Bondi Beach Sculpture by the Sea

I'm not much of a beach person, but I figured I had to visit the famous Bondi Beach at least once. It is a beautiful stretch of beach and above the beach, on the main strip, are lots of shops, restos and pubs where you can enjoy the view and people watch.

Every year, there is a sculpture exhibit called Sculpture by the Sea at Bondi Beach. This year was apparently one of the best years, so I was lucky to be able to roam through it.The ocean provides a very unique environment to see the art, and many of the sculpture seemed to be complemented by the location of the exhibit. Plus, it was sunny and warm!

Central Coast with Lisa Lent

 Many years ago, a good friend of mine lent me his DSLR to shoot some photos. In a series of events that included being a model for another great photographer, I stumbled upon a digital photography contest site. This site was basically my starting point for everything I currently know about photography. If you are interested in photography, check out the tutorials and get involved. Voting and critiquing photos is a great way to figure out what it is you like and don't like about photographs, and will help you create your own style of photography. Anyways, through this site (I'm on it as 'pidge'), I have met some really cool people who I am happy to call friends. I have met several of them around the world including NYC, Prague and now, Australia. I went up to the central coast, north of Sydney to meet Lisa Lent of Lisa Lent Photography. If you are getting married in Central Coast or Sydney, look this woman up - she's not only a fine photographer, but a wonderful woman! So, Lisa and I trekked around central coast and we stopped at Terrigal Beach.

Here, physical education includes regular trips to the beach. This makes so much sense, and is great for the kids. I thought this would be great for the child obesity problems confronting American kids, but then I realized the liability issues would prevent this from happening in the States. A no-win situation with the kids being the ultimate losers.

While we were meandering, Lisa, with her eagle eyes, spotted some whales. There were some fishing boats nearby, and the whales seemed to be playing around them. Of course, the one breach we saw, I only got half the whale in the shot. However, I was incredibly excited because this was the first time I had seen whales in the wild (Sea World doesn't count). We chased the whales for the rest of the afternoon, and also found some dolphins!

Central coast is known for it's beaches, and it's a place Lisa likes to take couples for photos, and I can see why. The water is beautiful, and there are amazing natural formations up and down the coast.

And of course, there was a spot that folks like to jump off of. Ahhhh.... to be young and fearless!

Sydney!!

 I finally arrived back in Sydney. Through a friend, I found a place to sublet for two weeks while I looked for a flat of my own for the duration of my stay. Holy cow did I luck out. The apartment was one floor below the penthouse of a building in Kiribilli and it overlooked Sydney Harbour. I had a glimpse of Sydney Harbour from the train when I stashed my luggage before I went to Perth. However, waking up to a view of the bridge and opera house every day for two week was a real treat. The only sad thing is I won't be here to watch the New Years fireworks, which are suppose to be amazing.

 Because of the high cost of living in Sydney (it seems to be on par or even higher than Manhattan, but I don't have any statistics for that), many people rent out rooms. While looking for a place to stay, I quickly realized that my original plan of finding a furnished studio (1 1/2 for you Montreal folks) was not going to happen, and that I was going to have a flatmate or two or three. It was interesting meeting the various people and seeing the various areas. I had picked some neighbourhoods, but it was suggested I increase my search area, and I did.

 I saw everything from places that were basically a glorified dormitory (they said if I liked Korean food, which I do, they would even feed me) to some real dumps. I did find a place in an area that is close to uni, and I have great flat mates, so I couldn't be happier. However, it is quite a process, and makes me appreciate the relatively low cost of living in Montreal and having a place that is just my partner and me.

Western Australia Day Tour

 So I had a few days still in Perth, had visited the zoo, been to Rottsnest Island and seen the city, so I contemplated what to do next. There are many things to do all up and down the coast, but there are tour operators that will bus you around. I was a bit hesitant about those because previous encounters with tour bus groups around the world made me think 'ugh. you can't do anything on your own. It must be miserable.' However, I was by myself, not keen on renting a car to venture around, and thus, I booked a tour. While I didn't like the fact you had to follow the schedule of the group, it was nice to listen to the tour operator talk about the local history and point out various sites. The first place we stopped was Cape Lavender Farm. They were the first to make lavender infused white wine, and while it was quite nice (the aroma was tantalizing), it was a bit odd drinking wine at 10am. however, it's happy hour somewhere else in the world, right? They had 100 odd species growing at their place, and there are over 300 species of lavender in the world. I think I remember that correctly.

 While we stopped at a few other places, the next photo-worthy place was the Mammoth Cave. It was a hot day, and the cave itself was quite cool and interesting. We had an enjoyable tour guide who pointed out some favourite formations including a smiling crocodile (not pictured). Cave photography is incredibly difficult without a tripod, so I resorted to flash and harsh shadows. I've always enjoyed caves - fascinating what mother nature can do.

 We had sunshine that day, which, according to the tour bus operator, was an anomaly. He promised to stop at picturesque place so we could snap some pictures, even though this put us slightly behind schedule. This is the Bunbury Forest, and the trees were called karri trees? Maybe someone from W. Australia will know? Anyways, the dappled sunlight was quite spectacular. If I ever figure out panoramics, I have the photos to stitch together.... one day....

 The reasons I picked this trip was because my partner had recommended going to Cape Leeuwin. There is a lighthouse there, and, as you can see from the picture, the place where the southern ocean meets the Indian Ocean.

 The lighthouse itself is well maintained, and you can see how tall it is compared to some mere mortals. You have to be part of a tour to go up the lighthouse, which, as being part of a group, we didn't have the time for.

 As always, cool flowers in Oz.

Last stop was the Busselton Jetty, which is the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere. This isn't the jetty, but it was the best picture from the area. All in all, I am glad I participated in one of these tours. They are handy if you are travelling on your own, and useful if you need to cram a bunch of stuff into a short period if you are limited by time. I met some interesting people, including a woman from Germany who was in Oz to study English and a gentlemen from Tasmania who was going to retire within a year (he was really looking forward to it). However, I did not like the lack of flexibility and the feeling of being in a herd. Such is life.

Perth Zoo

Having grown up in San Diego and been a regular visitor to the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, I don't usually visit zoos. However, zoos have come a long way from the days of bare, concrete boxes with bars on them. The Perth Zoo was a pleasant experience, with many walk-through aviaries and informative signs discussing conservation and ecology. It was also my chance to see some Australian animals that I might not otherwise see.

Rottnest Island

Next was a ferry trip to Rottnest Island. You can rent a bike and tour the island which offers beaches, snorkeling and lovely picnic spots.

 The island is known for their quakkas, an adorable marsupial that was mistaken for rats when the island was 'discovered' by explorers. Their tails are rat-like, but their faces are quite adorable.

There were other fauna around as well, including some decidedly un-shy gulls who couldn't wait to pick up the crumbs you dropped from your sandwich, some birds of prey, and one reptile...

And of course, there are many historical sites to visit while on the island. Some of the ones we squeezed in included the Wadjemup Lighthouse and the Oliver Hill Battery which had some rather large guns.

On the ferry ride back, we snagged some outdoor seats, and got to see people enjoying what was a gorgeous day.