Australia

After an uneventful flight from Bangkok I arrived at Sydney & after a bit of back & forth managed to find the place to get a train pass inside the airport.

The hotel is just a walk away from the station & I am going to take the train up into the Blue Mountains .. to the Mount Victoria station.

It is not July but the advert says the the Xmas season will be then .. Xmas in July .. can that be true?

I took a short walk to a look-out over the mountains but was less than impressed .. the weather did not help as it was drizzling.

Time for a drink of ginger beer & a snack ..

& another short wait at the station for the ride back to Sydney. The station could be in England 50 years ago.

The train ride is nothing special .. not much in the way of Blue Mountain views but it was livened up when two young couple got busted by the cops for drinking on the train .. they were not rowdy, just drinking beer.

It was a pleasant & cheap way to while away a few hours

The next day I decided to take a bus to the coast & walk from beach to beach ..

I wonder what you need to do to get into this cemetery .. besides dying .. fabulous location.

and there is the ships cute photographer ..

.. .. . as we pass under the Sydney Harbour bridge. I did not expect to do that as I thought the ship was to be parked at Circular Quay but Sidney has another cruise ship terminal .. lucky I found that out in good time

Goodbye to Australia . . I doubt I will get the chance to be back

THE TASMAN SEA WAS NOT IN THE LEAST BIT ROUGH. A VERY SMOOTH RIDE.

NOT QUITE THIS SMOOTH

NOW ARRIVED IN HOBART FOR A RIDE OUT TO THE TAHUNE AIR WALK WHERE WE TAKE A STROLL THROUGH THE TREE TOPS.

THIS IS LORRAINE FROM MY DINING TABLE.

MY FIRST EVENING MEAL ON BOARD, I WAS SEATED AT A TABLE FOR EIGHT OR TEN.
HALF AN HOUR LATER & NOBODY ELSE HAD TURNED UP.

H & A HAD ME SEATED ON A HUGE TABLE, ON MY OWN. I WAS GOING TO BE ON THIS BOAT FOR 2 MONTHS.

I AM OK ON MY OWN USUALLY, BUT THIS IS RIDICULOUS.

LORRAINE WAS SEATED WITH 4 OTHER PEOPLE AT A WINDOW TABLE NOT FAR AWAY. HER COUSIN, SANDY TOLD ME TO GO SIT WITH THEM & THAT I DID - FOR THE NEXT MONTH.

I WAS NOT TOO IMPRESSED WITH H & A - THEY'D HAD A MONTH TO SORT THIS OUT BEFORE I EVEN GOT ON BOARD.

ANYWAY - THAT'S LORRAINE, THE LITTLE DARLING - NEEDING A STEP LADDER.

AND IT'S ON TO THE DEVILS VIA THE HUON VALLEY. VERY PICTURESQUE...

THOSE CUDDLY LITTLE DEVILS..

THESE TWO GIRLS ARE STAFF - THEY GET TO ESCORT A BUS LOAD OF PASSENGERS. NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT...

THIS IS A SHOW WHERE A PERSON IN THE CROWD HOLDS UP A COIN. THE BIRD FLIES FROM IT'S HANDLER, TAKES THE COIN BACK TO HIS MASTER.

A GOOD CASH CROP, BUT THEN THE BIRD TAKES THE MONEY BACK...

AND THERE IS THAT DARNED MARTHA AGAIN...

THIS POOR SOUL HAS ONLY ONE WING.....

and a quick flit round the Port Arthur Penal place

before its back on the ship and off to Sydney

We drop off the pilot & the Captain announces we have time to look at Cape Raul.

A very strange rock formation. A bit like the columns at Giants Causeway in Ireland.

He stopped the ship & then spun it around so the people on the other side could see. Very Costa Concordia but without the drama.

SAILING INTO SYDNEY HARBOUR.

I GET UP EARLY ON A SUNDAY TO SEE THIS, BUT THE CREW HAVE BEATEN ME TO IT,

THE LADY WHO IS JUST IN THIS SHOT, WILL BE CLIMBING TO THE TOP OF THE BRIDGE LATER TODAY. WHERE THE FLAGS ARE.

RATHER HER THAN ME. IT LOOKS AWFUL HIGH.

SAILING PAST THE OPERA HOUSE....

AND NOW WE ARE DOCKED AT THE ROCKS. BETWEEN THE BRIDGE & THE OPERA HOUSE. WE BROUGHT OUR HOTEL ROOM ALONG WITH US.. HATE TO THINK WHAT A ROOM WOULD COST HERE.

A COUPLE OF CONVICTS BEHIND BARS.. OLD HABITS DIE HARD...

I GET THE GO ANYWHERE BUS & FERRY PASS & HEAD ACROSS SYDNEY HARBOUR TO MANLY. TAKING IN THE LOCAL WILDLIFE....

THESE GIRLS WERE VERY FUNNY..

AND AT SHELLEY BEACH I GRAB A BOTTLE OF WATER & ASK A GUY WHAT HE THINKS OF THE WALK I AM THINKING OF DOING UP OVER THE HILL & BACK TO MANLY.
EASY WALKING HE SAYS...

THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF SPIDERS ALONG THE TRAIL. ALL AT JUST ABOVE HEAD HIGHT.

I MENTIONED THIS TO A LADY IN A TOURIST PLACE AT THE TOP OF THE HILL & SHE EXPLAINED THAT RANGERS OCCASIONALLY GO ALONG THE TRIAL & KNOCK THE WEBS DOWN & THE SPIDERS LEARN TO NOT BUILD THEM SO LOW.

TRUE?

MAYBE SHE'S RELATED TO THE GUY BACK AT SHELLEY BEACH.

NEAR THE TOP AND THE PLANES ARE GOING BY AT HEAD HIGHT...SO MUCH FOR THE EASY WALK.

MORE WILDLIFE,.....

AND BACK TO THE ROCKS. THAT WAS A GREAT WALK.
I WONDERED IF I WOULD MAKE IT UP THE HILL FROM SHELLEY BEACH BUT THE HIGHER I GOT, THE LESS CHANCE I HAD OF GOING BACK DOWN, WHICH LOOKED HARDER THAN GOING UP..

MIND YOU, JOGGERS WERE PASSING ME, SO IT'S NOT THAT BAD.

ANOTHER FERRY RIDE NOW TO WATSONS BAY & THE GAP. THEN A WALK ALONG THE CLIFF PATH TO BONDI.

EXCEPT I TOOK A BUS FOR PART OF THAT.
THAT'S THE GREAT THING ABOUT GO ANYWHERE PASSES.
THEY ARE CHEAP & CONVENIENT. NO MUCKING ABOUT WITH MONEY. SEE A BUS , GET ON IT.

THE GAP?

BONDI BEACH... HOME OF THE FAMOUS MOB DANCE. THAT WAS REALLY FUNNY,

AND A BUS BACK TO THE ROCKS TO GET SET FOR MY EVENING IN THE SYDNEY OBSERVATORY. I HAD BOUGHT A TICKET ON LINE BEFORE LEAVING HOME. I AM GOING TO GET TO LOOK THROUGH THEIR BIG TELESCOPE..
NO PHOTOS UNFORTUNATELY BUT A SPECTACULAR SUNSET....

AND AN UNUSUAL LOOK AT THE BRIDGE....

AND YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS BY NOW....

THAT WAS A FUN DAY.

THE FOLLOWING DAY I TAKE THE 'CAT' UP RIVER TO PARRAMATTA.

A NICE ENOUGH RIDE BUT NOT TOO EXCITING SO - SOME MORE SYDNEY PHOTOS.

LOOKS LIKE KIDS GETTING DRESSED UP FOR A SCHOOL OUTING. I SEE SOME WITH A PRISIONERS MARK ON THEIR SHIRT - MAYBE LEARNING A LITTLE HISTORY...

THE BAND GOING ASHORE.....

AND THE FINAL VIEW OF SYDNEY.....CAIRNS IS NEXT IN A FEW DAYS. A BIG STORM IS IN OUR WAY. LETS HOPE IT MOVES OUT BEFORE WE GET THERE.

IT DID, BUT IT LEFT SOME UGLY WEATHER BEHIND.

THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A HIGHLIGHT OF THE CRUISE.

THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

A GLASS BOTTOM BOAT TOUR IS ON THE AGENDA BUT A FEW FOLKS WERE HOPING IT WERE CANCELLED.

THIS GUY IS HEADING FOR THE SIDE-RAIL....

SOME CORAL... BUT NOT TOO COLOURFUL

AND THIS DOES NOT LOOK AT ALL LIKE THE ADVERTISEMENT..

YOUNG LORRAINE ENJOYING THE ROUGH WEATHER....

PADDY TOUGHED IT OUT ON DECK BUT IT WAS NOT TOO MUCH FUN.

A BIT OF A WASH OUT & I DID NOT GET TO SEE CAIRNS AT ALL.

IT GETS A BIT EXOTIC FOR A WHILE NOW AS WE MOVE AWAY FROM AUSTRALIA AND ACROSS THE CORAL SEA...