donderdag 27 augustus 2009

Winery Visit

Today we visited a winery and had a nice lunch in the chic restaurant

Plenty of wine on tap

Inge and Sonja knocking back the wine.

Great location and worth another visit.

A few of the locals having a snack

dinsdag 25 augustus 2009

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary


We have our friend from Perth (Sonja) visiting us at the moment which explains why we are doing all the touristy things. Photos of Koala's are compulsory!

We visited the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary which is 10minutes from our house. Lots to see there including all the old favourites like kangaroos, wallabies.

I was fascinated by the birds of prey. They had a beautiful white bellied sea eagle.

The other bird of prey was a wedge-tailed eagle, the one's I fly with often at Boonah. This one was hit by a car and had his wing injured so can no longer survive in the wild, a shame.

The last photo is a shot of a baby koala, a 'joey' about 6 months old and just out of his mother's pouch.

maandag 24 augustus 2009

Even more whale watching photos


I forgot to mention that a group of dolphins were swimming with the whales and jumping out of the water...difficult to photograph but it looked spectacular.

The woman captain gave a running commentary all the time, shes really knew her stuff.

We had a nice buffet meal on board and could still watch the whales through the windows, really spectacular....

More whale watching photos


This is the boat, the crew were really friendy.


There were quite a few pods of whales who came close to the boat.

These creatures are great to watch up close

Whale watching in Moreton Bay




Today we went whale watching, this is the write up on the website...
Brisbane Whale Watching invite you to come on board the magnificent 'Eye-Spy' for an encounter with the whales. Of all the great whales, the humpback is the most surface active displaying behaviour that will not only inspire you but leave you in awe. There quite clearly is no better place to observe the mighty humpback than Brisbane’s Moreton Bay, recognised as one of the world’s best Whale watching areas.

Some of the benefits of whale watching in Moreton Bay are:
GUARANTEED SIGHTINGS OF THE WHALES
Only 2 vessels allowed in the marine park for Whale watching
Regular sightings of other marine animals – e.g. pods of dolphins; green turtles; logger head turtles
Calm clear pristine waters of the bay and surrounding waters
Whales use the area to rest, bond and feed their young
Same pods sighted 2 – 3 days
Up close and personal
While keeping a lookout you're given an excellent commentary from our onboard expert and female Captain, Kerry Lopez, which leaves you with a better understanding of these huge mammals.

It really lived up to expectations, the whales were within metres of the boat and were as much interested in us as we were of them!. My camera doesnt do them justice....I will put more photos on the blog.

Hot winter days

Australia is experiencing a winter day of extremes as temperatures peak in central areas, winds whip the south and the threat of bushfires climbs.

Temperatures in the mid-30s are forecast for northern NSW and southern Queensland, as firefighters brace for an early start to the bushfire season.

Brisbane's August maximum temperature record of just under 33 degrees Celsius was reached. 10 degrees above normal..

Warmer weather has also been felt overnight in Sydney, where temperatures were twice the monthly average, and Canberra where 12 degrees Celsius set a new record for the warmest August night.

Much higher temperatures have led to a total fire ban in southern Queensland with authorities warning of a very high to extreme fire danger.

donderdag 20 augustus 2009

Dutch names in Australia



The pronounciation of dutch names here in Australia can give a few laughs.

Last saturday I went gliding and there was a visitor who had a voucher for a gliding flight. I asked him his name "SHOOT" he said. Just to be sure I asked him how to spell it "S C H U I T".(obviously a dutch name)
Oh, I said "S K O U T"
Yes! he said, how did you know?

The other one is on the TV. A newsreader with the name "GROEN" which she pronouces as "GREW-EN"

The cheese "GOUDA" is pronounced here as "GOO-DA".

The other one which makes me laugh is an actress with the name "BRAAKENSIEK"

zaterdag 8 augustus 2009

Sam the Koala to be stuffed



A sad end to a victim of the bushfires in February.



This on the news here...

Australia's most loved koala will be stuffed and displayed in the Melbourne Museum following her death during surgery.

The image of Sam the koala holding hands with Country Fire Authority (CFA) firefighter David Tree and sipping from his water bottle in the aftermath of the Black Saturday bushfires was beamed around the world as a symbol of hope in the days following the disaster.

Sam's bushfire injuries had healed but the four-year-old animal was put down on Thursday during major surgery to remove cysts associated with chlamydia, a life-threatening disease that causes cervical infection and has ravaged Victoria's koala population.

Victorian Premier John Brumby confirmed on Friday that Sam's carers had accepted an offer by the museum to preserve and display the koala to the public, News Ltd newspapers report.

'We will never forget the people and communities affected by those fires and we will never forget the courage and kindness of the firefighters and volunteers who helped them,' Mr Brumby said.

'The story of Sam will help us to understand and remember the devastation that the events of February 2009 had on the people of this state and their extraordinary determination to recover and move forward with their lives.'

zondag 2 augustus 2009

Harp Concert



Today we went to a short harp recital organised by the Queensland Harp Society.

It was nice for Inge to meet fellow harpists here in Brisbane. They had a small recital for youngsters just learning the harp as well as a student playing a very modern composition - not our taste really. Still good to get out and meet people, maybe Inge will take lessons if I drive her to the teacher, everyone lives far away from each other here.