2012-06 Australia Favorites
We spent several days in Sydney, Ayers Rock in central AU, Port Douglas in northeastern AU and near the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree rainforest, and then returned to Sydney. We were fortunate to visit five World Heritage Sites: Sydney Opera House, Blue Mountains, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree rainforest. For trivia buffs, the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree are the only World Heritage Sites that are physically adjacent.
There were so many high points of our trip - climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge, snorkeling on the Great Barrier reef, strolling through the lovely beachside town of Port Douglas, staying in a zoo, and the ziplining through the rainforest.
Aussies were fantastic, so welcoming to visitors and always giving a hardy "G'day Mate!" or reassuring "No Worries!" to a confused traveler. We hope to return someday!
We began our trip in Sydney, an absolutely spectacular city. "Here we are" on our first night in Sydney after a tour of the Opera House.
A rare and very lucky shot. This is the moon over the Opera House and the Opera House itself is lit by special lighting for the annual Vivid Sydney show in which creative and interactive lighting displays were lit up all along the waterfront.
Sydney Harbor Bridge at night. The chandelier was part of the Vivid Sydney show and appears as if it is magically suspended in midair.
Vivid Sydney light show, Sydney, Australia
Look carefully above the boat and you'll see tiny dots on the top of the bridge. Those are people doing the bridge climb which we did the next day!
I can't believe we really did this!
Couldn't resist this sign, echoing one of the parts of our family toast.
Wandering through Sydney's fantastic Queen Victoria shopping plaza.
A day excursion from Sydney to the nearby Blue Mountains with a stop at the Featherdale Animal Park.
You gotta see a Koala while in Australia.
And "here we are" at the Blue Mountains overlook. This is the famous view of the rock formation known as the Three Sisters. The photo does not capture the reality of this day as it was about 32 degrees, raining, with high winds. A moment of sunshine was much appreciated.
A couple taking the classic cell phone photo in front of Three Sisters.
View of a waterfall at the Blue Mountains.
The next day we took the "Hop On Hop Off" bus to tour Sydney. Here's Steve at Bondi (pronounced Bond I) Beach, a world famous locale for the HUGE waves. Note the parka, gloves and pained expression. That 's because it was probably 35 degrees with gale force winds. It was a free microdermabrasion!
Along Sydney Harbor.
We then flew to central Australia to Ayers Rock to visit the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The goal was to meet native Aboriginals, learn about their culture, and to see either Uluru and/or the Kata Tjuta rocks "glow" at sunrise. A "must see" according to the travel guides.
Steve trying to play the didgeridoo, the traditional Aboriginal wind instrument (he's since bought one!)
Kata Tjuta. According to the travel books, watching the sunrise over Uluru and/or Kata Tjuta is supposed to be a spiritual experience. The rocks are holy to the Anangu and supposed to glow at sunrise and sunset due to their high iron content. We got up before dawn two days in a row (and paid for each trip), hoping to seeing the rocks glow. They didn't. We didn't get it. No angels singing, nothing. So here's shot of Kata Tjuta in the daytime!
Uluru, Autralia
Kata Tjuta.
View along the path to Kata Tjuta.