Sunny Sydney days and gourmet nights
The bustling city of Sydney after two days in the Blue Mountains was a change, but perfect weather made it a pleasure to explore the city’s nooks and crannies between appointments, lunches and dinners. From Bondi Beach to Darling Harbor, from Paddy’s to Paddington markets and from gourmet restaurants to lamb chops on the barbie with friends, Sydney was hard to beat.
Australia’s Blue Mountains
Australia’s Blue Mountains are similar to New Hampshire’s White Mountains, Vermont’s Green Mountains or Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. They are all nearby major metropolitan areas; have small tourist towns filled with art galleries, craft ateliers and souvenir shops; provide escape from the summer heat; and offer hiking trails and a taste of nature to city dwellers.
Coves of Sydney and its Opera House
It was a perfect Sydney day. Hardly a ripple on the harbor. The Harbor Bridge arched over a pool of sparkling glitter. The Opera House glowed with changing shades of champagne in the rising sun. A lone ferry churned to Circular Quay. Not a cloud marked the sky. The awakening city tossed seductively, gathering itself for the coming day.
Aboriginals of the Tiwi Islands
A 16-minute flight from Darwin takes visitors to another land — an Aboriginal land, ruled by its own tribal council much like a Native American reservation. This island culture, separated from the mainland for thousands of years has retained much of its original and unique Aboriginal customs.
Breathtaking Bullo River Station
Arriving at Bullo River Station (a ranch back in the U.S.) is a step outside of the modern world. It is a step into the peace of open space, isolated tranquility and panoramic beauty with an uncovered history of thousands of years, surprising nature and unexpected camaraderie.
Ambling through Adelaide
Adelaide with its tall buildings and bustling traffic was a dramatically different scene from Barossa and the mountains that border Adelaide to the north and east. After checking into the Adelaide Hilton, right in the center of the city on Victoria Square, we met our first local guide,
Barossa Valley April 26, 2007
It started raining at about 4 a.m. It is a nice gentle, soaking, steady rain. It has lasted all day and into the night. It is a sound that the Barossa Valley had not heard for far too long. The locals are all talking about it. They apologize for it. “Sorry mate,” they say, “We really need this.”
Anzac Day, April 25, 2007
Today is the day Australia sets aside to honor their soldiers who fell in battle. I had a chance to sit through a high school convocation celebrating this day with a full orchestra and students singing. Finally, after an address to the class about the struggles of the diggers (soldiers in Aussie slang) during the various wars, a lone student playing an acoustic guitar sang a wrenchingly plaintive version of “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda.”
Brisbane day two
After a morning of business meetings, it was time to go back to exploring Brisbane. A few floating clouds crossed the blue sky and the temperatures stayed in the 80s with virtually no humidity. It was a perfect day to walk along the river. And walk I did.
Brisbane Day One
At a little after 6 a.m. my Qantas flight landed at the Brisbane after approaching over Moreton Island (a national park) and North Stradbroke Island (inhabited) that protect the harbor. The glistening skyscrapers of the city on the horizon disappeared behind a green wall of gum trees as the 747 pulled up to the terminal.