Fiji Adventure 1976

In April 1976 we travelled to Fiji for a holiday. Leaving Melbourne on 3 April, we flew to Sydney where we stayed overnight. Next day we boarded a Qantas flight to Nadi - a flight lasting 3 hours 45 minutes. We were served lunch on the plane.

Fiji is made up of many islands, the largest being Vita Levu and Vanua Levu.  Our holiday was spent on Vita Levu.

Our first night in Fiji was spent at the Mocambo Hotel (now the Novotel) near Nadi Airport.

The hotel, a short distance from the airport, was set in tropical gardens. A pleasant introduction to the island.

 

Next day we boarded a coach to travel to The Fijian resort (now the Shangri-La) on Yanuca Island, the main location for our holiday. Yanuca Island is 54 kilometres south of Nadi - a drive taking a little more than one hour. There is a bridge leading to the island.

In 1976 we didn't have digital cameras and we had to wait until the film was developed before we could view the photos we took, usually after we arrived home. Consequently the number of photos taken was small compared with numbers of photos taken on a holiday taken today. Unfortunately colour photos taken in the 1960s , 1970s and even 1980s had a tendency to fade, even when kept in an album. Therefore we often purchased postcards as well to help us remember the holiday.

The Fijian resort part one

The Fijian resort proved to be a great place for a holiday. One of the features was the blue sky and warm sunshine which unfortunately you will need to imagine in most of the photos in this section of the blog.

The main accommodation blocks were three story buildings.  Rooms on the upper floors each had a balcony from where you could view the gardens.

In our bedroom, the method of communication was the telephone. This was the 1970s so we had a quiet holiday with no television and communications people expect today - and we survived.

The hotel buildings were surrounded by tropical gardens. A good place to relax was by the swimming pools.

You could also swim in the lagoon and at the beach.

Swimming choices - lagoon or pool?

There were lots of palm trees on the island as well as other tropical plants including hibiscus and frangipani.

We were warned that if we walked along the beach at night, not to walk under the coconut trees in case of falling coconuts. Of course coconuts could also fall from trees during the day but there would be more people to assist, if necessary, during the day.

We enjoyed walks along the beach 

 and generally exploring the local area.

Boats visit the island jetty.

Pontoons in the sea provide swimming destinations.

There was also the tropical vegetation in the resort gardens to explore.

The Fijian resort was a pleasant place to relax.

There were several restaurants from which to choose at the resort from casual to more formal.

Breakfast with the birds.

Dinner at the Golden Cowrie Dining Room.

The Fijian resort part two

A feature of The Fijian resort on Yanuca Island is the nine hole golf course.

Robin, with the assistance of Sam, navigated the course one morning.

During the round Sam climbed a coconut tree to pick a coconut which he opened using a golf club!

Also on the island we found a stall where items, including jewellery, made from shells were being sold.

Nearby a man was carving items from wood for purchase. We were impressed with the owl he was carving and purchased it.

Our owl now guards the other souvenirs we have purchased on adventures over the years.

One evening we went to the beach to observe a fish drive.

Fish for dinner?

The staff at The Fijian were extremely friendly - always had a smile and greeted the guests with the Fijian word 'bula' - hello.

The Fijian women wore colourful dresses. We purchased one of the dresses from the gift shop before we left the resort.

This was definitely a dress for the 1970s.

Sigatoka & Suva

Sigatoka

The bus that brought us to Yanuca Island continues its journey along the coast to Sigatoka and finally Suva. Sigatoka is 11.4 kilometres from the island so one day we decided to visit the nearby town.

Sigatoka is a busy market town.

The local population purchased much of their food supplies from the market and the tourists enjoyed having a look.

The main streets in the town were crowded with people exploring the shops.

School children walking in the street.

There were lots of boats moored at jetties near the town.

There were also views of the beach and coastal area.

And of course we found a cricket match!

Away from the towns we saw some of the traditional Fijian village houses known as bure.

Bures are normally made from timber and straw.

Sugar cane is grown in western Vita Levu and the fields in some area were ploughed using bullocks.

 Suva 

Map of bus / coach route - Nadi to Suva.

We ended our Fijian holiday by exploring Suva, the capital of Fiji. We stayed at the Suva Travelodge.

The drums are called Lali, once used during battles but more recently used at many hotels to alert guests it is time for dinner.

Government buildings in Suva.

Being islands, a major feature of Fiji is the beaches.

After a relaxing holiday it was time to return to Nadi and board a plane back to Sydney.

We finished our holiday by spending several days in Sydney. It took us some time to become used to the hustle and bustle of Sydney after our relaxing Fijian holiday.

On the road to the Barossa Valley - road to Nhill

On Friday 14 March we left for our next cricket holiday, this time in the Barossa Valley in South Australia. Robin was to play in a team named SilverAshes3Nil in the Barossa Valley Vintage Cricket Carnival.

Eight teams of veteran cricketers took part in the carnival. Each team was to play four matches during the week, weather permitting. It was also a chance to explore another part of Australia.

We waited for the peak traffic period to finish before setting out on the first stage of the journey. The road was still very busy especially as we approached the city and the West Gate Bridge. Fortunately it was an easier drive once we reached the Western Highway. There were lots of trucks, including double trucks, on the road but we soon got used to them. Our first stop was at Beaufort, midway between Ballarat and Ararat. The Western Highway passes through the town. As we started to explore we kept seeing signs leading to the large, clean toilet block, next to the information centre, in the main street.

Across the road was a row of bakeries and cafes so we chose one to have an early lunch. It was very busy.

On the highway we had seen many three wheeled motor bikes on the road. Each bike usually had an older  rider and passenger and we later learned that they were meeting at Halls Gap for a gathering that weekend.

Around the corner from the cafe was the fire brigade building.

This signpost lists some of the many organisations to be found in Beaufort.

After lunch we continued along the Western Highway to Nhill.