A Joey Good Time

January always seems like such a long month.  Winter settles in, making herself at home.  Morning light arrives late and evening's dark comes far too early.  I wish the days could remain long with light, but I guess Mother Nature needs to rest in this part of the world as she works hard in the Southern Hemisphere.

 It's hot hot hot in Australia now.  I'm glad we visited in their late spring.  

I thought I'd post some random images of folks enjoying the outdoors. 

I know we sure did!

The next 7 images were captured on 

various bike trips from the University to the 

Indian Ocean and then down to

Fremantle, 

about a 9 mile bike ride one way.

The little building below sits in the Swan River.  

I'm unsure of its purpose, but there were always people stopping 

to be photographed on its boardwalk.

I might have mentioned that our trip to the Outback produced very few sightings of kangaroos.  

We were told if we wanted to see kangaroos, 

we should go to Pinaroo Valley Memorial Park, 

a well kept cemetery with lush grounds and gardens.  

Well, we were not disappointed!

There were dozens and dozens and dozens of 'roos' and their 'joeys' hanging out.

Or in some cases, 

wanting to get out of the paparazzi's sight.

But there is always one in the crowd

who wants to be a star!

Love those 'roos'!

Later, my friends.

(And we're halfway through January!)

More of Australia ... Rottnest Island

Since many of us are caught up in this bazaar 'polar vortex' embracing the country, I thought what better time to have warm images of another place and time.  So how about continuing with our Australia trip!

On my last update of Australia, we were spending a month in Perth on the west coast, which was just the beginning of their summer.

During our time there, we took a ferry to visit Rottnest Island, which sits 11 miles off the coast and is a popular holiday destination.  Diving, snorkeling, boating, biking and just plain relaxing is had by many Aussies throughout the summer months.

The Professor and I took our bikes over on the ferry, since no cars are allowed, and biked the circumference of the island .. which was about 14 miles.  It took us a good 5+ hours to make the trip around.  We stopped a lot, what can I say!  There was much to see and enjoy with the white beaches, crashing surf and spectacular views.

We also enjoyed all the wildlife.

The pelicans (which are one of my favorite birds) have a bit

of a different look than our Florida brown pelican.

But just as handsome!

What was really cool to spot 

was the huge Osprey nest.

~~ HUGE ~~

While we stopped to enjoy the couple, 

one Osprey took off and soon was bringing back lunch.

Other critters scattered around the island are quokkas, 

which look like a cross between a pint-size kangaroo and a a small ground hog.  

There were quite a number of them at our lunch spot.  

This little guy was wondering 

if I had any food to spare.

We had a great day of tooling

around Rottnest.

Warm and beautiful.

Ah, so warm!

Beam me over, Scottie!

(I need to thaw out.)

Later, my friends,

Perth, a jewel on Australia's west coast

It seems like it has been ages since I've posted!  We safely arrived back in the States last week and I am one happy 'chickadee' to be home again with all the comforts, like a washer and dryer!  The backyard birdies are glad I have returned.  Feeders have been filled and the Junkos, Cardinals, Finches and woodpeckers are having a party!

It was a wonderful 'Round the World' trip and I'll continue to share our destinations, but I hope to get back to more routine postings and catch up with all of you.  When I left you last, we had wrapped up our time in Sydney on the east coast and headed west landing in Perth where we would spend a month.  I fell in love with Perth.  Come along and I'll show you why.

The Swan River hosts a fair number of yacht clubs as it winds its way through Perth.  

Bike paths can be enjoyed all along the river, which I took of great advantage.  

The unique Swan Bell Tower sits on Riverside Drive along the Swan River.  The Tower provides a gorgeous view of downtown and the 18-bells are the largest set of change ringing bells in the world. There were only a few people there the day we visited (and Grandparents day, so we got in free). The guard treated us by having the bells play our National Anthem.  Very cool!

I made several visits to King's Park which is one of the largest inner city parks in the world with its botanical gardens, natural bushland, War Memorial and the DNA Tower with its 101 steps and great views.

I had a wonderful time frequently watching these beautiful black swans along the river.

They were quite entertaining.

This guy was doing his Black Swan stretches one afternoon.

Natalie Portman has nothing on this guy!

This is just a glimpse of Perth.  We had a wonderful month there

and with about 1,600 photos, I've got a few more

posts to share about this city.

But the Holidays are upon us and I'm 

thinking I need a break from travel stories.

Ho ho ho .....

and all that Holiday glow 

awaits!

Sydney delights

Our travels after the Great Barrier Reef included a stop in Sydney.  We only spent two days in Sydney, but we made the most of our time while there.  We hopped on one of those Hop On, Hop Off buses because it provides a great overview of a city in a quick way as well as getting your bearings.  The city was clean and beautiful with lots of open spaces and parks.

The image above was beautiful at dusk as well as night.  The Professor had smartly chosen a hotel that would satisfy this girl's photography obsession, capturing two of Sydney's well-known landmarks ... The Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

 It was impossible for us to cover all the incredible sights Sydney had to offer.  Our second day, we took a ferry ride from the large ferry terminal to a neighboring community, Manly, which gave us a lovely view of Sydney from the water.  From there we got a closer view of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

And 'no', we did not do the Sydney BridgeClimb!

 For those brave of heart folks, you can do the 3+ hour trek to the top of the bridge!  Day or night!  I imagine it has gorgeous views but this girl would have been frozen in place with the very first step!

Can you see the folks walking up in the image below??  

Crazy!

I was just fine with my view from our ferry or hotel room!

After our two days in Sydney, we headed south and stayed in Coogee Beach for several days.  Coogee is a beachside suburb of Sydney and a popular destination as are many of the beachside communities of Sydney.  One doesn't have to go far outside of Sydney to find a beach.

So while The Professor had to do his professorial work, I enjoyed this beautiful seaside.  The coastline was mostly cliffs with wonderful walking paths that stretched for miles both ways.  There were also some spectacular open rock pools where kids could play safely as well as space for adult swim without being in the turbulent surf.

But I don't need to go on.  I think the images tell the story better than I can.  Enjoy!

Next stop, Perth!