Blogs from Leichhardt, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Oceania

Our home for the last week of our Australian adventure was the southeast state of New South Wales. We spent a couple of days in the beautiful coastal town of Byron Bay; taking to the waves once more to further sharpen our surfing skills - at this rate we will be performing rescues when we arrive in Bondi Beach! Next up was the sleepy town of Port Macquarie. It boasts several stunning beaches, each as impressive as the other, with a beautiful coastal walk linking them. There was a very large surf the day we visited so the water was once again a no go. Having met hundreds of kangaroos since landing into Australia, we were keen to catch a glimpse of Australia's other indigenous animal - the koala. These guys are incredibly difficult to spot ... read more

We had problems uploading the video and photos at the same time so these photos are 'Sydney Part Deux'. We hope you enjoy them! Angela and Harry xxx... read more

Hi Friends - Google is a funny thing. I googled my name as a bit of an ego surf and this is the only place I seem to come up. So I hope I can keep this site a while longer, but I've begun blogging at heyjohnnymac.blogspot.com. That's where my most recent stuff is. You can also find me on facebook. I look forward to hearing from you. ... read more

I'm really behind on these things- I'm finally able to update about Melbourne and I've already arrived in Sydney! When we left Surfer's, we left behind temperatures in the mid 20s, a beach front location, and our own apartments with beds, showers, and laundry. When we arrived in Melbourne it was a cruel shock, because it was rainy, humid, and cold. Our accomodations were a school gym (that didn't have any heating). Quite the change. It took me about 3 days to get acclimatized to the cold in Melbourne, and to actually begin to appreciate the beauty of the city. Everyday began the same- up for the bus at 8, transport to St. Peter and Paul Church for breakfast, and then grab a quick look on Facebook in the basement internet cafe before Divine Liturgy at ... read more

7, January, 2008 Dear Friends Well, Happy New Year. And I say that with tongue planted firmly in cheek. The rebel in me scoffs at the phrase, yet I still greet people with it this time of year. Really, what could be more hackneyed than wishing you a Happy New Year? Of all holidays, this one seems the most contrived. It doesn’t mark anything other than the calendar itself. I imagine those Gregorians must be smirking still, having sat up there in their dank stone castles plotting to get people all fired up about the passage of one more day. I can see them with their parchment charts and medieval talking points saying smugly “Let’s see if they’ll agree to this!” Of course, the people did. We’ve always been a gullible lot, trusting leaders to do ... read more