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Australia 2007 & 2009

I've travelled Down Under four times now. Here's some pictures from Melbourne, Sydney and the east coast up to Cairns.

Saw this unidentified building in Sydney. Unsure of its true purpose. Sydney skyline from the ferry to Manly. The following pix are from my 2009 trip up the East coast from Sydney to Cairns. The Harbour Bridge. I climbed to the top in 2004. The Harbour Bridge at night. Meeting of Sydney City Council. Not sure where Australia's dugongs are, but here is Lois at the Sydney Aquarium. Me taking picture of kid, taking picture of shark, at the Sydney Aquarium. Lois and I on the Manly Ferry. Bondi Beach. Or is it Manly Beach? No, it's Bondi. Circular Quay railway station. They should go condo: look at that view! Into the Blue Mountains to see the spectacular view at Katoomba. Here you can see the 2000 foot drop to the bottom of the gorge. The stunning view of the seemingly endless forest near Katoomba. Lois enjoying the drawing of the view. By the next day, some of the fog had lifted. The Three Sisters. The Three Sisters and the One John. We drove North from Sydney. Sometimes inland, sometimes on the coast. Sofala: Australia's oldest living gold mining town. Somewhere North East of Sofala. Gulgong: Appeared on Australia's ten dollar bill in the 1960s. Driving across the Great Dividing Range to the coast. We saw so many dead animals by the roadside, that we had to visit a zoo to see living ones. Kangaroo. Wombat. Crocodile Hunter. The beach at Surfers Paradise. Not pictured: surfing. We bypassed Brisbane, and went on to Fraser Island. Fraser is the world's largest sand Island. It's easiest to see on a tour. Most of Fraser Island is covered by dense forest, but in some places it is bare dunes. Most of Fraser Island is also covered in tourists in hats with cameras. This is very steep. The beach acts as a road and a runway (and also a beach). Dingo. Apparently in Australia, a mail box is a "Posting Box". Fraser Island also has several freshwater lakes. Needless to say, the beaches are amazing. Lois on the boat back from Fraser Island. 2000 KM mark. We drove 3500 KM in total, and only scraped one hubcap (my fault) and set off one photo radar (Lois' fault). Sugarcane is king as you get further North. Harvest time is near. Soon the refineries will be refining. There are toy railways all over sugar country, to take the harvest to the refineries. Been there, bought the T shirt. Cairns. To say it Aussie-style, say "cans" with a very nasal accent. A great way to see the rainforest, without exerting any effort. It's called the "Skyrail", but there are no rails. Confusingly, there is also a nearby scenic railway, which should be called "Skyrail", but is not. Lunch in Kuranda. Both the cable car and train terminate in Kuranda. We went back on the train. All aboard. The 20 KM trip takes a couple of hours. We went snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. This was our boat. Me. After snorkeling, returning to Cairns. Visited the Flying Doctors Museum. I guess they can't help you if you have a headache. Queenair. So that's why the steering wheel is on the other side! Made a quick trip in 2007 to Melbourne and drove the Great Ocean Road. Sorry, not many pix, as it rained a lot, all week. Two of the 12 Apostles. A rock with a hole in it.