Port Douglas

Our last port of call was the North Queensland beach town of Port Douglas.  This is a popular spot for tourists traveling to the Great Barrier Reef and the Rain Forests nearby.  We had a leisurely five days relaxing in and around four mile beach just south of Port Douglas, getting out to visit the …

The Blue Mountains

We left Sydney on Saturday morning for our two hour drive to the Blue Mountains.  The mountains are a series of gorges that have been cut from there sandstone plateau by various water sources one the years leaving dramatic scenery.  Saturday was cold and wet and the mountains were very misty.  We used that as …

Sydney Day Four

The sun is back and for a mid-winter’s day, high 60″s and little cloud, a winter I can live with.  We hung around in the city today visiting the National Maritime museum and generally taking it easy.  We have been doing a good job keeping fit while we’ve been here and the hotel has an …

Sydney Day 3

A trip to Manly today, a town north of Sydney on the ocean.  Getting there is a 30 minute ferry ride from downtown Sydney with fabulous views of the Harbor Bridge, the Opera House and the bay.  The day started with sun and broken and clouds but as we got to Manly the rain returned. …

Sydney Day Two

The Sydney Opera is beautiful architecture, simply stunning, regardless of how often you see it.  Even up close, its tiles give it an usual look.  Fortunately the weather was much better and we were able to see the Opera House after a pleasant walk through the botanical garden.  Lunch at The Rocks, one of the …

Sydney Day One

We arrived early on Monday to find a very quiet and extremely wet Sydney and that is the way it stayed all day.  It was a public holiday, Queen Elizabeth’s birthday.  Given the rain, the aquarium in Darling harbor seemed like a good option and the fish didn’t seem bothered at all.  The sharks and …