The JimAnna Chronicles

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June 11, 2006

The Land Down Under in 2005 -- Part 2

When we arrived in Sydney, we wasted no time in exploring the city. Fortunately, our hotel was right downtown and it's very easy to navigate around.

We went to the harbour bridge tower to get a better vantage point of the area. Here is one of the most famous landmarks in the world, the Sydney Opera House.

Next to the opera house is a place called Circular Quay (pronounced Circular "Key"). It is the harbour that connects downtown with the outer regions of Sydney by water.

Here is Anna and I on the harbour bridge tower.

We heard that one of the best things to do (if you're a little adventurous) is to climb the harbour bridge. This is true and we enjoyed doing it, but it was VERY expensive. If you go and are on a budget, that is one you can skip. Here's a picture of the bridge. If you look closely, you can see groups of people climbing up the arch on the outside. Perhaps some people feel this is thrilling, but quite honestly, Anna and I were a little disappointed. The best view from the top was only slightly better than from the observation post and you couldn't even bring your camera with you. Oh well, we're glad we did it, just wish it were a little less expensive.

I really liked the arches on the opera house.

Another destination on our itinerary was Bondi Beach, one of the most famous beaches in the world. Even though the weather wasn't the best, there were still lots of people out to take in the sun, see and be seen, and of course, surf.

Here's what Sydney Harbour looks like from the water coming back in from our day at Bondi.

To continue with the beach theme we found, we later headed over to Manly Beach. The weather was nicer, so we took a stroll through the area. Needless to say, it was beautiful.

Another activity we simply had to do was see a show in the opera house. While there wasn't an "opera" to hear, we did get to go see a very nice classical ballet. The acoustics are just about perfect.

Here's are the sights that greeted us when we were done with the show.

We were also able to get outside Sydney and explore the area a little. We went to another wildlife sanctuary (since we didn't get enough with the stop at Billabong in Townsville).

This cassowary (found in the far north of Australia) is a very unique looking creature.

My turn to hold the snake.

Of course, there were more koalas.

The Kookaburra (seen here, below) has a very unique call. It's like a loud, eerily human sounding laughter.

Here's yet another very unique bird native to Australia, the Tawny Frogmouth. It's aptly named and the picture doesn't do it justice, but it's beak and mouth looks very similar to a frog's.

Here are the Frogmouth and Kookaburra together.

These amorous wallabies were adorable. They are in the kangaroo family, but smaller.

Here's another wombat. Did you know that they are marsupials that take up to 14 days to digest their food?? Gives new meaning to the idea of a slow metabolism.

One of the few species of penguin found outside Antarctica is the Fairy Penguin (also known as the Little Penguin). It's only about 16 inches high and a little over 2 pounds when fully grown.

OK, so I have no idea what type of bird this is, only that it's very pretty. If you recognize it, please post a comment and let me know. :-)

Here's a cockatoo.

After we finished playing with all the animals, we continued on to the Blue Mountains. We went to visit the most famous landmark, the Three Sisters. They tower over Jamison Valley and are named: Meehni, Wimlah, and Gunnedoo. Indigenous Australian (aboriginal) Dreamtime legend says that three sisters fell in love with three men from a neighboring tribe, but the marriage was forbidden by tribal law. A battle ensued, and the sisters were turned to stone by a witch doctor to protect them. Unfortunately, he was killed in the fighting and no one else could turn them back.

Here's a view of the valley. The Blue Mountains, aren't really mountains in the true sense of the word. They are sandstone plateaus that have been eroded to create these spectacular valleys.

The final picture from our trip to the land down under is a rivercat. These nimble water craft took us rapidly back to Circular Quay.

That concluded 2 wonderful weeks in Australia. We'd love to go back right now. Unfortunately, it will be a little while before we make it back. However, until then, the memories and these pictures will have to suffice.

So, until the next adventure...

--Jim

Posted by jim at June 11, 2006 04:12 PM

Comments

Posted by: Mom at June 20, 2006 02:18 PM

Posted by: Jason Lewis "Maritable Tribal Council Member" at July 10, 2006 04:07 AM

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