Trip to Tasmania

The map of my trip to Tassie. I spent six stunning days there and clocked up more than 2100 km.

If you like nature this is the island just for you! It was one of the best places of Australia I saw.

Sydney from above

Photo gallery: Sydney from above

These pictures were taken from the roof of a 37-level building, Sydney Tower and air planes.

BBQ on Maroubra Beach

Photo gallery: BBQ on Maroubra Beach
Google Earth Position: 33°57'0.71"S 151°15'33.49"E

Maroubra Beach...

BBQ...

From 3pm till early morning...

Great Ocean Road

Photo gallery: Great Ocean Road
Google Earth Position: 38°39'30.15"S 143° 5'5.84"E

The Great Ocean Road is one of world's most scenic coastline roads.

It stretches along the south-eastern coast between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Warrnambool and includes the world-famous Twelve Apostles, the Otways rainforest, various beaches and lookouts, resort towns like Lorne or Apollo Bay, and the historic villages of Queenscliff, Port Campbell, Port Fairy and Portland.

Czech music, food and beer

Photo gallery: Czech music, food and beer

We visited many Czech parties and restaurants in Sydney...

Bondi Beach after the 30-year storm

Photo gallery: Bondi Beach after the 30-year storm

Summer is here... but how was the winter actually? Pretty windy, rainy and a bit cold.

And there were several heavy storms in Sydney and around. In the gallery you can see how Bondi Beach looked like after the biggest one.

Hunter Valley

Photo gallery: Hunter Valley
Google Earth Position: 32°49'58.59"S 151°21'14.37"E

There’s only one reason to come to Hunter Valley: wine!

There are about 120 wineries and cellar doors and 3500ha of vines. No other wine region in Australia comes even remotely close to this. Most of these are boutique operations, producing 500 tonnes or less.

During one day I visited several small family wineries and tasted a lot of wine , mostly Semillon, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Mandala, Merlot, Verdelho, Pinot Noir , etc. Several of them were locally and/or worldwide awarded. And many of them can be bought just in Hunter Valley.

It was really terrific cellar door experience for me today. Plus I ate the biggest sandwich I’ve ever eaten :)

I must finish now; a great Semillon 2004 is waiting in the fridge...

Shots from Manly

Photo gallery: Shots from Manly
Google Earth Position: 33°47'49.72"S 151°17'16.94"E

Here are several shots from our favourite Manly Beach which we visited many times.

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...

La Perouse

Photo gallery: La Perouse
Google Earth Position: 33°59'22.68"S 151°13'53.43"E

Several shots from a trip to La Perouse in Sydney.

Located on the northern side of Botany Bay, La Perouse is a south-east part of Sydney named after Le Compte de Laperouse, a French explorer who arrived here in 1788. There are small beaches and great walking trails around.

There's a (poorly constructed) fort from 19th century in the Bare Island. Btw Mission Impossible II was shot there.

Coastal walk Tamarama to Bronte

Photo gallery: Coastal walk Tamarama to Bronte
Google Earth Position: 33°54'2.13"S 151°16'18.94"E

Several pictures from one of our many strolls along the Pacific Ocean.

Tamarama Beach is small and extremely narrow. It's considered the most dangerous patrolled beach in New South Wales, with more rescues per thousand bathers than any other of Sydney's beaches.

Bronte Beach lies just several hundred meters south of Tamarama Beach and in many respects is like a big brother. It is a slightly bigger beach at 250m long, but with bigger rips. Australia's oldest surf club was formed here in 1903.

City2Surf 2007

Photo gallery: City2Surf 2007

City2Surf is an annual charitable road running event goes from the centre of Sydney to Bondi Beach. More than 60.000 people took part in this 14 km long competition this year.

Here are several shots from Bondi Beach.

Dee Why Beach

Photo gallery: Dee Why Beach
Google Earth Position: 33°45'13.87"S 151°17'47.43"E

Dee Why Beach is one of Sydney 's Northern Beaches (a continuous strip of around 20 beaches stretching up the coast from Manly to Palm Beach). The beach runs for about 1.2 km.

BTW the Northern Beaches are overall one of the wealthiest areas of Sydney.

The name Dee Why is unexplained. The earliest reference to it is pencil note in surveyor's book, "Wednesday, 27th Sept, 1815 Dy Beach" – but what it meant to him was not recorded...