In February I travelled the length of Australia's east coast, going from
Cairns to Melbourne and stopping on the way in Brisbane, Surfer's Paradise,
Byron Bay, Sydney and Canberra.
You might be disappointed in the pictures below as they are not typical, or
even distinctively Australian, photos. It was only after I developed them
that I realized that I didn't have any photos of:
the Outback
koalas (incidentally, I learned that they're not "bears")
kangaroos
the Sydney Opera House
the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Ayer's Rock (aka "Uluru")
For what it's worth, here are my excuses:
I don't have any pictures of Australian animals because the day I
went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary outside of Brisbane it was raining
and overcast and I didn't want to risk my camera.
Postcards, and much better pictures than I can take, of Sydney's landmark
Opera House and Harbour Bridge are everywhere. If you really want to see
pictures of them, use some of the wonderful
search engines on the Web.
I didn't get anywhere near the Outback, let alone Ayer's Rock.
Maybe next time.
Byron Bay
Just down the road from Surfer's Paradise, Byron Bay felt like it was stuck
in a sixties counter-culture time-warp. Still, it made for a refreshing change
from the blatant hedonism of Surfer's, and, in my opinion, the surfing's better
in Byron than in "Surfer's Paradise." For the trivia buff in you, Byron Bay is
the eastern-most point on the Australian mainland.
Lighthouse
Surf
Hang gliders
The Beach
Magnificent, isn't it?
An Eternal Cycle
No Surfers Here
Fishermen
These are easily the two most dressed people I saw at Byron Bay.
A Day at the Sydney Zoo
Bird Show
Red Panda
Okay, okay! Just one more shot and I'm done.
Hoss
Cheer up!
Lioness
Can you see the fly?
Elephant
I was very pleased with how this shot turned out. Zooming right in
creates an interesting two-dimensional effect.
Giraffes
Interesting fact: One of these giraffes is blind.
Camel
Goats
Seal Show
In case you're wondering, the background's fake.
A round of applause, please!
Parrots
I went overboard photographing these two birds, but I found their colours
spectacular and their movements comical.
Canberra
Canberra is Australia's made-to-order capital city and thus, inevitably,
very dull. It's essentially a huge park (and hence extremely hostile to the
pedestrian) with public buildings and suburbs scattered here and there.
This sequence of shots was taken from a mountain that overlooks the city.
In the foreground is the War Memorial, in the background is Parliament.
The Cap'n Cook Memorial Fountain.
Around Melbourne
Cathedral
Mom's Childhood Home
My mother and her family lived in Melbourne for several years when she was a girl.
This is the last house that they lived in.
Philip Island
View from the Top
This series of photos was taken from the top of the highest building in
Melbourne.
Still life with buoys and train.
A view of the botanic gardens. The building at the right is the governor
general's residence.
