Sydney's Vivid Festival

No other festival in the Southern Hemisphere illuminates a city quite like Vivid Sydney. As the festival of light, music and ideas, Vivid Sydney flicks on the ultimate light switch and ignites the city with spectacular colours. It features the lighting of the Sydney Opera House, which sees Utzon’s iconic sails transformed into a spectacular living canvas. Now in its second year, it’s a harbourside artwork that’s grabbed the world’s attention!


The lighting continues with Macquarie Visions, which sees Macquarie Street and surrounding buildings lit up spectacularly, and the anticipated return of The Rocks Fire Water – a dazzling Bollywood-inspired performance that taps into our history with a cast of tall ships, fire and colourful smoke.

Variations of Perth

Perth is a beautiful city and the capital of the Western Australian State. Not that I was particulary bored but I had quite a nice view from my room so I thought I would share the impression with you. The photos show the Perth CBD from Canning Highway overlooking the breathtaking Swan River.





The photos are taken at 7am, 5pm and 6:30pm.

Pinnacle Desert

Some 250 kilometres north of Perth (The capital city of Western Australia) lays the world-renowned Nambung National Park. And within this biodiversity hot spot you can find the very unique and spectacular Pinnacle Desert. Rising mysteriously from the dune sands are thousands of limestone pillars, a landscape in strange contrast to the surrounding heath. The Pinnacles were sculptured from limestone by wind, rain, vegetation, sun and time for many thousands of years. These limestone formations of varying colours reach up to four metres.







But not only the Pinnacles are a truly fascinating sight, you will certainly enjoy some kangaroos or wallabies and also the beautiful white-sand beach is only a short drive away. This is the perfect day-trip from Perth and to round up your experience ‘on the road’ you should stop in Cervantes for a nice lobster lunch. Make sure you visit the Pinnacle Desert either during sunrise or sunset to ensure you get some nice photographs to remember your trip.

Beautiful Tassie

Tasmania is a beautiful island in the south-eastern corner of Australia about 250km from the mainland or an two-hour flight from Sydney. The nature is just stunning, some would compare it to the South Island of New Zealand but of cause you should never mention this to the locals here. Diving conditions can be quite beautiful around here, with fantastic visibility and some special creatures like the spotted handfish or the leafy seadragon. In wintertime the visibility is better but of cause the water temperature only around 12 degrees celcius.





I went for a nice drive around the Hobart region from Kingston to Woodbridge, Cygnet and back through the Huon valley. I also tasted some nice Sauvignon Blanc from the Two Bud Spur Vineyard in Gardners Bay. Yummy!

Perth's City Beach

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. With a population of 1,554,769 (2007), Perth ranks fourth amongst the nation's cities, with a growth rate consistently above the national average. One of the city's beaches is the town of Cottesloe and a fantastic place to relax and unwind. Bring your family and spend a day playing in the waves. Think beach, think Norfolk Island pines, think Western Suburbs lifestyle - that's Cottesloe. Just 15 minutes west of Perth, Cottesloe is internationally famous for its superb beach and terraced lawns overlooking the Indian Ocean. Whether you're a local or a visitor, the village atmosphere and seaside heritage demands further exploration.

Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road is a 243 km stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Warrnambool. The road was constructed to provide work for returning soldiers and dedicated as a Memorial to those killed in the First World War. It is one of Australia's great scenic coastline drives and the "Twelve Apostles" an Australian icon. What a beautiful drive . . .

Wilson Prom

The southernmost point of the Australian mainland, Wilsons Promontory (affectionately known to Victorians as 'the Prom') is arguably the most loved national park in Victoria. Its 130 km coastline is framed by granite headlands, mountains, forests and fern gullies. Tidal River, 30 km inside the park boundary, is the focus for tourism and recreation. The park contains the largest coastal wilderness area in Victoria.
If you think about staying here you will need to know what you are up to a few years down the road because this is how long it takes to get a booking for one of the cottages in the park. However camping spots are more readily available but even with camping consider a reservation. The Prom offers some of the most spectacular walks i have done and it is definitely worth a visit.

Sculpture by the Sea

'Sculpture by The Sea' is an annual event held along the coastal walk from Bondi to Tunnamurara in Sydney. For three weeks sculpture by the sea features sculpture designed by artists from around the world.
There is no entrance fee and so it definitely makes for a great day out with the family. The exhibition moves around the Globe and the Australian part in 2009 will be held in Perth.

The Lost Buddhas

The Lost Buddhas exhibition which is currently to be seen in Sydney's NSW Art Galery is one of its kind and definitelly worth the visit.

In 1996 one of the most significant archaeological finds of the 20th century was discovered when construction workers in the Chinese town of Qingzhou were levelling a sports field. Found by accident, like the terracotta warriors discovered at Xi’an in 1974, this extraordinary discovery brought to light a cache of some 400 stone Buddhist sculptures on the site of the long-destroyed Longxing (Dragon Rise) Temple in Qingzhou in Shandong province in eastern China, one of the cradles of ancient Chinese civilisation.

Created in the 6th century, these remarkable sculptures were carefully wrapped and buried in a purpose-built pit during the 12th century for reasons that still remain unclear. They are a stunning reflection of the Buddhist beliefs which permeated many levels of local life, and of the dramatic stylistic changes in sculpture that occurred during a time when Buddhist art in China reached its apogee.

On loan from the Qingzhou Municipal Museum, 35 of the best preserved and most exquisite sculptures from the Qingzhou discovery will be on display at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from 29 August to 23 November. Seven have not been seen outside China before and indeed all will be seen in Australia for the first time.

Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains, located in New South Wales, Australia, is a mountainous region located approximately 48 kilometres west of the City of Sydney. The area is a sandstone plateau dissected by gorges of up to 760 metres in depth with the highest point being 1,190 metres above sea level. A large part of the Blue Mountains is incorporated in the Greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage Site and its constituent seven national parks and a conservation reserve.

The Blue Mountains have been known to the Indigenous Australians for generations, and although the mountains were for many years thought to be impassable by white folk, the view that there was bound to be productive land beyond the barrier of these mountains eventually prevailed.

Why are the called Blue Mountains? The name derives from the bluish tinge the range takes on when viewed at a distance, which is caused by a process known as Mie Scattering. Mie Scattering occurs when incoming uv radiation is scattered by particles within the atmosphere. When Mie Scattering occurs incoming radiation lengths mix as no wave length is predominant over another (unlike Rayleigh Scattering where shortwave length radiation is predominant during the day and long at sunset, hence blue skies and red sunsets) creating a blue-greyish colour to any distant objects (such as mountain ranges or even clouds). It is widely believed that the blue colouring of the mountains is created by light reflecting of eucalyptus leaves and although this is a romantic idea, unfortunately it is just folklore.

When you visit the Blue Mountains don't forget your trekking boots. Some of the best bush walks Australia has to offer are in this area. And as it is only a 90 min drive from Sydney you definitely have to make a stop there and if it is only for the nice picture of the 'three sisters'.

Inside Sydney's Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site on June 28, 2007. Based on the competition winning entry by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the Sydney Opera House is one of the world's most distinctive 20th century buildings, and one of the most famous performing arts venues in the world. It was among the 20 selected finalists in the 2007 New Seven Wonders of the World project.

The Sydney Opera House is situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The building and its surroundings are one of the best known icons of Australia.

The Concert Hall and Opera Theatre are each contained in the two largest groups of shells, and the other theatres are located on the sides of the shell groupings. The form of the shells is chosen to reflect the internal height requirements, rising from the low entrance spaces, over the seating areas and up to the high stage towers.

I was lucky to see the world famous James Morrison. He is an Australian jazz musician who plays numerous instruments, but is best known for his trumpet playing. He is a multi-instrumentalist, having performed on the trombone, euphonium, saxophone, flugelhorn, tuba, and piano. He is also a composer, writing jazz charts for ensembles of various sizes and proficiency levels. He performed the opening fanfare at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, and is usually regarded as one of Australia's finest jazz musicians.

What a fantastic feeling to be inside the Sydney Opera House. Well worth a visit.

Manly Beach

Manly is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Manly is located 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Manly Council, in the Northern Beaches region. Manly was named by Capt. Arthur Phillip for the indigenous people living there, "their confidence and manly behaviour made me give the name of Manly Cove to this place".These men were of the Kay-ye-my clan (of the Guringai people). While scouting for fresh water in the area, Phillip encountered members of the clan, and after a misunderstanding he was speared in the shoulder by one of the clan; to his lasting credit, the progressively-minded Phillip ordered his men not to retaliate. Today Manly is a popular holiday destination and a nice spot for photography. The picture above is from my new friend Grrr (alias Joe, Paul etc.). Thanks for the nice day ScubaNinja and NaiveZebra.

Barron Falls

Tired of walking around to look for yet another waterfall? Well I usually feel exactly the same way and don't visit all the waterfalls I can find on my travels. However going to the Barron Falls Lookout near Kuranda especially in rainy season is just a spectacular thing to do. The Barron Falls is where the Barron River makes its descent from the Atherton Tablelands to the Cairns coastal plain, in Queensland, Australia. Protected within the Barron Gorge National Park, the volume of water seen in the upper photo only happens after substantial rainfall during the wet season. For much of the rest of the year little more than a trickle is evident, due in part to the presence of a weir behind the head of the falls that exists to supply the Barron Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station located downstream in the gorge proper.

Tropical North Queensland

After a weekend of work up here in Cairns I had a few days off and spend them with my friends. I know both of them from Thailand and now they have a little family up here. We did lots of fun stuff and went for bungy jumping for a few times. It's only five bugs for locals to jump after your initial jump. Good fun and nice to see my friends again. Thanks to Naomi, Ed and Johan.

Finally SS Yongala

Finally I managed to dive the SS Yongala which is supposed to be one of the best wreck dives in the world. The ship sunk in 1911 and was only discovered in 1958. Now almost a hundred years later it is covered with hundreds of soft and hard corals and an enormous amount of fish call it their home. It must be one of the best dives I have ever done. For more information check out the news on my website.

Australia's Gold Coast

I traveled to Australia's Gold Coast on business and the town where I stayed is Surfers Paradise about one hour drive from Brisbane. I thought first it's a nice and small town; according to the name but once I got there I found a pulsating and very much alive metropolis. It's a great place and somehow I like big cities on the water. Definitely worth a visit and I hope I could go back there soon.

Rock climbing

I decided to take a day off to do some rock climbing on the far end of the Northern Beaches in Palm Beach at Barrenjoey. The weather was great and we had some fantastic views up there. I have to admit you do get a bit scared when you just hang on two fingers somewhere on a vertical wall. But of cause you have all safety devices in place so that even if you would fall you not getting hurt too much. A great day out. Thanks Anja!

Avalon Cliff and Cave

What a nice idea Alex had to spend the morning of Christmas eve. We (Alex, Junya, Adrian and I) went to Avalon and decided to discover some local cave there. It was a bit of an adventure and we had to climb down the Avalon cliffs before jumping in the water and snorkeling down a small stream leading us into the cave. The water was about 7m deep and we managed to swim all the way to the end of the cave. I will post some more photos later. A great adventure to start the Christmas period. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Back in Sydney

Spending a bit this time back in 'the place where I pay my rent' - Sydney. The weather here is getting better and at least sometimes the sun is shining through. I did a bit of diving on Shelly Beach and went on a nice kayak trip last Sunday. There are always lots of things to do here it's just all quite expensive. The photo is of a nice sunset looking over downtown Sydney from Manly's Northhead. Next week I will be leaving to Thailand again. Had some nice food here too: http://worldrestaurantreview.blogspot.com/2007/11/fujiya.html

Kurnell Steps

Another diving adventure here in Sydney just before I'm leaving to the Philippines. I did one dive in Kurnell before and it's always an adventure to get wet here in Sydney. If you ever come over here enjoy a nice dive. It's a bit cold (17C) but you will definitely enjoy the marine life here including the sea dragon which is endemic to Australian waters. For more information on the dive go to http://www.goproaustralia.com/ and check out the news.