The Big Woolbales, Hamilton
The Big Koala, Dadswells Bridge
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Big Stuff
No trip to Oz is complete without going to see some Big Stuff. During this trip we managed to tick off two big things, both in Victoria. Next trip back, we are hoping to visit the Big Lobster in Kingston.
Canola
When the Desert Rat and I were driving from Naracoorte to Melbourne to get our flight to Hobart, we stopped to have a look at Mt Arapiles in Western Victoria, reslendant in the surrounding canola fields. Pretty speccy, hey:
Canola paddock near Naracoorte:
Sahara Gal
Outdoor Art Show in Sydney
Whilst in Sydney we went for a wander down to the Sculpture by the Sea (www.sculpturebythesea.com) with our friends, starting at Tamarama Beach and ending at the RSL Club at Bondi. For those of you in Perth, there is apparently going to be a similar exhibition in March this year - I reckon you should check it out!
Here is some of the great art we saw....
The RSL Club and Icebergs Swimming Pool at Bondi:
Here is some of the great art we saw....
The RSL Club and Icebergs Swimming Pool at Bondi:
Sahara Gal
A Weekend in Tassie
The Desert Rat and I made a quick dash over Bass Strait to visit some friends in Hobart. We were last there on our honeymoon in 2004 so it was nice to revisit a city we really liked. These are just a few photos of our weekend in Hobart:
Views from Mt Wellington:
The Botanic Gardens (including Peter Cundell's Vegie Garden):
Views from our Hotel Room:
Sahara Gal
Views from Mt Wellington:
The Botanic Gardens (including Peter Cundell's Vegie Garden):
Views from our Hotel Room:
When we stayed in Hobart in 2004, the Aurora Australis which is the Australian Antartic Division's Ship was parked almost immediately outside our window. This year we were on the other side of the hotel but she was there again!! What was more exciting was that the ship departed while we were there so we went to wave her off with one of our friend's who has been on her many times. It was quite exciting to watch and even a little emotional as you watched people leave for Antartica for periods of a few months up to a year or so:
Sahara Gal
My Home Town
The next stop in our Oz town was Naracoorte, home of the famous Naracoorte Caves, Mini Jumbuk and my family. It was good to be back after being away so long. Many of you may never have been there so I wish to point out some highlights of the town. These are but a few:
Firstly, it is important to know that Naracoorte is home to 3 pubs, all of which I managed to visit whilst there:
Billy Macs (Formerly known as The Commercial, which it will always be to me)
The Kincraig:
And finally, The Naracoorte:
I am pleased to say that Coopers is a tap beer in the last two, possibly in the Commercial as well. This is very important, especially when there is a long time between beers!
Other highlights in the centre of town are
The Town Hall:
The Bakery:
The Main Drag (Smith St):
The Clock:
And the Soundshell - the site of many cultural events throughout my life including the We're Proud of Naracoorte Christmas Concert.
In recent years, Naracoorte has decided to move stuff. This has included moving the war memorial from here
to here:
However, the big project now is moving the former Catholic Convent from its original site to a new site closer to the once rapidly flowing Naracoorte Creek. This is of course a huge project and people have been getting behind it with much enthusiasm and vigour. There has been national and international media coverage. I haven't caught up with where they are up to at this stage but I wish them all the best!!
Firstly, it is important to know that Naracoorte is home to 3 pubs, all of which I managed to visit whilst there:
Billy Macs (Formerly known as The Commercial, which it will always be to me)
The Kincraig:And finally, The Naracoorte:
I am pleased to say that Coopers is a tap beer in the last two, possibly in the Commercial as well. This is very important, especially when there is a long time between beers!Other highlights in the centre of town are
The Town Hall:
The Bakery:
The Main Drag (Smith St): The Clock:And the Soundshell - the site of many cultural events throughout my life including the We're Proud of Naracoorte Christmas Concert.
In recent years, Naracoorte has decided to move stuff. This has included moving the war memorial from here
to here:
However, the big project now is moving the former Catholic Convent from its original site to a new site closer to the once rapidly flowing Naracoorte Creek. This is of course a huge project and people have been getting behind it with much enthusiasm and vigour. There has been national and international media coverage. I haven't caught up with where they are up to at this stage but I wish them all the best!!
Appreciating Perth
At the end of September last year the Desert Rat and I headed back to the Land of Oz to catch up with family and friends. D.R. had been back a couple of times for work but I hadn't been back home for over a year so I was pretty excited as you can imagine. I was counting down how many sleeps to go from early August!!
Anyway, our first stop was a whirlwind visit to Perth to do stuff such as go to the dentist, accountant etc but also to see all our friends. We had a blast! I think we pretty much saw everyone we knew in the state in the 9 days we were there, watched the AFL Grand Final and even went to the Royal Show. We also made a point of going to our favourite places including Barchetta down at North Cottesloe:
Going to the show was heaps of fun - I had only been once before and D.R, never:
Anyway, our first stop was a whirlwind visit to Perth to do stuff such as go to the dentist, accountant etc but also to see all our friends. We had a blast! I think we pretty much saw everyone we knew in the state in the 9 days we were there, watched the AFL Grand Final and even went to the Royal Show. We also made a point of going to our favourite places including Barchetta down at North Cottesloe:
Going to the show was heaps of fun - I had only been once before and D.R, never:
One morning I wandered through Kings Park after having breakkie with some friends at Zamia Cafe.
It is definately true that you don't truely appreciate a place until you no longer live there and I realise how lucky we were to live in such a beautiful place such as Perth. It was also wonderful to see everyone - thanks to all the folk who put us up, caught up with us for breakfast, lunch and dinner and generally made it such a great week.
It is definately true that you don't truely appreciate a place until you no longer live there and I realise how lucky we were to live in such a beautiful place such as Perth. It was also wonderful to see everyone - thanks to all the folk who put us up, caught up with us for breakfast, lunch and dinner and generally made it such a great week.
Sahara Gal
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