SKYWATCH FRIDAY - ABSEILING IN BRISBANE

Abseiling in Brisbane, Queensland, one bright sunny day.

Lovely to join SKYWATCH FRIDAY. Looking forward to seeing lots of gorgeous photos.

Denise

A youTube video Aussie Actually, on emigrating to Australia

Let's get our minds off the floods. Here is a youTube clip from Lois Nicholls who has written a book Aussie Actually, the story of emigrating to Australia. Many of the scenes are around Brisbane.




Enjoy...

Let's Go Noosa! First of a series on beautiful Noosa, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast

TAKEN AT LAKE MACKENZIE ON FRASER ISLAND

Family Adventure in the Great Outdoors


In the 1800s, convict David ‘Wandi’ Bracefell escaped from Moreton Bay penal colony near Brisbane and ran away to Noosa to join the local Aboriginal tribe, the Ka'bi Ka'bi people. Ever since, Noosa has attracted escapees eager to join the modern tribe living an idyllic beachside lifestyle.


WHY GO AND WHERE IS IT?


Australia is one laidback country, and Noosa, the glamour-puss of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, is one laidback destination. Noosa has been dismissed by some as a holiday playground for the rich and famous, but determined environmental management and sustainability policies have been recognised by UNESCO and Noosa now enjoys Biosphere status. This will further protect this beautiful area where the emphasis is on maintaining the balance between people and the natural environment. What better Australian destination to enjoy the great outdoors?


Noosa is a small beachside town (thanks to a population cap) at the northern end of the Sunshine Coast, 160 kilometres (100 miles) from the capital, Brisbane. Her leafy centre is Hastings Street, with its rustic boardwalk skimming the golden sands of Main Beach where people come to surf, eat, drink, meet, stay.


The Great Outdoors


Life in Noosa is best enjoyed outdoors, so relax, shed your suits and schedules and enjoy the healthy lifestyle. Pitch your tent right on the pristine Noosa River and hook your own tasty fish. Jump on board a whale watching boat, kick a ball on the beach, surf the waves, explore the bush, ride the waterways, and make sure you 4WD through the world’s largest sand island, Fraser Island.


There are funky theme parks for the kids like Australia Zoo or Aussie World, places to get warm and fuzzy with native Australian animals or to swim with sharks, seals or dolphins.

The Original Nomads


Noosa’s outdoor lifestyle could be a direct result of the nomadic lifestyle of the area’s indigenous people who inhabited the pristine beaches, waterways and rich sub-tropical rainforests long before the white man arrived in the 1800s and slowly and methodically forced them further inland. Noosa and the lands as far as Fraser Island belonged to the Ka'bi Ka'bi tribe, and many of their tracks became the white man’s roads, favourite spots where they caught dugongs and turtles are now fished by locals, the bush animals that they hunted are now photo opportunities.

SUMMER FROLICKING AT LAKE MACKENZIE

All your questions about Australia answered (with thanks to Tourism Australia)

I am re-posting this as I've just re-opened my travel site and this post cracks me up. If you need a laugh, here's a bit of Aussie humour. Don't we all have bags of misconceptions about other countries? This may be a bit exaggerated, but it is a hoot...well, if you know any Aussies, you'll know it's not really THAT exaggerated, lol! It actually comes from REAL questions sent to the Tourism Australia website.

THIS IS A DROP BEAR. CAREFUL OR HE MIGHT DROP OUT OF THE GUM TREE!

Q: Does it ever get windy  in Australia ? I have never seen it  rain on TV, how do the plants grow? ( UK ).

A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around  watching them die.

Q: Will I be able to see kangaroos in the street? ( USA )


A: Depends how much you've been drinking.

Q:I want to walk  from Perth to Sydney - can  I follow the  railroad tracks? ( Sweden)

A: Sure, it's only three thousand miles, take lots of water.

Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Australia ? Can you  send me a list of them in Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville and Hervey Bay ? ( UK)

 A: What did your last slave die of?

Q:Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Australia? ( USA )

A: A-Fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe. Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the Pacific which does not ... Oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Kings Cross. Come naked.

Q:Which direction is North in Australia ? (USA )

A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.

Q: Can I bring cutlery into Australia ? ( UK )

A:Why? Just use your fingers like we do...

Q:Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? ( USA )

A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is Oh forget it. Sure,  the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Kings Cross, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.

Q: Can I wear high heels in Australia ? ( UK )

A: You are a British politician, right?

Q:Are there supermarkets in Sydney and is milk available all year round? ( Germany )

 A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter/gatherers. Milk is illegal.

Q:Please send a list of all doctors in Australia who can dispense rattlesnake serum. ( USA )

A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca which is where YOU come from. All Australian snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets.

Q:I have a question about a famous animal in Australia , but I  forget its name. It's a kind of bear and lives in trees. ( USA )

A: It's called a Drop Bear. They are so called because they drop out of Gum trees and eat the brains of anyone walking underneath them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.

Q:I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in Australia ? (USA)

A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather

Q:Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia ? ( France )

A: Only at Christmas.

Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? ( USA )

A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first

Brisbane

Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland, is a great city to live in. There is heaps to do, with many relaxing spaces to visit. I live in the inner city, only a few minutes from the central shopping precinct, the Queen Street Mall. Just across the river from my apartment is the South Bank, which is a great place to stroll along the Brisbane River, many restaurants, markets, and the Kodak Beach, a bone fide man-made beach. A great spot in a boiling hot Brisbane summer. By day or night, Brisbane (or BrisVegas as it is cheekily called) is a good looking, easy living city. Well worth a stopover if you visit Australia.