On the weekend Mel and I wanted something fun and free to do, having purchased a 'Coastal Walks of Sydney' book a while back (getting old aren’t we!) we decided to head for Bondi to do the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk which takes around 2 hours. On a typical Sydney winters day (fine, sunny and 20 degrees) there were plenty of surfers out and it brought back memories of South Beach in Wanganui, NZ where I grew up – it was a ‘those were the days’ moment to watch them catching waves and wiping out, I may look at getting a surf board in the near future but will concentrate on the camera, guitar and my soon-to-arrive body board for the time being.
Lunch for me was fish and chips (well we're by the seaside) then we began the walk from the southern end of Bondi beach near the Bondi Icebergs Club (which opened in 1929 and requires full members to swim 3 out of 4 Sundays for 5 years!). Of course the walk is memorable mainly for the stunning scenery of the eastern coast but little bits of history like an old cemetery along the way make it all the more interesting - Australia is truly blessed with some of the best coast line you'll ever see and when the sky is so blue and so many people are out and about enjoying the lifestyle a weekend in Sydney often seems more like a holiday away from home.
We rewarded ourselves with coffee and smoothies on the Coogee water front – still plenty warm enough in the afternoon for kids to be playing on the beach in the sand. We then headed back to Balmain so I could catch the NZ v SA rugby test with friends in our local The London Hotel (we live 160 paces from it, I counted!) – NZ lost that one in the dying minutes having beaten SA convincingly last weekend. Looks like the tri-nations is to be a close fought competition this year which makes it all the more exciting Aussie are yet to kick their campaign off and do so against SA this weekend! Mel and I have tickets to the NZ v Aus match in Sydney on 26th July - cant wait for my first live test back in the southern hemisphere!
Cheers
Tim
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
Bridge climb, Sydney
I was lucky enough to be given a voucher for a bridge climb from my colleagues at Yahoo! in London as a farewell gift (thanks guys) and decided to use Mel and I's 1st wedding anniversary as a good excuse to use it.
After playing touch rugby on Sunday morning as usual we enjoyed brunch at a cafe in Balmain then headed for the bridge climb which is situated in The Rocks area of Sydney - obviously close to the bridge on the southern side. When you look up from ground level you get one sense of how big the bridge is but when you are 134 metres up on it's central highest point the feeling is quite different - you start the climb through all the steel (you can chose to climb over the top but we preferred to get in and around the 53, 000 tonnes of steel) there is an initial shock for most I think as even though the harnesses are very safe it's still like walking with only a few millimeters of grilled steel between you and the water well beneath.
Our guide/photographer was of the humorous type which put everyone at ease and within 45 mins or so of climbing we made it to the top. It was a fantastic way to celebrate our first year of marriage and something I will never forget. No anniversary could go by without a beverage of the alcoholic kind and we enjoyed this at the Harbour View Hotel in The Rocks.
Thanks again to the C&C crew at Yahoo! London and to Mel for agreeing to come along for the climb!
Tim
After playing touch rugby on Sunday morning as usual we enjoyed brunch at a cafe in Balmain then headed for the bridge climb which is situated in The Rocks area of Sydney - obviously close to the bridge on the southern side. When you look up from ground level you get one sense of how big the bridge is but when you are 134 metres up on it's central highest point the feeling is quite different - you start the climb through all the steel (you can chose to climb over the top but we preferred to get in and around the 53, 000 tonnes of steel) there is an initial shock for most I think as even though the harnesses are very safe it's still like walking with only a few millimeters of grilled steel between you and the water well beneath.
Our guide/photographer was of the humorous type which put everyone at ease and within 45 mins or so of climbing we made it to the top. It was a fantastic way to celebrate our first year of marriage and something I will never forget. No anniversary could go by without a beverage of the alcoholic kind and we enjoyed this at the Harbour View Hotel in The Rocks.
Thanks again to the C&C crew at Yahoo! London and to Mel for agreeing to come along for the climb!
Tim
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Melbourne for the weekend
Last weekend Mel and I headed for Melbourne, we had heard a lot about it and I were actually worried we would prefer it to Sydney. While it was great to catch up with friends it did not appear to have the vibrancy and huge choice of events going on that Sydney does. What we did enjoy was the cafe culture, even though we are not big coffee drinkers it's nice to see people sitting out on the cobbled streets enjoying a non-alcoholic drink and a chat - it creates a vibe in itself and reminds you it's not always necessary to enjoy time with friends only in a pub!
A trip up the world’s second tallest residential building the Eureka Tower was one highlight not to be forgotten - 300 metres tall with 92 storeys! You get a great view of all the main city attractions including the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) and Telstra Stadium. The lift is the fastest in the southern hemisphere and travels at 9 metres per second.
Hosier Lane was another highlight, the photo on this post is taken here where artists are encouraged to express their creativity on the walls! Some great art work which I imagine is forever changing - not to be missed.
The NGV (National Gallery of Victoria) was also great, lots of local aboriginal art on display that reminds you just how creative and talented the indigenous people of Australia are. Photos from the NGV are on my Flickr account.
I would say Melbourne is a great cultural experience and definitely worth the trip but in terms of living Mel and I will stick with Sydney for now anyway. I just love catching a ferry to work everyday now we are settled in our house in Balmain - photos of that to come soon!
Cheers
Tim
A trip up the world’s second tallest residential building the Eureka Tower was one highlight not to be forgotten - 300 metres tall with 92 storeys! You get a great view of all the main city attractions including the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) and Telstra Stadium. The lift is the fastest in the southern hemisphere and travels at 9 metres per second.
Hosier Lane was another highlight, the photo on this post is taken here where artists are encouraged to express their creativity on the walls! Some great art work which I imagine is forever changing - not to be missed.
The NGV (National Gallery of Victoria) was also great, lots of local aboriginal art on display that reminds you just how creative and talented the indigenous people of Australia are. Photos from the NGV are on my Flickr account.
I would say Melbourne is a great cultural experience and definitely worth the trip but in terms of living Mel and I will stick with Sydney for now anyway. I just love catching a ferry to work everyday now we are settled in our house in Balmain - photos of that to come soon!
Cheers
Tim
Tuesday, 3 June 2008
Sydney Wildlife World
Well I've been in Sydney over 4 weeks now and getting to know it pretty well. We've found a nice house to live in at Balmain East and will be able to catch a ferry to and from work with a nice little walk at each end. We take over the place on June 14th and can't wait to be able to unpack properly and put the packs/suitcases away for at least a few months. Next trip planned is back to NZ for Steve and Sara's wedding in Gisbourne.
Last weekend we took a trip to Sydney Wildlife World which was fantastic. Lots of spiders, lizards, snakes, koalas, wallabies and other Australian creatures - so many of the worlds most venomous snakes are form this country including the Inland Taipan which is small in size but the most dangerous of them all!
One of my favourite creatures was this little lizard (little in comparison to some of them anyway) who was very friendly and did not mind me poking my camera around in his/her face!
Plenty more photos of the trip to this park and others from around Sydney available on my Flickr account. I plan to take a photography course very soon so we can all breath a sigh of relief.
Cheers
Tim
Last weekend we took a trip to Sydney Wildlife World which was fantastic. Lots of spiders, lizards, snakes, koalas, wallabies and other Australian creatures - so many of the worlds most venomous snakes are form this country including the Inland Taipan which is small in size but the most dangerous of them all!
One of my favourite creatures was this little lizard (little in comparison to some of them anyway) who was very friendly and did not mind me poking my camera around in his/her face!
Plenty more photos of the trip to this park and others from around Sydney available on my Flickr account. I plan to take a photography course very soon so we can all breath a sigh of relief.
Cheers
Tim
Wednesday, 14 May 2008
Outside the Y! Sydney office
It's a hard life really!
I'm in my second week working for Yahoo!7 (Yahoo! is in a joint venture with Channel 7 in Australia) and so far it's been great fun.
The office is located on one of the Piers on Millers Point which is very close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge with awesome views. It's just so nice to be close to the water again even if winter is just around the corner (if you can call it winter) and swimming won't really be possible for a few months.
Mel and I have spent most our spare time taking public transport around the various areas we are keen to live but also managed to fit in some sightseeing, fitness and the odd bit of shopping. We've not found the rental place we want yet but have a fair idea now which areas we like. Balmain and Mosman are quite different, the former being known for great restaurants and bars and a European feel and the latter being close enough to the city to easily commute but right by the nice Northern beaches too.
Sydney clearly is a great city to live, has a lot to offer and is so far living up to expectations. I've even managed to get in a few games of touch in a winter competition which runs for a massive 14 weeks!
Cheers
Tim
I'm in my second week working for Yahoo!7 (Yahoo! is in a joint venture with Channel 7 in Australia) and so far it's been great fun.
The office is located on one of the Piers on Millers Point which is very close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge with awesome views. It's just so nice to be close to the water again even if winter is just around the corner (if you can call it winter) and swimming won't really be possible for a few months.
Mel and I have spent most our spare time taking public transport around the various areas we are keen to live but also managed to fit in some sightseeing, fitness and the odd bit of shopping. We've not found the rental place we want yet but have a fair idea now which areas we like. Balmain and Mosman are quite different, the former being known for great restaurants and bars and a European feel and the latter being close enough to the city to easily commute but right by the nice Northern beaches too.
Sydney clearly is a great city to live, has a lot to offer and is so far living up to expectations. I've even managed to get in a few games of touch in a winter competition which runs for a massive 14 weeks!
Cheers
Tim
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
Jordan experience
A lot has happened since my last post, I've not only been on a great holiday to Jordan but moved to Sydney, Australia now too!
Jordan was fantastic, a lot how I imagined it would be but also some surprises too. After spending the first night in Amman (the capital) we drove down to Petra via the Dead Sea and a cool place called Wadi Mujib which is a massive valley still with some running water carved out many years ago. A quick dip in the Dead Sea (which I had heard a lot about) was a strange experience and I can now personally confirm you do float in this expanse of water 5 times more salty than normal salt water.
Petra is the main attraction for most visitors to Jordan and it did not let us down. You can see from the many photos on my flickr acccount that there is a lot to see and do and it's all around beauty.
From Petra we moved on to Wadi Rum which in effect is the desert. We had a camp booked, Mel was worried about this part of the trip and expected to see creepy crawly bugs but we made it through the night without any bites! It would be lying to say Mel enjoyed the stay in rather "basic" conditions camping in the desert but I really honestly did. We were treated to an amazing sunset followed by "Zurb" which is similar to a Maori Hangi where the food is cooked under the ground - biggest difference being a Zurb is generally done in sand!
Next stop was the part Mel was waiting for. 4 nights in a 5 star hotel by the beach with some scuba diving in the mix at Aqaba on the Red Sea! The resort was very nice and the diving meant I did not get itchy feet to ditch the sun baking and hit the desert again! We did 5 dives, the most memorable for me being 27 metres under and through a wreck (Cedar Pride) where I got my first taste of technical diving in a wreck (don't tell the dive police I am not qualified!).
I would recommend Jordan to anyone wanting a good mix of sight-seeing and beach/diving, 9 nights was good but 10 would have meant we got to see a couple of extra places that seemed worthwhile, especially Jerash north of Amman.
Cheers
Tim
Jordan was fantastic, a lot how I imagined it would be but also some surprises too. After spending the first night in Amman (the capital) we drove down to Petra via the Dead Sea and a cool place called Wadi Mujib which is a massive valley still with some running water carved out many years ago. A quick dip in the Dead Sea (which I had heard a lot about) was a strange experience and I can now personally confirm you do float in this expanse of water 5 times more salty than normal salt water.
Petra is the main attraction for most visitors to Jordan and it did not let us down. You can see from the many photos on my flickr acccount that there is a lot to see and do and it's all around beauty.
From Petra we moved on to Wadi Rum which in effect is the desert. We had a camp booked, Mel was worried about this part of the trip and expected to see creepy crawly bugs but we made it through the night without any bites! It would be lying to say Mel enjoyed the stay in rather "basic" conditions camping in the desert but I really honestly did. We were treated to an amazing sunset followed by "Zurb" which is similar to a Maori Hangi where the food is cooked under the ground - biggest difference being a Zurb is generally done in sand!
Next stop was the part Mel was waiting for. 4 nights in a 5 star hotel by the beach with some scuba diving in the mix at Aqaba on the Red Sea! The resort was very nice and the diving meant I did not get itchy feet to ditch the sun baking and hit the desert again! We did 5 dives, the most memorable for me being 27 metres under and through a wreck (Cedar Pride) where I got my first taste of technical diving in a wreck (don't tell the dive police I am not qualified!).
I would recommend Jordan to anyone wanting a good mix of sight-seeing and beach/diving, 9 nights was good but 10 would have meant we got to see a couple of extra places that seemed worthwhile, especially Jerash north of Amman.
Cheers
Tim
Monday, 14 April 2008
Mels London Marathon!
Mel completed the London Marathon yesterday in 4 hrs 26 mins. It was a great effort despite the number of slower runners (and some walkers even around the 6 mile point) that were hard to get past.
The atmosphere in London was buzzing and the crowds of spectators were fantastic, helping to keep runners going by shouting their names and encouraging them.
Cheers to Mels supporters for joining in the fun. I felt like I did a marathon myself but made it to the 6, 12, 19 and 25 mile points to cheer her on. All photos can be seen on my flickr account at http://www.flickr.com/gp/31447176@N00/5D5054
Tim
The atmosphere in London was buzzing and the crowds of spectators were fantastic, helping to keep runners going by shouting their names and encouraging them.
Cheers to Mels supporters for joining in the fun. I felt like I did a marathon myself but made it to the 6, 12, 19 and 25 mile points to cheer her on. All photos can be seen on my flickr account at http://www.flickr.com/gp/31447176@N00/5D5054
Tim
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