To The Melbourne Zoo I Go!

Public transportation is not something that I use on a daily basis in Minnesota.  In actuality I haven't used it here in years but it is definitely something we have missed the boat on and the U.S. needs to vastly improve their public transportation system...ok...stepping off my soap box now... 

But Melbourne is different...their train system, once I got a handle on the train stops (and I definitely was quick to ask for directions right off),  it was pretty easy to get around on.  Oh sure...I got off at the wrong station first time out and then got on the wrong train and an express train to boot heading a 'bit' out of the way back to Natalie's but with train map in hand I didn't find myself in 'timbuktwo' and made it 'home'.  So with more confidence and written directions from Natalie I headed out to the Melbourne Zoo.  It was an overcast day with rain showers off and on but I wasn't going to let anything damper my adventure.

The Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens, commonly known as the Melbourne Zoo, was established way back in 1862 and is Australia's oldest zoo.  The zoo is set among flower gardens (ooooo gotta love those flowers...right Natalie?) and I was going to get to photograph two of my favorite subjects...flowers and animals. 

I was especially looking forward to the possibility of getting some shots of the Sumatra tigers as I had been following the four cubs' progress online since early last year when they were first introduced.  They were so cute and adorable and cuddly looking then but now as you can see they've grown up just a bit and I seriously doubt I'd remotely even consider getting too close to the fence let alone cuddle with them!!  But they are just magnificent looking and their eyes seemed to penetrate into your soul when they looked right at you.

Another baby I'd been following online was the Asian elephant girl Mali.  I was hoping that she would be out on display and I was delighted to see that she indeed was going to be out while I was there.  So that was where I headed first.  Little did I know that I was going to go right by the Sumatra tigers on the way...and some flower gardens too!  Like I've said before there's just something about flowers...I know...I know...probably boring to more than a few people...anyways...

As I left the Sumatra tigers I had to take cover in the Reptile building as it had started to rain in earnest.  Now I'm not so much a fan of reptiles but I actually did get a few good pictures of some of the 'residents' there. 

All in all I had a great day at the zoo though the weather could have cooperated a bit better but there always seemed to be a shelter I could step into as the showers continued off and on.  But the showers did grace the flowers with droplets which always make for a pretty picture.  I could have spent much more time there but rain started setting it...or so it seemed so I called it a day and headed to the train station.  Of course by the time my train pulled up the rain had diminished to a drizzle.  Oh well...guess I'll just have to do an encore and go back to Australia again!!

Now...wherever you are...have a great day!!

If you would like to see more pictures taken at the Melbourne Zoo here is a link to that photo album on Picasa:  Play slideshow 

Como House

After touring Rippon Lea we headed over to the Como Historic House & Gardens in South Yarra.  Como is one of the earliest mansions in Melbourne and was built in 1847 and is an intriguing mixture of Australian Regency and classic Italianate architecture.

There is a romantic tale that suggests that Edward Erye Williams named Como after Lake Como in Italy after proposing to his wife Jessie Gibbon on the shores of that lake in honor of that occasion.  Both Edward and Jessie were members of the colonial elite and many a gathering was hosted for the social elite while they resided at Como. 

 But by 1852 the estate changed hands several times until in 1864 Charles Armytage bought the estate at auction and he and his wife Caroline proceeded to raise their 10 children there.  Como would remain in the Armytage family until 1959 when it was handed over to the National Trust.

Como

I had a personal tour of the estate, not because of preferential treatment for a 'Yank in Aus' but because I was the only one there at that time!!  Como House was beautiful inside with original furniture and decorations but sadly absolutely no photography was allowed and though I would have tried to sneak a photo or two it was virtually impossible being the only one on the tour.  So I have only a handful of pictures from Como...it was fairly busy there as they were preparing for a wedding on the grounds.  I was going to use some lovely pictures Natalie had taken but I have misplaced them so once I get them again I will add them to the slideshow.  (Please resend them to me Natalie!!)

They also had a lovely little restaurant there where we had lunch...well, I had breakfast.  I particularly like breakfast pretty much any time of the day and on thing is for sure I was never disappointed in any breakfast I ordered while in Australia...yum!!

Now...wherever you are...have a great day!!

If you would like to see pictures of the Como House here is a link to that photo album on Picasa:  Play slideshow

Rippon Lea

Even though we were to travel over quite a bit of Victoria & Tasmania I found that you really didn't need to go very far around Melbourne to find amazing architecture and beauty and that most certainly was the case for Rippon Lea.

Rippon Lea

Rippon Lea was constructed at a time when there was considerable wealth in Victoria, which led to the development of numerous ornate mansions in Melbourne and in rural areas, known as 'Boom' style or 'Victorian Italianate'. 

In 1868 Frederick Thomas Sargood bought 27 hectares (a little over 66 acres) of scrub at Elsternwickon to establish his dream home and garden.  He named the property after his mother, Emma Rippon, adding 'lea', an old English word for meadow.

Rippon Lea is just exquisite in its style and as one walked throughout the house you could easily imagine the parties, etc. that were held there and walking out around the grounds what a fabulous place to grow up at.  Some of the indoor pictures I took aren't the best as no flash photography was allowed so I found that using sepia in editing actually made some of the pictures presentable.

In several of the pictures you'll notice a 'Ripplea Bear' tucked in a corner here or there.  There are at least one in every room and many times more than one.  Supposedly the Ripplea Bear has lived at the mansion for over 140 years but I think it's just an adorable way to raise money for the upkeep.  The kids that were on the tour with us seemed to enjoy trying to spy where Ripplea Bear had been tucked away in each room...ok...so did I!

As exquisite as the mansion was inside walking around the grounds was peaceful and had quite a variety of flowers that I had fun photographing but I did not include any in the photo album as I combined many of the flower pictures for the blog from yesterday 'It's Just a Weed'.

Until next time...wherever you are have a great day!!

If you would like to see pictures of Rippon Lea here is a link to that photo album on Picasa: 
Play slideshow

Dad 1947

A personal side note here...it's been 10 years dad and I miss you every day.  You were such an avid baseball player and a fan of the game it has always been ironic that you passed on Opening Day of the Major League baseball season and talk about a die hard New York Yankees fan.  You may have always been a bit quiet about it but we all knew that you weren't backing the Minnesota Twins when they played the Yankees and that was just fine.  I'll bet you and mom will have front row seats when they play the Detroit Tigers tomorrow.  Love and miss you both!!

It's Just a Weed

One of my greatest pleasures in life is meeting new people and chatting.  I have been called a 'social butterfly' by more than a few people but somehow I just don't see myself as that but I do like chatting with people.  I met many people on my trip to Australia but none were more important than meeting Natalie's family and friends!

We were invited over to one of her friend's (Sandi) for dinner and drinks and chat one Saturday evening.  I was really looking forward to kicking back and relaxing at 'home' after all the sightseeing and traveling we had done thus far.

What a wonderful kick back evening it was!  Sandi had a luscious prawn salad with the trimmings and the B.S. flew liberally...my kind of an evening and of course we all had copious amounts of alcohol (copious is Nat's exact words) and I didn't know I could still drink a 6 pack of beer and amazingly not have any after affects.  Mmmmm...gotta love that Tasmania beer...must have had something to do with the name 'Naturally Blonde.'  Now if only I could find it here...so far no luck

I didn't take my camera with that evening...one of the few times I didn't have it near.  So I've not got any pictures to share from the evening.  What I do have is this picture of Natalie, Sandi & Euki the stuffed koala (bear)...trust me this is another story but I'm guessing Natalie will highly approve of this picture...a first!!  It's one Natalie sent me a couple of years ago...Nat's on the left, Euki is in the middle and Sandi is on the right.  I do, however, have some pics I'm going to link to here in honor of Natalie and Sandi. 

Throughout the trip I took many, many pictures of the scenery but could be sidetracked quite easily whenever I'd see a flower.  It wasn't unusual to see me hustling to catch up cause I'd spied a flower and stopped to take a picture or two. 

There's something about flowers in a natural setting that I love...well, actually, it has to do with my allergies.  Until my late teens I had no problems with allergies but something changed when I was 19 and now flower shops, heavily perfumed stores or old women bathed in that 'wonderful' old woman perfume can send me into a bit of distress.  So I am quick to head right out of a shop and even away from old women if the aromas are overwhelming and you won't find me near a church at Christmas or Easter with all the poinsettias and Easter lilies.

Anyways...a couple of weeks after we went over to Sandi's she came and picked us up and we went up to Olinda for brunch.  After brunch we wandered in and out of the shops until we came to one that I had to quickly get out of because of their heavy perfumes.  While Natalie and Sandi wandered through the store I was waiting outside and spied some flowers so you know what I did...got out the camera and started shooting away.

Sandi was first out and as she walked over to me she asked what I was doing.  I told her 'taking some pictures of flowers.'   She took one look at the flower I was by and said 'it's just a weed.' 

Between that hysterical comment (at least I thought it was) and Natalie always telling me during my trip 'it's a flower' whenever I would ask her if she knew the name of this or that flower I made an album of many of the flowers I took pictures of while there.  So...Natalie & Sandi...these pictures are for you!!

It is probably is just a weed Sandi...but isn't it pretty?!  LOL

So...that's all for now...wherever you are have a great day!!

If you would like to see pictures of flowers taken in both Victoria and Tasmania, Australia here is a link to that photo album on Picasa:  Play slideshow

To Steavenson Falls

After a wonderful time at Bruno's Sculpture Gardens we were off to Steavenson Falls.  The falls is Marysville's claim to fame for tourism as the falls are one of the tallest in Victoria with 5 cascades and a height of 400 feet.  The falls were named after John Steavenson who first visited the site of Marysville while surveying for a road to the gold mines.

Steavenson Falls was not missed by the fires and most of the man mad infrastructure built there was lost and extensive damage was done to the forest in the area.  It was hard to see the obvious damage that was done though regrowth was already on the way.  But what was hard to see and hear was how seeing the falls for the first time after the fires affected Natalie and Tara.  They both were shocked by all the damage and loss.  Before the fires Natalie said you couldn't see the falls from the car park...on this day there was no problem seeing the falls from the car park.

I can only imagine how magnificent the falls were and already regrowth was well on its way.  I have seen what devastation bush fires (or wildfires as I would call them being from the U.S.) can wreak as I was living just outside of Jackson Hole, Wyoming back in the summer of 1988 when Yellowstone National Park went up in flames but there's a difference in the speed of regrowth.  Unlike what I was seeing in Australia Yellowstone's regrowth takes much longer and the main difference I'm guessing is the type of climate.  I was amazed at how much quicker regrowth happens in a rain forest/tropical climate versus what I saw in Wyoming.  So different but devastating to all who are touched by bush fires/wildfires.

Though there was an element of sadness in visiting Marysville and Steavenson Falls there was also an air of determination and passion by those I encountered and I commend those people for their true grit.  It was yet another great day in Victoria! 

Until next time...have a great day!!

If you would like to see more pictures taken at Steavenson Falls & Marysville here is a link to that photo album on Picasa:  Play slideshow

Up to Marysville

We were off to Marysville which is at the bottom of the Yarra Ranges (National Park) where we would meet up with some friends of Natalie's, Mark & Tara and their 4 year old son Blake.  I was looking forward to meeting them as I'd heard how neat they were and one could tell that Natalie had a soft spot for Blake.  I was soon to find out why that was true.

There may be some of you who had heard about the bush fires that occurred in Victoria back in 2009 and February 7th has become known as Black Saturday in Australia.  As many as 400 bush fires were recorded on that day alone, 173 people died and 414 were injured as a result of the fires.

Marysville was one of two communities especially decimated by the fires - the other being Kinglake.  All but 14 of the 400 buildings in Marysville were destroyed by the fire and at least 45 people lost their lives.

Just over two years later one can still see the charred marks on the trees and the empty lots where buildings have yet to be replaced in Marysville and it has been a slow process I was told. I could somehow understand why some people chose not to rebuild after such a horrific disaster. 

But rebuilding was happening slowly and Mark, Natalie's friend, was playing an instrumental part.  You see Mark is an architect and a very passionate one and he was working with multiple people in Marysville designing houses and, in the case of Bruno Torfs, his gallery.

Bruno Torfs is a wonderful sculpture and painter.  He started his art and sculpture garden and had over 100 sculptures prior to the devastating fires.  He lost both his home and art gallery and was only able to save a handful of paintings but it was obvious after meeting him that he had not lost his spirit and passion.

I was hoping that I would be able to meet Bruno and was not disappointed when he came out to greet Mark, Tara and Blake.  You could easily see there was a deep friendship between them as Mark had worked with Bruno to help design his new home and art gallery which Bruno was building himself.  Bruno walked along with us through part of the sculpture garden chatting and pointing out this and that to us. 

Walking through the sculpture garden you were amazed at every twist and turn by yet another fantastic sculpture and I took a particular liking to two...one showing arms stretched out and the other with an open hand that had a fountain coming out of it.  Even though I tried I know I probably didn't get a picture of every sculpture there...I just know I didn't.

I also discovered that Blake had a talent not seen in typical 4 year olds...he is quite a photography for a little man and took some adorable pictures of his parents and also of all us with Bruno and his wife which Tara has so kindly given me permission to use here.  I hope Blake keeps taking pictures...he's got a knack for it and already has some of the vernacular down.  You just couldn't help laughing as he stood there with the camera saying 'work it...work it!!' 

As we were getting ready to leave Bruno came out and invited us in to see how far his gallery was coming along and it was fun to watch Mark and Bruno talk about the architectural design and what was going to be done here and there.  Both are so passionate about their respective careers it was just refreshing to see.

We also got to meet his wife Marleen and after a bit Blake started working his magic and took some group photos of all of us.  Quite a little man!!

Blake's group photo of us - so not bad for a 4 year old!!

As we said our goodbyes our day in Marysville wasn't quite done yet as we were off to nearby Steavenson Falls.  But I'll save that for another day.

Until then...wherever you are...have a great day!!

If you would like to see more pictures taken at Bruno's Sculpture Garden here is a link to that photo album on Picasa: Play slideshow

A special thank you to Tara for letting me use one of Blake's photos and to put a picture of Blake in the blog...you rock!!

Last Day in Sydney

I swear...of all the things I've ever lost I miss my mind the most!!  Well, I've not really lost my mind and just so my friends out there know this is not up for discussion.  However, this morning I was about ready to tear my hair out as I could not for the life of me find my pictures from our third day in Sydney.  I searched and searched through my external drive and found nothing.  But...yup there's a but here...when I opened up my Picasa program I spied an 'original file' that I did not remember setting up.  Opened it up...yup...there were the lost files of Sydney.  What a relief!!  Anyways...

Bondi Beach is one of the world's most famous beaches and is as much of a lifestyle choice as a place.  So after brekkie (breakfast) we were off to the infamous Bondi Beach. "Bondi" or "Boondi" is an Aboriginal word meaning water breaking over rocks or noise of water breaking over rocks. 

Everyone has probably heard of Bondi Beach and I was looking forward to seeing it.  We finally arrived at the beach and it was gorgeous. It was my first time walking on a beach and off we went.  The sand coming from the 'boardwalk' was deep and with a sore ankle a little painful to trod through but the closer we got to the surf the firmer the sand got.  There wasn't a ton of people at the beach but there were those out enjoying themselves and the sun was shining brightly as we walked up and down the beach...not once but several times.  It had been years since I last walked on a beach and at Bondi the frequency and intensity of the incoming waves was erratic though I didn't realize that.  Natalie had warned me I was gonna get hit by a wave and I don't think the words were barely out of her mouth and wham!  Yup...I was soaked halfway up my thighs.  At least it was warm outside and I wasn't going to run into these people again so who cared?!

After Bondi Beach we headed back to the wharf and the Sydney Opera House.  The first day in Sydney had been overcast and misty/rainy so we hadn't gone all the way over to Bennelong Point in the Sydney Harbor and now that it was a gorgeous day we were headed there. 

Planning for the Sydney Opera House started in the late 1940s.  A design competition was finally started in 1955 and the winner, Jorn Utzon, a Danish architect, was announced in 1957.  According to legend the Utzon design was rescued from a final cut of 30 'rejects' by the noted Finnish architect Eero Saarinen. 

The Fort Macquarie Tram depot, occupying the site at the time of these plans, was demolished in 1958 and formal construction of the Opera House began in March 1959. The project was built in three stages. Stage I (1959–1963) consisted of building the upper podium. Stage II (1963–1967) saw the construction of the outer shells. Stage III (1967–1973) consisted of the interior design and construction.  Queen Elizabeth was at the official opening of the Sydney Opera House on October 20, 1973.

I decided to tour the Sydney Opera House and it was absolutely amazing inside and the structure itself is so unique it has been labeled the Eighth Wonder of Post-1900 creations.  I guess I would agree with that...it is just amazing but if you go be prepared for steps, steps and more steps.  It became a bit of a joke towards the end of my visit how much I 'loved' to do steps...NOT!!  Oh, as for Natalie, she kicked back and got some sun while I was on the tour...a bit too much sun as she did get a bit of a sunburn...I did too from Bondi Beach but didn't quite glow like she did that night.

Now...herever you are...have a great day!!

If you would like to see more pictures taken throughout Sydney here is a link to that photo album on Picasa:  Play slideshow

Off to the Blue Mountains

The second day in Sydney saw us up bright and early though not as early as the day before when we flew to Sydney.  We were booked with Oz Tours for an all day tour up in the Blue Mountains and I was excited.  The Blue Mountains consist mainly of a sandstone plateau with the area being dissected by gorges up to 2493 feet deep.  The highest part in the Blue Mountains is 6528 feet and we were headed to the Jamison Valley which had the Three Sisters which is a rock formation formed by erosion. 

The commonly told legend of the Three Sisters is that three sisters fell in love with three men from a neighbouring tribe, but marriage was forbidden by tribal law. Battle ensued, and the sisters were turned to stone by an elder to protect them, but he was killed in the fighting and no one else could turn them back. This legend is claimed to be an Indigenous Australian Dreamtime legend.

However, a Dr Martin Thomas, in his work "The artificial horizon: imagining the Blue Mountains", clearly shows that the "aboriginal" legend is a fabrication created by a non-Aboriginal local Katoomba identity, Mel Ward, presumably to add interest to a local landmark. The story originated in the late 1920s or early 1930s and is unknown prior to that date.

On our way to the Jamison Valley we stopped at one park where we were able to view some Eastern Grey Kangaroos that another tour had spotted.  There was just a small mob of 'roos' in the park (4 or 5) but I was able to get a pic of one of them with its mouth full of blades of grass.

The kangaroo or roo as you are more likely to hear Down Under is one of two animals of Australia that grace the  Australian coat of arms - the other being the emu.  These were selected as symbols of Australia to represent the country progress because they are always moving forward and never move backwards.

Our tour guide, Paul, was awesome as he was an amazing source of knowledge about the Blue Mountains and as we walked along he'd come up with this or that leaf to nibble on and what it was good for.  There are times you wish for a tape recorder and this definitely would have been one of those times.  Not only was he knowledgeable but his love of his job was so evident - he was a tour guide because he liked doing it...so makes a difference.

We were off to ride the Katoomba Scenic Railway, the steepest railway in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records, and originally part of the Katoomba mining tramways constructed between 1878 and 1900 descends 1482 feet through sandstone cliffs, via a rock tunnel with a maximum gradient of 52 degrees. Also, at this location is the Scenic Skyway, a glass-bottom aerial cable car that traverses an arm of the Jamison Valley, and the Scenic Cableway, the steepest aerial cable car in Australia.

We went on all three of these and I got some especially neat pictures while crossing on the Scenic Skyway, not so good ones on the Scenic Cableway and definitely not anything of merit on the Katoomba Scenic Railway...might have had something about going backwards up a 1482 foot incline in the front car looking straight down with no seat belts (though there was a cage over our heads) and a (no joke) plastic chain to keep me from falling out the side.  Obviously I didn't fall out but with 'my love' of heights and needing to be in control it wasn't such a good feeling.

It was an awesome day which we ended cruising back in through the harbor.  It was quite nice sitting up top and having a few brewskies and chat with some of the people we toured with that day.

One thing I forgot to mention was the added bonus we got driving to the Blue Mountains was being able to drive past the Olympic Village that was the site of the 2000 Olympic Games hosted by Sydney.  Pretty neat!!

Now wherever you are...have a great day!!

If you would like to see more pictures taken throughout the Blue Mountains here is a link to that photo album on Picasa:  Play slideshow