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New South Wales

"Welcome to Sydney". This reception should have made us think. Our friend Grant had already warned us. A thunderstorm with hailstones the size of golf balls started when we had just left the airport building. The following 8 days, we fought against late ships, missing stamps and the windmills of Aussie bureaucracy (still better than ours :-). Finally on December 22, we've been able to leave Sydney with our own vehicle.

So between our frequent visits at the customs office and shipping companies, we have enough to visit this beautiful city. View from the harbour bridge on the opera house. It's 10:00 a.m. and the sun is burning mercilessly.

On the ferry to Parramatta. View of the skyline and the docks of Darling Harbour. Public transport, including most of the ferries, is very cheap in Sydney.

Busy traffic around the Harbour bridge.

On the ferry to the Tauranga Zoo.

To be well prepared for going bush, we make our self familiar with the local Fauna. The scream of the Tassie Devil set your teeth on edge. But it looks like a pug with a pointed snout.

 

The Echidna and its cousin, the Platypus are the only monotremes, egg-laying mammals.

Large fruit bats are hanging in the trees of the Royal Botanic Gardens like ripe fruit. They are so numerous, that they are threatening the live of the trees. 

Bremach Blue Mountains

On the road again! As quickly as possible, we are leaving the big city. Sydney's suburbs extend almost 100 kilometers to the west foothills of the Blue Mountains. We are enjoying the remoteness of the place. Only two other campers stay here for the night.

 

Everyone knows this picture. The Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains National Park. If you've been there, you know that the view point is in the middle of town, and that there are permanently several tourist busses with tourists from all over the world. We hope to find places with less people around on our trip.

The Kanangra Walls in the nearby Kanangra Boyd National Park are far less frequented.

Bremach Kanangra Boyd

The campground at Dingo Dell, is the most beautiful place on our Aussie trip so far. If it's raining, you have to stay or a couple of days.  Extreme gradients and a creek crossing with a steep and rocky exit have to be mastered to visit this place. It's definitely worth it!

Strange visitors arrive at dusk. You guessed right, we are in Australia!

Next to the Kookaburras, the Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, are the loudest squallers here.

Australian Pelican on the Shoalhaven River.

The parliament in Canberra with its famous grassed roof. Anyway this is not the place where the term "let the grass grow over something" is coming from. 

Laughing Kookaburra, they usually wake us up every morning.

In the Snowies the flowers are in full blossom in January.

Various colours and shapes are to be seen.

When bush-walking you often have the feeling that somebody is watching you.

Bremach Bullio

Finally a place in the shade at Bullio Tunnel, even at noon. 

We stay ten days restful days at Birdsong-Cottage in Bermagui with our friend Dave. Total relaxation a holiday from travelling so to speak.

In Bermagui, the author throws himself into his new job, protection of the chucks. Elvis has just entered the building, Priscilla is already in the shed, their daughter Lisa Marie still outside.

 

The Goanna in Dave's garden prefers the eggs, but would probably try to get a chuck as well.

 

The Goannas are huge but not a threat to humans, as long as they do not mix you up with a tree and try to climb you. They have lousy eyesight, but very sharp claws. Because of this, you should immediately lie down on the floor if a Goanna is running towards you.

King Parrots on the veranda.

 

One of the beautiful beaches in Bermagui on this day with unusual mist. Dave's neighbour even called the fire brigade because he thought there's a bush fire. We see e a pod of dolphines here. 

The famous Pub in Bermagui. The locals are very friendly and make us feel at home here. Besides of course we like Coopers Green and the local seafood, yum! 

The Lyrebirds have long tail feathers, that they are erecting like peacocks. What's really special about them is, that they are able to mimic sounds, not only of other birds, but also things like barking dogs or chain saws.