved up my $2 coins for five months in a jar and paid for the flight over!

I stayed there for five days. Sydney has narrow streets and underground trains; it really reminded me of London. During my stay, I bought a pass for $33, which allowed me w travel on the integrated public transport system. Sydney was quite an experience! I travelled all over the city -on buses, double decker trains, hydro- foils and ferries to Mosman and Manly beaches.

I visited the Sydney Opera House and while inside wrote postcards to friends and family in the UK. In the very next room, were all the state premiers and the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard. They were having a conference with Aboriginal leaders about reconciliation (The Corroboree 2000).

The following day I caught the double-decker train to North Sydney and was one of 250,000 people who walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, for ‘Reconciliation.'

This was an awe-inspiring experience; it felt like I was taking part in an historical event. There was a carnival atmosphere and plenty of concerts at Darling Harbour. I met a South African out on holiday and we completed the walk together.

Afterwards we went around China Town and visited various art galleries. We saw contemporary art by Charles Billich and Aboriginal art too; I had a wonderful day. The temperature in Sydney was cold enough for a two-inch blanket of snow. It covered a huge area to the west of Sydney (especially Katoomba and Goulburn) and trapped 300 motorists in their cars!

I was shocked -I thought it only snowed in the mountains in Australia so I took photos from the aeroplane as I flew back to Adelaide. It was really strange to see people wearing gloves, hats and scarves. I closed my eyes and imagined I must have been back in the UK -now that's what you call a fantasy!