BBQs Aussie style

The Aussies are well known for their love of Barbies and they are usually a number of electric or wood Barbies in and around picnic spots. They are well maintained and great fun to use.

The firepit with swing over Hot plate in Mnt Kosiosko

Home BBQing

Wood burning BBQ with chimney stack as seen in Brissie

South Bank Brisbane communal electric Barbequing, Mens work :-)

Cycling the Lake

One of the favourite weekly activites to pass the time is to cycle around lake Burley Griffith, there are a number of routes that can be done depending on the enthusiasm of the group. We used to start at in the west the carpark by Scrivener Dam (Zoo side) and then cycle either to the first bridge Commonwealth bridge or to the second Kings bridge or if we were feeling really energetic the whole lake passing through Canberra nature park/ Jerrabomberra wetlands on the east of the map (not shown). However as the weeks went on we liked to stop for coffee, which turned into lunch so altered our start locations to, the National Library and/or Yarramula Nursery, all so we wouldnt need to get back on the bikes after lunch!

Shannon and myself near Aspen Island where the National Carillion stands in white quartz and marble walls it houses an enormous clavier, or series of bells which usually chime at around 1030 it was given to the city of Canberra in 1963 and opened in 1970 as a gift from Britain to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Capital - Canberra.

Shannon, myself and Petrina, cycling buddies, this was our last cycle before we all leave Canberra :-(

Melbourne Cup

Tuesday 4th November was Melbourne Cup day, even though we are not in Melbourne we had an event planned around the horse race. There was a very complicated betting system in place in the college. The food was buffet style and the fizz was cheap!
The sun was out and it was a lovely day, except that the horse I had bet on was first until the photo finish and he came third, which would have been good had I bet each way!



Much silliness!

Bush Camping

At the beginning of November We decided to go camping in the Bush! Ben and Erica accompanied us, we took a 4 wheel drive route from the '4WD Touring - SE NSW and E Gippsland' book called the Blue Waterholes, the trek was 140km from start to finish (but not including the return road route) It was quite dusty!

Part of the trek passes the Coolamine Homestead complex which was to house the Graziers who were the first westeners to open up the NSW Alps. The homestead was used from 1880 until 1940, with its tin roof and wooden walls it must have been a challenge to keep warm in the winter months.

We arrived at the Blue water holes and set up camp then went for a walk along the Clarke Gorge, the features in this area are formed by the Limestone (karst) rocks.

Jus and I had briefly visited part of this walk before (the water was a lot lower!). Using the wobbly stepping stones was a challenge

The views were great!

The next job was to collect firewood and start the fire in the designated BBQ pit

We had some electric candles which we used with the slow shutter speed (well there was no TV!)

At 0530 the Kukkaburras landed on what was Im sure the nearest branch to our tents and proceeded to chatter and laugh! Ha ha ha. The Roos bounded their way up the path sounding to the urbanites amoung us like a VERY heavy jogger!

All Good fun!

The visitors day 2

Manly was our destination for the next day, so again we took the ferry from Darling harbour to Circular quay where we had a spot of breakfast to take away. The ferry was very busy with day trippers, everyone wanted to be outside.
The ferry takes about 30 minutes and a great way to see the Sydney suburbs with their pools and private beaches!
Looking up Victoria Parade

We walked round to Shelly Beach which was much calmer and almost no waves. The parentals weren't tempted to go for a dip.Good views of the Opera house from the ferry.

We then decided to head out to visit Bondi in the car as we had to check out anyway, as it was getting later the beach had obviously cleared quite significantly, the wind had picked up and the spray was misting the southern edge. I think Bondi is rather hyped, it is a good beach in terms of the sand area and the waves but it is so popular you lose the picturesque nature of what I have come to think of as a typical Aussie beach.

We drove southwards along the beach road passing many really lovely beaches Tamarama and Bronte are really pretty. We decided to have dinner in Bronte in a great restaurant called Swell, lovely friendly atmosphere and white linen table cloths, I really enjoyed the 'amuse bouches' that are always unexpected yet a really nice touch for a resataurant. the food was great!

They're here pt 1

The folks are here! they arrived and then spent a leisurely day around Darling harbour, we met up with them at 1830 on Friday ready to go out to dinner, my word it was busy! It may be that living in Canberra has lulled me into a false sense of what a night out in a city is!

We managed to find a malasian restaurant that had seats but was VERY NOISY, the food was good and although on first inpection of the number of dishes we had ordered we thought that we would never get through it all, however we were all quite hungry!

We left the restaurant to seek a quieter place to have a coffee and dessert, the evening was rather chilly (not what is expected of Sydney in Summer!)

We started the great tour of Sydney the next morning with a rather nice breakfast in Fratelli Paradiso in Potts Point and then walked around Finger Wharf where all the battleships seem to be propping up the wharf (jolly nice place to dock!)

We of course saw Russell Crowes penthouse at the end of Finger Wharf, he gave us a wave! (Mmm may have made that part up!).

We walked around the bay, around to Mrs Macquaries chair, but it had been taken over by a group of japanese who were all having their photos taken on the chair one at a time! so we dont have a photo!

The gardens were lovely and a wedding was going on in the grounds, it was a shame it was a bit drizzly at times. The rain however did disturb the 'flying foxes' BATS!who were so immobile during the rain that you hardly noticed them, it was when the rain had stopped that the commotion ensued! much flapping and wringing out of soggy bat parts occurred! They are however very bird like when they fly and I think rather cute.

We had a walk around the opera house but didnt bother to get a guided tour of the interior.

We stopped for lunch in Circular Quay and had a rather tasty bottle of NZ sauvignon blanc! We walked to the Rocks and the market was still quite busy but good crafty things on sale and no 'tat'!

The shopping was the final straw that made us all weary so it we hopped onto the ferry and sailed to Darling harbour for a quick nap then out to dinner again, somewhere quieter!

Halloween Party

Halloween Party, a few photos, there was a mixture of costumes from the usual vampires and ghosts to Koalas and Punks!

Canberra views

Thought I'd put some more views of Canberra, here is the lake taken from Lennox gardens, it was a lovely day, we had a BBQ watching the Toppers that were out from the sailing club and although it got a bit chilly as the sun went down it was a great clear night.
A view from the Black Mountain, the Captain cook memorial jet (just off centre) has now had its hours cut to just 2 a day (2-4pm) cutting tourist attractions is not one thing that Canberra can really afford to do!

Mount Stromlo during the Scott 24 hour race

Crimson Rosella with the Telstra tower in the back ground.

Spiders spiders spiders!

I thought I would post pictures of all the spiders we have so far encountered in Canberra and in our travels around Australia. But as I searched 'my pictures' I realise that we haven't taken photos of all the ones we have seen! Mmm maybe it is because when we see a redback we spray it, their black shiny bodies, spindly legs and red hour glass marking make them look menacing and using the macro on the camera means that you have to actually get quite close to get a good photo, which often as not takes more than one go!

So no photos of the 5 redbacks we have had in and living outside the house nor of the lone whitetail that was wandering aroung the study.

But photos of the rather scary looking but harmless Huntsman who was positioned on the wall in the ensuite shower, we had a bit of a job fitting all his long legs into the glass so we could let him outside!

Golden Orb weaver seen in Cape Tribulation and Daintree National park, this colourful spider was just hanging out in the toilets! again not harmful.

This is the Wolf spider, we have a similar spider in UK and currently there are about 4 of these quite timid but will bite you spiders living on the edge of the patio in burrows they have dug themselves, this quite large one has even got down to the red soil beneath the concrete rubble.

Yes that is our rather fetching plastic lawn framing the spider, no need to water or mow!