Itinerary

I just finished up packing for our 12 day journey around small town Australia and figured I'd copy down a brief version of our itinerary in case I'm not able to post frequently which will probably be the case considering how often we're in transit and how dubious the internet scene is.

Tuesday June 9th (mah Birfday!)

Sydney to Braidwood

Today we'll be stopping for lunch at Rainbow Pies, one of the most renowned pie shops in Australia. Along with Vegemite and Marmite (which i tried this weekend and do NOT recommend unless you want to chunder (vomit in 'strine)) Pies are the quintessential Australian dish. The most typical Pie is ground beef topped with mashed potatoes, mushy peas (smashed peas) and gravy. That being said, it seems when it comes to Pies anything goes. I've seen adds for curry pies, lamb pies, chicken pies, creamy vegetable pies and kangaroo pies. The only requirement that is it has a Pie crust. 

Our first overnight stop is in Braidwood, a town so small it doesn't even make my 700 pg. tome of a guidebook. According to its meager website, Braidwood, 300km south of Sydney, is the first entire town to be listed on the NSW (New South Wales) State Heritage Register. The site boasts "Beautiful churches, old time pubs, restaurants, galleries, craft and antique shops, all operate in sensitively restored old buildings which served the town since the Gold Rush days." 

During our stay in Braidwood we will sleep in a converted flour mill which i think should be incredibly cool. 

Wednesday June 10th

Braidwood

The majority of today is left free for us to wander around Braidwood and search for stories. The only planned event is a bus tour of the cemetery. Sharon, our professor has an odd fetish for cemeteries. When i gave her a skeptical look during orientation she insisted that its only for their historical value. Still, I think Ill sleep with one eye open, especially since her only other suggestion on the itinerary is a "Ghost Tour".

Thursday June 11th

Braidwood to Milawa

It seems like we'll be on the road for the majority of today, stopping in Gundagai for lunch where we will also visit infamous bushranger Captain Moonlight's grave (more graves...suspicious...).

We'll spend the night in Milawa, a town of only 260 people that has somehow developed into an gourmet haven. From boutique vineyards to several homemade cheese shops and even a store selling nothing but gourmet mustard - it is unlikely that we'll go hungry in Milawa (we're scheduled to do a wine tasting and visit the cheese shop on Friday). I'm very interested to learn how such a small town became such an epicurean center and might even smell (or taste, i suppose) a story topic. 

Friday June 12th

Staying in Milawa but touring Beechworth and Yakkandandah (say that 10 times fast)

Today we're scheduled to tour Beechworth, a town that is closely associated with Ned Kelly. I'll attach an abridged encyclopedia entry of Ned here since he is sure to keep coming up.

Edward "Ned" Kelly (c. January 1855 – 11 November 1880) is Australia's most famous bushranger, and, to many, a folk hero for his defiance of the colonial authorities. Born near Melbourne to an Irish convict father, as a young man he clashed with the police. After an incident at his home, police parties went in search of him. After murdering three policemen, he and his gang were proclaimed outlaws. A final violent confrontation with police at Glenrowan, with Kelly dressed in home-made plate metal armour and helmet, led to his capture and trial. He was executed by hanging at Melbourne Gaol in 1880. His daring and notoriety made him an iconic figure in Australian history, folk lore, literature, art and film.

Besides taking a guided walking tour that traces Ned's movements through the Beechworth, we will visit a shop in Yakkandandah that sells nothing but Lavender before doing a wine and cheese tasting at Brown Brothers Winery in Milawa. 

Saturday June 13th

Staying in Milawa but touring Benalla and Glenrowan

I'm really looking forward to this day because we're lined up to see a Puppet Show rendition of Ned Kelly's last stand in Glenrowan. Though the name might be tedious ("Kelly's Last Stand") my thinking is that a reenactment of a shootout starring life-sized puppets that weave in and out of the audience instead of staying on stage will not be. 

We are also slotted to visit a museum in Benalla that houses artifacts of Ned's such as his favorite green sash (sounds a bit feminine for a bushranger, but hey). 

Sunday June 14th

Milawa to Bright

Today we depart Milawa (bye wine! bye cheese!) and head to Bright, stopping in Wandilgong to test out our senses of direction in a huge Maze (pictured).

If you never hear from me again, you can confidently assume that I'm still there as I have the worst sense of direction known to human-kind. I blame using GPSes and growing up in a city with a very convenient and sensical grid, but in any case my hippocampus is the size of a shriveled raisin.

Once we arrive in Bright, a town on the edge of the Snowy mountains (yes, i will be seeing snow!) we have the rest of the day free to search for stories provided we haven't found any yet. 

Monday June 15th

Bright to Eden

"This is a long road day" the itinerary reads. Yikes! In the morning we travel through Harrietville and over Mt. Hotham (one of the tallest in the Snowy Mountains), stopping in Omeo for coffee and to check out the Cuckoo Clock Shop. Another boy on our trip mentioned that he wanted to write a story about it, but I'm also very intrigued by the idea of a shop selling nothing but Cuckoo Clocks nestled in a small town at the top of a mountain. It seems very eerie and bizarre. 

Hopefully by dusk we'll have reached Eden, a town associated with the forestry and whaling industries. Lore has it that back in the whaling age (essentially from 1850-1930) orca whales would help the Whalers to heard the blue and humpback whales into the harbor, making them easier to kill. The whalers would reward the orca whales with the lips and tongues of the murdered whales. Doesn't exactly sound like a fair trade to me, but I suppose i can't knock whale lips and tongue until i've tried them. 

I'm especially interested in writing about the role of whales in the history of this small fishing town: at first as a lucrative industry, and now as a tourist attraction (apparently most travelers who come to Eden, do so for the whale watching). 

Tuesday June 16th

Eden

Today we're slotted to visit the Killer Whale museum and the (surprise surprise) Beach cemetery. Then the rest of the day is free other than a movie screening of a PBS special on the whaling industry in Eden. 

Wednesday, June 17th

Eden

Today is mainly free again other than a visit to Boyd's Tower, named after the Australian entrepreneur Ben Boyd whose accomplishments include such illustrious feats as floating the Royal Bank of Australia and attracting the hatred of all who knew him. He also managed to get himself mysteriously killed when he departed his Yacht (where he lived after being shunned from Australia) to hunt in Papua New Guinea. 

Thursday, June 18th

Eden to Bermagui

Again, today is mainly free except for a guided tour around Bermagui's Blue Pool, a man made, ocean-water swimming pool. From what I can tell, Bermagui is only notable for its associations with Zane Gray, a famous big-game fisherman. 

Friday June 19th

Staying in Bermagui, Touring Montague Island

Today we're set to tour Montague island home to a large colony of fairy penguins (score!). Besides watching the little guys waddle around, we'll be exploring a lighthouse that has since been converted into a hotel. This could make for a good hotel review piece, though I'm more interested in doing feature pieces than reviews.

 In case i haven't explained, most travel writing can be sorted into 2 categories: features pieces or service pieces. Features pieces focus on grasping the overall essence of an area while service pieces are mainly reviews and "how-to" pieces. I'm more interested in the former. 

Saturday June 20th

Bermagui

On the schedule for today is a tour of the aboriginal heritage centre, mystery bay (this will remain a mystery until i get there because i can't seem to find anything on it), and central tilba (an area that was previously inhabited by the Aborigines).

Sunday

Bermagui to Sydney

Today we come home! But to break up the long drive from Bermagui to Sydney we'll be stopping at Mogo Zoo, a zoo that specializes in the care and breeding of endangered species. Zoo stock includes the burmese python (in my opinion the world would be a better place without snakes but many (including the boa constrictor) would strangle me for saying that), the black and white ruffled lemur and the albino lion. It should be a roaring (sorry) good time!

Whew, I got a bit carried away there. Hope i still have things to fill in when i actually go to the places! In any case I'll post pictures and updates when i can. 

Tata for now!