Australia Day 2006

Australia Day 2006-2
Originally uploaded by ami_arsenault.

January 26th was Australia day. It seems the thing to do here is have a BBQ or go downtown for festivities and fireworks. Sounds a bit like Canada Day, eh? In most ways it is though, at least at our bbq, I noticed a few differences. Here they are:

• For the most part people didn't wear the colours of the Australian flag or any representations the flag. We did did have one guest in a flag t-shirt and I had a temporary flag tatoo but that was it.
• There seems to be some tradition of men wearing Magnum PI shorts (shudder).
• Australian radio stations play countdowns of the top songs of the year. Our party revolved around Triple J's Hottest 100. Everyone tried to guess the top songs of the year. Sadly, I didn't guess any correctly.

I think I can say good times were had by all on the 26th. I thought the countdown was a particulary nice addition to the day. Shots for getting a song wrong were a bit harsh. I better start listening for next year.

Good Bye Sydney...

Opera House
Originally uploaded by ami_arsenault.

...Hello Coffs Harbour. Yes, I am leaving Sydney already. Gavin just got a job in Coffs Harbour, a smallish town about halfway between Sydney and Brisbane. We are moving there in a couple of weeks. All I know about the place is that it is a popular tourist destination in the summer months and that they have nice beaches. So this will be move number eight in the space of six years. You would think I liked moving or somthing.

Stick Bug

Stick Bug 2
Originally uploaded by ami_arsenault.

One of the coolest things I've seen since being here is a stick bug. Yes, they really look like a stick. A sort of cartoony stick but a stick nonetheless. You always see them on nature shows in some far off place but now they are in my back yard. I feel like I live in a nature show with all the new birds and creatures I keep seeing.

New Years Eve 2006

New Years 06-56
Originally uploaded by ami_arsenault.

Gavin and I spent New Years Eve at a friend's place. Their apartment overlooks the Harbour Bridge so it was a perfect place to view the fireworks. I have to say they far surpassed any fireworks dispay I've ever seen. Check out the more of the pictures we took.

Crazy Bird Lady

King Parrot 3
Originally uploaded by ami_arsenault.

"Crazy Bird Lady" is fast becoming Gavin's new nickname for me. The birds in Australia are so different from those in Canada that I can't help getting excited when I see a new one. I have been able to feed Rainbow Lorikeets from my hand on the front balcony. A beautiful King Parrot, whom I've named Elvis, regularly visits the bird feeder in the back garden. There are Cockatoos everywhere. I am trying to take lots of pictures of them. You can view them at Flickr.

Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

Kalkari Kanga 5
Originally uploaded by ami_arsenault.

After arriving safely in Australia the first thing Gavin took me to was the Kalkari Discovery Centre in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. We took a walk on one of the trails. Upon spotting my first kangaroo I realized I was far from home. On our walk we also saw a swamp wallaby, a water dragon, some turtles, and lots of different gum trees. A very nice first outing in Australia.

A couple of weeks after our first visit to the national park we returned for a picnic and a took a walk through the mangroves. This walk was along a boardwalk a couple of feet over a muddy area. Scurrying across the mud were hundreds of little mud crabs. Fast little guys.