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australia day in sydney

Not long to spend in Sydney on Australia Day, a great shame, if we'd have known we would have changed our itinerary to stay for the evening celebrations too.

In the morning, after we'd dropped off our luggage at the station, and having coffee and toast in one of the town's cafes, we decided to get back to Circular Quay where we happily mingled in with the crowds, so many Australia hats, flags, teeshirts etc, and smiley faces! Later on, after a nice lunch of takeaway fish and chips, we headed back towards the station to catch our train to Adelaide. Fortunately for us the pavements were lined with vintage transport, where we were able to stop for a while to take photos, and take in some of the Australian spirit.

So we didn't miss everything!

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national orchid garden

Located within Singapore Botanic Gardens, which boasts a sprawling display of 60,000 orchid plants.

We visited here on part of the City Tour, somewhat being rather a rushed affair. We weren't given much time, I could have walked around for hours!

On arrival at Singapore Changi airport there were displays of large bowl shaped planters full of the most stunning, colourful orchids I have ever seen. What a greeting, and not surprising this airport was voted second best airport in the World Airport Awards 2008.

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hong kong by day

A view of Hong Kong by day, taken from the harbour in Kowloon.

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kata tjuta (the olgas)

The Pitjantjajara name Kata Tjuta means 'many heads' and the site is as sacred to the Indigenous people as Uluru, and along with this forms the National Park. The 36 domes, covering an area of 21.68 km², are composed of conglomerate, a sedimentary rock consisting of cobbles and boulders of varying rock types including granite and basalt, cemented by a matrix of sandstone.

We visited early evening and took the Olga Gorge Walk (Tatintjawiya), a 2km walk into the beautiful gorge. The weather was humid but cloudy so we weren't witness to the spectacular sunset, with dusky blues and purples to fierce oranges and reds that light up the sky.

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white-lipped tree frog

This photo was taken in the private garden of our guide. He owned a guest house/restaurant in the Daintree National Park and after our tour of the rainforest he drove us back in his 4 x 4 to show us some wildlife which takes up residence just outside in his back yard.

We stayed in the wet tropics rainforest for one night, this is when the wildlife is most active. These white-lipped tree frogs, when in large groups, make the most incredible noise and just typical of what noise you would expect to come out of the rainforest.

An amazing memory!

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port douglas

This former fishing village is the closest town to the Great Barrier Reef. Just to say at the end of January/early February this area of Australia is very, very hot!

This is looking out from the inlet watching the boats and cruisers returning to the marina village from trips out to the reef. Port Douglas is a very pretty location with lots of lovely boutique style shops and a supermarket which was great for buying snacks, chocolate, ice-creams etc! There is a great coffee shop, the name escapes me, where we'd go in the evening after our meal, and many traditional bars where J would enjoy a schooner of beer, or two!

We stayed in a very nice self-contained apartment with a lovely swimming pool (which we had all to ourselves), really clean with all the home comforts. A lady whose accent reminded me very much of Barry Humphries, Dame Edna to you and me, greeted us at reception who was very informative and helpful, giving us a map and recommending a few places to eat.

The first night we sat outside of a local haunt and had the best fish and chips served with a very nice side salad, very English. Well we had been away from home for quite a time!

We wished we had booked more nights in this lovely place, and if the opportunity arose we would definitely love to visit again.

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aboriginal graphic symbols and meanings

On our half-day afternoon tour of Alice Springs, we visited the Mbantua Aboriginal Cultural Museum. I am really quite interested in these graphics, and would like to investigate further, at some stage.

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footsteps of raffles

This is the souvenir I brought back from Singapore, and no I didn't steal it from the tearooms, I bought it in the giftshop!

We had tea at Raffles. We did not have great expectations of this, as in the past we have been seriously let down by these sorts of hyped up experiences, featured in glossy brochures, to get tourists to spend yet more money! Not ones for pomp and ceremony, we probably wouldn't have done this if it hadn't been as part of a trip, the footsteps of Raffles.

This was what we read in the brochure:

'This tour starts from where it all began, at Raffles landing site, where Sir Stamford Raffles is believed to have first stepped ashore in 1819, before progressing to an Exhibition that traces the history of the Singapore River.

Next stop is Raffles Hotel, where hives of activities were held for the high-society in the 1800s. Here, enjoy either an afternoon tea buffet, with English/local delicacies, or light refreshments.'

We decided to choose the option for the afternoon tea buffet, just expecting a few dried up cucumber sandwiches, or a small cream cake? Well we were in for a pleasant surprise of a huge, as it had been described, buffet, and there was more than enough for all the visitors who were visiting that afternoon, not only the ones in our tour group.

We were shown to a table by a very well dressed waiter, and we had to share with another couple. I find it hard to start a conversation with someone I don't know, and I always feel quite nervous, but this couple, who came from Southport, were very amiable and easy to get on with. We were poured a cup of tea from an antique silver teapot, and it was really too weak to come out the pot! I didn't say anything as I accept this. I am quite biased, and think there is nowhere in the world who can do a cup of tea, quite like they can in England! Anyway, the husband of the couple, did say something, and the waiter kindly carried away his cup and saucer, to come back with another cup, which looked just as the first one did. After another attempt, and letting the tea stew a little in the pot, the cup which he finally accepted, looked really no darker, but I think he was so thirsty by this time, he decided to surrender!

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hong kong by night

As darkness falls this is how the skyline of Hong Kong looks, as seen from Kowloon. As you can see the buildings are illuminated with coloured lights and most evenings an amazing laser light show takes place.

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spider

This little beauty was staying in the same accommodation as us in the rainforest. Luckily for us it had already found it's meal for the day!

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a rock wallaby

At dusk every evening rock wallabies would come down from the rocky slopes (part of the MacDonnell Ranges), in search of food. We didn't, but you could buy food for them, and they were quite happy to be handfed!

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downtown Singapore

Most of the skyscrapers in Singapore can be found in the Central Business District. The maximum height that buildings may have in Singapore is 280 metres (919 feet), due to air traffic regulations.

Singapore has expanded by 20% of it's original size due to land reclaimation. More reclaimed land is to be built on, for many more new skyscrapers of all sizes, in front of the Central Business District area.

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a mcdonalds cappucchino

I loved the attention to detail with the cocoa dusted 'm' on the froth, so much so I took a photo. In Hong Kong they had McDonald's cafes, something we don't have in the area where we live in England.

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uluru ...

"This is Aboriginal land and you are welcome.
Look around and learn, in order to understand Aboriginal people and also understand that Aboriginal culture is strong and alive."
Nellie Patterson - traditional owner

See the path that leads up the rock, well this is the path you can take to the summit of Uluru more familiarly known as Ayres Rock. No one was climbing on the day we visited, probably a good thing, as they would have been climbing in 40 degree dry heat, only mad dogs, Englishmen and Aborigines would have taken it on!

Uluru is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara, the Aboriginal people of the area. The climb closes when weather conditions are predicted to exceed certain safety thresholds (temperature, rain, cloud, wind), during emergency situations, and occasionally for cultural reasons. The Uluru climb is the traditional route taken by ancestral Mala men upon their arrival to Uluru. Anangu do not climb Uluru because of its great spiritual significance. Anangu have not closed the climb. They prefer that you, out of education and understanding, choose to respect their law and culture by not climbing. Remember that you are a guest on Anangu land.

Along this path you can see landmarks were climbers have fallen and died. Anangu traditionally have a duty to safeguard visitors to their land and feel great sadness when a person dies or is hurt.

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I should be so lucky

To see a Southern Cassowary, no not this one, although he/she is lovely, pictured here in Bird World in Kuranda, but seeing one in its natural territory up in the rainforest on the road to Daintree from Cape Tribulation. We had been out on a 4x4 tour through an area of the rainforest, and the guide had told us that we would be quite lucky to spot one of these birds, well it turned out he spotted one legging it through the forest, but we were too slow to respond, nothing unusual there!

Anyway, as luck would have it, on the last day on the bus back to Port Douglas, one ran across the road in front of us. Fortunately the driver had already seen it at the side and had already slowed down to let it cross! Luck must have been on his/her side that day too!



As you drive up into Cape Tribulation, there is a fantastic 'doctored' road sign warning of speed bumps ahead to slow you down to protect the cassowaries that live in the area. How funny is this?

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bondi beach

For getting around Sydney, we used the monorail system most of the time, as there were two stops close to where we were staying in Darling Harbour, making it really easy to reach everything happening around town. There is also a central station which can take you further afield if you want to. For Bondi beach we decided to catch a bus, the bus station being down by Circular Quays, it seemed to take quite a while getting there, but we had to see what this most famous stretch of sand was all about.

It was a sweltering hot day, so when we arrived we grabbed a couple of very expensive bottles of water, we then walked along the promenade for a while until we reached the section netted off for swimmers, a huge expanse of beach, but the rest being solely for surfers. J had a quick swim while I baked on the sand, and then we walked back along to a grass area, where we seeked shelter from the sun for a while, underneath some bushes!

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why won't my boomerang come back

The two chaps above did try to teach us how to throw a boomerang. Well, I had two pathetic attempts and I must admit to J doing a lot better than me, although it was made much more difficult knowing you had an audience watching behind you!

Click here to learn more about this indigenous community of Kuranda in the Australian highlands of the Atherton Tablelands.

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macaws

I have always loved macaws, maybe because when I was a kid we had a scarlet one called Mac, up until I was about seven years old. He died on April Fools Day in 1971. Funny how some dates stick in your mind isn't it!

This lovely pair were flying around Birdworld in Kuranda, a village near Cairns.

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the heath goanna

A reptile up to one metre in length, is a predator of smaller reptiles, young birds and eggs. It is often seen on warm days basking or scavenging on dead animals on the roads.

Fortunately we didn't spot this charming fella doing this, this one was spotted whilst we were eating a lunch of quiche, crusty bread, and very tasty salads with our tour guide in a very nice retreat in the bush, on a scorcher of a day. I was pleased to capture this image as he was moving away very fast, funny to think he may have just been camera shy!

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move along please sir

The rider of this trishaw, a three-wheeled bicycle taxi, was touting for business outside the National Museum of Singapore. These little three wheelers generally haunt the area around the Singapore River and Chinatown.

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australian sealions

We both took lots of photos, but my favourites have to be of the Australian sealions, the photo above being one of them, I suppose because I just feel so privileged to have been up so close with these lovely animals. Our guide took us to view within a safe distance, as don't forget they may look docile enough, but in fact a sealion can be quite dangerous and could easily turn on you if you invade their territory and they can weigh a ton, particularly the males.

Little pups were frolicking in and out the water, whilst the mums were having a snooze, washed up on the beach, and there were a few rather large males keeping an eye on the proceedings too.

An unforgettable experience.

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one hump or two

Seconds earlier these two camels had two girls crying with fear. All in a day's work I can hear them say!

They live on a camel farm down the highway en route from Alice Springs to Ayres Rock.

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views over adelaide

This photo was taken from the plane whilst flying over to Kangaroo Island, just eight miles south of the South Australian mainland.

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vibrant images from Stanley Market in Hong Kong

If I lived in Stanley I would be here every day, the fruit and vegetables were amazing and the flowers equally so.

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giant jelly babies

Don't you just wish these sculptures by Cairns artist Sophie Cadman were real sweets?

They were photographed outside the Centre of Contemporary Arts in Cairns.

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in a while, saltwater crocodile

A huge, and I mean huge, occupant of Featherdale Wildlife Park which is in the Blue Mountains, just north of Sydney.

It didn't move once, I said it was stuffed, J said it was real. We didn't hang around long enough to find out!

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sydney harbour bridge

When Australia comes to mind, what is the first thing most people think of, for many of you most probably Sydney Harbour Bridge. The photo above was taken from the top of the Pylon Lookout, which is reached by a short walk along the pavement, adjacent to the highway, and a climb of 200 stairs, 87 metres above mean sea level. On the way up there are 3 levels of exhibits where you will discover the history and construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the men who built it, and the vision of JJC Bradfield, the chief engineer.



Whilst in Sydney, we just had to do the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb, it takes you along the upper span of the arch on catwalks and ladders all the way to the summit, 134 metres above Sydney Harbour. The photo above shows not us, but another group of 12, imagine 360 degree amazing views of Sydney, and really safe as you are clipped on and have to spend quite a while going through what they call bridge preparation.

We hadn't originally planned to do this on our first day in Sydney but somehow, don't ask me how, we stumbled upon the booking office and the starting position of the climb. I could tell by the look on J's face that he was really keen, and so was I, just as long as I could keep my legs from turning to jelly! We just decided on the spot to do it, so after marching up to the desk and asking for two tickets, we were on the next climb which was starting in about 20 minutes time, not much time for me to start feeling nervous!

Our party of 12 included a group of 4 from Argentina, a lad from Australia, a couple from Italy, a lad from Wales, us and other couple from England, of all ages.

The weather was cloudy and overcast, but a good day for the climb as not too hot. Luckily I had put sunblock on my face though as I would have come off looking like a beetroot, as you are up on the bridge for a fair time, as it was, the top of my hands had caught the sun and felt a bit sore for a day or so.

The guide who took us up was a really nice guy and really informative in telling us all about Sydney and he would answer any questions we put to him, also at certain points he would take your photo, either of the group or in pairs. You should have seen the two of us, J must have had the smallest suit they could find, and me, well the gusset was down to my knees, not at all flattering!

Well what can I say, I am so pleased we did it, it doesn't come cheap, but I can thoroughly recommend it, a great experience not to be missed, do it while you can, you may never get to visit Sydney again!