Eucalypt Tree

It's really amazinghow different the trees are in Australia. This is a good picture of classic gum tree. They can get very tall.

Grand Pacific Drive

Went on a long drive to see the blowhole in Kiama. It's supposed to shoot water something like 70 feet in the air. More like 70 inches! I guess the tide was out. The view was beautiful though along this highway. Here is Crystal and Branden with the view of the Pacific behind them.

Our pet Kookaburra

Taronga Zoo

Crystal with her friend. We both got to pet a wallaby too!

Taronga Zoo - Wallaby

Here's a little Wallaby. He looks like he is thinking and he was. Right after this he hopped right over two large red kangaroos who were sleeping.

Taronga Zoo

The Taronga Zoo also has a lot of beautiful plantings. This gum flower caught our eye.

Taronga Zoo

Finally Steve got his picture of a black cockatoo. Aren't they cool? The bird show at the zoo was amazing as they "free fly" over you as part of it. They are all trained through food and treats.

Taronga Zoo

Tasmanian devils. Note the one sleeping bears a close resemblance to a dog we know and love.

Taronga Zoo

Koalas - they used to think they were inebriated from the fermented eucalyptus oil but have since "disproven" that. You be the judge.

Taronga Zoo

We all went to Taronga Zoo yesterday. And yes, I can hear you all saying "Whaaaat"? Shirley going to a zoo???? But, I was encouraged that their primary mandate is conservation especially for endangered species like the Tasmanian Devil - (pics of them later) and they have numerous eco approvals. So, here goes and maybe, just maybe there are some zoos that are okay. I'm still a faithful Zoocheck supporter no matter what.

Surf School

So surf school is done, everyone did well. Notice though who ends up pulling both boards in the end.

Crystal & Branden Surf

Crystal and Branden got here safely on Saturday. Yesterday they took surfing lessons at Manly Beach, which according to locals has better surf than Bondi. Alas no pictures but Pops went too, and apparently everyone did well and had a great time.

Bondi Icebergs Club

Here I am in front of the Bondi Icebergs Clubhouse. Also a copy of their logo. Believe me, there are no polar bears around here and no icebergs! Keeping it all in perspective, average temps in winter here are about 15 oC.

Bondi Icebergs Rock Pool

This is the Bondi Icebergs Club Rock Pool. To be a member you must swim every Sunday in the pool during the winter months.

Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach - probably Australia's most famous surf beach. "Swim between the flags" otherwise you are on your own.

Birds of the Day

The first picture is one of our beloved Kookaburras, that we see almost daily, the second is a beautiful Rainbow Lorikeetin a Eucalypt.

The last is a Red-whiskered Bulbul, a rare and pretty tuffed bird

Birds of the Day Friday May 6

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Large,49 cm. Found in large, loud noisy flocks. Shirley got to pet one and I was thrilled!

Bird Of The Day

These are two Tawny Frogmouths. I knew they were here in the RBG, but could not find them. I remembered that as a gardener for Toronto that as I went into Riverdale Park East every morning I saw a Eastern Screech Owl everyday in the spring. So today I asked a gardener there, What Birds are you seeing? I got what I was looking for! He told me to follow this path to the stairs, then back up and look into the tree on my right. and there they where, well hidden

Flowers of the day

Three beautiful water lillies

More Road Signs

Promises, promises. It's very hard to see a koala in the wild because they live in the tree tops and sleep all day.

They are rare so REALLY don't want to see one as road kill.

Road Sign

Thought this was funny. It was on the Great Ocean Drive which was packed with tourists. It is also a very narrow drive with lots of switchbacks (again!) so it probably doesn't hurt to have the reminders.

Road Trip #5 - First Fleet Graves

Okay maybe a little morbid but the end of our road trip was here - a cemetary with 6 First Fleeters - (is that a word?).

Even More Crazy

Not bad enough that they are doing it in the first place, look how close the skier in front is to the boat following.

Had to wait for the Ferry

Is this not the craziest thing? I mean who decided this was a good thing to do, racing speedboats pulling a waterskier?

Road Trip #5 - Wiseman's Ferry

Had to wait for the ferry to cross the river, at two different places.

Road Trip #5 - Hawkesbury River

A view of the river.

Road Trip #5 - The Great North Road

This are photos of the remains of the Great North Road. Built by convicts in the early 1800's each rock was hand excavated from the quarry and then hand finished and laid. You can't see from the photos but it is also on the side of what is basically a mountain. We couldn't believe the amount of work that must have been involved and how difficult it must have have been.

Road Trip #5 - The Hawkesbury Valley

Another adventure - a road trip to the Hawkesbury Valley. This valley was settled almost immediately after the First Fleet (convict ships) landed in 1788. This is a picture of the first Presbyterian Church in Australia and the tree is where they worshipped before the church was built. The church is on land overlooking the river and is quite a picturesque place.

Eclectus Parrot

So this guy was just sitting there having a coffee with his parrot named Pat. The only thing I wonder about is that this bird will almost certainly outlive him. The bird is a male Eclectus Parrot. They are somewhat famous parrots because the female is actually more brilliantly coloured than the male, if you can imagine.