terça-feira, 28 de dezembro de 2010

Sydney to Melbourne

 The East Coast Australia is probably one of the most visited stretches of coastline and quite frankly, it deserves to be. There is something for everyone on this road trip.
 From sydney to melbourne by the coast is1100km and would take about 14 hours of straight driving. It's visually more stunning and there is more to see and do - that's providing you like beaches, coastal towns, national parks and wildlife! took me 2 days to get there, with a week vacacion i have to rush my way down a bit.

this is a camper van , that box in the top opens and you sleep there, is the best way to do a road trip in Australia , you go and you sleep everywhere you like
 Vast, tranquil and diverse, Gippsland is blessed with a striking natural beauty. From long white beaches and shimmering waterways to lush forests, towering peaks and rolling green hills, the region is a rich tapestry of ever-changing landscapes. Drive through picturesque villages on the way to the magnificent Wilsons Promontory, sail across the Gippsland Lakes and get close to wildlife in the fertile wetlands, or take on the powerful surf along the iconic Ninety Mile Beach.
 Phillip Island Australia is a great place to visit! You come here for the wildlife and beautiful scenery. Unfortunately, in my opinion, it's become a little too touristy.It is approximately 140km East of Melbourne.


                                                       there inside is a penguin
The Phillip Island nature Park is where you get to see most of the animals. The reason this is so great is that they are all in their natural habitat - this is not a zoo.
So, you have to patiently wait until sunset and then you get to see these very cute penguins waddle out of the water and up the beach to the safety of their sand dunes. They really do look very funny waddling up the beach. It is a real treat to watch them.
                        Oyster cracker is the name of this bird, with a black body and long orange beak
                                                           very noisy this sea guls
 Of all the underwater wildlife species on our planet, the great white shark is perhaps the most feared by humankind. For 15 million years that have roamed our world's oceans, continuing to evolve in brilliant force to be the apex predator of the sea. Although so few, great white shark fatal attacks spark massive media attention in papers and TV forums around the world. And of the 63 fatal attacks ever recorded in the history of human deaths, 27 of these have occurred in Australia.
Autralian goose 
philip island It's famous for its Koalas, Penguins, Pelicans and grand prix race course. I found it a bit touristy so would rather spend an afternoon here and then head onto Melbourne.

terça-feira, 21 de dezembro de 2010

West Head/Kuringay chase/Palm beach

                                         This is a view of palm beach from west head
The 2km long stretch of sand extending northwards from Palm Beach's elite Cabbage Tree Club and rock pool at the exclusive southern end of Ocean Road, up to Barrenjoey Lighthouse, is a holiday playground. From anyone wanting a simple day out to enjoy a beautiful picnic spot, to the rich and famous seeking anonymity, Palm Beach caters for everyone.
Water sports dominate the area. Sailing, windsurfing, swimming and surfing are popular past times. The boating enthusiast is well catered for with Pittwater being a yachtsman's paradise.


                                                                  into the wild


 Lion Island is located at the entrance to the Hawkesbury River inside Broken Bay and is considered part of the Gosford local government area. It is a descriptive name because it resembles a Sphinx, a mythical figure of a crouching lion.




                                         View from palm beach to west head
                                                                  On the rocks

sexta-feira, 17 de dezembro de 2010

Blue mountains

 The Three Sisters is a rock formation in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. They are close to the town of Katoomba and are one of the Blue Mountains' best known sites, towering above the Jamison Valley. Their names are Meehni (922 m), Wimlah (918 m), and Gunnedoo (906 m).

The Legend

The Aboriginal dream-time legend has it that three sisters, 'Meehni', 'Wimlah' and Gunnedoo' lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe.
These beautiful young ladies had fallen in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe, yet tribal law forbade them to marry.
The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided to use force to capture the three sisters causing a major tribal battle.
As the lives of the three sisters were seriously in danger, a witchdoctor from the Katoomba tribe took it upon himself to turn the three sisters into stone to protect them from any harm. While he had intended to reverse the spell when the battle was over, the witchdoctor himself was killed. As only he could reverse the spell to  return the ladies to their former beauty, the sisters remain in their magnificent rock formation as a reminder of this battle for generations to come.





                                                                          kockatoos
The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is a large white cockatoo with bright yellow crest. It is the largest white cockatoo in Australia.
                                                        Amazing rock formations
                        The Blue Mountains features some of the World's most spectacular bushwalks..


                                           900 steps, was the harder part of this 3 hours walk


terça-feira, 14 de dezembro de 2010

Small surf at Maroubra



 Getting ready for it, is the best person to surf with is my daughter




 Sara in the wave, ready for the bottom turn.
 Father drop-in daughter

Considered one of Sydney’s best surfing beaches. The legend even says the whole Australian surf culture started here early in 1900s. The tradition was preserved and even helped young men to avoid being recruited for the Second World War by floating out for hours while recruitment officers were in the area. The surf culture is still strong today, supported by surf life-saving clubs.

domingo, 12 de dezembro de 2010

waves/ north narrabeen


The North Narrabeen NSR was declared in Oct 2009 and is a popular hard core surfing beach on Sydney's northern coastline. The reserve covers 50 hectares of land and water along one kilometre of coastline taking in part of Narrabeen Lagoon which plays a role in the natural processes that make the surf breaks of the beach so unique. Home of the veteran national club champions, North Narrabeen Boardriders.








 North Narrabeen is renowned as one of the great surf breaks of the world.




Surf beaches are notorious for being tribal and very territorial. When you have a break with the quality of Narrabeen in a city the size of Sydney the pressures become extreme.