Our flight from Brisbane to Bergen via Hong Kong and Helsinki arrived in the gathering dark and driving rain of a Norwegian autumn evening. After 24 hours we had landed in Bergen but only one suitcase had made it with us. We were told the bag would arrive in a further 24 hours. My thin … More Brisbane to Bergen Beginnings
Olleywood is our favoured destination when we have visitors. We take the winding drive up over the Burringbar Ranges towards Murwillumbah with the views of the Wollumbin Caldera to that wonderful art gallery perched on a rise overlooking the beautiful Tweed River valley. Last month we went alone – on the 30th anniversary of the … More Outing to Olleywood – Tweed Regional Gallery turns 30.
Our Byron Writers Festival volunteering or vollie experience began this year as usual with our orientation at Elements Resort. The local Echo newspaper subsequently reported that over 200 vollies were essential for the running of the festival and that our ages ranged from 18 to over 70. We had a photo shoot after donning our … More Byron Writers Festival Vollies 2018
Our tropical reef adventures began over 30 years ago on a romantic holiday in Vanuatu. Here our combined love of underwater life began, rather daringly for me with my first scuba dive. Snorkelling on Lady Elliot Island was a more sedate but equally wonderful experience. Lady Elliot Island is a coral cay shaped like a … More Tropical reef adventures on Lady Elliot Island
The town of Seventeen Seventy is a misnomer. First of all it’s not a town and second of all, it was originally called Round Hill Head until 1936. It is however the site of the second landfall on Terra Australis of Lieutenant James Cook, RN, on his historic journey to the Pacific in 1770, in … More Coastal Road Trip – Maryborough to 1770
Well, we’re on the road again, this time to the Town of Seventeen – Seventy (1770) – only Australians know the significance of this date – and then to Lady Elliot Island. The first leg of this trip was Brisbane to Maryborough to stay with good friend Sue, electrical engineer/electrician apprentice for Queensland Rail. Taking … More Coastal Queensland Road Trip – Brisbane to Maryborough
We enjoyed a coffee in downtown Armidale before setting off north east, towards the coast, along Waterfall Way. The temperature was a very mild 20 degrees. Wallmumbi on Waterfall Way was home to the poet, Judith Wright’s family and she captures the landscape in the poem, South of my Days, the first few lines quoted … More Road trip final leg, Day 5-6 – Armidale to Byron via Yamba
Bidding farewell to the relatives, we headed north east in the direction of Gulgong. Gulgong’s name is derived from the Wiradjuri language meaning ‘deep waterhole’. The town was settled in the 1860’s as part of the gold rush but was known as a ‘poor man’s digging’ site. Much of the original 19th century character remains … More Road trip from Wellington – Day 4 Gulgong to Armidale
Australia Day celebrations passed us by as we set off south from Narrabri in the direction of Coonabarabran. Outside this lovely country town is the Siding Springs observatory at the entrance to the Warrumbungle National Park. Siding Springs was chosen as the best place in the Southern Hemisphere to view the southern skies and houses … More Road trip to Wellington – Day 2 and 3
A road trip to the Central West of NSW in January requires fortitude. Our destination – Wellington, near Dubbo – averaged temperatures of 40+ degrees Celsius in the week before our departure. We set off from the coastal breeze of northern NSW, where the humidity was 89%, even though the temperatures were in the low … More Road trip to Central West NSW – Day 1
