Tasmanian Devils and other animals Driving down to Port Arthur you go through the small town of Dunalley, just before crossing a narrow isthmus and heading further down the Tasman Peninsula. It was only as we got to the small township that I remembered that this area was in the direct path of some fearsome bushfires earlier this year. We couldn't believe our eyes when we saw the devastation left from the fires, which destroyed the town. There were around 80 homes lost, leaving just lonely brick chimneys, or sometimes a washing line standing in an empty field. The fire reached all the way to the water. It seemed in-congruent, the charred trees overlooking the sea. I remembered seeing photos in the newspaper of families in the water, surrounded by billowing clouds of smoke and flames. ... read more

One of the great things about living in a new city, and one as big as Sydney, is that every weekend I can visit somewhere new and enjoy a new adventure or experience. At times even just supermarket shopping can offer a different experience - cue the time I got excited and bought kangaroo steak for dinner! Day tripping around the city and beyond helps keep alive the dream that living in Australia is one big holiday. Clearly I'm delusional.....but bring it on I reckon. I've had some fantastic discoveries, whether near or far. Recently I took a day trip to the Royal National Park. I'd bought a one day tour with Understand Down Under (UDU) Tours through a voucher site, so I was a local joining the real tourists - or so I thought. Turns ... read more

The view was the real draw card in deciding to rent my apartment, and this view came into its own on New Year's Eve. I had invited some friends to dinner and this turned out to be the perfect way to see in the new year - good food, friends, plenty of champagne - not to mention having an excellent view of the festivities. I particularly liked that unlike thousands of others, there was no queuing for hours in the sun for a decent spot, and for me, no need to fight for a taxi on the way home. I knew that the city was mad for their fireworks, they seem to have random fireworks for no good reason several times throughout the year. Sometimes I wonder if they are simply celebrating my arrival home from ... read more

One of the things that I have loved about Sydney is its multi-culturalism. At a recent team function with my work colleagues, I discovered that our relatively small team's collective background includes Lebanon, Syria, Italy, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Hungary, Latvia, Ireland, Scotland, England not to mention New Zealand. With so many different cultures, it means that the food on offer is wonderfully diverse. Sometimes though, you need to know where to look to find the most authentic and delicious food. I had heard about a company that offered specialised walking tours in various neighbourhoods around Sydney, called Gourmet Safaris. I thought it was a great opportunity to learn more about different cultures, and explore new parts of Sydney, so signed up for the walking tour of Auburn, exploring the local neighbourhood and... read more

Since I have been in Australia, I've kept my work colleagues amused with my stupid questions about snakes. Before I headed up to the Blue Mountains to go walking I asked David what to do if I saw a snake. I was actually serious - do I run? Do I stay still? David thought this was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. As it happens, we never left the pavement so it wasn't a concern. However I have raised this again with a number of people, who have all been too busy laughing and telling me I'll never see one to actually give me an answer. Finally I came across one colleague, a farm girl like myself, who paused from her laughter to tell me that I should run. At last, an answer! Yet when the ... read more