|
|
You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Mar 28, 2004 02:00 PM On the Norfolk Island - The Pacific
I said good-bye to the wide and huge Australia and landed on the tiny and green Norfolk Island...
Only 1600 people live here... The island is famous of the Norfolk Pines - tall and pistureque trees - now you can find them in many places around the world but here is their origin. Norfolk is a former British prison island - you can find here monuments from this period. But the highlight of the Norfolk is the landscape - rolling hills, colour cliffs, yellow beaches and... serenity.
I have real rest here after busy Australian days.
It is only 24 degrees and windy so they cannot disload the supply ship waiting in the ocean - they have no port so the small boats are sailing to the ship to get the supply. But so far stores are full - so I'll survive...
|
Mar 26, 2004 07:00 PM This great Great Ocean Road!
After low cost night flight Perth to Melbourne I rented a car and drove the Great Ocean Road - one of the most picturesque roads in our world.
It took me full day to pass through all these coastal viewpoints, old lighthouses, waterfalls and lush forests. Most of the route goes along the picturesque, high coast and the highlight is the group of the rocks called Twelve Apostols - I reached them just before the sunset. It is very tourist place - one of the symbols of Australia. It is worth to be... It is national park area but they do not charge any entry fee there...
I did almost 500 km up and down on this day on difficult roads. I returned in the dark at 8 pm
- but it was worth the effort!
|
Mar 24, 2004 07:00 PM Australian Goldfields...
I visited new and old gold mines in Kalgoorlie - fancy town full of old, ornate buildings from the time of the Gold rush. 8 percent of the world's production of gold still comes from Western Australia. I had a chance to see second open mine in the world - can you imagine the big hole in the ground (3 km by 1,5 and more then 300 m deep? They call it superpit... There is also a kind of live museum where you can pan for gold and go down for the 40-minnutes tour to the old underground mine - well worth 20 AUD charged for the entrance...
There is also another show - the gold pour every day at 11 am - you will have a chance to take a picture with a solid bar of real gold produced on your eyes! What a feeling!
|
Mar 22, 2004 07:00 PM Beautiful beaches of Esperance
The plane arrived to Christmas Island but due to the cyclone we landed in Perth with 3-hours delay. I rented a car and drove the night. Fortunatelly there were only 3 kangaroos on my road and they escaped from the road before colision.
Then - already in the daylight I saw the Wave Rock - unusual rock formation located close to Hyden - I did not see antyhing similar in the whole world. At the end of the day I reach Esperance - cosy resort on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The Bay of Esperance is full of picturesque rocky islands and has wolderful beaches with powder-like white sand. I was swiming at the sunset in Twighlight Beach - unforgettable experience after 36 degrees of the heat during the day!
|
Mar 20, 2004 07:00 PM Yes, they smile to the stranger!
I was driving yesterday 9 hours 4WD car to reach hard-to-get beaches and viewpoints on the Christmas Island. Toyota RAV cost me 65 AUD per 24 hours plus fuel - not bad... Tracks pass through the lush jungle full of mosquitos and... crabs. Landscape is beautiful and the island is not as destroyed by exploitation of phosphates as Nauru...
Today I attended here the service in the catholic church - can you imagine - on the Christmas island they have not a single priest! There were like 25 persons including me...
People on the streets of the only settlement on the island smile to the stranger! Why don't we in our Europe?
It is stormy and rainy today - I hope that the plain tomorrow will arrive anyway and will take me back to Australia...
|
Mar 18, 2004 07:00 PM On the Christmas Island...
There are two Christmas Islands on the globe - one on the Pacific, second on the Indian Ocean.
I just landed on the second one. I am very surprised because it has high, rocky cliffs, very few hard to reach beaches and... 60 percent of Chineese in the population... It is not like tropical paradise from our dreams... But still famous for excellent snorkeling and diving, rare birds and jungle landscapes... So far the sea is rough and another tropical cyclene is close to us... Very few tourists... Well - on Sunday I am going to the local church it see if there are any remains of Christmas tradition...
|
Mar 14, 2004 07:00 PM Cocos Islands - where are they?
They are on the Indian Ocean... Only twice a week a little 54-seater plane flies from Perth to this little paradise. Yes, I got a seat... Two picturesque atolls - more then 20 islands with coconut palm trees, but only two of them are inhabited... People are smiling. I stay in a Beach Motel - under frangipani tree in blossom but without air conditioning. It is hot and humid but as the reward I have thousands of coconut palms, emerald lagoon, unspoiled nature, beautiful colors of the sea, coral reefs - all of this is waiting for me to explore... All is like a dream, let's dream!...
|
Mar 11, 2004 07:00 PM Where Indian Ocean meets the Pacific...
Back in Perth we took a breath and drove down along the western coast of Australia. What a change! There are wineries on the rolling hills and the forests with giant karri and tingle trees - sometimes 30-40 m high! Finally we reached Cape Leeuwin with solid lighthouse. It is windy place where Indian Ocean meets the Pacific... the sea was not calm... The coast betweem Cape and Albany is very picturesque - with cliffs, boulders and empty beaches - this is the place to go!
|
Mar 10, 2004 07:00 PM Spanish Monastery in Australia!
Yes, they have Monastic town of New Norcia established by Benedictine Monks from Spain.
19-th century buildings are ornate, there is interesting museum but only 17 monks live there. The place is worth a visit - there is a clean guesthouse in the monastery where you can stay for 50 AUD - full board - what a experience!
|
Mar 07, 2004 07:00 PM Gorges of Western Australia
We visited Karijini National Park. Access by 4WD vehicle - the one day tour organized by the agency from Tom Price is expensive but it takes full day and you drive almost 290 km. The gorges in Karijini are 100-150 m deep and very picturesque but suprisely narrow - do not expect anything like Grand Canyon. There are impessive, cool pools in the gorges you can swim - great experience in a hot day!
|
Page:
303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313
|
|
|
