Darling Harbour Fiesta

Photo gallery: Darling Harbour Fiesta
Google Earth Position: 33°52'6.48"S 151°12'1.45"E

I experienced the sights, sounds, tastes, flamboyance and flair at Australia's hottest dance and music festival - Darling Harbour Fiesta!

Salsa, tango, bossa nova and rumba... with more than 70 performances across three stages and Latin in these three sizzling days and nights.

Fiesta simply brings together traditional and contemporary talent from across South and Central America and Spain.

Yeah, it was hot indeed! Look at my pals from Mexico and Poland :)

Blue Mountains

Photo gallery: Blue Mountains
Google Earth Position: 33°49'29.70"S 150°15'10.25"E

The Blue Mountains are situated approximately 100 kilometres west of Sydney and cover about 2.500 km2.

The highest point is Mt Werong (1215 m), while the lowest point is on the Nepean River (20 m). The mountains are named after the blue shade that they have in summer, as a result of oil haze from the plentiful eucalyptus trees.

Our trip involved the highlights (Three Sisters, Echo Point, ...), short walks and, first of all enjoying impressive views and spectacular nature all around us.

Annual Ritmo Brazilian Festival

Photo gallery: Annual Ritmo Brazilian Festival

Several shots of Capoeira (Brazilian fight-dance) taken at the Brazilian festival in Sydney's Darling Harbour and Tumbalong Park a week ago.

Nelson Bay & Anna Bay

Photo gallery: Nelson Bay & Anna Bay
Google Earth Position: 32°46'36.91"S 152° 4'59.79"E

Beautiful weather was the forecast for that Sunday...

Therefore I and my friend hired a 4WD (Subaru Forester 2.5) early in the morning, bought a breakfast at a petrol station and drove via Pacific Highway to the north to the Port Stephens area.

Our visits of Nelson Bay and Anna Bay included magnificent lookouts, long beaches and walking trips. But in spite of that desert driving was the most exciting experience of that sunny day!

Wayan's birthday party

Photo gallery: Wayan's birthday party

Here are several shots from a birthday party at the Beach Palace Hotel on Coogee Beach.

The pics were taken by Rose-Mary, thanks for that!

Fraser Island

Photo gallery: Fraser Island
Google Earth Position: 25°14'50.00"S 153° 9'5.12"E

We spent three stunning days on a World Heritage’s island.

Fraser Island is stretching over 123 kilometres along the southern coast of Queensland and is the largest sand island in the world.

It is the only place in the world where tall rainforests are found growing on sand dunes. There are long uninterrupted white sandy beaches surrounded by sand cliffs, over 100 freshwater lakes, some tea-coloured and many crystal-clear creeks.

We travelled with an international group of eight people from England, Switzerland, Sweden and Czech (just two of us). A 4WD car was necessary because there are no classic routes on the island. Travelling is possible through upcountry sand routes or on the long beach but just in particular time depending on the tide (according to an exact day-by-day itinerary).

The weather was excellent so we could fully taste the “pure sand flora” and magnificent lookouts. In spite of strict prohibition of swimming in the ocean we could suitably chill out in amazing lakes and fresh water creeks.

Despite of several camping resorts on the island we decided to bed down just on the beach. It was pretty challenging because there was nothing there but sand and roaming Dingoes.

Here are our several stops:

• Eli Creek – wildflower-clothed dunes along the banks of Eli Creek for swimming in the fast flowing, clear, fresh water
• Maheno Wreck – the trans-Tasman liner wrecked in 1935
• The Pinnacles – sand dunes form cliffs of coloured sand in an amazing array of shapes and patterns
• The Champagne Pools – the natural pools, washed by waves at high tide, trap bubbling seawater making them excellent swimming holes
• Lake Wabby – beautiful emerald green lake is surrounded on one side by the massive Hammerstone sand blow and on the other side by eucalypt forest
• Lake McKenzie – a beautiful blue perched lake surrounded by white sandy beaches and rich blackbutt forest. It is regarded as the most beautiful lake on Fraser Island

Father's Day

First Sunday of September – Father’s Day in Australia.

Gift-giving to fathers and tonnes of shop’s flyers.

Family-oriented activities and charity events.

Living on Bondi Beach - Winter 2007

Photo gallery: Living on Bondi Beach - Winter 2007

Another half a year of living on the beach is gone...