tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-198486602012-01-26T07:11:31.326+11:00We're back from Australia now. We plan to continue to post using this blog both current stories and stuff from our Aussie adventure so keep checking! <br> <br> <b>Related Sites:</b> <br> <a href="http://www.OursToDestroy.com">Ours To Destroy</a> Damo's band. <br> <a href="http://www.myspace.com/OursToDestroy">Ours To Destroy on MySpace</a> Befriend Us. <br> <a href="http://www.dontmagazine.com">Don't Magazine</a> Damo's a reviewer.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.comBlogger721100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-20255476114238462022007-01-20T17:39:00.000+11:002007-02-01T11:49:35.043+11:00

how fun is this? it's outdated, more or less, where we were--only a select few phrases would be commonly used--but i hope there's a revival. kooky language like this can't be allowed to die!have a captain cook check out the Aussie section. we even know some that aren't in this list, thanks to our friends in Geelong!excuse me, i gotta go take a richard the third.

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-66645817897683038782007-01-19T03:12:00.000+11:002007-01-20T05:46:58.294+11:00

After a long journey home, we arrived in Calgary only to find a mob of demonstrators protesting our arrival back in Canada.In order to escape the media scrutiny, we fled to the isolated and beautiful Emerald Lake Lodge with Damo's family. It was a lovely way to reclimatize to the cold--if one needs to get used to the Canadian winter again, it might as well be in such a gorgoeous fairytale setting

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-21376621117285526042006-12-27T11:26:00.000+11:002006-12-28T10:38:37.726+11:00

Without the snow, cold and early nightfall, it doesn't really feel like Christmas. I'm on summer vacation with the rest of the Aussie teachers! Coming home to our families will bring on the Christmas spirit, no doubt. So the 25th felt much like any other day . . . except we, as Damo liked to put it, participated in a pagan ritual.Hong Kong's dominate religions, in this country (city?) of

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-76389325094602719432006-12-27T10:51:00.000+11:002006-12-28T10:39:07.427+11:00

In Hong Kong, Christmas is a holiday but the sort of holiday where you take your family shopping and out to eat. On Christmas Eve, the streets of downtown Kowloon and probably across the harbour on Hong Kong Island, had to be closed off to vehicles since there were so many people out to watch the fireworks and laser show, plus take advantage of the shops' extended hours to 10 pm. We're right by

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-51344190425637357662006-12-14T11:41:00.000+11:002006-12-14T11:57:04.000+11:00

On the December 2nd weekend I flew solo to Sydney to visit Darren, Kelly, Aussie Dave, and Angela and left Nicole to her marking. They live in Penrith, close to Sydney.The second day involved numerous beverages that the Aussies call 'beeh'. I didnt want to be rude by rejecting their hospitality, so I imbibed every one offered. Before I knew it, the world was swimming and normally silly ideas

Damohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09515225975610206745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-87317049211813824972006-12-13T00:32:00.000+11:002006-12-13T00:56:07.619+11:00

Press play on the player above and listen while viewing the photo of our personal slice of ultimate solitude at our campsite in the Grampians Victoria.So what's that horrific racket that nearly ruptures the eardrums? Nope, not the corellas (although 100 or so of them do make quite the racket,) but apparently the little fella to the left, a cicada. One cicada, no problem. 1000 horny cicadas and

Damohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09515225975610206745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-81365086593882077692006-12-08T01:36:00.000+11:002006-12-08T09:51:14.626+11:00

We live at the red dot (Geelong, Victoria.) That cloud is not a cloud, but a veil of smoke.There are fires burning to the north east of us. They are worried that all the isolated fires will link up and create a massive "SUPER FIRE" the likes of which have never been seen.New Zealander firefighters have been called in and John Howard will deploy defense forces.Scary! More on this in the near

Damohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09515225975610206745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-42523715104783717432006-12-05T14:31:00.000+11:002006-12-05T16:30:38.088+11:00

BEFOREAFTERIn other news, Darren now has a blog!

Damohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09515225975610206745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-87511823226312317082006-11-30T15:25:00.000+11:002006-11-30T15:59:17.018+11:00

I have the weirdest phobia, a fear of heights. Whenever I get on an open cliff face, a high balcony with only a rail to separate me from a fall, or similar heights where there is a risk that I could jump off, I get a giddy feeling in the pit of my stomach and have to grip onto the railing for dear life. It's odd, too, because it's also almost a pleasing feeling, kind of like being 'high', if

Damohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09515225975610206745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-71895784759834630062006-11-26T10:53:00.000+11:002006-11-26T11:01:36.484+11:00

How did we spend our last 'free' Australian weekend? Not out to lunch with a colleague nor off to Ned Kelly country for a day, as planned. Instead, I was tied to the toilet and the bed battling a virus. yucky. Damo fed me soup, gatorade and made me take pills. I'm still not well but not feverous anymore. Oh well, we have a week of time off to travel so we might have to modify our trip to go

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-81612208929413363432006-11-20T18:00:00.000+11:002006-11-22T23:21:03.894+11:00

As Nico mentioned in the previous post we hit the Jerrihlinga wildlife reserve on the weekend where we met the talking birds included in this video.Their repertoire also included "How's it going?" and a cat's meow...funny stuff.

Damohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09515225975610206745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-23429902092954530192006-11-19T18:04:00.000+11:002006-11-20T13:09:13.647+11:00

goodness gracious, and we thought wombats and huntman spiders were cute! look at our new, but alas temporary, pet: baby orphaned hopping mouse Basil. We found him yesterday night huddled, alone and a bit battered on a busy footpath in St. Kilda (part of the Melbourne), near a parking lot. We took him home to our hotel after some debate and then off to Jerrihlinga, a wildlife sanctuary, today.

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-3995085903090394392006-11-17T13:25:00.000+11:002006-11-17T13:33:13.636+11:00

MMMmmm pretty.

Damohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09515225975610206745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1163578887062742012006-11-15T19:12:00.000+11:002006-11-16T16:43:01.581+11:00

Samina has a cat, Wray and Colleen have cats and a dog, Miko and Shan have a dog, etc, etc. Frankly, we've had it up to here with the never ending stories and updates about their four legged friends. So, if you can't beat'em, join'em...we will no longer be ostracized for not being part of this exclusive club.How did we join? Well, we are the proud owner of Bo Spangles. We just bought him a

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1163238719989320102006-11-12T10:48:00.000+11:002006-11-16T16:43:19.246+11:00

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1163238484043166282006-11-11T20:43:00.000+11:002006-11-17T13:22:26.176+11:00

What’s camping without your friends? Every mealtime, our neighbours arrived:Harriet the Seagull, Crimson Rosella, Magpie (aka Computer Bird), Honeyeater, and hey, what's a picnic without ants . . . bull ants, that is.

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1163237837984518802006-11-11T20:17:00.000+11:002006-11-16T16:46:26.957+11:00

Our last long weekend was spent escaping the city to camp in beautiful and pristine Wilsons Promontory, the most southernly point of mainland Australia. Several trails and back country campsites were closed due to bush fires and we wimped out of the 22 k hike to the lighthouse on the tip of the Prom but, goodness gracious, there were enough spectacular hikes and sights near the Tidal River

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1163126066719052472006-11-10T13:23:00.000+11:002006-11-16T17:07:31.083+11:00

Last post we showed you the Good Sammy. This post shows the Evil Sammy. And so, with these two posts, I intend to show the classic nature of human behaviour. That is, we all exhibit Christlike goodness yet, at the same time, are capable of the greatest evils.Sammy was there to persecute Jesus:A new look at the Zupruder Film reveals the truth about JFK:Sammy collaborated with Vader to take Obi

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1162877289239916792006-11-07T16:23:00.000+11:002006-11-16T17:15:53.810+11:00

We saw this sign in Perth and a wave of sentimental thoughts overwhelmed us cause we do, certainly, miss the Good Sammy!Then came Samina's rantlike comment on the Oprah post. Sammy, like all humans, exhibits behaviour that specifically identifies the classic duality of human nature (the Good Side that we miss and love versus the Evil side that we don't.) What evil side? Read the post!Damo, in

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1162517237802471542006-11-03T12:09:00.000+11:002006-11-16T16:24:43.723+11:00

Helmets are very important for your personal safety and Australians take this very seriously, more so than anywhere else in the world.Helmets are used for a plethora of activities that, while not particularly dangerous, could cause mental trauma.Elsewhere in the world, such activities would be untertaken in a carefree manner with a complete disregard for personal safety. Not so Australia, where

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1162381506336428642006-11-01T22:31:00.000+11:002006-11-16T16:25:13.145+11:00

when i got home from work this afternoon, damo said, "Oprah had a really sad show on today." it's too bad he's picked up the stereotypical afternoon tv habit but not the vacuuming, dusting and laundry habit. can't complain too much though because there's usually a good supper (curry) ready to eat when i get home from work and the dishes are often done.in other news, some of my year 9 boys were

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1162096093586446712006-10-29T15:20:00.000+11:002006-11-16T17:08:10.040+11:00

My brother Steve spend a week of his three week Aussie adventure with us down in the tempermental south. There was a biting cold wind from the Antarctic when we hit the Great Ocean Road but 35 degree Celius weather a day or two later. However, he persevered despite Mother Nature's inconsistencies and his bum foot to clamber over the tidal pools at Anglesea, meet salty old lighthouse keepers,

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1161612659683366922006-10-24T00:09:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:32:32.271+11:00

There's no cooler way to tour Perth. It's Fonzi cool. Video & photos of perth, fremantle, & Rottnest Island (quokkas!!.) Also included is a journey on the Highway to Hell that leads to the gravesite of Bon Scott. Hopefully he didn't & we don't end up there.

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1161080488935213152006-10-17T19:51:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:41:16.917+11:00

Way back three, four weeks ago, we flew to Western Australia for our last two week holiday. One surprising highlight on our Perth to Exmouth tour was a visit to famed Monkey Mia for the feeding of the wild dolphins. I don't know why it was such a surprise that it would be so cool but I guess we thought it would be a bit hokey. Of course it wasn't--I mean, we got to see these beautiful

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1158119199412206562006-09-13T13:34:00.000+10:002006-11-16T17:08:51.314+11:00

A big thanks to Jackie and Doug Cameron (Nico's parents) who DID indeed make the 24 hour pilgrimage by plane from Canada all the way down under. For the first part of the trip I was back in Canada for work but managed to hook back in time for a visit to Alice Springs & Uluru, which Nico has already posted about. It was super nice of them to fly us out to visit the rock with them. It was also

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1157954788348351842006-09-11T15:53:00.000+10:002006-11-16T17:09:12.067+11:00

Screw you guys back home for not visiting us! At least we now know who our friends are - Darren & Kelly made the trip from Sydney down to see us for a four day weekend back on August 24th. One of those days was spent spanking a record hangover...damn you beer, wine, shots, highballs...So where'd we take our visiting Aussies? To our favorite spots on the Great Ocean Road. Wreck Beach, The Koala

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1157703896499208792006-09-09T18:19:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:33:54.474+11:00

This is the shot I have been trying and trying to get...I finally got it! I wanted to do this with Uluru so that stripes of stars would be surrounding the giant rock at night, unfortunately I've never held the shutter open long enough. This shot was taken using 100 ASA film (very slow speed) with the camera on a stand. The shutter was held open for between 10 and 15 minutes turning night to day

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1157358412302310872006-09-08T18:24:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:29:33.077+11:00

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1157356802749071442006-09-08T17:56:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:44:05.721+11:00

This is why you avoid Uluru mid-morning.

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1157444180554946682006-09-05T18:05:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:44:24.641+11:00

Wow. Yesterday, Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, died after being stung by a sting ray in the chest while filming a tv segment for his 8 year old daughter's show. The kids at school are all a bit shocked and sad and it's all the news is reporting on--it's the Aussie Princess Di (although far more lovable and annoying).What's the reaction the world over?

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1157357974135427272006-09-04T18:00:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:30:47.763+11:00

fact: Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) was even more stunning than Uluru. But that begs the question: is Damo even more stunning than Kata Tjuta? We hiked between the weirdly shaped bulges as Damo posed and preened.

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1157254295367270332006-09-03T13:09:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:34:41.902+11:00

fact: Uluru (Ayer's Rock) is indeed a great big rock. I know that may seem pretty self evident given its previous name but it wasn't until we got there that the immensity of this giant pebble hit home. It's not a big hill or a small mountain--it's one big red rock. Like an iceberg, a good chunk of it is underground. 345 metres are above ground and that's what we climbed.fact: it is strongly

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1156843054679245382006-08-29T19:10:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:41:59.789+11:00

That seems to be the main question posed by the viewers of this blog (silly silly people.)Oh...um, I guess I shouldnt insult the readership! Sorry it wont happen again.Now to fish!! I saw everyone of these creatures during my four dives (nico saw a few from above while snorkelling. It was absolutely beautiful.Next question for the masses - can one Canadian, two Americans, and one POM find opals

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1156137392801006872006-08-21T14:58:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:39:37.887+11:00

We now ask that you travel back in time with us, not long ago, on a planet not very distant at all, in fact closer than you can imagine, Nico and Damo hit the Great Barrier Reef. Well, not hit it, but took a three hour boat tour (egads, first warning) out through inclemant seas to the Great Barrier Reef.To be more specific, the date was July 19, 2006 and the planet was the planet Earth. And this

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1154611027867632562006-08-03T22:47:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:48:58.991+11:00

But, now you know this story,and you'll be coming to earth.You'll be part of earth when you die.You responsible now.You got to go with us.To earth.Might be you can hang on.Hang onto this story.To this earth.Bill Neidjie, Gagudju Man (Aborigine caretaker of Kakadu)Breathtaking views of Kakadu from atop the rock.Rock art found at Ubirr: a scene depiciting a fight between two groups, superimposed

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1154089499200577992006-07-29T22:17:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:49:15.222+11:00

Day Four of our camping tour: After an early morning primer at the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre on the cultures of the different groups who lived (and still live) in the Kakadu area, we hiked out to Nourlangie Rock to see the rock art, such as Ms. Nipply pictured here (a bad spirit).This overhanging rock was used as a shelter during the Wet and has layers and layers of paintings--some

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1154091441494928292006-07-28T22:49:00.000+10:002006-11-16T17:17:23.094+11:00

Look at this beautiful marsh area. Perfect spot for a croc, if you ask me, but that's where we ate lunch. We were on high croc alert that day. Note the signs at the start of each hiking trail that warn you of imminent danger.We took a true 4WD out to Jim Jim Falls, none of that sissy pavement for us. Just red mud, sand and water on twisting track cutting through the trees. The falls had just

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1153629666186285262006-07-23T11:58:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:38:10.555+11:00

Day three of our camping trip: One waterfall after another . . . .As Marco, a fellow campmate said, it was like God just realized, oh, oops, he had a whole bunch of beautiful waterfalls left over during creation so he just put them all in the Top End. Scott took us hiking up and down the rocky ridges of Kakadu on this hot day, each time to a waterhole even more lovely than the one before it. The

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1152939708650255682006-07-15T14:54:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:45:22.754+11:00

Day Two of our camping trip: Canoeing through the first two of nine gorges in the stunning Katherine Gorge Park. Loved the view; hated our 'canoe' and its paddles. I guess it was a sort of kayak but both of us would have prefered a Canadian style canoe--we had trouble keeping the boat straight! (And yes, it was the boat, not us.)Look at how sun smart we are with our broad brimmed hats and me with

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1152790997254535192006-07-13T21:20:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:46:02.478+11:00

our transportation, guide Scott and companions for the five day Wilderness 4WD trip in the Top End

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1152783651038039632006-07-13T19:31:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:47:41.451+11:00

After successfully completing the didje playing and spear throwing challenges, our group was deemed road worthy so our guide Scott loaded us up in the back of the 4WD and off we went. Our first stop was Litchfield Park, about an hour out of Darwin, to see the massive cathedral termite mounds and the cool flatten magnetic termite mounds with their north/south axis. Although we couldn't find the

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1152427106878655132006-07-09T16:22:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:48:42.943+11:00

Question for the masses: is this a photo of Damo taking a massive bong hit or Damo learning how to play the didjeridu?Answer: I'll leave it up to the viewer to interpret the photo. The next photo will help you in the process, or it might make you think that Nico and I stumbled upon an outdoor opium den in Northern Australia.This was day one of our 5 day Top End 4WD guided exploration. Our guide

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1152267038019469742006-07-07T19:58:00.000+10:002006-11-16T17:17:48.680+11:00

The Top End IsSunsetThe Top End isWater FallingThe Top End IsCrocodile

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1147336247516641202006-05-12T18:13:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:50:42.343+11:00

Cadbury's has a tour of their chocolate factory in Hobart, Tasmania. Is there really much more that needs to be said? The only disappointment was that, due to health regulations, you can no longer just grab chocolates off the assembly lines as you walk through but instead get a box of chocolates at the end. Health, smealth. I didn't really care much about the process but it was heavenly just

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1146374463175334382006-05-11T19:09:00.000+10:002006-11-16T17:09:56.627+11:00

Many people in Australia can trace their family tree back to one of the convicts that was sent here in this colony's beginnings. The transportation sentence was often for something like stealing a loaf of bread in England or pickpocketing. Port Arthur, on the south tip of Tasmaina, was a centre for convicts who got into trouble while serving their 7 or 14 year sentence elsewhere in the colony.

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1146998880558756002006-05-07T20:27:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:59:27.017+11:00

I just got back from a very nice weekend in the city (i.e. Melbourne) with a few other exchange teachers. Americans, Canadians, and British celebrated the Mexican independence with maragitas and salsa. Then we went for yum cha (dim sum) the next day and out to the comedy festival that night. Melbourne, and possibly all of Australia, does not have spectacular sushi (this is the collective opinion

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1145682589551383172006-04-30T12:41:00.000+10:002006-11-16T17:11:36.552+11:00

On the map, the lakes of the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area show up as big blue expanses, a deception. In reality, they are dry, salty, scrubby plains and have been thus for most of the past 10 000 years. So we didn't come here for the swimming, but instead, the Wall of China, a 33 km long white sand dune. It was very beautiful and, of course, we visited it at sunset to capture the colours.

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1146306547556568502006-04-29T20:26:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:52:48.498+11:00

Do you know what's weird? Stephen Harper is our Canadian prime minister. I was reading the Aussie Time magazine and there was a quote from him, and, really, it just threw me for a moment. Harper? I haven't lived in Canada since he became PM so therefore it's not real.

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1145683148556122822006-04-22T15:09:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:53:27.788+11:00

I loved the outback. It was very flat, dusty and dry with scrubby bush and a few red rocky hills amidst the sandy soil. I admit, it does remind me of my home province Saskatchewan. It's different in a lot of ways but evokes that sense of spaciousness and the wind was ever constant. This deisel drum is one of the outback mailboxes. Remote stations (i.e. big ranches) and national parks like this

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1145680385096274392006-04-22T13:01:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:54:25.512+11:00

It's not so much the wild animals that are dangerous here but, rather, their plastic and fun fur counterparts. These rare photos depict some of the more horrific moments from on the road in Australia. From giant koalas who grope and choke, to montrous Cadbury chocolate Freddo frogs, swarms of bush honey bees or surprised red Mallee bulls, the average tourist needs to be constantly on the lookout.

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1145578470515677392006-04-21T09:46:00.000+10:002006-11-16T16:55:07.910+11:00

We completed a major road trip over the Easter weekend (about 2000 Kms round trip.) It's funny - when you're on vacation it seems like no distance is too far. At home, it's the opposite, any distance is too far.Broken Hill is on the western edge of New South Wales and is actually closer to South Australia's capital of Adelaide. It's a city founded because of its enormous silver deposit. Since

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1144579193451756552006-04-09T19:49:00.000+10:002006-11-16T17:10:48.827+11:00

One of the prettiest towns we stopped at in Tassie was Ross, where we stayed overtop a wood-fired stove bakery (yummy!) in a coaching inn dating from the early 1830s (convict build, of course). This same bakery is also the Anne of Green Gables destination in Australia for Japanese tourists because it is the setting for an anime film about Kiki, a cute little witch (Kiki's Delivery Service by

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1144388192782865552006-04-07T14:59:00.000+10:002006-11-16T17:05:37.454+11:00

This post is dedicated to the smaller arachnids that live in our community. Friendly critters such as the white tip, the red back, the brown widow, and the trapdoor spider none of which, despite urban legends to the contrary, are in fact 'deadly.'First, the white tail (also known as the white tip.) This much maligned spider has been suspected of causing necrotising wounds around the bite area.

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1143783339686050242006-03-31T16:13:00.000+11:002006-11-16T16:55:55.274+11:00

Today I was called "mom" in class by a student--second time this has happened! It is rather funny but it's also a bit disconcerting because this hasn't happened to me before. Damo tells me I must be looking matronly.While I still get this knot of reluctance (not quite dread) in my stomach when I think of going to work, it is a lot better than when I first started. It's just not as good as the

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1143367259968409972006-03-26T20:40:00.000+11:002006-11-16T17:12:21.814+11:00

March 17th and 18th, 2006Maria Island National Park is located just off the eastern coast of Tasmania and is only accessible via 25 minute ferry ride. Cars are not allowed on the island. It has a long history with it being originally settled in the early 1800's as a penal colony (Tasmania is the home of 19th century penal colonies.) The settlement peaked sometime in the 20th century with over 600

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1143068663964175592006-03-23T09:23:00.000+11:002006-11-16T16:56:59.753+11:00

Wombats, aboriginal for Bloodlust, are vile creatures that can strip the flesh from a freshly killed carcass in seconds flat, leaping up to twenty feet from a standing position to murder its prey in a cold blooded feeding frenzy. We came across this little critter in the wilds of Maria Island, Tasmania.Fortunately, Nicole had some GHB handy (I'm not sure why she maintains a supply of it, a fact

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1142243159799732302006-03-13T20:09:00.000+11:002006-11-16T16:57:31.599+11:00

So you want kangaroos, do you? Well, we have plenty of kangaroo moments caught on film for your viewing pleasure! Smart people like me feed only the smaller cute ones. They must be the moms and young 'uns. Up close, these little ones are like pretty deer-rabbits creatures with their big brown eyes.Damo likes to live dangerously so at the wildlife park he decided to sit down (first mistake) and

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1141347721029118522006-03-03T11:21:00.000+11:002006-11-16T17:00:05.206+11:00

There's only one way to respond to Nicole's post with photos of men-folk sporting overly tight speedos. With booze...and lots of it! It's the only way to drown the images that have been forever etched into my brain. I mean it was bad enough being there, but having it reinforced with photographic evidence. Arg. It's enough to make a grown straight man cry.So...ya, booze. Um...that's not booze,

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1140501603511932442006-02-21T15:54:00.000+11:002006-11-16T16:58:52.639+11:00

(photos carefully selected by Nico)This is the action we saw this past weekend at Lorne for the surf rescue part of Rescue 06, the world lifesaving championships hosted this year by Geelong and area. As expected, Australia and New Zealand cleaned up in this portion!These photos are from the flag race finals where one person is eliminated each round.This is the ready position in the final round--

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1140432541545692152006-02-20T20:59:00.000+11:002006-11-16T17:01:55.608+11:00

On January 17, 2006 we hit the Shipwreck Coast along the Great Ocean road. The first part of the trip we did a major hike to access a couple of shipwrecks (Nico already mentioned earlier) at Moonlight Head - the Fiji (1891) and Marie Gabrielle (1880.) All that's left of either wreck are the anchors. The sign claims it's 366 steps but we counted and they lied. It's really 380. Because of the

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1139743058310267022006-02-12T21:25:00.000+11:002006-11-16T17:02:38.057+11:00

Surfing is SO much fun! We had our first lesson down in South Gippsland with the other exchange teachers. It started off with some on-the-sand practice of jumping up on our imaginary boards.Here we are ready to hit the surf with our foam G-boards--these are study and somewhat soft, just for beginners like us. They were really slippery and a bit unstable though. (Or maybe that was just my lack of

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1139465713082453242006-02-09T17:01:00.000+11:002006-11-16T17:03:05.582+11:00

So here, it's okay to ask for a rubber in class because you're just asking for an eraser. Pencil crayons don't exist ("Which one, Miss? Pencils or crayons?")--they're coloured pencils. Markers are also textas. Binders are known as folders. Quotation marks are inverted commas and periods are full stops (sounds like a telegraph!). Thongs for flip-flop sandals, bathers or cozzies for your

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1139464884669011032006-02-09T16:16:00.000+11:002006-11-16T17:03:47.714+11:00

Today, at recess, a little Year Seven boy (12 or 13 years of age) couldn't get his lock open. He was so upset, he was crying! Poor kid! Some of my 'integrated" kids (aka 'coded' or learning disabled) almost cried today as well because we were looking up words in the dictionary and they 'hated it!' and just couldn't do it until I came to help them both with each and every word. "Miss, miss, I

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1138883490578833292006-02-02T22:35:00.000+11:002006-11-16T16:47:05.381+11:00

Welcome to Eden where the prime real estate is occupied by a cemetary!Eden is a small fishing town on the south eastern tip of Australia midway between Sydney and Melbourne, it has yet to acquire the look and feel of a tourist town. It almost seems lost in time with open beaches unoccupied by houses, beautiful cliffs right in the town center with wooden walkways along their precipice. We stayed

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1138607381014343812006-01-30T18:35:00.000+11:002006-11-16T17:04:29.314+11:00

Yes. The annoying, swarm en mass and get in your face type flies. Flies that have no qualms about crawling in your nose, landing on your eyeball …or even worse…flying into your mouth just as you are breathing in so that you get a late afternoon meal. These two stunning photos demonstrate the phenomenon...in certain areas it's almost impossible to take a photo without a fly in it. I guess that

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1138517751837351992006-01-29T17:54:00.000+11:002006-11-16T17:05:03.077+11:00

January 16th-18thHere's the winding road along the cliffside--one of the world's most spectacular (and fun) drives. The anchor is from a shipwreak of the Marie Gabrielle in 1880, one of two wreaks at Moonlight Head and among oodles of others along this stretch of coast. We walked down and up 380 steps to get down to the beach!The limstone cliffs are at Loch Ard Gorge and the rock

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1138346602650575072006-01-27T18:09:00.000+11:002006-11-16T17:06:02.009+11:00

Look at our cute little buddy fast asleep after his afternoon snack of eucalyptus leaves, some hand picked by us! We just pulled off the road (jan 16th at Kennett River on the Great Ocean Road) and there he was, right in the wild--much lower down in the tall eucalylps than koalas usually are. A typical day consists of eating, then a lot of sleep, followed by more eating.Sad thing is right now

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1138333492640639732006-01-27T14:42:00.000+11:002006-11-16T17:12:55.350+11:00

We had to stop for a coffee at the fabulous Cafe Mimo in Melbourne. Who knew that Mimo would make a go at opening a coffee shop Down Under.

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1138198961896800212006-01-26T01:03:00.000+11:002006-11-16T17:07:05.526+11:00

It's been a long time! We FINALLY got internet hooked up in our new home and now can update re: our adventures so far.In brief:Penrith for four days. Hung with Darren and Kelly who were nice to put us up. Saw some kangaroos suffering in the sweltering 45.5 degree heat. We comisserated with them.From Penrith to Sydney for two nights accomodation at the Four Points Sheriton hotel (free thanks to

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1136860778025436442006-01-10T13:18:00.000+11:002006-11-16T17:13:42.228+11:00

we're in ulladulla right now, a cute little beachside town south of sydney, sleeping in a real bed (hoorah!), thanks to damo's friends, tony and jo. tony is a wine buff so we drank lots of kick ass wine last night and celebrated the day after my birthday (happy birthday me!). after this contact with the world over via internet, we're going to hit the beach again in our attempt to get rid of our

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1135711678828556932005-12-28T06:07:00.000+11:002006-11-16T17:13:57.469+11:00

we arrived at the calgary airport just in time to miss our flight--unbeknowst to us, our 9:30 flight had been moved up to 8:15! we were told that there were no other air canada flights that night but we needed to be in vancouver to catch our 1:20 am cathy pacific flight! damo ran down to westjet; they were overbooked. We panicked (i called mom and dad in almost tears), but luckily cooler heads

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19848660.post-1134524205704015752005-12-14T12:36:00.000+11:002006-11-16T17:14:12.123+11:00

countdown: 13 days until we fly out!

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210413412334358179noreply@blogger.com0