Year after year, my family and my sister's spent our summer and winter vacations together. They were wonderful times and offer some pretty funny stories during family get-togethers. In 1987, however, the children were beginning to go their separate ways, and we suspected that summer would be our last family vacation. We decided to make it the best ever, and that's exactly what we did.
To celebrate the Australian Bicentenary, Qantas offered special fares, so we booked passage for the 10 of us.
Australia is simply spectacular; we only saw a small part of it. Only in the Outback would you see a guy in leather pants and his dog riding down the road -- Easy Riders. The dog's looking pretty relaxed. On the camel ride from Alice Springs. Tom managed OK, but his cousin had a a little difficulty when the camel decided her blond hair looked very tasty. After a few nibbles, he was convinced it was tasty. 
I did a terrible job posting these photos, but expect to get better with practice. Above you can see 14-year-old Tom Kane sharing a camel with his Auntie Sandy. He's holding on for dear life as the camel stands up. Tom's sharing a quieter moment with the camel in the other photo. I wonder if this picture was taken before or after the other. I suspect it was before.
Ayers Rock is a monolith where Aborigines believe their ancestors emerged during the time of Creation to sing the world into being. A chain "rope,"which you can see in the 3rd photo below, allows the brave to climb to the top where champagne is served. Only two of our group made it to the top, and the guides said that every year a climber is blown from the rock to their death below. Thanks, but I'll skip the champagne. Tom and his cousin Beth are standing near the bottom of the chain "rope." Cousin Christina (with the tasty straw-colored hair the camel fancied) has her back to the camera, and Uncle Duane, who reached the top of the rock is shown here in the bottom of the picture. Those cars below look pretty ant-like.
There's an underground opal mine and a chapel in Coober Pedy. Coober Pedy comes from the Aboriginal words kupa piti, which mean "white man in a hole". They sell little bags of tiny rocks from the mines that glitter with opalescent stone.
On a tour of Sydney Harbor, I saw a wild kangaroo hopping along the shore. I’ve heard they often show up on golf courses – that’s better than the alligators that show up on the golf courses in the American south. The kangaroos were considered pests. I hope that's changed.
Someone once described the famous Sydney Opera House as looking like “something that crawled out of the sea and was up to no good.” It’s an apt description. It does look a little creepy, but it's really pretty inside and the acoustics are magnificent. There is a large painting in the lobby of a fish. You are supposed to see another image in the painting if you look at it for a minute or two. I’m ashamed to admit that out of the 10 of us in the family, I am the only one who couldn’t see the second image. Bystanders started to try to point it out. They finally said in that wonderful Aussie accent, “It’s another fish, d’ya see it now?” I never did.I just smiled and said, "Oh, yeah, now I do. I can't believe I missed it." Thank goodness no one asked me to describe it.
Imagine a place where everyone is relaxed.
“G’day, mate” and “No worries” are heard all the time.
Australia is a place of magnificent extremes. There are both fresh and salt water crocodiles; box jellyfish that can stop your heart in a second; magnificent flowers that make you think you are in Paradise; fabulous fish, butterflies, and birds; opal mines and cane fields.
While driving along the Captain Cook Highway between Cairns and Port Douglas, a brush fire crackled and leapt across the highway right before our eyes.
The Great Barrier Reef and Green Island defy description and don’t miss Kuranda. You have to see it to believe it. If you travel to just one place, make it Australia -- and not just because the beaches are all topless, although I must admit that in our little group, it did cause a doubletake or two.