Sydney

...and every other moment.

[beyond first impression]

The contemporary art museum and the special exhibition by Edwin Wurm, the mini photography exhibition in the library, the street artist, drinks at the shadow of the landmark, the "Street" heart on the bridge, and images on every other corner. 

Gold Coast

The very first stop of this trip consisted of the beach, eating fresh fruits on the balcony at the hostel, and "worlds" like Movieworld and Dreamworld.

Phillip Island

  

Fairy Penguins. They call it the sunset penguin parade in "Philip Island Nature Park", but it must be strange knowing that all these humans are watching your daily commute home.

Hervey Bay

1912. Beautiful beach. Beautiful day.

Melbourne

Shops, cafes, markets, museums, sport events or just the general atmosphere we had a great time exploring the artistic and cultured side of Melbourne thanks to Huy. Evening activity included the grand round(s) of Australian beer-tasting, walking down dark alleys to find pubs and bars like The Croft, and walking along the waterfront taking night shots. Exotic meat of camels and crocodiles for tourists aside - a living city to live

Airlie Beach

The water looked nice but there was also a jellyfish warning sign. 

We stayed away from the internet hut, read, wrote and enjoyed the sun on the grass.

Barossa Valley

Wine-tasting at 4 different wineries (Barossa in Australia, not Spain) - Jacob's "Creek" was worth a smile, and all the crazy stories about drunk tourists and that girl named Brittany.

Adelaide

Quiet, brown, green, flat and dry, the most impressive feature of Adelaide was the river, and how relaxing it was to sit on the lawn next to it.

Alice Springs

Right in the center of Australia on the arid lands, Alice Springs was so incredibly different from any of the coastal cities. At least it seemed more like where many Aboriginal Australians live their lives than merely a tourist attraction. It was also not the most conventional place to welcome the new year, but we chose to be unconventional - how many people can say they had counted down at the Red Centre? 

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

 

Sleeping outside the tents underneath the stars, with the rare but refreshing Central Australia summer showers, we got up at 4am for the Uluru (also known as the Ayers rock) full base walk. No we did not climb Uluru. It made us angry to see how culturally insensitive and disrespectful some people can be. The Uluru climb is the traditional route taken by ancestral Mala men upon their arrival to Uluru. Anangu (the traditional land owners of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park) do not climb Uluru because of its great spiritual significance. Anangu have not closed the climb and prefer that visitors - out of education and understanding - choose to respect their law and culture by not climbing. There were many signs asking visitors not to climb Uluru from the moment you enter the national park by car, but there were still literally hundreds of tourists of all ages and nationality climbing up nonetheless.

Kings Canyon

 

Climbing up and down Kings Canyon in the heat with 1L of water, crawling towards the edge to see what was below- spectacular colours and landscape in central Australia.

Mount Isa

Mount Isa, the mining town. But it is also from around there you start to see the stunning beauty of the red centre of Australia.

Cairns

A hot roast Christmas lunch in the boiling hot weather. As a New Zealander the concept of Christmas in summer is not new, but feeling the need to jump into the pool in between each course of the meal was still quite an experience. Swimming in the lagoon right next to the sea in Cairns on my warmest Christmas day to date, dining in a lovely Japanese restaurant, and seeing Nemo everywhere on the signs.

Townsville

Fish. Aquarium. Fish. Aquarium. Oh and the joy of finding a hardworking Chinese restaurant which remained open on Boxing Day.

Great Barrier Reef

Getting certified as an Open Water scuba diver, 

and discovering the underwater world where your own breathing is the dominant sound of the world.

Brisbane

Going around in the art museum, sudden pour of rain on the bridge near the botanical garden, walking down the shopping street, and Christmas concert outside the townhall on a very warm summer night in Brisbane.