I Hate Sydney Birds

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Aussie Rules Football

I have previously blogged out rugby league (http://phillipdavid.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/who-wears-short-shorts.html) and in that blog I mentioned another sport that is hugely popular here in Australia:  Aussie rules football.  And finally, well over a year later, I made it to an AFL (Australian Football League – which is pretty much synonymous with Aussie rules football) game.  The verdict:  fantastic!  Before I tell you why, let me tell you about the game.

First of all, it’s important to know that Aussie rules football is the most popular sport in Australia, even though rugby league is much bigger in Sydney.  Melbourne is the epicentre of AFL with 9 of the 18 teams in the league in the Melbourne metropolitan area.  After that, there are two teams each in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide, and an additional team in Geelong, which isn’t all that far from Melbourne.  The game consists of four quarters lasting 20 minutes each, though a bit of time is added on at the end of each quarter to account for stops during play.  The stops aren’t long – mainly just the time after a goal.  There aren’t any time-outs and the game doesn’t stop for commercials.  All in all, each quarter generally lasts for about 25 – 30 minutes, and players and spectators don’t know exactly when the siren will go off because the clock counts up, not down.

The sport is played on an ovular field as opposed to the more common rectangular field that we know from rugby, soccer, and American football.  There is no “off sides” rule and players disperse freely across field.  Players can kick the ball, punch it with their fists, or tap it with their hands to move it around the field, but in no circumstances can they throw the ball (even though it looks like they are throwing when you watch – the punching/tapping is very subtle).  Players can run with the ball but it must be touched or bounced on the ground every 15 metres.  There is tackling, and when tackled, a player must relinquish the ball to the opposing side.  If a player catches a ball that has travelled more than 15 metres, it is called a “mark”.  The player is then entitled to kick the ball through the goal posts from the spot where they caught it (though, they may just keep playing if the distance is too far).  That brings us to…

Scoring!  There are four goal posts all in a row – let’s number them 1, 2, 3, and 4, in order.  To score, a player must kick the ball through the two inner goal posts (posts 2 and 3) for six points.  If the ball goes between the outer goals posts (between 1 and 2 or between 3 and 4) then the team is entitled to one point.  Also, if the ball bounces off of one of the inner posts (posts 2 or 3) then the team is also entitled to one point.  Simple enough!

Of course, there are a bunch of other rules surrounding penalties and such, but I’m not going to even pretend that I care.  There really is only one thing about this game that is worth caring about.  Actually, I take that back.  There are two things about this game that I really do care about.  Those two things:  legs and asses.

I had seen a bit of AFL on TV but never really payed too close attention.  Going to the game in person, I had a fantastic view of the players.  Survey says:  holy bejesus.  While rugby players are big and bulky and sort of look like meatheads, the AFL players are trim and toned and fit.  They run ridiculous distances across the massive field during the game which helps keep them down to size.  And their legs:  wow.  And their asses: even more wow.

My first game was in mid-August.  I had won some tickets from work so I opted to take my co-worker, Rowan, as he is originally from Melbourne and his home team was playing the Sydney Swans.  Luckily, the Swans kicked his team’s butt:  118 to 59.

Rowan wasn’t too pleased, but he was cheered up when they actually opened up the field so we could walk on it after the game.  Apparently they do that at only a handful of games usually toward the end of the season.

Before the game, we had arrived a bit early and got to see the players warming up.  Look at that leg!  I mean, look at that kick…

Then there was the game play.  I especially enjoyed the parts when all of the players’ backs were to me (Is it getting warmer out here?)

Even the umpires are fit!  They do just as much running around on the field as the players do.  Their legs are also fabulous and their asses are also fabulous and they don’t get as busted up as the actual players do.  I think an umpire might be a good way to go…

I’ll just need to change their bright yellow shirts.

I enjoyed the game so much that I decided to go back two weeks later with my friends Jacqui and Amy.  Jacqui even bought me a Swans beanie!

This time it was a more heated match.  The Swans were in the lead for the first three quarters, but fell behind in the fourth quarter to lose the game.  It didn’t really matter as they still made it to the finals (equivalent of the play-offs).  And besides, they were last year’s champions so what was one game going to do?

And even though they lost, it wasn’t a complete wash.  There was still plenty of eye candy.  Though, I think I need to head down to the beach more often and scope them out this summer.  The players are often sighted at Bondi Beach and Coogee Beach.  Like here – taken from the newspaper:

#’s 41, 29, and 40.  # 40 on the right – Nick Smith – is my favourite of all the players.  Can I get a close up?

Oh yes.  Gays:  who wants to go with me to a game next season?

Or maybe just the beach?

The Atherton Tablelands

Just inland and over the hills from Cairns and Port Douglas sits the Atherton Tablelands.  Unlike the adjacent area on the coast, the tablelands are not a rainforest, but instead a plateau with lots of agricultural activities.  And whenever there is agricultural activity, there is bound to be food.  And I like food.

A lot.

Our first stop first thing in the morning:  Golden Drop Mango Winery.

Yes, yes, you read that right.  Instead of grapes, they use mango to make wine, following the same process as usual but just substituting the fruit.  The result:  delicious!  They had a range of mango wines – including a dry wine, sweet wine, and a medium wine in the middle.  They even had sparkling and a Port-like fortified mango wine!   What was actually most interesting was how they prune the trees.  It apparently makes it easier to pick fruit when they cut them this way.

Now, wine has been known to make me a bit sleepy and the mango wine tasting we had was no exception, so I had to find a remedy as it was only 10am and we had a full day ahead of us.  Luckily, just up the road was Jaques Coffee Plantation.

We got to see coffee berries (coffee comes from berries – who knew?!?!?) and the machine that they harvest them with.

We also got to try some coffee and – even better – some coffee liqueurs that they make.  But of course, my eyes went straight for the prize:  tiramisu made with their very own espresso!

Survey says:  orgasmic.  Also orgasmic was Mr Jaques' adult son - wowzers.  Unfortunately, I didn't snap a photo because that would have been creepy. 

As if I hadn’t had enough sweets for the day, we passed by the Emerald Creek Ice Creamery just a few kilometres down the road and it would have been rude not to sample their macadamia ice cream, right?

Apparently I’m a risk taker.

But the day wasn’t all about food for us.  We did take some time to feed others, namely the semi-wild rock wallaby population at Granite Gorge Nature Park.  It was my sister’s first time feeding these adorable little creatures:

Granite Gorge also had some great walking/hiking tracks which cross over the massive boulders that are on the property.

The next day, we were back in Cairns to catch the Kuranda Scenic Railway.  The railway takes tourist up into the hills and onto the tableland, finishing at the tiny tourist town of Kuranda with views all along the way.

Kuranda is located on the border between the tableland and the rainforest and is best known for its rainforest markets – a place to buy all sorts of trinkets, souvenirs, art, and more.

After a bit of shopping around, I spotted some mango ice cream.  Again, it would have been rude not to get some.

I may have bought some local chocolate and macadamia biscuits too.  Kuranda also offers some hiking trails in the rainforests around the town and along the Barron River.

For the return trip back to Cairns, we opted for the other main mode of transport to and from Kuranda:  the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.

The Skyrail whisks you above the rainforest canopy and stops at two educational rainforest boardwalks before taking you back to Cairns.

Overall, I would most definitely recommend a visit to the Atherton Tablelands for anyone visiting Cairns.  Especially the coffee plantation.  And the mango winery.  And the ice creamery.

How do I not weigh 400 pounds?

#84: Great Barrier Reef!

Our trip to Far North Queensland wouldn’t have been complete without the opportunity to cross off one of my 103 Things (http://phillipdavid.blogspot.com.au/2010/10/103-things.html).  And with it, I finally completed all eight of my 103 Things located in Australia – in just under 3.5 years.  There are many options when it comes to visiting the Great Barrier Reef:  flyovers, glass bottom boats, snorkelling, and diving.  I opted for the snorkelling – must easier than diving and way closer to the action than a flyover or a glass bottom boat.

Many a company offer day trips out of Cairns and Port Douglas to the reef and it took a bit of research to select one.  There are bigger boats at lower cost, or more expensive smaller boats which provide a more personal, small group experience.  The bigger tour companies have floating platforms out near the reef where you can sun yourself between swims, but the smaller companies provide more commentary and information.  We opted for the more personal experience and chose Calypso Snorkelling.  There were probably only 30 or so of us on the boat – not a big crowd for that type of tour.  We also had to select the Low Isles or the outer reef.  The Low Isles are much closer to the mainland and combine snorkelling with stunning beaches on relaxing little islands.  The outer reef is about twice as far out and is 100% reef – no islands, just snorkelling – and usually a better place to see wildlife.  As I was here to see the reef, I chose to sign us up for the outer reef.  And off we went!

The seas were choppy on the 90-minute ride to Opal Reef, site of the first and second of our three swims.  But once we got in the water and took in the views, the rough ride was totally worth it.

The variety of colours was gorgeous.

And the colours weren’t just on the coral either.  There were plenty of fish in the sea, literally, and they came in every colour of the rainbow and then some.

I saw 1 fish!

2 fish!

Red fish!

Blue fish!

I’m a nerd.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see any turtles, sharks, dugongs (a cousin of the manatee), or any other crazy species, but I feel like another trip out to the reef will be in my future, so I wasn’t too disappointed.  Instead, I put my feet up and enjoyed the ride back to shore.