The city I grew up in is a very pretty place, if I must
say so. It's the first place to be settled by the English in Australia,
and boasts some interesting history and architecture. Even with the
chaos of construction sites, traffic, smog, and suburban crawl, it
still manages to be a beautiful city - if you know where to look!
Coogee is one of my favourite Sydney
beaches - beats Bondi by a mile!
More Sydney Pics
Just south of Sydney is the South Coast. It's a getaway
spot for many Sydney-siders and full of sweeping beaches and lovely
coastlines. The Royal National Park is a favourite spot of mine to
go walking and the coast north of Wollongong has some really nice,
quiet beaches, which I like better than crowded Sydney beaches. Kiama
is a cute little seaside town, and the peacefulness of Kangaroo Valley
has to be experienced. Gerroa and
fantastic Seven Mile Beach must be one of the most beautiful beaches
in the area (camping there is an
experience). Nearby, the Southern Highlands
is a favourite getaway spot of mine. I love the open spaces and greenery,
especially in Kangaroo Valley.
Spring is also a fabulous time there.
Blue
Mountains
Bordering the western suburbs of Sydney is the Blue Mountains,
an area of eucalypt forests, cliffs, valleys, and caves. As every
good tourist would know the mountains are "blue" due to
the illusion created by the evaporation of eucalytus oil on hot
days. Most tourists hang around Katoomba and the Three Sisters,
but I like the quieter town of Blackheath further along, or swim
in the water holes of Glenbrook Creek. The Jenolan Caves are vast
and beautiful and it's worth seeing a few caves because they are
all very different.
Central
Tablelands
The Great Dividing Range divides the coast from the flat plains
and is full of contrasts. There are many forests and little valleys,
and as you go further west, farms with acres and acres of pastures
for sheep and cattle.
North
Coast
From about 200km north of Sydney up to the Queensland border 700km
away is the North Coast of New South Wales, where the weather is
mild all year round and people seem to live permanently on the beach.
I've visited the area a few times with my family, visiting Port
Macquarie and Coffs Harbour in particular, the larger towns in the
area. The most memorable of those experiences was taking a 4WD tour
of the rainforest, almost losing the vehicle down the side of the
road, and having to wait 4 hours for help! Well, that's the Australian
"bush" for you. At least there were no snakes or spiders
in sight, just mosquitoes. More recently, I visited the small town
of Bellingen and its surrounds.
Queensland
and Victoria
Why have I grouped these two vastly different states together?
Because I don't have enough spectacular photos to put here! Let
me first start with Queensland though.
"Southerners" think Queensland is the perfect state to
go for holidays because it has tropical weather all year-round and
is full of tiny tropical islands. The main tourist attraction has
to be the Great Barrier Reef, one of the largest coral reefs in
the world, and I was lucky to spend a week on South Mole Island,
in that region.
Victoria on the other hand is a much more cooler place, and yet
has as much beauty as Queensland. The most popular area for interstate
tourists is the Great Ocean Road - over 200km of spectacular, windswept
coastline, temperate rainforests, and lush farmland. This was where
Gibson Beach and Bells Beach are situated.
Snowy
Mountains
Who would have thought that hot, dry Australia would have snow?
Mountains? Not any ordinary mountains, mind you but the Snowy Mountains,
where thousands of Aussies go each winter to become ski bunnies
for a weekend. To be honest though, skiing is not one of my favourite
past times, but I still love the crisp alpine air, even when most
of the snow melts away.
Tasmania
Tasmania isn't just full of Tassie Devils, it's has some great
wilderness areas, and you can walk spend years and years walking
in its national parks. It might have started out as a penal colony
but now lots of Aussies from the "mainland" visit for
holidays. It's different from mainland Australia in that it is much
colder, isolated, and untouched. The most famous areas are Cradle
Mountain and Freycinet National Parks.
South
Australia
South Australia is often the forgotten state to East Coast Australians
who tend to go up north to Queensland for holidays. But it's a state
of great contrasts - vineyards, deserts, plains, and as with all
states in Australia, beautiful national parks. One place that really
made an impression was Kangaroo Island. It's not just full of kangaroos,
but koalas, platypus, birds of every kind, seals, and penguins.
I remember my brother and I swimming on a vast, white-sanded beach
with no one in sight. Perfect.
Miscellaneous
Snaps
Some photos are good but aren't exactly holiday snaps, so here they
are! More miscellaneous snaps of my new
home.
Australia
is certainly a vast country, and luckily I've had the privilege of seeing
a little of it over the years through various holidays.
