Blogs from Oceania - page 7860

Oceania » Australia » New South Wales » Sydney October 10th 2001

A ‘bounty ship’ taken whilst on one of the Manly Ferries, en route to Sydney

The plan for today was to go right into the heart of Sydney. They were telling me that they don’t tend to go into Sydney that much, and having me over was an excuse to get out and about and see what been happening locally. Paula drove Bryan, Damon and myself to Manly, where we walked along the beach front alongside the famous Norfolk pines, and then down Manly Corso. ‘The Corso’ is Manly’s high street, and leads from Manly Cove, with the harbour beach, to Manly Beach, on the ocean side. It is lined with many shops, cafés, pubs and food shops, and is also home to many restaurants, bars and clubs. It is the ‘heart’ of Manly. At the harbour beach end of ‘The Corso’ was ‘The Esplanade’, which was where all the Sydney-bound ... read more

Looking northwards at Harbour Bridge, from the footway

St Andrews Cathedral - one of the many buildings designed by Francis Greenway

One of the many naval warships docked in Wooloomooloo Bay

Manly and Sydney Harbour

Oceania » Australia » New South Wales » Sydney October 9th 2001

Damon, Eileen and me at North Head, near Manly

Daryl G

Today I was up bright and early. The sun was again shining, and it was another ideal day to do some driving. The main destinations for today were Manly, North Head and South Head. The suburb of Manly, is on the north side of the harbour entrance (North Head), and it can be reached from Sydney by ferry or hydrofoil, or the much longer road route. Its main tourist attraction is Marineland, a large aquarium featuring shark feeding and other shows. To the north of Manly is a string of popular beach resorts extending up to Palm Beach and Barrenjoey Head, on Broken Bay, the estuary of the Hawkesbury River. Back to the North Head, and Bryan had to park up as we were now in the Sydney Harbour National Park, which had restricted driving access. ... read more

Damon, Eileen and me at Berry Reserve, North Sydney

Northern Suburbs, Sydney

Oceania » Australia » New South Wales » Palm Beach October 8th 2001

Palm Beach on my first day

Daryl G

Wake up this cool Spring morning at about 10.00am. I had a great sleep and felt much better. The only disturbance I had was when the clock/radio they have in there went off at midnight! First things first, I had a refreshing shower, which did make me feel much better and relaxed. I read the local newspapers, which had been delivered: the Manly Daily, Sydney Morning Herald and Daily Telegraph. Once Damon woke up we went, with Bryan, for a short walk. At the back of Bryan's place is Freshwater School, a large secondary school, so we walked across the school field and then along a creek, and down to Curl Curl Beach. This was where both Damon and Danielle were lifeguards when they were younger. On starting the walk I noticed the pesky flies. I ... read more

Road trip: Sorrento, Rosebud, Portsea. July '01.

Oceania » Australia » Victoria » Portsea August 8th 2001

Road trip here we come!

karine

Chris, Jamie and I decided to pack up and go on a road trip in Chris' beat-up 1978 Volvo (with no air-conditioning!). As per usual, we didn't have any prior planning but having been stressed out by final presentations at Uni, we wanted to head farthest away from Melbourne as possible. So off to Mornington Peninsula we went, about 100kms south of Melbourne. Along the Mornington Peninsula beaches you'll find bathing boxes, which are now heritage listed. Believe it or not, these boxes cost from AUD$5000-$150,000! I kid you not. We found a caravan park in Rosebud, which was really cosy. And no, you don't have to rock up in a caravan. The place we lived in could have accommodated about 6 people, had a tv, kitchen, bath. Really comfy and not at all expensive. In ... read more

Dandenong Mountains, 2001.

Oceania » Australia » Victoria » Melbourne June 23rd 2001

Dandenong.

karine

After a night of partying with the Interior Design students, I got picked up at 3am in the morning by KC and friends to head to Dandenong Mountains, 40km from Melbourne. No notice as usual! Jon was here visiting and wanted to see the sights so off we went to the mountains in the middle of winter 2001. We arrived close to 5am, took a walk in the freezing cold. The sight was amazing but too dark for our cameras to capture any decent photos. As the sun came up we headed to check out Puffing Billy, the 100-year-old steam train still running from Belgrave. Obviously we were too early for anything so we snapped some pictures and off we went back to Melbourne so I could snooze the day away.... read more

I am a Tourist

Oceania April 1st 2001

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specialfx

17 May 2001 So friends, today is going to be a “true confessions” episode. Yes, it’s a little embarrassing, but your loyal correspondent, the activist formerly known as a fearless fighter for justice and seeker of truth has morphed into (gasp) … a TOURIST !! Some of the details are too gruesome to get through the BillGatesGlobalThoughtPolice ® , but here is some damning evidence in the case against me. First of all, you know the term “Tourist Trap”? Well, that’s no longer acceptable language. Since my metamorphosis, I have come to understand the emotional violence such accusatory language does to people that are just trying to see and do as many scenic vistas, photo opportunities and authentic craft shops as they can handle. Anyway, where to begin the sordid tale … Perhaps swimming with the ... read more

I love a sunburnt country

Oceania » Australia » Northern Territory » Alice Springs January 26th 2001

Views of Perth

Tom Rooney

Perth is the most remote capital city in the world, dear reader. If you cast your eyes east the vast expanses of the Nullabor Plain stretch to the South Australian border and way beyond; if you cast your eyes west the vast expanses of the Indian Ocean stretch all the way to the South African coast and the nearest city of Johannesburg. The inhabitants of this booming city feel removed from the goings on in the Eastern States, and methinks maybe they like it that way. Perth is situated on the Swan River with a population of over one million people, who are bathed in sunshine for three hundred days per year. There's plenty to see and do if you pop over for a visit, and leading on from the previous journal my Australian adventures continue ... read more

Way out west where the rain don't fall

Oceania » Australia » Western Australia » Perth January 16th 2001

Monster croc eats Aussie!

Tom Rooney

The far north of Australia is one of the most remote places on Earth, and every day in the top end features stunning scenery and a sense of wonder at the vast distances travelled. There are three major towns stretching from the East Coast to the West Coast, and a whole lot of nothing in between. But this is the real Australia, where you can ride on the bus for an entire day and be lucky to pass a single car travelling in the opposite direction. I had a five week opportunity to explore the Far North, and a bargain three flight package from Qantas helped make some my destinations achievable given the short time frame. My top end adventure commenced, dear reader, with a flight to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. I took a few ... read more