Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach

Manly

There is a beautiful beach towards the North of Sydney, the name is Manly. It has a sort of a relaxing feel to the beach as the waves are not too strong and the beach is not as crowded as Bondi beach.

I would highly recommend sitting the ferry from Sydney Harbour to Manly. On the ferry, you get to see the iconic Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. And as an extra, you also get to see the ugly big head that is the entrance of Luna Park (I wonder whether kids get terrified to go in after noticing the face).

On a good day, you can see people play volleyball on the beach and  others sunbathing.

Sydney Opera House

The iconic Sydney Opera House is a magnificent structure that houses multiple venues of performing arts centre. It was completed in 1973 and is still one of the most famous buildings in Sydney, or even the world.

Hyde Park

There is a park at the eastern side of Sydney's CBD which is quite famous. It is called Hyde Park, it copies the name of the original Hyde Park in London. How creative indeed.

Anyway during the weekends or evenings you can see lots of interesting people around there. For instance, this shot depicts the avid skateboarders who goes there to practice their mad skills. Some are really cool, however, I wasn't patient enough to be snapping away.

The Cyclops

Does anyone know what a cyclops is? In greek mythology, it is known as a species of giant with one eye at the centre of its forehead. This was something I grew up with play games like Heroes of Might and Magic on the PC. It was a good game that sparks your imagination.

This picture depicts the skull of a baby elephant thought to be the source of the myth. It is believe that when the ancient people of our times dug up an elephant skull as such, they thought that it belonged to a cyclops. It was then used in Roman poems and hence it came to be. It is interesting how the human mind tries to build a story around an unknown object.

For those who do not know who there is a hole there, it is for the trunk of the elephant.

Lok Lok

Lok lok, which is literally translated into "dip dip", is a steamboat/hotpot enjoyed by many Malaysians. As depicted in the picture, you have a variety of skewered food items which you can pick and eat. After choosing your desired food items, you then dip it into the hot soup and add your favourite sauce to it.

It exhibits the characteristics of a typical Malaysian night market where you stroll on the streets at night and have a quick bite from a van with the items at a reasonable price and walk on to discover what else is on offer for the night.

Spikey & thorny

 The Hedgehog and the durian. A special animal and a special  fruit. Enough said.

Tasmanian drinks

Meadowbank Estate is located in the Derwent Valley, Tasmania. Looking at this wall of fame, it seems that they have done pretty well for themselves. I admit to be no wine connoisseur myself so I would not be able to tell you whether it is a worthy investment. On this floor at the other end of it, you can find a small smell corner where they have set up a few test tubes with a scent in it. I did pretty bad only able to pick out 6 of 20 scents or something like that.

Then it is time to go to the Cascade Brewery where you get to take a tour of the building and the beer making process. Unfortunately, I arrived too late and just missed the last tour. It will be for another trip. The consolation prize was the beautiful surround and cafe of the brewery where you can sit, relax and enjoy the beer.

Clinometer and the drunken admiral

Clinometer is an instrument used in forestry to measure slope, vertical angle and in this instance the height of a tree. The clinometer is used in other fields but it is known as an inclinometer. The clinometer is placed at a fixed distance from the tree and with the angle you are able to calculate the approximate height of the tree. This requires you to revisit your math text books to know that at a 45 degrees angle the tree should be the distance of the clinometer from the tree and so forth.

Enough with all the thinking and bla bla and down from the forests and into one of the best seafood places in Hobart the Drunken Admiral. It is a quirky inn which serves up great seafood from their mussels to their seafood chowders.

Salamanca Markets

This steps is a back door to the Salamanca Markets in Hobart, Tasmania. The market is famous of the variety of products sold from around Australia. It is only open on Saturdays, however, on a normal day, there are the stalls along the street open as usual.

Around this area there are 2 good bakeries, as voted by the locals. I prefer the one called Jackman and Ross along Hampden Road. It is worth the effort to go there just for a good meal. The other bakery serves a local delight, scallops pie. It is a scallop pie with curry fillings.

Tessellated pavement

At first sight, the view reminds me of paddy fields being newly planted and awaiting the harvest season. However, with the sea at the background, it would be a disaster if it was really a paddy field.

The is a tessellated pavement, a natural rock formation found in sites like these where erosion and cracks might happen causing the rocks to form different shapes.

This site can be found at Eaglehawk Neck, Tasmania.

Port Arthur

Tasmania is an island located on the southeastern part of Australia. Port Arthur is a small island located on the southeastern part of Tasmania. It is a former convict settlement where the most wanted criminals were sent.

It was a high security prison back in its day. Today it is a tourism spot visited by many as the beautiful structures remains standing. There are ghost tours there at night, which I would not recommend for the faint-hearted.

Apart from that, there are many good seafood restaurants just in the neighboring areas to try out. Definitely worth a visit.

Docklands (Rialto view)

Took this shot while I was up at the observation floor of the Rialto Towers in Melbourne. It has a pretty good view and some outdoor areas where you have good views of the city and surrounds. As it is smack in the heart of the CBD, it also allows you to capture Southbank area that you would not be able to while up in the Eureka Towers.

Docklands, Melbourne

Docklands is a relatively new part of Melbourne that is rapidly expanding. It has since become the hub to many major businesses such as NAB and ANZ. The apartments, restaurants and retail outlets makes it a self contained suburb fitting for young executives wanting a vibrant environment. With the Etihad Stadium, the Quay area and the Waterfront City, there is plenty of activities for to do around.

For the serial shoppers, you have DFO on one end of it and Harbor Town on the other to entice you to willing depart from your money. Transportation to Docklands is pretty good with all three major public transports, buses, trams and trains, going through the area.

To beautify the area, the development is planted with a lot of greenery and given a lot of artwork to make it pleasing to the eye. This pedestrian bridge with a boat sculpture on top is just one of the many artwork you can find here at Docklands.

Insects viewpoint

I'd imagine this to be the view of an ant climbing up this brick pillar to the top. It is pretty interesting how these small creatures are able to ascend effortlessly up to the top, while few of us humans are able to do the same despite being bigger and stronger.

This shot was taken at the library of Ormond College at the balcony area. It would be very different now as the library has undergone extensive renovation to become a state of the art learning centre for the students of the college.

Melbourne Central Shot Tower

The Melbourne Central Shot Tower also know as the Coop's Shot Tower is a brick tower 50 metres in height in the Melbourne Central shopping centre. It was built in 1888 (100 years before I was) and was saved from being demolished in 1973. It is now registered under the Victorian Heritage Act that protects it from being demolished.

It is 9 stories high, has 327 steps to the top and is one of 5 shot towers built in Melbourne. Today the tower is home to a few shops in the complex.

Brighton Bathing Boxes

If you ever are around Brighton in Melbourne, Australia, you should go and visit the bathing boxes along Dendy Street Beach. It is interesting to see this 82 colorful bathing boxes along the beach. Also you would be able to see a lot of beach and water activities as people go out during summer to enjoy the sea breeze.

It is not too far from Melbourne's CBD, being a 25 minutes drive down to the beach. When you are done enjoying the beach, you can head into Brighton town where you are able to get a good range of fresh seafood from a few good restaurants.

That would be a perfect day at the beach.

Mosaic

Mosaic is a decorative design or picture created with the assembly of many small colorful pieces of glass, stones, tiles and other materials into a surface. It can be found way back in the Mesopotamian times.

This is a mosaic water feature found in a park along the beach lines of Darwin.

Carapace shedding insect

While at a wildlife park watching a bird show, I couldn't help but notice the carapace of this insect stuck to the railing. I thought it was rather  interesting as I didn't know insects shed.

Anyway I got some information from some friends that it is most likely a cicada shell as it is part of their life cycle to shed.

Doctors Gully, Darwin

There is a site in Darwin that opens specifically for fish feeding activities. It is called Aquascene, Doctors Gully. It is quite an experience as you get to feed the fishes up-close. And you get to see a variety of fishes as they come in to feed.

As it has been doing so since the 1950s, it would be almost certain that you get a big school of fishes coming in as they are already expecting it.

MCG

The Melbourne Cricket Ground is one of the most famous stadiums in Victoria. People go there for footy matches, cricket matches, tennis matches and everything else.

This shot was taken from the Eureka Towers

Picture notes: It is good to find the most unexpected places to frame a picture to make it interesting.

Albino wallaby

This white fellow was found at the Maru Koala and Wildlife Park on the way to Phillip Island, Victoria. It was an experience as you rarely see an albino wallaby. The reason for it being white is because of the lack of pigmentation in the eyes, skin and hair. If you notice closer, its eyes are pink as compared to the normal ones.

In the wild, albinism is not a good thing as it makes an animal stand out and become the target of predators. Luckily they are not outcasted by their own kind or they are sure to die.

Spring

Spring is the season where bees are busy and flowers are in bloom. However, in Melbourne, it is quite a bad time for me as I have already been here for 4 years and I am susceptible to the hay fever. Hay fever apparently only affects people who have lived here long enough, which is funny as you expect to build a resistance instead of losing your resistance over time.

This picture was taken in Melbourne University with the flowers that looks like cherry blossom (someone correct me if I am wrong) and the bee collecting its nectar.