Made it to Sydney

Driving Navigating in the countryside is fine, but I’m glad to be rid of the car now that we have made our way into the city. Too bad we didn’t own a nice boat – the harbour is constantly busy.

Do you know where the Southern Cross is?

That’s what my husband asked a fellow (but somewhat younger) hosteller. Hubbie was studying the sky, and the other fellow (Irish, it turned out, to no surprise) was hanging his laundry outside as darkness fell in the Hunter Valley. The Irish guy said, in all seriousness, “is that a pub?”

Phew! Hot in the Hunter Valley

It is in the mid-30s here in the wine-producing Hunter Valley, 150 km from Sydney.

Subtropical rainforest walks and small wildlife

We have walked through several areas of subtropical rainforest. This was taken from the “skywalk” on Dorrigo National Park on the Waterfall Way going inland from the coast to Armidale.

Brisbane to Sydney road trip – church in Broadwater, New South Wales

Approaching Broadwater, we stopped to look at the sugar cane fields along the highway. Pulling onto a side road, we found ourselves in the parking lot of a church undergoing restoration and conversion to another use.

Brisbane City Cat ferry

Brisbane’s public transit system includes ferries zipping to and fro up and down and across the river. During commuting hours, there are many more people on board, as the river loops through a population of over 2 million.

Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

I was without internet for nigh 60 hours as we went on a weekend excursion to the Sunshine Coast, a couple of hours north of Brissie. Note that I am catching on to Aussie-speak. The first rule is that fewer simpler syllables are better than long complex ones.

Plaques – words carved in stone

When walking a city for hours with no particular purpose except to get to know the place, one stops and reads plaques and cornerstones.