On the way back from Kakadu to Darwin (to catch my flight to Bali that same day) I stopped by to see some crocs ("salties") jumping. Very cool 🙂 (I wouldn't want to swim here 🙂 ) You can also see the really nice place I was staying in Kakadu as well as my car......
On day 2 I went to different sites and also went to one of the "free ranger activities" where they explained even more about the land and the people. Again very interesting - which is a bit uncommon for me to enjoy but the ranger was fun and explained a lot of things....
Instead of going with a tour I just hired a 4WD and did a 2.5 days tour on my own - and I don't regret it 🙂 First day was a lot of driving (well, actually every day 🙂 ) - and I saw a couple of the (intended/planed) fires which are common during this time of the...
Not much to tell about - not a "must see attraction in Australia" 🙂 (stayed there just one night to wait for the plane back to Darwin). The only noticeable thing: So far the UGLIEST lighthouse I have ever seen :)Ah, and: The Matso's brewery. "Interesting" beer … I...
Fitzroy Crossing and Geikie Gorge I just find it amazing that this "little creek" can be such a big river if the rain comes. You can see based on the color of the stones in the river. There were signs in the "visitor center" that shows the water level at the ceiling...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purnululu_National_Park (Purnululu National Park National Park) Just… WOW… Really interesting mountain range. First the sunset with champaign and Didgeridoo (even I played and apparently not that bad for the first time!). Next day a bit of...
6 days of camping with a nice group of Aussies (+1 French). I admit I was a bit worried in the beginning as I saw the average age of about … hmmm … 60? (including myself in the math!) … (max age about 72) - but it turned out to be a really great time. There were...
nice little boat ride … enjoy the pics… At that point I realized that the average age on that train is probably >60 🙂 … Met Karen though - which was a really nice company until late evening in Darwin :)Thanks Karen!
short: expensive and at least for the "Alice Springs => Darwin" part not really worth it. Problem is that you mainly travel at night (departure 18:00) - and don't really see a lot… At 8am you arrive in Kathrine (where I did the "Gorge tour" which was nice!) and...
Today combine biking with hiking. Went up Mount Gillen which was originally planned for the first day in Alice Springs - this time with perfect weather (compared to just rain on the day we arrived).Rented a bicycle again to get to "Flynn's Grave" and then up the hill....
I did the Heavitreetrek sections: http://www.larapintatrail.com.au/overnightwalks.html You can find KML data there - my GPS recording app crashed again after 30km - unfortunately that KML above isn't quite accurate as well). It's supposed to be a 42km and should take...
A bit of cycling today (approx. 60km). Really nice and relaxing. Then some history on Alice Springs at Telegraph hill - very interesting!
The Olgas were quite impressive - but the rock was amazing. I don't exactly know what it is - but especially the climbing was different - because it is a rock! from the bottom to the top. About the "climb" (I wouldn't call 30 minutes a climb): On the way to the rock...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_Canyon_%28Northern_Territory%29 6:00am hotel pick-up… but worth it! just enjoy the pics - can you spot the rabbit? Unfortunately again one of these things that can't really be captured on a photograph. Impossible to capture the real...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_ocean_road It started of with really bad weather - but I'm happy we still went for it. Hired a car, started our drive - it was quite dark… we went to an Info center in Torquay and the guy told us more rain is coming… We went to the...
After a really cool night out the day before where Elena and I met some nice locals I gladly accepted the invitation from Tom to go to the MCG stadium for a game of AFL (Richmond vs. Melbourne).The stadium is really amazing - unfortunately not quite full 🙂 (I learned...
Took the ferry to Watson bay and then Bondi Beach. Really nice beach - but I have seen many in the last months :)Then a short walk to Bronte Park.
Another stroll through Sydney and a close-up of the Opera-House. Then Lunch at the 360 Restaurant at the Sydney Tower. Nice Views, right?
nice views… not actual "mountains" by Austrian standards - but still beautiful! no hikes today.
Sydney… hmm. what's there to add? Did the "Free Walking tour" - which I really like (did this couple of times now) - a good way to see the sights of a city… http://www.imfree.com.au/
Kangaroos: checkKoalas: checkmany other Aussi animals: check Again, the weather could have been better. But I didn't expect to come that close to kangaroos. That was really nice. And the Koalas? really cool.Much better than a zoo (we were thinking of going to the...
Wine tasting tour through "Mount Tamborine" area… made it to 6 wineries! Tour in Google maps:View Larger Map
For today I organized a diving trip for Elena so she could do her first Scuba diving experience and on top of that do her first dive in the Great Barrier Reef. Wasn't easy to organize due to time constraints and distances we want to cover - but I found a way (going to...
For the next 16 days I'm traveling with Elena - who I know from Buenos Aires (but she is American - was just in B.A. for a couple of months…) Today: Frasier Island with a 4x4 - that was fun (expensive fun - but wouldn't miss it!). The good old Landcruiser we hired was...
Played golf on Hamilton Island Golf Club (which actually is not on Hamilton Island but on Dent Island 🙂 ). On the way there I met Bill and we decided to go on the course together. http://www.hamiltonislandgolfclub.com.au/ Yes it was a bit more expensive as the other...
http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/great-walks-whitsunday/ Ok, so Aussies are as slow as Kiwi's with hiking 🙂 --- suggesting 3 days for a (flat) 30km walk… what are they going to do if they visit the Alps???? So I made it a bit more challenging and extended this to...
Full day out on the boat. First to Whitehaven Beach - the No. 1 "must-do" around here. Definitely one of the best beaches I've seen so far. The sand was really amazing - so white and so fine… Never seen anything like that before. You could also see Sting Rays in the...
Airlie Beach… cute little town …
walking through Townsville. Nice beach area. As everywhere around here there is no one in the water to due the risk of stings. There are some areas with a net where you can go into the water… Luckily I'm not a "Beach guy" (except when playing golf - then I apparently...
Magnetic Island by Bike. Many really nice beaches on a hot day. 44km... Can't remember all the beaches/bays 🙂 http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/200523734
Played golf again... Monday Madness... Play as much as you want for 15AUS - and get one beer for free!!!! (a beer normally is like 7AUS). Played 28 holes (couldn't find tee off 19 - so I played 1 and 2 to get to tee off 20)... and a few more beers. Golf course was...
Drove from Cairns to Port Douglas to meet up with Gary (from the diving). We went to the Daintree forest but then decided instead of going further into the forest we rather turn around and play golf on one of the top rated golf courses in Australia: Pullman Port...
As I stayed in Cairns and Brisbane is just a 2 hour flight away I went to the Black Sabbath concert! Really cool!!! Ozzy last year was great - but with Black Sabbath it's just even better... What is there to add.... well one thing: they used D-LINK switches!!!!...
3 Days diving on the Great Barrier Reef. Can't keep up with Galapagos - but the corals were really great! 9 dives in 3 days - with Dive No. 57 now. Second best dive experience so far 🙂 The low altitude flight (sometimes only 600m low) was really great as well. Nice...