ONCE UPON A TIME IN AUSTRALIA

A Travel Story: Once Upon a Time in Australia

By Henry Libo-on

Once upon a time, there was me who went to Australia on a short work and study assignment at the University of Canberra. It was like a dream.  In fact, I was like floating in the air from the moment the plane left Manila and until it landed at Sydney International Airport. That trip was my first to go abroad, so to speak and it meant a lot to me. 

From Sydney, I had to go to another part of the airport to take my flight from Sydney to Canberra.  It was a grueling experience because when I arrived at Sydney Airport, my Luggage was nowhere to be found.  Qantas had to make arrangements in Manila to send my Luggage the next flight available. 

Qantas delivered my luggage at the doorstep of my room at the College House on Tuesday afternoon.  Why Qantas Airways? Because I was booked at Qantas and it did not fly that night and all passengers were transferred to Philippine Airlines flight to Sydney. 

Upon arrival at Canberra Airport, my Professor Dr. Wellman was surprised to see me carrying a black shoulder bag and nothing more. When she knew of my predicament she went to the office of Qantas and asked for whatever they can give me. I was waiting in her car still wondering what on earth happened to me. When she returned she was already carrying a pack of Qantas Tee and a pack of toiletries.  So, the next day, on our first day of school, I was wearing the same clothes that I wore when I left Manila. 

This was how the story of my Australian Experience began, once upon a time.  

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By the way, when this article was written, it was April First and some say it is April Fools Day.  This story is not part of that April Fool's Day event...haha...I hope you will like this.

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Once upon a time I met Kanga and her family playing just a safe distance from my College House balcony. Australians have several terms of endearment for their beloved Kanga. She can be Roo, Flyer, Joey, Skippy, Boomers, Mobs, and Kangarilla. Hmmm, I remember, "Kanga". She is a beautiful Australian who once-upon-a-time fell in love with the Prince of Wales, now King of England, hmmm. Remember? Now, let's go back to my Kanga. 

In the early morning, while I sip coffee in the balcony of the College House, I  also see a family of Kangaroo playing on the open field nearby. My Roos were a big family of seven (7).  I guess they lived in a thick bush few yards from the College House. If you want to see a Kangaroo in the wild,  you have to be at Canberra. 

Photo sourced from www.australiangeographic.com.au

The first day of school.  My temporary residence is the College House, an on-campus facility for Graduate School students at the University of Canberra.

My First Perception About Australia

So, never in my wildest dream that I can set foot on Australia.  For me, Australia is just a faraway continent, very hot (as most people say), with more land occupied by vineyards and orchards than people, where people speak a unique kind of English and the original settlers were the Aboriginals and the ex-convicts was the first European to settle in the continent.  For me, Australia is down under, very far from where I live but closer to the South Pole. 

Westfield Belconnen

Photo by canberratimes.com.au 

Thank you. 

International Students attending school at the University of Canberra enjoy the accessibility of a shopping mall within the UC area.  Westfield is the biggest mall in Belconnen, a walking distance from the College House.   In its grocery section, I used to buy Fried Chicken for $3.00, a pack of Bologna, and a small bag of Rice.  These will last me for a week.  
The pedestrian lane that you see on this picture leads to the UC Campus.
This photo was sourced from canberratimes.com.au

Thanks. 

Disclaimer: 

I have a photo of Westfield Belconnen when I went shopping there after our class dismissal from the Unviersity of Canberra which is just a walking distance from my temporary home - the College House within UC campus. 

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Before going to Australia, I was designated as Head of the Technical Working Group or TWG for the preparation of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan of the City of Bacolod which is under the auspices of the Philippine Regional Municipal Development Project (PRMDP) and the Australian Aid for International Development (AusAID). When the Project was in its completion stage in the first quarter of 2000, the AusAID Country Manager informed me that I was given a grant for a one-month Study Component on Designing Sustainable Development under the Master in Urban Management at the University of Canberra, Australia.  The short-term course will last for one month from October 30 to November 30, 2000.

My classmates in the Tour Bus.  We went to the Lower Molonglo River Water Quality Control Center. 

It was a challenging experience for me since it was my first time to attend a class in Master in Urban Management and in a foreign country at that.  There were 25 of us in this class, 22 were Scholars of the World Bank from Indonesia, one was a World Bank Scholar from India, and two of us from the Philippines were sponsored by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). I was a Facilitator of the Planning and Development Component of AusAID in Bacolod City at that time while my colleague was a team member of the PRMDP-AusAID Project from Iligan City. 

The subject called Designing Sustainable Development covers several areas of the Environment such as Land, Air, and Water, or LAW.  These three areas, however, cover the Seven Environment Themes as proposed by Environment Australia.  These are:   

1. Built Environment that includes Human Settlements

2. Biodiversity 

3. The Atmosphere

4. The Land

5. Inland Waters

6. Estuaries and Sea

7. Natural and Cultural Heritage

* A separate article was written about each of these topics in my blog site called Earthniversity.  If you wish to know more about this please visit   earthniversity.wordpress.com

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The subject also includes an on-the-job-training or OJT on Solid Waste Management or SWM.  I was assigned in the progressive city of Queanbeyan which is about 30 minutes away from the University of Canberra.  Queanbeyan is pronounced as "queen bee yan". 

While Canberra is included in the ACT or Australian Capital Territory, Queanbeyan City is under the province of New South Wales or NSW. 

Other than OJT, we were also required to submit two (2) written reports on major problems about the Environment that greatly affect our community.  I chose to write about the Law of the Commons as it relates to the harvesting of the bounties of the Guimaras Strait that benefits both the islands of Guimaras and Negros.  The other paper I submitted was about The Closure of the Mining Industry in Sipalay.  It discussed the failure of the management to comply with the "post-mining" programs and projects in order to create a Sustainable Environment and Sustainable Development for Barangay San Jose in particular and the Municipality (at that time) of Sipalay. The latter became a city on March 31, 2001. 

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Throughout my stay in Australia, I have visited other cities and towns like Sydney, Katoomba, Melbourne, Queanbeyan, Adelaide, Ballarat, Griffith, and Wollongong. My home base was Canberra, the capital city of Australia. 

It was very easy to reach my travel destinations.  Within the city, the Bus can take you anywhere you want.  I just studied the routes of the bus written on the Brochures.  These are available on the Bus, the Bus Office, or online. 

There are Buses that service all cities in Australia.  Most popular among these bus companies is the Greyhound Bus. If the bus cannot go straight to the city or town of your choice, you can wait for another bus that will take you there. I call this link. 

The Bus from Canberra to the City of Adelaide in South Australia will take around 15 hours.  These buses are like airplanes. The seats are very comfortable.  There is a restroom at the back of the Bus.  Every four (4) hours the Bus will stop in what I call the Service Area.  There, the passengers were allowed to go down and grab some food and drinks.  After 30 minutes, all passengers were required to go back to the Bus.  

The Train is also available in every town or city in Australia.  For example, when I went to Sydney, I took the train from Train Terminal in Canberra.  Canberra to Sydney was I think around four (4) hours. 

When I went to the Blue Mountains my purpose was simply to see the Three Sisters.  These are Rock Formations that overlooks the very vast Jamison Valley.  I only learned when I reached the Blue Mountains that it was actually located in the City of Katoomba.  The small city was complete with tourist facilities from hotels, bars, and restaurants, souvenir shops, train stations, buses, and a tram-like car that carries tourists from Katoomba City to the Jamison Valley tourist spots. 

The Sovereign Hill, Ballarat - The Gold Rush City *1850

  

This used to be the site of the Gold Mining Industry in old Australia in the town of Ballarat.  I visited the Sovereign Hill during my visit to my sister in Darlington Point, Griffith, NSW.  Griffith is about 2 hours, I guess, from Melbourne and the latter is about 30 minutes travel time to the Sovereign Hill. 
(The photo on the left was sourced from the commons.wikimedia.org  while the photo on the right was sourced from visitvictoria.com)

As a Gold Mining community, Sovereign Hill played a very important role in the economic growth of Australia.  During my visit, this town was in its original state, well-preserved for the present and future generations to see.  There were "actors" in their "original" costumes as workers and laborers, shop keepers, gold panners, and minstrels playing old tunes, among others.  It was a sight to behold as if I was transported to the time of the very past.  Actually, I had several pictures taken of Sovereign Hill but most of them showed signs of fading colors and damaged by mildew.

What I like most in Sovereign Hill was the gold panning by the creek or river. I did not find gold. My sister and her family enjoyed the ride on this horse-drawn carriage. Before we leave the place, we passed by the souvenir shop and bought some "gold" items like a bell.  Next time I will be in Ballarat, I will buy authentic gold jewelry that is made in Sovereign Hill.

Source:  youtube.

Sydney

Sydney is seven to eight hours from Manila.  I left Manila by PAL at past 12 in the morning, and our plane landed in Kingsford Smith Airport (Sydney International Airport), a little past eight in the morning. After attending school in Canberra, I stayed in Sydney for several days before flying back to Manila by Qantas. 

The Sydney Harbour Bridge.  I crossed this Bridge during my tour of Sydney. 

Source: www.cbsnews.com 

This is the Sydney Opera House at Sydney Harbour.  I toured the Opera House in 2000 during my month-long stay in Australia.  My tour guide was Nenit and her husband Hector my host family and long-time residents of Sydney.  We also went to Darling Harbour where I saw the Maritime Museum and other tourist spots in the area. We also passed by the IMAX Theatre with the biggest and widest screen in all of Oz at that time. 

I was hoping to spend a night at the King's Cross but my host just laughed with me. Why? Because it is the sexiest spot in Sydney. 

This photo of the Opera House was sourced from  -  www.qantas.com

Sydney Central Train Station 

While in Australia, I frequently ride the train to several travel destinations I visited. Here in Sydney, this is where I ride the train to Canberra, Katoomba and the Blue Mountains, Adelaide, Griffith, and many others.  There are train stations all over Australia that serve key cities, towns, and far-flung areas, so to speak. 

Source: en.wikipedia.org

You will be confused about where to go to take that train to your destination.  The place where I stood to ride my train is called a Platform.  So, I stood on the Platform where the train will stop to pick up passengers going to, for example, Canberra. Inside this train station are stores where you can grab a sandwich and drinks, buy souvenirs, magazines, or a book to read to entertain you during the long travel to your destination. 

Source: www.weekendnotes.com or Opal Sunday by Ben Conolly.

Melbourne 

I remember strolling down the streets of Bourke, Melbourne. I noticed at that time that I walked on the other side of the block and I had to remove my jacket but wear it on the next block because it was cold there.  Melbourne has an erratic weather condition because it was cold on the other side of the block and cold where I stood. Did you experience that too?

Source: www.sydney-australia.biz or images.search.yahoo.com 

Adelaide, South Australia 

I spent four days in Adelaide so I can be with my mom, sisters, and their husbands and children.  Those days gave me the time to see the Torrens River that divides the city of Adelaide into the South and the North sides.  

The Torrens River.  Photo sourced from flickr.com or images.search.yahoo.com 

Colonel William Light who was the first Surveyor-General of the Province of South Australia planned that the future City of Adelaide (1837) shall be built on the south and north sides of the Torrens River.  The farmers and soon to be landowners, at that time, chose Light's plan, thus the birth of Adelaide, a city on both sides of the river. By the way, my sister Grace drove me around Adelaide to see its historical landmarks including the Statue of William Light. 

During my week-long vacation here in Adelaide, Grace asked her friend to accompany me to Barossa Valley for a Wine Tour. But when the day comes, her friend begged off because she has an emergency.  So, I ended up buying the Barossa Wine from the supermarket.

Glenelg, Adelaide 

Glenelg is the Waikiki of South Australia or the City of Adelaide. Historically, Glenelg was one of the first choices as the site of Adelaide in 1837 but Colonel William Light and the landholders opted for the place around the River Torrens.  Yet, Glenelg developed into a world-class holiday destination.  When I visited Glenelg in 2000, I was amazed at the luxury hotels lining up the long stretch of road fronting the coast which I used to call as "near the South Pole" because the wind there was so chilly, you need to bundle up.  

My sisters together with my classmates from the University of Canberra were with me on this tour of Glenelg. One of my sisters was married to a gentleman from Glenelg. 

Below is the Monument/Marker of the Province of South Australia.  On top of this marker is the replica of the ship called HMS Buffalo that brought Governor John Hindmarsh to Holdfast Bay in December 1836 and commenced the Colonial Government in South Australia. (Wikipedia).


The HMS Buffalo.  This photo was sourced from adelaide-in-photos.blogspot.com.au 

At one moment when I was appreciating the Marker of the Province of South Australia which was built near the Boardwalk, a fleet of mostly red-colored Ferrari passed by us. Trying to prove the point, maybe, that Glenelg is a favorite place to have fun.

Queanbeyan City

I was on OJT in the City Planning and Development Office of Queanbeyan City during my stay here in Canberra. I report and work in this office for five working days.  The CPDO is located at the back of the City Council Building (shown here).  I had the chance to visit the different offices in the city, specifically, their Solid Waste Management Program. The CPDO's staff also accompanied me in one of their housing development projects in the place called Jerrabomberra, the Queanbeyan Dam, and a tour of Queanbeyan River and Hanging Bridge where I saw, for the first time in my life, the Platypus.

Every project area in this city surprised me. For their SWM they have the Segregation Plant, the Composting area, the MRF or Materials Recovery Facility, the Housing Project that follows all environmental laws, and many others. In Jerrabomberra, a housing project, even the grass cannot be removed to give way to the concreting of the soil surface unless a specimen has been studied to confirm that it is not an endangered species of grass or endemic to Australia. 

Sourced from en.wikipedia.org

Wollongong Township 

Wollongong and Harbour Lighthouse.

Sourced from www.visitnsw.com  or  images.search.yahoo.com

Through the invitation of my host family in Sydney, we drove to a restaurant club at Wollongong, NSW. It was a Buffet-Dinner which I guess was priced at $15 per head. It was a very memorable dinner for me because I love good food and a nice ambiance.  After this dinner, Hector drove us to the Lighthouse where we had a nice view of the township and coast of Wollongong. My host family was Hector and Nenit of Iligan City.  

(This photo of Illawarra Leagues Club (Restaurant) was sourced from www.illawarraleaguesclub.com.au)

Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Center (LMWQCC)

This photo shows the aerial view of the Molonglo Water Quality Control Center.  
(This photo was sourced from en.wikipedia.org.) 

It is a water treatment facility.  It receives all the wastewater of Canberra, the Capital City of Australia here in the ACT or Australian Capital Territory. The wastewater follows a waste treatment process until it is converted into potable water, meaning it has zero bacteria. Actually, the clean water is fed to the Molonglo River for the use of farmers all over Australia or as far as the river can reach. Molonglo River is known as the longest river in Australia. 

Probably you can read "Water" at the bottom of the picture, right? There is a white line that starts from the side of the road and going down the Molonglo River.  Well, that is a concrete passage of water being emptied or dumped into the river. I stood on top of the sort of, Overlook.  That is why I know.  Together with my classmates from the UC, we toured the entire facility to learn the technology of wastewater treatment. 

A souvenir picture with my classmates in Designing Sustainable Development, a subject in the course Master in Urban Management at the University of Canberra. This photo was taken after our trip at the Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre. 

The Blue Mountains

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during a 1954 visit to the Blue Mountains, Katoomba. The Queen is standing on the Overlook named after her - the QE2 Lookout. 
Sourced from commons.wikimedia.org 

You can see this Marker at the Viewing Deck or Lookout.
The photo was sourced from www.panoramio.com 



My one-day tour in the Blue Mountains was very memorable for me.  This place is a Tourists Favorite spot in Australia. I took a few photos of the Three Sisters and the streets and shops of Katoomba but most of these pictures faded.  If I can fix them I will post them here.
Source: www.experienceoz.com.au

After taking pictures at the Blue Mountains, the Three Sisters, and QE 2 Lookout, I went down to the town of Katoomba for a walking tour and soon after walked my way to the train station.  Here, I waited for the last train for Sydney, according to the man I talked to on the road. Today, trains travel to Katoomba several times a day. 
Katoomba Train Station.  Source: commons.wikimedia.com (ashishlohorung)

In one of my weekend breaks, I took the train from Sydney to Katoomba, a city on the eastern side of Sydney where the Blue Mountains, the Three Sisters Rock Formation, and the Jamison Valley are located. From Sydney, it took around two hours to reach Katoomba.  That day, the last train left Katoomba at around one o'clock in the afternoon.  So, when I arrived at the train station, I rushed to the waiting Tram for the Queen Elizabeth II Lookout where I took some photos of the Blue Mountains area, the three sisters, and the Jamison Valley.  

Katoomba is a small city that offers what tourists need like hotels, bars, and restaurants, souvenir shops, guided tours, massage and spa center, and many more.  Life in Katoomba is what people called "laid back" or relaxed way of life. 

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Canberra, the Australian Capital Territory

Canberra as the Capital of Australia is the home of all Embassies of Foreign Governments.  It is also the home of the Parliament House.  It is a well-planned city urban planning wise. 

This is the new Parliament House.  The old one was converted into a museum.  I visited both houses during my stay in Canberra.  I toured the new Parliament House one morning and saw the offices of the Government Officials, specifically the House of Senate and the House of Representatives.  After the tour, I went to the Food Court to have my Lunch.  I was happy to buy my lunch from a "kababayan". 

Source: upload.wikimedia.org

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Greyhound Bus. 

Photo by redbookdownload.blogspot.com 

Thanks. 

Disclaimer: I don't own the above-photo. I have my own photo of the bus when I ride one from Canberra to Adelaide but I cannot find that photo from thousands of photos I have on my file. 

I remember, I boarded the bus at 3pm and arrived at Adelaide bus terminal the next day between 7am - 8am. My sister picked me up from the station. 

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One morning, I took the Bus from the University of Canberra and headed for a tour of Australian Government Buildings in Canberra. I entered the War Memorial and saw the name of the Philippines engraved on one of the walls shown here on the right side of this picture where the man stands.  Did you see it? 

Source: www.thousandwonders.net or images.search.yahoo.com

The facade of the Parliament House.  On the foreground are cobbled stones designed as Aboriginal Artform.

When I visited the Parliamentary House, there was a bonfire that remained lighted by the Aboriginals to show their grievance on certain issues at that time. 

Source: expedia.com 

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These winds up my Travel Story entitled Once Upon a Time in Australia.  I hope you were entertained by reading this narrative.  If you do, please LIKE my Facebook Page and SHARE this story with your friends.  Thank you. 

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My Notes:

I do not own some of the pictures used here because they were sourced online, and their owners or publishers have been duly acknowledged on the page the picture appears.  Touristang Pobre.

Going to Australia requires a Visa.  To know the nitty-gritty of getting an Australian Visa you can visit their government website. https://australianvisaauthority.org/

If your country is exempted from a Visa Requirement, you will still be required to get an ETA or Electronic Travel Authority which can be done online.  All you have to do is get ready with your Passport which is valid within the next 6 months, your Credit Card, and you must be online. 

Maybe this website can help: https://australianvisaauthority.org/

Written by Henry Libo-on on April 01, 2019.
Updated on May 24, 2020. 

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 I am standing in the entrance to the College House my temporary residence while attending classes under the master's in urban management class here on the campus of the University of Canberra, the capital of Australia. 

 Our OJT or on-the-job-training was in the City Planning and Development Office of the City of Queanbeyan, about an hour from Canberra. We paid a courtesy call to the Head of the Planning Office. 

We also report and had several meetings with the staff of the Solid Waste Management Office of Queanbeyan City. We're having a conference with the Head and his Assistant. 

 An interesting sharing of ideas on Urban Housing with the Head of the Urban Housing and Development of Queanbeyan City.  Earlier on this day, we had a tour of a housing project in Jerrabomberra where I learned that the developer cannot just destroy the grasses or cut any tree.  Grasses must be studied first by the Environment Office to check if this is endemic to Australia or endangered species of grass.  The same is true with the trees. Licenses have to be secured from the city government. Fines can run up to several thousand Australian Dollars. 

On this day, I had a tour of the development projects in Queanbeyan City, specifically their waterways management program. Here, I was with the two city staff after we visited the Queanbeyan Dam and the cleanest river in the area where I saw a Platypus for the first time.  When I was in Canberra's Molonglo Water Quality Treatment Centre, the guide said that Molonglo River flows down to the southernmost part of Australia, the Province of South Australia with its capital city - Adelaide where the river provides clean water for the farmers and the people of the area. 

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Hereunder are two videos about Queanbeyan City.  

 

Source: Youtube, uploaded by 4k Australia. 

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If you were entertained by this Blog, please LIKE my Facebook Page, and SHARE this with your friends. Thank you. 

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Reviewed on December 10, 2020. 

Reviewed on March 11, 2024.