Blogs from Australia, Oceania - page 3867
May 20th 2005
Time to leave home & head off to the great unknown - - the United Kingdom, and more importantly - London!! Not sure what is to be ahead of me and Mimes, but I'm sure we'll have a ball on the way :-) Keeping this short and sweet and just posting some photos of me before I go, just so I can check it out when I get homesick :-( Love & peace, Ames x... read more
May 20th 2005
Lots of clouds are out. A little bit chilly here Nice to people watch. I would have to say that one of my favourite free activities is people watching. Especially while sitting on the fine sands of Byron Bay. It really amazes me that the sand actually squeaks when you walk over it. I've been taking it pretty easy here today in Byron Bay. Just sitting on the beach reading and doing some people watching. Now that is always a fun activity. Here are some things I've witnessed... * Lots of surfer's wiping out * Girl with a white bikini...not a pretty sight when wet and the owner of said bikini is shall we say very well endowed in many areas! * Lots of cellulite. Just because they sell bikini's doesn't mean you have to own ... read more
May 19th 2005
I LOVE DIVING!! It is such an unreal feeling to be down there, water all around you, yet you breath! Fish swimming around you, turtles looking for food, Nemo hiding in the anemone, achieving neutral buoyancy and floating like an astronaut in outer space! Oh the freedom! Arrived in Cairns Friday 13th May and met up with my baby girl Alys! We spent the day together before I went on the boat on the Saturday. Three days on the boat, and ten dives! That makes three and four dives a day! *phew* After that I was exhausted! Started with the deep dive (30m), at 6am, then 8am, 11am and afternoon dives. Also did a night dive, navigation dives and underwater photography. It's actually not as easy as one could imagine to take pictures under water. There ... read more
May 19th 2005
Sitting on the beach On the sands of Byron Bay Watching the surfer's. What a sleep in. I got back to the hostel with Nicola at about 2AM. Two of my roommates were still out and boy did they make an entrance! Talk about noisy! The first girl came back to the room at about 3AM and was fiddling with the door for the longest time. First I think she was having trouble fitting the key into the door and then I think she couldn't figure out how to lock the door (it automatically locks!) Then at about 4AM the second girl comes back and has a guy with her. They climb into the top bunk of one of the beds. Oh gawd! Don't tell me they're about to get it on! Luckily they didn't because ... read more
Wireless chalk and stethoscope on wings
Published: May 20th 2005Oceania » Australia » Northern Territory » Alice Springs
May 19th 2005
I planned one day of relaxing in the pool in Alice after the long desert trip, but as you know me already, it didn’t happen. I discovered that there were a few interesting places in Alice. Mainly, I visited two places that provide services we are very accustomed to, but in a unique way as they serve a community distributed over a vast area. The first place is called “School of the air”. The school teaches 114 kids that live in an area of 1.3M sq km, where there are less than 10 kids in the same area. Most of them live in remote cattle stations and the only other kids in the area are there siblings. The closest neighbours may be 500 km away. The teachers sit in the “class room” in Alice and transmit ... read more
Another place that begins with "B"
Published: January 21st 2006Oceania » Australia » New South Wales » Byron Bay
May 18th 2005
Aborigines A memorial for them Really makes you think. Cardinal rule #1 broken by the driver. He told the group we would be leaving at 8AM...ready to go at 8:30. So of course the whole group hears 8:30. Me, not one to like waiting for the bathroom was up and washed first so when Sparrow, our driver, came through to wake up the "possums" I was the only one awake. Oh well. Another lazy and leisurely breakfast for me! :) The day was a pretty long day of driving with a few breaks to stretch the legs and see a few things too. Our first stop was to see an Aborigine memorial. I believe there were several Aborigines savagely murdered and one of the largest trials in Australian history took place to prosecute the murderers. It ... read more
May 18th 2005
After North Queensland we set off South towards our next major stop, Fraser Island. Before we got there we managed to catch up with our friends who are travelling round the world for a year. We caught up with them in time for Steph's birthday and spent a great day on the beach getting in some kiting as well. (Thanks for making my birthday really special guys, great bbq!) We stayed near the pretty town of Hervey Bay for one night before catching the ferry across to the largest sand island in the world! Fraser Island is out of this world! The sand is the whitest, the water the bluest and the Jeep Wrangler we hired was the best toy in the world! We had a brilliant (if a little bumpy) three days exploring the 150 ... read more
Kings Canyon - Garden of Eden in the middle of the desert
Published: May 21st 2005Oceania » Australia » Northern Territory
May 18th 2005
In the last day of the tour we visited one of the nicest spots - Kings Canyon. It's about 3 hour hike around the canyon. The pictures will tell the story better than words. It's simply a beautiful place in the middle of a desert. After a long 500km drive we reached Alice Springs, and celebrated the end of the tour at Toddy's all you can eat buffet. Later everybody went for drinks but I felt I drunk way too much the last 8 days, and got an early sleep for a change. The bottom line, this camping tour was really good. First, I think I made a really good choice to go with Wayward "Let the others rush". We had more time to see things, to feel, to explore. The guide was fantastic. Second, camping ... read more
Brisbane, Maroochydore & Byron Bay
Published: May 18th 2005Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Sunshine Coast
May 18th 2005
Hello to you all. I know it has been a little while since I have last updated, but I have been enjoying some restful time to write and read and take in the surroundings. My time in New Zealand finished up well, I attended my first professional rugby match, which was quite entertaining, then I spent a few days in ChristChurch enjoying the museums and art gallery's. My first stage of my time in Australia was spent in Queensland. I flew into Brisbane and was met by a friend I made over in New Zealand. He showed me the sights around the city, including some beautiful botanical gardens then took me out to the Gold Coast for a day. This part of Australia has been built up a lot in the past few years, do to ... read more
May 18th 2005
Wow the place is amazing, huge but amazing. My cousin Tom and Jo his wife are gorgeous and I'm staying with them.... taken some great photos... doesn't seem like the opera house is that big, well it is! But just not as big as the harbour bridge! Been wandering around the city which is awesome, so much water everywhere! Heading to meet Adam and when weather picks up gonna go down to bondai beach and to the heads of the harbour! Getting better today so fingers crossed! Still not caught a tan but its cold. Trying to sort out east coast there are some good deals. Have to get a certificate to serve alcohol over here, experience doesn't matter, and they're well into their gambling so need to get a certificate for that too cause there's ... read more
