NMsunshine

I'm now in Melbourne and finished the first talk today at University of Melbourne - two more to go. However, I had an amazing weekend hanging out with Bruce's mom and brother (and his mom's friend). They were a hoot! We saw some amazing sights along the Great Ocean Road and I took way too many photos. There were so many awesome views of the ocean, the cliffs, the rock formations and the wildlife to capture. I took the train out to Geelong on Saturday morning and they picked me up from the train station and we headed to Port Campbell on an inland road (faster) to hit up the Twelve Apostles and then wind our way along to Lorne (where we spent the night in this huge apartment and had an amazing tapas dinner and ... read more

So after rescheduling my second dive day a couple of times, it still didn’t work out since the weather has continued to be cool, windy, overcast. I will just have to wait to dive again in the sunny Carribean. Yesterday I worked in the morning and then hung out at the pool (then the beach) and met some lovely Victorian’s - Lynn and Ian. They own a canola farm south of Melbourne which I am now invited to visit . We had a great dinner at Port of Call Bistro in the evening and today I chilled out at the beach. It was overcast and windy, but there was a bit of sun in the afternoon. Lynn and Ian then took me to the highest point in Port Douglas to take some photos and then for ... read more

I arrived in Port Douglas late last night and this place is a pretty cool, beach community. It's a smaller town up the coast from Cairns and I am staying close to the beach so hung out there today for a bit (as well as stocked up on some supplies since am staying at an apartment so can do a bit of cooking/laundry, etc.). I walked over to a restaurant on the pier for dinner to see them feed a giant Grouper named, George, but George didn't show. It started raining so the guy that feeds him said that's probably why (?). Anyway, I had a bucket of lovely, huge prawns for dinner and met a nice Australian couple so all was not lost. bThe place I am staying has outdoor internet service so this is ... read more

I put the wrong days in my last post - today is Sunday morning here (and Sat. night in US). I had an opportunity to walk around Perth yesterday (my Saturday) and went to the art museum, a little craft market, shopping areas, etc. Perth is growing rapidly because of the mining boom and all the lucrative jobs here. So, there is tons of construction. See all the cranes on their skyline below. There are tons of young people out and about and it seems a little rough around the edges here. I guess after coming from Sydney which is very international and cosmopolitan, it's hard to compare. However, people are very friendly and helpful here. Later today, I am going with Andy and Val to see the Aquarium here (which is supposed to be incredible). ... read more

So, my last day in Sydney, I made it to the Australian Museum (http://www.austmus.gov.au/) which was interesting, but also a little strange. There was an amazing exhibit of Western Australian Aboriginal art from the Papunya people. The exhibit was very well done with some massive paintings and a wide variety of artists as well as an interesting documentary about the artists (who relocated to their aboriginal lands to start an art collective). The next morning (reallllly early), I left the hotel for my 5 hour flight to Perth. I arrived around 11:10 am Perth time and have been going non-stop for the last couple of days. The Edith Cowan University folks had me on a whirlwind of tours, meetings, meals, discussion groups and then finally my talk and panel discussion for the last two days. They ... read more

Yesterday I had to work in the morning so didn't have as much time for sightseeing, but I did manage to take the ferry out to Manly Beach. It was a bit warmer so am glad I went in the afternoon. It's still fairly chilly here, but pleasant in the sun when there is no breeze. I love just walking around Circular Quay and the city. However, I figured out how to take the subway and it was quite easy and efficient. They have double decker trains which are interesting and they get just as jam packed as the DC metro during rush hour. I arrived early for the ferry so got to hear several tunes from this didgeridoo performer who does aboriginal futuristic music performance. Cool stuff! The trip over to Manly was a pretty ... read more