Friday, August 04, 2006

Journey to the land down under

Finally, after more than 10 years of knowing each other, the 4 of us buds go for an overseas trip together for the very first time. Australia - the land down under! With 2 free stopovers, some 'local' knowledge from Daryl and 15 full days, we set out to explore 3 very distinct parts of this beautiful island continent.

1) Winter in the red centre- dry yet very very cold. With cloud cover and sparesly-vegetated land stretching as far as the eye can see, this is the place to feel the vastness of Australia. While everyone's here to see Ayer's Rock(Uluru), i personally liked Kata Tjuta(Olgas) better, which should make sense, since the aborogines deem it so sacred that they won't even share the creation stories associated with it like they did with the rock.


Typical outback scenery

Just gotta have this pic

"The Apocalypse is near!"

My favourite rocks

View during the 'Valley of the winds' walk

2) Where the reef meets the rainforest- Strictly speaking, that's just at Cape Tribulation, but there really are lots of sandy beaches and rainforest in this part of Queensland,(Cairns & Port Douglas) not to mention that the Great Barrier Reef is always within reach. My day dive at the reef was cut short by a passenger on our boat suffering from a minor heart attack, so i'll be back again someday, the next time for a real 3day diving expedition at the outer reefs...

"Where the reef meets the rainforest, and ME!"

Sunset over the harbour city of Cairns

Two fascinating underwater lifeforms sighted

Parts of the Great Barrier Reef as seen from a plane

3)Victoria Victoria!- Now i think i understand why Melbourne has been touted as the most livable city in the world. Minus the many ugly tram cables, it's really a beautiful, green and modern city, yet with lots of fascinating heritage buildings and superb restaurants. Better still, nature is never too far away, with sights like the Dandenong ranges, Great Ocean road and Yarra valley vinyards just a couple of hours drive away, and ski-friendly alpine mountains an additonal couple more. No wonder Daryl does'nt want to go home.

Dusk at the Alpine mountains- Most colourful i've ever seen

TarraWarra vinyards, regrettably without the grapes

One of the many beautiful Heritage buildings in Melbourne

Melbourne city skyline