Day Trips from Sydney: Bondi to Coogee Beaches

Another rewarding easy walk leads along the southern beaches of Sydney, from Bondi beach, famous for its surfers, over Tamarama to Bronte and Clovelly beaches to Coogee in a wide open bay. 

at Bondi beach

Graffiti on the seawall at Bondi

Coastal sandstone formations

one beach after the next, each one more beautiful than the one before, on a perfect day ...

 Tamarama bay

Bronte

 Not only the beaches are photogenic attractions

Waverley Cemetery seems like a good place to rest - a perfect view for eternity or for the bodily resurrection - just in case ...

 Watching and being watched ...

 Clovelly Beach

a common Mynah

Between Bronte and Clovelly Beach we saw humpback whales passing by and frolicking in the water

 The last bay before you reach Coogee is Gordons Bay, very secluded with mesmerizing colours.

a fairy wren

Coogee Beach

Have fun! 

Australia : Melbourne or Sydney?

There seems to be a competition going on about which of the two is the most liveable Australian city: Sydney people prefer theirs but are never quite sure  - Melbourners seem quite strongly in favour of their own. Melbourne has repeatedly  been chosen by the Economist as the most liveable city on earth .... We wanted to see what this was all about.

Melbourne -  
It reminded us very much of  Frankfurt....

on the Yarra river

.... or is it more like Berlin?

... London? 

Block Arcade, Melbourne

... or ..... Barcelona?

some odd artwork  at Federation Square, Melbourne

Melbourne Arts Centre

I love their "Travellers" Bridge, a pedestrians' bridge that is dedicated to all the immigrants that make up Victoria and Australia. Large sculptures retrace their steps across the Yarra from the harbour to the main railway station beyond.

Melbourne has a very familiar feel to us; it seems a thoroughly European city with its mix of Victorian historic buildings and interesting experimental modern architecture.  

Sydney, however, is without comparison. Its iconic landmarks are totally unique, Harbour Bridge and Opera house. 

Darling Harbour and Circular Quay with myriads of restaurants, bars and entertainment and the shopping areas in between around Hyde Park are all very different in character and can easily be explored on foot. 

 Darling Harbour

 Circular Quay

 Reflecting Pool in Hyde Park

Queen Victoria Building Shopping Arcade

So, from a touristy and our very own personal point of view - the Oscar goes to : Sydney !! In addition,  the weather is nearly always perfect ... 

Australia : The Great Ocean Road - The Otway Ranges

The Otway Ranges and Otway Forest are part of the Great Ocean Road on a promontory that connects the "surfers' coast" from Melbourne to Apollo Bay with the "cliff coast" from Johanna beach to Port Campbell and further on to Adelaide. As the road retreats back from the coast on this part to enter the Great Otway National Park and Otway Forest Park, most tourists just seem to travel through without stopping, on their way back to the coast and the  "Apostles". 
We spent two nights in a cabin in the forest - a unique experience. It felt out of the world, very remote although only three hours from Melbourne, no wifi, no telephone, but winding roads through rain forest full of bird song, water falls, koalas, wallabies and an otherwordly flora. And very very dark at night. 

 Heavy rains had passed through during the night. The next morning the rising sun lifted the fog.

Tree ferns in the rain forest

Hopetoun waterfall

A rare shop-café-gas station in Lavers Hill, where campers and other bleary-eyed tourists from the self-catering accommodations from the close and not-so-close vicinity gather in the mornings for some coffee and pastries. The Great Ocean Road unfortunately has a severe shortage of good hotels and restaurants.

 On the Otway peninsula forest fires have destroyed this forest of

gum trees to give these picturesque evening silhouettes against the setting sun.

Otway lighthouse in the distance

White-throated gerygone

Crimson Rosella

a Pink Parrot in the grass

Superb blue fairy-wren

Kookaburra

 a wallaby

Sleeping koala