Dashing Through the Sand

Australian Jingle Bells
Dashing through the bush,
in a rusty Holden Ute,
Kicking up the dust,
esky in the boot,
Kelpie by my side,
singing Christmas songs,It's Summer time and I am in
my singlet, shorts and thongs

Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day, Hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut!,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute.

Engine's getting hot;
we dodge the kangaroos,
The swaggie climbs aboard,
he is welcome too.
All the family's there,
sitting by the pool,Christmas Day the Aussie way,
by the barbecue.

Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day, Hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut!,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute.

Come the afternoon,
Grandpa has a doze,
The kids and Uncle Bruce,
are swimming in their clothes.
The time comes 'round to go,
we take the family snap,
Pack the car and all shoot through,
before the washing up.

Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day, Hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut!,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute.

The malls were lightly decorated.  Less than a handful of houses

 were strung with lights.  It was a balmy 80 degrees Fahrenheit.  

Welcome to Christmas in Oz.     

We had always talked about what it would be like during our first

Christmas away from family.  Our time had come.  We were

assured that our household goods would be delivered before the

holidays.  With that in mind, Becky pictured our home set up.  She

planned a lovely Christmas Eve meal.  She’d even squeeze in a

massive baking session before the festivities commenced.  And that

was just the beginning of her grand plan….

Like one of the many cockroaches exploring our new house, the plan was squashed in a hurry.   Here’s how it went down.  Two weeks before Christmas, we called the US Embassy to check the status of our goods delivery.  “Soon” was pretty much the best answer we could get.  Tired of waiting, we drove an hour North to the beaches and bays of Port Stephens.  You could describe the area as a water-lover's paradise; it has an aqua adventure for everyone.  This was the first time we were able to kick back and relax.  We split our week staying in Anna Bay and Shoal Bay.  Jason made the reservations for both accommodations.  That’s important to remember.  We stayed at Samurai Beach Resort in Anna Bay.  As it turned out, it was a former nudist retreat.  Today, it’s just a nude beach. It’s not clear if Jason was trying to pull one over on Becky, but the joke was on him.  All the naked bodies in sight were men…old, saggy men.  To answer your question; yes, we kept our suits on.  Our next stop, Shoal Bay Resort and Spa, was uneventful.  The beach was stunning and clothing mandatory.


Shoal Bay



View of Zenith Beach from Tomaree Head



Zenith Beach


Getting sucked into the tourist trap of the bay, we opened our wallets for some “Must Do” fun. First was the not so thrilling 20 minute camel ride along Birubi Beach.  Although sitting rather high, we walked at a snails pace.  For some reason though, Becky just had to do it.  Then we kicked it up about 10 notches when we signed on for Sandboarding the Stockton Dunes.  The dunes are the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and a major cash cow for the area. Basically, sandboarding is sledding at the beach.  We arrived at our surprisingly large hill via a Hummer.  Depending on which one of us you ask, the ATV ride was either exhilarating or terrifying.  Atop the dune, we sat on our plastic boards and off we went.  -Dashing through the sand!  It was a blast.  In fact, it was so much fun that we’re taking any and all visitors on this adventure.   We also rented a boat with friends for a day of fishing.  It was girls against boys for the most catches.  Initially, the ladies took a strong lead.  Fortunately for the guys, they got bored and requested to be dropped off at the resort.  The ladies remained poolside for the rest of the day.  Eventually, the men out fished the women…or so they say.  Regardless, all parties were happy. 



"Cheeeeese"




Sandboarding

 

Did we mention there are no rules ?



"Ahhhhh"



First catch of the day



Jason has a different approach for catching fish



Ladies of the vessel

In between the outdoor activities, we continued to harass the Embassy.  This time we got an answer.  The good news is that our cargo passed inspection at an unheard of $0.00 cleaning fee.  Now we’re high fiving!  As experienced by the pioneers before us, we were expecting to pay out $300-$500 for Customs to remove a blade of grass or brush dried dirt from a shoe.  The bad news is that Customs failed to type up the official “now it can be delivered” paperwork before closing down for holiday break.  They come back to work mid January…
Just to clear up any confusion:

1) 4 weeks has come and gone.  We are no longer in our temporary harbor side apartment.

2) We are currently staying in a beach front hotel until our pending delivery.

3) We signed a lease on permanent housing.  We have the keys to an empty house.

We drove back to Newcastle Christmas Eve morning.  We didn’t have our house set up, we didn’t have cookware to prepare a special meal, and we didn’t have a tree to wake up to. Not the start Becky was picturing for their first Christmas.  Icing on the cake was that we spent most of Christmas Eve day apart.  Again, not what she was envisioning.  Jason ran errands and Becky painted their new house. We did manage to share a diet coke and nibble on some cheese and crackers before church.  After the service, we went back to the hotel for a late night dinner.  Christmas morning we woke up and had the pleasure of seeing our family via Skype.  Then we shared in a melting pot of a meal with other foreign exchange officers and their families.  It was a feast blended with American, British, and Irish holiday favorites.  We started the day by eating a meal with strangers.  We left as friends who shared Christmas.  It was early evening when we left that party for another.  As if we didn’t consume enough, we finished the night eating from a Mediterranean food with fellow Americans.  We were feeling very full, but very cultured by the end.  Our experience couldn’t have been further from Becky’s Martha Stewart picture perfect plan.  The holiday was atypical, but in one form or another, we had everything that was important: church, family, friends and each other.  

Boxing Day is a national holiday in Oz.  It’s celebrated 26 December.  The best description is to say it’s equivalent to The States “Black Friday.”  Heaps of TV commercials were loaded with advertisements of sales ALL starting Boxing Day.  Becky talked Jason into braving the crowds for the bargains.  It was mid morning when we arrived at the mall.  The rock star parking should have been our first clue.  It was closed.  We learned if Boxing Day is on the weekend, it’s celebrated the following Monday.  We’re not quitters so we had a do- over the following day.  This time with much success.

Our New Years Eve started with a phone call from a moving company.  They informed us our goods will be delivered on 19 January.  With that in mind, we extended our stay at Noah’s Hotel.  Another 2.5 weeks in a beachfront room .  No complaints from us!

View from our hotel; Newcastle Beach

 From the moment we found out about our new assignment, we talked about celebrating New Years Eve in Sydney.  As it turned out, 1.5 million other spectators shared the same thought process.  That didn’t keep it from being the highlight of the Holiday.  The night was incredible!  Mid afternoon, we hopped on the train from Newcastle.  Three hours later, we arrived at Sydney.  It wasn’t easy deciding which venue to choose for the fireworks extravaganza, but we eventually agreed on a harbor cruise.  Around 7pm we boarded the “Lady Rose.”  We cruised Sydney Harbor for two hours.  During that time, we had sunset views of the city to include the famous Opera House and Harbor Bridge.  Sydney puts on two firework shows, 9pm and 12 midnight.  We witnessed both displays.  Without question, it was the best we’ve ever seen.  Everything about it was impressive.   Every inch of the sky was lit and overflowing with fireworks.  They left nothing untouched.  Fireworks were launched from multiple locations up and down the harbor, skyscraper roofs, the Opera House, and Harbor Bridge.  Barges in the harbor launch the same firework display so no matter where you looked, you saw the show.  It was like surround sound for your eyes.  Our favorite firework looked like a glistening waterfall that spilled from the Harbor Bridge into the water below.  The city spent 5 million dollars on the fireworks.  Frankly, for that much money the show should be awesome.  And. It. Was. 



Opera House



Icons of Sydney

Sydney skyline





Smoke settling from the grand finale


It was 5am when we crawled off the train in Newcastle.  Tired after a long day, we spent much of New Years Day relaxing.  After a short stent at the beach, we ran to the market.  We spared no expense.  We bought two pork chops, a can of sauerkraut and a million dollar can opener.  Securing our good luck and good fortune, it was worth it.  Wishing you the very best this New Year!