Ports-of-Call

One of the pleasures and interests of long-distance travelling, is the opportunity to visit quite a few Ports-of-Call en-route to Pointe B. So it was with my Voyage to the Antipodes, for I had the chance to make acquintance with no less than seven international (Aero)Ports:

Port of Helsinki

The (in)famous Port of Heath-Row

A rather scary Daemon in Port of Bang-Cock

The Koala on Home Soil in Sydney, NSW

Looking a little lost in Port of Brisbane

Carefully not spitting any Chewing-Gum on the floor of Port of Singapore!

Giving a rousing speech, "Ich bin ein Frankfurter!" in You-know-where...

In the future I wish to visit the Port of Port, in order tour the Valley of Douro, and get me hands on some good Port!
In the meanwhile, let's keep on exploring!

W.P. Paddlewick, Society Port co-ordinator

Chop chop!

Mr. P partakes in the relaxed, contemplative sport of hack-y-sacque.
The expedition team expresses gratitude for the erstwhile company, and takes the liberty of assuming the HQ audit will brim with favourable, port-endowed mentions.

Back to Brisbane

My push-bike finally in the Tropics. The Moderate Zone starts 5m to the left.

The Bicyckle Expedition has finally come to a conclusion. All said & told, I logged in 1000kms, pedalling the pushie as far north as Yeppoon. From Yeppoon I did a day-trip to the Great Keppel Island, spotting some Hump-Back Whales on the way, and playing with Turtles along the Island's reef.
Later I rode back to the Beef Capital of Australia, Rockhampton (picture above), to catch a 12-hour Auto-Bus ride down to Brisbane. My first flat tire occured in Brisbane, as Wensworth and I were fetching some food from a near-by restaurant!
This concludes my reporting, but I am sure to weave a yarn or two later on, to interested listeners, along with a dram of good whisky or port.

Untill then, good luck and godspeed!
Paddlewick, Esq.

Koala making friends in Hervey Bay

View Larger Map


The Society Cartographer kindly illustrates P-wicks voyages.
Update 2008-07-09.

Back to the Coast

Due to some problems with the Push-Bike, I deviated from my plans and took an Auto-Bus to the East Coast. As it was Friday, the Bus took me as far as Maryborough. It was the biggest Town I had visited all week: the Centre was several blocks in each direction! There was also a Bike-Smith, who took care of my 'pushie'.
While I waited for him to do his job, I walked around the charming town; it was cute, but not too much (i.e. Moomin-Valley Syndrome was absent), and had plenty of Heritage architecture. This is the birth town of the author of Mary Poppins, as was evident in this statue in front of her birth house:

There was also a big "Mary Poppins in the Park" Festival about to take place, this weekend, one presumes, with Motion Pictures and Chimney Sweepeing &c fun for the whole family.

Speaking of families, after I had done climbing in the best climbing tree I've seen so far, in the Queens Park, I ran into these youngsters. The Lady in the right asked if I would like to take a Photograph of her. As I did, the young Gentleman on the left rose up, too. He informed me, that once back home, I could show this Photograph to my firends and tell them 'these are who make the future young ruffians'. So now You know, too.

I pushed my bike to Hervey Bay, the Gateway to the Fraser Island, a wonderful UN World Heritage site: 75 miles long sand island, all of it a National Park. No paved roads, only sand paths barely wide enough for a vehicle. The ride was very bumpy even with a four-wheel-drive bus:



I spotted some turtles and a couple of Humpback Whales, but did not see the famous Fraser Dingoes.


Here's an unusual Column decoration from Toogoolawah: Elkhorn ferns used as flourishing Capitals.

More to follow later.
Good luck and godspeed!

Paddlewick

Fraser

DL&GotS,

we report with pride that our survey of the mid latitudes of the coast was expanded by a minor expedition to Batjala K'Gari and surroundings. This peculiar remnant of ice age sand blown in from retreated seas, compacted and recovered, then surrounded once again, illustrates a fascinating rapid alternative to the customary geological processes of terrain building. Of particular amazement are the so-called perched lakes - filtered rainwater of utmost purity and clarity, puddled in age-old compacted plant matter encatchments. The sand is a formidable opponent to expeditions, and having mired our carriage once on the deceptive surface, we entrust ourselves to local guides and conveyance.

Various more or less indigenous creatures inhabit the island and surroundings.

Yarr! A man!

P-wick reports via ansible from the remote hamlet of Yarraman. Apparently the dread dropbears have not attacked, despite ubiquitous warnings. We wish the best of luck for our intrepid adventurer!