Around and About Down Under

I have been gallivanting around Australia for the last month; or rather a very small section of Australia. It is such a vast continent distance seems to get redefined. I spent a few days in Melbourne, then drove along the great ocean road from Melbourne to Adelaide, twisting and winding across spectacular sea views, plus managing to get in a couple of cold dips in the sea.

From Adelaide, my mother (who I am travelling with for this leg of the journey) and I, took a flight to Hobart in Tasmania. A wild, rugged island, not dissimilar to Ireland in parts. Quite a remarkable place, where about 1/5th of the land mass is designated ‘wilderness territory’. No roads. No cars. No disturbance. There are a few overland walking tracks, and the odd boat is allowed up the rivers. This is land at its true and beautiful best. A large section of the remaining of the island is State forest or National Park. Which makes for a lot of trees. Green bliss.

From Tasmania it was back to the big island. Canberra specifically, where I got to catch up with some people who I met while living in China a few years back; Robyn Keech, Tony Marx and their daughter, Sam Keech- Marx. They are a fantastic family; conscious of their impact on the planet and living life according to those principles. Tony runs quite the organic garden out the back of the house, and it was a delight to sample the produce.

From Canberra it was to Sydney. In time for the New Year celebrations, along with a couple of million others. With a view of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, it was a ‘hairs raising on the back on my head’ moment as the fireworks lit up the skies- twice. Once at 9pm, then again to ring in the New Year. 2007 is off to a bang, literally.

Here is a little photo diary from the last few weeks. I have posted additional ones to my flickr site.