Blogs from Victoria, Australia, Oceania - page 635

Well I'm nearly prepared for my journey only a few things left to do. Princess Sparkle is beginning to get the jitters. I don't know why she is so nervous seeing she has me with her. Oh well. Less than 4 weeks to go before I begin for real. Will keep you all updated. bye for now Sarah & Princess Sparkle... read more

Melbourne is not your average city although its central business district could convince you otherwise. It boasts everything a modern day metropolis has to offer but somehow manages to keep the community feel that most cities lose. It probably has a lot to do with the numerous suburbs which make up the majority of the city's mass, each one pocessing that individual vibe that makes a visit an adventure in itself. Whether it's the 'Camden-esq' individuality of Richmond, the fashionable, bistro laden streets of Prahan/South Yara or the party mad beach scene at St. Kilda there is always somewhere that matches your mood (or your wallet). We arrived at the airport with our normal vague ideas of where?, when?, how?, what? and do we have enough cash for that? It took a good forty minutes on ... read more

Starting an around the word trip by train may seem a bit old fashioned, but that’s how I have started mine. Before that point however, I went surfing. I had returned to Australia for the summer arriving on Dec 2nd, which in the land of OZ is the second day of summer. That day was in Sydney and my good friend Paul had, as he often does, organised the next few days for fun and excitement...Bondi beach is a good way to spend your first day back in Australia after 6 months in London and for my second day home an 'All Australian' music festival called Home Bake was even better. But that’s got nothing to do with surfing because I couldn't surf then! Most of the summer was spent living and working in Melbourne and ... read more

Been here a week now. Overwhelming impression of the New South Wales countryside is that everything is sunbleached. The locals say that they desperately need rain, but that doesn't account for the earth which is ochre at its darkest, the sand which is unremittingly white and the rock which is beige, or lighter. The rangeland, which is what most of New South Wales is, is brown, no more like tawny. The ubiquitous eucalyptus ("gum") trees lose their bark as they mature so their trunks are white; their leaves are a strange silver-blue. The occasional conifer is a welcome sight! There are very few towns or even villages as you drive in the country - and we're not talking about the outback here. Even along the coast the roads are eerily empty and houses are few and ... read more

The last 2 days were really awesome! According to our new terms, they were not "best general" - they were spectacular! We started late due on Tuesday to errand duties in Geelong but when you get to this coastal road you immediately get to those lovely surfing beaches - huge waves (probably those were not so huge for the locals because it was a really fine day, but compared to our Mediterranean sea, they were!). We drove along the coast. stopping at every possible lookout for pictures, especially the beautiful Teddy's lookout where I managed to photograph a magpie bird for the first time. I admired those birds simple black&white beauty since NZ and finally one is posing for me. In some parts the road is carved out in the rocks right beside the ocean and ... read more