Healesville Scantuary, Melbourne Australia

Kangeroos, wallabys, Tasmanian devils - just of few of the unique to Australia animals on view at the Healesville Scanturary just outside of Melbourne.  Darrell gets to meet a tree that is his same age!

Puffing Billy Steam Train Ride, Melbourne

A fun ride on the century old Puffing Billy steam train.  Operated entirely by volunteers - we enjoyed a ride through the Dandenong Range forest near Belgrave, Australia

The Twelve Apsotle's, Great Ocean Road, Melbourne

 

Razorback video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9s0Bwnmvlk&feature=context-cha

I love the stark constrast of the limestone cliffs against the cold blue ocean - viewing the Twelve Apostle's along the Great Ocean Road, near Melbourne, Australia.  We walked down to Lor Arch Gorge and learned of the shipwreck survival story, views of the Island arch and razorback formations.

The Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road, Australia

 

Video of Twelve Apostle's from the cliff: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNzmz9L8ZSc&feature=plcp

 

Our first views of the famous 12 Apostle's along the Great Ocean Road.    I walked down the Gibson Steps to gain some perspective regarding the size of the cliffs and these giant formations.

Koala's in the wild; Mait's rest rainforrest, Great Ocean Road

Neat to see Koala's in the wild - near Kennett River on the Great Ocean Road.  Also stopped and took a hike through some of the old rainforrest area along the ocean. 

For the Birds? Great Ocean Road, Melbourne

Beautiful and brillantly colored parrots are friendly enough to take food from our hands!  At a stop along the Great Ocean Road, Melbourne.

Great Ocean Road, Melbourne

Billy Bush Tea and Vegemite?  Well - welcome to Melbourne!  We are touring the spectacular Great Ocean Road near Melbourne!  The road is a marvel as it hugs the coast and one of the most scenic drives on the planet!
 Lighthouse at Bell's Beach.  Bell's Beach is where Bodie (Patrick Swayse) surfs into the Storm of the Century in the movie Point Break.  (There was a surfing competition on this day - so we were unable to get into this beach.)  The Memorial Arch dedicated to the workers who built the Great Ocean Road.

Jewels of the Pacific - cruise schedule

2012 - Jewels of the Pacific

MS Regatta, Oceania Cruises

March 29                             Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

March 30                             Sail Tasman Sea

March 31                             Melbourne,  Victoria, Australia

April 1                                   Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

April 2                                   Sail Tasman Sea
April 3                                   Hobart, Tasmania
April 4                                   Sail Tasman Sea
April 5                                   Sail Tasman Sea
April 6                                   Fjords of Milford Sound, New Zealand
April 7                                   Dunedin, New Zealand
April 8                                   Akaroa/Christchurch, New Zealand
April 9                                   Wellington, New Zealand
April 10                                 Sail Tasman Sea
April 11                                 Tauranga, New Zealand
April 12                                 Auckland, New Zealand
April 13                                 Bay of Islands, New Zealand
April 14                                 Sail South Pacific
April 15                                 Sail South Pacific
April 16                                 Nuku-alofa, Tonga
April 17                                 Sail South Pacific
April 18                                 Rarotonga, Cook Islands
April 19                                 Sail South Pacific
April 20                                 Bora Bora, French Polynesia
April 21                                 Moorea &Papette,  Tahiti, French Polynesia
April 22                                 Papette, Tahiti,  French Polynesia

On Board MS Regatta, Sydney Harbor

Ready for an adventure!  We are on board MS Regatta ready to sail the Tasman Sea.  First port is Melbourne for 2 nights then to New Zealand and the South Pacific. 

The Rocks, Sydney

Sights around "The Rocks" area near the Circular Quay in downtown Sydney.  We boarded the ship and dropped luggage - then went disembarked to visit The Rocks area.  Statute of Captain William Bligh, The oldest building/cottage in Sydney, The Rocks Museum, and the Contempory Art Museum.

 

This was a really cool exhibit  -IT IS A MOVIE- described below.  Unfortunately - I couldn't stay for 24 hourse - but it was fasinating as the scenes from tv and movie show the clock at that scene and then switches to another scene with another clock in the next few seconds! 
THE CLOCK:
Don’t miss the Southern Hemisphere premiere of Christian Marclay’s groundbreaking 24-hour video work, The Clock, which has attracted record crowds wherever it has been shown. Marclay was awarded the Golden Lion for best artist at last year’s 54th Venice Biennale for The Clock.
Be amazed by the scale and ingenuity of the project. The Clock comprises several thousand short extracts from cinema history, each suggesting a particular time of day or referencing a specific moment, often through the appearance of a watch or clock-face. Marclay has stitched these extracts together to form a continuous visual sequence synchronised with the real time of your visit – if it is noon you’ll be watching a scene referencing noon. Even more impressively, the scenes suggest countless interlocking narratives despite the constant changes in genres, eras, locations and plotlines.
To honour this extraordinary achievement, you’ll be able to experience The Clock around the clock! The Clock will be shown in its entirety on the MCA’s opening day, Thursday 29 March 2012, and then played continuously during regular museum opening hours.
Born in California in 1955 and raised in Switzerland, Christian Marclay now lives between London and New York. He has employed the concept of collage since the 1970s across diverse media including film and video, photography, installation, sound and music. This premiere presentation of The Clock in Australia is an extraordinary opportunity to see and experience a major international artistic phenomenon.

Darrell and Elaine - roof top photos from hotel, Sydney

Some photos from the roof top restaurant/bar at the Intercontinental Hotel just before we head to the Circular Quay to board the Ocean Regatta for the cruise!
http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/intercontinental/en/gb/locations/sydha

Sydney Walking Tour 2 - views from Historic Area

Views from the area just above the Botanical Gardens in the historical area - Parliment, Barracks, ANZAC Memorial, Statue of Captain Cook, the Sydney Tower.