Steve & Shivaun's Australia Trip - 2002

 

In July 2002, we went to Australia for 3 weeks for a grand tour of the east coast.

First stop was Townsville. It might have been the middle of winter, but that didn't matter too much! Having learnt to scuba dive over the previous few month, we had come to the Great Barrier Reef to do it for real. We dived on the Kelso Reef, the SS Yongala shipwreck and from Alma Bay, Magnetic Island.

After a few days diving we headed down to Beaudesert, near Brisbane to see Shivaun's parents. I need to put in the mandatory wildlife shot, and in this area, we saw plenty of kangaroos and wallabies, so here is picture of some we saw on Kooralbyn golf course.

After a few days we started to head south, and the first place we visited was the Gold Coast.

A few hours south from the Gold Coast, we reached Australia's most easterly point - Byron Bay.

We then spent a whole day driving, with only occasional stops before we reached the Blue Mountains. It was no longer like summer now - the weather was much more like we are used to! One of the most famous sights in this area is the Three Sisters; legend has it their dad turned them to stone and then lost his magic wand before he could turn them back into people!

En route to Canberra, we stopped off at Jenolan caves - some of the most massive caves in Australia,

We then reached Canberra, and before touring the city, spent a day skiing on Mount Perisher

The following day, we toured the sights of Canberra, firstly the Telstra Tower, from where we got some great views of the whole city.

The view below is that of Lake Burley Griffin, and the James Cook fountain.

We then visited Parliament House. Its interesting that you can just go in and walk around - I can't imagine doing that in the UK!

Whilst in Canberra, we also visited the War Memorial, the National Museum of Australia. We then headed for Sydney, to spend our last few days there, and yes, I will include the obligatory shots of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House! but first we went to the Sydney Olympic Park. The area has changed quite a bit since the 2000 Olympics, with the stadium being converted to be more of a Rugby venue. The capacity of the stadium is reduced, with the towering ends gone, and the flame relocated adjacent to the buildings.

Now the obligatory shots! Firstly, the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Next, the Opera House at sunset...

Of course, they are not the only sights in Sydney... Here is the city from Darling Harbour...

Our final stops on the trip were Bondi Beach and Botany Bay. Of course, being the middle of winter, Bondi Beach was a bit more deserted than when you see it on TV, but for any daring souls, the surf was amazing!

 


and that's it! Send me a  email at steve@tijou.co.uk if you want to know any more.


This site was last updated 2 February 2003.

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